Xie Huai arrived at an old residential complex following the address given by the police.

There was a bustling New Year’s market in front of the complex, and Xia Xia pulled him over.

Xie Huai: “What is there to buy?”

Xia Xia: “Of course, we need to buy something. Have you ever seen anyone visit others empty-handed during New Year’s?”

“Her husband nearly got you killed, and you still want to bring them New Year’s gifts?” Xie Huai said impatiently. “Just buy a box of Eight Treasure congee and be done with it.”

Xia Xia crouched in front of a stall, weighing some dried persimmons and nuts, then bought a few pounds of fruit.

“Pay up,” Xia Xia finished checking out, gesturing for Xie Huai to pay.

Xie Huai said: “I’m already being very nice by tolerating you buying things for her, and now you want me to pay?”

“Then who pays? Don’t tell me I should pay?” Xia Xia pointed at her nose.

That certainly wouldn’t do, Xie Huai thought.

Making his girlfriend pay while shopping together wasn’t something a man should do.

But just thinking about who Xia Xia was buying these things for made him reluctant to reach for his wallet.

His hand went into his pocket and stopped.

Xia Xia asked: “What’s wrong?”

Xie Huai said awkwardly: “I don’t have any money left.”

On New Year’s Eve, he had only gathered a bit over one million yuan, far from the amount Hu Shurong demanded. Worried that missing the deadline would lead to Hu Shurong hurting Xia Xia, and not daring to delay, he could only fill the bottom of the box with spirit money, covering it with real currency before going to Wolong River bank. That million-plus in cash was stacked in the box, and when the police sirens went off, every single note was taken away by Hu Shurong’s men.

Xia Xia asked dryly: “One million yuan, all gone?”

Xie Huai made an affirmative sound. Xia Xia looked dejected, her face scrunched up as she said: “Not worth it.”

“With that million, you could have gotten a new girlfriend.”

Xie Huai pinched her waist. Xia Xia yelped, pitifully rubbing the soft flesh at her waist: “Brother Huai, why did you pinch me?”

Xie Huai’s gaze carried a warning: “Say that again.”

Xia Xia giggled, took out money to pay the bill, and then threw the items at Xie Huai to carry. She snuggled in his embrace and tugged at his clothes.

Xie Huai wouldn’t let her brush it off, pinching her ear:

“I dare you to say that again, and that night’s words about marrying Zhao Shanqi. If you dare say it again, I’ll fulfill your wishes.”

Xia Xia tried to placate him by linking their pinky fingers, softly nuzzling against him and promising never to joke like that again. Only then did Xie Huai link his finger with hers.

His body temperature was scorching hot, like a charcoal-heated stove. Xia Xia nestled in his embrace, feeling that even if there was impenetrable fog and unknown dangers ahead, there was no place safer in this world than Xie Huai’s embrace.

“Only you,” Xie Huai suddenly said.

Xia Xia looked at him. The young man lowered his head, kissing her fluffy hair: “It’s only you for this lifetime.”

The bustling market noise faded into the background as Xie Huai’s gaze never left her.

That gaze contained brilliance, focus, and radiance, bright as sunlight.

Only you for this lifetime.

Xie Huai said: “So, don’t say things like that to make me angry anymore.”

Xia Xia stood outside the security door, pressing the doorbell twice.

A woman’s cautious voice came through: “Who is it?”

“Hello,” Xia Xia asked politely, “I’m looking for Chen Lan, is she here?”

A flash of light passed through the peephole, and the woman said hurriedly: “Not here, you’ve got the wrong person.”

Xia Xia checked the room number on her note again, confirming she hadn’t come to the wrong place, and patiently said: “I know you’re Chen Lan. Could you open the door? I have something to tell you.”

The room went quiet, with only the sound of Xie Huai cracking melon seeds by the door in the silent stairwell.

Xie Huai spat the shells into the dustpan at his feet: “Why make it so complicated?”

The sound of a baby wailing came from inside.

Xie Huai brushed off the remaining shells from his hands and placed the handful of melon seed kernels in Xia Xia’s palm.

He rudely pounded on the door: “Chen Lan, open up.”

His voice was steady, carrying a threatening tone: “It’s New Year’s, everyone wants to save face. I’m sure the news about your husband being arrested by police yesterday hasn’t spread yet. If you’re not afraid of me making a scene here for all the neighbors to know, then continue hiding inside like a turtle.”

Seeing someone looking through the peephole, Xie Huai smiled and turned to knock on the neighbor’s door.

