“No, I won’t return it.”

Squeezing out these few words through clenched teeth, Lin Shilan wiped away her tears and hung up the phone directly.

After leaving Night Paradise and returning to the rainy season, they lived happy lives together every day. They went to and from school together, ate delicious food together, and raised a puppy. They kept laughing, tacitly avoiding the topic of separation, as if this kind of life could continue forever.

She recalled the night of thunder and lightning when he died before her eyes. Ever since then, whenever there was thunder, Lin Shilan would be seized with terror like a panic attack, and Tan Jin acted as if he didn’t see it.

His existence was eroding her normal life.

The story that should have ended, the rainy season that should have dissipated, was forcibly retained by an oath. What a cursed fate—their love happened to sprout from ashes.

Actually, they should have let go of each other’s hands long ago to find liberation…

The vibrating call reminder came—each one she cut off.

Whether you call it running away or call it cowardice, Lin Shilan was unwilling to give Tan Jin a chance to break the oath.

For three consecutive days, he came looking for her from time to time, and she deliberately avoided him.

The heavy rain continued endlessly. After Su Ge left, it was as if the weather’s switch had broken.

[The rain won’t stop. If it keeps raining like this, the flood in Yan County might come early.]

Su Ge’s text message—Lin Shilan didn’t know how to respond. She turned her phone on, then off again. These past few days, she slept during the day and suffered insomnia at night.

—It’s better when it rains.

What Lin Shilan feared most was when it didn’t rain.

At dinner time, Lu Xiaorong brought back some news.

Uncle Tan, as a leader at the petrochemical plant, was organizing an employee trip at his own expense. Lu Xiaorong’s husband was a former petrochemical plant employee, and Lin Shilan was Tan Jin’s good friend, so the mother and daughter were also among those invited.

As soon as Lu Xiaorong mentioned the travel date—June 25th—Lin Shilan knew who had planned this invitation.

Tan Jin really knew how to find ways to pave all the roads for her. She didn’t know how he had persuaded his father and even managed to include her family.

Knowing this news, Lin Shilan couldn’t feel happy at all, but Lu Xiaorong was quite interested in the free trip: “Your college entrance exam is over, and I’m on vacation too. Since we have this opportunity, we mother and daughter can take the chance to travel out of province—how wonderful.”

“Mm,” Lin Shilan forced a smile, not disrupting Tan Jin’s plans: “Then let’s go.”

Lu Xiaorong contentedly served her a large chicken leg.

Chewing rice listlessly, Lin Shilan’s eyes were vacant.

Her mother’s phone rang.

Lin Shilan helped her bring the phone over and saw from the caller display that it was her Uncle Tang.

Lu Xiaorong had been all smiles just moments ago, but when she took the phone, her expression suddenly changed. Holding the phone, she left the dining table and quickly walked into the inner room before answering the call.

Lin Shilan vaguely heard her mother sigh, then say something at a very fast pace.

Lin Shilan didn’t hear clearly.

When she returned from the phone call, Lu Xiaorong’s appetite had clearly diminished. After hurriedly finishing the few bites of rice in her bowl, she grabbed her bag, intending to go out.

“Where are you going?” Lin Shilan sensed something strange.

Lu Xiaorong answered perfunctorily: “To buy some things.”

She pressed: “Buy what?”

“Don’t worry about it, eat your meal. I’ll be back very soon.” Lu Xiaorong remained vague.

Uncle Tang’s phone call, plus her mother’s secretive manner… Lin Shilan recalled what Su Ge had said before leaving—that she had seen her mother stuffing money to Uncle Tang.

If her mother had borrowed money from Uncle Tang for the intensive prep class earlier, she should have paid him back when she went to see him last time.

Why, after just a few days, was her mother going to see him again, still looking like a thief with a guilty conscience?

Lin Shilan felt something wasn’t quite right.

Her mother left through the front door, and she followed through the back.

