Chapter 159

Shen Li opened her eyes and woke up. Looking at the pitch-black room, she blinked slowly. Her emotions were calm, and she could hear the voices outside very clearly.

Yu Lizhen's voice suddenly rose, carrying an outburst that had been suppressed for a long time. "Shen Wenqing! Do you even have me, your wife, in your eyes? Do you have A-Li, your daughter, in your heart? When I was searching for her everywhere, you were staying safely at home, and you wouldn't even tell me the truth!"

"Keep your voice down!" Shen Wenqing's voice also sank. "Don't disturb the children."

"If I told you, what could you do? Wasn't it you who forced Li-Li away? I told you a long time ago that the retake quota shouldn't have been given up; it should have been whose it was. Did you listen to me?"

"I had my own reasons for doing that. What right do you have to criticize what I did, Shen Wenqing! From the time she was small until now, have you ever managed the children? I've been the one managing A-Li; have you, as a father, fulfilled even a bit of responsibility?!"

Shen Wenqing only felt a headache, pressing down on him so he couldn't breathe. "Fine, fine, fine. Everything you say is right. I don't want to argue with you today."

After saying this, he ignored the person behind him and walked straight toward the bathroom.

The bathroom door was shut with a "bang," cutting off the dispute between the two.

This argument didn't last long.

Today was Monday.

They all got up very early to go to school.

Shen Zhaozhao had to catch the morning flight, so she left early.

Only Shen Li was left at home alone.

She woke up at eight in the morning and saw a note left on the table: Mom won't be back at noon, go eat outside yourself.

Two hundred yuan was pressed under the paper.

Before going out, she put on a thick coat. She walked to the convenience store by the side of the road downstairs in the complex and borrowed the owner's phone to make a call.

Wuchuan.

At the Bu Da Yang Xiao Jiu Guan, several universities nearby had also started their winter breaks one after another, and the business at this tavern had become quiet.

Xu Zhouyuan opened a bottle of ice-cold beer and sat down heavily beside Xie Qin. He tilted his head back and took a large gulp of beer, sighed long and hard, and raised his hand to pat the shoulder of the person beside him, his tone full of empathetic helplessness: "I understand how you feel. I miss my Xinxin too."

"Her mom manages her strictly and absolutely forbids her from dating."

"It makes us feel like we're dating in secret, like underground agents meeting up."

"Even when we play a game, we don't dare say a word more while the mic is on."

After a pause, he turned his head to glance at the listless Xie Qin and added: "However... at least I can still secretly contact her occasionally. I'm better off than you."

"Get lost."

One word, cold and lazy, without a ripple.

In front of Xie Qin sat a glass of beer that hadn't been touched much. He had his hands buried deep in his jacket pockets, the zipper of his black jacket pulled to the top. The raised collar almost covered half his face, revealing only a sharp jawline and slightly lowered eyes.

His eyes were weary, his expression bland, and his whole body exuded a sense of decadence, unable to muster any energy.

"If I get lost, you'll really be a lone wolf. It's only your brother here who's loyal, not going home for the break and staying in Wuchuan to keep you company."

"Of the four of us, only at the end did we see who the real brothers are. Unlike those two bastards Zhou Mingyu and Qiao Lang, who disappeared as soon as the break started."

"Xu Zhouyuan, I could hear you talking dog shit from far away. I'm at the internet cafe! I didn't disappear." Zhou Mingyu's cursing voice came from not far away.

Xu Zhouyuan turned his head to look, surprised: "Holy shit, you two didn't go home for the break? I thought you two had left long ago."

Zhou Mingyu sat down as well: "You son of a bitch, you have the nerve to say that. You two were busy sending your girlfriends home, leaving us at school. Qiao Lang and I had nothing to do, so we could only go to the internet cafe and pull an all-nighter."

Xu Zhouyuan: "Couldn't you have called?"

Zhou Mingyu leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed: "Out of battery, too lazy to charge it. As soon as I came out of the internet cafe, I knew you two would definitely be here."

This was the tacit understanding unique to men; they knew these two would definitely be here with just a twitch of their toes.

"Brother, what's up with you..."

Seeing Xie Qin not speaking.

Xu Zhouyuan waved his hand: "Missing his partner, don't worry about it."

Zhou Mingyu: "Is it that serious? Shen Li didn't break up with you."

