Sniper Butterfly

As soon as Li Wu left, Cen Jin felt all strength drain from her body, leaning back against the brick wall.

Her wrist burned fiercely, and her mind was in turmoil. After taking a few deep breaths, she finally raised her phone to eye level and unlocked the screen.

The transfer interface had long closed during the intense physical struggle.

Cen Jin glanced once more toward the end of the corridor, turned off her phone, and walked out.

Returning under the harsh lights and into her colleagues' line of sight, Cen Jin immediately curved her lips into a perfectly measured smile. She returned to her position unhurriedly, seamlessly blending into the ongoing conversation.

Li Wu stood silently before the sink, scrubbing cups and plates with vigorous friction.

Cheng Rui noticed that while he had been all sunshine and clear skies earlier, after a trip to the restroom he returned gloomy and unapproachable. He hurried over and asked quietly, "What's wrong with you?"

Li Wu didn't answer, neatly arranging the dishes on the countertop.

Cheng Rui probed in a low voice, "Did you run into Sister Cen Jin in the restroom?"

Li Wu's thin lips remained sealed as he began rinsing each piece one by one, refusing to utter a single word.

Having no other options, Cheng Rui returned to the front counter.

Stopping behind the cash register, Cheng Rui glanced distantly at Cen Jin, who was laughing and chatting animatedly with colleagues. A slight tremor ran through his heart: How terrifying. It's better to just admire these older sisters from afar, never get involved. Otherwise, you'll end up as miserable as Li Wu.

The people from Aoxing didn't stay long, leaving together after about an hour.

Around ten o'clock, Li Wu and Cheng Rui changed back into casual clothes and rode home on the small electric scooter.

For the first few days, Cheng Rui had been giving Li Wu rides to and from work, but recently he'd become severely lazy, so Li Wu had taken over as the driver.

The summer night wind tousled the young man's hair and billowed his black T-shirt as neon lights flashed along both sides of the road.

During the ride, Cheng Rui grew bored and began humming a song from the back. Though not particularly pleasant to hear, the melody was gentle enough. Li Wu listened silently, his turbulent emotions finally calming somewhat.

Before bed, Li Wu opened WeChat again to check his pinned messages. He stared at the message Cen Jin had sent today for a long time, as if trying to see right through those two characters. But the longer he looked, the more unsettled he felt, his heart aching with a piercing, bone-deep pain.

He missed her so much.

And regretted it so deeply.

He had messed up. He shouldn't have said those things. But his brain had exploded in that moment, emotions erupting like lava. Why did she see him that way? What had he done to make her despise him so much that she would repeatedly attack and humiliate him in the ways that hurt him most?

Li Wu's eyes turned desolate as he turned off the screen, rolled over, and tightly closed his eyes.

Cheng Rui was still wearing headphones playing mobile games when he noticed the movement from the corner of his eye. He glanced over sideways.

The young man was hidden in the shadows, his shoulders trembling with suppressed intensity.

Startled, Cheng Rui pulled off his headphones and asked, "Li Wu, are you okay?"

Li Wu's movements froze abruptly, his teeth clenched tight, not making a sound.

"You're not crying, are you?" Cheng Rui sounded close to tears himself. "It's just a woman? I'm begging you, bro, don't be like this. In two months when we go to university, there'll be plenty of senior sisters."

...

The next day, Li Wu went to work at Meet as usual, though his smiles weren't as frequent as during the previous half month. More often than not, his expression appeared thin and empty, as if shrouded in dark gas.Cen Jin was also unscathed by the events. She passed by Meet every day on her way to and from work, but she hardly ever glanced inside, restraining even her peripheral vision. Sometimes she found it strange why she had to avoid it so cautiously, when the young man working inside was already someone completely unrelated to her. Yet after that day, a faint thread of guilt often lingered in her thoughts. She would replay the confrontation in the hallway repeatedly, considering other, better ways she could have handled it. Because that night, in that moment, she couldn't bear to see Li Wu being indirectly harassed by her colleague. She was furious, her mind a tangled mess, so her reaction wasn't reasonable or appropriate, even hurtful.

She also felt that she was the one who had caused him to be like this.

