Fall - Chapter 5

The warmth on her wrist quickly faded, leaving only a faint coolness. Bo Wanzhao got into the car, and the enclosed space warmed up considerably, carrying a subtle floral fragrance.

The driver recognized Bo Wanzhao and asked for the address.

Bo Wanzhao specified a street near A University, neither too close nor too far.

Yue Can had never been to Bo Wanzhao’s home before. The route the car took was unfamiliar, revealing an old residential district. In Naxia, where skyscrapers now dominated the skyline, these six- or seven-story apartment buildings were increasingly rare.

The car came to a stop at an intersection next to a bustling night market, its lively atmosphere filling the air. The driver confirmed, “Is this the right place?”

“Yes, thank you,” Bo Wanzhao replied. Before getting out, she glanced at Yue Can and said, “See you tomorrow.”

Those words, “See you tomorrow,” only deepened Yue Can’s sense of gloom. Her vacation had officially come to an end.

When Yue Can returned home, she found only the housekeeper, Aunt Hu, busy in the kitchen.

“You’re back, Can Can!” Aunt Hu greeted her warmly. Having worked for the Yue family for seven or eight years, she had watched Yue Can grow from a little girl into a young woman, and they shared a close bond.

“Are you hungry? Want a late-night snack?”

“No, thank you, Aunt Hu,” Yue Can replied. She was past feeling hungry, and her appetite was poor. She glanced around the empty living room. “They’re not coming home tonight?”

“Didn’t I tell you? They’re on a business trip and won’t be back until tomorrow night.”

Yue Can murmured an “Oh.”

Aunt Hu asked kindly, “What would you like for dinner tomorrow? I’ll make it for you.”

“Anything is fine,” Yue Can said lazily, heading toward her room. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Aunt Hu fussed, “Don’t stay up too late, okay? Your mother specifically told me to remind you.”

“I know, I know.”

Aunt Hu was a good person, just a bit too talkative.

After a hot shower, Yue Can burrowed under the covers and opened the WeChat message Tan Ming had sent earlier:

— I’m going on a business trip with your dad. I won’t be able to come over tonight, but I’ll bring you a gift when I get back.

Another compensatory gift, Yue Can thought bitterly. She’d lost count of how many times this had happened. If you can’t keep your promises, don’t make them! Frustrated, she tossed her phone aside. Fine, fooled again.

Ever since starting middle school, her parents had rarely been around. They were a husband-and-wife team who had built their business from the ground up. Now that it was thriving, they were always busy with endless business matters.

Yue Can pulled the blanket over her head and drifted off to sleep. But her gloomy mood lingered even after a full night’s rest, leaving her listless the next day.

“Read the question carefully.”

“Do it again.”

“Still wrong.”

“Pay attention.”

Yue Can was remarkably cooperative during her tutoring session that day. She did everything Bo Wanzhao asked without a single complaint, and her problem-solving efficiency was even higher than usual.

“Is that it?” Bo Wanzhao asked, noticing how unusually quiet Yue Can was. “Feeling unwell again?”

Yue Can replied tersely, “No.”

Bo Wanzhao lowered her gaze to the exam paper, tapping it with her slender fingers. “Keep working.”

“Okay.”

The tutoring session ended in the evening. Exhausted from the day, Yue Can decided to go out for some fresh air. She told Aunt Hu, “I won’t be eating dinner at home tonight.”

“But I’ve already prepared the meal!” Aunt Hu hurried out of the kitchen, only to find Yue Can already heading out the door. Unable to stop her, she chased after her, calling out, “Hey, where are you going? Be back early! Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain it to your mother.”

Yue Can had already slipped away.

She was out clearing her head.

As the only daughter and the apple of her family’s eye, Yue Can had grown up pampered. Though her parents occasionally enforced strict rules, they mostly indulged her. This upbringing had made her intolerant of even the slightest grievance. After being repeatedly stood up by her parents, she was genuinely furious this time.

Tan Ming arrived home at ten that night, only to find Yue Can missing again. She called Yue Can, but the call went unanswered. Her messages from the previous day remained unread.

After a dozen unanswered calls, Tan Ming’s headache intensified, and anxiety began to gnaw at her.

Half an hour later, she saw Yue Can’s post on social media:

Still alive. Do not disturb.

Exhausted both physically and mentally, Tan Ming commented, “Where are you right now?”

Yue Can replied, “Earth.”

Tan Ming: “……”

Her temples throbbed with anger.

The night was deep, and the alleyway was dimly lit by yellow streetlights that cast long, stretched shadows. Under the camphor tree at the alley’s entrance, small groups of elderly women were still chatting idly.

When someone passed by, one of the old women looked up. “Oh, you’re back so late?”

Bo Wanzhao had been tutoring late that evening and had just finished her lesson. Her eyes were weary, and her throat was dry.

Granny Zhou, a warm-hearted neighbor, continued the small talk. “How’s your mother been lately?”

“She’s doing okay,” Bo Wanzhao replied. She never volunteered information about her family, but living in the neighborhood for so long meant the neighbors had pieced together some details over time.

This old residential area showed its age, with crumbling facades and peeling paint. Most of its residents were elderly people who had stayed behind, and young people like Bo Wanzhao were a rare sight.

“I haven’t seen her in ages,” Granny Zhou remarked. “She used to come out to sunbathe and chat with us.”

“She’s moved away,” Bo Wanzhao said.

“Moved away?” Granny Zhou asked. “Where did she go?”

Bo Wanzhao fell silent.

Realizing she had been too forward, the Old Madam quickly changed the subject. “You must take good care of yourself. Look how thin you’ve gotten! Be sure to eat regularly. Your health is your greatest asset.”

