From the kitchen, she grabbed a black trash bag and began stuffing the wreckage inside.
She mechanically completed the cleaning task like a robot. Even when shards cut her palm, sending beads of blood trickling down her arm, she didn’t pause or feel any pain.
The iron door was pushed down again, revealing a man standing outside. He walked in reeking of alcohol. “Those bastards are gone, right? They didn’t do anything to you, did they?”
Yu He ignored him completely, walking right past him.
Yu Liang chuckled awkwardly. “I didn’t expect them to track us down here.”
“Goddamn it, they better pay for everything they broke.”
Seeing Yu He’s indifference, Yu Liang grabbed her wrist. “Did they hurt you? I’ll go settle this with them.”
Yu He gave him a cold glance. “They did. Go find them then.”
“Well…” Yu Liang hesitated. “Have you eaten dinner yet?”
Her eyes flashed with mockery. “Scared now?”
That trace of guilt in Yu Liang instantly evaporated, his face darkening. “Is that any way to speak to your father?”
Yu He’s smile grew more pronounced. This man who’d never fulfilled any paternal duties, who’d even abandoned her alone to face a gang of thugs now suddenly adopted a fatherly posture to assert his authority.
Unbelievable.
She lifted her eyes with a derisive smile. “Is there a problem with how I’m speaking?”
Yu Liang pointed at her furiously. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? I’m your damn father, I’ve got every right to scold you!”
“I wish you weren’t,” Yu He said icily.
Enraged, Yu Liang slapped her hard across the face.
“You’re just as shameless as your mother. Should’ve thrown you away at birth.”
Yu He’s head snapped to the side, her cheek flushing red instantly.
In the kitchen, the faucet dripped plink, plink like falling teardrops.
She laughed softly, the sound fragile enough to dissipate with a breath.
“Throwing me away would’ve been better.”
Yu Jingjing could clearly tell something was off with Lu Shinian all afternoon.
When asked what she wanted to do, Lu had taken them to a children’s lazy river ride floating aimlessly on cartoon boats to the tune of “Over the Bridge the Ducks Go, Count Them One by One…” while getting sprayed by kids with water guns.
The children’s laughter and excitement belonged solely to them.
Though Lu Shinian wore a bright smile, her mood was foul.
Even Chou Yu noticed, whispering after watching Lu rampage through the bumper cars: “We should stay far away, she’ll send us flying.”
Fang Xing lacked this awareness. “Here comes the speed demon!” he cheered before promptly getting wrecked into the guardrails.
Fang Xing: “Unbelievable.”
At 8 PM, after dinner near the amusement park, they headed home.
Their group chat buzzed nonstop with photos from the day.
Lu Shinian stared at her phone. That person still hadn’t surfaced, no response to the carousel photo she’d sent earlier.
She sniffed and muttered, “Whatever. I had fun without you.”
It was 8:30 p.m. when she got off the subway. Chai Ping had set her return time for 9:00, but instead of going home, she hopped onto the electric scooter parked at the subway entrance and rode toward the convenience store.
When she reached the store, she peeked inside but didn’t see Yu He. She went in and asked, and the owner said, “Yu He took the day off today. Didn’t she say she was going to the amusement park with you?”
Lu Shinian thanked her and rode to the intersection where she had dropped Yu He off last time.
She wanted to see Yu He, to ask what important matter had kept her away and to tell her how much fun the amusement park had been, how she would regret missing it.
At the intersection, the night stretched endlessly, the road disappearing into the distance.
Lu Shinian circled the block three or four times on her scooter, riding from one end of the street to the other. Luckily, there weren’t many people around, or she would’ve surely been stopped by traffic police for a lecture.
On her fifth lap, Chai Ping called. Before that, she had already sent seven or eight messages asking why Lu Shinian wasn’t home yet.
Lu Shinian didn’t answer. She hung up and stuffed the phone into her pocket.
Under the bright streetlights, a few insects fluttered in circles.
Lu Shinian sighed, feeling her IQ was on par with those bugs. What were the odds of a chance encounter like this? It was practically impossible.
She was such an idiot, wasting time circling around like this. Yu He might not even step outside at this hour.
In the end, Lu Shinian now self-dubbed “Lu the Idiot”, decided to make one last lap, rounding it off to six before heading home.
Halfway through, her peripheral vision caught a figure, and her eyes instantly lit up.
Against all odds, she had found her!
“Yu He!” she called out cheerfully.
The slender figure paused slightly but didn’t stop. If anything, their steps quickened.
Lu Shinian twisted the throttle to full speed, crossed the road, and parked at the curb before hurrying after them.
“Yu He, where are you going?” She reached out and grabbed Yu He’s arm, only to feel something sticky on her fingers.
She froze, her grip loosening slightly. “You… your hand is bleeding.”
Yu He turned around, her dark eyes glinting coldly. “Leave me alone,” she said, each word deliberate.
Before the words had fully landed, Lu Shinian leaned in, staring unblinkingly at her.
Yu He shook off Lu Shinian’s hand, her gaze icier than ever. “Stay away from me.”
But Lu Shinian lifted the hand that had just been pushed aside, slowly bringing it close stopping just centimeters from Yu He’s cheek, as if afraid to touch. Her voice was low and serious. “Who hit you?”
“None of your business,” Yu He said.
Lu Shinian frowned, repeating the question. “Who hit you?”
“None of your business.”
“Who?”
“Leave me alone.”
All Lu Shinian could think about was the injury on Yu He’s face. Softening her voice, she said, “Yu He, tell me. I’ll help you.”
Yu He stared back silently, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. They seemed reddened, though Lu Shinian didn’t have time to confirm, because the next second, Yu He yanked her sharply into an alley.
A sharp pain shot through Lu Shinian’s shoulder as Yu He shoved her against the wall, the rough surface scraping her back.
Yu He gripped her shoulders with an almost aggressive force, her voice hoarse. “How many times do I have to tell you? Stay away from me.”
Lu Shinian steadied her breathing, her throat bobbing before she managed a single word: “Hurts.”
Yu He faltered, her grip loosening just a little.
The moon hid behind the clouds, leaving the sky starless.
Lu Shinian raised her head, using the dim glow of the streetlights to carefully study Yu He’s face.
She said, “Yu He, I was really upset that you didn’t come today.”
Yu He lowered her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly.
“So, I wanted to find you, to demand an explanation. But none of that matters now. I just want to ask you one thing.”
Lu Shinian gently touched Yu He’s cheek and asked, “Does it hurt?”
Yu He fell silent, then loosened her grip and tilted her head down slightly. A muffled voice escaped her lips, “Yes.”
Lu Shinian couldn’t see her expression clearly, but she distinctly felt the dampness in her palm.
Yu He was crying.
Her voice choked with sobs, like a kitten abandoned by the roadside, she pressed against Lu Shinian’s chest and wept.
Lu Shinian froze for a moment, her heart pounding wildly.
After a long pause, Lu Shinian softly wiped away the tears clinging to Yu He’s lashes and sighed helplessly, “I’m such an idiot. How could I make you cry?”