Chapter 16: Years ago

The villa in the distant suburbs—what it truly meant to Huo Xin, perhaps even she couldn’t explain clearly.

It was like a pavilion suspended between reality and illusion.

A place unbound by worldly restraints, where she didn’t need to wear false masks.

As long as she set foot upon the steps before the house, every burden could be thrown behind.

Here, nothing needed thought.

Nothing needed restraint.

Everything followed only her whims, a paradise of endless blossoms, supreme and intoxicating.

It was a dream of the night.

A dream stripped of bottom lines, morality, and reason, fully within her own control.

But no matter how vivid, how thrilling a dream was, no one would ever confuse it with reality.

Huo Xin least of all.

Only once, when the captive boy in the villa’s depths reddened his eyes and, with a hoarse voice, softly called her name.

The boundary between dream and reality fractured.

She suddenly remembered her name.

She remembered that the boy before her was alive, just like her.

That the thin cord in her hand was real.

That his pain was real.

He was not a doll for others to toy with.

Not a hollow porcelain figure.

He was flesh and blood, like her—capable of joy, of sorrow.

“Huo Xin…”

The boy’s gaze carried both fear and a faint, fragile dependence.

In his eyes, the fractured light seemed like a drowning soul in the deep sea, struggling to clutch the last straw.

At that moment—only that moment—Huo Xin suddenly wanted to throw away everything, to take him away, to save him from the abyss.

She wanted to become his only light, to make those eyes forever and ever fall only upon her, full of unwavering reliance.

But the thought, surging and fierce, abruptly extinguished when her eyes fell on the pure white, luxurious robe draped upon his body.

“Heh.”

Huo Xin forced away that ill-timed softness.

She pinched the boy’s thin chin.

In the fading light of his eyes, she coldly wound the cord around his neck.

“Yu Zhu, a plaything must have the awareness of a plaything.”

“Don’t be so naïve.”

The lofty words blurred the line between dream and reality.

She pulled the cord tighter, stepping into an endless, illusory dreamscape.

Don’t be so naïve.

In the Jinnan New Village, the faint camellia fragrance in the room slowly dissipated.

Huo Xin sat at the edge of the bed.

Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry.

Yu Zhu…

I’m sorry…

She was not the light he had desperately longed for.

She was false, cowardly, nothing but a ridiculous perpetrator.

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry…

Night winds swept snowflakes across the city.

The broken white moon cast silver upon the world swathed in frost.

Stars faded.

The moon sank as the sun rose.

A new day arrived within the drifting white mist.

The shelf in the washroom was rusting, sharp edges of iron exposed.

Huo Xin carefully avoided them, hung her towel, and stepped out.

The days of ceaseless snow had ended.

Through the fog, the sun shed a thin light.

She pushed open the window.

The frigid air rushed in, making her shiver, but she did not close it.

Taking a deep breath, Huo Xin lifted a smile and walked toward her mother’s room.

“Mom, are you awake?”

The half-shut wooden door shifted slightly.

She was about to speak again when a sudden crash came from the kitchen—the sound of dishes shattering.

“What happened? Mom!”

She hurried into the small kitchen.

Her mother’s hair was disheveled, eyes bruised and hollow.

She stood dazed before the gas stove, only snapping back when she heard Huo Xin call.

Golden egg batter dripped onto the stove, staining her dress.

The unwashed pan was coated in grease, an eggshell stuck inside.

“I wanted to make you breakfast, Xin’er.”

“But… Mom doesn’t know how…”

Huo Xin gently pulled her absent-minded mother away, stepping into the cramped kitchen herself and gathering the broken shards of porcelain from the floor.

“Mom can’t do anything right. Mom only drags you down.”

“Xin’er, it’s all Mom’s fault. Mom can’t do anything, couldn’t save your father, could only watch them bully you…”

“Xin’er, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Mom’s not a good mother. She can’t even do this little thing. Mom…”

The once dignified, elegant woman now buried her weary face in her hands, quietly sobbing.

Huo Xin put away the shards, then reached out and embraced her mother.

“Don’t cry, Mom. Everything will be okay.”

“But… but your father… your father… Xin’er… what should we do!”

“Dad…”

Two months of bottled pain exploded inside her.

Huo Xin forgot to console her mother, biting her lips hard, fighting back her own tears.

After a long moment, she whispered through the heavy sound of her nose:

“It… it will… be okay.”

After calming her mother, Huo Xin drew a deep breath.

She wiped up the spilled egg liquid, gagging from the stench several times.

Only after scrubbing her hands clean with soap did she switch on her phone.

The screen lit with countless missed harassment calls.

Her messages were filled with insults and abuse.

Even after seeing it countless times, the words still cut and humiliated her.

“Bzz—Bzz—”

The phone buzzed again.

She almost powered it off, until the caller ID froze her hand.

It was Ming Yue.

“Yue-jie, what is it?”

Her voice carried no warmth.

Ming Yue, lounging on a sofa, tilted her phone aside toward Su Zhi and smiled.

Her lips moved without sound:

“She’s out of the game.”

Su Zhi closed her medical book.

Her lips moved silently as well:

“As expected.”

“Xin Xin,” Ming Yue’s smile grew wider.

She lowered her voice.

“We only just learned about your family’s troubles. Are you alright?”

Huo Xin’s eyes lingered on the rust-stained shelf.

Inside, she sneered.

“I’m fine, Yue-jie. Don’t worry.”

“That’s good. That’s good. If you ever need help, tell us. Even if the family doesn’t allow it, we’ll do everything we can.”

Huo Xin fell silent.

She lifted her hand to wipe moisture from the mirror and saw herself within.

“I know. Thank you, Yue-jie.”

“As long as you know. Don’t worry too much, Xin Xin. You still have us.”

“By the way, Xin Xin,” Ming Yue’s voice dropped further, “you haven’t come to the villa in a while. When will you come play again?”

A flash of the boy’s hopeless gaze surged through her mind.

Huo Xin let her arrogance return.

“Yue-jie, you all can play. I’m tired of it.”

“Tired, huh? Then should we switch to—”

“No need. Yue-jie, I’ve got things to do. Talk later. Goodbye.”

She cut her off.

“Eh? Xin Xin?”

The call ended.

Huo Xin switched off her phone and set it on the windowsill.

Ming Yue lowered her own phone.

Her suppressed laughter burst free, and she collapsed onto the sofa, shaking.

“Su Zhi, how did you first meet Huo Xin? She’s just too amusing.”

“Forgot.” Su Zhi refused to elaborate.

“Later, Wan Ting and I are going abroad. You’ll be at the villa alone. Don’t go too far. Contact us if something happens.”

“I know, so naggy.”

Su Zhi: “…”

“Are you visiting your sister later?” Ming Yue finally straightened her skirt, sitting upright.

“Yes.” Su Zhi packed her book and rose.

“See you after the New Year, Su Zhi,” Ming Yue called as she reached the door.

Su Zhi glanced back once, said nothing, and stepped out into the thin sunlight.