I don’t know how long I was out, but I finally woke up.
When I opened my eyes, the room was full of people.
Jiang Shitian spoke to me with a heavy tone, “Your dog, Lili, is dead. My condolences. I’ve had her remains handled properly; how do you want to proceed?”
My expression was numb, my eyes hollow. I spoke to him flatly, “Bury her. I want to find a cemetery and bury her with my own hands.”
Perhaps the calmer I appeared, the more terrifying my state actually was. Even Jiang Shitian hurried to agree. “Fine. I’ll have someone arrange a good plot as soon as possible and have a headstone made for little Lili.”
“And monks to chant for her soul,” I added.
“Fine.” Jiang Shitian seemed exceptionally easy to talk to, granting every request.
Physically exhausted, I looked over at Jiang Jun and Mianmian standing to the side. Jiang Jun clenched his fists and turned his face away. Mianmian, meanwhile, was covering her face and sobbing, weeping piteously.
Remembering how they killed Lili, the fire in my eyes returned, fueled by a resurgence of hatred.
Jiang Shitian turned to Jiang Jun and barked, “Get over here and apologize!”
Jiang Jun’s fists tightened further. He lowered his head and walked toward me, hesitating before finally speaking. “Look, Zhou Li, you can’t blame me for this. Your dog bit me first.”
He pointed pointedly at the wound on his leg, which he had wrapped in an exaggerated amount of gauze. “A human life is always more important than a dog’s,” he added.
I took a deep breath and struggled out of bed. I stared coldly at Jiang Jun and Mianmian, my eyes red as I interrogated them. “Before that happened, who was the one bullying Lili? Who was abusing her? Even after she was unconscious, you still wouldn’t let her go—you had to beat her to death!”
Mianmian couldn’t wait to chime in with her accusations: “She started barking first! She didn’t even see who she was barking at!”
I stepped forward and backhanded her across the face. “Are you talking about yourself? You shameless creature!”
Mianmian desperately wanted to hit back, but with Jiang Shitian there, she didn’t dare. She could only pretend to be weak and victimized.
Jiang Shitian glared at Mianmian. “What are you even doing here? You are not welcome in the Jiang house!”
“Brother Jun!” Mianmian lunged at Jiang Jun like a frightened bird, burying herself in his arms.
Jiang Jun shielded her. He looked at Jiang Shitian and complained defiantly, “It’s your fault for letting this woman waste the Jiang family’s money!”
Jiang Shitian scoffed, pulling out a cigar and lighting it. He took a drag, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and looked up at Jiang Jun. “So you came back specifically to settle scores? And you brought this vixen with you.”
He flicked the ash.
Mianmian shrieked, “I am not a vixen!” She turned to Jiang Jun. “Brother Jun, I’m not a vixen. How could I be? She’s the one—the one who isn’t loved is the real vixen!” She pointed her finger directly at me.
By then, I had already reached the door. I didn’t want to hear another word. Hearing her accuse me, I reached out, grabbed a nearby stool, and hurled it at her.
I didn’t care about the consequences. I didn’t care about anything. Lili was dead, I was alone, and I had nothing left to fear. After throwing the stool, I walked away, leaving them with nothing but the sight of my back.
…
Once outside, I stayed by Lili’s body. I spent the entire day there, neither eating nor drinking, until Jiang Shitian came to find me.
“Do you want me to call your mother to come stay with you?” he asked.
He knew perfectly well that my relationship with my mother was distant. Asking this was merely a desperate attempt to find a solution. Honestly, I didn’t want to see Li Ping. Lili was gone; it didn’t matter who stayed with me now.
To my surprise, Jiang Shitian sat down beside me and stayed for the rest of the day. Much like the days when I had sat in silence with him, we didn’t talk or discuss business. Strangely, my heart began to calm, and I felt a tiny bit better.
By evening, Uncle Zhong arrived to report that they had found a beautiful plot for Lili. I finally stood up, took Lili’s body, and went to the cemetery to bury her with my own hands.
After the burial, Jiang Shitian said he had matters to attend to and had to leave. Uncle Zhong accompanied him. Before leaving, he urged me, “You should head back soon, too. Take care of your health.”
I remained silent. Lili was gone—where was I supposed to go back to? I didn’t answer him, just continued to sit there. Jiang Shitian shook his head, sighed, and eventually left.
I picked up a handful of soil, looked at Lili’s headstone, and whispered, “Rest in peace, Lili. I will take care of your revenge. In the next life, if it’s possible, let me love you again. By then, I will be stronger, and no one will ever bully you.”
I scattered the soil and walked away numbly. I didn’t know where I was going; I had no destination.
Late at night, I wandered the streets alone like a ghost. Suddenly, I bumped right into someone. I looked up and saw a man. It was Luoyang. He was just stepping out of his jewelry store. I hadn’t even realized I had wandered back there.
Luoyang looked startled. “Uh, the shop is closed, please come back tomorr—”
When he realized it was me, he scratched his head sheepishly. “Oh, it’s you, Zhou Li? It’s so late, where are you headed?”
I already looked miserable, and at his question, my shoulders began to shake as I started to sob. Luoyang seemed panicked. He fumbled around, pulling out his wallet, then his phone. He looked at both items and realized neither was helpful.
“I don’t have any candy!” he said helplessly. Then, with a sudden leap of logic, he asked, “Have you not eaten? Are you hungry? How about I take you out for a late-night snack?”
I nodded and, surprisingly, agreed. I really had been starving all day, Lili. In this world, there was still someone who noticed I had an empty stomach.
I remembered back in the Zhou family, whenever I clashed with my stepmother and she forbade me from eating, Lili would quietly bring scraps of food to me. Memories of her flashed through my mind one by one. I tilted my head back, trying to keep the tears from falling.
Luoyang walked beside me, fumbling in his pockets again. This time, he still only found money and his phone—no tissues. So, he patted his shoulder and said, “If you don’t mind, use my sleeve to wipe your tears. Stop crying; I’m terrified of women crying. I never know what to do.”
I didn’t stand on ceremony; I used his shoulder to wipe my eyes twice. I didn’t know why, but this man I barely knew felt warm and comforting.
Afterward, we ate. I told him bits and pieces of my past and about Lili. I talked while I ate—I had never spoken so much, nor had I ever eaten so much. Luoyang just sipped his water and listened in silence.
When the meal was over—though I was the only one who actually ate—Luoyang settled the bill and asked where I wanted to go. I shook my head; I didn’t know.
“How about coming to my studio?” Luoyang suggested. “I said I wanted to give you a gift and design something just for you. I suddenly have inspiration. Shall we go?”