I spent the whole night in a state of anxiety, but Mom didn't hit me—she didn't even scold me. This was truly unusual. I thought that this time, Mom might not just be angry—she might even be a little hurt.
The next morning, Mom didn't make breakfast and left early for work.
Dad grumbled, complaining that she was throwing a tantrum for no reason, as if she were going through early menopause, and asked if I had upset her.
Since Mom hadn't mentioned the incident to Dad, I certainly wasn't going to tell the truth either. I brushed him off with a few vague words and hurried off to school.
I spent the entire day in a daze, unsure of how to face Mom next.
I know Mom's temper well—she's the stubborn type. If she gets angry and hits me, that's actually better. What I fear most is when she gives me the silent treatment.
Last year, I got into a fight and refused to admit I was wrong. She was so angry that she didn't speak to me for a whole month. It wasn't until I apologized profusely that she finally started talking to me again.
This time… well, it seems much worse than last time.
The next two days went exactly as I expected. Mom kept a cold face and didn't say a word. Occasionally, she'd glance at me, but it was as if she'd seen a cockroach—she'd quickly look away.
Ever since I was little, I've been Mom's precious son. Selfishly, I thought I was the person she loved most in this world, even more than Dad.
This kind of disgusted look was something I'd never seen before, and I couldn't help but feel hurt and discouraged. I was truly afraid that Mom no longer loved me.
I wanted to apologize, sincerely apologize, but I didn't know how to bring it up.
I spent four days in anxiety until Saturday afternoon, when school let out. As I walked out of the school gate, Lin Zifan bumped into me and gestured for me to look ahead.
I looked up and was overjoyed to see Mom's car parked by the roadside. She was sitting in the driver's seat, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the open car window frame. She wore oversized sunglasses and was staring expressionlessly in our direction.
Seeing Mom at that moment was like sunshine breaking through the clouds—the gloom that had hung over me for days instantly vanished.
Without even saying goodbye to Lin Zifan, I quickly ran to the car window, slightly bowed, and said with a flattering smile, "Greetings to Her Majesty."
Mom pushed her sunglasses up and glanced down at me, motioning for me to get in the car.
I happily climbed into the passenger seat and looked at Mom's fair face. Although it was still cold and stern, I was almost bursting with joy inside. The fact that she came to pick me up from school meant she was ready to forgive me.
"Oh, my dear mother, it's been a few days, and you've become even more beautiful," I said, feigning surprise.
Mom shot me a sidelong glance but didn't say anything as she started the car.
Just as I was about to continue buttering her up, I looked past Mom's shoulder and saw a familiar figure standing across the street—it was the girl who had framed me on the bus.
"Mom, it's her! Stop the car! Hurry, stop the car!" I shouted.
Mom was startled and slammed on the brakes, turning to glare at me angrily. "Are you out of your mind?"
I pointed across the street and explained, "It's her—that's the girl who framed me."
When my mother looked in the direction I pointed, the girl had already disappeared into the crowd of students leaving school. After scanning the area without finding anyone, my mother frowned and asked, "There are so many people here. Who are you talking about?"
Without bothering to explain, I opened the car door, jumped out, and ran across the street, frantically searching for her. Unfortunately, the area was filled with classmates heading home after school, and after searching for a long time, I still couldn't find any trace of her.
Dejected, I returned to the car. My mother glared at me and asked, "Where is she?"
"I… she ran off," I said, frowning with a hint of grievance.
"Don't give me that."
I had wanted to explain further, but seeing the displeasure on my mother's face, I swallowed my words.
The car started and drove away from the school.
After turning down two streets, I realized we weren't heading home. I asked my mother where we were going, but she kept her eyes on the road and ignored me.
When we finally arrived at our destination—a garden-style residential complex—I looked around cautiously and asked again, "Mom, why did you bring me here?"
My mother remained silent.
"Mom, you're not… abandoning me, are you? Are you trying to sell me off?"
My mother shot me an impatient glare. "Why do you have to talk so much? Can't you keep quiet for once?"
Normally, I would've fired back with a witty retort, but this time, I was genuinely a little scared. I quickly shrank back and kept my mouth shut.
Once the car was parked, I followed my mother into a villa, where a middle-aged woman greeted us.
After exchanging a few quiet words with her, my mother told me to follow the woman into a room.
The room was spacious and bright, decorated in a unique style. In the center was a sofa recliner, and it dawned on me—my mother had brought me to see a psychologist.
The middle-aged woman asked me to lie down on the sofa recliner and began guiding me to talk with a clear purpose.
For an hour, I spoke a lot, but it all went in one ear and out the other. I just gave vague, perfunctory responses, and I can't even remember what we actually talked about.
After the session, the woman spoke with my mother for another half hour. By the time we left, it was almost nine in the evening.
Back in the car, neither of us said a word.
I was thinking about how to break the awkward silence when my mother spoke first, her voice still cold and distant. "That woman was a psychologist, specializing in counseling high school seniors. She's quite well-known."
