She pressed her hand tightly over her mouth, preventing herself from crying out loud. Is this still her child? That obedient, rarely speaking, but always smiling warmly son?

Although Li Sixing had autism, under the efforts of Zhang Wen and Li Taishan, he gradually became accustomed to interacting with the outside world. Previously, Li Sixing’s room was filled with sunlight and fresh air. He liked to sit quietly in a rocking chair under the sun, appreciating the albums in his hands. Or he would stand by the windowsill, holding a paintbrush, drawing his own world on clean paper.

But now, that once sun-filled child seemed to have lost his soul, fallen into endless darkness, unable to return.

And all this was caused by her, his mother.

Zhang Wen cried silently, lingering at the door, unable to step in.

The Butler glanced at her reddened eyes, wiping his face, "Recently, the young master has been like this. When Doctor Qin comes, he might say a few words, but the rest of the time, he just sits there. If it weren’t for the nutritional fluids every day, I really don’t know how he would keep going. Ah!"

Zhang Wen stood at the door, tears uncontrollably flowing out, unaware when the Butler left.

After a long time, her mood calmed down, and she tentatively called, "Son?"

Li Sixing did not move, but if Qin Yue were here, he would have noticed a brief pause in his breathing.

Zhang Wen sniffed, hastily wiped the tears from her face, and walked in, pretending nothing was wrong.

"Son, how about Mom opens the curtains to let in some fresh air? You’ve been cooped up in the room for days, you’re about to grow mold!" she joked softly, as she opened the heavy curtains and windows.

The blinding sunlight streamed into the room, dust particles in the air slowly danced in the gentle breeze. Li Sixing maintained the same posture, and the change in light caused his pupils to contract for a moment, then he turned back into a lifeless statue.

A surge of sadness hit Zhang Wen’s heart, she forced a smile with difficulty. She went downstairs, took a cloth and a basin of clean water, came back up, and meticulously cleaned the room that had gathered a thin layer of dust, inside and out. Then, she brought in the albums and the drawing board and brushes Li Sixing loved, neatly placing them by the windowsill.

"You’ve always loved painting, why haven’t you painted lately?" Zhang Wen sat down by Li Sixing’s side, speaking softly, "Sixing, the sunlight outside is nice today, how about Mom take you for a walk?"

Li Sixing hung his head, offering no reaction.

Zhang Wen’s eyes reddened as she looked at her son’s face, so thin it seemed it would cave in, almost breaking into tears again.

Sniffing, trying hard to suppress the sourness in her heart, she retrieved a wheelchair from the closet nearby.

In his teenage years, Li Sixing’s autism was severe. At that time, Li Taishan and his wife prepared a wheelchair specifically for him, pushing him outside every day to see the sun more often.

Unexpectedly, after so many years, it was needed again.

Zhang Wen called the Butler, and together they lifted Li Sixing into the wheelchair. From start to finish, Li Sixing seemed like a soulless puppet, at their disposal.

Zhang Wen held back the tears that threatened to pour out, wetted a towel, and carefully wiped Li Sixing’s face, as if treating the most precious treasure in the world.

Afterward, she took out a comb, neatly combing Li Sixing’s hair.

"I always said, our Sixing has the best hair. Thick and lush, with excellent quality. If someday he gets married and has kids, they’ll definitely inherit this trait from their dad."

Li Sixing said nothing, remaining in the wheelchair, not even blinking as Zhang Wen adjusted him.

The Butler watched from the side, letting out a deep sigh. Although Zhang Wen had been ruthless to Old Master Li, one couldn’t say she wasn’t infinitely patient with her son Li Sixing.

"I’ll take Sixing out for a bit to bask in the sun, we won’t go far, and we’ll come back soon. If you need anything, call me, my number hasn’t changed," Zhang Wen said.

The Butler thought for a moment, then agreed, watching Zhang Wen push Li Sixing out of the villa. He wasn’t worried that Zhang Wen would take Li Sixing away and never return; her situation with the Zhang Family was already dire, very difficult. Taking Li Sixing along would only bring suffering, better to leave him with the Li Family.

Besides, Zhang Wen knew that An Yiqing and Qin Yue were treating Li Sixing’s autism. At such a critical time, she was even less likely to do anything that might disrupt Li Sixing’s recovery.

Li Taishan’s villa was located at the edge of Central, in a very bustling area. To provide a stable and quiet environment for villa community customers, the developer bought all the surrounding land during construction, isolating it from the bustling city outside.

If one wanted to leave the villa area for the bustling zone, there were two paths. One was a main road, crowded with vehicles and pedestrians, mostly residents of the villa area. The other path was a secluded but tranquil side road, leading to a residential area, though the gate in between was always locked, with no one coming or going.

Zhang Wen knew Li Sixing liked peace, so she didn’t take him to the main road but to this quiet yet secluded path instead.

"Son, do you remember this place? I remember you were just six when Mom and Dad brought you here to play. Who knew your shoelace would come undone, you’d trip, and your nose would end up bleeding. Mom remembers you bawled loudly, face covered in blood, scaring your dad and me. We hurried to take you to the hospital. Thinking back now, it feels like it happened just yesterday. But before we knew it, so many years have passed, and the little kid then is already thirty now."

Zhang Wen crouched beside Li Sixing’s wheelchair, smiling, her smile tinged with nostalgia and emotion. In the speckled sunlight, her hair shimmered with specks of white, the silver strands marking the passage of time. Her eyes had faint crow’s feet, for even a pampered rich lady couldn’t defy the brilliance of time, gradually aging.

Zhang Wen didn’t notice when Li Sixing’s eyes subtly flickered upon seeing her gray hair, his right hand, placed on his thigh, slightly moving.

Zhang Wen stood and continued pushing Li Sixing’s wheelchair along the path. As they walked, she pointed out the places the three of them had once passed, the memories left behind. In a blink, more than an hour had passed.