Li Wenqing shrank her shoulders, her voice becoming softer, “… No.”

Li Wenshui, who had raised his sister all by himself, was undoubtedly a qualified older brother, but he was also a strict one. He knew that it would be hard for him to escape such a terrible environment, so he hoped his sister would rise above it, escape this environment, and avoid any connection with their unworthy father. That man was the source of all their suffering.

“Don’t think too much about it. Whatever Li Liyan tells you, don’t listen. Just focus on your studies,” Li Wenshui said, placing the best piece of mango in Li Wenqing’s bowl.

After dinner, Li Wenshui washed the dishes and came out to find that Li Wenqing had already curled up, asleep in her small bed. He tiptoed over, quietly took the practice book from her hand, turned off the light, and stepped into the courtyard. By this time, the rain had stopped, and the sky was dark, with no trace of the moon. Li Wenshui sat on the stone steps, his face cold, and dialed Li Liyan’s number.

As soon as the call was answered, loud music blared from the phone. At 9 p.m., for Li Wenshui, the tiring day was finally over, and he could rest. But for someone like Li Liyan, from a wealthy family, the extravagant nightlife was just beginning.

“Ge, what made you think to call me?” Li Liyan asked.

Li Wenshui got straight to the point, “Don’t pretend you don’t know. Why did you call Wenqing and say those things?”

The sound of a door opening came through, and the noise from the phone speaker lessened. Li Liyan seemed to have moved to a quieter place, and Li Wenshui could hear the sound of waves crashing in the background. Li Liyan, standing on a brightly lit cruise ship, breathed in the fresh sea air and said softly, “Wenqing is also my sister. Dad’s in trouble, she should know, right?”

Raindrops fell steadily from the eaves, landing by Li Wenshui’s feet, as he stared at the dark, desolate yard.

“I don’t want to waste time talking with you. Trying to use Wenqing to plead won’t work. It’ll only make me want to keep Li Qun locked up a few more days,” Li Wenshui said coldly.

There was silence on the other end for a while before Li Liyan raised his voice slightly. “Hasn’t Dad been locked up long enough to make you feel better? Don’t be so unforgiving. I don’t want Wenqing to get involved in our mess, but you have no feelings for Dad, does Wenqing feel the same? No girl would want her father to be in jail.”

Apparently worried that Li Wenshui might get angry, Li Liyan lowered his tone and continued persuading him in a softer voice, “Gege, a jail sentence affects three generations. Do you want Wenqing to lose the chance of taking the civil service exam?”

Li Wenshui tightened his grip on the phone, opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes, filled with anger, showed signs of hesitation and confusion.

“I’ll give you money, and we can make this go away…” Li Liyan’s voice abruptly cut off.

Through the phone, a familiar voice was heard: “Go ahead, where did you go this afternoon? Were you chasing after a little beauty? Why didn’t you bring her along to have fun?”

Li Wenshui recognized the voice as Pei Zhi’s.

“He’s not suited for this kind of occasion,” Liang Jin replied lazily.

“Afraid he’d embarrass you if you brought him along?” Pei Zhi teased.

Liang Jin laughed softly.

“Liang Jin!” Li Liyan called out happily, then quickly spoke faster, “I’ve got to go, Ge, if you change your mind, call me.”

The call ended, and Li Wenshui realized that all of these people seemed to know each other. The rich and powerful social circles, as Liang Jin had said, were not a place where he could fit in, no matter how hard he tried to appear wealthy.

Li Wenshui took out the business card from his pocket, crumpled it into a ball, then unfolded it and used the dim light from his phone to look at the number. He entered the number into his phone but accidentally pressed the call button. After about ten seconds, he quickly realized and hung up. But Liang Jin had definitely received the call.

Li Wenshui’s old phone remained silent, with no return call. He sat motionless in the chair, listening to the sound of water dripping from the eaves, before eventually returning to his room. Li Wenqing was deep asleep. He closed the open window a bit, then lay down on the small sofa.

