Chapter 3: Collision at the Street Corner 3

Chapter 3: Collision at the Street Corner 3

In June, in Lingjiang City, it had been raining for the past two days.

Bai Li braved the heavy rain to visit every noteworthy spot worth checking off her list.

It wasn’t until her mother sent countless sharp messages, even threatening to stop her from attending school, that this trip quietly came to an end amid the howling storm and pouring rain.

Early on the fourth morning,

Bai Li sat on the earliest returning high-speed train, gazing out the window at the overlapping mountain ranges and the fleeting glimmer of a lake.

Besides a faint sense of reluctance,

reminiscing on these past days, she felt the journey had been wildly incredible.

She had truly slipped away alone into a city full of strangers — no endless exam papers, no unbearable social interactions, only beautiful scenery.

Scenery veiled in continuous drizzle.

She unlocked her phone and flipped through the photos in her album, savoring the memories. A notification popped up: a travel blogger from Lingjiang City had posted an update.

The caption read: “Have you been to Lingjiang? Is there someone there who can redeem your soul?”

Reading those words, Bai Li paused.

Suddenly, an image of that boy flashed through her mind.

For some reason, her thoughts resonated; her heart began pounding wildly and unpredictably, and tiny goosebumps prickled her arms.

She hurriedly took a sip of water from the bottle on the small tray, trying to suppress the reaction.

Only when her phone gave a faint vibration

did she snap out of it.

Opening WeChat, she saw a message from her mother.

“Quite something you’ve done. Are you back yet?”

Bai Li lowered her head and calmly replied, “I’m back.”

Then she turned her gaze away, continuing to admire the passing scenery.

...

By the time she reached the building downstairs at home, it was already two in the afternoon.

Just as she approached the residential area, she saw her mother, Mrs. Hu, holding her stepsister’s hand, while her stepfather was loading luggage into the car.

From a few meters away, she faintly caught the sound of cheerful conversation between the two.

“The cities in France are so beautiful. I’ve always longed to go. This vacation, Dad finally took us abroad. Aunt Hu, is Bai Li coming with us? I don’t really want to go with her—she’s so gloomy.”

Her mother, now a stepmother, spoke softly, no longer harsh but gentle like spring water in March: “If she doesn’t go, the rest of us will. Your brother is coming back; she can stay behind to watch the house and open the door.”

Her stepsister smiled, “Or maybe we can buy a ticket for brother too, so the whole family can reunite in France.”

The phrase “whole family” seemed to touch Mrs. Hu, who smiled with a few creases forming at the corner of her eyes. “Alright.”

Thus, mother and daughter enjoyed a long moment of warmth.

Only then did they notice Bai Li standing nearby.

Bai Li looked at her biological mother, whose smile faded as she approached, pulling her aside to a secluded spot and awkwardly asked a few questions about the trip.

Without waiting for an answer, she quietly said, “This summer, your uncle and I need to go out for some business. You’ll stay home to help watch the house. Your stepbrother is coming back; don’t wander off. Open the door for him and take care of him. After all, you’re living under their roof. You should know your place.”

A brief silence filled the air.

Bai Li clenched her phone tightly, standing in the dim hallway, yet the light outside seemed too bright, and a dullness settled in her heart.

She lowered her lashes, a surge of panic rising within her.

“What if I don’t want to?”

The words were both a question and a plea.

Since joining this wealthy family, her mother seemed never to have looked at her with genuine care again.

As usual, Mrs. Hu took her hand, pulled out a thousand yuan in cash from her bag, and, as if shooing away a stray dog, stuffed it into Bai Li’s palm. “You have to be obedient. I’m on my third marriage—I have to keep the stepchildren happy every day. It’s harder for me than for you.”

Bai Li’s hand stiffened at these words.

Beyond the absurdity, a bitterness welled up.

She should have been used to it by now; this place was no longer her home. She was merely a dependent.

Taking the money, Bai Li looked deeply into her mother’s eyes but could not find the words to speak.

Through those fine-lined eyes, she saw a delicate yet insincere soul.

Turning away, she took a deep breath and said with biting calmness, “Well, then I wish your family a happy time in France. I’ll quietly be the watchdog you want. Is that obedient enough? Want me to bark a couple more times? Woof?”

Such harsh words could pierce any mother’s heart.

Inside the elevator,

she finally heard her mother’s last words.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give up this family for you.”

Though weak, the tone was chillingly pragmatic.

Her mother was truly no ordinary mother.

Bai Li was not one to cry easily, but back in that house, she couldn’t help shedding tears.

Staring at the gray sky,

she suddenly realized—

the last person in the world who truly loved her had probably died when she was five.

All she could do now was grow up fast and live fiercely.

Wiping away the last tear at the corner of her eye with her pale fingers, she suppressed the bitterness in her heart.

Bai Li packed her things.

She could never live alone with that stepbrother—he was the most dangerous presence in this house.

But she was still a minor, caught off guard and with no relatives to turn to, holding only a couple thousand yuan—where could she go?

Closing her eyes, she suddenly recalled that a few years ago, due to her stepsister’s dissatisfaction, her mother had once given her an address, hoping to entrust her to Brother Fang Ye’s grandmother.

She had said that Grandma Fang was kind and would definitely take her in.

Brother Fang himself had told her his grandmother was a very good person, and if she ever ran into trouble and he wasn’t around, she should go to her.

Despite feeling shameless, she had no other choice but to try.

She was willing to take good care of the grandmother in exchange for a chance to stay, then find a way to earn money to pay rent and repay the kindness.

So, she painstakingly found that address.

It read:

Grandma Yun, Lingjiang City...

What a coincidence.

She couldn’t quite explain the feeling as she boarded the high-speed train back to Lingjiang.

By the time she arrived, it was already night.

The rain in Lingjiang had stopped, and the air was tinged with a coolness.

The taxi stopped before a two-story brick building along the address she had.

It was clear this had once been a prosperous area, but over time, the buildings had aged.

Since she was a guest, she couldn’t just show up empty-handed.

Dragging her suitcase, she went to a nearby supermarket and sincerely bought gifts suitable for an elderly woman—walnut powder, milk powder, fruit—before mustering the courage to knock.

She knocked gently two or three times but received no response.

For a moment, she was at a loss and turned to double-check the house number.

Then, in the next instant, her gaze suddenly fixed on something else.

Under the streetlamp at the end of the alley, she saw the boy who had haunted her dreams all night.

About ten meters away, Bai Li could clearly see his face.

The boy’s expression remained cold and distant, his tall stature imposing. His delicate eyes gave off an aloofness that made him seem difficult to approach. The dim streetlight cast a silver glow around him.

There was a deep aura in his every step.

Again, they met?

Bai Li was startled, her heart skipping a beat.

Even more remarkably, the boy stopped right in front of this very building.

Their eyes met.

A feeling both familiar and strange.

Bai Li instinctively gripped the gift box tighter.

The boy seemed surprised to see her here as well.

After a moment, he asked evenly, with measured pace, “You came to my house? What do you want?”

His house…?

Bai Li hadn’t yet figured out the relationship implied but sensed the misunderstanding in his tone. Embarrassed, she hurriedly explained honestly, “No, sorry to bother you. Although it’s sudden, I’m here to find Grandma Yun. I want… to stay at her place for a few days.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Bai Li. I live in Jiangcheng. My mother’s name is Hu Qingmei.”

Hearing her words, the boy raised his brows slightly and lowered his head, his gaze lingering again on her face.

Then he let out two low chuckles, his voice hoarse and rough: “Bai Li.”

(End of chapter)