Ah Heng returned to City B after the eighth day of the Lunar New Year.

Father Wen suggested she stay at home for a few days. She thought about it and shook her head, resembling a rattle drum in a child’s hands. He ruffled her hair and smiled, “Still just a child after all.”

Ah Heng sniffled: “Papa, look, it’s still colder here than in the south.” She laughed foolishly, avoiding the deeper meaning behind her father’s words.

For the first few days after returning home, Ah Heng busied herself with housework. The house had gathered a layer of dust during her holiday away.

She paid New Year respects to her grandfather, formally kowtowing several times, which amused the old man and resulted in a generous reward. There’s a saying, what was it again? Ah yes, having an elder at home is like having a treasure, especially when your family’s treasure is on par with a magical wealth-gathering basin.

Ah Heng shared this thought with her grandfather while holding her New Year money, making the old man laugh and scold: “Yun Yi, look at this, how mischievous this child is! Are you going to discipline her or not?”

Her mother also laughed, pretending to strike her, but when her hand reached Ah Heng’s face, it landed gently, neither painful nor itchy – a small gesture of doting that made Ah Heng inexplicably happy for a long while.

Several days passed, but Yan Xi hadn’t called to say when he’d return.

The twelfth day of the first lunar month – she remembered it with crystal clarity. Never before had she particularly disliked anything, nor had she been prone to extreme emotions. But from that day forward, she developed an intense, burning hatred for the number twelve.

She received an express delivery addressed to B City, 09-68, written in electronic text, neat and proper.

It was from Vienna, as usual.

The sender’s name on the envelope was “Yan Xi.”

Ah Heng smiled, thinking this lord must have made some discovery. But when she opened it, she found a pink hardcover photo album – Yan Xi’s favorite color, so pale it was extreme, yet bright and gentle. Though different from his usual single photographs, it still matched his style.

She had always believed that if she carefully attended to every episode of Yan Xi’s life, noting all the traces of evil that remained in his life like cobwebs, even if she couldn’t predict the outcome, she could at least shield him from the sources of his heartache.

So she kept telling him, “Yan Xi, this world isn’t so bad, nothing’s that serious, you know?”

In this world where she had lived so long, experiencing what she considered some severe setbacks, sometimes she wanted to cry, but she never abandoned her stubborn belief in the fundamental goodness of human nature. So after each bout of sadness, meeting some kind people would wash away her hostility toward others, naturally leading her to believe this was a world where one could live ordinarily and maintain warmth in their heart.

So nothing was that serious, right, Yan Xi?

So when afraid of pain, she always thought things weren’t as bad as imagined, always thinking how much better it would be if Yan Xi were more rational and more mature.

She had always clung to such thoughts…

But when she opened the photo album, every single photo, every scene, made her wish she could shatter this world completely.

Yan Xi pinned down by a group of men; Yan Xi with blood covering his lower body; Yan Xi with eyes wide open but empty; Yan Xi with traces of a smile still on his lips; Yan Xi unable to shed even a tear; Yan Xi with features still childlike; Yan Xi at only fifteen years old…

The truth – this was the truth!

Her eyes turned crimson, her entire body frozen to the extreme, understanding for the first time what despair truly felt like.

Pain beyond remedy, yet without a single wound.

Yan Xi, Yan Xi…

She called his name, her eyes burning like fire. She covered them, her fingers digging into the album until they bled crimson, but ultimately, she collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.

Yan Xi…

Later, when Yan Xi was unconscious, Ah Heng often held his hand, smiling at him: “Yan Xi, how could you be so silly, to let yourself get lost like this?”

Was Vienna really that far away?

Everything seemed meticulously calculated. Right after receiving the album, she got a phone call. An overseas call, Siwan’s voice nearly out of control: “Ah Heng, quick, go to the airport, hurry and check the airport!”

Still clutching that eye-searing pink album, her voice hoarse to the extreme: “What happened?”

