Xu Ni slowly removed the wig from her head and stood to go back to her bedroom.
"Take off your makeup, change your clothes, come with me."
Xu Ni stopped in her tracks, making no move forward.
"I’ll wait ten minutes. When time’s up, I’m leaving."
"Where are you taking me?"
"Selling you off."
Xu Ni was stunned for a moment. The way she looked at me stirred an odd sense of satisfaction in my heart.
I tapped the table.
"Hurry up."
Xu Ni shivered, turned, and walked quickly toward her room, almost tripping as she reached the door.
At eight and a half minutes, she came out wearing a plain white dress. Her face flushed slightly, and she was panting. She must really be anxious.
I lifted my chin and headed for the door first. Xu Ni followed closely, never more than a meter behind. Whenever I glanced back, she maintained her distance.
Our first stop was One Sweet Spot, the dessert shop.
My cousin’s eyes widened.
"You two really look exactly alike. But including that dark-haired, quiet little sister, you’re easy to tell apart."
I smiled.
"We’re different people, of course. It’s easy to recognize."
I picked out a slice of cake and a cup of coffee, placing them before Xu Ni.
"The shop’s most popular matcha cake and a cappuccino. Try it."
Xu Ni blinked, obediently picking up the spoon.
"I work here part-time. I’m at the shop whenever I’m not at home. The boss is nice; the coworkers are friendly. There’s just a lot to learn."
"I’ve been practicing latte art for a while. It’s a bit tricky. You should get it in an hour."
"These days I’ve been learning how to bake cakes with the chef. It’s pretty fun."
Xu Ni ate slowly, listening quietly to me talk.
When half the cake was gone, I took it away.
"Save some room we’ll eat something else later."
"Is there anything you want to eat?" I asked.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Street food."
So I took her to the university district.
We walked the whole street lined with vendors, from the start of the block to the alley and back again, spending an hour and a half.
Xu Ni’s face looked a little pale.
"Stomach hurting?"
"Yeah."
"Let’s stop eating. Come on, I’ll take you somewhere else."
We took the bus for twenty minutes and got off at our stop.
Seeing the familiar building ahead, Xu Ni hesitated.
I said nothing and led her inside a nearby low-rise building.
On the second floor, third room on the left, I used my keys to open the door.
"It’s small one bed, one washbasin, one bathroom. The table and chairs over there are my own."
"No choice. This is the cheapest place near our school."
"I rented it using Sister Zhou’s ID. She paid upfront for a year, I pay monthly."
I put the keys in Xu Ni’s hand.
"This door locks from the inside. Only one key. When someone knocks, you can decide to open or not."
"Do you want to stay here tonight?"
Xu Ni clenched the key so tightly her fingers turned white.
A minute passed without her answer.
I left the room and sat outside for a long time.
Only when I heard the door lock click did a faint smile lift the corner of my lips.
I slowly got up and headed downstairs.
Shen Fang was never easy to get along with. Obsessive to the point of paranoia, controlling to the extreme, she went insane when anything slipped from her grasp.
Nothing drove her crazier than Xu Guoyong.
He didn’t answer her calls. He didn’t bring her out. He didn’t come home.
"Do you know how busy I am?"
"Do you know how hard it is to support a family?"
"Should I take care of the kids and you go work?"
Shen Fang was a paper tiger, throwing tantrums, being unreasonable. But with Xu Guoyong, she backed down every time.
As long as he came home. As long as they didn’t divorce.
Did Xu Guoyong have a side girlfriend? Shen Fang never knew for sure. She just chose to turn a blind eye and deceive herself.
Now that I had exposed the truth, Shen Fang was utterly losing it.
She stormed into the hotel and confronted the mistress.
Xu Guoyong, furious, kicked Shen Fang out.
What he didn’t expect was someone reporting the hotel for prostitution.
Police and reporters soon flooded the scene.
The entire incident was caught on camera.
Some ended in hospital, some in jail.
Another night of chaos.
The next day, when I stood before Xu Ni, her expression shifted from confusion to shock, then understanding, and finally pale fear.
"Xu Si, what are you doing?"
