The sky has fallen.
Song Zhao transferred the money to Wu Hua and instructed Wu Hua on the remaining negotiations with the Li family. She said she hoped that after Nan Qi was released, her family could live a good life together.
From Song Zhao's words, Wu Hua guessed that she must have sacrificed something, but when he tried to ask her, Song Zhao had already hung up the phone, and he couldn't get through when he called back.
When Nanqi was released from the detention center, it was already past the beginning of summer. The old wounds on her face had healed, but new injuries had appeared on the back of her fingers. Wu Hua and Nan Yue came to pick her up that day. Nan Yue hugged her and cried uncontrollably. Wu Hua did not show any emotion or say a word of criticism. He took her hand and led her home.
Wu Hua's white hair at his temples caught Nan Qi's eye, like a whip lashing her face. She remembered that spot; it used to be black.
When Nanqi first went in, she was filled with worry and fear. She was worried about her family, her lover, and Li Jia; she was sure they would suffer all kinds of difficulties at the hands of Li Jia's parents, and she was worried that they would endure all the grievances for her and worry about her day and night. What she feared was that she didn't know how long she would have to stay inside, and she didn't know if the police would believe her. That unknown panic enveloped her entire body, and a negative voice kept telling her that she was finished.
At night, when she wanted to sleep, the horrific scene of Li Cheng's car accident would always reappear in her mind. She was so afraid that she couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, which also made it hard for her roommate to sleep.
Once home, Wu Hua instructed Nan Yue to heat up the dishes, and then told Nan Qi to take a shower and change her clothes.
Upon hearing this, Nanqi stared blankly at Wu Hua. The calmer her mother appeared, the more terrified she felt inside. However, she dared not ask and did not know how to ask.
Nan Yue laughed and said, "Yes, sister, you should go take a shower to get rid of bad luck. We'll have a family reunion dinner later."
Nanqi wanted to ask about Nanyue and Song Zhao's situation, but before she could speak, Wu Hua urged her to take a shower.
So Nanqi swallowed back what she was about to say and simply murmured "Mmm".
After showering, Nanqi changed into a brand new outfit. Wu Hua had specially bought it for her; it fit perfectly, and the fabric was very comfortable. During the meal, Wu Hua kept putting food and meat on her plate, all his movements were gentle, yet he remained expressionless and silent.
This situation was unprecedented. Nanqi even felt that the worst arguments she had had with her mother were not as bad as this warm and cozy atmosphere.
Nanqi slurped down the meatballs in her bowl haphazardly, but couldn't taste anything. Nanyue seemed to be affected by the atmosphere as well, and after a few bites, she said she was full.
None of the three of them touched their chopsticks. Nanqi stood up and said, "I'll go wash the dishes."
"No need, just put it here," Wu Hua commanded quietly, yet his words carried an undeniable authority that left no room for argument.
"Mom?" Nanqi called softly.
Wu Hua pulled Nan Qi by the sleeve to the front door, then handed her her schoolbag and a suitcase. "You can go now."
"Where...am I going?"
"Anywhere is fine. From today onwards, you have nothing to do with this family."
Nan Yue ran over in astonishment, "Mom, what are you saying? My sister finally came back. You waited so long for her to come back, why are you suddenly trying to send her away?"
Wu Hua continued to say to Nan Qi, "Now that you're out, our mother-daughter relationship ends here. I'm tired, I can't take care of you anymore."
Wu Hua's words were like the cruelest torture to Nan Qi, worse than being struck by lightning. Tears streamed down Nan Qi's face. "Mom, I was wrong. I'll never do it again. I'll never make you angry again..."
Nan Yue stammered, "Mom, my sister really knows she was wrong this time... Look, you scared her to tears, please don't say such hurtful things..."
Wu Hua took a deep breath and said coldly, "It's too late. Not all mistakes can be forgiven. I won't forgive you. You can leave now."
Nanqi was so frightened that she knelt down with a thud, clinging to Wu Hua's leg and refusing to let go. "No, I won't go, I won't go! I don't want to... I don't want to..."
"Let go! Get out of here! Get out of here!"
No matter how much Wu Hua pulled on Nan Qi's arm, she wouldn't let go. She cried loudly, just like when she was a child, trying to get a hug and warmth from her mother by crying.
Wu Hua seemed moved, hesitating for a second, but the next second, she casually grabbed a clothes hanger hanging on the wall and struck Nan Qi hard. "Are you leaving or not?!"
"I won't leave!" The pain didn't make Nanqi let go; instead, she hugged even tighter, crying, "Go ahead and kill me! I'd rather you kill me than leave me..."
Wu Hua couldn't help but shed two lines of hot tears. Suddenly, her vision went black and she collapsed. Nan Qi and Nan Yue rushed to help her up.
Wu Hua collapsed into Nan Yue's arms, struggling to lift his eyelids. The first thing he saw was Nan Qi's tear-streaked face. She turned her head away and said, "Go away, I don't want to see you."
Those few words felt like thousands of iron needles piercing Nanqi's heart. She couldn't express how much pain she was in, so much pain that even tears couldn't fall to ease the pain.
Mom, is it only when I leave that you'll feel a little better?
She stopped pleading, wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, and choked out, "Yueyue, take good care of Mom."
Upon hearing this, Nan Yue looked at her in alarm: "Sister, what are you saying...?"
