Chapter 60: Raising a Little Sister

Stepping up another flight of stairs, Fang Ye took the initiative to reach out and let her hold his arm before saying calmly, "Mm, I have no such intention either."

Bai Li lowered her gaze and smiled.

Fang Ye would not lie.

So she asked again, "Then what do you plan to do this holiday?"

Fang Ye quietly fixed his gaze on her.

This made Bai Li feel a sudden pang of guilt.

She must have been addled by the strong alcohol, completely forgetting how smart Fang Ye was.

Terrified that Fang Ye might read her innermost thoughts, Bai Li pretended to look away nonchalantly.

After a long while, she heard Fang Ye reply, "What do I plan to do... raising a younger sister who has never been treated well, would that count?"

He spoke very, very slowly.

Bai Li looked up in astonishment.

If she hadn't misunderstood, this younger sister was supposed to be her, right?

Was he worried about her?

Bai Li figured it must be so. She lowered her gaze, instinctively not wanting to cause Fang Ye any trouble.

"Brother, I'm doing quite well."

Seeming afraid that Fang Ye wouldn't believe her, she unconsciously twirled the fabric of her dress and continued, "All these years I haven't lacked food or clothes. The man Madam Hu married is quite wealthy, and he hasn't mistreated me. Don't worry."

Having passed the steps underfoot, Fang Ye withdrew his hand with a pensive look. He pulled out a cigarette, bit it between his thin lips, and let the faint smoke drift away. His voice was soft, as if trying to hide in the deep night, easily overlooked if one wasn't paying attention.

"Still the same."

Bai Li caught these words and asked with a puzzled look, "What's the same?"

Fang Ye suppressed a smile and gazed at her with those distinct, black-and-white eyes. "Just like when you were a little, you always tug at your clothes whenever you lie."

Bai Li's mind went blank for a second. She lowered her gaze to her hands, and sure enough, her fingers were twisted in the fabric around her waist.

Fang Ye exhaled another puff of white smoke. "I used to think you were living a wonderful life."

Bai Li looked into his calm eyes. His pale skin showed not the slightest flaw, and an inexplicable sense of bitterness welled up in her heart.

Yes.

That was how she had thought when she first met Fang Ye.

She recalled the line from *A Farewell to Arms*.

——You were so brave and quiet that I forgot you were suffering.

Bai Li thought of that terrifying and bizarre dream.

The ice-cold urn.

She didn't know whether she should ask.

Nor did she know how to ask.

After weighing her words for a long time, she finally asked hesitatingly, "Brother, is Grandma Yun in good health now?"

A few tiny flying insects hovered around the street lamp, casting a huge, terrifying shadow over the ground.

As soon as these words were spoken, the man's originally gentle eyes instantly darkened. Although it was very subtle, Bai Li caught it.

He stared quietly into the night.

"Mm, she went somewhere else."

Bai Li was struck dumb, her heart tightening sharply.

An answer completely different from last time seemed to confirm her suspicions.

Where could an old woman go?

Before she could ask further, they had reached the end of their journey.

They were home.

Fang Ye opened the door and urged her to go wash up as usual. There was no unusual expression on his face, but it was clear he didn't want to talk more about these matters.

Bai Li could only keep her mouth shut.

Standing before the mirror in the bathroom, she looked at the beads of fine sweat on her forehead and splashed water on her face. The flush on her cheeks had been washed away by that answer.

Outside the window, the gradually intensifying cicada chirping drifted from the greenery trees.

She pondered how she could find out about Fang Ye's affairs.

Those dreams were hidden in her heart like secrets, impossible to voice aloud.

Bai Li was afraid.

She was afraid that Fang Ye was truly being bullied, and she was also afraid that if he achieved wealth and success in the future, she wouldn't be able to keep up with his pace.

Lulled by the alcohol that night, she managed to fall asleep.

When she woke up the next day, her head was pounding.

Early in the morning, she announced that she wanted to take on a part-time job.

Fang Ye was initially reluctant, but the young girl firmly insisted that she had graduated and was capable of working.

Watching the determined young girl, he finally agreed.

As Bai Li walked out the door, the words still echoed in her ears: "Don't work too hard. If anyone bullies you, remember to come home."

For the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of security—as if she truly only needed to turn around, and someone would be standing behind her, protecting her and backing her up.

This time, because she was of age, she quickly found a part-time job.

It was at the same tavern in the old district.

The place Fang Ye had often taken her to last year.

The owner was sitting at the entrance. Seeing her inquiring around the neighborhood, he invited her inside to help collect payments for the day shift. She could leave by afternoon, with a monthly salary of five thousand.

It would just be enough to cover her tuition for the first semester. Combined with her scholarship and some thriftiness, she would have her own time in college, and if she worked hard to find some illustration work, she could surely get through the most difficult moments.

Yet while working, she couldn't help glancing across the street, where the sounds of construction could be heard.

The former two-story small building was being demolished and rebuilt.

It started to drizzle in the afternoon, and with few customers in the shop, the owner told Bai Li to leave early and rest.

Holding her umbrella, Bai Li walked toward the construction site.

Under the vast gray sky, claps of thunder roared, and the visibility was dim.

She saw an elderly woman buying groceries, tremblingly carrying a basket as she walked home.

Bai Li recognized her; she had seen this old woman before—it was Grandma Qin, who had once wanted to buy a silver bracelet for her grandson.

The patter of rain beat against the umbrella, and Bai Li quickly trotted a few steps to catch up with her, sheltering her from the heavy rain.

Grandma Qin recognized her as well and showered her with affectionate thanks.

Smiling, Bai Li took the vegetable basket and escorted her back to a nearby alley, where she was warmly invited inside for a cup of tea.

Learning that she was just visiting for the summer vacation, Grandma Qin patted her hand with a smile. "Thank you for today, child. How is Xiao Ye doing these days?"

The old woman's hands were wrinkled with small gray spots, but her tone at the end was quite complicated.

The cold air brought by the heavy rain gave Bai Li a momentary clarity; this weather was eerily similar to the one in her dream.

Clenching her palms, she knew her chance had come and immediately asked, "Granny, can you tell me why the small building was torn down? My brother always bears things alone and refuses to talk about it. I'm worried about him."

The summer of this year carried a dusty air, with continuous heavy rains washing over the dirtied city, turning the flowing puddles gray.

The dampness from the umbrella clung to her ankles.

She spoke with heartfelt earnestness and pleaded for a long time before she finally heard Grandma Qin let out a sigh, her aged, elderly voice ringing out word by word.

"We're all old neighbors, so it's not my place to speak ill of others, but that uncle of yours is simply unfilial. When the old lady fell ill, all he knew was to demand money from Xiao Ye and borrow from neighbors, yet he refused to take her for treatment. He ended up causing Ah Yun to pass away before even getting through the New Year."

Bai Li lowered her gaze, her fists clenched tight.

Uncle? That must be Fang Ye's uncle.

Ah Yun must be Grandma Yun.

Grandma Yun really had passed away!!

She couldn't stop herself from wanting to cry out, but she forced it down with all her might.

"Ah Yun had only that one retirement home, left behind by her husband. A will had been drawn up stating that your uncle should take care of her until her passing before he could inherit it. Who would have thought that the moment Ah Yun passed, without even a funeral, that unfilial wretch set fire to the place and only then called Xiao Ye to collect the ashes? Before Xiao Ye could even bury the ashes, Ah Yun's house and belongings had all been sold. Fearing that Xiao Ye would contest the property, they vanished without a trace the moment the money hit their hands, leaving Xiao Ye alone to face so many creditors."