Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The heavy rain in Wangcheng lasted the entire night, turning the whole city into a city of water. Wang Shanshan searched all night but couldn't find a car willing to return to Wangcheng. The trains and buses had all stopped running. This sudden downpour caused significant economic losses to Wangcheng, but it also gave An Jiujie, a soon-to-be senior in high school, a two-day break.

During these two days, An Jiujie practiced how to become Lin Luo.

Shi Tuo's analysis that night opened a new world for her. The flat, two-dimensional character became more vivid with the addition of a childhood friend. A simple line could carry more emotion, adding a layer of story. What was even more magical was that as she practiced in front of the mirror, she suddenly saw a completely different person in the reflection. Her features were still hers, but the gaze and expressions were unfamiliar.

Although it was just a fleeting moment, An Jiujie believed Shi Tuo's words that she had talent.

This also gave her more confidence in her dream of making money and supporting her family in the future.

Wang Shanshan and An Huaimin's divorce eventually went to court. The house they bought cost a total of 47,000 yuan, with An Huaimin's parents contributing 7,000, and the remaining 40,000 paid by An Huaimin. However, the money was withdrawn in cash from three or four banks, with no bank transfer records.

The lawyer said there was still room for maneuver in the case. After all, the house was a post-marriage welfare unit, and An Huaimin's infidelity was his fault. Although it would be difficult to get half the value of the house, compensation should be possible.

Recently, the only thing An Jiujie had heard at home was Wang Shanshan discussing these matters with her lawyer — money, the house, evidence. After sending the lawyer off, Wang Shanshan would come into An Jiujie's room, grab her hand, and say, "Jiujie, you must do well. You must land this audition." After a divorce case that had bruised her both physically and mentally, Wang Shanshan could only find peace through such words.

And An Jiujie would go to the bathroom, practice those lines in front of the mirror, and watch as Lin Luo gradually became clearer in her reflection.

Other than that, An Jiujie's life had been relatively calm recently. She focused on her classes, counting down the days until the audition, and every evening, she had time to go to the secret base.

After Zhang Rou was discharged from the hospital, Shi Tuo’s life also returned to normal. His uncle, Zhang Chenglin, didn’t rush back to Singapore and had been staying at Shi Tuo's house recently.

Their tumultuous lives seemed to have temporarily calmed down, but some changes happened quietly.

After the heavy rain, Shi Tuo started going to and from school with An Jiujie again. They no longer pretended not to see each other in school, and once they were outside the school gates, they didn’t try to avoid people.

Of course, there were some strange glances and rumors. But after both of them had gone through family turmoil, they felt that these rumors didn’t matter. Anyway, it was their senior year, and if An Jiujie succeeded in the audition, she might end up spending the whole year shooting the film.

Another silent change was that Shi Tuo had become poorer.

Or rather, more broke.

Before, after finishing their homework at the secret base, the two would go to the entrance of the neighborhood and grab a snack — a bowl of oden from the convenience store, or wontons, pancakes, or in the summer, taro balls and red bean shaved ice.

They would each pay for their own food. Neither of them came from wealthy families, and their pocket money wasn’t much. They didn’t often buy expensive food. Unless it was a special occasion like a birthday or a big exam result, they didn’t usually treat each other, not wanting to burden the other.

But ever since Zhang Rou was discharged, Shi Tuo had been eating less of these things. He only went if An Jiujie mentioned it, and even then, he didn’t order a double serving like before. According to An Jiujie, now when Shi Tuo had wontons, he didn’t even add a pancake.

"Do you need me to help you out a bit? You’ve been looking thinner lately," An Jiujie said, looking at the cheapest green bean soup in front of Shi Tuo while eating her red bean shaved ice. "You stayed up until 3 am again for tutoring, didn’t you? I saw your tutoring schedule, it’s almost full."

There were dark circles under his eyes. He had been so tired that when he waited for her downstairs in the morning, he didn’t even want to talk.

"Yeah," Shi Tuo said, finishing his green bean soup in two gulps, leaning back in his chair and watching the people pass by outside. "The summer tutoring orders are more, it’ll be fine when school starts."

"If you keep this up, you’ll burn out," An Jiujie said, offering him half of her red bean shaved ice. "Want some?"