Nanqi stood up, grabbed her luggage, and walked out of the house dejectedly like a stray dog.
At this moment, she missed Song Zhao terribly. She wanted Song Zhao's embrace, his caresses, or even a scolding from him. At least that would be proof that someone still cared about her.
She took her phone out of her bag and quickly dialed the number, eagerly awaiting Song Zhao's voice, but all she heard was a polite female voice on the other end.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is not in service."
Nanqi was immediately struck by a deafening roar. She looked at the phone number in disbelief, then opened the keypad and dialed 11 numbers at a time.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is not in service."
She dialed several times, but it was still the same female voice.
She found Song Zhao's WeChat ID and quickly sent her a message, wanting to ask why she couldn't reach Song Zhao by phone. But as soon as she sent "Zhao Zhao," a red exclamation mark appeared, indicating that she was no longer Song Zhao's friend.
All of this horrified her so much that her vision blurred and she almost fainted. She suppressed the pain in her heart, sat slumped for a moment, and then, refusing to believe it, ran to Song Zhao's house to find her.
The successive blows left Nanqi's mind blank. She dared not think about how she would live if even Song Zhao didn't want her anymore.
When she arrived at Song Zhao's door, she tentatively took out her key to open it, thinking: If I can open it, it proves she still loves me; if this key doesn't work, then…
The door opened with a "click," and the instant it opened, tears streamed down her face.
When Aunt Fang saw her, she was first startled, then said with a stern face, "Zhao Zhao no longer lives here, you should leave."
"What does it mean that she doesn't live here anymore?"
"She moved away and won't be coming back."
Aunt Fang couldn't bear to look at Nanqi any longer. She tidied her things and said, "I need to pack my things and go too."
Nanqi shook her head and ran straight into the bedroom. She searched every nook and cranny of the room, the wardrobe, the drawers, but they were all empty. Song Zhao's things were all gone.
"Nanqi, you should go now," Aunt Fang sighed.
"Where did she go?!" Nanqi asked anxiously.
"She went abroad; it was arranged by her father. She went to a school overseas."
“Going abroad… impossible, there’s no reason she wouldn’t tell me she went abroad.”
"Right, it's Monday today. She must be in class. I need to go find her. I need to go to the school to find her."
"Hey, Nanqi!!"
Nanqi rushed to school without stopping. When she arrived, it was still during class time. She looked through the glass window at Song Zhao's seat, but someone else was already sitting there.
She pushed open the classroom door without a second thought. The young teacher, flustered, looked at her, straightened his collar, and said sternly, "Which class are you in? Why aren't you paying attention in class and wearing your school uniform? What are you doing here causing trouble!"
"Where is Song Zhao?" Nanqi asked pleadingly.
The classroom fell silent.
She ran into the classroom and asked each of her classmates in the row.
"If you keep causing trouble, I'm going to call your homeroom teacher!"
Nanqi seemed not to hear her and continued to ask the next student, "Do you know where she is? Please tell me."
When she asked the girl in the row closest to the wall, the girl hesitated to speak. Nanqi gently grabbed her arm and pleaded, "You know where she is, right? Please tell me."
The teacher walked over with a set square, pointed at Nanqi and said, "Why are you shouting like that? If you continue to harass my student, I won't be polite to you."
Nanqi continued speaking to the girl, "Please..."
"You!" The teacher held up a set square and gestured at Nanqi, unsure of where to hit her.
"I heard her mother gave her a long leave of absence. You can probably guess that someone as good at studying as her and with a family that can afford it must have enrolled her in extracurricular classes. She probably won't be coming back before the college entrance exam."
The people standing nearby just stared blankly at each other, indicating that they knew nothing.
Nanqi closed her eyes in despair, her face drained of all energy, and said wearily, "Thank you."
She turned around, apologized to the teacher, and ran out.
"She, she, she, she doesn't take me seriously at all," the teacher said angrily.
Nanqi ran into the campus, calling out Song Zhao's name as she ran. It seemed she really couldn't find Song Zhao anymore; she had lost her so inexplicably.
During the two months she was imprisoned, Nanqi would fantasize every day about seeing Song Zhao again after she got out. She imagined Song Zhao hugging her, crying and blaming her for being impulsive, ignoring advice, and acting on her own. She would imagine how guilty she would feel seeing Song Zhao so sad for her, and how she would apologize profusely and promise to listen to her from now on.
Whenever her fantasy ended and she returned to reality, she was terrified that she would never escape this world, terrified that the next time she saw Song Zhao, it would be through a glass window on the phone. She had imagined even such an embarrassing way of meeting, but she never imagined that she would never even have the chance to meet him again.
Zhao Zhao, please come out. You're angry with me, aren't you? You can vent your anger on me however you want, you can scold me however you want, or even ignore me, as long as you're willing to see me, even just once.
Didn't you say you'd always stay by my side and never leave me? Why are you leaving me now? Even if you really do leave me, it's okay. I just want you to tell me yourself that I really, really miss you...
Nanqi finally squatted on the playground, burying her face in her hands and sobbing. A moment later, a basketball flew over, and she happened to look up at that moment. She saw it, but didn't dodge. All she could think about was Song Zhao, who had shielded her from the ball.
This time, the basketball just flew over her head and missed, and the person she missed didn't appear.
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