She let go and lifted your chin. "How much for one night with me?"
Your eyes shifted slightly. The Chu Youyou from back then and the Chu Youyou now — you had never been able to resist her. Even when you played wildly outside, you still wanted to return home on time. You liked holding Chu Youyou, sleeping deeply, feeling safe while she curled in your arms like a cat.
Chu Youyou's lips almost brushed yours. "Name your price. Ten thousand?"
Your mind went blank. Instinctively, you wanted to kiss her, but Chu Youyou leaned back slightly and smiled. "How many people have you kissed?"
It was like ice water in deep winter. Your heat instantly retreated. How could Chu Youyou still like you? Did you even deserve that?
Sensing your emotion fade, Chu Youyou frowned in the dark. "Do not be too eager. It ruins the experience for me. Go take a shower. I will wait there."
You were like a puppet with no thoughts of your own, and went in.
When you finished showering and walked into the bedroom in a towel, Chu Youyou had changed and slipped under the quilt. Her eyes were closed. Her pale wrist hung at her side. Only at that moment did you finally see the clear, foolish girl from before.
Chen Fan, someone seems to be outside. Can you come back earlier? I will wait for you by the bar. Drink less. There are mice at home. All the money you gave me is here. Take it back. Can you please not leave me?
You suddenly realized the reminders and care you once hated most were actually priceless. But in Chu Youyou's heart, it was the opposite. Sometimes you would not answer her calls or even reply to her messages. If you came home a little late, she would keep sending you texts.
Mice. There had never been mice at home. She waited outside the bar willingly. You left her sleeping in the car for countless nights. She never dared say what she meant. Sensitive, fake calm, pretending to be strong, obedient, with no temper and no self.
You froze and saw the tattoo on her wrist. Wrapping from her pulse around the whole wrist, it looked almost raised. No, it truly was slightly raised. The tattoo looked like it was hiding something. You suddenly remembered what she once said. "I only have you. If you dare abandon me, you are making me die again."
Countless thoughts crashed into you. Your body felt drained of all strength.
Chu Youyou had opened her eyes at some point. "Are you clean now?"
"Your wrist. What happened?"
This time, you did not answer her question. Hatred flickered in Chu Youyou's eyes. "After you, I dated another boyfriend. He was even worse than you. This scar came from a fight with him. Get out. Seeing you makes me sick."
You kept taking deep breaths and left the room in a daze.
Chu Youyou heard your footsteps fade, then tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She and that boy once had the sweetest and most passionate days. After splitting, she never dated again, because she instinctively feared and distrusted men. But when he held her, she could not ignore her racing heart.
Chu Youyou hypnotized herself, forcing every beautiful memory away. Only then did the boy in her mind slowly turn hateful again.
She had decided that this city was unsuitable for her fashion company to open a branch. The business itself was boring, but her interest in the boy had returned. If she did not return the pain double, she might never be happy again.
Relieved, Chu Youyou called her driver, then talked to the supervisor. "Have the employee named Chen Fan be my driver for a few days."
"Brother Yang, President Chu never lets men near her room. But that greeter stayed in her room nearly half an hour. Who exactly is he to President Chu?"
You bought medicine and reached the market. A girl stood politely in front of your mother's stall. "Auntie, you are so beautiful and elegant. May I take a few photos of you?"
Lu Ru was closing up. If her son knew she was secretly selling here, he would scold her again at home. She was about to refuse when she saw you standing nearby. Your mother Lu Ru froze like a guilty student and quickly stood up. "Xiao Fan, off work so early today?"
You did not answer. You walked over and helped her sell. About twenty minutes later, the few toys left on the stall and the hair accessories were almost gone.
The girl's attention shifted to you. She kept peeking, turned away, then secretly looked again. Lu Ru noticed the girl's strange reaction and casually started chatting with her. "Is filming videos your main work now?"
The girl nodded. "I like the freedom. I am still figuring it out."
As she spoke, she glanced again at you, busy packing the stall. Her fondness instantly hit its peak. The mother was kind and reasonable. The son was filial. Everything about them felt right.
You folded the blanket, stuffed the unsold toys into the car, and waited a while longer before Lu Ru got in, smiling brightly.
"Son, did you notice that girl looked at you differently? This one probably has a chance. Simple and sensible, not too materialistic. I got her contact for you. Her name sounds nice, too. Li Xia."
You obediently added the card she sent.
"Did things with Chuchu really fail over money? Actually, over three hundred thousand is not high here. Just a little above average."
You paused. "She wanted the house in her name."
You did not continue, afraid to hurt your mother's fragile strength. The car moved through the night. You glanced at her through the mirror.
"Miss Lu Ru, can you stop losing the watermelon while picking up sesame seeds? You tutor people by day, hand out flyers at noon, run a stall at night. After two hard months, you earned twenty thousand, then collapsed into hospital. And my hard-saved thirty thousand was gone. Can you take your health seriously?"
"I just bought some toys online to sell. It is no different from strolling for fun. But son, if money keeps you from marrying, there is really no need. Your sister Lu Yao called me many times. She wants to repay all your dad's debts at once. I know she always keeps her word."
When she mentioned Lu Yao, a woman appeared in your memory, almost too unreal for the ordinary world. As a child, you feared nothing but Lu Yao. Lu Yao always said to you, "If anyone bullies you at school, tell your sister." Later, she went abroad to study, and contact slowly faded.
Now, you still often see Lu Yao on your phone. She became an actress. Every appearance dominates trending searches. You once dreamed of marrying her and innocently confessed to her. Lu Yao laughed hard, then seriously told you to ask your mother first. Everyone chatting in the living room laughed until they bent over.
That childish crush stayed with you for years. So, even when you dated later, you subconsciously searched for girls like her. Now you were grown. No matter how close you once were, strangeness had grown between you. People from the same world had become forever out of reach. But later, you never expected to meet her in that kind of way.