Dazzling

Qing Ye still carried her clothes to the bathroom to change. She wasn’t bold enough to change in front of Xing Wu.

The house remained exactly as it had been the day before. When they returned, Li Lanfang was busy in the kitchen, and Xing Guodong sat by their grandmother’s door with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Qing Ye couldn’t fathom how the three of them had squeezed into such a small room last night—this kind of life was something she had never dared to imagine before coming here.

Li Lanfang glanced toward the kitchen door and said, “You’re back?”

Xing Wu gave a noncommittal “Mm” and went inside to check on their grandmother. Qing Ye followed him in. The old woman lay on the bed, still unconscious, looking no different from usual. But Xing Wu, who took care of her every day, must have sensed something amiss.

At noon, Li Lanfang brought the meal into the room and set it on a small folding table. It was the family’s first reunion meal of the new year.

While eating, Qing Ye quietly observed Xing Wu, wondering what matter he had returned to deal with. Xing Guodong held his bowl and squatted by the doorway, while Li Lanfang sat on the grandmother’s bed.

Xing Wu carefully picked out the bones from a piece of fish belly and placed the meat in Qing Ye’s bowl, urging her to eat her fill. Qing Ye silently lowered her head and continued eating.

Although no one was absent from the household that day, the atmosphere was far from harmonious. Throughout the meal, hardly anyone spoke. Qing Ye could keenly feel the weight of unspoken troubles pressing on each person’s heart, as if it were a “last supper.”

Sure enough, as soon as the meal ended, Xing Wu leaned against the doorframe, lit a cigarette, and said to Li Lanfang, “Leave the dishes for now. Let’s talk—how are we going to live from now on?”

Xing Guodong stood by the doorway with his arms crossed. Li Lanfang tossed her chopsticks down. Qing Ye glanced at them, then tactfully rose and left the room.

Perhaps because they had just suffered such a setback, no one had the heart to shovel the snow in the yard. Aside from the area near the kitchen door, the snow from the heavy fall two nights earlier still lay untouched.

Qing Ye walked to a quiet corner, crouched down, and scooped up a handful of snow. As a child, she had always loved clean, untouched snow like this. Whenever heavy snow fell in Beijing, she would drag her father outside to build a snowman, as if a winter without one was a winter wasted.

Xing Wu lowered his gaze and began, “Since the house is gone, the barbershop is gone, and you don’t have any money, what’s your plan from here?”

Li Lanfang sighed and hung her head. She was just an uneducated middle-aged woman, utterly lost in the face of such a crisis. She couldn’t bring herself to swallow her pride and borrow money from others. Although she got along well with her mahjong friends, when it came to money, everyone kept their distance—a truth she understood better than anyone after living here her whole life. Besides, their current situation couldn’t be resolved by borrowing a mere three or five thousand.

Xing Wu turned to Xing Guodong, who glared back and said, “Why are you looking at me? What can I do? I have to return to work in a few days.”

Xing Wu took a deep drag from his cigarette and nodded. “Fine, then. You take your mother with you. I’ll take care of my mom myself.”

Xing Guodong and Li Lanfang stared at him in shock. Even Qing Ye, standing some distance away, lifted her head to look at Xing Wu.

Xing Guodong retorted incredulously, “What the hell are you talking about, kid?”Xing Wu glanced at him indifferently. "The one lying on the bed is your mother. If you don't take care of her, who will? The filial duty falls on you, not me. I only support my own mother."

"I'm still your father!" Xing Guodong's bandit-like temper flared up again.

Xing Wu replied with a hint of sarcasm, "My father? What parental duty have you ever fulfilled for me? Did you provide me with food or clothing? If you could name even one thing, I'd acknowledge you as my adoptive father."

The words "adoptive father" sounded particularly harsh coming from his lips. By now, the disgraceful lie had been exposed, and Xing Wu had completely torn face with Xing Guodong, leaving no room for sentiment.

Li Lanfang suddenly rose from the bed, walked up to Xing Wu, and raised her voice. "Wu Zi, what kind of talk is this? Are you trying to break up our family?"

Xing Wu shifted his gaze to Li Lanfang. "If you don't want to separate, that's fine too. You can leave with him and take care of Grandma together. I don't need either of you to look after me anyway. But if he ever kicks you to the curb, don't come back expecting anything from me."

Li Lanfang was so shocked her pupils trembled. Enraged, she slapped Xing Wu's arm, knocking the cigarette from between his fingers. Xing Wu looked down with a cold laugh and crushed the cigarette under his foot. Raising his eyes to Xing Guodong, his expression remained calm. "If you find Grandma too troublesome and don't want to care for her, that's also acceptable. Divorce my mother. Put it in writing clearly - from today onward, you'll have no connection to anyone or anything in this family. Grandma can stay here, and I'll take on your filial duty to support her until her passing. Otherwise, this afternoon I'll leave with Qing Ye, and however you all live afterward will be none of my concern."