The neighbor opened up, confused: “Who are you?”

Xie Huai stood at the doorway, smirking: “Do you know the people across from you? Their husband…”

Before he could finish, Chen Lan opened her door, her face dark: “Come in.”

Xie Huai held Xia Xia’s hand as they entered.

Xia Xia tried to hand over the things they bought to Chen Lan, but Chen Lan refused, saying coldly: “Didn’t you say you had something to tell me? Say it quickly and leave.”

The woman’s eyes were lifeless, her face exhausted.

She wore a nightgown with fraying sleeves, her hair dry and messy, her gaze ice-cold.

Xia Xia wasn’t bothered by her attitude, smiling sweetly: “Hello sister-in-law, I came to thank you. Brother Song helped me the day before yesterday.”

The “Brother Song” she mentioned was the fat man by Hu Shurong’s side.

Chen Lan’s eyes showed a moment of emotion, quickly replaced by wariness and distrust.

She snorted, facing the wall clock, staring at the ticking second hand, not sparing them a glance.

Xie Huai surveyed the room’s arrangement – the furniture and decorations were old, the wallpaper yellowed, the sofa badly damaged, and the floor was full of pits. Even during New Year’s, there weren’t any candies or snacks on the table, just two shriveled oranges.

—Every detail revealed that the household’s living standards weren’t very high.

The baby’s crying was heartbreaking. Xie Huai asked: “Aren’t you going to comfort the child?”

Chen Lan remained guarded as Xia Xia put the New Year goods on the coffee table.

When passing the mother-and-baby store downstairs, she had specifically taken Xie Huai in to buy a set of baby clothes and two cans of premium formula.

Chen Lan’s gaze fell on the formula.

“Brother Song said he has a two-month-old daughter, very adorable,” Xia Xia smiled. “May I see her?”

“You keep saying he helped you, and you even know his daughter is only two months old, so why did you still hurt him?” Chen Lan’s previously indifferent expression gradually became agitated upon hearing her repeatedly mention her husband. “He saved you, and not only are you ungrateful, but you brought the police to arrest him?”

In contrast, Xia Xia was much calmer: “If I wanted to hurt him, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“Your husband hasn’t done anything unforgivable. If he stops now, he might serve a few years, but what will happen if he continues following Hu Shurong?” Xia Xia said. “The police are hunting Hu Shurong. He’ll do anything for money. Do you want your husband to help Hu Shurong commit murder and arson, then get sentenced to life or death?”

“The one hurting him is Hu Shurong, not me,” she asked. “Do you know about Hu Shurong?”

Chen Lan’s eyes reddened: “The police have already been here. I’ve told them everything I know, I don’t know anything else.”

Xie Huai asked: “Is it that you don’t know, or that you dare not say?”

He played with the ashtray on the coffee table, his fingers pushing it to spin on the marble surface: “I know Hu Shurong’s methods. You’re afraid of his retaliation if you say too much, I understand that.”

“After all, your daughter is so young. I would be careful too in your position,” he smiled, then changed his tone. “But if you hide things and refuse to speak, aren’t you afraid of my retaliation? Yes, your husband helped Xia Xia, but fundamentally, if he hadn’t picked the lock to my home, Xia Xia wouldn’t have been kidnapped.”

“Wouldn’t you say we have a score to settle?”

Chen Lan’s body tensed. Xia Xia wanted to tell Xie Huai not to scare her, but before her lips could move, her hand was grabbed by Xie Huai.

Xie Huai’s cold and violent expression would make anyone who saw it tremble in fear.

“Tell me what you know, and Hu Shurong will have no chance to take revenge.”

“But if you don’t speak when Hu Shurong finds me, I will tell him about Song untying Xia Xia before leaving. How do you think he’ll handle subordinates who betray him at the crucial moment? Even if I die, I won’t let you have peace.”

“You think only gangsters play this game? I can do it too,” Xie Huai said flatly. “The police follow rules and treat you with courtesy. I’m different.”

“—I’ll do anything to achieve my goal.”

Chen Lan’s face turned red with anger as she pointed at him and cursed: “My daughter is only two months old, how are you any different from a beast doing this? You are a beast!”

“If you say so,” Xie Huai smiled instead of getting angry, the extreme coldness in his words making Chen Lan shudder. “Tell me, or wait for Hu Shurong to come for revenge. Do you have any other choice?”

She had let them in because Xia Xia’s smile was bright and she looked like a gentle young girl, but who knew the young man behind her could say such things?

Chen Lan’s body trembled, her lips pale, almost fainting from anger.