"Oh," I replied, nodding as if I understood.
"Did talking to her help you at all?"
"It was… okay."
"What do you mean, 'okay'?"
"Just… okay."
Silence filled the car again. My mother's fingers tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel, as if she were lost in thought.
After a while, she said calmly, "The doctor advised me to let you relax as much as possible and not put too much pressure on yourself."
"Okay."
My mother seemed to want to say more, but she opened her mouth several times without speaking. In the end, she just repeated, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself," and drove us home.
Even after the counseling session, my mother's attitude toward me didn't improve. If anything, it became even more subtle.
Before, my mother and I often shared harmless, friendly jokes. Now, she always wore a stern expression, rarely smiled, and seemed to be deliberately avoiding me. Even occasional physical contact made her visibly tense.
I know my mom must have discussed more than just college entrance exam matters with the psychologist. Perhaps it was a bit awkward, so she couldn't tell me directly.
I also know that what I did was wrong, so I've been actively cooperating with my mom in this so-called "treatment."
Before I knew it, over half a month had passed. My mom took me to two more counseling sessions, and I have to say the money wasn't wasted. Talking to the doctor made me feel much better mentally.
To distract myself, I poured all my energy into studying, to the point where I didn't even have time to comfort Lu Yiyi.
Unexpectedly, when I was chasing after her, she ignored me. But now that I'm too busy, she's suddenly all fired up, finding excuses to hang around me and heavily hinting that we haven't gone to the movies in a long time.
She's my girlfriend, after all, so I still need to make it up to her. I bought tickets in advance and arranged to meet her at Century Plaza on Sunday afternoon.
Because of what happened last time, I've developed a bit of a phobia about buses, so this time I decided to walk to the meeting spot.
But as luck would have it, as I was passing through the small grove in the community garden, I suddenly heard someone arguing.
"Stop bothering me. I never said I liked you."
The voice was delicate with a hint of hoarseness, sweet and cute, and very familiar. That's right! It was that little witch's voice.
I quickly looked in the direction of the sound, and sure enough, it was her!
The little witch was wearing a pink hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, with a black baseball cap tilted to one side. Her hands were stuffed into the pockets of her hoodie, and she was blowing a bubble with her gum, her eyes squinting with a look of disdain.
Standing in front of her, a head taller, was a boy with a square face and muscular build—clearly an athlete.
"If you don't like me, why did you agree every time I asked you out?" the boy asked, sounding agitated.
The little witch scoffed, her face full of contempt. "As long as someone's willing to spend money, even a dog could ask me out and I'd agree."
Wow! Even as an outsider, I found that way too harsh, let alone the tall boy. He was furious, pointing at her and shouting, "You... you're shameless!"
"You're the shameless one! A grown guy chasing a girl for three blocks—where's your dignity? I'm warning you, if you keep following me, I'll scream for help!"
"Damn it!" The boy raised his hand as if to hit her, but the little witch remained calm, tilting her head with a cold smile. "Oh, so you want to hit a girl? Go ahead!"
The boy was stuck between hitting her and not hitting her. After a tense standoff, he finally lowered his hand forcefully and gritted his teeth. "People say you're into compensated dating, and I didn't believe it. Now I know—you're just trash."
The little witch kept her hands in her pockets, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Yeah, I'm trash. I do compensated dating. Last time I was in a hotel with someone, I even saw your mom there with someone else."
I couldn't help but frown. This girl's mouth is vicious. How can he stand this?
The boy's face flushed red with anger. He grabbed her collar and roared, "Say that again, I dare you!"
The little witch remained calm, a faint smirk curling at the corner of her lips as she sneered coldly, "Go ahead, try laying a hand on me. I promise you'll pay double." As soon as the words left her mouth, she caught sight of me out of the corner of her eye and froze for a moment. Then, she swiftly brushed the boy's arm aside and dashed over, curling up behind me like a pitiful little rabbit. With a trembling voice, she whimpered, "Brother, he bullied me."
Huh? Who... who are you calling brother?
Before I could even process what was happening, the boy strode over, sized me up from head to toe, frowned, and demanded loudly, "Who the hell are you?"
This had nothing to do with me, and I didn't want to get involved, but his attitude was really grating.
I shot back, "What's it to you who I am?"
"Fuck!" The boy's face flushed red, his neck bulging as he glared at me with wide, angry eyes. "What's your relationship with her?"
"I have no—"
"He's my brother! And I'll have you know, my brother is a taekwondo master, so you better watch out!" The little witch, hiding behind me, stretched her neck out and cut in, her expression dripping with provocation.
I knew she was trying to drag me into this mess, but I wasn't falling for it. I quickly pushed her away from me and said warily, "Hey, hey, hey, since when am I your brother? Don't go claiming relatives out of nowhere."
Like a magnet, the little witch instantly clung to me again, wrapping her arms tightly around mine and pleading pitifully, "Brother, he bullied me. Please beat him up for me."