"Dating, why is everyone acting like they're possessed."

At this time, Xie Qin moved his body. He was too lazy to listen to them talk nonsense, feeling it was meaningless. He leaned over, picked up the half-glass of beer in front of him, drank it in one gulp, and stood up: "Going back."

Xu Zhouyuan: "Hey, no. We brothers are kindly keeping you company, sit for a while longer."

Xie Qin lazily lifted his eyelids, not having much spirit: "Going back to catch up on sleep."

He was a bit worried about Shen Li's situation last night and hadn't slept much all night.

"Oh, alright then. When you wake up, call us brothers, and we'll go out and gather tonight."

Xie Qin raised his hand, shoved it into his jacket pocket, and left the tavern directly.

Outside the tavern, the sky was a bit gloomy, with no sun.

A cool evening breeze blew gently, stirring the fine black hair on his forehead.

Just then, a phone ringtone suddenly came from Xie Qin's pocket.

Xie Qin stared at the unfamiliar number on the screen, hesitated for a few seconds, and put it to his ear to answer: "Who is this?"

The other side: "Shen Li."

In Xie Qin's dark eyes, which had originally been dim and silent, covered in a thin mist, a faint glimmer of light suddenly broke through.

The person who had been panicked all night finally calmed down upon hearing her voice.

Shen Li asked him: "Are you home?"

Xie Qin: "Yeah, I'm in Wuchuan."

It was good that he went back; she was afraid Xie Qin would go to Grandma's house to wait for her, but she was no longer in Su Shi.

Shen Li's voice continued slowly to tell him: "I think I should tell you. My phone has been taken away, and Mom might check my phone. Don't call me again."

Xie Qin's voice was muffled: "I know."

He didn't call, and he didn't send a single message.

He had waited all night, just waiting for her to contact him.

"Shen Li... what should I do, I miss you!"

It had only been one night, and he was going crazy missing her.

Shen Li: "Xie Qin..."

"Come to Haishi to find me."

After finishing the call, Shen Li wanted to pay for the call, but the owner was nice and didn't take it, so she simply bought a few pieces of bread in the store and took them back. She didn't have much of an appetite and didn't know what to eat, so she just made do with whatever.

Haicheng Middle School.

Yu Lizhen charged the old, second-hand phone and turned it on. There was a lock screen password on the screen. She entered the password several times in a row but couldn't open it.

Finally, it locked for an hour.

She supported her forehead and sighed, her heart filled with worried melancholy.

Seeing she couldn't open it, she locked the phone in the bottom drawer of her office desk.

After finishing the school matters in an orderly fashion.

Yu Lizhen got off work early and drove to the vegetable market to buy groceries.

After walking around the market, she had no clue about the dishes A-Li liked; she didn't even know her tastes.

She couldn't even name a dish she liked.

It made her unable to decide what to buy for a moment, so she simply bought some pork ribs.

The auntie at the market recognized her: "I heard your daughter was recommended to Qingbei University; you're really blessed."

"We're old customers, so I'll just give you these ribs as a gift."

These words made her chest sink inexplicably.

She only then remembered that Zhaozhao used to accompany her to the market to pick out the dishes she liked.

Shen Zhaozhao had followed her side since she was little, calling her Mom.

Over the years, everyone knew her daughter was Zhaozhao.

Yu Lizhen wanted to explain, but didn't know how to explain it. In the end, she just tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a very faint smile: "How could I be so embarrassed."

The auntie at the market: "It's fine, you come to me to buy groceries every time, just consider it me celebrating for your daughter."

Yu Lizhen: "Then... thank you."

After returning home, she walked to the kitchen to put down the groceries she had just bought, and then subconsciously walked toward Shen Zhaozhao's room.

The moment she pressed the door handle, she remembered something.

Her hand paused.

She stared at that door with an expression for a few seconds.

Then she turned and walked to open the other room.

Shen Li was sitting at the desk, doing problems on the test paper.

Hearing the door open, she turned to look at the doorway, met the gaze of the person outside calmly, and spoke slowly: "Is there something you need?"

Yu Lizhen moved her lips, wanting to say something, but couldn't find the words for a moment.

After a moment of silence, she saw the clothes she was wearing: "The new clothes I bought you, why aren't you wearing them?"