Jin Wenhui said, “What good end could you possibly have, sitting deskmates with someone like that! Going to Ninth Middle School, your grades might not be as good as now, but at least your hands will be clean—you can be an upright human being!”

Jin Zhao stared blankly at Jin Wenhui. She suddenly felt that this Jin Wenhui was so unfamiliar. So unfamiliar that even though the police had already given their conclusion, in his mouth—this father’s mouth—she was still a murderer, firmly branded as such. And Jin Zhao didn’t even know whether his insistence came from truly believing it in his heart, or whether it was merely for his so-called family harmony, once again aligning himself with his new wife!

They had even shamelessly convicted Meng Yanxi with nothing more than the movement of their lips.

Jin Zhao suddenly laughed.

She had always envied how Meng Yanxi and his sister had a father like Meng Shixu who doted on them. Only at this moment did she understand that someone like Jin Wenhui would never, in his lifetime, comprehend why Meng Shixu cherished his children.

And it was also at this moment that she realized she was not a good girl by nature. She was full of ambition. She had been able to endure all those past matters only because none of them had touched what she truly cared about. The only thing she cared about—was her future!

Transferring to Ninth Middle School would definitely affect her future. She would never accept it!

This ignited her most intense resistance.

All the former pretense of peace was finally torn apart by her without mercy.

With reddened eyes, she looked at Jin Wenhui. “Back when I was entering high school, you and Auntie told me that the family didn’t have that much money—that you couldn’t prepare two paths like other families’ children, wanting both this and that. If I still wanted to keep dancing, you wouldn’t spend money to send me to a good high school, and would instead let me focus on the arts track. Dancing or academics—choose one. I chose academics without hesitation. Dad, do you know why? It wasn’t because I loved studying that much, and it wasn’t because I thought choosing academics would give me a better future! It was because I knew that only by choosing academics could I grasp more initiative! If I gave up a good high school and chose dancing, with such high costs, you would sooner or later regret it. Once an arts student loses family support, they lose both their outstanding dance ability and the chance to stake everything on the college entrance exam! But being a regular academic student is completely different—low cost. Although it looks harder for me, in a place like Affiliated High, where everything is decided by scores, as long as my scores are high enough, no matter who gives up on me, they can’t pull me out of Class A!”

“Dad, do you really think I can’t guess what happened? Ji Haoxuan’s mother thinks it was my fault that Ji Haoxuan ranked last. She wants me out of Class A so I won’t interfere with her son getting into Qingbei. For that, she tried every way to get tangled up with Lin Yao. Lin Yao and she each took what they needed, egging you on to transfer me—I can understand all of that. What I can’t understand is this: Dad, you’re my father. I worked so hard to get into Affiliated High, and climbed all the way from the regular classes to the experimental class, to Class A. And in the end, you’re actually making me give way to someone else’s son! Was it me who made Ji Haoxuan rank last? If he has the ability, let him stay in Class A himself! I’ll say it again—no matter who gives up on me, they can’t pull me out of Class A! Unless you go have the principal re-rank everyone!”

“Smack!”

That day was the most intense argument the father and daughter had had in all these years, and it ended with that slap from Jin Wenhui.

Afterward, Jin Zhao watched Jin Wenhui’s back as he stormed away and calmly reminded him, “Dad, if you’re not afraid of people pointing at your spine, then go ahead and transfer me from Affiliated High’s Class A to Ninth Middle School.”

Later, when Jin Wenhui went to the school to handle Jin Zhao’s procedures, Chen Shu asked about it. As expected, he did not mention the transfer at all. He said it was about going abroad.

From his perspective, this decision was the result of multiple forces acting together. His wife had miscarried—although it could not be proven that Jin Zhao had done it, it also could not be proven that she had not. And she also had a deskmate like Meng Yanxi, someone who stopped at nothing. Those who draw near vermilion turn red; those who draw near ink turn black—perhaps Meng Yanxi had taught her some methods. This was naturally the most important reason. In addition, Jin Zhao’s summer vacation had started on July 9, yet she had not told the family and still went out as usual. Where had she gone? Had she gone out with Meng Yanxi? Jin Zhao’s ambiguous relationship with Meng Yanxi, coupled with Lin Yao’s incitement, all strengthened Jin Wenhui’s resolve to transfer Jin Zhao.

People always subconsciously add filters for themselves. This led Jin Wenhui to believe that telling others he was sending Jin Zhao abroad was not because the decision itself was wrong, nor because he was afraid of people pointing at his spine. It was merely a kind lie to avoid unnecessary complications.

What’s more, Ninth Middle School really was close to home—just across one street—and it would be convenient for the family to keep an eye on Jin Zhao.

The filter he added for himself was far too thick, so thick that he was completely unable to understand Jin Zhao’s all-out resistance. In order not to go to Ninth Middle School, Jin Zhao even contacted her aunt and uncle, who were in the middle of traveling.

It was also at this time that Aunt Jin Wenyi learned about Lin Yao’s miscarriage. She blamed herself for bringing food that day and believed even less that Jin Zhao would poison anyone.

