"Should we get something to eat before heading back?"
Xu Junyue looked around, searching for a restaurant.
Tong Yang lowered her head thoughtfully, recalling Dr. Luo's final words.
After their investigation, they had discovered the situation was far more complicated than Tong Yang had initially believed.
It was said that some black market industries abroad had already established connections with the parallel world.
"Are you still thinking about what Dr. Luo said?" Chu Shiyu asked.
Tong Yang snapped back to reality, her brow furrowing unconsciously. "Yeah."
Xu Junyue slung an arm around each of their shoulders and said nonchalantly, "It's fine, even if it's true, it has nothing to do with us. This is way beyond what a few ordinary people like us can handle."
Chu Shiyu nodded. "Junyue is right."
"I know," Tong Yang said with a grave expression. "But, the black market includes organ trafficking. For two identical people from different worlds, if they swapped organs, the chance of rejection would be almost zero."
"The black market is a terrifying thing. If the parallel world starts exploiting it, the consequences would be unthinkable."
"But there's nothing we can do. That's the reality."
Tong Yang knew it was the truth, yet a massive suspicion had taken root in her mind.
"Ye Tianlin" had sent Ye Huai to the real world. But what about the original Ye Huai from this world? Had he really been killed by Ye Tianlin? Or was there some hidden truth that even Ye Huai himself wasn't aware of?
Timeline-wise, Ye Huai could have been one of the fifty people sent to the real world, just like He Jingjing. Why could he travel between spaces with them, unlike He Jingjing who was killed?
Was there something different about him compared to He Jingjing?
Could it be his heart...
"Ah! Tong Yang!" Chu Shiyu suddenly shouted, disrupting Tong Yang's train of thought.
"What's wrong?" Tong Yang frowned.
But this was just a suspicion she had after hearing about the black market. The truth was probably known to very few.
Chu Shiyu said, "Did you forget something? We promised to meet up with Tong Le and the others to pick up Little Black!"
Tong Yang froze, immediately pulled out her phone and checked the time. It was almost one o'clock!
The screen showed eight missed calls from Tong Le and Yang Lin, along with over a dozen voice messages.
"Who's Little Black?" Xu Junyue asked, looking suspicious.
Tong Yang's phone had been on silent ever since they left Yan Qing's house.
She looked at Chu Shiyu, who shook her own phone helplessly. "Mine's on silent too."
However, before Chu Shiyu finished speaking, Tong Yang's screen lit up with another incoming call.
"Tong Le? Your brother's calling, answer it," Xu Junyue urged.
Tong Yang looked at the name flashing on the screen, feeling inexplicably guilty. She had completely forgotten about their promise. Since they had agreed, she should have at least let Tong Le and Yang Lin know they'd be late.
She looked at Chu Shiyu with a hint of bewilderment. The latter pretended not to notice, turning her face away.
"Whoa! Sister Tong, what's going on? Why aren't you answering your brother's call?"
Having known her for so long, she had never seen Tong Yang so hesitant.
Just earlier at the police station, she had been so formidable facing the police and the people from Department 749.
"Shut up," Tong Yang said, pushing Xu Junyue's face away and answering the call.
"Hello." Tong Yang sounded calm and composed on the surface, but her voice was noticeably softer than usual.
"Sis! Where are you? Are you with Sister Shiyu? Why aren't you answering your calls? Where are you guys?" Tong Le's voice was frantic, with a hint of a sob.
Tong Yang said, "I'm with Sister Shiyu. We... were dealing with something earlier and missed your calls. Sorry."
There was a brief silence on the line, followed by a sniffle. "It's okay as long as you're safe."
Tong Yang asked gently, "Where are you now? Are you with Linlin?"
Tong Le's voice was a bit hoarse. "I'm with Linlin. We've picked up Little Black. We're at the police station now."
"The police station?" Tong Yang's frown deepened. "Why are you at the police station?"
Hearing this, Chu Shiyu also grew anxious, leaning her ear closer to the phone.
Tong Le explained, "Since it wasn't far from home, and you and Sister Shiyu were supposed to be with us, Yang's mother agreed to let us go by ourselves. We kept calling you, but you and Sister Shiyu never answered. You've never broken a promise to me before. We were worried you guys were in danger, so we came to the police station to report you missing."