In the reflection of the window, it was me wearing the same short hair as her, the style I had the hairdresser cut using her photo as reference.
And this simple white dress I’d taken from her closet.
Coupled with the same cool, detached expression who could tell who was Xu Ni and who was Xu Si?
I looked at her.
"Let’s play a game."
"From today on, you’re Xu Si. I’m Xu Ni."
"You run away. I will settle the scores."
Xu Guoyong wouldn’t admit to cheating.
He claimed the woman was a subordinate, meetings took place to discuss work.
Blamed Shen Fang’s jealousy and distrust.
"If there’s no trust, then let’s get a divorce."
The moment he said that, Shen Fang wilted completely.
She swallowed her anger, accepted Xu Guoyong’s explanation like a bitter pill.
In the living room, Xu Guoyong was already losing patience.
"Fine, I’ve sent you home. I have factory work to attend to; I have to leave now."
"You don’t eat at home? Xu Guoyong, do you even care about this family? I work all day and night, and you’re never around. You finally come back, and you’re gone before your butt hits the chair."
"Are you done? Do you know how much money I lost because of you making a scene? What about my clients? No money coming in? How am I supposed to live?"
Shen Fang closed her mouth, swallowing rage and helplessness.
Xu Guoyong glanced at her with disgust, then looked at me warmly.
"Ni Ni, study well at home and listen to your mother. Tell your dad if you want anything; he’ll buy it for you."
"By the way, where is Si Si? Haven’t seen her all day. Shen Fang, did you beat her again? You’re the mother, aren’t you supposed to be fair? No favoritism."
The very mention of my name almost made Shen Fang faint.
I spoke slowly.
"I kicked Xu Si out."
Shen Fang and Xu Guoyong stared at me. Silence fell like a stone, heavy and suffocating.
"Ni Ni, what are you saying? What do you mean Si Si was kicked out?"
"Did Si Si bully you again? What bad luck for this family."
I remained calm, voice steady.
"Xu Si disturbs my studies so much I can’t concentrate. I asked her not to come back until after the college entrance exam."
Xu Guoyong’s face showed disappointment and disapproval.
"Ni Ni, Si Si is your sister. Though she’s mischievous and difficult, you shouldn’t have pushed her out. That was wrong."
"Don’t spout nonsense. Do you know what condition Xu Si is in now? Look at my hair that was cut by her. She even called the police on me. Good riddance, I’ve wanted her out for ages."
"Do you even act like a mother? The family’s in chaos. It’s all because of you."
"Do you even act like a father?"
"You’re being unreasonable. I'm done talking to you."
They erupted into another fight.
I stood up and broke the deadlock.
"I think right now, the most important thing is the college entrance exam. For that, everyone in this family should make sacrifices and compromises. Since Xu Si is also a family member, her making some sacrifice isn’t too much."
Shen Fang’s eyes brightened as she eagerly agreed.
Xu Guoyong looked hesitant.
"Fine. Do whatever you want. I’m done."
"Dad, you’re the pillar of this family. How can you just quit?"
"I have a favor to ask you. Dad, can you give me 50,000 yuan?"
Xu Guoyong’s eyes widened in shock.
"Ni Ni, what do you need 50,000 yuan for?"
"That’s Xu Si’s living, school, and housing expenses for the coming year. I promise to take care of her. She vows not to cause trouble and to tell everyone she moved out voluntarily."
Fifty thousand isn’t a huge sum, but enough for a student to live comfortably and still save some money for college.
Though Xu Guoyong could easily spend that amount on a handbag for someone else, he was reluctant to give it to this family.
"We’re family, why talk about money? Si Si’s being unreasonable."
Shen Fang thought it was too much as well.
"Why should we give her that? Let her have as much as she wants? It’s absurd."
I stayed silent, letting them vent.
Finally, I said,
"When I top the college entrance exam, I hope there won’t be any gossip during the media interviews."
For a moment, everyone was quiet.
Reluctantly, Xu Guoyong handed over the 50,000 yuan.
Shen Fang clutched the money like she’d been bitten.
Chapter 05
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