Chapter 13: Afterward

“The fire had just been discovered. I went to find you. I clearly saw you—my mother, and you. But at that moment, I fainted. When I woke up again, I was here.”

“…”

“My mother died… died! Wasn’t she with you? Why did you come out? You’re alive, but she’s dead…”

“…”

He Rou remained silent throughout.

Her eyes seemed to be fixed on Luo Yun, but at that moment, her gaze wasn’t focused on anything.

She had just woken up.

The news Luo Yun brought left her at a complete loss.

Her beloved Nainai had died in a fire.

And now, this disaster—another fire.

She didn’t know why her life was surrounded by disaster.

Scorching heat.

Suffering.

Pain.

She didn’t believe in gods.

But these consecutive accidents forced her to wonder: had she committed some unforgivable crime in a past life?

Had she even done something as disrespectful as relieving herself on Yan Wang’s head?

Was that why she was being punished this time?

“Say something… say something!”

Luo Yun’s emotions were barely under control.

She couldn’t understand how this person had been with her mother, yet now she lay perfectly unharmed in front of her, while her own mother was forever sealed inside a tiny box.

Her mother had been so beautiful.

In death, she was ugly.

Disgusting.

Even if her mother herself hadn’t cared, Luo Yun’s heart was utterly broken.

Her mother’s death blurred the line between reality and dreams.

Luo Yun had suffered few injuries, so she had woken up early.

For days, she refused to believe that her birthday, just a few days ago, had turned into such a catastrophe.

This day was supposed to be the most beautiful of her life.

Instead, it became the most unforgettable.

Overwhelmed by grief, she had cried endlessly—she didn’t know for how long.

Just now, the moment she learned He Rou had woken up, she rushed over.

She desperately wanted to know how He Rou had survived.

Why hadn’t her mother?

The need to demand an answer made her forget: He Rou had also lost her parents that day.

Now, He Rou was completely alone.

“I… I’m sorry.”

Hearing Luo Yun’s relentless accusations, He Rou felt a surge of helplessness.

Right now, she truly didn’t know what to do.

Her parents were dead.

Even though they had never loved her, they were still her direct relatives.

Now that they were gone, the fourteen-year-old He Rou was truly alone in the world.

“My mother… why didn’t she come out with you?”

“I’m sorry… It was… Auntie who saved me…”

He Rou didn’t know how to say it.

Another person’s life in exchange for her own.

And that person was the mother of someone important to her.

He Rou really didn’t know how to answer.

“Saved?”

Luo Yun repeated the word.

Her lips moved, but her voice sounded like it came from somewhere else.

“She saved you.”

“What right did she have to save you?”

Luo Yun’s hands pressed against the edge of the bed.

Her fingers dug in, turning white at the knuckles.

“That day was my birthday.”

Her voice began to tremble.

“That day was my birthday… Mom pushed away so many work obligations just to celebrate it with me. If only Dad hadn’t insisted on inviting those people… Why did everything have to be ruined?”

“Why! Wuwu… Mom… wuwawa wuwu…”

Luo Yun could no longer hold back her tears.

They streamed down her face.

“Wuwuwu—”

“I don’t want ‘sorry.'”

Her voice cracked.

“I want my mom.”

She crouched down.

By the bed. In front of He Rou.

Her hands covered her head.

Her sobs leaked through her fingers.

He Rou sat on the bed.

Watching Luo Yun crouched on the floor.

Watching her shoulders shake.

Watching a strand of hair at the back of her head that stuck up—pressed into a curve from lying too long.

He Rou reached out her hand.

Her hand stopped halfway.

Hovering in midair.

Her fingers curled.

Curled again.

Then she pulled back.

She remembered Luo Yun’s mother pushing her toward the window.

She remembered those hands supporting her feet.

Two fourteen-year-old girls had both lost the most important person in their hearts that day.

Looking at her, He Rou began to recount everything that had happened that day.

…

Time dripped by, drop by drop.

The hospital room was so quiet that every breath was audible.

The silence was broken first by Luo Yun.

“Why are you still alive?”

“I’m sorry.”

Luo Yun stood up.

She stared at He Rou.

The twisted feeling inside her grew larger and larger.

She herself was the superior one.

He Rou was just a stray pet she had leashed out of pity—a homeless animal.

How could this thing survive, and at the cost of her own mother?

Instantly, a desire to vent her emotions on He Rou surged up.

Luo Yun didn’t care at all that there had been no other choice.

All she knew was that her mother had died to save He Rou.

He Rou’s life had been bought with her mother’s.

So He Rou had the right—no, the obligation—to endure every bit of her rage.

Then she yanked He Rou’s hand.

Stared at her.

Then dropped it and walked away.

He Rou touched her own hand, watching Luo Yun’s retreating figure, not knowing what to do.

She had just woken up; her mind was still a jumble.

Without any mental preparation, she had received so much—so much enormous, terrifying news.

“I’m sorry…”

Even though Luo Yun wasn’t in front of her, she kept apologizing.

Then she lay back on the hospital bed, stared at the ceiling, and thought about the future.

Right now, she was just a child.

Her parents were dead.

She didn’t know how much money they had left, but… they were dead.

And yet, she didn’t feel any sadness at all.

Where would she go from here? She didn’t know.

Maybe she’d keep going to school.

Maybe she’d drop out and stay home forever. But…

Every time He Rou thought of Luo Yun and her mother, a wave of pain washed over her.

Perhaps she needed to help.

Help Luo Yun.

She didn’t know how Luo Yun saw her now, but from her behavior just now, her emotions were definitely out of control.

He Rou wanted to help Luo Yun first.

Whether Luo Yun would accept her help was another question.

Lying in bed, He Rou kept thinking about her future.

She was fourteen.

No father, no mother, no family at all.

She had no idea how much savings her family had, nor how many assets would fall into her hands.

From what she remembered, her parents had never shown her anything.

“Ah…”

The future.

A headache.

The more calculations piled up in her mind, the more exhausted He Rou felt.

She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious.

But mental fatigue finally pulled her back to sleep.