Chapter 28: Three Places

Today was New Year’s Day.

In the distant suburbs, some residents set off firecrackers early in the morning, hoping the deafening explosions would drive away misfortune for the coming year. Red scraps of paper littered the roadside, and the pungent smell of sulfur lingered in the air.

Ming Yue paid no attention to the scenery outside. She drove quickly past, her wheels crushing the confetti. In the flurry of scarlet fragments, her car was like a fleeting shadow.

She returned to Xianhu Manor at two in the afternoon.

Madam Ming sat gracefully on the living room sofa, sipping tea and chatting with visiting relatives. A few children played nearby, filling the usually quiet villa with a touch of liveliness.

“Happy New Year, Uncle, Aunt, Auntie, Uncle-in-law.” Ming Yue greeted the elders politely, then looked toward her mother, who seemed worried. She pressed her lips into a smile. “Mom, I’m back.”

On the way, she had bought new clothes—a red-and-white thick Han-style jacket. She had re-pinned her hair, applied light makeup to cover the dark shadows beneath her eyes, and wore a smile as warm as winter sunshine. Standing poised before her elders, there was no hint of anything unusual.

“Yue Yue, you’ve gotten even prettier after a year apart. If only my daughter were more like you. She’s wild as a monkey, never listens no matter how I scold her.” Ming Yue’s aunt glanced at her five-year-old daughter, who was tossing orange peels around, exasperated.

The elders chuckled.

“How could that be?” Madam Ming joined in smoothly. “Shu Ya’s liveliness is wonderful. A noisy household is a happy one. With children, all that matters is that they stay healthy.”

“Yes, health is most important. Speaking of which, sister, what about third sister’s family this year…”

The elders’ chatter drifted on to another topic.

After offering greetings, Ming Yue smiled and excused herself. She went upstairs to her own room.

The smile faded completely from her face.

In the bathroom.

Clothes fell one by one onto the tiles. Barefoot, Ming Yue stepped into the warm bath. Ripples shimmered as she leaned back against the cold stone and looked up at the silver chandelier overhead.

New Year.

Would he like the New Year’s gift she had prepared?

Every year it was a new dress. Would he think it boring?

Next year… should she give something else?

Give…

A sharp pain stabbed her heart, like countless fine needles pricking at once. She clutched her chest, tilting her head back so her tears wouldn’t fall.

Right. She had forgotten.

Her “sister” was already dead.

Locked in that basement. Burned alive in the fire. Reduced to a charred, ugly corpse.

He was dead.

She suddenly stood up. Water streamed down her trembling limbs.

Sister…

She had thought there was still so much time.

Enough time for him to walk from the basement into the sunlight. Enough time for him to gradually accept their twisted bond.

She had thought that, in this long and tedious life, they would one day become accomplices in the dark.

But…

He was dead.

The caged canary with broken wings had died in a fire he could never escape.

The stabbing in her chest grew fierce. Tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes.

Always like this.

Always like this…

A “zzzt.”

A slender sparkler lit up, scattering brilliant sparks into the snowy night.

Outside the Ming family villa, a few children held the glowing wands, mouths wide in amazement as they spun in circles.

“Yue-jie, Happy New Year! Do you want to set off fireworks with us?”

Standing nearby, Ming Yue didn’t answer. She blankly accepted a sparkler, lowering her gaze to watch it burn.

“Sister-in-law, what’s wrong with Yue Yue today?”

Inside the villa, after the New Year’s Eve feast, Ming Yue’s aunt asked as she looked out at the children playing.

“Yes, Yue Yue seems down. This afternoon she was distracted while we were talking.” Another relative echoed.

“It’s nothing. Maybe she didn’t sleep well last night,” Madam Ming replied.

“As long as it’s nothing serious. If something comes up, let us know right away.”

“Mm.” Madam Ming glanced at her daughter’s back, then turned to continue chatting. “Tomorrow’s the first day of the year. How about we all go soak in the Jiuxi hot springs?”

“Sounds good. Tomorrow let’s…”

A crackle.

Outside, Ming Yue’s sparkler burned out. A tiny ember fell onto the back of her hand. She pressed it lightly against her chin as her phone lit up at her waist.

A message from Su Zhi.

Ming Yue, the people watching Huo Xin said: Lin Suya jumped off a building.

Lin Suya was Huo Xin’s mother.

Huo Xin has gone mad.

I won’t come back for now. Send her to Qingchuan Sanatorium.

Qingchuan Sanatorium was located in the capital. Expansive grounds, high greenery, world-class doctors and equipment. It was famous throughout the country.

Sending Huo Xin there… Su Zhi was sparing the last shred of their old ties. But of course, sending her away from C City to waste decades in confinement wasn’t just about sentiment.

Huo Xin… had gone insane?

Reading the message, Ming Yue’s lips curled coldly. She was about to reply when a thought struck her. She clenched the phone, her blood running cold.

Her sister was already dead.

New Year’s gift. Huo Xin. The basement. The future… None of it mattered anymore.

How was she supposed to tell them this…

Switzerland. Afternoon, one o’clock. Snow fell heavily.

In a mountain cabin, the fireplace roared. After sending the message, Su Zhi muted her phone, set it on a wooden table, put on ski goggles, and carried her snowboard outside.

Not long after, the phone screen lit up.

Between the snowy pines, a figure sped past, snow scattering.

“Zhizhi, careful! Don’t go so fast or you’ll fall!”

“Got it.”

Her voice was faint in the rushing wind.

The phone screen dimmed again.

United States, Hawaii. Morning, ten o’clock.

In a presidential suite, Gu Wanting had just showered. She stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the beach crowded with tourists and rolling waves.

Buzz—

Her phone vibrated on the table. She drained the last of her wine, walked over, and picked it up.

“Villa. Fire.”

A message as short as could be. No other details.

Gu Wanting stared at the final period for a long time, then suddenly let out a laugh.

On the table before her was a square gift box. Inside, on black velvet, lay a golden bracelet. The outer band was etched with delicate bamboo leaves. On the inner band, tiny English letters read—

my dog.

My little dog.

In the daylight, Gu Wanting’s shadow was as faint as a poppy swaying in the wind—beautiful, but dangerous. Her dark eyes glimmered as she licked her lips. With a snap, she shut the box, then moved gracefully back to the window.

A faint streak of light flashed across the sky.

Something sank silently into the sea, vanishing without a trace.

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