"...Okay."
Wen Shaoyu took Lizi's leash from Ji Shuhe and turned around, dragging the reluctant little dog that clearly didn't want to go home.
The alley was as dim as ever. With the demolition approaching, many renters had already moved away. Their footsteps echoed in the quiet, creating an indescribably eerie atmosphere.
Lizi kept stopping, lifting a leg to mark territory, but Wen Shaoyu gently scolded him. Taking the chance, Ji Shuhe saw in the cold moonlight that his left side seemed swollen.
She called to him, "Wen Shaoyu."
"Hmm?" He responded, but noticing her staring at his face, he stepped back half a step to hide in the shadow of the building.
"If you're angry or sad, you can tell me," Ji Shuhe tugged at his clothes to stop him. "It's still a long way home. Don't bottle it up."
Wen Shaoyu laughed. "Xiao Miaomiao, you..."
"I'm not overthinking. I can see it with my own eyes. You're not doing well. You've been worried lately." Ji Shuhe interrupted him. "Wen Shaoyu! I... I'm really worried about you!"
In her excited, wide eyes, Wen Shaoyu saw his own reflection—tired, vacant, with half his face swollen.
Ji Shuhe was right. Since Grandma left, he hadn't had a good night's sleep. The things that troubled him day and night might not seem important to others, but they were his obsession, something he couldn't let go of.
"Actually, I know. Wen Cheng has a big family now. He wouldn't stoop to take what Grandma left me. Having him sign the demolition papers would make things a lot easier."
"But I just don't want him to touch anything that belonged to Grandma. Not even a little." Wen Shaoyu lowered his eyes, trying to hide his hatred but failing. "This place belongs to Grandma and my mom. Wen Cheng doesn't deserve it!"
But that wasn't what Ji Shuhe cared about. "Will you still provoke him like you did today, just to get slapped?"
Wen Shaoyu was taken aback. Before he could defend himself, Ji Shuhe grabbed his arm and continued, "I didn't get it at first, but now I do. You did it on purpose!"
"What? Doesn't it hurt to be hit? What are you trying to force yourself to realize with that slap? To give up? Give up the last shred of hope for familial affection from him? Then why do it this way! You always lecture me with big principles, but you can't see clearly yourself!"
As she grew anxious, her words came faster. Though not loud, each sentence stabbed at Wen Shaoyu's heart like needles.
And she wasn't done. She tried to twist his arm, but with all those layers of clothes and her limited strength, it felt like a kitten scratching him.
Only when she had said her piece did Wen Shaoyu let out a faint sigh. "It's easy to say, hard to do. I didn't want to, but... when I'm too lonely, I still let myself hope."
He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I guess things that shouldn't exist should be thrown away from the start."
"Xiao Miaomiao, learn from my mistake. Don't be like me."
People like them—Wen Shaoyu or her—had little familial affection. Deep down, they knew they shouldn't expect favoritism. But humans aren't cold-blooded machines that can run on settings alone. In moments of loneliness and weakness, they still fantasize about a little bit of family love.
But Wen Shaoyu's case was more complicated. He was inherently conflicted. His hatred was so obvious that his longing had turned into provocation.
Ji Shuhe couldn't blame Wen Shaoyu. She just felt wronged for him. Why did it have to be them, out of all the people in the world, who had such rocky relationships?
Ji Shuhe's nose stung. She stared at Wen Shaoyu for so long that when she blinked, tears fell from her eyes.
Wen Shaoyu had been about to say something, but seeing her cry, he panicked and reached out to wipe her tears. The thumb and index finger of his right hand, calloused from holding a pen, rubbed against her delicate skin, leaving red marks.
"Why are you crying? Did I say something that upset you?" Wen Shaoyu asked helplessly.
Ji Shuhe pressed her lips together and shook her head. Lizi circled them anxiously, but the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat.
"Come on, wipe them off. If Ji Shulang sees you like this, he'll think I bullied you..."
"...Wen Shaoyu." She called his name, but then fell silent for a long while.
But Wen Shaoyu never rushed her. "I'm here."
"I don't know if I should tell you this." Ji Shuhe hesitated.
But Wen Shaoyu was straightforward. "Say it. We have no secrets."
Ji Shuhe took a deep breath. "I think temporary compromise isn't the same as betrayal, especially when you don't have the power to resist."
"Do you understand what I mean? I'm saying that no matter if it's Granny Zheng or your mom, the family up there won't think you're betraying them by choosing to compromise."
She had finally figured out what was troubling Wen Shaoyu.
It was that he had to confront his biological father head-on. Because if he accepted any olive branch from that side, no matter how useless, he would feel he was betraying his departed mother and grandmother emotionally.
But Wen Shaoyu had no real power to resist. In the end, he would be the only one hurt and defeated.
"I know." Wen Shaoyu understood everything she said. The reason he didn't do it was that he was afraid—afraid that one day he might genuinely fall, and also because staying in that house meant having to deal with someone he absolutely loathed. It was just too hard to pretend.
Seeing this, Ji Shuhe pressed her advantage. "Then please, I'm begging you—don't fight him anymore, okay? It hurts to get hit! As long as you get through the college entrance exam, everything will be fine!"
Her thinking was simple: the most important hurdle in their lives was the exam. Once they got through it safely, as adults, they would always find a way to live well.
But Wen Shaoyu hadn't expected Ji Shuhe to genuinely want to have a heart-to-heart with him. Her almond-shaped eyes looked at him pleadingly, full of sincerity and concern for him.
It was as if there were two tiny sprouts with trembling leaves on top of her head. Wen Shaoyu wanted to reach out and touch them, to tell her that he understood what she meant, but...
But reality was always a bit different.
Yet she kept staring at him, as if she wouldn't let him go until he agreed.
Wen Shaoyu didn't want his troubles to affect Ji Shuhe too much. She had already cried and worried for him today—that was enough emotional drain. Besides, neither of them had it easy.
Wen Shaoyu's Adam's apple bobbed. "Okay. I promise you."