CM - 1

The candy coating had been washed away by water, leaving the pill a grayish-brown, looking bitter. Zhou Shuirong didn’t want to take it and stared blankly into space.

When Zhou Yan returned, she saw Zhou Shuirong slumped over the table, not a single pill on the saucer eaten. She didn’t rush to speak; first, she changed her clothes, then got her new medicine and handed it to her.

Zhou Shuirong remained in her slumped position, looking up at Zhou Yan. She opened her mouth, and a hoarse voice squeezed out: “Mom.”

Zhou Yan reached out and touched her forehead. It was still very hot: “Did you take your temperature?”

“I’m fine.”

Zhou Yan glanced at her watch and said, “Your dad will be back soon. If you want him to scold you, then don’t eat it.”

Zhou Shuirong obediently took the medicine.

She wasn’t afraid of Si Wen scolding her; she was afraid of Si Wen being annoyed with her.

Zhou Shuirong was 17 this year. Her father was Si Wen, that Si Wen, and her mother was Zhou Yan, that Zhou Yan. Why was her surname Zhou and not Si? Because Si Wen said that if Zhou Yan was willing to change her name to Si Yan, he would accept Zhou Shuirong’s surname being Si.

Zhou Yan was unwilling, so Zhou Shuirong had been surnamed Zhou for many years. It was nothing; just a surname, their family didn’t care about such things.

Zhou Shuirong had gone out to sea two days ago and had a conflict with a crew member of the island ferry. The crew member talked a lot, and Zhou Shuirong was too lazy to argue with him, so she held his head underwater and made him drink a lot of seawater. When she returned, Si Wen punished her. Si Wen made her run along the coast for four hours carrying twenty jin of light weapons. It rained heavily that day, and she was also on her period, so she got sick.

Zhou Yan sat down and said to her, “Have you thought about Vanessa’s birthday present?”

Vanessa was Zhou Shuirong’s only friend at the private school she currently attended. Tomorrow was her birthday, and Zhou Shuirong intended to prepare a birthday gift for her. “Yes.”

Zhou Yan stroked her wispy hair: “Did you put thought into it?”

“Definitely.”

As the two talked, Si Wen returned.

Zhou Yan subconsciously left Zhou Shuirong and walked over.

After moving to the island, Si Wen continuously added active skills. He was so determined not to let himself stop that time seemed to stand still for him. Looking at him unexpectedly, one might think they were in Qizhou, and he was still the one who used to dominate everything.

At any time, progress was simultaneous for both. Under his influence, Zhou Yan naturally couldn’t fall into depravity and was thus forced to learn some skills herself.

Zhou Yan walked up to him and looked up: “What time is it?”

Si Wen also asked: “Am I late?”

Zhou Yan nodded: “Yes.”

Si Wen bent down and kissed her eyes.

His kiss was cold. With that kiss, Zhou Yan’s heart itched again. The countless nights in the past, their touching, their intimacy, began to pile up and burn in her mind and before her eyes, like two chemical substances that could react.

Zhou Yan was Si Wen’s addiction, and Si Wen was Zhou Yan’s poison. Every time they looked at each other, this fact was reaffirmed. What followed was the overwhelming desire for each other, occupying their thoughts as if no one else existed.

Whenever this happened, Zhou Shuirong seemed particularly in the way. She would always leave space for them and quietly walk away.

She had always known about Si Wen’s criminal past and Zhou Yan’s background. These were irrelevant; she wouldn’t judge her parents with prejudice, but others couldn’t do the same, which was why she had been transferring schools since childhood.

Fortunately, what Si Wen taught her was far more than what school taught, allowing her to grow better than her peers, with knowledge and thought far ahead.

________________________________________

The next day at school, Zhou Shuirong intended to give Vanessa the gift. Before she could even bring it out from behind her, Vanessa had already left in a hurry, not even saying a word to her, looking as if she wanted to avoid her at all costs.

Zhou Shuirong didn’t understand but didn’t chase after her to ask what happened, until three in the afternoon, when the day’s classes ended, and she blocked her path.

Vanessa seemed very tired: “Please move.”

Zhou Shuirong felt for the gift in her bag, about to take it out to give to her, when Vanessa impatiently pushed Zhou Shuirong away: “Can you stop blocking the way?”

Zhou Shuirong’s hand paused. She looked at her, confused.

Vanessa looked up, her lips purple, a cut near her eye, a clear gash behind her ear, her bangs looking like they’d been gnawed by a dog, uneven... All these signs indicated she had been beaten.

Zhou Shuirong grabbed her arm: “Who did this?”

Vanessa shook off her hand: “Don’t always act like you’re saving me. I talked to you because of a bet; I lost, so I have to go with you to the costume party. Otherwise, who would bother with you?”