Here, Tong Le sniffled again. "But the police officer told us to wait. They said they could only help if we still couldn't reach you by tonight."
Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu exchanged a glance, both seeing guilt and self-reproach on the other's face.
"Sorry, Lele. Our phones were on silent, and we... forgot about our promise. We'll be right back. Does Auntie know?"
Tong Le said, "It's okay, as long as you're safe. Yang's mother doesn't know yet. She's out with friends today, and we didn't want to bother her."
Chu Shiyu chimed in, "You two wait at the station, we'll be right there."
"Okay..."
"Bye, Sis."
After hanging up, Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu slumped their shoulders.
Xu Junyue couldn't help but chuckle, putting an arm around each of them again. "Alright, it's fine. It's just a few missed calls."
Tong Yang shot her a glance, opened a ride-hailing app, and booked her first-ever taxi ride.
"Wow! Earlier, we all waited, and you took over an hour on the subway to get here. Now you're willing to splurge on a taxi?"
Chu Shiyu muttered, "You don't understand."
Forty minutes later, their taxi pulled up outside the Tianyuan District Public Security Bureau.
"Brother Wu," Xu Junyue greeted an officer on duty nearby.
Brother Wu looked surprised. "What brings you here?"
Xu Junyue said, "Came with friends to pick up some kids."
"Oh! Those two kids inside who reported their sisters missing? Go ahead, they're still waiting inside!"
"Is my dad in?"
"He is."
"Alright, I'm off then. Don't tell him I was here!"
"Xu Junyue! Get your butt in here!"
Xu Junyue hadn't taken two steps before a roar called her back.
"No need to yell! I'm coming!" Caught red-handed, Xu Junyue dropped the act and swaggered inside, leading Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu.
Officer Xu stood at the door, glaring fiercely at Xu Junyue. "I'll deal with you later."
Xu Junyue stuck out her tongue, looking completely unfazed.
Then, Officer Xu turned to Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu. "So, you're the ones who 'lost' the kids?"
Tong Yang said, "Yes, that was us. Sorry for the trouble."
Officer Xu gave them a glance. "It's fine. Just be more careful next time. Making kids worry about you, what kind of example is that?"
"Thank you, we understand."
Officer Xu nodded and said, "I can see you're both good kids. Spend less time with Xu Junyue; she's not a good influence."
"Hey! Old Xu! I'm not dead yet! Is that how you talk to my friends?" Xu Junyue protested loudly.
Officer Xu pinched her ear and said to Tong Yang and the others, "They're inside. Go on in."
"Alright, thank you."
"Hey! Hey! You're just leaving me? Where's your loyalty?!"
Tong Yang and the other girl gave her a look that said "you're on your own," then walked into the room without looking back.
"Old Xu! Let go! Let go! That hurts!"
Officer Xu said through gritted teeth, "I haven't even settled the score with you for sneaking out yet!"
"What score? You're suspected of interfering with personal freedom! You, an officer, breaking the law... Ouch! I'm wrong! Wrong! Stop, stop twisting my ear!"
Entering the quiet lounge, Tong Le and Yang Lin sat side by side on chairs. A pet carrier with the kitten was on the table. Both their eyes were red, as if they had been crying not long ago.
"Tong Le, Linlin," Tong Yang called out.
The two kids looked up simultaneously and called, "Sister, Shiyu sister."
"Have you eaten?" Tong Yang walked up to them.
Tong Le shook his head. "No, but the police officer bought us some snacks."
Yang Lin said, "Sister, are you guys okay? Are you hurt? Lele said you might have been in danger."
Chu Shiyu said, "We're fine, don't worry."
Tong Yang bent down to look at Tong Le. He raised his hand to rub his eyes, and another tear fell.
Actually, Tong Yang hadn't wanted to tell Tong Le about the parallel world initially, precisely because she knew he would worry.
Tong Le was smart and attentive, a very sensitive child by nature. After she came back injured a few days ago, he had been clinging to her, not wanting her to return to school alone. So, when he woke up this morning and found Tong Yang gone, he immediately called to check on her, terrified she might be in danger.
