He spoke loudly, fearing she wouldn’t hear, fearing that if he spoke softly, he wouldn’t be able to say it. His hands were clenched behind his back, gripping the flesh on his back, the sharp pain giving him courage. “Why are you breaking up with me at this time?” Jia Yi looked at him, his eyes avoiding her icy gaze. She didn’t force him, just smiled, truly able to smile: “Do you know everything?” “Yes, I know how cheap you are!” His eyes locked onto her pale lips. Had other men kissed there? Had someone held her? Had someone greedily taken her time and again like he did? These thoughts, they made him unable to let her go, the pain in his heart like being cut by knives, he didn’t know what to do. A truck came roaring, its wheels crunching on the wet ground, and suddenly he had a crazy thought, let’s die together! He was such a fragile man; suddenly realizing that losing her was unbearable, watching her with someone else was even worse, and the worst was that from now on, she would be a stranger to him, where love and hate would become insignificant between them. He and she, in life or death, could only be lovers or spouses. “Shall we die together?” He grabbed her hand and said. “You’re insane! If you want to die, go die alone!” She recoiled, how could they die? Her mother was still sick. In her confusion, she didn’t notice the impropriety in Jia Yi’s words; she only heard the word “break up,” which was enough to make her forget everything else and unable to speak. The cold wind cooled her heated body, the gray-black sky seemed to press down on her shoulders, Jia Yi felt dizzy, only feeling as if he was floating, she no longer belonged to him. An inexplicable wave of hatred surged; why would someone take her away? He raised his hand, striking towards that face he once loved to death — the slap wasn’t hard, just a gentle swipe, when he was about to hit her, he couldn’t bring himself to do it, only using the force of a playful tap. Hot tears burst from Lai Fen’s icy eyes, and while Jia Yi was still in shock, she ran into the school gate. Above the campus, sorrowful bells chimed, ringing joyfully in the misty air, Jia Yi felt his heart turn cold as ash, the most important thing in his life was slipping away, he heard her footsteps running towards the bell sound, whoosh, whoosh… slipping away, each step becoming the final note in his life. Jia Yi was hospitalized with acute pneumonia after a week of standing guard outside the school gate and catching a cold, his fever wouldn’t subside, and in his delirium, he always remembered the damp day when he and Lai Fen were soaked in icy water, Lai Fen smiling and embracing him, her cool, smooth skin pressing against his, giving him a strange sense of peace — when he woke up, his classmates caring for him said, “The doctor is puzzled why your fever won’t go down!” Jia Yi could escape by feigning illness, but others could not. Having loved for three years, Lai Fen couldn’t even afford to be heartbroken now; she knew she had to rely on herself. She couldn’t let her mother be thrown out of the hospital; the mere thought of her mother being wrapped in a bed sheet and left in the hospital corridor was unbearable. Before Zhou Yuqian left City C, Xiang Qing found him again, informing him that Lai Fen had caught the eye of a gang leader who was forcing her to help him. Her acting might deceive Lai Fen, but it couldn’t fool the more seasoned Zhou Yuqian. He told her he needed some time to consider. Zhou Yuqian was quite wary of this malicious woman, Xiang Qing; he hesitated about whether to help Lai Fen, knowing that if she fell into those hands, she would undoubtedly be forced into a lifetime of prostitution for free. But what was she to him? Why should he help her, even deal with some of the lowest people in society? If the news got out, his expanding business would undoubtedly suffer. While he was still undecided, Lai Fen came to borrow money from him. In Zhou Yuqian’s eyes, she was no different from those girls who made up pitiful stories. He didn’t believe her mother was truly sick and suggested she become his mistress, which was a form of humiliation. That day, Zhou Yuqian, for the first time in his 28 years, was told to go die, was hit in the face with a paper ball, he was furious but restrained himself due to his good upbringing. After Lai Fen left in a huff, he immediately told Xiang Qing he would not get involved. After calming down, he felt something was off; if Lai Fen really needed money, the conditions he offered were generous, she should have agreed. He instructed his bodyguards to investigate, and the whole story became clear: her mother was indeed seriously ill, her boyfriend had broken up with her due to Xiang Qing’s provocation, and in desperation, she turned to him. The next day, Lai Fen came to him again, and knowing her mother’s condition was critical, he agreed to all her requests with one condition, she must go to City A with him. It’s no wonder people are cold; to get something, one must pay an equivalent price. No one owes you anything in this world. As Xu Nuo spoke to this point, Xiang Qing had woken up, Lai Fen only saw her, once vicious and cruel, now emaciated, her face an unusual shade of blue, her cheekbones high and sharp as if they would pierce through her sagging skin, her eye sockets deeply sunken. Lai Fen, frightened, gripped Xu Nuo’s hand tightly; it was terrifying, the bluish-black skin seemed like a mask on her face, revealing a skull underneath. Xu Nuo patted her hand reassuringly, her gaze towards Xiang Qing less hateful now, and said, “Her mind hasn’t cleared yet, let’s wait a bit longer.” She turned her head, squeezing Lai Fen’s hand tighter, and continued, “After you left, Xie Jia Yi went to our school looking for you like a madman. Later, he found out you had dropped out. His classmates said he hadn’t attended classes for over a month, just hiding in his rented room, smoking and drinking in front of your photo, crying your name when drunk. Some female classmates tried to comfort him, but he treated everyone like you, holding them and not letting go.” She paused, her expression guilty, “I went to that rental room too, and… was also treated like you; he just held me, kept apologizing, saying if you left, he would die! — Lai Fen, you didn’t see how he was; he wasn’t joking, he would really die.” “I couldn’t bear it; I felt partly responsible. I guessed that Mr. Zhou might know where you were, so I went to your workplace, begged for two days to get Mr. Zhou’s phone number, told him about Xie Jia Yi, and he gave me your address!” Lai Fen lowered her eyelashes, no wonder Jia Yi had found her; Zhou Yuqian had intentionally let him find her, made him lose hope, and then had someone beat him. Was that it? Was Zhou Yuqian that kind-hearted? She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it, and pointed at the dazed Xiang Qing, asking Xu Nuo, “What’s wrong with her?”
“It’s kind of a retribution. After you left, someone in the group she was with got her hooked on drugs. Once you’re into that stuff, no matter how clever you are, it’s useless. For drugs, she did all sorts of bad things: fraud, theft, human trafficking. Later, she fell in love with a man who was also a drug addict, and they ended up here. I heard that man died in her bed, with a needle still stuck in his hand. The shock drove her crazy.”
Lai Hui felt a chill run down her spine. Suddenly, there was a creaking sound, and the door opened a crack, with a dark silhouette peeking through. She screamed, jumping up in fright as a hand reached out from behind to touch her shoulder. Terrified, she dashed to the wall, her heart pounding and limbs turning cold and weak. After calming down, she saw Xu Nuo roughly pushing Xiang Qing to the ground; it was Xiang Qing’s hand.
