"How did you know I was here?"
He countered, "How long have you been wandering around Shenyang Road? Why did you call my phone only to hang up after one ring?"
"I... thought it would be better not to bother you every time something happens. I'm sorry."
"Such pride. If you're going to run away from home, at least dress warmly and bring some money. The taste of homelessness—hungry and freezing—isn't pleasant at all."
The teasing made her lower her head. "I know. I got lost once before."
"When?"
"At five years old. That day, all the other kids from kindergarten had been picked up, but my dad hadn't arrived yet. I slipped out while the teacher and the guard weren't paying attention, trying to take Tram Line 1 home by myself. But I accidentally got on the wrong tram, rode a few stops, realized it wasn't right, and got off. I walked alone in the rain for a long time until a kind aunt took me to the police station."
"Did your dad come to the police station to get you?"
"Yeah, he was searching everywhere for me, almost going crazy with worry. When I saw his expression, I was so scared I started crying. The police officer even told me not to be afraid, saying my dad wouldn't hit me. But of course, I wasn't afraid of being punished—he's never laid a hand on me..." She choked up, pausing before continuing, "I just knew that Dad was scared too. We were both afraid of the same thing—that he would never find me again."
"Xiao An, you can't keep dwelling in the past like this."
"I know, I know. Who can stay in the past forever? I ran out today not expecting anyone to find me. I just... couldn't bear it anymore."
Gao Xiang asked softly, "Tell me why." She remained silent. "Are you planning to sit here all night?"
"It's too cold. I was going to sit a little longer, then catch the last tram home."
Gao Xiang was both annoyed and amused. "So I'm interfering with your repentance and return. What do you plan to do after going home? Keep arguing with your mom, or give her the silent treatment?"
"I won't argue with her anymore. I'll go back, pack my things, and apply for dormitory housing tomorrow."
"What exactly happened?"
Zuo Si'an looked at him. Under the dim streetlight, her eyes were filled with sorrow. "My mom said she wants to divorce my dad."
Gao Xiang's face darkened. "Adults argue and play games—it's not the first time they've mentioned divorce. They never actually go through with it. Why take it so seriously?"
"This time is different. My mom... she's fallen for someone else."
Gao Xiang frowned, his tone reproachful. "Xiao An, you shouldn't make wild accusations about your mother."
"I'm not guessing. Actually, the first time I saw that person, I felt something was off."
"Who is he?" Zuo Si'an continued flatly, "He's that foreign geological expert who went on the business trip to Guizhou with my mom. They got into danger together and were rescued together. When I went to the airport to pick up my mom, she introduced him as Peter—I forgot his long last name. Peter looked at me with excessive familiarity, which I found strange at the time. On the way back, neither of them spoke a word to each other, avoiding even looking at one another. But... the vibe between them was definitely not just a normal coworker relationship."Gao Xiang was slightly taken aback. Previously, Sun Ruodi had repeatedly told him that she felt Zuo Si'an seemed to possess an ability to quietly understand everything. He had thought this was just Ruodi's tendency to overthink and exaggerate, but now he couldn't help feeling somewhat concerned about Zuo Si'an's overly keen perception.
"Later, I saw that foreigner send Mom home twice. Sometimes when Mom answers her phone, she goes to the balcony and speaks entirely in English. Today, she called Dad and said she no longer had any feelings for him, demanding that he come back to get a divorce. I couldn't hold back anymore and went out to confront her."
"What did she say?"
"She didn't deny it," she said, her voice trembling. "Dad is supposed to come home next spring. If they get divorced..."
She stopped, shrinking into herself. Gao Xiang reached out and held her. He knew her only hope was for her father to return and for the family to live together as they had before. Now, half of that hope had been shattered, and it was confirmed by her mother's own words. He could only imagine her despair and anger, and he felt a pang of sympathy. Some waiting passengers glanced curiously in their direction, intentionally or not. Not wanting to sit there as a spectacle, he pulled her up, left the station, and hailed a taxi.
"It's getting late. Your mother has been searching everywhere for you. I should first—"
She suddenly grew agitated, raising her voice, "I don't want to see her!"
He had no choice but to say, "Alright, alright, but I still need to let her know that I've found you." She fell silent. He dialed Yu Jia's number: "I've found Xiao An, but she's not in a good state right now and doesn't want to go home. I'll try to talk to her some more."
He directed the driver to Huaqing Street and took Zuo Si'an into a small storefront café. He asked the only waitress there for coffee and hot chocolate. The strikingly beautiful girl casually placed a slice of chocolate cake in front of Zuo Si'an first: "Here, eat up. It was freshly made this afternoon." Then she turned to Gao Xiang familiarly and said, "Don't bully such a young sister."
Gao Xiang smiled wryly. "Don't talk nonsense."
The girl giggled, whisked away to the back, and soon returned with coffee and hot chocolate before retreating to the counter, putting on headphones to listen to music.
"This café is called Green Door. It's close to both my office and where I used to live. I come here often for coffee."
"I remember. Last time, you bought hot chocolate for me here too," she said, cupping the mug with both hands as if to warm herself, just like before.
"Anyway, it's almost the end of the year now. Your father will be back soon. Marital issues need to be discussed and resolved face-to-face between the two of them. There's no need for you to jump to conclusions."
"I'm afraid they'll only argue more fiercely when they meet. Mom always speaks of Dad very coldly. They've been married for 17 years, and everything was fine before, until..." She trailed off, her face growing even paler.