Seeing him like this now, Tong Yang somewhat regretted telling him.
"We're fine. Didn't I tell you? I'm very capable, nothing will happen." Tong Yang ruffled his hair comfortingly.
Tong Le wiped away his tears and nodded firmly. "I know. Sister and Shiyu sister are both amazing. You definitely won't be in any danger!"
Yang Lin also chimed in, "Sister Tong Yang is amazing, more amazing than anyone!"
Chu Shiyu pinched his cheek in mock dissatisfaction. "Only Sister Tong Yang? What about me? Even Lele knew to praise me too."
Yang Lin smiled sheepishly. "Sister Shiyu is, of course, also very amazing."
Tong Le raised a smiling face and turned the carrier towards the two of them. "Look, Little Black is so bored he's about to fall asleep."
The little black cat was dozing in the carrier. Perhaps hearing the voices, it lifted an eyelid to glance at them, then went back to sleep.
"Oh, right, have you sisters eaten?" Tong Le asked.
"Not yet. Let's go together."
"Okay!"
"What do you want to eat?"
"What does sister want to eat?"
After saying goodbye to the police officer, Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu led them outside.
"Wait for me!" Xu Junyue popped out from somewhere, rushing anxiously to catch up with the group.
"Xu Junyue!" Officer Xu shouted from inside the room.
"What! I'm just going for a meal, then I'll go home!" Xu Junyue yelled impatiently over her shoulder.
"Let's go, let's go, before Old Xu gets angry again."
Xu Junyue seized the moment to usher the four of them out.
"Tao Bai and the others are nearby too. Let's all have a meal together," Xu Junyue suggested.
Since He Jingjing's passing, they hadn't eaten together. It always felt like gathering again meant forgetting her, leaving her behind.
But time moves on, and everyone else's lives must continue. He Jingjing's sister, He Jingjing, didn't know when she'd be able to face everyone calmly again. Xu Junyue, however, was fine; a single phone call was enough to bring everyone back together.
"This toast, we drink to He Jingjing!" Xu Junyue urged everyone to clink glasses.
"I always thought Jingjing was timid, but she was actually very brave. Knowing full well what her fate would be, she still sent us back here without hesitation."
Tong Yang clinked glasses with them, thinking that only Xu Junyue could bring up He Jingjing so openly at a time like this.
"Jingjing was soft on the outside but strong inside. Back in school when she and Jingjing were bullied, she was always the one who chased those people away. Even though it always seemed like Jingjing was taking care of her, most of the time, it was actually Jingjing taking care of Jingjing," Hu Shuo couldn't help but sigh.
Tao Bai said, "I've been in touch with their mother these past few days. She says Jingjing's spirits are much better than before."
Zhou Jingyun took a sip of beer and sighed. "Jingjing will live forever in our hearts. To me, she is only the He Jingjing of this world, unrelated to the parallel world."
"Jingjing was truly brave," Chu Shiyu said.
Tong Yang didn't speak, turning instead to look at Tong Le and the other boy sitting not far away.
Each holding a hamburger, they were staring intently in Tong Yang's direction. Their gaze was so obvious she could feel it clearly even with her back turned.
"What are those two little rascals looking at?" Xu Junyue tilted her chin towards them.
Seeming to realize they'd been caught, Tong Le and Yang Lin immediately lowered their heads, shifting their gaze.
Chu Shiyu teased, "You guys don't know, do you? Tong Yang and her brother have a really good relationship. Wouldn't have guessed, right?"
Hu Shuo shook his head repeatedly. "No way! Not at all! I thought Sister Tong would be strict and impartial with her brother too!"
"Why? I think Tong Yang would be a great older sister—smart and capable," Xu Junyue said.
Hu Shuo glanced at Tong Yang, and Tong Yang shot him a sidelong look.
"If I were Tong Yang's brother..."
"I'd have strangled you at birth," Tong Yang said.
Hu Shuo immediately covered his neck, looking horrified. "You say they have a good sibling relationship? I don't believe it!"
Chu Shiyu raised her head. "Just wait."
