As the sun slowly sank behind the horizon, the fading glow of dusk filtered through the window.Hao stood by the window, staring blankly outside, the scene before him feeling almost like a dream.He wondered, how long would this last?Reborn at the age of seven, Hao felt like an outsider in his own life. Though he had returned to familiar places, he was still separated by some invisible force.
"Is this my own choice? Or is it fate?"He whispered the question to himself, but there was no answer.His gaze wandered to the children playing outside, their laughter full of life. It was the kind of joy he had never experienced.
Hao realized that although everything felt familiar, it was also strange.He was reliving this city, but still couldn't break the invisible barrier between him and his parents.
Today, just like every other day, he had barely exchanged a word with his father.In the evening, his father sat on the sofa, watching TV, completely oblivious to Hao's presence.His mother, too, was busy in the kitchen, occasionally reminding him to do his homework or eat.
As he ate dinner, he glanced at his parents. The same disconnected routine.There was a pang of bitterness in Hao's chest.His parents had never really seen him, never truly cared. The occasional "reminder" was the extent of their affection.Hao suddenly thought about the pocket money his mother gave him every morning—just enough to buy him a meal, never more. He had never asked for more, but even the one thing he secretly longed for—**her companionship—**she had never given.
Putting his chopsticks down, Hao mumbled to himself, "If I could go back to the past, would things really repeat themselves?"Frustration welled up inside him. He slammed the spoon down on the table, stood up, and walked towards his room.This house felt like a hollow shell—the warmth was locked outside.
He didn't want to be confined by these feelings anymore.If he had the chance to change—he would change not just the world around him, but also his place in this family.
He stood in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection.The seven-year-old boy in the mirror had an expression far heavier than his age, an overwhelming sense of disappointment in his family.He had once thought that a family was supposed to be filled with love and care, but now he realized that sometimes, family could be the heaviest chain of all.
He walked to his desk and began working on his homework.Each stroke of the pen felt like a quiet testament to himself: this was his responsibility.Each page of his textbook seemed to say, the only way out of this cage was through studying and hard work.
But inside, Hao's heart remained unsettled.He knew his parents' indifference wasn't entirely intentional. Perhaps it was the pressure of life or the simple fact that they didn't know how to offer more care.Hao no longer blamed them, but he didn't rely on them either.He began to long for a different life—a life where he could freely express himself, where he could find his own voice.
Late at night, Hao turned off the lights and lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling."If I could really change my fate, the thing I want to change is the chance to choose my own path."He whispered to himself. Though unsure of what the future held, he was determined to leave behind this suffocating path and seek the freedom and warmth he had always dreamed of.