When I woke up, I was already in the hospital. The nurse told me I had slept for two full days and nights.
That evening, it was Aunt Rong who brought me dinner, and I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Seeing my gloomy expression, she snorted, "What, don't want to see me?"
"No, no, I really missed you," I hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why… didn't my mom come?"
"Your mom disappeared after dropping you off at the hospital," Aunt Rong sighed deeply. "Leaving such a troublemaker like you with me—I must have owed your family in my past life."
Though she was full of complaints, she still carefully served the food in front of me. I was absolutely starving, so I thanked her and started wolfing it down.
Aunt Rong stood by, watching me. When I was almost done eating, she couldn't help asking, "What exactly did you do to upset your mom so much? Even banging your head against the nightstand didn't make her forgive you."
I hesitated inwardly, feeling a bit guilty as I replied, "I… I stole some money from my mom."
"Just that?" Aunt Rong seemed skeptical, eyeing me suspiciously. "You stole money from home when you were little too, and your mom never hated you this much."
My heart skipped a beat. After all, Aunt Rong was a police officer, with a naturally high level of alertness. The more I said, the more suspicious I'd become, so I just made something up on the spot: "Maybe she thinks I'm hopeless now that I'm older and still stealing from home."
Aunt Rong thought for a moment, then nodded with a cold laugh. "You really are pretty useless, but 'hopeless' might be a bit of an exaggeration."
I forced a bitter smile. "Alright, with your words, I feel reassured. It seems I'm still a redeemable good kid."
Aunt Rong scoffed. "You? You're nowhere near a good kid. More like a little beast."
I was taken aback and looked at her. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Nothing. Just rest quietly."
Just then, Lu Yiyi rushed into the ward with her backpack, looking overjoyed to see me awake.
Seeing how concerned she was about me, I couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt. She truly treated me like family, always thinking of me, while every time I saw her, all I could think about was getting into bed, getting into bed, getting into bed.
Lu Yiyi sat by the bed and chatted with me for a while. Seizing the moment when Aunt Rong stepped into the hallway to take a call, she lowered her voice and asked, "What really happened between you and your mom…?"
I glanced at her, noticing the curiosity mixed with suspicion in her eyes, and felt a twinge of wariness. "Nothing serious, just…" I was about to repeat the excuse I'd given Aunt Rong, but then I thought—if this little girl was asking, she must already have her doubts. Making up some random story probably wouldn't convince her.
After a moment's thought, I pretended to be angry and said, "It's all your fault."
"My fault?" Lu Yiyi was stunned. "What does it have to do with me?"
I snorted. "You swapped places with my mom in the study, like some kind of bait-and-switch. I thought it was you lying in bed, so I went over and started kissing and hugging her. My mom thought I was being a pervert and almost sent me to the police station."
Lu Yiyi covered her mouth in shock. "Really?"
I thought about it and felt my argument still wasn't convincing enough, so I decided to add another layer of insurance: "Exactly! Just the other day, I secretly took money from home, and my mom is still angry with me. Then my dad caused that scene, and now you're adding to it. My mom is completely hopeless."
Lu Yiyi pouted, thought for a moment, and nodded. "Yeah, if it were me, I'd feel hopeless too. Looks like your mom is taking her anger out on you."
I couldn't tell if she actually believed my nonsense or was just pretending to be clueless.
This girl was a bit naive and easy to fool, but Aunt Rong's earlier words were rather puzzling. She must have heard the whole story from Lu Yiyi, and being a police officer, she might have guessed something.
I felt a bit panicked, but then I thought, after all, she was just speculating. Even if she really had suspicions, she had no solid evidence. This matter concerned my mom's reputation, so she definitely wouldn't talk carelessly.
After finishing the call, Aunt Rong returned to the hospital room, gave me a few instructions, and then took Lu Yiyi home.
Lying in the hospital bed, my mind was still unsettled. Mom hadn't come to see me at the hospital—where was she now?
Given Mom's personality, she wouldn't easily forgive me. I wondered if she felt even a little bit of pity when she saw me faint.
Since it wasn't anything serious, Dad came to pick me up from the hospital at noon the next day.
Along the way, Dad kept asking about what happened. Of course, I couldn't tell him that his son had cuckolded him, so I stuck to the story I'd told Aunt Rong and Lu Yiyi, adding a few more details to keep fooling Dad.
When we got home, it felt cold and empty. Mom was indeed not there. Without the lady of the house, the place was as messy as a dog's den.
I wandered around the living room, feeling as if a lifetime had passed. Just two weeks ago, Mom and Dad were celebrating my birthday. How had things fallen apart so badly?
Dad sat on the sofa smoking, his face full of worry.
I asked him, "Dad, have you seen Mom?"
"No."
"Do you know where Mom went?"
"How would I know?"
"Didn'tt you go look for her?"
Dad got agitated, pressing the cigarette butt forcefully into the ashtray. "Of course I looked! But I couldn't find your mom. What else could I do?"
Father and son fell silent.
After a moment of quiet, Dad sighed. "Rest up and focus on your studies. Don't worry about anything else."
I went back to my bedroom, but how could I possibly focus on studying?