Bo Wanzhao offered a faint smile, acknowledging the Old Madam’s concern.

She inserted the key into the lock, turned it gently, and pushed the door open. Flipping the wall switch, she illuminated the room with a harsh white light, revealing its cramped and dilapidated state.

The apartment was on the ground floor, a small two-bedroom unit. Bo Wanzhao had rented it during her university years and had lived there for several years. Though old and rundown, its decent location and relatively low rent had kept her from moving out.

Back in her apartment, the warm smile on her face vanished completely, as if she were shedding a layer of weariness.

The old building’s poor soundproofing allowed snippets of conversations from the alley to drift in.

“That girl is so pretty.”

“What a pity about her fate…”

“Poor thing.”

“Burdened by her family.”

The whispers reached Bo Wanzhao’s ears, but her face remained expressionless, her heart unmoved. Over the years, she had endured too much—malice, kindness, pity, exploitation—until her emotions had grown numb, incapable of reaction.

A muffled thunder rumbled outside, a prelude to rain.

Just as she was about to shower, Tan Ming called. “Wanzhao, is Yue Can with you tonight?”

“No, why?”

“She hasn’t come home yet. She’s not answering her phone and won’t tell me where she is. We had a fight, and now she’s running away from home… at her age!”

“She was still home when I left. Could she be out with friends?”

Tan Ming sighed wearily. “I’ll check around. If she contacts you, let me know.”

“Okay.”

Bo Wanzhao hung up and listened to the rain pattering against the old glass windows, the wind driving the droplets into a crisp, rhythmic beat.

She tried calling Yue Can herself, but there was no answer. After a moment’s thought, she switched WeChat accounts and scrolled through her contacts until she found the person she was looking for.

That day, she had just added Yue Can’s WeChat, and their relationship seemed to be quite good.

Bo Wanzhao: Yue Can, are you with her?

Zhong Ran saw Bo Wanzhao’s message and quickly tapped to open it, replying just as quickly: No.

Bo Wanzhao: Can you get in touch with her?

After a few more messages, Zhong Ran learned that Yue Can had run off alone. She immediately sent Yue Can a message and then told Bo Wanzhao that she would let her know the moment she heard back.

Bo Wanzhao: Thank you for your help.

Zhong Ran was always eager to help beautiful women. Clutching her phone, she grinned happily and sent several “No problem at all!” messages in a row.

Yue Can’s phone was on silent. Alone in the movie theater, she hugged an enormous bucket of popcorn and watched a film that was mindless but mildly amusing.

With time to spare after the movie, she skated a few laps at the ice rink on the mall’s first floor. Glancing at her phone between laps, she saw Tan Ming’s calls and messages were about to explode. Still angry, she didn’t want to reply, so she posted that cryptic message on her WeChat Moments.

Zhong Ran bombarded her with WeChat messages:

—What does your Moments post mean?

Where are you?

Reply ASAP!

Yue Can only replied to Zhong Ran, sending her a location pin to reassure her safety and asking her to keep it confidential.

Okay, Zhong Ran replied.

After getting bored, Yue Can left the mall and found it was pouring outside. The sudden downpour had trapped many people.

“When will this stop?”

“Let’s wait for the rain to ease up before leaving.”

“I should go buy an umbrella…”

Since Yue Can wasn’t in a hurry to go home, she waited, staring blankly at the heavy rain. She could already imagine the thunderous scene that would greet her when she returned home tonight…

She lost track of how long she stood there, lost in thought.

The rain began to lighten slightly.

“Still not going home?”

Yue Can turned her head at the sound of the voice, her gaze freezing. She saw Bo Wanzhao standing a meter away, holding a transparent umbrella. Rainwater and streetlights converged on the umbrella’s surface, refracting into a kaleidoscope of colors.

She stared in disbelief for a moment before her mind caught up.

It could only be Zhong Ran…

Betraying her for the sake of beauty…

Useless!

“Let’s go home,” Bo Wanzhao said. “Auntie is worried.”

Yue Can sniffled, her voice slightly nasal from the wind. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Let’s go back first.”

“I don’t want to go back yet,” Yue Can snapped. “You go ahead.”

Bo Wanzhao paused, then said, “I’ll stay with you.”

Yue Can, a proud person, disliked showing her vulnerable side. She stubbornly insisted, “I don’t need you to stay…”

Bo Wanzhao remained by her side, refusing to leave.

Tan Ming must have sent her to drag me back, Yue Can thought, her irritation shifting to the person before her. Frowning, she blurted out, “I said I don’t need you! Aren’t you annoying?”

Her words were sharp and barbed.

Yet Bo Wanzhao stood unmoved, holding her umbrella. Rain pelted the canopy, blooming into droplets that coalesced and dripped steadily downward.

Yue Can fell silent, realizing she had gone too far. Regardless of everything, Bo Wanzhao’s care over the years had been genuine. There was no reason to vent her anger on someone who had done nothing wrong.

The rain continued to pour relentlessly.

After standing quietly for a moment, Bo Wanzhao remained calm and composed. “If you don’t know where to go, you can come to my place first.”

Yue Can stared at her, stunned. All the thorns around her seemed to soften…

Does she even have a temper?

Does she never get angry?

Doesn’t she find me selfish and annoying?

Bo Wanzhao moved closer.

Yue Can watched her, shuffling her feet in place.

Bo Wanzhao asked softly, “Will you come?”

That gentle question completely softened Yue Can’s gaze. She took a silent step forward. Bo Wanzhao leaned over and promptly held the umbrella to shield her from the rain.

Yue Can squeezed under the rather cramped umbrella, their bodies nearly touching as they faced each other. She caught the faint, familiar scent of Bo Wanzhao—it was almost too gentle.