Siwan fell silent for a moment, then Xin Dayi’s voice came through: “Fuck! Wen Siwan, what the hell are you shaking for…” There was rustling as they fought over the phone, and then Xin Dayi’s clear voice came through, “Ah Heng, listen carefully. Yan Xi received a delivery receipt earlier and suddenly went crazy, and ran off. We’ve been searching Vienna for nearly a day but can’t find him. We suspect he might have returned to China. Go to the airport right now, immediately!”

Ah Heng’s eyes hurt again as she heard the static crackling through the line, pop pop, tiny sparks, a grand desolation extinguishing.

As the call ended, Xin Dayi was cursing, seeming furious to the extreme, but his voice was distant, unclear.

Only that one line was clear.

“Fucking old whore, just wait until I catch you red-handed!”

Then came the busy signal.

She suddenly remembered something. Was it that woman?

Ah Heng took a deep breath, standing up unsteadily.

Can’t be sad, can’t cry, can’t be weak, Wen Heng, you absolutely cannot do any of these things right now!

She waited. Stood at the airport for eight full hours, not moving a step.

People came and went, the sound of each person’s footsteps approaching, then fading away.

She kept her eyes wide open, smiling, had to keep smiling, so that if she saw Yan Xi, she could say: Welcome home. Then carefully treasure him away, keep him at home, and help him fight off however many bad people there were. If he wanted to withdraw, unwilling to face things, then while he still allowed her presence, this world could be just the two of them.

Yan Xi, would that be okay? Not scolding you for playing games day and night without eating properly; not complaining about your picky eating habits of only wanting spare ribs and chocolate milk; not throwing pillows at you for teaching me to swear…

Yan Xi, would that be okay?

Finally, the midnight bells rang. All the Vienna flights had returned, but none had brought back her boy.

All around was dead silence.

She lowered her head to the smooth pale blue marble floor, where even the scattered whiteboarding passes showed clear loneliness.

It was already after midnight when she returned home.

The moment she opened the door, the house was still clean and tidy, but something seemed different. The photo album that had been scattered on the floor had been placed back on the table.

The clean, gentle pink – the world’s most vicious curse – had been returned to the table, quietly closed.

“Yan Xi!” Her expression shifted, her heart beating violently as she shouted. Her voice was already unrecognizably broken, floating eerily in the air.

Complete silence filled the room.

Yan Xi had been here…

She recognized traces of his presence and touched the air he had breathed, but this made her even more sorrowful.

This departure, this second loss, was far harder to bear than the shattered expectations at the airport.

Because she knew, if it was Yan Xi, once he left again, he wouldn’t return.

He had said he would return soon, told her to wait for him at home, and said “Ah Heng, when I get home, I want to see you first…”

She rushed from the living room to the entrance, where the winter wind cut bone-deep. In the wind, the doorplate she had wiped several times each day, the doorplate that could lead him home, had vanished.

All that remained were traces of blood, forcibly gouged from the gravel.

A terrifying red.

He… had taken their home with him, but left her behind.

The phone rang again.

“Ah Heng, did Yan Xi come back?”

Ah Heng thought for a moment, her gaze turning cold: “Yes, he came back and is already asleep.”

“Is he… okay?” Siwan hesitated.

Blood vessels showed in Ah Heng’s eyes as she asked softly: “What could be wrong with him?”

Siwan exhaled: “That’s good then.”

“When are you coming back?”

“Auntie Lin has already booked tickets for tomorrow.”

“Oh, is that so? Is Xin Dayi with you?” Ah Heng smiled, but her usually gentle eyes held no trace of mirth.

“Yes.” He passed over the phone.

“Ah Heng. Is the beauty alright?” From the other end came a cheerful, straightforward voice.

“Dayi, listen to me. After hanging up this call, find somewhere private where no one knows, preferably a phone booth, and call me back,” Ah Heng took a breath, lowering her voice, “It must be where there’s no one else, absolutely no one, understand?”

His reply was simple and guarded: “Mm.”

Ah Heng stared blankly at the clock – it was nearly three in the morning.

About ten minutes later, the incoming call display showed an unknown number.

