After the college entrance exams ended, Tong Yang, like everyone else, relaxed her tense nerves and slept like a log.
At noon on Sunday, Tong Le quietly pushed open the bedroom door and saw Tong Yang still fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he left a note before slipping out.
By the time Tong Yang woke up, it was nearly 3 PM. She hadn’t indulged in such deep, carefree sleep since starting high school. Her body felt heavy, but her mind was unusually refreshed.
Sitting up, she watched the warm afternoon sunlight spill across the windowsill and lazily narrowed her eyes, like a contented cat.
It felt as though life had finally settled into peaceful tranquility.
She glanced down and noticed the note on the bedside table, which read:
"Sis, I made plans with friends. Make sure to eat properly after you wake up. I’ll bring you snacks tonight."
Though only nine years old, Tong Le had remarkably neat handwriting. Rumor had it that his calligraphy teacher adored him so much that she sometimes let him stay at school on weekends for free lessons.
"Made plans with friends?" Tong Yang muttered under her breath.
Compared to her, Tong Le was the complete opposite.
Tong Yang had virtually no social circle at school. While most teachers liked her—mainly because she excelled academically and kept to herself—she had no close friends. Even if someone tried to strike up a conversation, unless it was about studies, she usually ignored them, deeming it pointless.
Tong Le, on the other hand, was not only a top student favored by teachers but also helpful to classmates, effortlessly getting along with everyone.
Of course, this made Tong Yang immensely relieved. She didn’t want him to end up like her.
Setting the note aside, she paused mid-movement, recalling what Tong Le had mentioned the day before.
He had seen someone with a strikingly similar silhouette to hers.
Though recent events had put her on edge, she knew that in this world, people with similar—or even identical—appearances existed. It was probably just a coincidence.
For now, she wasn’t worried about Tong Le getting caught up in anything dangerous. Members of a gossip group she followed had checked the news—no reports of missing or deceased students at his elementary school in the past two years.
As for other matters, she hadn’t dug too deep.
After washing up, Tong Yang cooked herself a steaming bowl of egg noodles.
Once she finished eating and tidied the kitchen, she returned to her room and stared blankly at the cluttered study materials on her desk. For a moment, she felt lost, unsure of what to do next.
The college entrance exams were over. She could finally relax without the pressure of studying.
But then what?
She didn’t feel like taking on a part-time job just yet—exhaustion still weighed on her.
Maybe… she should do what normal students did?
Binge dramas, play games, listen to music?
Tong Yang flopped back onto the bed, downloaded a few entertainment apps, and scrolled mindlessly before quickly losing interest. Remembering she hadn’t decided on a university yet, she searched for nearby colleges in Yaocheng.
Her high school, No. 3 High, had promised her a bonus based on her exam ranking:
- Top 50 in the province: 50,000 yuan
- Top 10: 100,000 yuan
- Top 3: 150,000 yuan
- First place: 200,000 yuan
No. 3 High wasn’t known for stellar admission rates, but ever since Tong Yang’s first year, they had heavily promoted her academic rankings to attract new students. The strategy worked, and in recent years, the school had even become the only exam center in the old district.
As for university, she hadn’t given it much thought before. Her plan was simple: if her ranking was impressive, top schools would call after the results were released. She’d pick the one that offered the best conditions for her and Tong Le.
She had no lofty ideals about studying hard to serve the nation. As long as she stayed out of trouble with the law, that was enough. Her efforts had always been about securing a better life for herself and her brother.
Besides, she couldn’t go too far—Tong Le was still young.
By evening, she heard rustling at the door—Tong Le was back.
She set her phone aside and stepped out of the bedroom just as the old wooden door creaked open. A small head peeked in cautiously, as if scouting the scene, only to lock eyes with her.
"Sis…" Tong Le chuckled awkwardly, avoiding her gaze as he slipped inside.
Tong Yang took in his bruised face and torn clothes, one sleeve hanging off his arm.
"Got into a fight with friends?" she asked.
Tong Le kept his head down like a guilty little quail, silent.
"Win or lose?" she said flatly.
He exhaled. "Lost. There were too many of them."
Tong Yang nodded. "Go change. I’ll make dinner."
"Okay…"
She headed to the kitchen, unfazed by the scuffle. Kids fought all the time—as long as no blood was shed, it was fine.
After changing, Tong Le emerged with his bruised face, clutching his ruined shirt. He dug out a sewing kit and tried stitching the torn fabric, only to realize a piece was missing.
Giving up, he trudged to the kitchen. "Sis, I can’t fix it."
"Then toss it. Tomorrow’s the Dragon Boat Festival—I’ll take you shopping for new clothes."
