The Parent-Teacher Meeting had ended. Most of the parents were leading their children home, while a few remaining ones crowded around the Class Advisor to ask about their children’s progress, their voices buzzing with concern.
Luo Ming returned to her seat and sat on the cold chair in a daze for a moment. She glanced sideways and saw Yun Qianxin and Gu Yu talking intimately, a thick, murky fog churning in her eyes.
“Xiao Yu’s grades seem really good. You’ve been working hard. Should I reward you with a delicious meal tonight?” Yun Qianxin patted Gu Yu’s head, praising his diligence.
“There’s no need. My grades are actually just average. I wouldn’t say I work that hard.”
“How could that be? You shouldn’t sell yourself short, Xiao Yu.”
Yun Qianxin’s gaze was gentle as she glanced toward the Class Advisor. The parents surrounding him had already left. She took Gu Yu’s hand and walked over, asking with a smile, “Teacher, I’d like to ask about our Gu Yu’s situation at school. How is his performance?”
Wang Zhenming glanced at Yun Qianxin, paused for a moment, and flipped open the grade sheet in his hand. “You must be Gu Yu’s sister. Gu Yu just transferred to our class this semester. His grades are quite good and stable. His behavior is usually fine, though he doesn’t talk much.”
“I see. Then, does Xiao Yu show any tendencies toward early romance?”
“Sister Qianxin…”
Gu Yu’s heart jumped. He looked at the gentle smile on Yun Qianxin’s face, feeling a strange sense of dread.
Even though she already knew he liked Luo Ming, for some reason, he didn’t want her to know he was close to the girl. He felt like a child who had received a demerit and was afraid his parents would find out.
Yun Qianxin held his shoulder, making him stand still. She seemed to be forcing him to wait for the Class Advisor’s answer with her, like a criminal being held down while waiting for a judge to pass sentence.
“No, I haven’t heard anything like that. Normally, I only see Gu Yu chatting with his desk-mate and He Yu. I haven’t seen him getting close to any other girls.”
Gu Yu breathed a sigh of relief, and the strength on his shoulder weakened slightly.
“I understand. Thank you, Teacher.”
“You’re welcome. Gu Yu is quite a lonely child. You should spend more time with him when you’re free.”
“Yes, of course. I will.” Yun Qianxin nodded slightly in affirmation.
Wang Zhenming then left, and the students on duty began their work. Gu Yu went back to his seat to pack his bag and looked up to see Luo Ming already waiting for him outside with her bag in hand.
He shouldered his pack and looked at Yun Qianxin beside him. “Sister Qianxin, why don’t you head back first? I have to go to work with Luo Ming, so I’ll be leaving now.”
“I took the whole afternoon off to attend your Parent-Teacher Meeting, Xiao Yu. Are you trying to chase me away already?”
“I’m not chasing you away; I have to go to work. Since you took time off, Sister Qianxin, you should go relax instead of following me.”
“Fine, fine. You’re so heartless, Xiao Yu, kicking me aside the moment you’re done using me.” Yun Qianxin spoke with a fake sob, putting on an act that left Gu Yu stuck between laughter and tears.
“I’m going then. See you tonight, Sister Qianxin.”
“Mhm, see you tonight.”
Yun Qianxin watched as Gu Yu ran to Luo Ming’s side and followed the girl away. As their figures slowly disappeared from her sight, the warmth on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a coldness as sharp as an icicle in the depths of winter.
—
The winter night was exceptionally cold. A piercing wind howled, indiscriminately attacking the few pedestrians on the street. The streetlights were dappled and dim, and a few remaining leaves trembled on the withered branches.
The feet inside her shoes were so cold they were almost white. Luo Ming walked calmly into the alley. The low temperature that could make anyone shiver seemed unable to hurt her, and the cat’s cries that sounded especially clear in the silent night did not frighten her.
As she walked, she saw a small black cat crouching in a corner, staring at her. Those glowing cat eyes were quite eerie in the darkness, and combined with its miserable cries, it was enough to make someone flee in terror.
Luo Ming walked over slowly and looked at the shivering kitten huddled in the corner. Its fur was filthy and matted, and it was so thin that its bones were showing. It seemed to be starving, crying piteously, weak and helpless.
It was asking for help, but people would only be frightened by it and run away.
This cat was strangely like her. ‘If he discovered my paranoid and crazy true face, would he flee in fear as well, abandoning my plea for help?’
Luo Ming didn’t dare think further. The darkness of losing Gu Yu was something she couldn’t endure. That pain could kill her; just thinking about it felt like ten thousand arrows piercing her heart.
She opened the lunch box in her hand, placed it on the ground, and slowly pushed it toward the kitten. Then, she turned around and left immediately without looking back.
The dim, voice-activated lights in the stairwell lit up one by one. Luo Ming climbed to the third floor and took out her keys to open the door. Unexpectedly, the lights inside were on, though the glow was faint and yellow. A woman sat at the table, looking exhausted, her head tilted back as she breathed heavily.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, she slowly opened her eyes and watched as Luo Ming walked in with her bag without saying a word, clearly having no intention of speaking to her.
The woman licked her dry, cracked lips, hesitated for two seconds, and asked, “Was the Parent-Teacher Meeting today?”
“Mhm,” Luo Ming replied coldly. She didn’t look at her, heading straight for her room.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
The bedroom door opened, but Luo Ming didn’t step inside. She stood in the doorway, her head turned to the side, her voice as cold as water. “You wouldn’t have gone anyway, would you? You don’t care about these things. As long as you’re enjoying yourself, that’s enough.”
“You!” The woman knitted her thin brows and gritted her teeth, but she realized she had no right to argue. She managed to spit out a line just to save face. “I’m your mother. Is that any way to talk?”
“Then you certainly are a dutiful mother. I bet you don’t even know what grade I’m in, do you?” Luo Ming mocked her mercilessly. She sat on the edge of the bed and took off her shoes and socks, preparing to wash up.
“You were the one who said you wanted to follow me back then. I’m the one who gave birth to you! How dare you talk to me like this? You’re revolting!”
The woman seemed to grow angry. She slapped the table hard, stood up fuming, and walked over to Luo Ming, raising her palm as if to strike her.
Luo Ming remained indifferent. She tilted her face up and looked at her expressionlessly. Her deep eyes reflected the woman’s enraged face. She didn’t move or block the blow, showing no fear at all.
The atmosphere stagnated for a few seconds, but the slap never landed. Knowing she was in the wrong, the woman retracted her useless anger and looked down at Luo Ming, who was taking off her socks. The girl’s emotionless voice reached her ears.
“I’m grateful that you were willing to take me in, so I’ve tried not to cause you any trouble as much as possible. Whatever you’ve given me, I’ll try to pay you back in the future. Since you care so little about me, why do you suddenly care so much about a pointless Parent-Teacher Meeting? Were you planning to show off because your daughter has good grades? Oh, I suppose you wouldn’t know how my grades are, either.”
Luo Ming put on her cold slippers. Her delicate, soft feet had almost lost all sensation. Her entire body was shivering from the cold, but she still faced the woman with a proud front, refusing to show a single trace of vulnerability.
“Fine, whatever. It’s not like I want to deal with you anyway, you brat.”
Luo Ming didn’t reply again. She stepped past the woman in her slippers and entered the bathroom to start brushing her teeth and washing her face.