Clubbing?
Recalling the wild twists and turns on the dance floor, Li Xiangfu stared at his older brother, wondering if staying up all night was making him delirious.
After leaving these words, Li Huaichen walked straight into the restroom on the first floor.
Sitting in the same place for a moment, Li Xiangfu took a Buddha bead from his pocket, a gift from the abbot before he left, symbolizing protection from dust and evil spirits. Gently placing the bead on the carpet, Li Xiangfu explained, “I’m going to take a bath and burn incense first. When big brother comes out, give him this.”
Li Shasha nodded.
Three minutes later, Li Huai Chen emerged from the restroom, noticing the extra bead on the carpet. He raised his eyebrows, “Is he meditating?”
“…”
Li Shasha earnestly nodded, holding the beads, walked to the front, and completed the handover: “These are relics Dad left behind, for you to remember him.”
“…” Li Huaichen, who often wielded a knife, found himself at a loss for words this time.
The night was still young, with clouds rolling outside the window, indicating a possible sign of rain tomorrow.
Li Xiangfu didn’t actually burn incense. Instead, he stood in front of the window, gazing into the night, then checked the news on his phone. Only the local TV station had reported the brutal case where a woman’s husband deliberately murdered her to cheat on her insurance after her family had fallen into ruin.
Just like those earlier photos, ‘-‘ wouldn’t let himself see this news without reason. The last photo of Li Shasha picking up his mother hinted at his mother, so what was he suggesting this time?
Li Xiangfu closed his eyes after pondering. Each time the other party sent a message, it was akin to a ‘preview of a murder,’ although not as severe.
At some point, the wind blew outside, bringing a small rain with it, arriving earlier than expected.
Li Xiangfu drew the curtains, lay down on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and muttered ‘Qin Jiayu.’
The phone screen beside him lit up, quite conspicuous in the darkness.
It was a friend request sent a few seconds ago, from ‘-‘ again.
“…If I had known, why would I have pulled the friend status.”
Li Xiangfu chose to ignore it and no longer provoked him as before.
Breaking the silence, it was ‘-‘.
[-: I actually considered writing a letter. It would be very romantic, but unfortunately, a letter would reveal a lot of details, and technology killed my romance.]
Li Xiangfu’s gaze shifted slightly, and he replied: [Then what are you trying to convey to me?]
This time there was a long period of silence.
After a while, a new message was finally sent: [Not to convey, but to show, to seriously show the memories between you and me.]
Li Xiangfu’s heart tightened slightly, and he didn’t reply.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
[-: When I finish displaying all the past in front of you, there will be closure between us.]
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The last two sentences almost confirmed that ‘-‘ is Qin Jiayu.
—
It rained for only half the night, and the next day was overcast.
The house was dimly lit, and as Li Xichun descended the stairs, dark circles under her eyes revealed a night of restless sleep.
Observing this, Mr. Li frowned and remarked, “You were the one who had a hard time dealing with Gao Xun, weren’t you? You should have ended it a long time ago.”
Li Zhanchun remained silent but responded with an ambiguous gesture.
Clearing his throat, Mr. Li urged Li Xiangfu to do the same. Knowing that most of the trouble stemmed from the previous day’s news, Li Xiangfu didn’t try to persuade blindly. Unable to dismiss the old man directly, he signaled Li Shasha with a look.
Li Shasha spoke up, “We have a new homeroom teacher.”
As soon as he spoke, Mr. Li’s attention naturally shifted, and his tone softened a bit. “Is she good?”
Li Shasha analyzed the situation from another perspective, “She’s very attractive and seems to be interested in Dad.”
All eyes in the family turned to Li Xiangfu in unison.
“Ever since Dad picked me up from school last time, she’s been prying and asking about our family.”
Mr. Li glared at Li Xiangfu, “Did you give the young girl any encouragement?”
Li Xiangfu furrowed his eyebrows. “You’re overthinking it.”
He had used Li Shasha as a diversion, but the strategy backfired with a boomerang dart in three words.
Locking eyes with Li Shasha, Li Xiangfu smiled slightly, the implied warning clear in his eyes: “Concentrate more on your studies.”
On a cloudy day, everyone woke up a bit later than usual. Li Shasha missed the school bus, and Li Huichen had to drive him to school.
Since breakfast, Li Xichun has been on the phone in the courtyard.
Sitting in the living room, Li Xiangfu checked the time. Typically, by this time, Li Xichun should have hurried to the gallery. Glancing at her attire today—less formal, a black suit, loose hair giving a softer look—he deduced a change.
Returning from the courtyard, Li Xichun switched to a pair of flat shoes, preparing to leave.
“Are you visiting the victim’s family?”
Li Xichun turned around to see Li Xiangfu standing up. “I’ll go with you.”
Li Xichun asked, “What’s your intention?”
Aware that he needed a convincing reason, Li Xiangfu squinted, “The person who sent me cactus flowers last time seemed to be imploring me to come.”