With that, she crooked a finger at the little rascals in the distance, signaling them to come over.
Tong Le immediately put down his hamburger and, with Yang Lin, trotted over eagerly.
"What is it, Shiyu sister?"
Tong Yang propped her head up, watching the three of them with a calm expression.
"Lele, what would you do if your sister was being bullied?"
Tong Le's expression instantly turned tense. "Who? Who's bullying sister?"
As he spoke, he subtly glanced at Hu Shuo and the other two.
Hu Shuo: "?"
Tong Yang poked his forehead with a finger. "Don't listen to her nonsense. Go finish your food. We'll take you back after we eat."
"Hehe, that's good then." Tong Le lifted his little face and smiled.
"Are you Tong Le? I'm your sister's friend, Tao Bai." Tao Bai, sitting on the other side of Tong Yang, initiated a conversation with Tong Le.
Tong Le's nervousness became visibly apparent, but he still politely bowed slightly to Tao Bai. "Hello, Brother Tao Bai. I'm Tong Le."
Xu Junyue leaned close to Chu Shiyu's ear and chuckled softly. "This little rascal is quite perceptive. He probably senses Tao Bai's interest."
Chu Shiyu shrugged and said, "Those two siblings have always been very smart."
"With such a smart younger brother, it'll be hard for our Sister Tong to find a boyfriend in the future!"
Tong Yang kicked her under the table, signaling her to stop talking nonsense.
"Big sister, are you looking for a boyfriend?" Tong Le looked up, his little eyebrows furrowed, his face full of unease.
"Oh? You know what a boyfriend is?" Xu Junyue teased.
Tong Le pursed his lips. "I know. Some people in my class were dating before."
"Ah??"
"Haven't you only just finished fourth grade?"
"Well, we had that in elementary school back in my day too."
"Big sister, are you going to get a boyfriend too?" Tong Le seemed not to care what others said, asking Tong Yang nervously.
Tong Yang pinched his cheek. "You believe whatever people say? Go back and eat."
"Oh, I see." Tong Le waited for her to let go, then pulled Yang Lin and ran back.
Chu Shiyu said, "See? I told you. Those two siblings have a very good relationship."
Hu Shuo sighed with feeling. "I didn't expect you to be such a good older sister."
Tong Yang said lazily, "Mainly because Tong Le is pretty easy to handle. If it were you..."
Hu Shuo pouted. "You'd strangle me to death, right?"
Tong Yang nodded noncommittally.
Indeed, most of Tong Le's personality complemented Tong Yang's. If it were Hu Shuo or anyone else, even if they were her own brother, she probably wouldn't have this much patience.
The main reason was that Tong Le was well-behaved, obedient, and endearing.
After finishing the meal and parting ways with Xu Junyue and the others, they went to a mall, bought some snacks and cans for Little Black, and then returned home.
Little Black wasn't like an ordinary stray cat; it knew how to use the litter box on its own without being taught. It was usually very quiet and didn't disturb others' rest, so Dad Yang and Yang's mother both liked it very much.
A week passed peacefully. During that time, Xu Junyue called them to hang out once more, and they also called He Jingjing, who was abroad. Her mental state had improved a lot, and sometimes she even responded to their jokes.
On the day before she was supposed to tutor Yan Qing again, Tong Yang received a text message from Ms. Yan, telling her she didn't need to come tutor Yan Qing for the time being, and that the fees for the previous tutoring sessions had all been settled and sent to her.
The meaning was very clear: she was being politely let go.
After that incident, she hadn't contacted Yan Qing or her family. She hadn't expected her to still be upset after all this time. However, school was starting in another two weeks anyway, and Tong Yang wouldn't have had time to continue tutoring her. It was a bit of a pity, though, as the hourly rate at Yan Qing's house was the highest among all her tutoring jobs.
Tong Yang accepted the transfer from Ms. Yan, thanked her, and didn't dwell on the matter.
For the next week, Tong Yang only had one tutoring job left. In her free time, she continued to take Tong Le and Yang Lin out to play all over the mountains and fields, almost covering every place worth visiting in the capital.
Moreover, Tong Le's school started a bit earlier than hers, so they had to prepare in advance.
