Chapter 15: Boomerang

Ji Huailuo returned to the Ji residence before nine o’clock.

The Birthday Star had slipped away early. Still adjusting to his new job and exhausted, he only played a little before calling it a night.

As he approached the entrance, he heard voices from the open door.

Ji Huailuo suddenly felt no desire to enter. He leaned against the wall, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and took lazy drags.

The conversation inside continued.

It was Xu Shu and Sister Li.

Xu Shu glanced at the clock on the wall and muttered, “Why isn’t Qiaoqiao back yet?”

“She’s probably on her way,” Sister Li said as she bent over to tidy up the living room. “Don’t worry just yet.”

“I offered to pick her up, but she insisted I don’t,” Xu Shu sighed.

Sister Li straightened the throw pillows on the couch. “Qiaoqiao is thoughtful. She just wants you to rest.”

She reached into the sofa’s crevice and fished out a piece of candy, chuckling. “Madam, why does Qiaoqiao always stuff things into gaps like this?”

Xu Shu chuckled too, then fell silent. After a pause, she said, “I didn’t win custody of her when I divorced her Father.”

Sister Li straightened up.

Xu Shu’s voice was heavy with sorrow. “I visited once. She was barely a meter forty, mopping the floor with a mop taller than her. Her stepmother scolded her, said if she didn’t stop sneaking food, all the housework would be hers.”

Sister Li opened her mouth, shocked.

“I asked her quietly,” Xu Shu continued, “Qiaoqiao said she was always hungry. If she took an extra bite, her stepmother would glare. She got so hungry at night she’d drink water to fill up. So, she started hiding the milk and snacks from class, even the ones I sent her.”

Tears welled in Xu Shu’s eyes. “Her Father’s son loved watching Boonie Bears. When Qiaoqiao mopped the floor, she’d slow down just to sneak a glance. But that little brat, just as awful as his parents—he’d switch the TV off the moment he saw her watching.”

Sister Li was dumbfounded. “Then… why did her Father even fight for custody?”

“He didn’t want her,” Xu Shu said bitterly. “He just wanted a way to control me.”

“Then… how did you win Qiaoqiao back?”

Xu Shu’s heart ached at the memory. “That spring, the willow catkins were unusually thick. That woman sent Qiaoqiao out to play with her son. Qiaoqiao had an asthma attack and nearly died.”

By then, Xu Shu had just found stability in her job and had already begun gathering evidence.

Because of that incident—and years of neglect and abuse—Xu Shu easily won back custody of Xu Zhiqiao.

“But I always felt… she did it on purpose,” Xu Shu’s tears fell again. “She helped me build the case. She wanted to come back to me.”

Sister Li’s eyes welled too. “Don’t be too sad. From what I see, Qiaoqiao’s doing great with you.”

Xu Shu wiped her tears. “She’s such a good girl. Took so much scolding when she was with her Father… she’s scared of people yelling at her.”

Sister Li’s expression shifted. She suddenly recalled how Ji Huailuo yelled at people—and how Xu Zhiqiao would always freeze in place.

“When I brought her home,” Xu Shu said, “she barely had any emotions left. It took years of care before she could laugh or cry again. Sister Li, you wouldn’t believe it—when she cried in front of me for the first time, I cried from happiness.”

Sister Li sighed, her heart heavy too.

As they continued speaking inside, the man by the wall stood motionless. He hadn’t realized the cigarette had burned down to his fingers.

The night was still, crickets chirped softly. The words carried out on the air, tinged with a solitude no one noticed.

Ji Huailuo swallowed. The nicotine, meant to dull the nerves, had lost all effect—his mouth was full of bitterness.

It was the same cigarette he always smoked.

And yet, it tasted unbearably bitter and dry.

In the quiet night, footsteps rustled closer. The iron gate to the Courtyard creaked open, and a slender figure entered, carrying a backpack.

Ji Huailuo straightened up and, as if possessed, snuffed out his cigarette.

Xu Zhiqiao approached and only noticed him when she drew closer. The two locked eyes in the dark for half a second. Xu Zhiqiao softly said, “Big Brother.”

Ji Huailuo was still curt. “Can you quit that lousy job already?”

Xu Zhiqiao glanced at him, her voice quiet but unable to hide a trace of joy. “I got paid! Even though it’s only been a week, the boss said I started just in time for payday. Seven days, plus I covered a couple shifts—600 yuan.”

Ji Huailuo said nothing, oddly silent.

600 yuan.

He could buy a lighter for over a thousand.

And that was just a disposable.

Apparently hearing the noise outside, Xu Shu and Sister Li came out together.

Xu Zhiqiao beamed and skipped up the steps. She pulled out six red bills from her bag. “Mom, Sister Li, look! I asked the boss to pay me in cash.”

This was her first paycheck.

“Then keep it,” Xu Shu said, ruffling her hair. “Save it all.”

Xu Zhiqiao shook her head and quickly pulled out two bills. “Sister Li, this is for you.”

“…”

She stuffed 200 yuan into Sister Li’s pocket, then pulled out another two, smiling brightly. “Mom, these are for you.”

“Mom doesn’t want them,” Xu Shu nearly choked on tears. “Baobao, keep it and buy some snacks.”

Xu Zhiqiao: “I still have 200 left. I’ll earn more.”

Just as she finished speaking, one of the bills between her fingers was swiftly snatched away. Ji Huailuo had appeared behind her without warning. When she turned around, startled, he snorted coldly, “Split it in half when we meet—street rules.”

“…!” Xu Zhiqiao jumped. “No way! That’s mine. You don’t get a share!”

Ji Huailuo stepped over the threshold and strode past her. “Try not giving it to me.”

Xu Zhiqiao panicked and grabbed his shirt. “Give it back! That’s my hard-earned money!”

One walked, the other pulled—like a trailer—into the living room.

Xu Shu was speechless.

But Sister Li laughed. “They really do seem like siblings.”

Because Ji Huailuo had taken one of the two hundred she kept for herself, Xu Zhiqiao was so angry she had nightmares. She was still grumpy the next morning.

Halfway through breakfast, Ji Huailuo came downstairs with messy hair, yawning.

Xu Zhiqiao quickly stuffed her toast into her mouth, wanting to avoid him.

Ji Huailuo shuffled in his slippers, still half-asleep, and tossed a stack of pink bills onto the table with a thud.

Both Xu Zhiqiao and Xu Shu stared in shock.

“Split it in half when we meet,” he muttered. “I got paid yesterday too. Twenty thousand—your half.”

It was exactly ten thousand.

Xu Zhiqiao was stunned.

Seeing she didn’t move, Ji Huailuo grew impatient. “Ask your Mom if you don’t believe me. My paycheck really is only twenty thousand. What do you think, I’m made of money?”

Xu Shu coughed lightly. “It’s true. That’s all he’s getting for now.”

“Can you quit that lousy job now?” Ji Huailuo looked disgusted. “People might think I, Ji Huailuo, can’t afford to support a Sister.”

Xu Zhiqiao stammered, “Big Brother…”

“And,” Ji Huailuo snapped, “from now on, you call me Big Brother. If you call Zhou Cong “Big Brother”, I’ll stop splitting my paycheck with you. Why should he get the same treatment as me?”

…

Was this…

A boomerang?