Jin Wenyi had a private, long talk with her elder brother Jin Wenhui, and this time, Jin Zhao finally learned Meng Yanxi’s way of stopping at nothing. While Jin Wenhui and Jin Wenyi were talking, Jin Zhao sat alone in the garden at the center of the residential compound, crying.

As expected, she quickly attracted the attention of the grandpas and grandmas who were out for a walk in the compound. They asked her with concern why she was crying.

Through tears, Jin Zhao said she had been wronged for causing her stepmother’s miscarriage. Clearly, her stepmother had given birth to her little brother less than a year ago, and her uterus had not yet recovered. The police had already come to investigate, but her father and stepmother still bit down on insisting she was a murderer and wanted to transfer her from Affiliated High’s Class A to Ninth Middle School.

One characteristic of old residential compounds was that neighbors generally knew each household’s situation.

Jin Zhao had once thought that, because of the police coming to the door over the false accusation, she would be unable to withstand the gossip and pointing behind her back. Unexpectedly, those who broke down first were Jin Wenhui and Lin Yao.

Amid the rumors of “a stepmother means a stepfather too,” Jin Wenhui finally conceded defeat in this tug-of-war over the transfer. But Jin Zhao did not win either. She did not have to go to Ninth Middle School, but she also could no longer stay in Suiyi.

Jin Wenhui pointed at her. “I’m too disappointed in you. I raised you for so many years, only to raise a white-eyed wolf who stops at nothing. Fine. Since this home makes you suffer so much that you have to seek help from outsiders, we’ll grant your wish. From now on, go with your aunt to the neighboring city. I hope you take care of yourself.”

As an outsider, Jin Wenyi could not accept such a result. From her standpoint, she had come to resolve the conflict between Jin Wenhui and his daughter—even if she said it was her choosing the wrong chicken that caused Lin Yao’s miscarriage. But if she took Jin Zhao away, it would only intensify the father–daughter conflict and turn them into strangers forever. She could not bear that responsibility.

Jin Wenyi tried to mediate, but Jin Zhao, her eyes red, said, “Okay.”

She looked at Jin Wenyi imploringly. “Aunt, I heard that No. 1 High School in the neighboring city is second only to Affiliated High. Just help me handle the enrollment procedures. I’ll board at school afterward. I don’t need you to pay my tuition or living expenses. My mom probably foresaw this day long ago and left me a sum of money in the bank—enough to support me through university graduation.”

“This child, saying such words in anger,” Jin Wenyi said helplessly.

In the end, because things had escalated too fiercely and neither father nor daughter would yield, Grandpa and Grandma also felt it would be best for Jin Zhao to go back with Jin Wenyi for the time being, for both sides to calm down and discuss things later at length. And so Jin Wenyi took Jin Zhao back to the neighboring city.

The start of school came quickly. Jin Zhao did not wait to return to Affiliated High; instead, she received news that Jin Wenhui’s family was moving.

Jin Zhao had always known that Jin Wenhui and Lin Yao had bought another house outside and had finished renovating it a year earlier, but they had never taken her to see it. She had not expected that it would come in handy at such a critical moment.

Although Jin Wenhui and Lin Yao’s swift move led to another round of pointing and gossip from the grandpas and grandmas in the compound, by then, out of sight was out of mind for them.

Jin Wenhui called Jin Wenyi, telling her to take Jin Zhao back to collect her belongings, as the house would be sold afterward.

It was precisely because of their hasty move that when Meng Yanxi later came several times to wait outside the residential compound, he never once encountered Jin Zhao or anyone from the Jin family.

Later, he found the Jin household’s landline number in Chen Shu’s office. He called it, but there was always no one answering.

When Jin Zhao went back to move her things, it was August. Affiliated High had already started the school term.

That day, Jin Wenyi drove her back. Aside from clothes, there were also many old books and assignments she had used before—elementary school and middle school ones included. None of them were of use anymore, nor could they be taken along. Jin Wenyi called for a scrap collector to come. Jin Zhao squatted on the floor sorting her clothes, and when she saw that silk dress adorned with feathers, she was momentarily dazed.

Outside the window, the blazing sun scorched, cicadas droning endlessly.

At that moment, the landline in the living room rang. Jin Wenyi was giving directions to the scrap collector on her phone and called out to her to answer it.

“Hello.”

Meng Yanxi had dialed the number casually during the break between classes. He hadn’t even realized it himself—by the time he did, the beeping of the connected call had already sounded several times.

No one had ever answered this number before. He even found his own behavior a little ridiculous and was just about to hang up when the call was picked up.

A soft, quiet voice slipped into his ear.

Meng Yanxi sprang to his feet.

The next second, ignoring the class bell that rang at the same time, he went against the flow of students and slipped out through the back door, took three or five steps upstairs, pulled open the pitch-black fire door, and walked onto the rooftop.

The blazing sun scorched. The boy stood beneath it, his voice searing hot:

“It’s me, Meng Yanxi.”