SW - 13

Lu Chi’s house was a standalone villa, located quite far from Jia Shui Private School.

“Mom,” Lu Chi called out hesitantly as he stood in the foyer.

The house was pitch dark—no lights were on, and all the curtains had been drawn shut. The atmosphere felt heavy and oppressive, like a prison trapping its occupants.

Lu Chi steeled himself before flicking on the light switch. As expected, he saw his mother sitting on the couch, her head bowed and her hair disheveled.

The once gleaming floor was now littered with water, shards of glass, and remnants of shattered vases. The entire house was a mess.

“Chi-chi,” Wang Ziyan raised her head, her voice hoarse.

Lu Chi noticed the fresh cuts on her face and immediately fetched the first-aid kit from her room. Without saying a word, he began cleaning her wounds, applying medicine, and placing band-aids over them.

His movements were swift and practiced, without a moment’s hesitation.

“Divorce!” Lu Chi’s voice was unusually firm—it was the first time he’d spoken with such intensity.

Wang Ziyan froze, then slowly shook her head. No, she couldn’t divorce him. If she did, she’d lose everything. How could she let that wretched woman have her husband? Absolutely not.

Lu Chi was seething inside.

From elementary school to high school, their toxic relationship had dragged on for over a decade. There was no love left between them—what was the point of clinging to a marriage certificate?

“Chi-chi, I can’t get a divorce!” Sensing Lu Chi’s rising anger, Wang Ziyan quickly explained, “He wronged me first! I can’t just let it go! Let that woman be the other woman for the rest of her life!”

And endure being scorned by society forever.

Lu Chi’s face turned pale. He repeated a mantra in his mind: Breathe deeply, breathe deeply. It took him a long while to regain composure before he finally spoke in a slow, deliberate tone, “So... getting beaten is okay?”

Wang Ziyan flinched, which tugged at her wound, causing a sharp pain. She awkwardly touched her cheek. “Chi-chi, your maternal grandfather’s family is gone. If we divorce, who will take care of you? This house still belongs to your father.”

Lu Chi pressed his lips tightly together, his expression darkening to an extreme.

Without another word, he began cleaning up the mess in the living room and kitchen. Afterward, he glanced at the woman sitting on the couch and retreated to his room.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, startling Wang Ziyan.

Lu Chi collapsed onto his bed, closing his eyes.

He had learned the truth not long ago: his parents’ marriage had been forced when his mother secretly got pregnant after slipping alcohol into his father’s drink. Two months before their wedding, his father’s girlfriend had already been pregnant.

This wasn’t a marriage that should have happened. Strictly speaking, his mother was the “other woman”…

But he had only learned the full truth last semester.

Before, he had only known that his parents didn’t get along and often argued. Whenever he entered the room, they would fall silent. Last semester, he finally overheard the whole story.

That was why he wanted to attend a private high school and live on campus.

After a long while, Lu Chi sat up, opened his bag, and pulled out the comprehensive science test paper he had brought home. The words written on it were still there.

His phone lay on the desk. He glanced at it, reached over, and unlocked the screen. For a long moment, he stared blankly at it before opening WeChat.

There were no new messages.

Lu Chi pursed his lips and switched to the browser. He quickly typed something into the search bar and hit enter. Instantly, countless results popped up, each offering a different interpretation.

Lu Chi scrolled down slowly until he stopped at one particular entry.

[...Some say the language of crabapple flowers symbolizes care and cherishing.]

________________________________________

Meanwhile, Tang Yin and Su Kexi had stopped by a hair salon. By the time they finished their haircuts, it was already dark outside, though visibility was still decent.

“It feels strange having shorter hair again,” Su Kexi muttered as she ran her fingers through her newly cut locks.

She used to have short hair, but after being rejected by Lu Yu under the pretense of preferring long hair, she grew it out during winter break. But just one semester later, Lu Yu had quietly disappeared from her life.

“You’ll get used to it in a few days,” Tang Yin said lazily, sprawled across the car seat.

“Yeah.” Su Kexi nodded. Anyway, she was back to being her own person now.

A moment later, Jiang Qiuhuan parked the car near Third High School.

“Remember to come back early, or there won’t be any crabs left,” Jiang Qiuhuan reminded them as she rolled down the car window. “It’s not safe once it gets dark.”

Tang Yin waved casually and strolled into the nearby alley.

The entrance to Third High School was tucked away in a narrow lane—neither too wide nor too narrow. If not for its reputation, no one would have guessed it was a high school. Once a provincial model school, it had since declined and become a gathering place for underachievers. Meanwhile, First High School had risen in prominence, with parents scrambling to get their children enrolled.

As a public school, Third High School dismissed students late and held evening study sessions. Across from the school gate, a courtyard was filled with people smoking and chatting.

Tang Yin walked past without so much as a glance.

Several boys whistled loudly.

Su Kexi frowned, glancing at them out of the corner of her eye. “These Third High guys sure know how to pull off the non-mainstream look.”

“They’re part of the ‘Mourning Love’ clan,” Tang Yin joked sarcastically.

