Zuo Si’an had packed her luggage and was at the front desk checking out when she suddenly heard Shi Wei call to her: “Xiao An, someone’s here to see you.”
She turned around and saw that the person Shi Wei and Zuo Siqi had brought in was actually Liu Guanchao. She couldn’t help but be surprised: “Why did you come back here?”
“I called Ali, found Uncle Zuo’s workplace. His colleague said he was hospitalized in Chengdu. I flew over immediately. I just went to the hospital—Uncle Zuo was resting. This Auntie Shi brought me here.”
“Thank you for making this special trip. My father is fine now. He’ll probably be discharged the day after tomorrow. I must return to America for work. I was just about to go to the airport.”
Liu Guanchao’s expression was gloomy, looking somewhat difficult to speak, but he still said: “Actually, I came to find you.”
Shi Wei took Zuo Siqi to wait on the other side of the lobby.
After Liu Guanchao explained his purpose, Zuo Si’an was momentarily speechless. Only now did she understand why Gao Xiang had suddenly left in such a hurry two days ago.
“I don’t understand. If your sister was arrested, the most important thing you should do is find her a lawyer. Why waste time coming here to find me?”
“I hired a lawyer. The lawyer told me that this time my sister’s case is attempted extortion, a huge amount, and there’s audio evidence and witness testimony. It’s very likely she’ll be sentenced. But what affects the severity of her sentencing is another circumstance. Eight years ago, she went to Gao Xiang’s mother, Chen Zihui, and used the same method to demand one hundred thousand yuan. If it’s determined to be multiple instances of extortion, that constitutes serious circumstances and will be dealt with more severely.”
Zuo Si’an’s face darkened: “Xiao Chao, what’s your intention in telling me this?”
“I went to find Gao Xiang, to return that one hundred thousand yuan first and compensate his mother for emotional distress, to seek their understanding. But he refused to see me.”
“So you want me to go find Gao Xiang to plead for your sister?”
Liu Guanchao tacitly admitted it.
Zuo Si’an said decisively: “This request, I think, is unreasonable.”
He said with difficulty: “I know, Xiao An. After my sister did those things to you, I’m still making this kind of request. It’s not just unreasonable—it’s shameless.”
“She’s your sister. You want to save her. I can understand your efforts, but I can’t possibly help with this matter. I’m sorry, I must go to the airport now.”
Zuo Si’an bent down to pick up her luggage, but Liu Guanchao still stood blocking her way: “Xiao An, ever since I dropped out of school and left home in senior year, I haven’t spoken a single word to her. She came to find me many times, even visited me in prison, but I refused to see her and refused to let my parents mention her. Until ten days ago, my parents called and said she had suddenly brought a little boy not even two years old to our home in Qinggang, saying he was her son, asking them to temporarily help care for him, then disappeared. They had no idea what to do. I had no choice but to rush back from Shenzhen to find her. That’s when I happened to run into you returning to China.”
Zuo Si’an looked at Liu Guanchao bitterly: “Xiao Chao, are you trying to make me understand that she’s a child’s mother, forced by life circumstances to take desperate criminal measures? I’m sorry, I don’t want to hear this kind of story.”
Liu Guanchao shook his head: “I have no story to tell, Xiao An. After receiving notification, I went to the police station and only saw her for a few minutes. She refused to tell me anything. I have no idea why she did this. All these years, I simply haven’t inquired about her life. I don’t know if she had financial pressure, don’t even know if she married or who the father of her child is. She has similarly little contact with my parents. They also don’t know about her life these years, but they told me one thing—eight years ago, the reason she went to Chen Zihui to demand one hundred thousand yuan was because I’d been arrested and needed money to hire a lawyer. She didn’t tell me and wouldn’t let my parents tell me either, saying I’d probably be stubborn and would rather rot in prison than use that money.”
After a pause, he said softly: “She did many wrong things, but at least that wrong thing was done for me. If I hadn’t been ignoring her all this time, maybe this time she would have come to me for money instead of resorting to extortion. I know Gao Xiang isn’t short of money. Even if I compensate with all my assets, he might not even care. But I still have to return the money to him, seek his mother’s forgiveness, and fight for leniency in my sister’s sentencing.”
“I don’t want to appear cold-blooded, Xiao Chao, but…”
Zuo Si’an suddenly couldn’t continue.
The name Liu Yaqin belonged to a part she’d tried hard to forget, and she’d indeed gone quite a long time without thinking of that past.
