Da Yi looked embarrassed, and Yan hope hesitated. In the end, the two of them got up and politely said goodbye.
That room, with its deep, secluded passageway, remained tightly locked.
Siwan chased after Yanxi outside and said earnestly, "Don't worry, Aheng will be fine."
Yan hope looked at him—"Do you promise?"
Si Wan smiled, her dimples deepening, and nodded gently—"I promise, Yan hope."
The tone was sacred, as if they had returned to their childhood days of boundless friendship.
Turning around meant turning back.
Da Yi laughed as he walked—what else could they guarantee? They wouldn't go so far as to send Aheng to the ends of the earth overnight, so you would never see her again.
Yan hope scooped up some snow from the ground and threw it at him—how did you know that!
Then, panting heavily—sometimes, I really wish she were my child.
Then, there will be no more of this boundless, endless trouble that has no place to even begin to worry.
Da Yi leaned closer and smiled—Yan hope, I bet you a hundred dollars that if Aheng really is your son, you'll be devastated.
Yan hope rolled his eyes, took out a handful of money from his pocket, and without counting it, threw it into Da Yi's hand.
Xin Dayi looked up at the sky—Yan hope, I hope you have never categorized her as one of my kind, otherwise, she will incur my resentment.
He said, "Your decisiveness in not haggling with that young lady is something that makes any friend jealous."
Yan hope smiled, put his arm around Da Yi, and said, "I also truly wish the whole world were as simple as Xin Da Yi's."
He said, "You know that feeling, right? I struggled with that little aunt you mentioned, but... it was all in vain."
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Ah Heng knelt before her father's spirit tablet for an entire night.
She said, "Mom, Dad doesn't like it here. It's too dark here. Dad likes places where the sun shines directly, like the sea."
With a stick in hand, each strike made a clear sound on Ah Heng's back.
Ah Heng lowered her head. "Mom, my body and hair are gifts from my parents, and I dare not damage them casually. But, Mom, when you hit me, didn't you feel any pain?"
Her forehead was covered in beads of sweat from clenching her teeth, but her eyes were clean and clear.
Wen's mother cried, her emotions almost collapsing—"Who let you come back? Who gave you permission to come back!"
Ah Heng's eyes were empty—So, Mom, you really don't feel pain.
Wen's mother's voice turned mournful, "All your father's efforts have been in vain, you worthless daughter! What good are you, what good are you?!"
He picked up the stick and, like a madman, slammed it down hard on Ah Heng's body, the sound of his spine cracking in the air.
She bit her lip until it bled, hardened her spine, and looked up, only to see her father standing high on the table, compassionate and sympathetic.
Suddenly, I remembered what my father had said: "Aheng, if we rushed home on your mother's birthday, wouldn't that be a huge surprise?"
Ah Heng, don't tell your mom, we're going to surprise her, pinky promise, haha.
But Mom, you weren't happy when I brought Dad home.
Suddenly, exhausted, she said, "Mom, if you really want to kill me, do it this way."
She pointed to her own head, looked at her mother, her eyes innocent and gentle.
The stick was dripping blood, bright red and chilling.
If no, I'm very sleepy, could I... take a nap?
It will be ready in a little while.
The woman suddenly realized what she had done, dropped the stick, hugged Ah Heng, and burst into tears.
Ah Heng, Ah Heng, Mom is so sorry.
She couldn't speak. She struggled to her feet, reached for the door, opened it, and saw only air in her eyes and the sound of the wind in her ears.
Walk, walk, all I remember is walking.
Siwan, who had been hesitating outside the door for a long time, wanted to help her, but Aheng avoided his hand, glanced at him, and didn't focus on him.
The stairs, step by step, with only one breath left, my heart filled with immense sorrow, my back torn apart, yet I felt no pain whatsoever.
She went into the room, locked the door, hugged the phone, and cried silently into the receiver, one call after another.
Yanxi, I have finally, forever, lost the ability to love.
Chapter 76
Chapter 76
He said, "Wen Siwan, I will never believe you again."
When I was little, I would often say, "Wen Siwan, stop following me. Why are you so annoying? You're so irritating, always following me."
Because of her poor grades, she got a spanking from her grandfather and would cry at the top of her lungs. Wen Siwan, don't always get little red flowers. If you get another little red flower, I won't play with you anymore.
Siwan looked at him with teary eyes, "Why, brother?"
Why, brother?