Su Kexi remained unconvinced. Honestly, the students at Third High were even more unconventional than those at Second High. She couldn’t fathom how anyone dated here. If the two schools were closer, she figured all the girls would flock to Second High instead.

Just as they reached the school gate, the dismissal bell rang inside Third High. The noise quickly died down.

Students began filing back into the school. A few boys lingering near the courtyard entrance stared at Tang Yin and Su Kexi. One muttered, “Damn, those two girls ignored us. Let’s go mess with them.”

One boy started to move forward, but another pulled him back. “That’s Tang Yin. You don’t want to mess with her.”

His expression shifted awkwardly as he whispered, “The other one is Su Kexi.”

They’d been warned about her by Yu Ge.

Wen Yue’s house was nearby, just a short walk away.

Her family lived in an ordinary home—a bit old-fashioned but cozy. The area was slated for demolition soon, and they were expecting compensation, either in cash or a new apartment. All in all, it was a good deal.

Wen’s mother recognized Tang Yin and Su Kexi and warmly welcomed them in. “Inny and Xixi are here! I just bought some pomelos—come try some.”

A plate of peeled pomelo segments sat on the table, pale and juicy.

Tang Yin picked up a segment casually. “Auntie, where’s Wen Yue? I heard she was sick—is she better now?”

Wen’s mother shook her head, then nodded. “She had a fever for several days, but it finally broke today. She still needs a few more saline drips, though. She’s in her room watching TV—you can go see her.”

She still felt a twinge of guilt over the previous incident, but thankfully this girl hadn’t held it against her. With her excellent grades and kind personality, she was relieved her daughter had befriended someone like her.

Wen Yue was propped up in bed, flipping through TV channels aimlessly. When the door opened, she brightened. “Sister Inny, Sister Xixi!”

Tang Yin walked over and leaned on the bed. “Open up.”

Blushing slightly, Wen Yue opened her mouth, and Tang Yin popped a small piece of pomelo in.

Su Kexi chattered excitedly, “I haven’t been to Third High in ages. Those guys haven’t changed a bit. The last time I came was during my second year of high school—they didn’t just whistle; they almost got physical.”

Wen Yue smiled. “Things have improved a lot since Lu Yu arrived. Fewer people dare to cause trouble now.”

Smoking and fighting were still common, but tools were rarely used, and incidents were less frequent in public view. At least, Wen Yue had noticed fewer such occurrences.

“Lu Yu?” Tang Yin repeated, glancing at Su Kexi.

“I saw him through the window last time,” Wen Yue explained. “Two groups were fighting in that courtyard, some with iron rods, others with knives. It was terrifying.”

Su Kexi asked, “What happened afterward?”

“Then suddenly, a guy showed up—tall, handsome. As soon as he arrived, both sides stopped fighting and called him ‘Brother Yu.’ My friend at Third High told me his name is Lu Yu. He’s a thug, and even the rowdiest kids at Third High fear him.”

Though her description sounded mild, Wen Yue still recalled how scared she’d been when she saw the weapons. She’d been ready to secretly call an ambulance, only for everything to end abruptly thanks to one person.

Wen Yue giggled, dimples forming on her cheeks. “I heard he transferred here at the end of last semester. Within a day, his desk was already stuffed with love letters, cakes, chocolates, and other gifts.”

Su Kexi’s face turned pale.

Lu Yu had once ranked among the top ten students at Jia Shui Private School—a model student who never fought or cursed. That’s why she’d worked hard to catch his attention back then.

Had he really changed so much at Third High? Su Kexi didn’t dare dwell on it.

Tang Yin squeezed her hand and said to Wen Yue, “Let’s not talk about him. When are you returning to school? I’ll send a driver to pick you up.”

Wen Yue hesitated, her fair face flushing slightly. “No need to bother, Sister Inny. I can take the bus.”

“With your tiny frame?” Tang Yin raised an eyebrow skeptically.

After chatting with Wen Yue for a while, Tang Yin and Su Kexi left her house.

By the time they exited Wen Yue’s home, the sky was nearly pitch black. The streets were silent, lit only by a few dim lamps.

“Inny,” Su Kexi finally spoke up. “About Lu Yu…”

“I don’t know anything about Lu Yu’s current situation. If you don’t know, how could I?” Tang Yin draped an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t think too much. You two are over.”

Su Kexi remained silent, absentmindedly touching her newly cut hair.

Technically, they hadn’t officially broken up. Lu Yu had transferred schools abruptly without saying a word, leaving her without even a proper goodbye.

She no longer had any connection to him.

The road was eerily quiet.

But then, a scene in the distance caught Su Kexi’s attention. She suddenly grabbed Tang Yin’s arm. “Why is your Lu Chi with Lu Yu?!”

They had entered the alley from one end earlier, but now they were exiting from the other side, where several smaller alleys branched off, leading to different areas.

Tang Yin looked over and saw Lu Yu being dragged by Lu Chi. The two disappeared into another alley—one after the other.

Lu Chi dragging Lu Yu… Had the roles reversed?