Gao Xiang quickly interjected, "Don't overthink it. This has nothing to do with you. I think your father being away for so long on Aid Tibet might have genuinely affected their relationship. If he still cares about your mother, he should show sincerity to win her back. Crying, arguing, running away from home, or staying at school—none of that can save their marriage.""Besides this, I don't know what else to do. I'm afraid..." She paused again, staring blankly at him with tears glistening in her eyes, tightly pressing her lips together, refusing to speak. He didn't need to ask to know she was afraid her parents' relationship would ultimately become irreparable.
He thought for a moment: "If you trust my judgment, I'll talk to your mother and see what she really thinks."
She remained silent at first, then after a long while, nodded wordlessly.
Gao Xiang brought Zuo Si'an to his apartment nearby, then went back downstairs to the Green Door café. After drinking coffee for a while, Yu Jia hurried over by taxi. As soon as she sat down, she thanked Gao Xiang: "I'm sorry, I keep breaking my promises and have to turn to you for help."
"Teacher Yu, no need to be polite. I didn't want to interfere with your family matters, but since it concerns Xiao An, I had to talk with you properly."
Yu Jia said bitterly: "She probably told you I betrayed her father. No matter what, she thinks it's my fault: when her father mentioned 'divorce,' she blamed me for driving him away; when I mentioned 'divorce,' of course it's even more my fault."
"You know how sensitive your daughter is and her feelings toward her father. You should have expected that talking about divorce now would be a huge blow to her. Couldn't this wait until her father returns from his Aid Tibet assignment?"
"Return? The problem now is, I'm afraid he won't be coming back."
Gao Xiang was stunned: "What do you mean?"
Yu Jia was silent for a moment: "Her father took over from a colleague who had already been there for over half a year in the Aid Tibet program. Normally he should only need to stay until next April before returning. But in the past six months, whenever I discussed this with him, he's been evasive. Last month, when I pressed him urgently, he actually said they really need him there and he wants to stay for a few more years."
Gao Xiang was astonished: "Doesn't he understand that his daughter needs him too?"
"He already left when his daughter needed him most, have you forgotten that? I asked him, what about me and our daughter? He said besides the shortage of personnel in Ali, there was another consideration. If he returns now, in principle he can only go back to Hanjiang City. But if he continues with Aid Tibet for a few more years, he could try to transfer to work in Chengdu, Sichuan or Qinghai. He suggested I might go there first and bring Xiao An to study there, completely leaving this environment behind. How do you think I felt hearing this?"Gao Xiang couldn't answer, though Yu Jia didn't need his response anyway: "I told him directly that it was already wrong enough for him to go to Aid Tibet without discussing it with me or saying goodbye to our daughter. Making such a request now was downright absurd. I have my career here, Xiao An is gradually regaining her peace and excelling academically. I won't abandon my job and profession to uproot our daughter just to live closer to him while still being separated. If he cares about me and our daughter enough to return home on schedule, I'm willing to give him a chance to mend our relationship. But if he insists on continuing with Aid Tibet, he should come back first to finalize our divorce. I asked him to think it over and get back to me. After dinner today, he called again, repeating the same old story: Ali is underdeveloped and in great need of people, his work has just gotten on track and he can't leave abruptly. I cut him off immediately, saying I didn't want to hear his grand justifications—it all boils down to him not wanting to return. I told him I'm utterly disappointed in him, what little affection remains is nearly gone, and we should divorce before hanging up. I was so angry I probably raised my voice, and Xiao An overheard. She rushed out immediately and started arguing with me."
"You could explain it clearly to Xiao An. It's obvious her father is at fault here, and she's not an unreasonable child."
"How can I explain? She's always been a reasonable, gentle child, except when it comes to her father—she has blind trust and love for him, refusing to see any of his flaws. Her father has behaved terribly throughout this whole matter. Have you ever heard Xiao An complain about him? Not at all. Instead, she's been even more eager for him to return. When I said I only brought up divorce because her father refused to come back, she immediately accused me of betraying him and breaking his heart, driving him away from home. My heart turned cold. No matter how much care I pour into her, I can't earn even half the tolerance and love she gives her father."
"You shouldn't see it that way, Teacher Yu. When you were in danger in Guizhou, she was nearly distraught with worry for you. She loves you too, it's just that she thinks you..." He hesitated, struggling to find the right words.
"Yes, she insists I've been unfaithful. Her perception terrifies me—she sensed something was off the very first time she saw Peter at the airport. She noticed everything but never said a word, only confronting me with chilling calmness during our argument, not with speculation but seeking confirmation. I couldn't look her in the eye and lie that nothing happened, because something did occur. But how do I explain to her that I didn't betray her father?"
"Teacher Yu, if you let Xiao An misunderstand you on this matter, the blow to her will be even greater.""Then I'll tell you, and you can be the judge. Peter is American, works for UNESCO as a geological expert. He came to China seven years ago for a project, and we worked together for three months. Four years ago, I attended an academic conference in Switzerland and ran into him there again. The rest of the time, we only communicated via email. Sometimes I'd ask him to help me find the latest international research materials—all our exchanges were strictly professional, rarely touching on personal matters. This time he came to China to survey hydrogeological ecology and joined our team to Guizhou, where we ended up experiencing a landslide together. When our colleague went missing and we thought we were doomed, we said things we'd never normally say. I talked about the upheavals in my family, my guilt toward my daughter, my disappointment in my husband. But I never expected what he confessed was his feelings for me. I admit, I was both shocked and moved. After we miraculously survived, I made it clear to him that we should remain just friends. He's been divorced for three years, single with no attachments, but I could never leave my husband for him. I'm 39, with a family and a career. I've never been a delicate woman, and emotions certainly aren't the primary factor in my decisions."
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