That night, Li Wenshui tossed and turned, sometimes thinking about Li Wenqing, sometimes recalling Li Liyan’s words, and at other times, Liang Jin’s unmistakable soft laugh.

The next morning, when Li Wenqing woke up, breakfast was already on the table, and the house was quiet—Li Wenshui was not there.

At this time, Li Wenshui was at the police station. He didn’t notify Li Liyan or Wu Dongya; he didn’t want to see them, so he went alone to the police station to sign the reconciliation agreement. Li Qun had been locked up for several days, not eating or sleeping well, and when he was released, he looked much more haggard. He didn’t even glance at Li Wenshui as he walked past him, not offering a single word of apology. He still believed that a father beating his son was justified, and that Li Wenshui sending him to jail made him a complete ungrateful wolf. Li Wenshui closed his eyes. In fact, he had never expected an apology from Li Qun. A man like him would never realize his wrongs in his lifetime, nor would he ever lower his head. If it weren’t for worrying about affecting Li Wenqing’s career, he wouldn’t have reconciled.

Li Wenshui worked a long shift at the hotpot restaurant, where he rarely stopped when it was busy. In the past two years, in order to improve customer satisfaction, they even added a service where they sing happy birthday to customers. Li Wenshui was good-looking, so it became his job to sing and dance with a smile while holding a neon sign. Usually, by the end of the day, his face would hurt from smiling, and his legs would cramp several times. This kind of life went on week after week, day after day, with no end in sight. Today, he finished work early and thought about how Li Wenqing had exams lately, so her nutrition had to keep up. He went to the big supermarket, bought some chicken, fish, eggs, and meat, and also bought some trendy snacks that kids liked these days.

As he got off the bus, the sky was dark, and it looked like it was about to rain heavily. He happily walked home and happened to glimpse Li Wenqing coming out in a pretty little dress. Just as he was about to greet her, he saw her get into a car and leave. Li Wenshui didn’t pay much attention, thinking she must be going to hang out with friends. There was still an hour before the time he had arranged with Liang Jin, so he could drop the things off and get there in time.

When he returned home, he saw her phone on the bed.

“This kid, how forgetful.” As Li Wenshui was about to put the phone away, the screen suddenly lit up with a new message.

Dad: [Have you arrived?]

Li Wenshui’s expression became serious as he scrolled through the previous messages. Half an hour ago, Li Qun had sent Li Wenqing the address of a restaurant. Li Wenshui’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly. He, who never spent money on a taxi, spent thirty yuan to head straight to the restaurant. He couldn’t describe the emotions he was feeling—anger, sadness, frustration—like he had been betrayed. He had told Li Wenqing many times that she shouldn’t meet Li Qun in secret. Not only had she been in contact with him behind his back, but now she was meeting him secretly as well. Li Wenshui clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.

When he arrived at the restaurant and walked in, the first thing he saw was Li Wenqing sitting by the window. Along with Li Qun, there was a man in his thirties, the same person from the photo of the arranged marriage.

Li Wenshui rushed to the table, grabbed Li Wenqing, and pulled her up. Li Qun and the stranger looked at him in surprise.

Li Wenshui’s anger surged, and he took a deep breath, trying to restrain himself. He grabbed the coffee on the table and threw it at Li Qun. “I should never have let you out!”

Li Qun’s face darkened, and he quickly tried to calm the stranger down like a sycophant. “He’s Wenqing’s brother, he’s mentally unstable, sorry for the trouble.”

“The one with the most problems in their head is you, Li Qun! If you ever meet my sister again, I’ll write all your dirty deeds in a letter and send it to every one of your business partners!”

Li Qun’s face flushed with anger, glaring fiercely at Li Wenshui.