Riding her small electric scooter, Lu Xiaorong headed toward Uncle Tang’s house.

Lin Shilan took a shortcut and arrived a bit later than her.

Sure enough, Uncle Tang had called her mother out to meet.

When Lin Shilan arrived, the two of them were standing by the water well talking. That alley had no lights, and when she approached, neither of them noticed.

“Sister-in-law, you gave me a pile of small change?” Uncle Tang had been drinking and his speech was a bit slurred: “Are you being so insincere because you think I’m easy to deal with?”

Lu Xiaorong coaxed him gently: “Ah, it is a bit short, please understand. Rui Rui just finished her college entrance exam, and we’ve spent quite a bit of money recently. You take this money first to buy alcohol, and when I get my salary I’ll bring you some snacks to go with the drinks.”

Uncle Tang spat on the roadside and stuffed the money into his pocket.

“Speaking of which, when will you, sister-in-law, invite me to your home for a meal? To take care of little Rui Rui’s studies, I haven’t been there for a while, and the glutton in my stomach misses your home cooking.”

“Yes, yes,” Lu Xiaorong smiled obsequiously: “I’ll invite you in a while, I’ll definitely treat you well.”

“Don’t say ‘in a while,’ let’s make it tomorrow.” Uncle Tang burped: “Tomorrow I happen to be free, I’ll bring some friends over to your place to play mahjong.”

“Tomorrow won’t work, Rui Rui will be home.”

“What do you mean? She’s home, so I have to avoid her?”

With the alcohol hitting him, Uncle Tang’s voice suddenly rose: “Let me tell you, it’s perfect if she’s there. In front of my friends, let her apologize to me for what happened last time.”

Lin Shilan emerged from the darkness.

“Uncle Tang, you want me to apologize to you?”

She sneered, saying word by word: “Dream on.”

It turned out that Uncle Tang had been holding a grudge about Lin Shilan slapping him. When Lin Shilan wasn’t home, he had brought several friends over and made a huge scene at their door, saying he would drag Lin Shilan to the police station. To keep the peace, Lu Xiaorong had stuffed money to Uncle Tang and his friends.

Who knew that once she gave this, it would become a bottomless pit—for the following months, whenever Uncle Tang had no money to spend, he would reach out and ask Lu Xiaorong for it.

Afraid of affecting her daughter’s college entrance exam, Lu Xiaorong obediently accepted her bad luck and became this cash cow. If she hadn’t followed her mother today, Lin Shilan would still be kept in the dark.

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze red.

Uncle Tang rolled up his sleeves, loudly clamoring about calling the police and locking Lin Shilan up.

“Call the police then,” Lin Shilan looked at him like looking at a clown: “You’ve been extorting my mother for so long, let’s see if the police lock you up or lock me up.”

Uncle Tang was so angry he cursed: “The money was given to me voluntarily by her, how is that extortion? Who the hell can testify? You hit me—everyone saw that that day.”

Lin Shilan saw right through him as a paper tiger. She could say these threatening words too.

“If ‘extortion’ isn’t enough to lock you up, there are other things. You used to crouch on my way home from school, wait for me to come out and follow behind me, touch me inappropriately—that’s the crime of indecent assault. You called a bunch of friends to gamble and play cards at my house, and when you got drunk you’d stay at my house and cause all kinds of trouble—that’s repeatedly seriously disturbing the peace. I don’t believe that over all these days, none of the neighbors around have seen it. Let’s go to the police station. Everyone knows what kind of person you are, I’m not worried about finding witnesses.”

The conversation had reached this point. Uncle Tang shoved her: “Fine then, let’s go to the station, let’s go!”

“It’s not necessary, really not necessary,” Lu Xiaorong busily tried to mediate, pulling Lin Shilan behind her and scolding: “What police station? Stop making trouble. What if you end up with a criminal record? You have such a bright future ahead…”

“If I don’t dare to fight back against this kind of maggot in the sewers, I’ll be trampled under his feet for life—what bright future is there to talk about then?”