Xie Huai released Xia Xia’s hand, squeezing her palm.

Xia Xia instantly understood his meaning.

—Chen Lan was worried about her family’s safety. Being gentle and persuasive at first might not get results. Only by fighting fire with fire, appearing tough and unreasonable, gradually breaking down her psychological defenses, and making her understand these people weren’t to be trifled with, could they achieve their goal most quickly and effectively.

And since Xie Huai was only making verbal threats – he certainly couldn’t tell Hu Shurong – after making his harsh statements, he needed Xia Xia to play the other role.

Hot and cold, red and white – most people couldn’t resist such tactics.

Xia Xia pressed Xie Huai’s arm, saying softly: “Don’t frighten her.”

Her voice was gentle, her soft eyes downcast: “Xie Huai speaks without thinking, please don’t take offense. Brother Song helped me, I would never repay kindness with enmity.”

“About him untying me…” she looked Chen Lan in the eyes, her gaze sincere. “If I testify to the police that he never hurt me, he should get a reduced sentence.”

“As long as you tell us what you know, I will tell this to the police.”

Chen Lan fell silent.

“Why should I believe you?” she said mockingly. “Those people value loyalty above all. If I betray them and they find out, my family will suffer too. Why should I believe you when you say Hu Shurong won’t have a chance for revenge? If you had that ability, would you still be unable to escape from his debt after so many years?”

“I acknowledged my father’s bad debt and I will pay it back, paying debts is only right, there’s nothing to escape from,” Xie Huai’s expression was stern. “But he threatened the most important person to me, so now everything must be settled from the beginning.”

“The police want results, but I want him dead.”

Xie Huai said coldly: “I want him dead more than anyone else in the world. Is that reason enough?”

Chen Lan hesitated.

The ashtray under Xie Huai’s hand tipped over, ash drifting onto his fingertips: “Risks and benefits are relative. It depends on whether you dare to gamble.”

Chen Lan was quiet for a long while, then said hoarsely: “The one called Qiang Zi by Hu Shurong’s side, his mistress runs a hair salon on Nanjing Road, with a red light sign at the door and several young girls inside. I used to be a cashier at the supermarket on Nanjing Road, and saw him enter that salon several times after my night shift.”

Xie Huai frowned: “Just a mistress?”

“A lover, I suppose, I’m not sure,” Chen Lan bit her lip, speaking unclearly. “Nanjing Road is remote. If they’re still in Zhangshi, they’re likely there… Qiang Zi has followed Hu Shurong for over ten years, he’s been involved in everything Hu Shurong has done. If he’s caught, Hu Shurong won’t escape from his crimes…”

“…You promised me,” Chen Lan choked up. “You must tell the police my children’s father isn’t a bad person…”

Xia Xia handed her tissues.

The baby, quiet for a while, began crying again. Chen Lan hurried to the room to comfort her.

Xia Xia followed behind.

The nursery was decorated warmly and delicately, completely different from the shabby living room. Pink wallpaper, ivory white crib, beige carpet covered with stuffed animals of all sizes, and on the nearby bookshelf stood a photo frame showing Chen Lan and the fat man cuddling together, smiling sweetly.

The evening clouds cast shadows through the window, dim light falling on Xia Xia’s eyelids.

She looked down and saw a gleam of light also falling on the small pillow beneath the baby’s neck.

The baby stopped crying, her cheek skin softer than jelly, breaking into giggles under Xia Xia’s gaze.

Xie Huai stood behind as Xia Xia smiled like a flower, looking back at him.

He returned a gentle smile.

At that moment, Xia Xia suddenly felt that although spring was still early, a warm breeze caressed her face.

In this enclosed space, from the window vents, and the cracks in the floor, it blew in from all directions.

Xia Xia closed her eyes, seeming to smell the scent of grass whispering in the evening breeze after rain.

Xie Huai approached the crib. Chen Lan was still wary, reaching out to block him.

Xie Huai pulled two pink banknotes from Xia Xia’s coat pocket in his arms. He bent down, tucking the money under the mattress as a New Year’s gift.

The child grinned, pink lips like a goldfish blowing round bubbles.

Xie Huai’s fingertip poked the child’s cheek, feeling its soft smoothness, full of fresh, vibrant life.

—That was a complete, new life bathing under the rising sun and setting moon.

The night wind was cool.

After the heavy snow, the thick clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing a clear, cold moon.

Xie Huai suggested watching a Spring Festival movie, but Xia Xia shook her head.

