When an expensive luxury car drove up to the entrance of the old residential area, the barrier opened almost instantly, moving faster than it would for familiar residents.
The security guard, an old man with a slightly gray beard, was likely incapable of intercepting robbers or criminals. He was probably more skilled at harassing the residents and would likely run faster than the residents if a robber appeared.
His main duty was to stop "obnoxious" residents—those who dared to think that buying a house meant the place was truly theirs. Over the years in this position, he had developed a keen eye for reading people. He rarely misjudged a situation.
He knew exactly who to provoke and who not to provoke.
He knew this car had never been to the complex, yet he waved it through immediately.
Why?
Because he didn't dare block it.
His seasoned eyes instantly recognized the vehicle. Though its exterior was unassuming and modest, its underlying sharpness hinted at true wealth. This was the kind of car only real moguls drove, and they were not to be messed with by a small security guard like him.
Therefore, he let the car pass without hesitation.
The black Mercedes drove straight in, encountering no obstacles, and parked in a spot beneath one of the buildings.
As the car door opened, a woman in a black suit and trousers stepped out. She wore no excessive jewelry and had a bare, yet naturally beautiful, face. The formal suit could not hide her elegant figure, making her look incredibly intellectual and graceful.
"Wait for me downstairs."
After giving the instruction, Ning Yao hurried upstairs. The closer she got, the more nervous she became.
She felt a sense of the proverb, "Near home, the heart is timid." Ning Yao didn't know where this feeling came from. Was it guilt towards her son? Had she been wrong to simply move out with her daughter and leave him behind?
She quickly arrived at the familiar door. Hesitating, she gently knocked.
"Dong, dong, dong..."
"Lin Nan?"
No reply.
"Dong, dong, dong..."
"Xiao Nan?"
"Xiao Nan?"
Still no response. Normally, Lin Nan wouldn't even be awake at this time.
Ning Yao frowned slightly. Without hesitation, she took out a key and inserted it.
"Click..."
The key jammed and would not turn.
Ning Yao's frown deepened. After trying again without success, she quickly drew a conclusion: The lock had been changed.
"Hoo..."
She felt the emotional turmoil of the past few weeks hadn't matched the surge she felt right now. The volcano in her heart began to erupt, and the surrounding temperature seemed to rise. Ning Yao took several deep breaths, forcing down her anger.
She then opened her phone and clicked on the contact labeled "Son."
The next moment, her frown slightly relaxed.
"How are we doing, class? How much did you master this morning?" Chen Shi stood gracefully at the podium, having finished the last concept of the chapter.
"Got it!"
The students unanimously replied. Even those who were half-understood or totally lost had to agree when surrounded by so many affirmations—a common scenario.
But I truly had understood, so I spoke up, too. After experiencing the teaching style of the demon teachers at Yunlong City First Middle School, I found Chen Shi's gentle and meticulous explanation far superior.
Once most of the students had left, I approached her.
"Where's Xiao Xue?"
"In the office. Let's go get her now."
Chen Shi finished organizing her books and walked out.
In the office, Xiao Xue was lying on the floor. Seeing me, she immediately stood up, wagging her tail to greet me.
Several teachers smiled warmly at me. I said, "I hope Xiao Xue didn't cause you any trouble..."
"Not at all. She's very well-behaved and doesn't run around," one teacher replied. It seemed Xiao Xue was quite popular, which made me feel a little relieved.
I took Xiao Xue's leash, said goodbye to the teachers, and walked out. Chen Shi put down her books and followed.
"Xiao Nan, don't rush home yet."
"Huh? What's wrong?" I definitely wasn't planning on taking Chen Ge's car; I'd take the bus home myself to avoid being a third wheel.
"That leash is dirty. Let's buy a new one." Chen Shi pointed at the leash in my hand.
I looked down and realized she was right. The leash was a little grubby and didn't match Xiao Xue's pristine white fur.
"Okay, where can we buy one?" I asked.
"Come with us later. I need to go shopping anyway," Chen Shi offered.
This time, I didn't refuse and nodded.