Qing Ye averted her gaze, bending down to roll the snowball in her hands larger and larger. As she had promised Xing Ye before coming, she let him handle his affairs without uttering a word, quietly waiting for him in a corner of the yard.

She understood perfectly that Xing Wu would never abandon Grandma, nor would he feel at ease leaving her in Xing Guodong's care. She was equally aware that someone like Xing Guodong could barely support himself, let alone be burdened with a half-paralyzed elderly woman.

Xing Wu was precisely leveraging this understanding to force him to make a choice. Before, he could turn a blind eye and let life muddle along - whenever Xing Guodong returned to take money, it was always Li Lanfang's funds, a case of willing giver and willing taker. Beyond occasionally arguing fiercely with Li Lanfang, there was little he could do.

But now things were different. If they planned to rebuild the house, then this property and everything in their future home would be kept completely out of Xing Guodong's reach. There was no chance he would allow any possibility of Xing Guodong accessing Qing Ye's money. He had to sever ties completely before this to safeguard their family's future livelihood.

However, Li Lanfang and Xing Guodong remained unaware of their building plans. Thus, when Xing Wu suddenly demanded they divorce, Li Lanfang erupted in curses, carrying on as if Xing Wu were forcing her to her death. Xing Wu merely watched his mother's dramatic display with amusement, remarking lightly, "I'm not forcing you. Whether you divorce or not is your decision. If you don't divorce him, let's see if he's willing to take you with him?"Li Lanfang was rendered speechless by that single sentence. Over the years, she had long seen through Xing Guodong's true nature. She had heard rumors about him having affairs outside their marriage, but she no longer cared to investigate whether they were true. Deep down, she understood better than anyone that relying on him was far less dependable than relying on their son. It was just that being forced to make a choice so abruptly was difficult to accept, especially since they had muddled through all these years together.

Xing Wu slowly turned his head to look at Qing Ye. She was bustling about busily by herself, having already built the body of a snowman and now rolling a snowball for its head, her expression utterly focused.

The resentment that had tangled in Xing Wu's heart for years seemed to dissipate with her lighthearted movements. Watching Qing Ye build her snowman, he said to his parents, "You two should discuss this properly yourselves. Give me your answer by the seventh day of the new year at the latest."

After speaking, he strode over to Qing Ye, helped her place the snowman's head on its body, then went to the kitchen and tossed her a carrot. Qing Ye carved out two eyes and stuck the carrot in place.

Xing Wu took out his phone and said to her, "Stand over there, I'll take your picture."

So Qing Ye stood behind the snowman, flashing a peace sign with her fingers, her smile sweet and warm.

When they left the house, neither could explain why they both felt as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

Xing Wu's purpose in returning home had been to persuade his parents to divorce. The act of breaking up his own family during the New Year celebrations might seem immoral, yet it brought him a sense of cathartic relief—like finally cutting away a piece of rotten flesh that had been festering for too long.

Qing Ye expressed some concern: "You don't think your mother might do something rash, do you?"

But Xing Wu responded decisively: "No. She only plays the victim when I'm around. The moment I leave, she won't actually torment herself. Do you think she's foolish? Those two should have separated long ago. If I don't push her, she'll never take that step."

Qing Ye thought about it and realized he was right. Although Li Lanfang constantly cursed Xing Guodong's name, his presence or absence actually had little impact on her daily life. She still played her mahjong and lived her life as usual. Having spent her entire life this way, she had never considered change, nor did she know how to change. But with this situation arising, Xing Wu needed to plan for the family's future livelihood, so certain decisions were no longer up to her.

The streets during the New Year were desolate and quiet, all shops shuttered tight. Xing Wu had originally intended to take Qing Ye to replenish some daily necessities, but the heavy snow meant there wasn't even a single vehicle on the streets. They had no choice but to walk back to the inn.

Before evening, Xing Wu went out again and returned with an induction cooker from Huang Mao's place. That night, the two of them gathered around the small table by the window to enjoy hot pot. Though their ingredients were limited by circumstances, Qing Ye was in high spirits, even urging Xing Wu to open two cans of beer to celebrate their first day of the new year.

Having witnessed Qing Ye's drunken antics before, Xing Wu normally wouldn't let her drink. But today, with just the two of them, he indulged her this once—after all, if she got drunk, she'd only end up collapsing in his arms.

Alcohol immediately flushed Qing Ye's cheeks. After just half a can, her fair skin turned rosy pink, and her speech lost its usual clarity, becoming disjointed as she began chatting nonsense with Xing Wu about everything under the sun.Xing Wu didn't like drinking slowly. His can of beer had long been empty, yet he maintained his usual stoic expression while helping Qing Ye blanch vegetables. Though Qing Ye had eaten with him and his brothers many times, she had never seen Xing Wu drunk. Sometimes when they got wild, mixing baijiu with beer in terrifying ways—even downing baijiu in one gulp—like how Huang Mao had to be carried home by Pang Hu yesterday, others might end up heavily intoxicated though still conscious, but Xing Wu alone never lost his composure in her eyes.