"But I barely wore it…"
"Just wash your face and disinfect those cuts. Next time, if you can’t win, run. Got it?"
"Got it."
June 10th was Monday—the Dragon Boat Festival. Tong Yang bought Tong Le new clothes and some zongzi. On their way home, she stopped by the milk tea shop where she often worked part-time, asking if they still needed help. They agreed, and she scheduled a shift for Wednesday at the usual hourly rate.
The next morning, after dropping Tong Le at school, she bought joss paper and incense to visit her parents’ graves.
Unable to afford a proper burial plot, they had been laid to rest on a long-abandoned hillside nearby.
Kneeling before the crude tombstone, she burned the paper and spoke softly.
"Life’s easier without you."
"I wonder why that woman—the one who looked just like you—wanted me dead. Was it because of you? Did you want me to stay trapped here forever, rotting like parasites?"
"Too bad. I’m leaving soon with Tong Le. Don’t know when I’ll be back, so I brought extra paper money for you."
Tong Yang didn’t stay long. After clearing some weeds from the grave mound, she headed home.
Back in Dongyang Residential Area, a group of elderly men and women from the neighboring building were playing cards in the garden.
"Hey, wild girl, go buy me a pack of cigarettes from the gate," one of them called out as Tong Yang passed by.
"Five bucks for the errand fee," Tong Yang stopped and replied.
"Ha! You little brat, charging five bucks for such a short trip? Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know?"
"If it’s such a short trip, why don’t you go yourself?"
Tong Yang turned to leave, but the old man, slighted by her defiance, sneered and pulled out thirty yuan from under a stack of bills, waving it in the air.
"Here, take it. Keep the change," he said, one leg propped up, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips, his eyes narrowed. "We all know your family’s poor, always begging for handouts."
Tong Yang ignored him and kept walking.
"Have you forgotten? You and your brother have no one else. Isn’t it us neighbors who’ve been looking out for you? The Dongyang demolition policy’s been out for years now. If it weren’t for us, the government would’ve kicked you two out long ago. And now you’re haggling over a simple errand?"
Tong Yang scoffed. "If you’re so generous, why not give us a monthly allowance? You know how poor we are."
"What kind of attitude is that? No respect for your elders!"
"Tsk, don’t bother. Kids these days don’t know gratitude."
"And here I thought those two were pitiful, even considered helping them out. But now… sigh."
"Just yesterday, I saw the younger one covered in bruises. Probably got beaten up for stealing."
"I always thought there was something off about those two. No wonder they’re orphans."
"Being orphans is just like you having no children. Where else would you go if you left Dongyang?"
Tong Yang smiled sweetly at them. "Oh, wait—this old man here, didn’t you have two sons? Strange how they never come to take you in for a comfortable retirement."
The group erupted in curses, but Tong Yang was no pushover. If she were, she and Tong Le would’ve been devoured by these people long ago. She wasn’t much for swearing, but she knew exactly how to provoke them.
"Tong Yang?"
Amid the commotion, a man carrying a briefcase under his arm tentatively called her name.
She raised an eyebrow, studying his face. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him.
"Uh, I’m Li Yao from the district office. We met last year."
"Did we? I don’t remember," Tong Yang said skeptically.
"No worries." Li Yao shook his head. "Finished your college entrance exams? How’d you do?"
"Thanks, it’s over. Just my usual performance."
"Good to hear." He nodded to himself, then hesitated before continuing, "The higher-ups sent me to ask—when do you plan to move out? We agreed to delay the demolition until after your exams."
"We’re aware of your and your brother’s situation. We didn’t want to disrupt your studies, and since there was no urgency, we postponed it. But now…"
Tong Yang nodded. "Understood. I’ll be out by August at the latest."
"Great, I’ll relay that. Here’s my number—keep it in case you need anything. The higher-ups have high hopes for you, Tong Yang."
"Thanks."
She took the business card he offered and thanked him. Of course, she knew why the district office favored her. Most of the scholarship promised by No. 3 High School was funded by them.
After watching Li Yao leave, Tong Yang turned her gaze back to the fuming elders in the garden.
"What did he mean about ‘agreeing’ on the demolition?"
"Why was the district office talking to you?"
Tong Yang shrugged. "What do you think?"
"Did you really believe stubbornness alone would let you stay? Too bad—you’ve been here on my goodwill."
She smirked. "You’ve got two months left. Better start looking for a new place—though a nursing home might suit you better."
Curses followed her as she walked away, but Tong Yang paid no mind and headed home.
The delayed demolition of Dongyang wasn’t solely because of her. Part of it was due to delayed funding, and part was the presence of a "future top-scorer."
