“He wants to break up,” I said sadly.
“How could he do that?”
“Don’t talk about it anymore,” I cut him off.
We continued searching, driving from Sai Kung to Tsim Sha Tsui. I watched every girl walking by on the street, hoping to spot Le’er, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Let’s stop. We’re not going to find her. Let’s go home,” I said.
I was so tired that I fell asleep in the car.
“We’re here,” Yu De Ren said softly.
“Hmm?” I opened my eyes and realized he was holding my hand.
“What are you doing?” I pulled my hand away.
He flushed and stammered, “I’ve always liked you.”
“I’m going to tell Xiao Jue about this,” I said angrily, unfastening my seatbelt and getting out of the car.
“Huan’er—” Yu De Ren chased after me.
“I can’t believe you’re this kind of person,” I snapped.
“Why don’t I have the right to like you?” he shot back.
“Because you don’t,” I said.
“Why not?”
I couldn’t answer him.
“You’ve always looked down on me,” he said bitterly.
He was right. Deep down, I had always looked down on him. I had never once considered the possibility of a relationship between us.
“You think I’m lowly, don’t you?” he said with a defeated look.
Lowly? Isn’t that exactly how Xiao Jue criticized me?
So Yu De Ren and I are the same kind of people. People who are unloved end up becoming "lowly."
"In truth, I’m just as lowly as you," I said with tears in my eyes.
"I’m sorry," Yu De Ren said apologetically.
I waved him off. "Don’t tell Xiao Jue."
As soon as I got home, I received a pager notification from Gao Hai Ming.
"I’ve found your sister," he said over the phone.
"Really? Where is she?"
"She’s working at a flower shop in Flower Market. She’s already off work now, and we won’t be able to see her until morning. I’ll take you there tomorrow."
Why would Le’er hide in a flower shop?
At five in the morning, Gao Hai Ming picked me up, and we drove to Flower Market. Sure enough, I saw Le’er moving stock in a flower shop. She had cut her long hair short and looked older than her actual age.
"Le’er—" I called out to her.
When she saw me, she wasn’t surprised at all. That’s just the way she is—sometimes her face shows no expression at all.
"Why did you run away from home?" I asked her.
"I don’t like studying," she replied.
I had prepared a lot of scolding words, but at that moment, I found myself reaching out to pat her head instead.
"Come home," I said.
Dad was overjoyed to see Le’er again.
To thank Gao Hai Ming, I invited him to his favorite Italian restaurant in Wan Chai for dinner.
"Thank you," I said. "How did you find her?"
"I went around with her photo and even hired a private investigator. Yesterday, I happened to see her at Flower Market. I wasn’t completely sure it was her—she looks so much older than in the photo."
"That picture was taken two years ago."
"Where did she stay while she was gone?"
"She’s pretty bold—she slept in parks and cheap hotels."
"What made you think to look at Flower Market?"
"I once ran away from home too," Gao Hai Ming said.
"Really?"
"I worked in a factory, but two weeks later, the private investigator my mom hired found me. On the first day I ran away, I went to Flower Market. I spent half the money I had on daisies."
"You spent half your money on daisies?"
"I like them," he said.
"Why did you run away?" I asked.
"Maybe I was just bored. Honestly, those two weeks were really happy. Even now, whenever work gets tough, I think about running away again. But I don’t have the courage anymore."
"I’ve never had that kind of courage."
"You’re luckier," he said.
"Lucky?"
"You don’t need to escape reality."
"I think you and my sister are luckier. If you don’t like something, you can just leave."
"What are your plans for your sister?"
"Dad’s scared she’ll run away again, so he doesn’t dare force her to continue studying."
"Have you thought about sending her abroad? Maybe the education system in Hong Kong isn’t right for her."
"I can’t afford that."
"Would she be interested in going to Japan? I have a friend there who could help. Your sister could start by studying the language and stay with my friend and his wife. They’d take care of her, and living expenses wouldn’t be a problem—they’ve hosted international students before."
"But tuition fees cost money too."
"Compared to living expenses, tuition is much cheaper. I can help with that."
"I can’t accept your help," I said. I didn’t want to owe Gao Hai Ming anything more.
"Why don’t you ask your sister what she thinks? Give her a chance."
On the way home, I reflected. I was willing to support Xiao Jue’s education abroad, yet I wasn’t willing to help my own sister. That seemed too cruel.
"Le’er, would you like to study in Japan?" I tentatively asked her.
"Really? I can go?" she asked excitedly.
Gao Hai Ming was right—I should give her a way out.
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