Xie Huai then suggested having a proper dinner, but Xia Xia still shook her head.

“What do you want to do?” Xie Huai asked.

Xia Xia hopped and jumped on the path ahead, stepping in the snow, looking back at him: “Just being with you is enough.”

She stood in the scattered light of the street lamp, the gentle light falling between her brows, making her appear dreamlike and ethereal.

Xie Huai watched her quietly as if also falling into a dream, a sight he could never get enough of, could never look away from.

The hotel was just ahead when Xie Huai stopped.

Xia Xia stood several meters away with her arms spread wide. The coat Xie Huai had bought her was very large, making her look clumsy in it, like a soft teddy bear.

“Brother Huai, come here,” she smiled playfully, her eyes curved, as if calling a puppy.

Xie Huai hugged her.

The bustling street corner fell silent at this moment, all the noisy voices, car sounds, and fireworks around them muted.

Xia Xia nuzzled into his chest, more clingy than a kitten, only raising her head after messing up her hair: “That night at Wolong River, before the police came and before the money was gathered, if I hadn’t made Sun Feng drive the car to you, what were you planning to do?”

Xie Huai: “I knew you would make him drive over.”

He grinned: “Sister Xia is so smart, how could she not think of a way? Besides, we have telepathy, I can sense all your thoughts…”

Xia Xia said seriously: “Be serious.”

Xie Huai dropped his joking manner, looking at her quietly: “If I said I had no plan, would you regret being with me?”

Xia Xia asked: “Why would I regret it?”

Xie Huai didn’t answer, but she soon read the answer in his eyes.

Xia Xia tilted her head thoughtfully: “On our first day together, you asked me ‘Are you scared?'”

“Of course, I considered the risks of dating you, but my feelings for you far outweigh those fears.”

“It would be a lie to say I’m not afraid of death, I am a little scared. But since you don’t regret risking your life to save me, of course, I won’t regret it either,” she smiled sweetly. “And thinking that even if we die, we’d be holding hands together, it doesn’t sound so scary anymore.”

Xia Xia pouted: “Without you, life wouldn’t mean much anyway. I used to think the world was boring until I met you and wanted to live life with all my might. Compared to not having you by my side, nothing else is scary.”

Xia Xia looked at him seriously, her gaze clear: “Although I’m not scared or regretful, I still want to live well with you.”

“What about you?” Xia Xia asked. “Do you still want to leave me alone and die with Hu Shurong?”

Xie Huai pulled her into his embrace: “How could I bear to?”

“Xia Xia,” he called her, turning his head to smell the fragrance in her hair, his voice hoarse. “You’ll be with me for life, won’t you?”

Not waiting for the girl’s answer, he tightened his arms, holding her with enough force to meld her into his bones and blood.

He whispered in her ear, hot and domineering, deciding for her: “When I come back, you must be with me for life.”

“Calling me Brother Huai all these years, seducing me, tempting me, playing innocent and pitiful, making me devoted, making my eyes see only you.”

“You have to take responsibility for me.” Xie Huai turned his head, his burning lips brushing her smooth cheek. “Besides you, I don’t want to spend my life with anyone else.”

“When I come back, I’ll never leave you again.”

Xia Xia stayed in the hotel for five days, not leaving except to buy food downstairs.

At night, she would lock the windows and doors, attach the security chain, and then push the TV cabinet against the door.

She slept during the day and watched shows at night, turning off videos and putting her phone on speed dial to the police at the slightest sound.

When going out, Xia Xia would occasionally feel someone following her. She wasn’t sure if that creepy feeling was real, but even if it was, the city center was crowded, especially during the holiday season. Those people were still being hunted by the police and wouldn’t dare do anything to her on the busy streets.

Xia Xia always remembered Xie Huai’s warnings before he left, never letting her guard down.

Sleeping too much during the day left her often sleepless at night, frequently wrapped in blankets scrolling through her old messages with Xie Huai, unable to stop reading them over and over.

When they first met, their communication was limited to Xia Xia sending Xie Huai organized meal order lists.

Xie Huai would either not reply or just respond with an “mm” or “oh,” with many payment transfer notifications scattered between messages. She was so poor then she couldn’t even afford a blanket, living on Xie Huai’s daily wages for the first month.

Gradually, Xie Huai talked more, and they had more to discuss.

He would ask Xia Xia to have dinner together, call her down to help watch the stall, and invite her to gatherings with Zhao Yilei and Jiang Jingzhou.

Xie Huai appeared macho on the surface but was very attentive in private.