On Friday, Tong Yang finished her part-time job early and went to pick up Tong Le from Experimental Primary School.
Arriving half an hour early, she bought a lemon tea and sat in the shop to wait.
Bored, she opened a group chat on her phone.
The gossip group was discussing a male celebrity who’d secretly married and had a child now in elementary school. Tong Yang glanced at the name—unfamiliar. She didn’t follow entertainment news much and knew few celebrities.
She searched the name on Weibo and found he was a trainee in his early twenties, marketed as a "clueless, innocent college boy."
If the child was starting school in two years, that meant the kid was at least three now.
Study for Money: "Hypothetically, if I blackmailed him—pay up or I expose the kid—how much could I get?"
"..."
"Sis, that’s illegal."
"You’re alive! You never talk unless it’s necessary."
Study for Money: "Busy."
"But your exams are over. What’s keeping you busy?"
"Yeah, my cousin went abroad right after hers."
"Back when I graduated, I slept for two weeks straight."
"Tong, anything new happening lately?"
Study for Money: "Just working."
Study for Money: "No. I’ll relax after scores come out and I pick a college."
"You really should take a break."
"Old District’s been quiet lately. Ease up a little."
"Hey, don’t you wanna know who the 2024 science top-scorer is?"
Study for Money: "No. And unless it’s necessary, don’t dig into my life or contact future-me. I won’t interfere with present-you either. Things could get messy."
"Got it, got it."
"Don’t worry, we’re scared too. Won’t stir trouble."
When the school bell rang, Tong Yang exited the chat. She’d never actually blackmail the trainee—just silently judge him.
Leaving the tea shop, she joined the crowd of parents waiting at the gate as students began streaming out.
Tong Yang stood in an inconspicuous spot, watching groups of students leave shoulder-to-shoulder. A few of them wore the same class badge as Tong Le, and as they passed by, she couldn’t help but take a closer look—several chubby, fair-skinned boys, seemingly surrounding someone in the middle, though the person was too short to see clearly.
“All the other students are out already. What’s Tong Le up to?” Tong Yang muttered to herself.
About five minutes later, Tong Le rushed out of the school, his heavy backpack weighing him down, his expression frantic.
He nervously scanned his surroundings, as if searching for something, but didn’t notice Tong Yang.
“Excuse me, classmate…”
Tong Le stopped a student buying candied hawthorns at the gate and gestured while asking something.
After listening, the student pointed in the direction where the group of chubby boys had gone.
Tong Le thanked them and then headed straight away from the school.
Tong Yang watched his retreating figure suspiciously. Seeing that he hadn’t noticed her, she had no choice but to follow.
Come to think of it, she rarely saw Tong Le in such a hurry.
She trailed him to a nearby park—a secluded place with no residential areas nearby, usually deserted.
“Stop it!” Tong Le panted as he reached a corner of the park, shouting toward the inside.
Tong Yang stood a short distance behind him and glanced toward the corner. Three or four boys were crowding around a much shorter student, their bodies blocking the view.
“Tong Le, are you insane? Why’d you follow us again?” The leader of the group, a boy with a furrowed brow, looked thoroughly annoyed.
Tong Le said, “Xu Mimi, I promised Yang Lin we’d go home together.”
“You’re seriously messed up! Why do you always hang out with that freak? Are you infected or something?”
“He’s not sick. We’re going home now,” Tong Le repeated firmly. “The teacher said we shouldn’t bully classmates. If you keep doing this, I’ll report you next week!”
The burly boy suddenly stepped forward and shoved him. “Go ahead and tell the teacher! I’ll tell them too—you’re no good student either! Last Sunday, you hit us!”
“That was because you started it!”
At this, Tong Yang raised an eyebrow. So the injuries he came home with last Sunday were from fighting these boys?
Though she had no interest in getting involved in kids’ squabbles, she couldn’t just stand by and watch a fight break out now that she was here.
“Tong Le, what’s going on?” Tong Yang called from behind, not moving closer.
Most kids were instinctively wary of adults. Hearing that someone else was with Tong Le, the boys exchanged glances and quickly scattered, slipping past them.
Tong Le turned around in surprise at the sound of her voice. “Sis? What are you doing here?”
Tong Yang lazily replied, “Picking you up.”
“Wait, sis, I need to say goodbye to my friend—”
Before he could finish, the boy who had been cornered buried his face deeper into his backpack and hurried past Tong Le. “Thanks, Lele.”
“Wait—”
Tong Le grabbed his arm, wanting to say something, but the boy had already dashed off.
Tong Yang walked over, took the heavy backpack off his shoulders, and slung it over her own. Glancing in the direction the boy had gone, she asked, “What’s the story?”
