Chapter 23

Lu Wenyuan had always believed his son was the most sensible little cub in the world.

Lu Qingyuan was twelve years old this year. He had shot up in height these past two years. Only in sixth grade, he was already nearing 1.7 meters. He was already an outstanding presence among elementary school students, and now, as the childish softness in his brows and eyes gradually faded, softening a bit of his coldness, a fine-looking appearance was faintly emerging.

He was even quieter than before. When he was still and silent, he always exuded a sense of detached aloofness.

At school, he never caused trouble. He was the standard “Three Goods” student in his teachers’ eyes. At home, he studied quietly, did things quietly, and took care of his younger brother quietly. Even though his temperament was vastly different from other children—often sullen, rarely smiling, even a little reclusive—Lu Wenyuan still believed he was the best child in the world.

So good, that when someone came knocking, Lu Wenyuan couldn’t believe his good son could have done such a thing.

That day, it was already 9 PM by the time Lu Wenyuan finished his social engagement and returned to the residential complex. He had brought the kids soup dumplings from Tongqing Tower. This restaurant’s soup dumplings were incredibly famous in Nanjing—limited numbers, and you could queue for ages only to be allowed two baskets.

Lu Wenyuan was afraid the soup dumplings would get cold and not taste good, so he was eager to get home quickly. Just then, several women suddenly blocked his path. With shrill voices, they demanded, “We’ve been waiting! Lu Qingyuan is your son, right?”

Lu Wenyuan didn’t recognize them. Assuming they were just some students’ parents, he asked kindly, “What’s the matter?”

The woman leading them had the currently trendy tight curly perm, looking to be in her thirties. Her sharp eyes swept over him. Then, with lightning speed, she stepped forward, slapped the box of soup dumplings out of Lu Wenyuan’s hands, and—with a swift yet steady motion—threw herself to the ground with a thud in front of Lu Wenyuan. She slapped both hands on the ground and began to wail:

“It was your son who smashed my son’s head! If he can’t take exams in the future, if he can’t get into a good school, what are you going to do about it?!”

Lu Wenyuan wasn’t intimidated by this spectacle. But his ears quickly caught the key words. His mind buzzed, as if countless flies had flown inside.

Xiao Yuan got into a fight? Is he hurt? How badly? Why didn’t he tell me?

Lu Wenyuan couldn’t care about anything else now. He pushed past people, trying to leave. But the remaining women formed a circle, instantly surrounding Lu Wenyuan, as solid as a wall of iron and bronze.

Lu Wenyuan still hadn’t grasped the full story. His heart was burning with anxiety. Sternly, he said, “Speak properly. What exactly did Xiao Yuan do? Tell me, and I’ll handle it properly—whether it’s compensation or something else… but right now, I need to go home and see if my child is alright. If you keep blocking me, I’ll call the police!”

“Oh ho! You still have the nerve to reason! You hit someone and still want to call the police? Go ahead, go ahead! Let’s see who the police arrest!” The curly-haired woman sat on the ground, slapping her thighs and moaning in agony.

The women beside her, seeing this, also started cursing. “Ptui! Your kid’s hair isn’t even fully grown, and you’re already learning hoodlum tricks to harm others! Good heavens, how will he ever grow up properly!”

Lu Wenyuan was dazed by these women’s clamor. After calming down, he finally remembered to pull out his phone and urgently dial home.

Unexpectedly, Lu Qingyuan called him first. “Hello, Dad?”

Those short syllables were like a pardon to Lu Wenyuan. He wiped the fine sweat seeping from his forehead, first letting out a breath of relief before suppressing his anger and asking in a deep voice, “Where are you? Are you hurt? Is it serious? Did you go to the hospital? Is Nannan with you? Was he frightened?”

There was first silence on the other end. After a moment, Lu Qingyuan’s calm voice came through. “I’m fine. Chen Annan is next to me right now. He just fell asleep.”

“Don’t tell me ‘fine’. Did you go to the hospital for a checkup? If not, go immediately.” Lu Wenyuan almost never used such an angry tone with his son.

Lu Qingyuan was silent again for a moment before saying coldly, “Dad, if someone comes looking for you, let them call the police if they want.”

Hearing this, the women got even angrier. They really did call the police, demanding an explanation. They even escalated the fight to “mutual assault” in their description. Before long, a police car arrived with its siren wailing, hauling them all in to give statements. Lu Qingyuan was also brought over from home.

The boy Lu Qingyuan fought with was also in sixth grade this year, in the same year. He also had a younger cousin in Chen Annan’s class.

That boy had indeed been hit on the head by Lu Qingyuan and was still at the hospital getting stitches, so he couldn’t come.

When the police asked why the two kids fought, Lu Qingyuan’s gaze—usually indifferent to everyone—finally flickered with subtle emotion. It was a look of extreme displeasure and loathing. Combined with the dried blood on his face, it appeared far too fierce, startling even the officer for no reason.

Lu Qingyuan got out of school half an hour later than Chen Annan. Normally, Chen Annan would obediently wait for him in the school pavilion, and then Lu Wenyuan would drive to pick them up. But occasionally, Lu Wenyuan couldn’t manage it. Whenever that happened, Lu Qingyuan would hold his younger brother’s hand and they’d walk home together.

They had been doing this the entire semester. But these past few days, they were fighting.

Both were sulking. Lu Qingyuan had also been kept late by his teacher because of a competition, talking a bit longer than usual. By the time he went to the sports field to look for him, Chen Annan was nowhere to be found on the school grounds.