"No, too sweet," Shi Tuo pushed it away. "It’s not that I can’t afford shaved ice, but my expenses have increased lately, so saving a little is good."

Zhang Rou had no job and hadn’t paid for medical insurance. The medication and psychological consultations for her depression were a big expense. Since Shi Tuo was 14, he had been the one managing the finances at home. The last few years had been tough for his family, just like An Jiujie’s. Shi Dingbang gave them just enough money to survive, and Shi Tuo earned extra money by tutoring or doing other work, saving up a bit for emergencies. Now that Zhang Rou was sick, he had to dip into that savings. Without a sense of financial security, he had cut back on spending.

"Really, do you not want some help? Just treat it like a loan, you can give me an IOU," An Jiujie asked again. "You’re in your senior year, you probably won’t have much time for side jobs anymore. What’s going to happen then? College expenses are coming too."

"No need, you’re not that much richer than me," Shi Tuo said, pulling a black plastic bag from his backpack and handing it to An Jiujie. "This is for you."

"What’s this?" An Jiujie swallowed a bite of her shaved ice and opened the strange-looking black plastic bag.

Inside the bag was another small bag with no outer packaging. When she opened it, it was a cat-ear-shaped keychain, the same one the cartoon goose in her avatar was wearing. An Jiujie really liked this particular piece of merchandise.The item wasn’t cheap, but it cost around 60-70 yuan, which was considered a luxury for both of them.

“You’re poor, aren’t you?” An Jiujie said, biting into a cheap steamed bun with water in the morning. “What are you giving me this for? It’s not even a holiday.”

Although she really wanted it, she had wanted it for a whole year.

“A birthday gift,” Shi Tuo explained. “I think you’ll pass the audition, and I’m afraid by the end of September, you won’t be in Wangcheng anymore.”

An Jiujie squeezed the cat ear keychain, staring at the label that Shi Tuo had torn off. “You little spendthrift, you can’t even return it! There are fake ones for just a few yuan each!”

“We’re both struggling, so the birthday gift has to be something good,” Shi Tuo said, squeezing the disposable plastic cup with green bean soup in his hand, hesitating for a moment before asking, “When are you going to Baigang City for the audition?”

“Next Thursday,” An Jiujie said, chewing her shaved ice spoon, feeling a bit puzzled. “Why?”

Shi Tuo had been in a bad mood all week. He wasn’t usually an energetic person, so his emotions weren’t easy to read, but recently, it had been more obvious. Sometimes, when they were talking, he would stare blankly out the window, or he would stop mid-sentence, finally choosing to poke at his exam paper and ask her if she had finished her homework.

At first, An Jiujie thought it was because of money.

But she always felt that no matter how poor Shi Tuo was, it didn’t usually affect his mood, at least not this much. He was the type of person who would find a solution when there was a problem. He rarely let himself fall into a low mood.

But now, he seemed to hesitate again and again. An Jiujie squeezed the cat ear keychain and, for no reason, started to feel uneasy.

Shi Tuo didn’t answer her but kept squeezing the cup in his hand, remaining silent for a while.

An Jiujie put down her shaved ice spoon.

“Jiujie,” two minutes later, after her red bean shaved ice had almost melted into water, Shi Tuo finally spoke.

He didn’t say “hey” or call her by her full name, just “Jiujie.”

An Jiujie felt a bit of sweat in her palms. She stood up. “It’s late. I should head back.”

She didn’t want to hear it, not that news, the kind of news that even Shi Tuo couldn’t bring himself to say. It had to be a devastatingly bad one.

But it was clear Shi Tuo planned to tell her tonight. He looked up at her and said, “Sit down first.”

An Jiujie twisted her neck and didn’t move.

“My mom’s situation isn’t very good,” he spoke up. “The health check didn’t show any major issues, but her depression has become quite severe. The doctor said she has suicidal tendencies.”

An Jiujie plopped back down onto her seat. “Doesn’t the medication help?”

Depression was no longer a new term, but for someone who hadn’t turned 18 yet, like An Jiujie, it still felt distant.

“The medication helps ease it, but it can’t cure it,” Shi Tuo squeezed the already bent, pitiful plastic cup again. “And, I don’t know if my mom and I can afford it.”

“How much do you need?” An Jiujie asked directly. “If I pass the audition, I should get some money from the movie.”

