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墨書 Inktalez
The police car arrived before me and was already surrounding Lin Zhiping's house.
After getting out of the car, I immediately spotted Xiao Mo standing in the shadows of the alley and walked over to her. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head, her eyes fixed on Lin Ye's direction, her face full of concern.
"Let's go check it out."
I walked toward that direction, with Xiao Mo following behind me.
Shantytown had no streetlights, only a faint light coming from the courtyard, allowing me to vaguely see the situation ahead.
In the corner, there was a middle-aged man with an oily face. He lacked the stubbornness of a nail household and the ferocity of an abuser; he was just an ordinary citizen, timid as a mouse, cowering there and looking fearfully at the police officers.
"Officer, I haven't committed any crime. What are you doing--"
"According to reports from the public, someone here is committing domestic violence against a minor," one of the officers said sternly.
"I didn't do it," Lin Zhiping raised his hands high, like a surrendering rebel.
I sighed softly, feeling a bit reluctant, but still stepped forward and pointed at the scars on Lin Ye's back. "He did! The injuries on her are evidence. Look at this little girl; her clothes are torn apart. Xiao Mo, hurry up and help your classmate put on a jacket."
Since I had never openly shown myself in Shantytown before, Lin Zhiping did not recognize me.
"Oh," Xiao Mo jogged over and took off her jacket to drape it over Lin Ye.
Lin Zhiping struggled weakly for a moment before being taken away by the police. I turned around and looked at the girl named Lin Ye, who was about to lose her father and had been abandoned by her mother. Blood trickled from her mouth, her long hair was disheveled, and her clothes were tattered, resembling an orphan. My heart felt heavy with mixed emotions. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
She pulled up her coat, her slender figure evoking sympathy. "It's fine."
"That's good. Is your mother home?" Li Xianhua is naturally not at home; I had messaged her before leaving to avoid such situations.
Lin Ye turned to glance at the low courtyard. "She should be out; otherwise, she would have come out by now."
"Well... then I'll come visit another day."
"Oh, okay." She nodded absentmindedly, staring at me intently, which made me feel even more guilty.
I averted my gaze from her and said to Xiao Mo, "Let's head back; it's getting late." After saying that, I walked quickly toward the car.
I sat in the driver's seat, watching Xiao Mo and Lin Ye talking at a distance that was neither too far nor too close. I couldn't hear what they were discussing, but I could see from Xiao Mo's expression that she cared about Lin Ye. However, Lin Ye seemed weary and distracted; perhaps it was because Lin Zhiping had been taken away, and she hadn't recovered from it yet, or maybe Xiao Mo's genuine feelings were misplaced.
I hoped it wasn't the latter.
The next morning, I rushed to Lin Zhiping's house to officially sign the agreement with Li Xianhua.
"Three years," Li Xianhua said, holding up three fingers and glancing at the door behind her before speaking in a low voice.
"That's quite harsh," I replied with a smile and nodded at her as a form of agreement.
Li Xianhua let out a long sigh of relief when suddenly the door opened, and Lin Ye stumbled out, still half-asleep. Upon seeing me, she was startled and quickly retreated back inside like a mole, looking quite silly.
I couldn't help but smile; no matter their appearance, young girls are always so adorable.
When Lin Ye came out again, she had already changed her clothes. Li Xianhua urged her to go to work, and she seemed to sense something. She looked at Li Xianhua, then at me, and finally left the courtyard, turning back three times.
"She didn't go to school?" Lin Ye should be about the same age as Xiao Mo. What reason would a child like that have to work? Besides, isn't she a classmate of Xiao Mo?
Li Xianhua sighed, "She dropped out. The family is poor, and I'm an old-fashioned head of the household who thinks it's useless for a girl to go to school. I refuse to pay her tuition. What else could she do but drop out?"
"But now that you have the demolition compensation, don't you have money?"
I shouldn't have said that; it was none of my business. I was neither a neighbor nor a relative and had no right to comment. Moreover, it was precisely because of Li Xianhua's selfishness that I was able to solve my problems smoothly. It was utterly inappropriate for me to speak so authoritatively now!
Yet I felt pity for Lin Ye, whose bright youth was being buried in a mundane and troublesome life. Such a shame.
Sure enough, Li Xianhua lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I've wasted half my life in this family. Who doesn't want a good life? I've raised her for over ten years; she's about to become an adult, and I should have my own life too. The way things are now... there's really no hope. If it continues like this, I'd rather be dead."
I should also have my own life... Li Xianhua's words struck me deeply. A housewife who devoted most of her life to raising her children—was it wrong for her to be brave and selfish now that they were grown?
I'm a man; I have no right to comment.
Before long, the outcome of this matter was settled: Lin Zhiping was sentenced to three years, Li Xianhua went missing, the project proceeded smoothly, and Lin Ye lost her home.
"Was it all your doing?"
For the first time ever, Xiao Mo skipped class. She stormed into the company around three in the afternoon, bursting into my office with fury in her big eyes, glaring at me as she asked.
"Yes," I stood up from my swivel chair and walked toward the reception area. "Come in and talk."
No matter how angry Xiao Mo was, she would never do anything inappropriate or reckless. She followed me into the reception room, and I thought she was going to question me about the situation. I was prepared to explain slowly so she could understand my difficulties. However, she spoke directly, "Have you thought about making amends?"
"Making amends for what?" I didn't quite catch on.
"Supporting Lin Ye's education." Xiao Mo's gaze was sharp like a needle, making it clear that she wasn't asking; she was commanding.
"Did she ask you for this?"
"She doesn't know anything," Xiao Mo's fists were tightly clenched. After a pause, her voice trembled slightly, "She doesn't know that I'm the one responsible for her family's breakdown, and I still call myself her friend."
"Xiao Mo, don't say that. Come, sit down first." I reached out to grab her arm, but as usual, she pulled away. "We need to discuss this properly. This is my fault towards her. Supporting her education is easy; I can fund her through high school. How about that? Just sit down and don't get worked up; your heart isn't in good shape."
"You agreed?" Xiao Mo's gaze burned into me. "A promise is worth a thousand gold; you can't go back on it."
"I won't go back on it. Don't you trust your dad?" I chuckled.
Her expression darkened. "I can't trust."
My heart sank further, fearing that everything I had done for her over the years was being negated by this one issue.
Having said all that needed to be said, Xiao Mo turned to leave. As she pushed open the glass door, she suddenly stopped for some reason, waited for a few seconds, then turned back and slightly bowed to me. "Thank you."
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