Every time, I ask, why?
Yan Xiaoshao would think about it very, very seriously. If he couldn't figure it out, he would hand the milk carton in his hand to that person—I don't know why, but anyway, no way! If you get another little red flower, I'll beat you up! Here's some milk, don't cry!!
He never said, "Wen Siwan, I no longer believe you."
It's about trust, it's about commitment.
When Yan hope grew up, he said to Wen Siwan, who had also grown up, "I no longer believe you."
He saw Ah Heng curled up on her side on the bed, clutching the blanket tightly, her back covered in a sticky, fishy-smelling red substance.
He swung his fist and struck Wen Siwan hard, unleashing all the violence in his bones without holding back.
The old woman, her face wrinkled, looked at him with sorrowful eyes.
He said, "I finally understand the weakness of the name Yan hope."
How ridiculous Yan hope is.
He picked up Aheng, and the girl, like a newborn child, nestled obediently in his arms, neither crying nor complaining of pain. Apart from her paleness, all that remained was a sense of relief.
She laughed, feverish, her mind a complete blank—Yan hope, our Yan hope, he's so handsome. Why isn't she smiling?
Yan hope smiled, her eyes red, and coaxed her in a trembling voice, "Shh, don't talk, baby."
He wrapped the bloodstained area on her back with a blanket, held her in his arms, and ran.
Vehicles, overpasses, pedestrians, cold wind, loneliness, inside and outside the alleys.
It was as if I were holding a bowl of water filled with the moonlight, carefully protecting it, stumbling and falling, afraid to drop it.
Treasures, oh treasures.
Yan hope suddenly recalled a joke made by male students at a university gathering: "When a woman is extremely beautiful, it is when she looks pitiful that she can break one's heart."
That's all bullshit.
My mind was a complete mess; who had the time to care whether she was beautiful or not?
Afterwards, Sun Peng often teased him – "Beautiful lady, a Ferrari at home is no substitute for two legs when it really matters."
He gritted his teeth—Sun Peng, I hope you've never experienced such a loss!
Sun Peng smiled, revealing his gleaming white teeth—Yan hope, the biggest difference between you and me is that when I care about someone, only heaven, earth, and I know, but no one else does.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctor on duty gave Aheng an injection to reduce her fever, then said that the wound needed to be cleaned and asked Yan hope to go out first.
Yan hope hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.
When the doctor saw Aheng's wounds, he knew it was caused by someone who had gone too far, likely domestic violence. Unaware of the truth, he gave Yan Xi a stern look—"She's already like this, what do you want to say? Don't waste time."
He smiled and bowed to the doctor—"Please be gentle." She was in pain, but she never uttered a sound.
He glanced at Ah Heng, who was fast asleep on the hospital bed, then turned around and closed the door.
Sitting in the hospital corridor on the first day of the Lunar New Year, there was only desolation.
I received a few text messages on my phone, sent by my classmates: Happy New Year, how have you been?
Yan hope replied to each of them. When he raised his hand, he realized that his palm was stained with Aheng's blood. He was stunned, grabbed his phone, and went to the bathroom.
Turn on the tap, let it run, rinse, dilute.
The dark red liquid flowed by, and he watched it, the fishy smell lingering and impossible to wash away.
Again and again.
Yan Xi, expressionless, used hand sanitizer, rubbed his hands together, lathered them, and rinsed them off. He continued, using hand sanitizer, lathering, and rinsing.
My palms turned very red, like a birthmark.
Suddenly, she grabbed her phone from the sink, slammed it against the dark wall, tore her black hair, and burst into tears.
With a furrowed brow, Yan hope, unable to remain innocent or arrogant, had no choice but to become stronger.
Sometimes, she hated Aheng, inexplicably wanting to hate her. She always hoped everyone would love her, then Yan hope wouldn't be so insecure. But if Aheng had many, many people loving and caring for her, then what was Yan Xi?
I walked back to the white room and gently took her hand. The girl was sleeping so peacefully.
He said, "Fate gave you to me."
Perhaps in the future you will have another choice, but for now, there is no other choice.
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When Aheng's fever subsided, the sunlight outside the window was just right.
In winter, the sun seems all the more precious.
Squinting, I noticed the handsome, tall, black-haired boy standing by the curtains, pacing back and forth, looking somewhat agitated.
He held his phone, took a deep breath, and tried to say something to the person on the other end of the line.