“Ah Heng, tell me the truth, did Yan Xi come back?” It was Xin Dayi.

Ah Heng spoke slowly, answering with another question: “Dayi, right now you’re the only one I trust. Tell me, what happened two years ago?”

She couldn’t have been calmer, hearing even the ticking of the clock’s second hand with perfect clarity.

Xin Dayi fell silent, and after a long while, finally spoke: “Two years ago, the day after Lu Liu left, Yan Xi was locked up at home by Grandfather Yan for half a year, never seeing daylight.”

“Grandfather Yan wouldn’t let anyone visit him, only telling people outside that he had fallen seriously ill.” Dayi’s voice suddenly became agitated, “But how could that be? From childhood, Yan Xi never got sick except for colds. The day before seeing Lu Liu off, he had even agreed to join me in the relay race at the sports meet.”

Suddenly, the youth’s tone turned somewhat dejected: “I pestered him for ages, and he only agreed after I called him ‘brother.'”

Ah Heng bit her lip, asking with difficulty: “Dayi, are you saying Yan Xi’s illness was related to Lu Liu?”

His voice nearly choked: “Ah Heng, Yan Xi wasn’t sick – he had completely lost his mind, couldn’t recognize anyone! I snuck in to see him, but he just buried himself in his blankets, his eyes vacant, not responding no matter how I called him. At the time, I almost thought he’d never come back…”

“Ah Heng, he went mad, do you understand what that means? It means no matter who you are to him, how long you’ve played together, how close you were – none of it matters anymore.”

In the early morning, she called someone she hadn’t contacted in a while, but who could be considered a friend.

“Ah Heng, what a rare treat, what made you think to call me?” The other person laughed.

Ah Heng smiled, asking: “Brother Hu Ba, how long would it take to have your brothers search all of City B?”

The person was indeed Hu Ba, who had become friends with Yan Xi and the others after their fights. They often drank together when free, appreciating each other’s character – a friendship between gentlemen.

“Probably three or four days,” Hu Ba calculated roughly.

Ah Heng asked again: “What if it’s urgent?”

Hu Ba frowned: “At least two days.”

Ah Heng pressed: “What about even faster?”

Hu Ba fell silent, trying to guess Ah Heng’s intentions.

Ah Heng smiled faintly, her tone gentle: “Brother Hu Ba, if I ask you and your brothers for a favor – to cover all of City B in one day. In the future, whenever you need Wen Heng’s help, even if it means breaking the law and going to prison, your little sister will make it happen. Would that work?”

Hu Ba was startled – he rarely heard Ah Heng talk like this: “Ah Heng, just tell me what’s going on, if your brother can help, I definitely will.”

Ah Heng’s knuckles turned white, her lips cracked and nearly bleeding, yet she still smiled: “Yan Xi has disappeared.”

Ah Heng kept waiting, waiting quietly.

When the doorbell rang, it was six in the evening. Ah Heng had spoken with Dayi on the phone; they had arrived in City B at five o’clock.

In such a hurry? Ah Heng clenched her fists, hatred surging in her heart for an instant.

She opened the door to flowing dark patterns and sweet plum fragrance.

Sure enough… it was her.

“Auntie Lin, why have you come?” Ah Heng smiled, her expression clear as mountain streams.

“Oh, came to check on Little Xi. That child just ran off suddenly – is he alright?” Lin Ruomei’s smile was gentle, but her voice held a hint of urgency as she peered into the living room, “Little Xi, Yan Xi!”

Ah Heng remained composed: “Why such a hurry?” She brewed top-grade Biluochun tea, smiling like a spring breeze as she handed over a purple porcelain cup, filling the room with fragrance.

Lin Ruomei took the tea, narrowing her eyes, also smiling: “Little Xi hasn’t come back, has he?”

Ah Heng looked down at the tea leaves floating and sinking in the clear water: “Isn’t that exactly what you wanted?”

Lin Ruomei raised an eyebrow: “Child, what do you mean by that?”

Ah Heng shook her head, sighing: “No, I misspoke. Your real intention was for Yan Xi to go mad immediately after seeing those photos, wasn’t it?”