Zhou Shuirong pursed her lips.

“Our school is so dilapidated, and the tuition is so high, yet there are so many students because our identities are not meant to see the light of day. Everyone silently adheres to the rules, not daring to be too high-profile, only you. You didn’t have to come here, there’s nothing here to teach you, yet you insisted on coming, and you still want to steal everyone’s thunder. Do you know how much hair I was forced to eat and how much marijuana I inhaled during the time I was your friend?”

Zhou Shuirong let go, the gift remained in her bag.

Vanessa raised both hands: “Please let me go. No one here wants to be friends with a monster like you. The security department won’t deal with violence in the dangerous zone, and the embassy and consulate offices don’t care, so please stay away from me. I don’t want to be bullied anymore.”

Vanessa finished speaking and left. Only then did Zhou Shuirong see that she was limping. There was a crescent-shaped wound on her heel; her Achilles tendon had been sliced, but clearly, the assailant didn’t know the exact location of the tendon, so she had escaped serious injury.

It had been raining continuously for a week, and in the afternoon, the rain intensified again. After school hours, fewer and fewer people left the campus. A few ill-intentioned individuals directly bumped into Zhou Shuirong, knocking her into a tree pit. She was covered in mud, and her arm had a deep, long gash. Blood seeped out, rain fell, then washed it away without a trace, eventually turning into muddy water in the tree pit, flowing down the flagstone path into the drain.

No one came to help her up, and she didn’t need it. She stood up, took out the dress she had prepared for Vanessa, tore off a piece of cloth, wrapped it around her arm a few times to stop the bleeding, and went home.

At home, Si Wen and Zhou Yan were both there. Zhou Yan was playing the piano, and Si Wen was watching her.

Zhou Shuirong greeted her parents and went upstairs.

That night, Zhou Shuirong didn’t take her medicine, and her fever reached forty degrees Celsius, making her delirious.

Zhou Yan took care of her for half the night. She came out and saw Si Wen hadn’t slept either. She walked over, sat beside him, and extended her hand towards him.

Si Wen took her hand.

Zhou Yan asked: “Is it done?”

“Yes.”

“Who do you think she takes after? She never cries.”

Si Wen didn’t speak.

________________________________________

Zhou Shuirong woke up the next afternoon, her throat very dry. Just as she took a sip of water, Zhou Yan walked in, followed by Si Wen.

She looked at them, sensing they had something important to say—Si Wen never entered her room.

Zhou Yan handed Zhou Shuirong an envelope.

Zhou Shuirong held the envelope in her hand, looked up, and asked: “What is it?”

“Open it and see,” Zhou Yan said.

Zhou Shuirong opened the envelope; it was a plane ticket for a flight to Beijing, China, that night. She looked up again: “What does this mean?”

Zhou Yan said: “Aren’t you very curious about what kind of place birthed people like us? You can go see it now.”

Zhou Shuirong stood up from the bed: “I can?”

Zhou Yan and Si Wen exchanged glances: “You can.”

“What about you two?”

“We definitely need some alone time.”

Zhou Shuirong knew it.

Zhou Yan added: “Call us if anything happens.”

Zhou Shuirong knew that even though Si Wen was here, his influence extended far; no matter where she was, he could protect her. But she didn’t need it, because she was Si Wen’s daughter.

________________________________________

Zhou Yan packed nothing for Zhou Shuirong; she just needed to go. With money, nothing needed to be prepared.

When Zhou Shuirong left, she once again competed with Si Wen in assembling firearms. Her gun was a German-made semi-automatic rifle, personally modified by Si Wen, which she usually treasured immensely. She wouldn’t have brought it out if they weren’t going to be separated for a while.

Si Wen had told her that on the battlefield, a gun was a soldier’s life; as a soldier, you must understand your gun.

Zhou Shuirong remembered Si Wen’s words. For the first time in over ten years, she won against Si Wen in this task, yet she wasn’t particularly happy, but she was still grateful for this farewell gift from Si Wen.

After seeing Zhou Shuirong off, Zhou Yan said to Si Wen: “You let her win.”

“Yes.”

“She must have noticed.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted her to notice.”

Zhou Yan understood. He was telling her that he was her father, he cared about her, she didn’t need to be afraid, he would protect her. She smiled, her thumb gently caressing the web of his hand, “Will we ever go back?”

“Do you want to go back?”

Zhou Yan loved Si Wen like this; there was no “can’t,” only “want to,” and if she wanted it, it would happen. “No, I’m not homesick. Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you?”

“Then I’ll count the money for you.”

Si Wen squeezed Zhou Yan’s hand tightly. In the past, when he held an entire world in his grasp, he wasn’t this careful. But it was normal; the world was nothing compared to her.