I muttered a quiet “oh” and headed to the bathroom to wash my face. When I returned to my room, I sat at my desk and stared blankly into space, my mind drifting.
A short while later, Dad called me out for dinner. He had served everything on the coffee table. We sat together on the sofa as he kept adding food to my bowl, encouraging me to eat more.
I took a bite of the hot and sour shredded potatoes. The flavor surprised me. “I didn’t expect this, Dad. Your cooking is actually really good—almost as good as Mom’s.”
Dad snorted proudly. “Of course. Do you know who taught your mother how to cook?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me it was you.”
Dad grinned. “Your mother only learned to cook properly after we got married. When we first moved in together, she could barely boil water. I did most of the cooking back then.”
“Really?” I took another bite of the stir-fried green pepper beef. It was genuinely delicious.
Dad leaned back with an exaggerated smile. “Want to hear how I won your mother over?”
I rolled my eyes. “You went to university in the provincial capital, rented the room next to hers, and since you were from the same hometown, you had the advantage of being close. I’ve heard that story a hundred times.”
Dad’s eyes twinkled mysteriously. “You only know half the story.”
I pretended to be intrigued. “There’s more?”
He cleared his throat and sat up straight. “Let me tell you how I really met your mother. It was a late autumn evening. I was cooking in my little rented room when someone knocked on the door. I put down my spatula and opened it. Guess who it was?”
“Mom,” I answered immediately.
“Yes. She came to borrow salt. I had an extra bag, so I gave it to her. Then, right as we were standing there, her stomach growled loudly. We both froze, embarrassed. Without thinking, I asked if she wanted to eat with me. To my surprise, she actually came inside.”
Dad’s face lit up with a nostalgic smile, full of youthful warmth, as if he had traveled back to that exact moment.
“What happened next?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“After that, she started coming over for meals regularly. We were both from the same hometown, so we got along easily. One thing led to another…” Dad couldn’t stop smiling, his eyes distant and happy.
“I never knew you two had such a romantic story. I always assumed you just stubbornly chased after her until she gave in.”
Dad chuckled. “There were plenty of guys chasing her back then—seniors, classmates, all sorts of persistent ones. Honestly, if it wasn’t for my cooking, I probably wouldn’t have stood a chance.” He paused, then added, “Remember those photos someone threw at our house? That was one of the guys who chased her the hardest—her senior.”
I had heard about that before, so it didn’t surprise me.
“Why haven’t you told me this version before?” I asked suspiciously. “Are you making it up?”
“Making it up?” Dad laughed. “Your mother was too embarrassed to let me tell you kids. She thought it made her sound too eager.”
“Oh… that makes sense.” I paused. “If your cooking was so good, why did Mom take over the kitchen later?”
Dad looked a bit sheepish. “I got lazy after we got married. That’s what happens when a man settles down.”
Knowing Mom was safe somewhere lifted a huge weight off my chest. My appetite improved, and Dad and I talked for over an hour while eating. It had been a long time since we had such a relaxed, genuine conversation.
As the food was nearly gone, I hesitated before asking, “Dad, there’s something I want to ask you. Don’t get angry.”
Dad sighed, lit a cigarette, and nodded. “It’s about Anna, right?”
I lowered my head. “Is she really my sister?”
After a long silence, Dad exhaled deeply. “I never meant to hurt your mother. Anna’s mother and I were colleagues. She was about to get married. Our office arranged a business trip. I don’t know what happened that night—I drank too much, and then… well, you can guess. Afterward, I felt terrible and confessed everything to your mother.”
“You confessed?” I was shocked. “And Mom forgave you?”
“She was pregnant with Mia at the time. Of course she didn’t forgive me easily. She took you and went back to your grandmother’s house for a while. You were just over a year old—you probably don’t remember.”
“What happened after that?”
“We eventually reconciled.”
It finally clicked. No wonder Mom hadn’t doubted Anna’s identity that day—she had known about Dad’s mistake all along.
“But if you felt so guilty, why didn’t you make sure the pregnancy was taken care of?”
“Anna’s mother got married shortly after the trip. She got pregnant soon afterward. None of us realized at the time that the child was mine.” Dad sighed again. “Why am I telling you all this? You’re still a kid.”
I smiled faintly. “So I can learn from your mistakes and not repeat them.”
The moment the words left my mouth, regret hit me. I had betrayed Lily, slept with my half-sister, and worse… with Mom. If Dad ever found out, being chopped into pieces would be getting off lightly.
Dad smoked two cigarettes in silence before speaking seriously. “Son, we both owe your mother a lot.”
I nodded quickly. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“You need to work hard, understand?”
“I know.”
“Study hard and get good grades. You hear me?”
“I understand.” I nodded vigorously, clenching my teeth. “I won’t let Mom down again.”
Dad patted my shoulder, relieved. “Good. Go back to your room and study. I’ll clean up.”
My nose stung again. Tears threatened to fall. I bit my lip. “I’m sorry, Dad. I was wrong.”
He smiled gently. “It’s okay. Just fix it. Go study now.”
I returned to my room, sat at the desk, and after calming down, opened my books. I made a silent vow to do well on the exams and earn Mom’s forgiveness.
The end of the semester arrived quickly. I threw myself into desperate review sessions, trying to make up for all the lost time.
A few days later, with only two days left before finals, I walked home from school memorizing Frenchvocabulary from my notes. As I crossed Long River Bridge, I noticed a girl sitting outside the railing. The figure looked familiar. It was Anna.
What was she doing there?