“What photos? What madness? Child, why do you keep saying things Auntie doesn’t understand?” Lin Ruomei smiled.

“Is your memory that bad? The photo album you sent me using Yan Xi’s name – pink, hardcover.” Ah Heng described, smiling with narrowed eyes.

Lin Ruomei stared at Ah Heng for a long while, her gaze slowly changing from gentle to ice-cold: “Did I underestimate you, Wen Heng? To stay so calm after seeing such disgusting things – quite impressive. As for Yan Xi, I only mentioned the existence of those photos, and he couldn’t take it.”

Ah Heng’s smile faded as she lowered her head: “Two years ago, you ordered four men to rape fifteen-year-old Yan Xi on the day Lu Liu left the country, didn’t you?”

Four men – she had identified each one from the photos with her own eyes.

Lin Ruomei sneered: “That little demon, wasn’t he best at seducing men? What’s the big deal about being taken by men?!”

Ah Heng gripped her right arm with her left hand, the skin beneath her sweater hurting completely: “That night, you had Secretary Chen take photos. You threatened Yan Xi that if he told anyone about this, you would send these photos to people important to him, like Lu Liu.”

So that’s why Yan Xi was always in such pain whenever he saw Secretary Chen.

She had sent the photos home just to ensure Yan Xi would see them. If they could make Yan Xi’s psychological defenses collapse naturally without angering Lu Liu, that would be ideal.

Lin Ruomei’s expression turned to utter disgust: “This vixen, wanting to ruin my son – it’s not that easy. Before he could harm my son, I had to destroy him first! I just didn’t expect that after going mad back then, he could still come back to his senses.”

Ah Heng looked up, her eyes dark and still: “If I’m not mistaken Lu Liu has always loved Yan Xi, hasn’t he, Auntie Lin?”

Lin Ruomei suddenly stood up, her gaze venomous: “What nonsense are you talking about? My son would never love that kind of unwanted little bastard!”

Ah Heng also stood, pouring the entire pot of hot water over Lin Ruomei’s head as she spoke quietly: “Lin Ruomei, tell me, how many years in prison for the primary culprit of rape? Tell me, if Yan Xi’s grandfather found out, how many years would you serve?”

Lin Ruomei screamed, drenched like a drowning chicken, her previous elegance and nobility gone: “What evidence do you have that I did it? Just those photos?”

Ah Heng took a voice recorder from her pocket, speaking methodically: “Physical evidence alone might not be enough, but with a confession added, is that enough?”

Lin Ruomei’s face completely twisted: “You little bitch! Same kind of trash as Yan Xi!”

Ah Heng reached out and slapped the woman before her hard: “Lin Ruomei, I showed you respect because of your age, don’t think everyone fears you! If you say one more word against Yan Xi, before I send you to court, I wouldn’t mind ‘in a moment of rage, while you were trying to grab the evidence and using violence, in self-defense’ stabbing you!”

She grabbed the fruit knife from the table, looking at Lin Ruomei, her gaze growing colder.

Lin Ruomei’s expression showed some terror: “You… how dare you!”

Ah Heng smiled, the blood vessels in her eyes more prominent: “Why wouldn’t I dare? Who do you think you are? Never mind one Lin Ruomei, even a hundred or a thousand of you – if it means my Yan Xi can be safe and happy, why not?”

“Moreover, you seem quite unclear about who stands behind me and Yan Xi, and whose grandchildren these ‘bastards’ you keep cursing are!”

But Lin Ruomei suddenly calmed down, smiling with extreme kindness: “What if I say I don’t even care about the Yan family?”

“Thanks to you, Yan Xi has disappeared. If he loses one hair, I’ll pluck out all of yours; if he suffers cold and hunger, I’ll make you suffer ten, a hundred times more; if he goes mad, I’ll use your previous methods to drive you mad too, how about that?”

“Then let’s give it a try.” Tea water dripped from Lin Ruomei’s hair, the smile on her face slowly growing more sinister, “It seems things have become more interesting.”