After Xia Xia fainted on the training field due to menstrual pain during military training, before each of her periods in the following months, Xie Huai would remind her to drink more hot water.

The first time he reminded her, Xia Xia was confused and returned the extra five-yuan red packet he sent.

Xie Huai wouldn’t take it back. Xia Xia said kindly: [Brother Huai, you sent too much money.]

Xie Huai replied coolly: [Employee benefits.]

Xia Xia didn’t understand: [What do you mean?]

Xie Huai got even cooler: [Go buy brown sugar.]

Xia Xia found this message and couldn’t help giggling on the bed.

As she laughed, her stomach started hurting. She went to the bathroom and discovered her period had started. Xia Xia changed her underwear and lay on the bed, even the highest air conditioning temperature couldn’t mask the cramping pain. She lay on her side for a while, then lay on her stomach pressing against her lower abdomen.

It hadn’t been this uncomfortable for a long time. Xia Xia was in so much pain she was barely conscious.

In Nancheng, Xie Huai had taken her to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, but the herbal treatments never seemed to help. When they lived together during autumn and winter, whenever she had her period, Xie Huai would warm up the electric blanket in advance, wrapping her like a silkworm in the blanket. He would heat three hot water bottles – one for her feet, one for her stomach, and one to warm the bed.

After everything was ready, he would climb into bed and hold her, gently covering her lower abdomen with his hands warmed on the hot water bottles.

It hurt then too, but with Xie Huai by her side, she had emotional support, and the sweetness of love numbed her nerves, making the pain seem more bearable. Now without Xie Huai, she couldn’t numb herself, and waves of indescribable pain came one after another, like mountains crumbling and earth splitting inside her body. She was about to faint.

Xia Xia opened her eyes, looking at the unpredictable weather outside through the blurry glass.

It had only been clear for a few days, not even enough time to properly see the sun, and clouds were already gathering again at the horizon.

Xia Xia was in pain all night, only falling into a confused sleep as dawn broke.

The pillowcase was soaked with sweat, her cheeks pale and bloodless.

The phone rang like a death knell, startling Xia Xia awake.

The strange number was from Zhangshi. Xia Xia answered drowsily, hearing noise and chaos on the other end, a bustling of voices.

A gentle female voice asked urgently: “Are you Xie Huai’s family?”

Xia Xia experienced a brief ringing in her ears, suddenly unable to hear anything for a moment. After a moment of stunned silence, her hearing returned to normal, her palm holding the phone wet with sweat, her thin shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

“This is Zhangshi First People’s Hospital…”

“…Please come to the hospital immediately with the patient’s ID card and medical insurance card. If you have a blood donation certificate at home, remember to bring that too.”

Xia Xia’s vision darkened, the world spinning.

Morning traffic was congested.

Xia Xia sat in the back of the taxi, silent, staring blankly out the window at the scenery.

The driver was a typical northern man, chatting with her about everything under the sun, but after talking to himself for so long without getting any response, he also felt awkward, smiling embarrassedly as he drove, no longer speaking.

He turned on the taxi’s intercom, and a group of men’s voices came through.

“There’s been an accident on Nanjing Road, The road’s blocked, police cars and ambulances all went there early morning, and probably won’t be passable for a while, everyone avoids Nanjing Road today.”

“Why didn’t you say earlier? I just passed through Nanjing Road, the road was covered in blood, when the ambulance carried the person out they were already covered with a white sheet.”

“Not just a white sheet, when I went by, the person was dead on the roadside, head rolled to the middle of the road, my passenger happened to see it and threw up breakfast all over my car.”

…

The road ahead was congested. Xia Xia looked up dazedly, seeing familiar corners of a familiar residential complex.

The snow on the pine needles extending from the complex walls had completely melted, gleaming with verdant luster in the sunlight.

An ambulance wailed past in front, making the driver’s eyelids twitch.

He glanced outside casually, seeing several police officers setting up police tape at the complex entrance, the ground covered with splattered bloodstains.

“Lot of strange things today,” the driver picked up the intercom. “They’re setting up police tape at the Steel Factory Residential Complex entrance too, a bunch of police surrounding it, wonder what happened?”

As he spoke, he glimpsed the girl in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

She leaned against the window, fingers tightly gripping the bodhi bracelet on her wrist.

Her gaze fell outside, and the driver followed her look to see a stretcher being carried out of the complex gates, with a blood-covered woman lying on it.

The thin sunlight fell on the girl’s face, reflecting her bloodless complexion, her beautiful face as pale as paper.