Ye Wenhao's cry of alarm reached his ears, and realizing he was the focus of everyone's gaze, Ye Fan noticed for the first time that he was in his father's embrace.
This realization left him somewhat bewildered.
Once, when he was very young, after practicing martial arts as Chu Xuanji had instructed, he would soak in the mountain pool. Each time, he would inexplicably fantasize about his parents, imagining what it would be like to see them, dreaming of being held in their arms.
Later, when he went down the mountain for the first time to carry out a mission and saw a woman giving her child a birthday present, holding him in her arms, and saying "Happy Birthday," he couldn't help but stop in his tracks, then stood by the window for several minutes, dazed and full of envy.
That day, he held an intense hope in his heart, longing for the day when he could be held by his parents like that child his age.
The dream seemed within reach.