I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her, but the bridge was the fastest route home. Taking a detour would waste too much time. After hesitating, I lowered my head and tried to slip past quietly. As I got closer, I heard her softly humming “Invisible Wings.” Her small feet swung gently, making her look like an innocent, delicate child.
“Every time, I’m strong even when I’m lonely… Every time, even when it hurts so much, I don’t let tears fall…”
Her voice was clear and pure, carrying a quiet strength beneath the melancholy. I stopped without realizing it and stood behind her, listening.
Halfway through the song, Anna suddenly stood up on the narrow ledge outside the railing, head lowered, still playing with something in her hands as she leaned forward slightly.
Thinking she was about to jump, I lunged forward without thinking, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back hard.
She gasped in surprise and turned around. That’s when I saw the large bruise near her eye and the cut at the corner of her mouth. She had clearly been beaten again.
“You… what happened to your face?”
“Oh, it’s you, brother.” Anna flashed a bright smile. “It’s nothing. I just fell.”
“That’s a lie. Those are from someone hitting you.” I pressed, “Was it that big guy again?”
“Do you care about me?” She grinned mischievously. “Are you worried?”
“I… I care about my sister.”
“Thanks for caring. I’m fine.”
“Then why are you sitting out here?”
“Singing.” She said it casually, then handed me a folded paper crane. “This is for you.”
I hesitated, keeping a firm grip on her arm with one hand while taking the crane with the other. “Come over here first.”
“Then you have to hug me over.” Anna turned to face me, opening her arms.
I sighed and carefully lifted her back over the railing.
“What’s really going on?” I asked once she was safe.
“Nothing.”
“Then why aren’t you going home?”
“Which home?” She smiled at me.
I was at a loss for words. After a pause, I asked softly, “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Are you treating?”
“Of course.”
Anna’s eyes sparkled. “Then let’s get KFC.”
We walked to the nearby KFC. Anna ordered a ridiculous amount of food without hesitation and claimed a quiet corner table. She ate enthusiastically, looking a bit unkempt with her injuries, like she had just escaped trouble.
I wasn’t very hungry and only ate a couple of burgers. “You still haven’t told me who hit you. Was it that guy?”
Anna chewed casually. “No. It was my grandma and uncle.”
“Why?”
She swallowed and wiped her mouth. “They said my mom killed my dad.”
I froze. “What?”
“That year, my mom and dad went hiking. Dad fell off the mountain and died.” Her tone stayed flat. “Well… the dad who passed away.”
I wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how. “What happened after that?”
“Grandma and Uncle said Mom pushed him. They called her a murderer. But there was no proof, and the police ruled it an accident.”
“Then?”
“Grandma kicked us out. Mom took me to her family, but they wouldn’t accept me. Grandma said Mom could come back, but not me. She didn’t acknowledge me as her granddaughter.”
Anna told the story with a small smile on her face. The calmer she seemed, the more my heart ached for her.
After a long silence, she continued, “Mom took me to Shanghai to stay with a friend. She was later diagnosed with breast cancer and sent me back here. Even though Grandma kept me, she resented me because of what happened to Dad. She beat me often.”
Hearing her story, I finally understood why her mother had left that letter for her to open at eighteen.
I had thought she simply lacked parents and family warmth. I never imagined how much pain she had endured at such a young age.
After leaving KFC, I walked her back toward the community. She was unusually quiet and well-behaved the whole way.
When we reached the entrance, she waved goodbye. I couldn’t help asking, “Why did you seduce me in the first place? Be honest.”
Anna put her hands behind her back, tilted her head, and smiled. “Because I like you.”
“Come on, stop joking. You knew I was your brother. Why sleep with me? Give me a real reason.”
She stepped closer and whispered in my ear, “After reading Mom’s letter, I started watching your family. Last year, Mia twisted her ankle outside the community. You carried her upstairs on your back. Remember?”
I did remember. I nodded.
Anna smiled softly. “I wanted my brother to carry me like that too.”
Her closeness brought the familiar sweet scent of her. I instinctively stepped back, embarrassed. “Then you could have just come to the door and introduced yourself. We’re siblings. I carry Mia —I could carry you too.”
She pouted. “At first, I really just wanted a brother. But later… I realized I liked you. Not as a sister likes her brother, but as a girl likes a boy.”
I couldn’t tell if she was serious. I smiled bitterly. “Stop kidding around, okay?”
“Believe whatever you want.” Anna took a few steps, then turned back. “We had a deal, remember?”
“What deal?”
“If you want to sleep with me, you have to promise me one thing.”
I suddenly recalled it. “What do you want?”
“On New Year’s Eve, will you spend it with me?”
I was surprised. “That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
I relaxed. “Okay. But I have to have dinner with my family first. I’ll meet you after.”
“Great. I’ll wait for you at River Bridge.” Anna grinned, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed my cheek lightly. Then she skipped away, waving back at the entrance. “Don’t forget—I’ll be waiting on the bridge.”
Watching her cheerful, innocent figure, a strange warmth stirred in my chest. I couldn’t clearly define how I felt about her, but it was definitely more than just brotherly affection.
On the way home, I tried hard to push thoughts of Anna aside. I had exams coming up. I needed good grades and Mom’s forgiveness. Those were my priorities now.
When I got home, Dad was already back. I greeted him and bent down to change my shoes. That’s when I noticed an envelope on the shoe cabinet. I picked it up. Inside was a stack of photos.
The images showed a man and a woman walking together by the river. There were others of them eating in a restaurant.
The man was Kevin Lang ( senior of uni ) . The woman was Mom.
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