Zhu Yaya originally wanted to say something to Li Hao, but when she glanced up and saw their homeroom teacher Chang Wen approaching, she simply made a plan with Li Hao to go to Yan Heng's house after school. Then she entered the classroom.
Chang Wen, noticing the restlessness of the students, gave a few brief instructions before dismissing everyone.
Zhu Yaya quickly packed her things and followed Li Hao, who was waiting in the corridor.
Being a frequent visitor to that area, Zhu Yaya navigated the route with ease, effortlessly guiding Li Hao—who had never been to the west district and was worried about getting lost—right to the foot of Yan Heng's building.
Sensing her familiarity, Li Hao rubbed his chin and squinted at her suspiciously. "That's odd. I only knew Brother Yan's address from looking at his student file. How did you know?"
"Ah, well, haha, let's just go upstairs! By the way, did the student file say which floor and apartment number Brother Yan lives in?" Flustered, Zhu Yaya clumsily changed the subject.
Seeing that Zhu Yaya genuinely didn't know the exact floor, Li Hao didn't press further and led her upstairs.
After climbing just a few steps, Li Hao, who was ahead, stopped moving. Puzzled, Zhu Yaya leaned forward to look. "Why did you stop?"
"Little junior."
"What's wrong?"
"I forgot whether Brother Yan's apartment is 411 or 311. What do we do now?" Li Hao was on the verge of tears.
What to do?
Zhu Yaya fixed him with a dull, deadpan stare. "Let's knock on both."
Apartment 311 belonged to a grumpy, hard-of-hearing old man. After a long and difficult communication attempt with him, they unexpectedly learned that the old man actually knew where Yan Heng lived! They finally discovered Yan Heng's apartment was 416!
Zhu Yaya turned her head, her dead-fish eyes locked onto Li Hao, and said flatly, "411? 311?"
Li Hao adjusted his glasses awkwardly. "Haha, I, uh, my memory isn't very good!"
Finally, they reached apartment 416. Li Hao knocked on the door and called inside, "Brother Yan, Brother Yan, are you there?"
A long time passed with no response from inside.
Zhu Yaya wondered skeptically if the old man had misremembered the apartment number, just like Li Hao!
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she heard the sound of a door opening from within. Yan Heng appeared before Zhu Yaya and Li Hao, his face marked with scratches and traces of blood, looking utterly disheveled.
Seeing Zhu Yaya, he seemed momentarily stunned. His left hand gripped the hem of his shirt, wrinkling it, and he lowered his head, letting his bangs shade his eyes. He asked her softly, "What are you doing here?"
Zhu Yaya had never seen Yan Heng in such a state. She felt a slight tightness in her throat, cleared it, and pretended to be casual as she replied, "Oh, nothing much! Just wanted to come see you. Not welcome?"
Feeling ignored, Li Hao raised his hand from the side. "Brother Yan, I'm here too!"
Yan Heng glanced at him. "I know."
He continued, "My place is a bit messy today. It's not very convenient to have guests."
"It's fine, Brother Yan. We're already here, and we're exhausted from the trip. Just let us come in and rest for a bit," Li Hao said.
Zhu Yaya also looked at Yan Heng with hopeful eyes.
Yan Heng finally relented. "Alright." As he turned, a flicker of unease passed through his eyes.
Upon entering, Zhu Yaya was shocked. The room was very small and dimly lit, yet it had all the essentials. However, it looked as if a fierce struggle had taken place inside—chairs and stools were all overturned, and everything was in chaos.
As Yan Heng walked past, he casually righted the chairs and stools, gesturing to Li Hao and Zhu Yaya. "Find a place to sit for now. I'll get you some water in a moment."
"Okay!" Zhu Yaya replied with a bright smile, not showing a hint of disdain.
While Yan Heng was in the kitchen, Li Hao, driven by curiosity, began wandering around, peering into each room and examining everything. Having never seen such a small apartment, he found it quite novel.
Zhu Yaya ignored him. Her attention was captured by a framed family photo of three people hanging on the wall.
