Liu Liyan had known for a long time.
She remembered the day as if it was just yesterday when she had walked into the hospital ward. A ten-year old Hai, thin and bony, lay awake in bed, leaning against its frame and staring ahead with the most aloof light she had ever witnessed in his eyes.
Aloof. Empty. But utterly vindictive all the same.
He hadn't said a word of what had happened between him and Jinhai. He had embraced complete silence about it, not breaking it even with his mother's plea. He had simply smiled at her.
'I am fine now, Mom.'
He wasn't. Hai was the farthest away from being fine, yet the smile never betrayed him. In retrospect now Liu Liyan realized how it was after that day since his demeanor grew more cheerful. Playful, unbothered and rebellious.