This time, Shi Tuo really laughed. “It’s not about the money. You’ll need more money than I do in the future. Who knows how much An Huaimin will give you? This is not the time for you to be the one handing out money.”

“It’s a matter of people,” he continued.

“My mom’s illness... she can’t be left alone right now.”

“So, Jiujie,” Shi Tuo released the grip on his cup, looking at An Jiujie, speaking slowly, “I might... have to go to Singapore.”

The red bean shaved ice at this shop had too much syrup. After it melted, it became thick and stuck to the cooked red beans, making it look unappetizing.

An Jiujie froze in place. She hadn’t processed what Shi Tuo’s words meant yet, but her first reaction was: I won’t eat red bean shaved ice from this place again."I'll never eat red bean shaved ice again."

"What... Singapore?" Why was there a country name like that? Wasn’t the biggest difficulty between them the fact that his parents had divorced, and his mom was sick, needing money for medication?

"My uncle moved to Singapore and opened a fish ball noodle shop. He’s been running it for over twenty years and now has four branches. His financial situation is okay."

"He went to Singapore originally to get married, but shortly after, my aunt passed away from an illness. My uncle’s been alone all these years. This time, he came back to send off my grandmother, but he also wanted to discuss with my mom about bringing us mother and son to Singapore with him."

"On one hand, he’s getting older and needs help managing the noodle shop. On the other hand, he knows our family situation. My mom is his only sister, and for so many years, Shi Dingbang has never cared for her. My uncle has wanted to bring her over for a long time."

"Now that my mom’s sick, and there are no other relatives in Wangcheng, the doctor said it would help her condition if she moved to a completely different environment. Plus, the medical conditions in Wangcheng are definitely not as good as Singapore's."

"So, a few days ago, my uncle discussed it with me. Singapore has decent educational resources, and if I still want to study law, their law program is good. If I want to pursue further studies, I could finish my master's in law in the U.S. or the U.K. in just a year, and then I could start working and making money sooner."

"His suggestion was reasonable, and I’ve been thinking about it for several days..."

Shi Tuo rambled on a lot, but An Jiujie didn’t hear a word of it. She asked him, "What about your dad?"

They weren’t divorced.

His family was far more complicated than hers. Back when Shi Dingbang made a bad decision to act as a guarantor and sold his father’s house, things went downhill. Then, an argument between his parents caused his grandfather’s sudden death. This grudge had been held by Shi Dingbang for years. He said that if Zhang Rou had just held on and kept the peace at home, maybe his grandfather wouldn’t have passed away.

This groundless complaint had lasted for more than ten years.

Shi Tuo’s parents didn’t argue. Shi Dingbang didn’t have any affairs. They had real grievances but refused to divorce.

"I don’t have a dad," Shi Tuo’s voice dropped, and he knew why An Jiujie asked. "We’re not immigrating. We’ll first use a tourist visa, then apply for a work visa for my mom once we’re there. I’ll use a student visa. So, whether or not Shi Dingbang and my mom are divorced doesn’t matter much."

He had even thought about this.

An Jiujie looked up at him.

He had thought it through for several days, weighed the pros and cons, researched ways to go to Singapore, and only told her once he had made a decision.

That was the calm, pragmatic style of Shi Tuo, and she had never disliked it more than she did now.

"What about me?" An Jiujie asked him. "You promised to help me practice all kinds of audition scripts."

What about her? His only good friend, the one who had been fighting with him in the same baby room since birth?

Shi Tuo stopped squeezing the cup. His head lowered.

He actually looked a bit frail. Over the years, he had grown taller, which made him look even thinner. His shoulders were broad, but his thinness made him appear fragile. His school uniform hung on him like it was on a hanger.

Because he was so thin, when he used his arms, you could clearly see the veins.

An Jiujie silently stared at the veins on his arm.

"Actually..." Shi Tuo said, struggling, "Now, communication is so advanced..."

"So we can video chat, we can continue texting on our phones, right?" An Jiujie finished his sentence for him.

She stood up. "I understand."

She said, "I understand."

She understood. This was the best choice.

So they had to separate.She knew, but right now, she didn’t want to talk to Shi Tuo.

She swung her backpack and walked out of the dessert shop, not looking back.

So, she didn’t see that thin boy, his head lowered, sitting in the shop until it closed at dawn.