Worry still lingered on Tong Le’s face as he explained, “Sis, he’s my friend. Can I go talk to him? Just for a few minutes!”
Tong Yang nodded. “Fine. I’ll wait for you at the intersection ahead.”
“Okay!” Tong Le broke into a bright smile and hugged her. “Thanks, sis! I’ll be right back!”
“Go on.”
She watched him leave, then turned and headed for the intersection.
She usually didn’t interfere with Tong Le’s affairs. In her eyes, even though he was young, he had a good sense of judgment.
After waiting at the intersection for nearly five minutes, Tong Le came running back from the school’s direction, panting.
“Sis, let’s go home!” Sweat beaded on his forehead from the rush.
Tong Yang handed him a tissue. “Wipe your face.”
“Okay.”
“So? Was the fight last time because of him too?”
Tong Le hung his head and nodded. “Yeah. Xu Mimi and the others always bully Yang Lin, and they don’t want me to play with him. But Yang Lin is really nice—he’s patient, writes beautifully, and often shares snacks his mom makes. I don’t get why no one else wants to be friends with him.”
Seeing him so dejected, Tong Yang ruffled his hair. “Maybe they just don’t know him well enough.”
“Mm… Sis, can I invite Yang Lin over this weekend?”
“Sure.”
“Really? That’s great! You know why he ran off earlier?”
“Why?”
Tong Le took her hand. “Because he was scared you wouldn’t let me be friends with him. So I told him my sister is the best in the world—she’d never act like the others! I’m calling him tonight!”
Tong Yang chuckled. “Whatever you say.”
That night, Tong Le did call Yang Lin’s house.
His parents were surprised when they answered, but after a brief conversation, they agreed to let Yang Lin visit the next day.
“Happy now?” Tong Yang waved her phone.
“Yeah! This is the first time I’ve brought a friend home.”
After hesitating, Tong Le walked up to her and said, “Sis… Yang Lin is a good kid. Please don’t dislike him because of how he looks, okay?”
Tong Yang pinched his cheek. “Do you really think I would?”
“Heh, of course not! Sis would never!”
The next morning at eight, Tong Yang got a call from Yang Lin’s parents saying they were bringing him over soon.
She agreed. Tong Le usually slept in until nine on weekends and was still in bed.
She knocked on his door and called out twice.
“Your friend’s coming soon. Get up and get ready. I’m going out to buy breakfast.”
Hearing a vague mumble in response, she grabbed her keys and left.
When Tong Le woke up to the knocking, he faintly heard his sister say something but couldn’t make it out.
After getting dressed and tidying his bed, he opened his door to see a woman standing with her back to him in front of his sister’s bedroom.
From behind, she looked exactly like Tong Yang—except she was wearing clothes he’d never seen before.
She stood eerily still, her posture oddly rigid, her hair loose over her shoulders, arms hanging straight at her sides. Even when Tong Le’s door creaked open, she didn’t turn around.
“Sis?” Tong Le called hesitantly.
After a few seconds of silence, she slowly tilted her head, her hair obscuring her face—until she turned fully, revealing familiar features. Her eyes curved into a smile, though her skin looked unusually pale.
“Lele,” she said.
“Sis, what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.” She turned and reached out to ruffle his hair, the faint metallic scent of rust lingering in the air.
“What would you like for breakfast? Fried dough sticks or steamed buns?” Tong Yang bent down, facing him at eye level.
Tong Le thought for a moment and said, “Fried dough sticks!”
Tong Yang’s fingers brushed against his eyelashes, her gaze inexplicably soft.
“Alright, I’m heading out.”
“Thanks, sis!”
Still half-asleep, Tong Le rubbed his itchy eyes as he shuffled into the bathroom. After turning on the faucet, he suddenly remembered something and peeked his head out.
“Sis, when’s my friend supposed to arrive…?”
Before he could finish, he realized the hallway was empty—Tong Yang had already left without a sound.
“That was fast,” Tong Le muttered, retreating back into the bathroom. He hadn’t even heard the door close.
Ten minutes later, Tong Yang returned with breakfast.
“Tong Le, the food’s on the table. Your classmate should be here soon. I’m going to change first.”
“Oh, got it!”
Tong Le hurried out of his bedroom, but Tong Yang had already shut her door behind her.
When he spotted the steamed buns and mantou on the table, he paused for a second.
Glancing at her closed door, he called out casually, “Sis, didn’t you say we were having fried dough sticks?”
Tong Yang, unable to hear clearly from inside, replied, “What did you say?”
Tong Le shook his head. Steamed buns were fine too—his sister had already gone through the trouble of buying breakfast for him.
“Never mind! Come out soon so we can eat together.”