Resting her chin in her hands, her eyes already slightly dazed, she stared at him: "Hey, exactly how much can you drink?"

Xing Wu placed the blanched meat slices in her bowl and said lightly, "I could probably handle ten of you."

Qing Ye felt her drinking pride take a critical hit and immediately took a large gulp of beer in retaliation.

She put down the beer can cheerfully, glanced around, and sighed: "This is probably the most unforgettable New Year I'll ever have. Don't you think it'll be hilarious years from now when we look back? Huddled in this shabby hostel eating hotpot with only one, two, three, four... well, counting this fermented tofu, barely five dishes. When I give my speech at a top university's graduation ceremony someday, I'll say: I thank my most, most, most, most beloved boyfriend—it was his five-dish hotpot that kept me alive..."

Xing Wu lowered his eyes and chuckled, putting down his chopsticks: "Don't embarrass me like that."

Qing Ye straightened up and patted her chest: "How could I embarrass you? I bring you honor! Aren't I your dearest little sweetheart?"

Well, Xing Wu was now quite certain that any "little sweetheart" who could say such things was drunk.

His gaze shifted to the beer can beside her hand. He really wanted to snatch it and finish it for her, but after a second and a half of consideration, he realized this would likely make the little sweetheart across from him throw a fit, possibly demanding why he stole her drink. So he abandoned the idea, silently got up to boil water, and placed a cup of warm water before her.

As expected, Qing Ye's final sip of beer lasted over an hour—like keeping fish in it. Xing Wu knew she probably couldn't drink more but refused to admit it. When she finally swallowed that last drop, he felt more relieved than she did.

Qing Ye stretched and mumbled: "I want to sleep."

Yep, Xing Wu was now certain she was losing consciousness.

He got up to clear the table. When he finished, sure enough, Qing Ye was curled on the chair hugging her knees with her eyes closed. Shaking his head, he carried her to bed and wiped her face with a warm towel. Qing Ye unconsciously tugged at her sweater collar, looking uncomfortable.

Xing Wu had no choice but to pull her into his arms and help remove her sweater. Her smooth shoulders pressed tightly against him. Looking down, Xing Wu's breath instantly grew hot. Due to the local climate in Zhazha Pavilion, few girls had Qing Ye's fair complexion. Her flawless skin was soft and delicate, carrying that youthful beauty between girlhood and womanhood that stirred wild impulses in him.

But she was drunk now—would taking her like this make him a beast?

Hardening his heart, Xing Wu decided out of sight was out of mind, and quickly tucked her under the blankets.However, once the fire in his heart was ignited, sleep became elusive. He simply leaned against the headboard and scrolled through his phone for a while, but Qing Ye beside him was truly a fatal test for him. His gaze kept drifting toward her involuntarily, as if even her faint breathing was relentlessly teasing his resolve.

At an age where he had just tasted desire and was full of youthful vigor, it was incredibly difficult to suppress the restlessness in his heart. Xing Wu felt he had encountered the greatest challenge of his life. He was no Liu Xiahui, incapable of remaining unmoved with a beauty in his arms. He simply thought that since she was drunk, he feared she might feel uncomfortable if he acted on his impulses.

Qing Ye slept restlessly, tossing and turning while constantly kicking off the covers. Xing Wu had no choice but to tuck her in again and again.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before she finally settled down and stopped moving. To distract himself, Xing Wu focused on watching a match. When the match ended and he turned to look at her again, Qing Ye was lying beside him, wide awake, quietly staring at him with her big eyes.

Xing Wu exclaimed “Holy shit!” and tossed his phone aside. “What’s your deal now? Sleepwalking or awake?”

“I wasn’t asleep.”

Xing Wu couldn’t help but laugh at her serious response. She had been as limp as a rag doll, impossible to rouse, yet she inexplicably insisted she hadn’t been asleep.

Just as a smile flickered in his eyes, he heard Qing Ye say to him, “Happy birthday.”

Xing Wu froze for a moment, then immediately grabbed his phone to check. It was exactly midnight.

To be honest, at that moment, he didn’t feel surprise but rather a sense of eeriness. He had no idea how Qing Ye, despite being so drunk, could suddenly sober up right on time to wish him a happy birthday.

Qing Ye glanced sideways with a hint of self-reproach and said, “I bought you a piece of clothing as a gift, but it burned…”

Xing Wu’s emotions grew even more complicated. In the middle of the night, the woman sleeping beside him suddenly told him she had burned a piece of clothing for him? The sinful thoughts that had tormented him all night were instantly drenched, and he suddenly felt an urge to chant “Amitabha.” What was going on?