Qing Ye immediately recognized the crew-cut man – he was the hooligan who had deliberately tried to run her over on the Doraemon motorcycle earlier. Her brows furrowed as she gave him a cold look.

Xing Wu was also surprised to see her and called out: “Mom, who’s this?”

Li Lanfang hurried over: “You’re back just in time. Your cousin is here, come meet her.”

Qing Ye’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Cousin? What cousin? Could this get any more surreal?

Li Lanfang enthusiastically introduced them: “This is Qing Ye, the one I mentioned to you a couple of days ago. Qing Ye, this is my son Xing Wu. He’s not good at studying, but he’s quite capable when it comes to fighting and getting things done. If you run into any trouble, just ask your cousin for help.”

Qing Ye maintained her cold expression, her eyes radiating unfriendly vigilance as she stared at Xing Wu. Xing Wu casually glanced at her leather shoes, gave an inexplicable smile, then turned to grab the DVD player and walked away, saying: “Won’t be back for dinner.”

Li Lanfang was furious and chased after him cursing: “You damn dog, running around everywhere again. What are you taking that thing for?”

Xing Wu had reached the door but turned back to glance at the money in her hand. Li Lanfang quickly stuffed it into her pocket. Xing Wu’s expression darkened before he disappeared through the doorway. As Li Lanfang continued cursing with vulgar language, Qing Ye irritably rushed outside.

The stuffy street was devoid of cars. Shirtless men wandered, old men sat in doorways fanning themselves with tattered banana leaves, and women slurped noodles while standing in front of their single-story homes. Dragonflies swarmed densely between the crisscrossing power lines. Every scene made her feel suffocated.

Sun Hai gave some final instructions as he left the salon. He had to go back to deal with the prosecutors and couldn’t waste a single day. He walked up to Qing Ye, suddenly at a loss for words.

For Qing Ye, Sun Hai was her only familiar person in this oppressive place. She stared at him desperately, hoping he would change his mind and take her with him, but she couldn’t say it. Sun Hai was just Qing Shengguang’s subordinate. He had worked for her father for many years but had his own family and life. He had no obligation to take her, especially since this was her parents’ arrangement.

Qing Ye’s gaze gradually lowered, and for the first time on this journey, her eyes reddened. Tears dropped to the ground, spreading into dark spots. She realized that in a few minutes, she would be completely abandoned by her former world. The massive villa, the prestigious international school, and the glamorous lifestyle would all become past tense. And she would be buried in this remote place whose name she couldn’t even pronounce. Her life wasn’t supposed to be like this. It just wasn’t.

She sniffled and raised her head, stubbornly wiping away her tears. She stared at Sun Hai with unusual calmness: “You’ve worked for my father for over ten years, right? From his accounting issues to all those mistresses, you know more than anyone. If there’s no turning point in my father’s case, someone will eventually target you. So, Uncle Sun, please… do your best, for everyone’s sake.”

Sun Hai laughed at her words: “Little girl, are you threatening me?”

Then he became serious: “Are you worried I’ll go back and abandon your father to protect myself? Your Uncle Sun isn’t as spineless as you think. Without Brother Qing, I’d still be just a driver running errands. I’ll risk my life to find a way.”

Qing Ye was moved, her nose tingling with emotion. Sun Hai patted her shoulder heavily and said gravely: “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but listen carefully. Your father’s situation isn’t certain yet. Best case scenario, he might be out in a few months and will come get you immediately.

Of course, that’s the best outcome. Worst case, even if he serves three to five years, he’ll still get out eventually. The living expenses your father left you, if you’re careful with them, will be enough for college. Don’t think too much about it. Focus on the college entrance exam for now. You’re an adult now, responsible for your own life. When the sky falls, you need to learn to hold it up yourself, understand?”

Qing Ye lowered her head as tears welled up again unbidden. It seemed like just yesterday she was sheltered in her parents’ palms, protected from wind and rain, and today she suddenly had to learn to stand on her own.

At the street corner, Xing Wu sat on his Doraemon motorcycle with a cigarette in his mouth, staring into the distance. Fat Hu held the DVD player and asked in confusion: “Who… who is that girl? Why is she crying in front of your store?”

Xing Wu said nothing, tossed his cigarette, and rode away.

Before getting in his car, Sun Hai turned back one last time to look worriedly at Qing Ye. She hadn’t been very responsive during their journey, but now suddenly said: “Uncle Sun, let me hug you.”

Sun Hai turned back sympathetically and patted her back. Qing Ye buried her face in his clothes, crying silently. Sun Hai was like a real uncle to her, and after this parting, who knew when they would meet again, or what would happen to him and her father. Overwhelming fear consumed Qing Ye’s reason, terrifying her.

Sun Hai gave her some final advice: “I know you don’t like it here, but focus on preparing for your exams. It’ll be a year at most. You were at an international school, and your father was planning to send you abroad anyway. Even though you’ve transferred schools, your goal shouldn’t change. A year will pass quickly, and with your grades, it won’t be hard to apply to schools in Canada then. Once you’re there, you can stay away from all this.