Lu Qingyuan assumed Chen Annan had been kept by his teacher too—after all, this kid’s grades were tragic, and being kept after class was a common occurrence.

But when he went to the lower-grade teachers’ office to find him, he was told Chen Annan had been dismissed on time.

Unable to find him, Lu Qingyuan panicked. Maybe he saw that I wasn’t coming down for ages and went to play at Xie Xi’s place.

So, Lu Qingyuan hurriedly asked Chen Annan’s head teacher for Xie Xi’s home phone number. The answer he got was no different from another bolt out of the blue—Chen Annan hadn’t left with Xie Xi after school today.

Lu Qingyuan instantly felt his hands and feet go ice-cold. A bad feeling loomed.

——

Chen Annan had been tricked into a narrow alley by a classmate.

He had recently been feeding a little stray cat. This little stray cat often lounged lazily on the campus flowerbeds, basking in the sun, curled up like a little dumpling. When Chen Annan fed it ham sausage, it would actively rub its head against the child’s hand.

Over time, this little cat actually became familiar with Chen Annan. It would often lie in a fixed corner of the campus, waiting for Chen Annan to come find it after class, its tail swishing and swaying, sweeping back and forth.

But that day after school, the little cat didn’t come. Instead, Chen Annan ran into another classmate, who said he had seen the little cat and told Chen Annan to follow him.

That narrow alley was hidden in the most inconspicuous, secluded spot behind the school. Chen Annan didn’t know where he got the nerve, but he just foolishly walked right in.

His little cat was indeed in the alley. But also in the alley were a few tall boys. Judging by their size, they must have been from the upper grades.

At this age, good and evil coexist in children. That idiot Chen Annan actually had such an obedient little cat, which undoubtedly stirred up their cruel curiosity and desire to abuse.

When Chen Annan arrived, they were using a lighter to singe the little cat’s tail. The cat couldn’t escape, only able to let out desperate, pitiful mewls of pain.

Chen Annan said, “That’s my cat!”

The leading boy was a whole head and half taller than Chen Annan, as burly as an ox. The several children behind him were all his followers, clustered around this upper-grade boy like a leader.

The boy sized up Chen Annan’s appearance and said that saving the little cat wasn’t impossible. However, Chen Annan would have to cross a fire basin.

Chen Annan looked at the cat’s singed fur, his heart breaking with pain. He asked, “Where’s the fire basin?”

The boys jeered twice. They pressed their backs against the wall and lifted one leg, planting a foot on the opposite wall, forming a narrow passage. They told him this was the fire basin and made Chen Annan crawl through it. As long as he went through, they’d return the little cat to him.

Chen Annan belatedly froze. He might be a bit slow, but he wasn’t stupid. He naturally knew this wasn’t something he should do.

Like a tiny cannonball, he charged forward, ramming his head into the boy who was burning the cat. The boy fell backward onto the ground with a yelp. The little cat swiftly struggled free from the pack and scurried away in panic.

But Chen Annan wasn’t so lucky. As he timidly tried to run, classmates had already blocked his escape route. One of them recognized Chen Annan and started talking about how he was an orphan.

“Oh, so he’s a wild child. No wonder he’s so strong.”

Chen Annan argued anxiously, “My mom just went out for work! She’ll come back! She’s coming to get me very soon!”

The classmate shouted, “Your mom is dead, dead! You’ve never even met your dad! You’re an orphan! A kid nobody wants! An orphan with no mom and no dad! When you filled out those forms, you made up your mom and dad! You liar!”

These words drew snickers from the surrounding children.

Amidst this laughter, Chen Annan’s face instantly flushed bright red. Flustered, he said, “I’m not a kid nobody wants… I’m not! My mom does lots of performances! My dad is… is a university professor! I even have a brother!”

Chen Annan lied in a panic, defending himself. His voice held an uncontrollable tremor.

In truth, over these past few years, no matter how slow he was, he must have vaguely understood some things.

But this was something children were unwilling to admit to others. Mom and Dad were like defining labels in their world. A child without parents would be seen as an anomaly, even if they had done nothing at all.

Chen Annan didn’t know when he had been labeled an anomaly. Those harsh words, barbed with thorns, drifted lightly over the noise and into Chen Annan’s ears.

A hot wave of tears welled up in Chen Annan’s eyes. He struggled to hold them in. His mouth opened, then closed. He couldn’t speak. His whole body trembled uncontrollably in the wave-like hot wind.

He had never been this weak and helpless before. Surrounded by a group of people, trapped in the shadows against the wall, unable to move. Fear crawled up his tailbone to his spine. He shrank there, shivering all over.

The leading boy mocked, “Gonna cry! He’s gonna cry! The little orphan’s gonna shed cat tears! Shame, shame, shame.”

Usually, Chen Annan loved to cry. But now, somehow, he held it in. Not a single tear fell. This group of half-grown boys slapped him hard on the head a few times as if swatting a small pillow, trying to make him cry.

Chen Annan still didn’t cry. Pushed and shoved, he stumbled forward. Amidst the jeering and commotion, the boys urged him to hurry up and crawl through.

Time stretched unbearably long. Each second felt like an hour.

Chen Annan was pushed to the ground. Just as he was about to be forced into that low, narrow, humiliating “passage,” a muffled thud sounded from behind, mixed with a yelp of pain. The boy who had been eagerly pushing him was kicked down from behind.

A familiar, warm hand firmly pulled Chen Annan up and brought him behind their back.