Volume 1, Chapter 6: Decadent Beauty

The slap sent my head spinning, and I nearly collapsed to the ground. My father was truly heartless; at that moment, his ferocious expression made him look like a beast ready to devour someone. He had struck me on behalf of Fu Xiaoya without a second thought for my lingering concussion. His savage, overbearing nature left me feeling incredibly hurt, isolated, and helpless.

"Don't hit the child!" Xu Li feigned intervention, her tear-stained face turning toward me. "Zhou Yan, you’re about to take the college entrance exams. If this matter is confirmed, you’ll be fined and detained, leaving an indelible stain on your record."

I was terrified. I couldn't go into the college entrance exams with a criminal record. Besides, if word got back to my high school classmates, how could I ever show my face again?

"We didn't do anything, so of course we won't admit to it," I said, nodding vigorously with a raised voice.

Only then did they heave a sigh of relief. My father, his face still cold, emphasized, "When you see the police tomorrow, don't you dare let anything slip, or I'll break your legs."

"I understand!" I struggled to stand, clutching my red, swollen cheek, and headed upstairs.

That night, I suffered from insomnia. It wasn't just the persistent headache from the concussion; Fu Xiaoya’s image kept flickering before my eyes. Sometimes she was a little devil, fiercely beating and cursing me. Other times, she was smiling, her pretty face enchanting as she softly encouraged me to focus on my studies. Her slender waist, her soft hair, and the enticing scent of her perfume made my imagination run wild, as if she were right there beside me.

I drifted into the morning, exhausted by the internal battle raging within me. I got up and washed my face. The young face in the mirror looked dull and hollow, framed by two dark, heavy circles under my eyes.

My father drove his second-hand car, with Xu Li in the passenger seat, and took me to the New District Police Station. A middle-aged man in a suit was waiting at the entrance. My father told me to call him Uncle Xu and treated him with extreme deference, forcing two packs of Panda-brand cigarettes into his pocket. Uncle Xu had connections at the station; otherwise, they would have come to take me away yesterday. My father gave me a few cold, sharp warnings before letting me walk into the station with Uncle Xu.

Once inside, Uncle Xu greeted the officers warmly, acting as if he knew everyone. I followed instructions and entered an empty, small room. The walls were grey, with a tiny window placed high up near the ceiling. There were only three chairs and a long wooden table. I felt tense and anxious, my heart pounding faster than ever before, my palms slick with sweat.

After a while, two uniformed officers walked in, sat across from me at the long table, and opened their notebooks.

One of them began the interrogation. "Your name is Zhou Yan?"

"Yes!"

"Why did you run away from home that night?"

"The pressure of the senior year of high school was too much; I was on the verge of a mental breakdown and wanted to go out to get some air."

"What is your relationship with Fu Xiaoya?"

"She is my sister; we get along very well."

As I said this, my heart panged painfully, and I couldn't help but recall how, the night before last, Fu Xiaoya had clamored for those thugs to beat me to death—there was no affection in that.

"Lying. The four of them beat you so badly you were hospitalized." The officer slapped the table, making me jump in fright.

"Those three bastards were the ones who hit me. My sister couldn't stop them; she had no choice. It was my sister who took me to the hospital," I argued loudly against my conscience, suddenly clutching my head with both hands.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Concussion side effects—my head hurts!"

Seeing my pained expression, the two officers frowned and exchanged a look before getting to the point. "That night, at the Xiangyang Hotel, did you make any phone calls?" the officer continued.

"No!"

"How did Fu Xiaoya find you?"

"I told her before I left that I was going to the small hotel to have some peace and quiet."

"Zhou Yan, giving false testimony is a crime. You had better think this through," the officer warned impatiently.

"No means no." My voice was loud, my emotions becoming agitated. "She’s my sister. How could we possibly do something like that? Wouldn't we be worse than animals?"

"You are not blood-related," the officer emphasized.

"But we live in the same house, with the same parents. She is my sister."

My headache intensified, becoming almost unbearable. Tears and mucus streamed down my face as I hung my head, looking pathetic and cowardly. Fearing that I might collapse in the interrogation room—which would become their responsibility—the two officers conferred briefly, then brought over the transcript for me to sign hastily.

Afterward, they escorted me out. I slumped in the back seat of the car, sinking into a long, painful silence.

"Old Zhou, should we take the child to the hospital?" Xu Li asked with concern.

"Don't make such a fuss. Just take some painkillers when we get home."

My father’s reply was even colder, but I no longer cared. Sooner or later, I would get away from him and this icy household.

Take medicine, sleep. I struggled to distinguish between dreams and reality.

In the midst of the hazy, chaotic confusion, I felt like a lonely traveler crossing a vast desert, finally witnessing the sunset over a long river—desolate, beautiful, and magnificent.

The following dusk, the three of us left home together and arrived once more at the police station. Fu Xiaoya, who had been detained for three days, was being released.

She walked out slowly. She had lost weight, her expression was haggard, and her hair was disheveled, yet she held her head high like an undefeated fighter. In my eyes at that moment, there was a unique, decadent beauty to her, and my heart raced uncontrollably once again.

"Xiaoya, I’m glad you’re out!" Xu Li’s eyes welled with tears as she stepped forward to embrace her, but she was pushed away ruthlessly. A look of extreme disdain curled the corners of Fu Xiaoya's lips.

"Spare me that act. I’m not going to die."

"...Let’s go home," Xu Li forced a smile.

"No!" Fu Xiaoya refused flatly, a sentence squeezed through her clenched teeth. "Ever since my father passed away, I haven’t had a home. I hate living in hypocrisy, calling someone I don't like 'Dad'!"

My father looked shocked and embarrassed, hurriedly lighting a cigarette and turning his head away.

"You..." Xu Li raised her hand in anger, but Fu Xiaoya thrust her chest forward and stepped into the blow, shouting, "Go on, hit me! You’d better kill me right here and give birth to another one!"

*Slap!*

Xu Li slapped herself across the face, then covered her face and began to sob.

"Sister!" I managed to utter the word, raising my hand in a symbolic gesture of greeting.

Fu Xiaoya stared at me, closing the distance between us step by step.

"Do you want me to thank you?" Fu Xiaoya crossed her arms over her chest and let out a cold snort.

"Whatever," I shrugged, feigning indifference. "I didn't do that thing. Even if I died in there, I wouldn't have admitted to it."

Fu Xiaoya raised her chin with a sneer, then suddenly grabbed my collar and stood on her tiptoes. Her beautiful face was less than two centimeters from the tip of my nose.

"You brat, are you looking for a beating?" she hissed through gritted teeth, her breath and spittle hitting my face.

I said nothing, merely staring into her bright eyes, seeing my own shrunken reflection in her dark, gleaming pupils.