Chapter 61: A Call from Afar

"You've never liked me, why bother forcing yourself!"

I sneered, shook my head, and continued, "I just hope you still have a shred of conscience left, enough to let my dad live a little longer. After all, he sacrificed his entire family for you."

Hearing this, my dad cried, yet still pathetically reached out to grab Xu Li's hand.

Xu Li did not pull her hand away; she just stared at me in a daze.

"Xiaoyan, I know you don't want to hear this, but please, don't fail Xiaoya."

"You don't need to overthink it. She is my sister, and I am willing to protect her with my life."

Dropping this bold declaration, I brushed past Xu Li and my dad, opened the door without looking back, and left this home once again.

Night was falling.

I was a child without a home, carrying a heavy backpack, riding my bicycle, wandering through the streets.

I watched affectionate couples, each holding a child's hand, running forward joyfully.

A familiar pang of sorrow twisted my heart as old memories surfaced.

Once upon a time, my dad and mom used to hold my hand like that. No matter how long the road ahead, it was always filled with laughter.

Times had changed. Could it be that the price of growing up required experiencing such bone-deep loneliness?

The neon-flashing KTV, with crowds beginning to surge, was my new destination.

I walked in with my backpack and saw the elegant Fu Xiaoya, methodically organizing the service staff as they threw themselves into work.

After waiting a moment, I called out to her.

"Sis, come inside the room with me for a moment."

"You've always got so much drama."

Fu Xiaoya rolled her eyes, but still followed me into an empty private room, urging me impatiently.

"Say what you have to say quickly, can't you see I'm busy!"

"I'm sorry!"

I bowed to Fu Xiaoya in apology.

Fu Xiaoya rolled her eyes up, put her hands on her hips indignantly, and asked, "What guilty conscience act have you committed this time?"

"I went home just now, I cursed your mom out, and she even dropped to her knees in front of me."

I confessed to Fu Xiaoya.

After all, they were mother and daughter, and I didn't want Fu Xiaoya to harbor resentment toward me because of this.

"Oh? Since when did you become such a real man?"

Fu Xiaoya was extremely surprised, then scoffed, "I've already severed ties with her as mother and daughter; I couldn't care less if she lives or dies. By the way, how did she offend you?"

"Sis, I'm sorry, I really couldn't hold it in."

I apologized again and recounted the whole sequence of events.

Xu Li had openly brought a man home. My dad was downstairs watching television while they were carrying on their filthy business upstairs, blatantly cuckolding my dad.

She simply didn't treat my dad like a human being; it was the ultimate humiliation.

***

Fu Xiaoya fell silent. After a long moment, she sighed softly, "How could I have a mother like that? It's damn humiliating. Xiaoyan, let's just ignore them from now on, okay? I am really, truly sick of it."

"Okay!"

I nodded firmly.

"She brought it on herself. I'm not angry with you."

With that, Fu Xiaoya opened the door and went back out to work.

That night, I picked up my textbooks again, studying solely so I could tutor Chang Sisi the next day.

Studying gave me a sense of fulfillment, and time flew by exceptionally fast.

No police came looking for me, which proved that Xu Li hadn't reported it.

This time, she was truly terrified of me and would never dare to plot against me again.

I even felt a twinge of regret that I hadn't stood up to her sooner and scared the wits out of her. Perhaps then, our family wouldn't have ended up like this.

In the middle of the night, just as I was about to sleep, my phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar out-of-town number. I answered it, and a familiar voice came through the speaker.

"Xiaoyan, how did the college entrance examination go?"

It was a call from my mom!

A wave of excitement washed over me.

My mom didn't know my phone number; she must have called the house, and Xu Li had given it to her.

Yet this number wasn't from my mom's home.

"Mom, where are you?"

"At a public phone booth outside. How did you actually do on the exam? Which university did you apply to? I asked Xu Li, but she wouldn't tell me, and even said you ran away from home," my mom said anxiously.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I suddenly got sick those few days and couldn't get out of bed, so I ended up missing the exam." I lied.

"Oh dear, how could that happen? No wonder Mom never heard any good news."

Filled with deep regret and a choked voice, my mom asked, "Xiaoyan, what are you planning to do? Are you going to retake the year?"

"No, I have a job. I've already entered society."

"Did Xu Li stop you from retaking it, right? That wicked woman, why hasn't she been struck by a car and killed?"

My mom cursed angrily.

"She's doing just fine, but Dad got into a car accident and is paralyzed in a wheelchair."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"...Karma. A perfectly good family, and he ruined it."

My mom sounded gloating, which wasn't surprising; her hatred for my dad surpassed anyone else's.

"Mom, how have you been?"

For the first time, I asked about this seriously.

In the past, I always used to avoid these things. But now I felt that no matter how cruel the reality of life was, one should face it bravely.

***

My mom fell silent!

Hearing her soft sobs, my mood plummeted to rock bottom, and I couldn't help but shout, "Mom, talk to me! I've grown up now, I'm not afraid of anything."

"Mom is a fool, blind as a bat. Marrying your dad was a mistake, and finding another man after the divorce was also a mistake. Why am I so unlucky!" My mom cried even louder.

"What on earth happened?" I hurriedly pressed.

Weeping, my mom told me her situation.

After divorcing my dad, my mom went to the city where her uncle lived and, through an introduction, married an honest, steady man.

This man was very good to my little sister, which was a virtue.

However, he was extremely jealous and kept a very tight leash on my mom, not allowing her to speak to other men. Every time he discovered otherwise, it inevitably led to a fight.

Though suffocating, he treated my mom with his whole heart.

My mom compromised; to keep him from overthinking, she avoided everything and rarely called back to this family.

You can't judge a book by its cover.

Never in her wildest dreams did my mom expect this man to be a gambler.

He stole money from home to gamble and ended up losing every penny. A few days ago, he was thrown in prison for assault. The family had to pay a huge sum of compensation to the victim, and even the house was gone.

My mom was divorced once again.

Now, my mom was dirt poor, renting a tiny room with my little sister, and living life under exceptionally harsh conditions.

"Mom, bring my little sister and come back!"

My heart ached for them, and I especially missed my little sister—I didn't even know what she looked like now.

"I have no face to return."

My mom refused, then added, "In twenty days, Mom will get her salary, and we'll start over from scratch!"

"Mom, give me an account number, I'll wire some money to you first!"

"Xiaoyan, Mom hasn't taken care of you these past few years, how can I take your money?"

Deeply moved, my mom couldn't stop crying.

"You took care of me for over a decade, what's wrong with this? I can't let my little sister suffer," I said firmly.

"Yaya has always missed her big brother too."

My little sister's name was Zhou Yaya. What a lovely name.

Under my insistence, my distressed and cornered mom finally gave me a bank account number.

I quickly wrote it down in my textbook.

She repeatedly promised that she would pay me back once she earned money.

I had no intention of asking for it back. After the call ended, a deep sense of loss washed over me.

Suddenly, I felt the pressure of life bearing down on me once again, and it came with a ferocious momentum.