On the evening of August 27th, Tong Yang returned to her school dormitory. She was still the only one there.
She was on a video call with the "Gossip Group," discussing matters related to Ji Jiaen.
In May 2026, Ji Jiaen was killed by someone from a parallel world. If they could find a way to help her avoid the potential danger now, she would regain her memories in the future.
"Sister Tong, what if we help her avoid it and she goes back on her word?"
"Right. After all, by then, besides us, no one else will remember she died once."
Tong Yang had just finished showering; her hair was still damp. She sat at her desk reading a physics book and said offhandedly, "What can we do if she goes back on her word? Report her to the police? Or kill her?"
"Then what should we do? We can't just waste our effort."
Tong Yang said, "Her matter isn't urgent. We'll deal with it in '26."
"Your '26 might not be that far off for us. The flow of time on your side has already accelerated to be about eleven days faster than ours. At this rate, you'll catch up to us sooner or later."
Tong Yang's hair ends rested on her shoulders, dampening her clothes. She smiled and asked, "So what? Don't you guys always say you want to meet me?"
"We do want to, it just feels a bit unreal."
"I get it! Sister Tong is like my electronic pet right now! I can only see her on the phone, and only I can see her!"
Tong Yang pursed her lips speechlessly. "Shut up."
"Hehehe."
"Sister Tong, hasn't school started yet? Are there other people in your dorm building?"
Tong Yang said, "There seem to be a few. Why?"
"Aren't you afraid someone from a parallel world might show up in the middle of the night again?"
"I feel like it's so scary having only a few people living in a whole building!"
"Right, right! And you have so many rooms, what if..."
"Shut up." Tong Yang shot them an annoyed look. "Don't jinx it, okay? I've finally had a few peaceful days."
Since leaving Xili Mall, Tong Yang hadn't encountered anyone or anything from a parallel world. She finally felt like life was about to return to normal.
"Sister Tong, how come you haven't asked us in the past couple of days if anything strange has happened in the capital?"
Tong Yang said, "I've realized that if I don't ask, nothing happens."
"Hahahaha!"
"Schrödinger's cat, right?"
"But these past two days, there really haven't been any strange incidents in the capital."
"There was one, wasn't there?"
"Huh? You mean the junior high school girl who committed suicide?"
"She doesn't count. That girl committed suicide because her parents were having conflicts."
"Sister Tong wouldn't get involved in that sort of thing anyway."
Tong Yang turned the page of her book and said casually, "Her parents have conflicts, so she punishes herself by dying? Why bother getting involved?"
Even if they offered Tong Yang payment, it wasn't something she could manage if she wanted to.
"Wait, Sister Tong, is it the 27th on your side?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I remember that girl committed suicide on the 27th too. Jumped from the 14th floor!"
"That girl seemed to have good grades, and her family was quite well-off too. It's just her parents were too busy with work and didn't have energy to focus on her. The environment she grew up in was already bad enough, and then she accidentally found out her parents were getting divorced. In a fit of anger, she just... sigh."
The more Tong Yang listened, the more familiar it sounded.
Yan Qing had just finished junior high, lived on the 14th floor, and her family situation was similar... It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it?
"What was that girl's name? Where did she live?" Tong Yang closed her physics book, asking them while pulling out a jacket and putting on her shoes.
Even though it probably wasn't such a coincidence, she had a strange intuition.
"Huh?? Sister Tong, do you know her?"
"Let me see... I only know her surname is Yan, and she lived in Half Moon Estate..."
Before the words were finished, Tong Yang had already left the dormitory with her phone.
"Ah?? Sister Tong, where are you going?"
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you couldn't get involved?"
Tong Yang's voice echoed in the empty hallway: "She was my tutoring student. I still owe her one lesson."
The final tutoring fee Ms. Yan settled with her included the second lesson she hadn't had time to teach the day she suddenly left.
Tong Yang had originally planned to find some time before school started to deliver the study materials she had compiled for Yan Qing, suited to her learning style. She never expected that little brat would actually jump off a building and commit suicide.