It seemed to be a photo of Yan Heng from his childhood. His features carried a childish softness, his little round face scrunched up in a serious expression. She chuckled softly. Who would have thought Yan Heng was a little poker-face even back then. The people beside him were presumably his parents. The man was tall and handsome, the woman petite and beautiful. Both had their arms around little Yan Heng, smiling happily at the camera.
Zhu Yaya sighed inwardly. No wonder Yan Heng was so good-looking; it was the power of his parents' strong genes! However, thinking about what later befell this couple filled her with another wave of melancholy.
"Hey, little junior, come here quick!" Li Hao had stopped at a room's doorway and was beckoning to Zhu Yaya.
"What are you doing?" Zhu Yaya walked over.
"There's some unusual movement in this room."
Zhu Yaya leaned close and indeed heard a sound. It was a woman's voice, gently humming a song.
She pushed the door and found it unlocked. With a gentle push, she saw a disheveled woman. Her hands and feet were bound with long, soft cloth strips. She had her back to Zhu Yaya and Li Hao, seemingly cradling something in her arms as she hummed.
Zhu Yaya could make it out now—it was a popular Hong Kong/Taiwan love song from her mother Zhao Jing's era, one she often sang at home.
Summoning her courage, Zhu Yaya stepped inside for a closer look. The woman's face was somewhat dusty, but she could still be recognized as the woman from the family photo in the living room. Though the years had left their marks on her face, traces of her youthful charm remained.
Was she... Yan Heng's mother?
Zhu Yaya froze.
The woman finally noticed Zhu Yaya. She gave her a coy, girlish smile. "You're here!" In her arms, she held a large black jacket.
Zhu Yaya didn't speak, just watched her quietly.
The woman seemed not to mind at all, treating Zhu Yaya as a childhood friend. With a sweet expression, she began recounting her love story with a man named "Yan Shaohua."
Zhu Yaya listened obediently to her fragmented murmurs, as if witnessing the love story of a couple who grew up together in an orphanage, dependent on each other for survival.
Li Hao stood at the doorway, not entering to disturb them. Yan Heng also walked over, patted Li Hao's shoulder lightly, handed him the water glasses he was holding, and stood in the doorway. His gaze was heavy as he watched the woman and the girl in the room, an indescribable emotion flickering in his eyes.
"Who is she?" Li Hao whispered, leaning closer, but Yan Heng pushed him away with a hint of annoyance.
"She's my mother," Yan Heng replied, his voice low and hoarse.
Everything had been calm, but then Li Hao accidentally bumped against the doorframe at the entrance, creating a loud noise. Yan Heng's mother turned her head.
Yan Heng's expression changed instantly.
The previously calm woman suddenly erupted. Her eyes flew wide open, her face a mask of terror and despair. Her mouth gaped open as she let out incoherent, frantic cries, like someone gone mad, her hands clawing wildly at the air.
Zhu Yaya, standing nearby, was terrified. Seeing that Yan Heng's mother was about to lunge at her, Yan Heng thankfully pulled Zhu Yaya into his arms just in time and swiftly brought her out of the room. Then, he locked the door.
A wave of fear washed over Zhu Yaya.
Then, she heard the sound of Yan Heng's mother's desperate screams from inside the room, as if she were suffering immense torment—a despair as piercing as the cry of a cuckoo.
"Shaohua! Shaohua! Save me!"
"Ah, stay away! Don't come near me!"
"Shao Hua!"
...
Listening to Mrs. Yan's screams, Zhu Yaya felt a tight, sour ache in her heart and eyes. She recalled what Zhu Jianjun had once told her about Mrs. Yan's tragic past, and an impulse to weep welled up within her. She hadn't even registered that she was still nestled in Yan Heng's arms.
Through a blur of tears, she looked up at Yan Heng, at the scratches on his face, and finally understood how he had gotten injured.
Yan Heng, thinking she had been frightened to tears, gently patted Zhu Yaya's back, murmuring soft words of comfort.