We went downstairs.
Chen Ge was waiting in the car. We got in and sped towards the shopping center.
When we arrived, Chen Ge parked the car, and we got out.
We first bought several new white leashes to match Xiao Xue's fur. Chen Shi paid for them. Of course, I offered to pay.
But Chen Shi smiled at me and said, "What money does a kid have?" Her words made me blush a little, but I felt touched, so I didn't insist.
Next came their shopping time. I wasn't going to interrupt, so I sat on a bench outside with Xiao Xue, waiting for them.
The area was a small, green park center with a lawn. Many children were playing and running around.
Xiao Xue was quite eye-catching. Several kids, attracted by her beauty, came closer.
"Can I touch this dog?" a mischievous-looking boy asked me. I could tell he was naughty by his demeanor: shifty-eyed, dirty hands, and a cunning aura, like a little monkey.
"No, sorry," I shook my head and refused. I didn't trust him to be gentle, and I wanted to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
"Hmph, so stingy," the boy sneered. "I'll ask my mom to buy me one even prettier than yours."
"Go ahead. I think my Xiao Xue is the most beautiful," I smiled, narrowing my eyes, not wanting to argue with a brat.
He walked away in frustration.
A group of other children tried to approach later, and I refused them too. Eventually, no more kids came forward.
After a while, I was sitting on the bench playing on my phone while Xiao Xue rested on the seat beside me.
Suddenly, a child rushed over. Before I could react, I heard a yelp.
I instantly put down my phone and looked.
The yelp wasn't from the child; it was from Xiao Xue.
The sight instantly made my blood boil. The same brat from earlier had picked up a rock and thrown it, hitting Xiao Xue and making her cry out.
"What are you doing!?"
I roared, clenching my fists, wanting nothing more than to grab the little kid and shake him.
The boy was startled by my shout but quickly laughed and ran away, shouting, "Serves you right!"
His words stoked my rage. I lunged forward two steps, intending to grab the brat and teach him a lesson.
Just then, a woman rushed up: "What do you think you're doing?!"
The child ran to the woman's side and stood still, looking obedient. But as I looked at him, he stuck out his tongue at me.
"Your child threw a rock at my dog!" I glared at her.
The woman looked like the kind of person you didn't want to cross—a shrew. She immediately shot back: "My child is so sweet! How could he possibly hit your dog? Your dog must have bitten him!"
She bent down and carefully checked the child.
"Did it bite you?"
The child put on a look of injury. "His dog tried to bite me, so I kicked it once, and now this older brother wants to hit me!"
This lie fueled my anger even more. What was Xiao Xue's temperament like? Bite someone? Never!
"You're lying!" I yelled at him.
"What do you want?" The woman's voice was loud and attracted a crowd.
"This person didn't leash his dog properly, it almost bit my child, and now he wants to hit him?! Is there any justice?!"
The woman's high-pitched voice was deafening. She was incredibly skilled at spewing fallacies. Compared to her volume, my voice was barely a whisper.
I immediately felt numerous eyes on me. I was anxious and furious but helpless. My fists were clenched tight, but I couldn't strike.
I could only glare at her in impotent rage.
Seeing this, the woman smirked triumphantly. "Control your dog! Ten of your broken dogs aren't worth my son's happiness. Why fuss over a dog? Come on, son. I'll buy you as many as you want."
"Okay, thank you, Mom! Mom is the best!"
The boy wiggled his butt at me, then took the woman's hand, looking back at me with contempt.
I was left standing there, glaring at the two of them, completely helpless. I knew that if I took another step, the surrounding "justice warriors" would intervene, and I might end up in a viral video tomorrow.
After they left, I took a few deep breaths and returned to the bench, looking at Xiao Xue with guilt.
"I'm sorry, I let you get hurt," I gently stroked her head. Helplessness and rage surged in my heart, but I had no outlet. In that moment, I felt like a dog tied by a leash.
Xiao Xue whimpered something I didn't understand, but she didn't seem to blame me, which only intensified the helplessness and rage I felt.