The boy looked like he was about to explode. Before I could even respond, he leaned in close, pointing a finger at my nose and cursing, "Fuck your mother! Where the hell are you from?"
"Fuck your mother! What's it to you where I'm from?"
Even though I knew it was a misunderstanding, there was no point explaining now. It looked like a fight was unavoidable today.
The only problem was, the guy was pretty big—a whole head taller than me. If it really came to blows, I'd probably end up on the losing side.
The boy took another step forward, his face, red as liver, almost pressing against mine.
"You looking for a beating, huh?"
"Go ahead, try laying a hand on me." Even though I was a little nervous inside, I couldn't back down in front of him.
"Fuck! You think you're tough, huh? Which school are you from?"
"What's it to you which school I'm from? Go ahead, try laying a hand on me if you've got the guts."
"You think you're so tough? Say that again, I dare you!"
"Yeah, I'm tough. Go ahead, try laying a hand on me."
"Where the hell are you from? You think you're so damn tough!"
Suddenly, I realized this guy might not be as tough as he looked. We'd been going back and forth for a while, but he still hadn't thrown a punch.
But that was just as well—if we really fought, I wouldn't have the upper hand anyway.
Just as I was trying to figure out how to give both of us a way out and clear up the misunderstanding, my gaze shifted past him. I saw the little witch, who had somehow gotten her hands on a potted plant, slowly and quietly making her way behind the boy.
I froze for a second, then snapped back to reality and shouted, "Watch out!"
Thud! The flowerpot came crashing down hard on the back of the boy's head. He let out a sharp cry and collapsed to the ground.
"Run! What are you waiting for?"
Before I could even process what had just happened, the little witch grabbed my hand and started pulling me forward as we took off running.
Looking back, I saw the boy with blood all over his forehead, lying on the ground, clutching his head and rolling back and forth. For a moment, I was at a loss and could only follow her in a daze.
After running three blocks in one breath, I felt like I couldn't catch my breath, but she still looked calm and composed.
I forcefully shook off her hand, bent over, and gasped for air. The little devil stopped, turned around, and mocked, "Your physical fitness isn't great. If you really got into a fight, you'd probably end up in the ICU."
I glared at her, panting heavily, and said, "You… cut the crap. If it weren't for… you, would I have had to… pick a fight? I… do I have a grudge against you? You… you've been setting me up all along."
"Who told you you're my brother?" The little devil tilted her head and rolled her eyes.
"Who's your brother?"
"You are." The little devil smiled faintly.
"I'm your uncle!"
"I don't have an uncle, but I do have a brother." The little devil simply played the rogue.
"Cut the act. I'm telling you, you're in big trouble! Last time you set me up, and now you've done it again. How are we going to settle this?"
The little devil stuffed her hands into her hoodie pockets, lowered her head, kicked her feet around, and pouted. "So what do you want to do?"
"What do you think?" I put on a fierce expression.
The little devil looked up and smiled sweetly. "Then how about I sleep with you?"
Her words stunned me. It took me a while to snap out of it, and I couldn't help but look her up and down. Her cute little face, no bigger than a palm, was genuinely pretty. Her figure was slender and thin but didn't give off a bony feeling. If I had to give an overall rating, she'd even rank above Lu Yiyi.
"Well… if you put it that way, I can't really object." I knew she was just playing with words, so I decided to go along with it.
Hearing this, the little devil turned and walked toward the other side of the street. I quickly caught up and stopped her. "We haven't finished talking. Where do you think you're going? So, when are we sleeping together?"
"Right now." The little devil gestured for me to look across the street—there was a budget hotel.
Hah! Playing it for real, huh? Fine, let's see who's afraid of whom!
I walked with her to the hotel entrance and stopped, looking at her. She looked back at me, and I said, "Go on in."
Without any hesitation, she stepped into the lobby and turned to look at me.
Just as I was about to follow her in, I suddenly felt something was off. This girl was full of tricks—there was no way she'd let me take advantage of her so easily. She must have some scheme.
Could it be… a honey trap?
She was the same age as my sister and didn't even have an ID. If I checked into a room with her and then got accused of abducting a minor, I'd never be able to clear my name.
Seeing that I hadn't moved for a while, she tilted her head and asked innocently, "What's wrong? Why aren't you coming in?"
This was clearly a challenge.
I was furious. I thought I was already pretty shameless, but today I'd met someone even more troublesome.
Just as I was racking my brain for a way to counter her, my phone rang.
I pulled out the old-fashioned phone my mom had specially given me and saw the caller ID—it was Lu Yiyi. Only then did I remember I had a date.
On the phone, Lu Yiyi gave me an earful, and I apologized repeatedly.
Somehow, I felt as if I had found a lifeline. After hanging up the phone, I said to the little witch, "I have something urgent to attend to. I won't argue with you today—we'll settle our score another day."
With that, I turned and walked away, but to my surprise, she followed closely behind.
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