Lying on the bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling. I really wanted to know where Mom had gone.
If Mom could forgive me, I swore I would obey her from now on, study hard, and never make her angry again.
In a daze, I fell asleep again.
After resting and recuperating at home for a day, I returned to school.
Final exams were approaching, and all my classmates were burying themselves in their books, studying like crazy. Only I was drifting through the days in a haze. Without Mom's forgiveness, I had no heart for studying at all.
College entrance exams? Screw the exams!
Over the next few days, Mom was still nowhere to be seen, and Dad disappeared from home too. I figured he was probably busy searching everywhere for Mom.
As for Beibei, she was told to stay at school for now and not come back until after the exams.
I was left alone at home for five or six empty, lonely days.
That afternoon after school, as I approached home, I saw Anuo standing at the entrance of our residential complex. She was still wearing her light green school uniform and sneakers, her hair tied in a single ponytail with wispy bangs framing her forehead. She looked innocent and well-behaved.
I wasn't in the mood to deal with her, so I walked straight into the complex without even greeting her.
She didn't seem to mind, skipping along lightly behind me.
When I stood in front of my door, took out my keys, and was about to unlock it, I glanced over and saw her standing beside me. She didn't say a word, just blinked her innocent, wide eyes and stared at me.
I didn't want to argue with her, nor was I in the mood to bicker. As I turned the key and opened the door, I looked back and feigned surprise, saying, "Dad, you're back."
Anuo was clearly taken aback, instinctively turning to look behind her. Seizing that moment, I quickly slipped inside and slammed the door shut with a loud "bang."
I pressed myself against the door and peered through the peephole. To my surprise, the little troublemaker wasn't angry, nor did she knock. She just stood outside, tilting her head slightly, expressionless.
After watching for a while, I thought to myself, since she didn't have a key, no matter what she tried, I simply wouldn't open the door for her.
I tossed my backpack onto the coffee table, collapsed onto the sofa, and turned on the TV, aimlessly flipping through channels while keeping my ears perked for any sounds outside.
Strangely, the little troublemaker was unusually quiet, not making a single sound. The silence was unnerving.
After about ten minutes, just as I thought Anuo had left, faint sobs and murmuring suddenly came from outside the door.
Instinctively sensing something was off, I tiptoed to the door and looked through the peephole. Anuo was squatting by the opposite wall, hugging her knees and sobbing softly. Aunt Liu from across the hall, who had just returned from her evening stroll, was standing beside her, and the young wife next door, holding her one-and-a-half-year-old son, had also come out to see what was happening.
Aunt Liu patted Anuo's shoulder and asked with concern, "Don't just cry, tell me what happened."
The young wife next door, gently rocking her child, smiled and said, "Is it Ling Xiaodong? Did that boy bully you?"
Anuo looked up, tears welling in her eyes, her face streaked with tear stains like a little kitten. She sniffled and said, "Brother Xiaodong said... he said he liked me, he pursued me, and... he slept with me. Later... later, I found out I was his father's illegitimate daughter, his half-sister, and he... he abandoned me."
I was shocked by her words, and Aunt Liu and the young wife were even more stunned. They exchanged bewildered glances, speechless.
"Today, when I came to see him, he wouldn't let me in, and... he even hit me," Anuo said, pulling up her sleeve to reveal bruises on her arm.
Without thinking, I quickly opened the door, pulled her up, and pushed her inside. Then, turning around with a smile, I explained, "This is my cousin. She's staying with me for a couple of days. I wouldn't let her play games, so she's throwing a tantrum. She's just talking nonsense, don't believe a word of it."
Aunt Liu finally snapped out of her daze and asked doubtfully, "Is she really your cousin?"
I forced an awkward smile and said, "Yes, she really is my cousin. She's been spoiled by my aunt since she was little and loves to talk nonsense and mess around. Don't take it seriously, really."
As soon as the words left my mouth, Annuo peeked her little head around the doorframe, looking pitiful as she said, "Actually, even if he really were my half-brother, I wouldn't mind. I like him."
"Get inside!" I was so angry that I didn't let her finish. I reached out, pressed her little head, and pushed her back in.
Turning back to Aunt Liu and Sister-in-law, I explained, "Something like that is impossible to even think about. She just loves to talk nonsense. Don't take it seriously—just treat it as a joke." I forced out two awkward laughs, then turned around, went home, and closed the door, not bothering to see how the two of them reacted.
Annuo stood there with red-rimmed eyes and a red nose, looking at me pitifully. I pulled her into the living room and lowered my voice to ask, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Annuo blinked, looking innocent as she replied, "They asked me, so I just told the truth."
I hissed in a low voice, "This isn't something you can just tell the truth about!"
She asked innocently, "Why not?"
I was so frustrated I scratched my head, but there was nothing I could do about her. In the end, I could only sigh helplessly and say, "Fine, do whatever you want. Stay here if you want, just don't go outside and talk nonsense."
I slumped onto the sofa, pretending to watch TV while secretly observing her.
Annuo wandered around the room, looking here and there, and finally opened the door to my parents' bedroom, about to go in.
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