Her mother’s timid and shrinking appearance made Lin Shilan even more furious.

“Let me ask you, what are you afraid of him for? This kind of person who bullies the weak and fears the strong—is he scary?”

“We paid back the money we owed him long ago. When you need things fixed or moved, I’ll do it from now on. What do you need him for? Are you afraid of offending him? Do you really think that slap I gave him could give me a criminal record? You’re usually so fierce with me, but you’re so polite to this kind of person. Does he deserve it?”

“Isn’t it all for you!” Unable to endure it any longer, Lu Xiaorong shouted.

“Why did you have to offend him?” She questioned Lin Shilan painfully: “This town is only so big, are you going to ruin your reputation over this petty matter? If he seeks revenge on you, can you win every time?”

The pale moonlight illuminated the alley.

Lin Shilan stood outside the eaves, rainwater wetting her face.

Her chin was pointed, her skin like white snow, her eyebrows like willow leaves. On this gentle young girl’s face, only a pair of eyes shone startlingly bright, revealing a slightly uncontrolled madness.

“For me. Well, let me tell you—it’s not necessary. Because I’m not afraid of him.”

Uncle Tang had sobered up considerably. With her saying this to his face, the humiliation from that day immediately surged up, and he pushed Lu Xiaorong aside, intending to deal with this little brat: “Good! You’re rebelling? Today, as your elder, I’ll educate you on behalf of your mother!”

Before he finished speaking, Lin Shilan viciously grabbed his hair.

“Slapping you once means nothing—you dare to extort my mother, today I’m going to beat your face to a pulp.”

His scalp felt like it was being torn off. Uncle Tang grimaced in pain, and before he could steady himself, her slap was already greeting his face.

“Damn! You dare hit me?” He couldn’t believe he’d been hit by her again. Desperate, he disregarded everything and raised his foot, kicking her hard in the abdomen and thighs several times.

Though he clearly kicked her, Lin Shilan didn’t budge an inch.

She tripped him with one foot and pressed his face against the water well.

From years of drinking and smoking, sitting and playing mahjong, Uncle Tang’s body was very weak—when it came to a real fight, his arms and legs couldn’t exert much strength. After struggling a few times, Lin Shilan’s nails dug into his flesh, her hands like iron pincers with terrifying strength.

She had said earlier she would beat his face to a pulp, but now she seemed to have changed her mind—she was pressing his head toward the well.

“Wait, wait!” Uncle Tang now thought of reasoning with her nicely: “Rui Rui, for the sake of us being relatives, I only asked you for a reasonable amount of money. Think about it, if you injured me, there would be medical expenses. You scared my friends, so I’d have to treat them to tea to apologize—there would be tea expenses…”

“I’ll pay for your funeral expenses.” Lin Shilan was filled with murderous rage.

Seeing she was about to make a terrible mistake, Lu Xiaorong rushed over and desperately pulled her hands away.

“Lin Shilan! You’ve lost your mind!”

Her mother used all her strength, prying open her fingers bit by bit: “Stop hitting your Uncle Tang, if you want to hit someone, hit me!”

This scene was so similar to before.

Previously, after hitting Uncle Tang, when she rushed out of the house, her mother had said similar words to stop her.

This trick—Lu Xiaorong never failed to use it effectively.

Her fingers went numb, losing all sensation. Lin Shilan let go of Uncle Tang.

“Fine, then I’ll hit you first.”

Her tone was cold and distant. She grabbed her mother by the collar and casually picked up a stone by the well.

The stone was suddenly raised high…

Lu Xiaorong squeezed her eyes tightly shut, her face scrunched up.

Unlike last time, this time she believed it—she believed Lin Shilan would hit her.

But that stone ultimately didn’t smash toward her head.

It was smashed onto the ground half an arm’s length away from her, making a dull sound as it shattered into pieces.