If it were anyone else, Tong Yang would have let it go, but with Yan Qing, she was about eighty percent certain the girl didn't truly want to die. She was probably using this method to force her parents to give in.
"What time was the fall reported?"
"9:41."
Tong Yang's heart sank. She glanced at the time: 9:32. It was too late to get there now.
"I have to go."
Tong Yang slowed her pace, hung up the call, and tried calling Yan Qing's parents. She was confident she could dissuade Yan Qing. The girl, though mischievous and willful, had always been good to Tong Yang and listened to her.
Most importantly, Yan Qing actually responded better to a firm hand.
Given her parents' personalities, they would most likely plead with her tearfully to come down, which would only have the opposite effect.
Yan Qing's parents didn't answer her call. She then tried Aunt Liu, but no one picked up either.
Though, in such a situation, who would be paying attention to their phone?
Tong Yang frowned. Yan Qing was, after all, her student—well, not anymore—but knowing the girl likely wasn't set on dying, and knowing a single word from her might save her, she couldn't just do nothing.
But now, no one's phone was reachable, and she couldn't instantly teleport to Banyuezhuang.
Suddenly, she thought of Xu Junyue's father.
Given Yan Qing's temperament, she would probably make a huge scene, ensuring the presence of police and firefighters.
After getting his number from Xu Junyue, Tong Yang immediately called Officer Xu.
Xu Junyue had already told him Tong Yang would call, so Officer Xu answered directly.
"Hello? Tong Yang?"
"Officer Xu, are you at Banyuezhuang?"
It was noisy on Officer Xu's end, and Yan Qing's hysterical cries could faintly be heard.
"You know Yan Qing? She's extremely agitated right now and won't let anyone near her."
"I was her private tutor. I'd like to say a few words to her."
Officer Xu sighed. "I'll try. If she's willing, you talk some sense into her."
Officer Xu walked to the door of Yan Qing's bedroom. Ms. Yan and Aunt Liu were sobbing uncontrollably, begging her to come down from the windowsill.
"Yan Qing, your tutor is on the phone. She wants to talk to you."
"Don't come any closer!!!" Yan Qing screamed. "Who is she? I don't know her!"
"She quit being my tutor, and you don't want me either! So what's the point of me living?"
"You've wanted a divorce for ages! You already had the divorce papers ready! What about me? Did either of you ever ask for my opinion?"
"You're busy, you never come home. How many of my birthdays have you actually spent with me since I was little? Besides my grades, have you ever asked me about anything else? I started cursing on purpose, I got into fights—did you even care?"
"Since none of you want me, I might as well just die!"
"Qingqing! Mom was wrong! I shouldn't have... just come down first... let's talk this through properly!"
"Qingqing, don't joke about your life like this! Teacher Tong cares about you, she's calling..."
"She doesn't care about me at all! She just left! And resigned! She doesn't want to deal with me!"
"She's just like you! No one really cares about me!"
"Officer Xu, do you have the speaker on?" Tong Yang's voice came through the phone.
"You all..." Yan Qing's voice suddenly hitched, tears streaming down her face.
Officer Xu observed Yan Qing's reaction and took a few steps closer with the phone. "Go ahead, she can hear you now."
Yan Qing said fiercely, "What do you want to say? You're just a hired tutor. What could I possibly have to say to you?"
Unlike the tense anxiety on everyone else's faces, Tong Yang remained much calmer, her tone steady and unhurried. "First, I didn't resign voluntarily. Your family thought you had a fight with me and didn't like me as your tutor anymore, so they let me go."
Yan Qing choked back a sob. "You're lying! You just didn't like me, you didn't want to be my tutor anymore..."
"I owe you one lesson," Tong Yang said abruptly, out of the blue.
"It takes about twenty-five minutes to bike from my school to your house. In twenty-five minutes, I will arrive at your door. I expect to see the homework I assigned you finished by then. If you haven't completed it... you're dead."
Yan Qing stared in disbelief. "You're making me do homework now?"
Before Yan Qing could fully process it, Tong Yang decisively hung up.
Yan Qing wore an expression of utter incredulity, then burst into loud sobs. "Tong Yang, you're inhuman! There's so much, I can't finish it all, wu wu..."
