2137
Three days before the National Youth Competition, at 3:17 AM.
The dormitory air conditioner automatically shut off, and the sound of rain outside the window was like countless fine needles pricking the metal sheet.
Yu Chen's red boxing glove bag next to his pillow suddenly vibrated—not an alarm clock, but a call from the insurance hotline.
She opened her eyes, her breathing so light it was almost inaudible, and swiped her finger across the screen:
"Hello, this is the claims department of XX Life Insurance. Ms. Yu Chen is the beneficiary. Please verify your identity..."
Death certificate, autopsy report, crime scene photos —
Everything is compressed into an encrypted link.
The password is her birthday in reverse chronological order.
The moment the button was clicked, two gunshots rang out in the darkness:
One bullet through the lung, one bullet through the heart.
In the photo, Yu Jing is shielding Qin Yu in front of him, but his arms can no longer hold her tightly.
Blood spilled across the white lines of the Los Angeles airport parking lot, like a torn vacation ticket.
The claims adjuster's voice was mechanical and polite:
"The total compensation amount of RMB 21.37 million has been transferred to your designated account."
The benefit documents will be mailed out within 7 business days.
Please accept my deepest condolences.
Please accept my condolences.
Yu Chen did not cry, nor did she make any sound.
She simply turned the screen brightness down to the lowest setting, as if afraid of alerting a gun barrel lurking in the darkness.
The red boxing glove bag was clutched tightly to his chest, his knuckles turning white from the force—
There, tucked away, were copies of debts folded into small squares three weeks ago.
Now, it has suddenly become a receipt soaked in blood.
At 3:42 a.m., the rain stopped.
Yu Chen walked barefoot onto the balcony, her bright red hair whipping wildly in the wind like a fire that had lost its way.
She looked down, took a screenshot of the remittance text message, and saved it to an encrypted folder.
Then delete the call logs and empty the recycle bin.
His movements were as calm as if he were disassembling an unexploded bomb.
21.37 million —
Enough to pay off all debts,
That's enough to buy the parents' unfinished research project.
That was enough to make her never ask anyone for anything again.
But you can't buy a replay of the two gunshots.
The retraction of the lie that "vacation" cannot be bought
You can't buy a complete "home".
Before dawn, she did three things:
① Set the claim SMS to "hidden notification";
②Send a WeChat message to Xiao Wei: "Training tomorrow morning, normal."
③ Holding the red boxing glove bag close to my chest, like holding a gun with an unopened fuse, yet no longer afraid of it exploding—
Because she had decided to be the one to cut the fuse first.
6:00 a.m., at the sports school training hall.
Xiao Wei leaned against the sandbag, his black vest plastered to his chest by sweat, a blue timer twirling between his fingers.
Yu Chen pushed open the door and entered, her face pale, yet she wore a smile:
"Come on, let's play overtime."
Xiao Wei looked up, his gaze falling on her knuckles—
There were no tear stains, no trembling, only a layer of cold light tempered by the moonlight.
She didn't ask, she just reset the timer to zero, her voice low and steady:
"Okay, overtime."
soon……
On the national youth competition stage, a row of lights illuminated.
Yu Chen stood diagonally opposite, wearing red protective gear, her bright red hair sticking out from the adjustment hole on the back of her boxing gloves like a cluster of flames that refused to go out.
She raised her hand, bit off the Velcro strap, and her knuckles turned white from the force.
There, hidden are 21.37 million unknown to anyone.
The echoes of two gunshots were also hidden within.
The referee gestured for a fist bump, and she extended her right fist, her voice barely audible.
"Mom and Dad, look at me."
The bell rings—
In the first round, she charged forward like a madwoman;
In the second round, she swept her arms low as if she didn't feel any pain;
In the third round, she unleashed a barrage of attacks as if she couldn't hear the tolling of bells—
Until the opponent kneels down, until the referee begins the count,
Until the entire audience stood up, until the lights pinned her shadow to the ropes—
KO, Red Corner wins.
In the post-match tunnel, Xiao Wei handed her the red boxing glove bag, his voice low and hoarse:
"We won, can I cry now?"
Yu Chen shook her head, buried her face in the other person's shoulder, and whispered:
"Don't cry."
The unknown early morning hours have come to an end;
The untold sorrow continues.
She deposited 21.37 million into a trust, specifying its purpose:
—Pay off the debts,
—To complete the research project that my parents did not finish.
—Establish the “Yu Jing Qin Yu Scholarship” to support every frontline worker who is trapped by ropes but wants to fly.
She herself only took the red boxing glove bag.
And, two gunshots that no one knew about—
Like secretly hiding an unexploded bomb deep in the heart.
Then, continue fighting.
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