chapter 8

After leaving the detention center, Shen Fang immediately called all the cram school teachers, demanding that Xu Nian make up the classes she had missed.

Then, flustered and in a rush, she hurried into the kitchen to cook a nutritious meal for her precious darling.

At first, she glared at me, wanting to hit me again.

I waved my phone.

“If you dare hit me, I’ll call the police again.”

Shen Fang was so furious she was panting.

“Give Niannian’s phone back to her.”

“No. Either you buy her a new one, or she won’t use one anymore.”

Shen Fang’s face turned red with anger. She pulled Xu Nian over and checked her thoroughly, asking if I had bullied her in the past 24 hours.

Xu Nian listlessly shook her head, not saying a word.

To Shen Fang, this just proved that I must have done something wrong.

But she was wary and didn’t dare actually hit me.

She could only clutch her chest.

“What a sin, how did I give birth to such a troublemaker?”

“You don’t study and you bully Niannian. I should have strangled you at birth.”

“Why didn’t I strangle you?”

With nowhere to vent her anger, she ultimately chose to ignore me.

As if I didn’t exist.

No food for me, no dishes for me, even the water in the house was moved to Xu Nian’s room.

I just shrugged and went to the balcony.

In the light from the window, I ate a few slices of toast and a sandwich, fragrant and delicious.

From that day on, Shen Fang completely excluded me.

If it weren’t for worrying about what outsiders might say, I probably wouldn’t even be allowed through the door.

But I didn’t care at all.

Every day, I got up early to go to work and only came home after night had fallen.

If I was hungry, I ate bread; if I was thirsty, I drank bottled water.

The only annoying thing was that Zhou Ciye was always hanging around like a ghost.

It began to rain heavily that day.

At first it was stuffy, but later a strong wind brought a chill.

Leaving the shop, I hunched my shoulders, hesitating about which way to go.

Zhou Ciye handed me an umbrella.

“Here, take it.”

I pretended not to see and moved aside.

He clicked his tongue impatiently.

“What are you showing off for? Are you not planning to go home, or do you want to run back in the rain?”

His brow was clouded with gloom. I looked up and glared at him.

“What do you really want?”

Zhou Ciye’s grip tightened.

“I want to ask you a question.”

“Why would Xu Nian want to jump?”

“Xu Sisi, aren’t you even a little anxious?”

“That’s your sister-your own flesh and blood, from the same mother. She could jump, could commit suicide, could die.”

“Don’t you want to change things, to save her?”

“You should be by her side, protecting and taking care of her, not out here making money.”

Zhou Ciye’s words were forceful and passionate.

So righteous, so full of feeling.

My initial antagonism slowly faded away, and I even gave him a light laugh.

He froze.

A little bewildered, a little confused, as if wanting to say more but holding back.

But I didn’t give him another chance to speak, turning and running into the rain.