Tong Yang scanned a shared bike and called the gossip chat group.
"Any updates on the news?"
"Changed, changed!"
"Holy crap! Tong Yang, you're amazing!"
"What happened? It hasn't even been five minutes?"
"That girl climbed down from the windowsill herself. The first thing she did was start doing her homework."
"Hahaha... I heard she's writing while crying, looking absolutely pitiful."
"I'm starting to wonder if she tried to kill herself because of academic pressure."
Tong Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, I gotta go."
Twenty-five minutes later, Tong Yang indeed arrived punctually at Yan Qing's doorstep.
The firefighters had already left, with only a few police officers handling the aftermath.
When Tong Yang entered, Ms. Yan and Aunt Liu were huddled together, silently weeping. Yan Qing's father stood by the window, smoking.
"Teacher Tong, you're here?" Aunt Liu saw her, immediately wiped her tears, and stood up to greet her.
Ms. Yan covered her mouth and cried. "Teacher Tong... thank you... thank you..."
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have taken it upon myself to say those things to you... I knew perfectly well Qingqing loved having lessons with you..."
Tong Yang looked at her silently, then turned her gaze to Yan Qing's father, standing wordlessly by the window. She raised her voice and asked, "Do you think this is the reason Yan Qing tried to kill herself?"
Without waiting for Ms. Yan's response, she walked towards Yan Qing's room.
"Wu wu... You can't blame me... I'm almost, just a little bit! Really, just a tiny bit left to finish!" Yan Qing sat at her desk. A female police officer was beside her. Seeing Tong Yang walk in, Yan Qing, her eyes red from crying, wiped her tears and scribbled away in her workbook.
Tong Yang walked over to her. Yan Qing was trembling all over, tears falling like beads. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Tong Yang anymore.
"Sister, could you please step out for a moment?" Tong Yang said to the police officer beside her.
The officer seemed to want to say something but held back. Finally, she said, "Have a good talk."
With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Yan Qing wiped her runny nose, a mess of tears and snot. "You can't blame me. Who told you to just leave and resign? I... I couldn't help being angry, could I? When I'm angry, I don't want to do homework... Wu... You're not allowed... not allowed to blame me..."
Looking at her like this, Tong Yang felt a complex mix of emotions.
Although Yan Qing hadn't made the best first impression, among all the tutoring students, she was the most genuine.
Her personality seemed willful, unreasonable, and domineering, but in reality, she was quite easy to handle. A few gentle words of comfort were enough, sometimes she didn't even need that; she could calm herself down after being alone for a while, then come back acting as if nothing had happened.
Tong Yang walked past her from behind, came to the window, leaned against the wall, and just watched her write while crying, without saying a word.
"You... why aren't you saying anything? I'm warning you, you really can't blame me... This time it's not my fault, it's all them..."
"Wah... I clearly wasn't wrong... Why do they have to get divorced..."
"It's not my fault... It was never my fault..."
"Why aren't you talking? What right do you have not to talk? Do you also think I'm wrong? Why! What did I do wrong..."
"I know it's not your fault," Tong Yang suddenly said.
Yan Qing was stunned, turning her head stiffly to look at her. "Y-you, what did you say?"
Tong Yang said, "I'm not blaming you."
Yan Qing's lips quivered. She stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into loud sobs.
"It... it really wasn't my fault..."
"I don't want to do my homework today... sob..."
Tong Yang was speechless. "Idiot, then don't do it."
"Really?" Yan Qing looked at her with teary, blurred eyes.
"Duh."
"Oh... then I won't do it."
Tong Yang stared at her for a long moment before asking, "Your parents get divorced and you try to kill yourself?"
Yan Qing's tears fell pattering down. "They don't care about me at all. So what if they divorce? I won't go with either of them."
"If they want a divorce, you can throw a tantrum, you can rage and make a scene, that's fine. But you want to jump off a building? Are you out of your mind?"
Yan Qing mumbled, "I didn't really mean to jump... I just wanted to scare them..."
Slap—
Tong Yang raised her hand and slapped her across the face.
"You wanted to scare them? With your own life? What if I hadn't come today and you had fallen?"
