As soon as Xiao Yu left, he opened the ride-hailing app to find a car, but after walking a long way, he still couldn't find one. He contacted several drivers, all of whom said it was too far to come. In the end, he had to offer extra money before someone accepted the order.
After much dawdling, the driver glanced at the navigation and claimed the roads inside were too narrow and hard to navigate, insisting on making Xiao Yu walk several miles.
Today was really unlucky.
Xiao Yu looked at the white car in front of him, shook the mud off his shoes, yanked open the car door, and sat inside. He first glared at the driver through the rearview mirror, then reported his phone number in a low, heavy voice.
If the driver had known this guy had such a bad temper, he wouldn't have come even for more money. He also glared back at Xiao Yu through the rearview mirror, jabbing at his phone to enter the number, as if he might crush the screen any second.
Xiao Yu folded his arms in the back. He was very dissatisfied with the driver's attitude but was afraid the driver might refuse to take him, so he decided to give him a hot bad review once they arrived.
The driver seemed to foresee the outcome. Without turning his head, he reached up and turned off the air conditioner.
"..." Xiao Yu gritted his teeth so hard he could have ground them to dust.
Unable to swallow his pride, Xiao Yu leaned back and moved to the side seat, then reclined against the backrest. The movement pulled his jaw into a cold, hard line. He bit his dry, chapped lips. A little cold was fine; it wasn't like he hadn't frozen before.
There was a traffic jam on the way, and it took Xiao Yu forty minutes to get to school. He pulled open the car door and got out. Suddenly remembering something, he tapped on his phone and then held it up to the car window.
It was a bad review.
"..." The driver's face flushed red with anger. If he was going to leave a bad review, why did he have to show it off? He cursed and rolled down the window, pointing at Xiao Yu: "You're a grown kid, why are you so petty?"
No matter what he said or how he cursed, Xiao Yu acted as if he didn't hear. He picked his ear and turned to walk away.
When he reached the dormitory building, he looked up and saw Xu Qingsong rushing down the stairs, hurriedly putting on his clothes. Xiao Yu grabbed him by the collar and looked him up and down: "Did a dog chase you?"
"Damn, why are you back at school?" Xu Qingsong stopped, hands on his hips, panting. He hadn't expected to see him here. Xiao Yu didn't understand: "Where else would I go if not back to school?"
"I thought you'd run off after beating Huang Xu."
"How did you know I hit him?"
"Your dad called me. He said he called you but you didn't answer—your line was busy." Xu Qingsong paused, then widened his eyes. "You didn't block him, did you?"
Xiao Yu said flatly, "Yeah."
"... No wonder," Xu Qingsong sighed, looking worried like an old father. "So what are you going to do now? Your dad told me to make you go home. Are you going or not? You're so calm, it almost looks like I was the one who hit someone."
"No." Xiao Yu headed toward the dorm.
Before he could get two meters away, Xu Qingsong's phone buzzed. He didn't need to answer to know who was calling. He called after Xiao Yu: "See, your dad's calling again. He won't give up until he sees you."
"Ignore him. Just block him," Xiao Yu said.
"..." Xu Qingsong pinched the bridge of his nose. Easy for him to say. With Xiao Qu's stubborn temper, if he couldn't find his son, he'd find the school. Who knew what kind of trouble he'd cause. Some things had to be said. No one could escape.
Xu Qingsong thought for a moment. He had to answer. Gritting his teeth and bracing for a scolding, he was about to press the answer button when the call suddenly ended.
At the same time, a WeChat message popped up.
[That lousy dad of A Yu: Tell Xiao Yu to come home immediately. His mom is here too.]
"Can you walk or not? What's there to argue with him about?"
Xiao Yu turned to urge him. Xu Qingsong didn't say anything, just held up his phone.
"Your mom's back."
...
Over two years. It had been that long since their last contact.
Xiao Yu had just started his sophomore year in high school when Xiao Qu and Liu Jie divorced. Their relationship had never been good; they fought every day. At least they both worked, so opportunities to fight during the day were rarer. They muddled along, never peaceful, but no one mentioned divorce.
Because of that, Xiao Yu didn't even know when they actually divorced.
One day after school, Xiao Yu threw his bag aside and his phone rang. It was Xu Qingsong, urging him to eat quickly and come online to help with quests. Xiao Yu wasn't very hungry; it didn't matter if he ate or not. He said, "Let's play now," and curled up on the sofa to game with Xu Qingsong. The housekeeper came to clean. Xiao Yu lifted his feet, glanced at her, and smiled, asking when his mom would come home.
The housekeeper paused, her hand on the mop handle. Frowning, she looked at him cautiously. "A Yu, don't you know?"
Xiao Yu didn't look up. "Know what? Aunt Zhang, I haven't seen Mom in days. Is she working the night shift again today?"
"..." Xiao Yu had been raised by her since he was little. Zhang Yi stared at him for a few seconds. She wanted to speak but didn't dare. After a long internal struggle, she finally avoided him and went to mop the other side. "Better ask her yourself."
Xiao Yu's fingers paused. That's when he realized something was wrong. After a stunned moment, he immediately exited the game and went to the window to call Liu Jie.
Liu Jie hadn't set a ringtone. Each ring made Xiao Yu's heart tighten. He lost count of how many rings, how many calls he made. She didn't answer, so he kept dialing. Finally, after who knows how long, the mechanical female voice was replaced by his mother's.
"Hello."
"Mom, where did you go?" Xiao Yu's voice trembled as he asked. He was terrified of hearing what he feared most.
The other end seemed taken aback. After a long pause, Liu Jie asked incredulously, "Your dad and I got divorced. That bastard, didn't he tell you?"
"... Where are you now?"
"Korea, at your aunt's."
Finally.
Xiao Yu dropped his head and let his phone fall to the floor.
After their fights, he'd often hear Liu Jie on the phone with his aunt, who urged her not to force it if it was unbearable, and to just go abroad with her after the divorce. At first, Liu Jie would vent about how angry she was, but then she'd sigh and say, "Never mind. Xiao Yu is already this old. I can't let him be without parents."
Xiao Yu would listen from outside the door, clenching his fists. He hated his dad, but he really liked his mom.
That was one reason. Xiao Qu could never say something like that. But Liu Jie was also better than Xiao Qu in that she occasionally showed concern for Xiao Yu.