"Beep, beep, beep..."
Just then, my phone rang.
I looked at the caller ID and was instantly alert.
"How did she get my new number?"
I was instantly filled with doubt, but the phone kept ringing.
Should I answer or not?
I quickly decided to answer. Not answering would seem childish and petty. Besides, I wanted to know why she was calling me now. Was she checking to see if her son was dead yet?
A strange burst of anger rose. I took a few deep breaths to suppress it, then hit the answer button.
"Where are you?"
The voice was cold. It was her.
Her first sentence was immediately unacceptable to me. If she had used her usual formal and strict tone, I would have been used to it. But this was different. I could clearly hear a suppressed rage in her voice.
My own temper immediately flared. My voice lowered, sounding like dynamite about to ignite: "How did you get my phone number?"
The conversation between mother and son became instantly strained, like a dialogue between enemies rather than family.
"Where are you?"
She repeated the question, her voice carrying an unyielding authority, demanding I answer her first. Her voice was slightly louder, clearly provoked by mine.
"How did you get my phone number?" My voice also rose. The fury in my heart was almost consuming me, sparked by her attitude.
"I asked where you are! It's the weekend. Where are you if you're not home?" Her voice suddenly became incredibly stern and frightening.
This triggered a very bad memory. The earlier mother and son had left my anger nowhere to go, especially the mother's unconditional defense of her child and the boy's final, "Mom is the best." That phrase had inexplicably set me ablaze. Faced with this sudden, severe reprimand, I could no longer contain my rage. I roared: "Why do you care where I am?! Why do I need you to care? Even if I die, even if I die outside, what does that have to do with you?!"
After I finished, the other end fell into a terrifying silence.
I instantly knew she was brewing a bigger storm, but I couldn't control myself at all.
Why was the attitude of that other mother so completely different?
How many injuries had I suffered outside? How much humiliation? Did I have anyone to confide in? Was there anyone who would stand by me without hesitation?
Where were you when I was stabbed? Where were you when I was injured in the hospital? Where were you when I had a high fever?
In that moment, the anger in my heart had made me completely lose my mind, and I blurted out that horrible sentence.
I felt much better afterward, an inexplicable sense of venting relief.
After a long silence, a voice finally came from the other end.
It was a voice so deep it was unimaginable. You could hear the contained power within it, like a true, terrifying storm from my childhood memories. That day was eerily silent, but the subsequent downpour and gale almost ripped the roof off. Uprooted trees and blocked roads—everything foreshadowed the storm that followed the calm.
This was the same.
"You will return home, now, immediately."
The voice was uncompromising, severe, and judgmental—a tone I had never heard before.
If it were the past, I would have been afraid, but now, it completely reignited my rage. I used all my strength and shouted three words. I felt I had never spoken to her in such a tone.
"Who. Are. You?"
After saying that, I hung up the phone and immediately blacklisted her number.
"Hoo..."
Having done all that, I tilted my head and exhaled a mouthful of foul air. The image of my mother in my mind grew increasingly stern, and my heart grew increasingly cold.
When I answered the phone, I had imagined many scenarios: that she had regretted leaving, was worried about me, or was sending money. I had never anticipated this reaction.
"Hahahaha..."
I laughed a few times. Passersby quickly moved away, unsure what was happening to me.
"Lin Nan, you're truly useless. Why do you always crave what you can't have?"
On the other end.
Ning Yao stared at the phone, which showed the call had been disconnected. She gripped the phone tightly, so hard that her knuckles turned white.
"Who am I?"
The phrase echoed in her mind, acting like a catalyst, causing a violent reaction within her internal volcano.
Her whole body trembled slightly, showing the intensity of the emotions surging within her. Her heart was like a dandelion in her hand; if she let go, it would scatter into the wind, torn to shreds and never whole again.
But she made no sound, just tightly closed her eyes.
After a moment, she opened them again, and her expression returned to normal.
However, the inner sanctuary of her spirit was now even more dilapidated and broken.
A song seemed to play in her mind: A myriad of flower hearts, a mother's sorrow.