Yan Qing's head was knocked to the side by the slap. She covered her red, swollen cheek without a word, silently crying.
"Don't be angry, I know I was wrong..." Yan Qing sniffled. "Teacher Tong, I was just so angry, I just..."
Yan Qing wasn't afraid of the pain; she knew Tong Yang was concerned about her, was doing this for her own good.
Tong Yang was silent for several seconds before saying, "You're truly pathetic, using your own life to threaten others."
"But I didn't know what else to do... I don't want them to get divorced..."
"Then get mad at them, give them trouble. If they divorce, take the child support from both and focus on your studies."
Yan Qing raised her eyes, glancing at her cautiously. "Sister Tong Yang, if they divorce, why don't you adopt me?"
Tong Yang looked at her as if she were an idiot. "Are you sick? Do you think that would be legal?"
"So what? At least you understand me better than they do!"
"Shut up." Tong Yang tugged at the curtain. "Do you accept this? If not, go smash all this stuff. Your parents will just have to buy new ones anyway."
"I'm not smashing my own things."
"Then what do you want to do?"
"I just don't want to deal with them right now."
"Then don't."
That night, Tong Yang didn't leave Half Moon Villa. Yan Qing's mother, Ms. Yan, was worried about her daughter's emotional state and asked her to stay. The time would be paid the same as tutoring hours.
Tong Yang thought about it and didn't refuse. Money not earned is money wasted; she felt she deserved it.
Tong Yang spent the night in the guest room and left after giving Yan Qing two lessons the next day.
By then, Yan Qing's mood had recovered to normal, except for her cold, dismissive attitude towards her parents.
Just as Tong Yang walked out of Half Moon Villa, she received a call from Tong Le.
"Hello."
She answered the phone.
"Sister, where are you?"
"I just finished tutoring, heading back to campus."
"What's up?"
Tong Le said, "Sister Shiyu said she's taking us to the science museum this afternoon. Can you come with us?"
"You guys go ahead. I need to first—"
"Sister, I have to go register tomorrow, so I won't be able to play with you as often after that," Tong Le said unhappily.
"We can still meet on weekends."
"Today is the last day before registration. Can't you accompany me?"
Tong Yang hesitated. She had planned to go back and finish the physics book she was halfway through yesterday.
"Sister, please come with us."
He whined in a soft, pleading voice; Tong Yang could almost hear the tilde in his tone.
"I haven't finished my book," Tong Yang said.
Tong Le's mood immediately fell, knowing his sister usually disliked having her studies interrupted. "Oh... then make sure you rest, okay? Don't overwork yourself."
"I'm hanging up now..."
Hearing his deflated tone, Tong Yang couldn't help but find it amusing.
During their time in the capital, she and Tong Le had never played so freely and unrestrainedly. It was a very rare period for both of them.
"Alright, tell Sister Shiyu to send me the address. I'll go back to school to change clothes and then meet you."
"Yay!" Tong Le's voice immediately became cheerful. "Sister, be safe on the way. We'll wait for you at the entrance!"
"Got it."
After hanging up, Tong Yang scanned a shared bike.
Passing by a cake shop, she suddenly saw a boy wearing a white baseball cap standing on the street corner, looking at her.
Tong Yang instinctively turned her head to look. The boy seemed to notice, immediately lowering his head, using the brim of his cap to hide most of his face.
Seeing the side of his face that was visible, Tong Yang's breath hitched. She stopped her bike by the roadside, staring blankly in his direction.
The boy pulled his cap down further, quickly turned around, and walked away.
Tong Yang didn't chase after him, just kept her eyes fixed on the direction he had left.
For a moment, she felt she had clearly seen his face.
It was a face both familiar and strange to her.
A moment later, Tong Yang rode her bike away from that street.
The boy who had disappeared around the corner suddenly walked back. He raised his head, revealing his fair cheeks under the cap, and gazed deeply at Tong Yang's receding figure.
He watched for a long time. The street was a straight road ahead, and Tong Yang's back didn't disappear for a while.
He seemed somewhat dazed, his lips parting slightly as he whispered something.
But the sound was too faint, even he himself couldn't hear it clearly.
