I let out a sigh and crouched down beside Zhao Qinghe, who was crying into her hands, then pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.
“Class monitor, wipe your tears.”
My throat, still sore from the injury, sounded hoarse, and I couldn’t help but cough softly again after speaking.
She took the tissue but just kept clutching the USB stick, trembling nonstop.
It took quite a while before her crying finally subsided.
“Class monitor, don’t be sad. It’s over now.”
“Mhm.”
She lifted her head, the corners of her reddened eyes still wet with tears.
“I’m much better. Thank you.”
Seeing she was okay, I propped myself up on my numb legs and stood with difficulty.
“Do you want me to walk you? My scooter still has a bit of charge, should be enough to get you to the subway station. And for something like this, it’s still best to call the police—”
“Lin!”
Her voice suddenly cut in, sharp and shrill, cutting me off mid-sentence. Her face was now burning with sheer fury.
“If your friend hadn’t shown up just now, wouldn’t you have been assaulted too?! Do you really want everyone to know about something this humiliating?!”
The burning pain on my neck suddenly flared up, suffocating and raw, and the ache throughout my body started to trigger a creeping sense of dread.
I’m a girl now.
If Yan Dong hadn’t come just in time, I’d probably be slumped against the wall right now with my clothes in disarray.
If Mom or Uncle Yan ever found out about something like this, they’d definitely be heartbroken.
After that outburst, Zhao Qinghe hugged her arms tight and began to sob again, this time in a low whisper.
I had no idea what she might have gone through in the past to make her react so strongly, but… like the crushing weight of my 1.5 million debt, she must be carrying something just as heavy, alone.
I didn’t say anything else, nor did I walk away.
I simply waited in silence until she’d calmed down completely, then pushed my scooter along and walked with her toward the nearest subway station.
I’m not the kind of so-called good person who cares about friends.
On the contrary, I’m actually quite indifferent.
I just happened to be feeling a little low myself and wanted a quiet walk.
When we got to the subway entrance, she suddenly stopped and turned around, gripping my hand.
There was clearly a lot she wanted to say, but with her eyes still red, all she managed was a quiet, dry-lipped apology: “I’m sorry, Yunxia. I shouldn’t have said that to you earlier. Please… don’t tell anyone about this, okay?”
The metallic taste in my throat surfaced again, leaving me feeling messy and drained, but I still forced out my standard professional smile.
“I was just out for a walk because I was bored and happened to bump into Classmate Qinghe at the station. That’s all.”
“Mhm, thank you.”
She didn’t say anything else, just offered a soft word of thanks and quickly turned to head into the subway.
Watching her figure disappear, I covered my mouth and coughed lightly, then muttered to myself with a trace of frustration.
“My neck hurts. Must’ve bruised… I’ll grab some concealer on the way.”
That little burst of impulse earlier ended up costing me 70 yuan for concealer on the way home, plus 35 more for a new delivery box.
Kind of not worth it.
Still feeling off, I leaned on a chipped railing and finally made it back to the old apartment building’s front door.
The dim light spilled weakly over the strands of hair falling past my shoulders, and even my breathing seemed more tired in that moment.
The instant I touched the cold doorknob, I suddenly realized my hand had started shaking again.
When I got back earlier, Mom had just gone downstairs to visit a neighbor.
She’s probably home waiting for me now.
Will Mom… not recognize me anymore?
Even if she does, I guess it’ll only be this face that she remembers now.
Slowly pulling my hand back, I looked at the warm yellow light leaking from the crack in the door and patted my cheeks to perk myself up.
Maybe… maybe Mom, like Yan Dong, had never really forgotten me either?
I adjusted my scarf to make sure it fully covered the bruises, straightened the brand-new delivery box hanging from my shoulder, lifted the scooter battery off the ground, and opened the door.
“Mom, I’m home～”
Using my usual cheerful tone, I stepped inside just as the aroma of dinner mixed with the bitter scent of herbal medicine drifted out from the doorway.
Mom, who had been leaning on the table waiting for me, stood up and smiled.
“You’ve worked hard, Xiaxia. Come eat.”
Her natural, unbothered response made my chest ache for a moment, but the obedient smile on my face didn’t falter in the slightest.
“It’s nothing, not hard at all. I’ll change clothes first. Also, Mom, you shouldn’t wait for me to eat next time. The doctor said your health’s not great, and your meals should be on a regular schedule. Just save a bit for me.”
“Sigh, it’s Mom’s fault, dragging down my sweet daughter like this.”
Sweet… daughter…
The thought that in my mother’s eyes, I was now a stranger’s face… it stung more than I expected.
But in my current state, all I could do was silently accept it and pretend nothing had changed.
As long as I could play the role of the “good daughter” in her eyes, she wouldn’t worry.
Thinking that, I forced myself to smile and helped her sit down on the chair.
While still smiling, I gently massaged her shoulders with both hands.
“Alright, alright, don’t say stuff like that. Stay positive and eat well—then you’ll get better faster, right? I’m going to change clothes～”
Our family hadn’t been poor at the start.
But after both my parents fell seriously ill, years of hospital stays drained all our savings.
In the end, we even had to sell our home to afford treatment.
Dad was a proud man—he couldn’t bring himself to beg for help.
But in the end, for Mom’s sake, he still went to Uncle Yan to borrow money.
Only…
“Sigh.”
Anyway, after Dad passed away, it was just me and Mom living together in this small two-bedroom rental.
At first, I wanted to rent a one-bedroom, me sleeping in the living room and Mom in the bedroom to save money.
But Mom insisted on giving me some privacy, or that if we rented a one-bedroom, she’d take the living room.
Eventually, we compromised on this setup.
We may be poor, but it never affected how close we are.
Which is why some things still have to be bought—because today, after all, is Mom’s birthday.
I carefully set down the newly bought black delivery box, opened the lid, and gently took out a palm-sized cake I had gotten on discount from a bakery.
I lit the candle, then carried the little cake and opened the door.
Mom, who was sitting at the dining table waiting for me, looked surprised at first, then smiled warmly.
“Tada～ My dearest Mama, happy birthday～”
“Xiaxia, why did you waste money again?”
“Aiya, it was super cheap! And how can spending money on Mom ever be considered a waste?”
“You child, honestly.”
Even as she scolded me, there wasn’t a trace of reproach in her tone.
Her squinting eyes were full of love and affection.
The fine wrinkles at the corners of Mom’s eyes softened in the candlelight.
She cupped the flickering flame gently, her knuckles catching the waxy glow in a warm and tender light.
After softly blowing out the candle, she pushed the cake in front of me.
“Xiaxia, you eat. Mom already had dinner, I’m not hungry.”
“Mom, that’s a lie. You love sweets the most.”
I chuckled and scooped a spoonful of cake toward her mouth.
“How about this—we’ll split it, one bite each. No way I can finish this alone.”
“Mhm. Xiaxia, take off your scarf while we eat.”