Chapter Seven: The Airport

Just as her palm was about to strike my face, Xia Qi pulled me behind her, and Li Wanqiu shielded me as well. Both of them glared coldly at Yi Huayang.

Xia Qi spoke word by word, “Try touching her, I dare you.”

My mother rushed over, tears streaming down her face, grabbing the bloodied and terrifying Yi Huayang—a mix of pleading and pain in her voice. “Yangyang, don’t blame your sister. She doesn’t even know what she’s doing.”

Yi Huayang flung her off, pointed to her own face, then yanked open her shirt to reveal the red scar on her chest. “Mom, I’m already like this, and you still defend her. Is it only when someone throws concentrated sulfuric acid on me that you’ll feel any pity?”

My mother wept even more desperately, flustered beyond words. “Yangyang, that’s not what I mean. I just…”

I let out a cold laugh. “You don’t need to excuse me. This has nothing to do with me. I’m not that bored.”

I turned and walked away, but my father shouted angrily, “Yi Lanshan, stop right there.”

Ignoring him, I led Xia Qi and Li Wanqiu outside.

The footsteps behind us halted; I turned to look at him and suddenly realized how unfamiliar his face seemed.

My nose and eyes burned with sadness—I had all this resentment, but I didn’t know who deserved it, who I should settle scores with.

I remembered being frail and sickly as a child, and how he taught me close combat, taught me chess, taught me calligraphy; how he used to pick me up from school in his police uniform, how I’d beg to be carried and he’d always fly me home on his back; how, when I received my university acceptance letter, he hugged me and cried with joy.

My head throbbed with pain, my heart ached, my eyes stung, my stomach twisted, tears streaming relentlessly as I wished I could erase all those memories.

My father stood motionless, his gaze locked on my face. “Was it you?” he asked.

“No,” I replied.

He raised his voice. “I’ll ask you one last time. Was it you?”

My voice remained steady. “No.”

He yanked Yi Huayang from my mother’s arms, pointed at her mangled face, his suppressed rage capable of killing me. “Look at your sister, Yi Lanshan. Can you really be so heartless? Has she ever wronged you, that you would do this to her?”

I was truly exhausted—exhausted from matching wits and courage with these masked people. Some things I didn’t mention, but that didn’t mean I was oblivious. I wasn’t some saintly martyr. If they wanted to push me, then let’s tear down these masks together.

After that day, I never thought I could go on pretending everything was fine between us.

I glanced at Xia Qi and Li Wanqiu, murmured that I was thirsty. They exchanged a look, silently measuring the distance to the convenience store.

“Could you buy me a bottle of water?” I asked. “I’ll be fine soon.”

They hesitated, so I pleaded, “Please. Give me a little dignity.”

At last, they left. As soon as they were gone, I faced my father. “Dad, Yi Huayang brought this on herself, wanting to be the other woman, and—”

Before I could finish, Yi Huayang lunged at me, clutching my clothes and screaming in fury, “I’ll tear your mouth apart! See if you dare say another word—I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

I stood at one meter sixty-eight, weighing barely forty-three kilos—how could I withstand her shoving?

But I wasn’t helpless. I grabbed her wrists and pushed her away.

She was beside herself with rage, perhaps mad enough to lose all reason, and she rammed her head right into me.

My poor stomach, already battered and bruised, felt as if it might spill out.

The force was overwhelming; I couldn’t keep my balance, stumbled back several steps, and tumbled down the stairs, crashing against a car parked at the entrance.

A man was opening the door, about to get in, when I collided with him. The cake box in his hand fell to the ground.

And along with it, the bouquet of snow-white Camellia Snow Tower flowers he was carrying.

Once I steadied myself, I realized I was standing on his trench coat.