Chapter 15: Fu Ying
In front of the window framed with red paint, the sunset’s afterglow scattered down, slanting rays climbing over the eaves, enveloping the sparse specks of dust in the air, making them dance and swirl.
In the courtyard, the old man rocked a reed fan made of palm leaves, occasionally lowering his head to sip tea, while humming the familiar tune of the East is Red.
Not far away, wisps of cooking smoke rose from the rooftop, the mother and son laughing and bickering, accompanied by the rhythmic clatter of the kitchen knife, dot dot dot.
Inside the bedroom, the two sitting on the edge of the bed were momentarily silent, the atmosphere somewhat strange.
Quietly glancing at the person who had asked that question and was now lost in thought, Fu Ying blankly fiddled with her palm, her mind racing: Why would Sister Ning Ning ask that?
For the sake of her family’s Mother’s heart, she dressed to play the part of a dainty lady, but deep down she always felt she should be a tough tomboy, with short hair, work clothes, and overalls—that was what suited her.
So, away from the adults’ watchful eyes, she truly let herself go, and the friends she naturally made at school were all good bros!
Suddenly being asked that, wasn’t she flustered? She had no idea how to answer.
After all, um… awkwardly, there weren’t many female classmates close to her, but plenty of male classmate good bros.
“Cough~ Um, Sister Ning Ning, who are you asking about? Did you hear something from someone, or what? Just tell me directly!”
“Hm?”
Suddenly thinking of Fu Ying’s two faces at home and outside, Su Ning could only rephrase her question, “What I want to ask is, lately, has anyone acting or looking strange appeared around you.”
The Fu family siblings, two years younger than her, could be said to have grown up trailing behind her like two little tails, thanks to the older generation’s connection.
Just as the Fu family never treated her as an outsider, she truly regarded Fu Ying and Fu Ting as her own younger sister and younger brother.
At this thought, Su Ning still couldn’t believe the future she had just foreseen.
Actively taking hold of her hand resting on her lap, Wen Ning attempted the ‘foresight’ for the second time on the same person—
[The nighttime street lit only by dim yellow lights, with sparse pedestrians hurrying along.
“Hah… hah…”
A burst of rapid panting accompanied heavy footsteps approaching from far to near.
Fu Ying, braids disheveled and drenched in sweat, her face and eyes full of terror, clutching her abdomen where blood gushed through her fingers from the violent movements.
The brownish-red bloodstains constantly dripping to the ground were shocking.
“Help… help… wuu~”
A hand from the pursuer behind covered her mouth, dragging her once more into the endless darkness behind.
Those once bright and ardent eyes, like the warm rising sun, gradually, bit by bit, dimmed…]
“Ying Ying!”
“I’m here, I’m here!”
Shocked by her eyes filled with utmost terror and infinite sorrow, her chest tightened with suffocating pain.
Ignoring her own startled, nearly failing little heart, Fu Ying gripped her hand tightly and shook it hard, “Sister Ning Ning, don’t scare me, I’m here, what’s wrong with you?”
“Ying Ying, tell me, has such a person appeared? You must think carefully!”
“Okay, I’m thinking, I’m thinking right now!”
Sixteen-year-old Fu Ying, though her face-judging habit had worsened since childhood, had a magnanimous personality; not only was she pretty, but her character was also carefree and uninhibited.
Such a good Ying Ying, why would she be hurt and treated that way?
Over seventy slashes, brutally tortured to death—how desperate she must have been, how much pain…
“Sister Ning Ning, you absolutely mustn’t cry; you know from childhood to now, I fear most seeing pretty people shed tears!”
Seeing her reddened eye sockets, with even the corners threatening to well up, Fu Ying panicked and suddenly had a flash of insight, abruptly recalling the person she had bumped into by chance the past two days.
“Pa~”
Slapping her leg hard, Fu Ying shouted loudly, “I remembered, Sister Ning Ning!”
“Who? Where? When?”
“That person was wearing our school uniform, but I don’t know him; he looked very unfamiliar.”
It wasn’t just to comfort her that she made it up; Fu Ying really did think of this person.
From childhood to now, all her close friends, regardless of gender, had one thing in common: they were good-looking!
She had no resistance to pretty people; whether tolerance or good feeling, it all shot up rapidly.
Except for this one person…
He was good-looking yet she couldn’t bring herself to like or feel good about him; she didn’t know how to describe it, but just as Sister Ning Ning said, strange!
Especially the way he looked at her, sinister and chilling…
“Has Uncle Fu handled any cases lately? Is he coming back today?”
Vendetta revenge—the first thing Su Ning thought of was Fu Xingguo, whose job was special.
Even with the biggest grudges between classmates, it was just a beating at most; cases escalating to using a kitchen knife were extremely rare.
“Dad has been pretty busy lately; I heard him mention cracking some big case, so he probably won’t come home today.”
Fu Ying answered every question, using two fingers to flick the braid in front of her to her back, her face full of confusion, “Sister Ning Ning, are you looking for my dad?”
She nodded then shook her head.
Putting away the complicated expression on her face, Su Ning suddenly changed the topic, “Ying Ying, you guys are finishing summer vacation this week too?”
“Yeah, ending this Friday means two months of freedom!”
“Come stay at my place for a few days?”
“Ah? Can I?”
The topic jump was quite big, yet it didn’t diminish Fu Ying’s excitement at all.
—Roar, living and eating with Sister Ning! For several days too, thrilled!
“What’s not allowed? I’ll talk to Auntie and Grandpa Fu.”
“Yay! I’m going!”
“Going where, you wild girl?”
Li Hehua pushed open the room door, wiped her hands on her apron, habitually scolded her own daughter a bit, then contentedly looked toward her dream daughter, softening her voice.
“Ning Ning, dinner’s ready; come, taste if Auntie’s skills have declined.”
“Auntie Hehua’s skills go without saying; just the smell tells me it’s super super delicious!”
“Hehe, our Ning Ning sure knows how to talk; Auntie stewed medicinal cuisine chicken for you—eat plenty later!”
“…”
The two, looking like real mother and daughter, walked arm in arm toward the door, leaving Fu Ying behind in the room once again; she gritted her teeth.
Before she could vent her complaint, she saw that once-familiar scene—
One slender, distinctly jointed hand, one hand with callused fingertips that always gave a sense of reassurance and strength, both held behind the back toward her, extended flat, and gently shaking.
Her mouth, pursed as if it could hang an oil bottle, immediately broke into a grin; she happily bounded forward with big steps, grabbing both hands at once.
“Still as easy to coax as when you were little!”
“Of course, you heartless girl!”
Exchanging a smile with Auntie Hehua, Su Ning squeezed back: Ying Ying, Sister Ning Ning will definitely protect you well.
So you can keep being heartless, and grow up properly…