“Gege…” Li Wenqing stood up suddenly, as if caught by a teacher for standing too long, nervously clutching her skirt, her face pale. She was afraid of Li Wenshui losing his temper. When she was younger, there was one time she went to the riverbank to play with a neighbor’s boy and forgot to come home. When her brother found her, his eyes were wide open, his face ashen, as if he were about to devour her. He grabbed her and slapped her on the bottom, then scolded the neighbor’s boy until he cried loudly. At that time, she didn’t understand, and she thought her brother was so fierce, hitting and yelling recklessly. But in the end, her brother cried too. Li Wenqing would always remember that evening, when her brother, both strict and smiling at times, also cried with swollen eyes.

Li Wenshui gripped her wrist and walked out of the restaurant without saying a word. Li Wenqing had no idea where he was going, but the more uncertain she felt, the more terrified she became. The strong wind made the leaves rustle, and Li Wenqing shuddered.

Suddenly, Li Wenshui stopped, his back to Li Wenqing, his face expressionless. Li Wenqing dared not breathe a word, carefully observing his face. She whispered an apology, “Sorry, Gege, dad said he would give me some money, I wanted to save it for my college tuition, so I went to meet him.”

Li Wenshui let go of her hand, and all the pent-up emotions exploded. “I can afford to send you to college! Why would you want his dirty money? Do you know who that man is today? Your blind date! He wants you to marry into their family and be a stepmother to their three-year-old child!”

Li Wenqing took a step back, her tears falling in torrents. It had been many years since her brother had yelled at her like this.

“I… I didn’t know. I just thought I could take the money and leave. I didn’t dare tell you because I was afraid it would make you angry and upset.” The young girl, in her pretty little dress, was buffeted by the cold wind, which blew her skirt into various shapes. She kept wiping away her tears, crying like a drenched pear blossom.

Li Wenshui looked at her, his anger making his heart race. But still, he took off his coat and draped it over Li Wenqing’s shoulders, his voice stiff. “It looks like it’s going to rain, hurry up and take a taxi home.”

Li Wenqing clutched the corner of his coat, choking on her sobs. “Gege, please don’t be mad at me.”

Li Wenshui buttoned her coat with a stern face. “I bought some good food at home. If you’re hungry, eat it. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Gege, I’m sorry…”

Li Wenshui hailed a taxi, helped Li Wenqing into the car, and handed her his only umbrella. “Go home and study well, don’t open the door for strangers.”

As the taxi drove off, Li Wenshui didn’t say he forgave Li Wenqing. He couldn’t bring himself to say it. He was afraid that once he did, there would be a second time. He knew he was too strict and anxious with her, but he couldn’t let go. She was his life. After their mother left, she was his only emotional support.

At the back gate of B University, the drizzle fell, hitting the poplar trees with a soft pattering sound. Liang Jin sat in the car with his legs crossed, his phone ringing. He answered.

“Liang Jin, are you going to the social tonight? There are some small stars from the entertainment industry. Aren’t you still single? Are you not looking for anyone anymore?”

Liang Jin looked out at the empty street, his voice calm. “I’m not going, you guys have fun.”

“Alright, looks like you’ve had too much gourmet food and can’t eat anymore. Rest up, I guess.” The person on the other end joked.

Liang Jin didn’t reply and hung up the phone.

The rain grew heavier, the water splashing in through the window and landing on Liang Jin’s arm. He glanced at his watch. Liang Jin lit a cigarette, about to take a puff, when the car door opened, and a drenched Li Wenshui climbed in.

Liang Jin didn’t look up. “You’re one hour and twenty-five minutes late.”

Li Wenshui, shivering from the cold, had given his coat to Li Wenqing, and was left with only a thin white T-shirt. The moment it got wet, it clung tightly to his body, revealing his skin. He sensed Liang Jin’s displeasure.

“Sorry, I got delayed by something. I tried calling you but couldn’t get through.”

Liang Jin slowly put out his cigarette, half of his face hidden in the dim light. Li Wenshui couldn’t clearly see his expression.

“I don’t like waiting for people.”

Liang Jin uncrossed his legs, leaning lazily against the back of the seat. He then raised his pale hand, patting his thigh, his eyes roving over Li Wenshui’s body, a subtle and ambiguous emotion flickering in his eyes.

“Take it off, come sit here.”