Hearing this, Dad released one hand to ruffle my hair and chuckled. “You silly child, what’s with the ‘thank you’? There’s no need for that between us.”
I said no more, only hugged him tighter. How lucky I am to be his daughter.
“All right, all right,” Dad said with a smile, releasing me. “You’re all grown up now, still acting spoiled with your old man. Are you hungry? I’ll make you some noodles. Eat and then get to bed—you’ve got school tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
I nodded vigorously and followed him into the kitchen, watching as he fried an egg and boiled the noodles.
Before long, a steaming bowl of plain noodles with an egg was set on the table. Dad didn’t rush off to bed. Instead, he sat beside me, waiting to clean up after I finished eating.
Taking a bite, I hesitated before asking, “Dad, is Mom still in contact with you?”
He seemed surprised by the sudden question and paused briefly before replying, “Why are you asking this out of the blue?”
“No particular reason.” I lowered my head, silent for a long time before finally saying, “Something happened earlier that made me reflect on a lot of things. I think… maybe I shouldn’t hold on to my hatred for her anymore. After all, she’s the one who gave me life.”
In the past, I avoided talking about Mom. After all, she had abandoned me and shattered our family. But after witnessing what happened with Gu Yu and Chen Qiao Luo, I realized that holding onto hatred or letting it go often depends on a single thought. I don’t want to spend my limited life consumed by infinite resentment—it’s too exhausting.
Dad was quiet for a moment after hearing my words, then suddenly smiled and said, “My little girl has truly grown up. You’ve become so mature.”
Yes, I had grown up. I’d learned to treasure those around me and to be grateful.
Since that night, Aunt He Pei’s words stayed with me. I began dragging Chen Qiao Luo to the library, working hard together to prepare for our final year of high school. However, A-Luo always seemed distracted. I knew something was weighing on his mind, but no matter how I tried to get him to open up, he wouldn’t say a word.
Li Zi said she saw Chen Qiao Luo after school with some shady people. At first, I didn’t believe her. After all, he had turned his life around, and I trusted that he wouldn’t fall back into his old ways. Smiling, I told her she must have been mistaken—Chen Qiao Luo worked at a fast-food restaurant every day after school. But Li Zi wouldn’t hear it. She swore she hadn’t made a mistake and insisted on taking me there after school to prove she wasn’t lying.
Unable to convince her otherwise, I reluctantly followed her after school to the street where she claimed to have seen him. It was a notoriously unsafe part of the city, a place I’d always avoided.
As soon as we arrived, a group of men whistled at us. Li Zi nervously hid behind me and said, “I saw him here yesterday after school. He was walking with a big guy, really tall and strong.”
“You must have been mistaken,” I insisted, clinging to my trust in Chen Qiao Luo. “Look at how messy this place is. It’s not safe for two girls like us to stay here. Let’s just forget about it and go home.”
I took Li Zi’s arm, ready to leave, when I saw him—Chen Qiao Luo. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and standing beside him was a burly man with a thick chain around his neck and a coarse, brutish appearance. My heart sank as a wave of betrayal washed over me.
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