But Qing Ye, remember, don’t let others influence you, especially boys. Uncle Sun knows it’s easy to be impulsive at your age, but you need to keep a clear head. You won’t stay here forever, understand my meaning?”

Qing Ye nodded and released Sun Hai: “Let me know immediately if there’s any progress with the father’s case.”

Sun Hai agreed: “I’ll call you.”

Qing Ye watched him leave. Even after driving far away, Sun Hai kept checking her figure in the rearview mirror until it grew smaller and finally disappeared.

When she walked back into the salon, there was no trace of tears on Qing Ye’s face. No one could tell she had just struggled in the depths of despair. She disliked showing weakness in front of strangers, especially these people who seemed so surreal to her.

Li Lanfang had returned to the mahjong table. Qing Ye stood in the shop staring at her: “Where will I stay?”

Li Lanfang didn’t even look up: “Wait a bit, I’ll show you to your room after this round.”

Qing Ye walked to a pink sofa nearby but saw that the artificial leather was torn with foam showing through, and it was filthy. She couldn’t bring herself to sit on it, so she stood by the cash register to wait.

The wait stretched to nearly an hour, during which two middle school students came in for perms. Li Lanfang even called her to collect the money. Qing Ye never imagined that in just one day, she would go from living in a villa with servants to collecting money at a hair salon in this backwater county town.

The area was dusty with harsh sunlight, and the local girls all had rough, generally dark skin. They rarely saw someone as fair and clean as Qing Ye. While paying, they kept staring at her and shyly said: “Sister, you’re really pretty.”

Qing Ye looked at the simple honesty in the young girls’ eyes and wanted to smile at them, but she couldn’t manage it at the moment. She just took the money and said: “Take care.”

Take… care. Look at that, already falling into the role, even helping her so-called aunt with customers? How utterly depressing! Qing Ye’s mood hit rock bottom.

After finishing her mahjong round, Li Lanfang finally seemed to remember her niece who had traveled so far and hadn’t even had a drink of water. She quickly got up and said: “Qing Ye, let me show you to your room. The bedding was washed clean a couple of days ago, come on.”

She picked up Qing Ye’s suitcase and walked toward the hair-washing stations. Only then did Qing Ye notice there was a staircase beside them. She was going to stay here? Above the hair salon? Qing Ye stood at the base of the stairs, looking at the dark stairwell, then at a man getting his hair washed nearby, feeling increasingly surreal.

Even more surreal was Li Lanfang dragging her suitcase up the stairs step by step, complaining: “This suitcase of yours is no good, so heavy, god, I’m dying here.”

“…” Qing Ye looked at her Rimowa suitcase which cost tens of thousands of yuan and took a deep breath.

Li Lanfang went upstairs and turned on the light. The harsh white light hurt Qing Ye’s eyes, and she had to rub them hard before she could see clearly. The upstairs had been converted into living quarters, with cheap flooring, a green ceiling fan covered in thick dust, a fabric sofa at the top of the stairs, and a 32-inch LCD TV opposite. The ceiling was very low, making it feel oppressive. Across the living room were two rooms, the right one belonging to Li Lanfang and the left to Xing Wu, with a sink in the corner of the living room.

Li Lanfang walked straight to the left room and told her: “You’ll stay here temporarily. This is Xing Wu’s room, make do for now.”

Qing Ye followed Li Lanfang somewhat dumbfounded. What did she mean by staying in Xing Wu’s room?

Before she could process it, she saw that Li Lanfang had divided the room with a floral curtain, with a single bed on one side. What incredible ingenuity!

Qing Ye pointed at the floral curtain in disbelief: “I’m sleeping here?”

Li Lanfang explained: “It’s fine, that brat rarely comes home, always running around. After a while, I’ll have your uncle put up a wooden board to divide it properly.”

Qing Ye had no idea how they could divide this ten-square-meter room. Were they going to stick people to the wall?

She looked at Li Lanfang with displeasure, wanting to ask if she was crazy – she had absolutely zero blood relation with her son, so what was this arrangement about?

But Li Lanfang seemed completely oblivious, seeing nothing wrong with the situation. She put down the suitcase and told Qing Ye: “The bathroom is in the backyard downstairs. If you’re tired, get some rest. I’ll call you for dinner.”

The mahjong players were calling from downstairs: “Second Sister Li, hurry up!”

“Coming!” Li Lanfang hurried back down.

Qing Ye plopped down on the wooden bed, already drenched in sweat. She spotted a standing fan in the corner of the room, a Midea brand, probably the newest appliance in the house. She turned it on, finally getting some cool air. Qing Ye looked around the room and pulled at the hideously floral curtain. There was a small window with welded stainless steel bars, making it look like a prison cell.

Qing Ye stared at the hazy sky through that window, her eyes vacant and lost.