However, at this moment, that girl with long curly hair, a black mole above the left corner of her mouth, cold eyes, and beautiful features suddenly appeared before her, bearing no marks of time, as if frozen at age eighteen, strangely vivid.
She suddenly realized that the rat watching her in her nightmares for many years actually had exactly the same eyes. Her complexion turned ghastly pale.
Liu Guanchao said painfully: “I’m sorry, Xiao An. I boasted that I could take care of you, yet instead I had to shamelessly come begging you…”
“If you came to beg me to forgive her and help her, then I’m sorry, Xiao Chao—I can’t do it. Each person is responsible for their own actions and bears their own fate. I don’t want to have any further connection with her, so I won’t plead for her, nor will I inquire whether she’s been punished for all the evil she’s done. Forgiving everything—that’s God’s work. Don’t demand it of me. I’m leaving.”
Zuo Si’an walked around Liu Guanchao, called out to Shi Wei and Zuo Siqi, and walked out. Shi Wei looked at her with concern: “I didn’t know what he came to see you about. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him.”
She knew her face must look terrible given her emotional turmoil. She could only force a smile: “It’s fine, Auntie Shi. I just…” She looked back at the hotel interior. Liu Guanchao still stood in the same spot, looking at her with a pained expression. “I can’t be as magnanimous as you.”
Shi Wei was startled: “No, Xiao An. Toward your father, I’m absolutely not magnanimous. I simply have feelings for him. Moreover, magnanimity absolutely doesn’t mean forcing yourself to go against your heart. I don’t know what you’ve encountered, but you absolutely mustn’t blame yourself for things you can’t do.”
She remained silently speechless.
“Just now Gao Xiang called my mobile and asked you to call him back.”
Shi Wei handed over her phone. She hesitated, then took it and called back. Gao Xiang answered immediately: “Xiao An, I’ve booked a ticket. I’m coming over right away.”
“No, don’t come. I’m heading to the airport to fly to Beijing right now. There’s one thing I’d like to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
She looked back again toward where Liu Guanchao stood: “If Liu Guanchao comes to find you again, still meet with him once. Listen to what he has to say, then decide.”
Gao Xiang said angrily: “He actually had the nerve to go find you.”
“That person is his relative. I can understand his efforts. That’s all. I won’t say more. How to handle it—I trust your judgment. I’m sorry for disturbing you this time back home. I’m leaving.”
“Xiao An—”
“Please take care. Goodbye.”
She hung up and handed the phone to Shi Wei: “Auntie Shi, thank you and Xiao Qi for seeing me off.”
“We were planning to take you to the airport.”
“Really, there’s no need. You should go keep Dad company. Next you’ll still need to buy a house in Chengdu and move here. There are so many things to worry about. I can’t help.”
Shi Wei suddenly hugged her and said softly: “Thank you, Xiao An. You’ve already helped me the most.”
Her voice was already slightly choked with emotion. Although Zuo Si’an wasn’t accustomed to such sudden intimacy, after a moment of surprise, she still freed one hand to embrace Shi Wei: “Auntie Shi, thank you for your tolerance and care for Dad all these years.”
Shi Wei looked at her, tears glistening in her eyes: “Come back to see us more often in the future.”
“You must also take good care of yourself and Xiao Qi in the future. If anything happens to Dad, contact me immediately. Also, tell that person over there to call Gao Xiang.”
“Big sister.”
Zuo Siqi tugged at her clothes. She crouched down and extended her hand. Just like when they first met, Zuo Siqi grasped her hand and shook it twice like a little adult, her clear big eyes blinking: “Big sister, goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Xiao Qi.”
Zuo Si’an got into the taxi the doorman had hailed for her and drove toward the airport. The hotel gradually disappeared in the rearview mirror.
Before returning to the hotel to check out, she had already said goodbye to Zuo Xuejun at the hospital, once again urging him to do comprehensive examinations before discharge and tell her the results. Father and daughter stood facing each other, both somewhat hesitant. In the end, they maintained that distance, unable to erase all the estrangement with an affectionate hug.
She wasn’t accustomed to experiencing farewell scenes. All these years she’d come and gone alone, seemingly having already escaped all past events. However, this return home hadn’t allowed her to conclude her emotional knots and completely begin a new life as she’d imagined before departure. Instead, she’d become entangled in even more emotional ties.
Yet she also vaguely felt that such ties meant someone cared. A certain part of her emotions was like a kite—even if still drifting unsteadily in the air, she knew the other end of the string was firmly held in someone’s hand.