Li Xichun’s expression instantly turned more serious.
Ever since he had informed Li Anqing, the latter had said he would handle the matter and asked him not to interfere too much. However, it appeared that the person who sent the card had motives from a dark place.
The company’s business had been in contact with Qin Jin since returning from the ancient village, and Li Anqing did not intervene, suggesting there might be more to the situation.
“You…”
“Isn’t it time to go?” Li Xiangfu interjected.
Seeing he wasn’t keen on discussing the matter in detail at the moment, Li Xichun pushed her doubts aside and nodded.
Her car was still undergoing maintenance, so she borrowed Mr. Li’s car.
Inside the car, there were no embellishments; even the mats were all black. Li Xiangfu couldn’t help but shake his head, remarking, “Dad’s habits have remained the same for decades.”
Without engaging in conversation, Li focused on the directions he had gathered from his classmates. Soon, the car left the bustling city area and entered another neighborhood.
After approximately half an hour of driving, Li Xiangfu glanced ahead, saying, “It seems like there’s a university town up ahead.”
Considering the limited nearby residential areas, he remarked, “There aren’t many small neighborhoods around here.”
“I’m not heading home; I’m going to the hospital.” In response to his inquisitive gaze, Li Xichun explained, “The person is in the ICU. I heard that their brain has shut down, but the family hasn’t given up hope.”
Li Xiangfu speculated, “Staying in the hospital must be expensive.”
Li Xichun nodded, “Considering her family’s current situation, it’s indeed a bit of a burden.”
Li Xiangfu guessed that she might offer some assistance and blinked, “That’s not like you.”
“She saved my life when we went swimming,” Li Xichun sighed after a moment of silence, “Moreover, I’ve been doing much better than her over the years, so my mindset is more relaxed.”
Li Xiangfu shifted his focus, “So, you’ve had the experience of almost playing yourself to death.”
“…”
Hospitals carry a myriad of emotions for humans. A woman around 60 years old, sitting on a bench, appeared on the verge of tears.
Li Xichun approached and exchanged a few words with her. The woman held her hand, repeatedly apologizing, evidently aware of her daughter’s past, involving the theft of her best friend’s boyfriend.
Li Xichun assisted the woman in sitting down, saying, “At that time, Shi Chen had already mentioned breaking up with me.”
However, in retrospect, there were signs of an ambiguous relationship between the two.
“Shi Chen is not a good person at heart. After our family went bankrupt, he lost his job and occasionally went crazy, cursing the unfairness of society, cursing your brother…”
“Cursing Xiangfu?” Li Xichun was surprised.
The woman nodded, “If it weren’t for your brother, he would have married a wealthy young lady long ago. Even after Xiao Li’s murder was exposed, Shi Chen was still shouting that he would make everyone who hindered him pay.”
Li Xiangfu stood nearby without intervening, numerous scattered details flashing through his mind, seemingly pointing to something.
Li Xichun, with her heightened sensitivity, consoled and questioned the woman while pulling her aside. They chatted for quite a while, but the information gleaned was limited.
Until the extramarital affair.
The woman’s emotions suddenly surged, “He was deeply involved with that woman, and he shouldered all the blame alone.”
After catching a few breaths, she began recounting how the other party had persuaded the man to transfer his assets into her name during the marriage.
“This is his own blood sister. How can someone so young be so ruthless, and she’s even a teacher…”
Li Xiangfu snapped his eyes up, “This person is a teacher?”
The woman, startled by his sudden voice, reacted with a slight delay before nodding slowly.
—
Nine years of compulsory education include exams, even for first graders.
Li Shasha was the first to submit his exams, allowing him to leave the classroom early. With some time remaining before the end of class, the campus was quiet, and he leaned against the ping-pong table, gazing up at the sky.
“Why are you staring into space by yourself again?”
The person passing by had a youthful baby face.
“Hello, Mrs. Chen.” Following basic etiquette, Li Shasha stood up straight and greeted.
Mrs. Chen glanced around before bending down, offering a gentle smile. Over these days, she had gained a thorough understanding of the other party’s family situation.
“What are you doing here alone?”
Li Shasha replied, “Contemplating philosophy.”
Mrs. Chen patted his head, “I have good news for you.”
Li Shasha remained unmoved, saying, “I know it’ll be 100.”
“It’s not about your grade; it’s about your mom. She came to see you.”
For the first time, Li Shasha froze.
Observing the situation, Teacher Chen contentedly lifted the corner of her mouth, “Due to your father’s situation, she hasn’t dared to show up… Would you like the teacher to secretly take you to see your mom once? Are you looking forward to it?”
Stunned in place for a while, Li Shasha regained his composure and stared at her, asking, “Who do you want to take me to see?”
Let me repeat it again.
The author has something to say:
Li Shasha: Is this even human language?
Wrong target😏