Cen Jin's mind wandered during the meeting, and she only snapped back to reality when Teddy called her name, offering a faint smile in response.

Teddy looked at her with concern: "What's wrong, didn't rest well, our Gin?"

Cen Jin raised an eyebrow: "I'm fine."

...

Life and work were busy yet peaceful.

But a few days later, while out on a shoot with her colleagues, Cen Jin had an accident on set. She was stepping back to check if the camera angle matched her ideal storyboard when she lost her footing and fell from a high platform.

In those fractions of a second when she felt as light as a feather, Cen Jin's mind went nearly blank. The set descended into chaos. Lying on her back, Cen Jin felt a sharp pain in her left calf before it went completely numb. Yet she was profoundly grateful that her brain could still promptly assess and report the condition of her limbs.

Shadowy figures crowded around her, many faces pressing into her field of vision, concerned about her condition.

Cen Jin responded vaguely, her consciousness fading until the sound of an ambulance siren reached her ears, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Fortunately, it was a close call without serious danger. Cen Jin had only broken her left lower leg, with no head injuries.

After surgery, lying in the hospital bed, Cen Jin stared at the blank ceiling, confirming she was still alive and that the organs she used for eating were still intact.

Cen's Father was so heartbroken he cried, even suggesting his daughter shouldn't work in this industry anymore. Throughout her hospital stay, every time he visited, he would tirelessly reiterate by her bedside that he should have kept her at home to manage the family company's social media account—at least it would have been safer.

Cen Jin twitched her mouth and spat out the rib bone her mother had fed her: "I can't stay indoors forever, can I?"

Cen's Mother was fed up with her husband: "Stop talking and let her rest."

Cen's Father immediately fell silent, but after a while, he asked again: "Does it hurt?"

Cen Jin glanced at the pain relief pump nearby, her expression calm: "Do I look like I'm in pain?"

But every night, after her mother had fallen asleep on the adjacent caregiver's bed, Cen Jin would secretly wipe away tears. Who said it didn't hurt? It hurt terribly, and during dressing changes, she wished she were dead. The pain was secondary; the restricted mobility tormented her even more, especially in such hot weather. Her mother insisted she use a bedpan, but she refused, insisting on going to the bathroom even if it left her drenched in sweat.

Even though colleagues, friends, and relatives came to visit her in a steady stream, bringing piles of gifts, flowers, and condolences, it did nothing to alleviate the bitterness in Cen Jin's heart.

After about ten days of disheveled hair and loss of dignity, Cen Jin's recovery progressed well, and she was approved to leave the hospital and continue her bedridden convalescence at home.She hadn't mentioned a word about her fall on social media, but the day after returning home, Cen Jin still received a message from her ex-husband.

His words seemed genuinely concerned.

With her freshly washed and dried hair still carrying a faint fragrance, Cen Jin finally felt a bit of energy and dignity. She replied as if completely unharmed: "I'm fine, thank you."

Cen's Mother, limited by her own physical strength, had hired a round-the-clock caregiver at high cost to attend to her daughter's daily needs. But no matter what, Cen Jin found the woman clumsy and resisted all her touches. Extremely agitated, she drove the caregiver away within two days.

From the accident until now, Cen Jin had held on for a full half month. Finally reaching her breaking point, she suspended all her work and handed it over to others. Looking at her leg encased in heavy plaster and thinking of her own worthlessness, she completely broke down and began weeping bitterly in her room.

Over the next few days, except when sleeping, Cen Jin would intermittently sob to vent her emotions. Despite her parents taking turns trying various ways to comfort her, their efforts had little effect - she had never endured such suffering before.

At their wits' end, her parents turned to Cen Jin's best friend Chun Chang for help. Upon learning about her situation, Chun Chang came to Cen Jin's house almost every day after work to chat, binge-watch dramas, read books, and play two-player games with her.

But the moment Chun Chang left, Cen Jin would sink back into sadness. She had become a useless person with nowhere to channel her energy, and her bed at home felt like a dark, endless swamp. Every second alone, she was slowly and depressingly sinking deeper.

To make matters worse, from exhausting herself day and night caring for her daughter, Cen's Mother caught a cold that rapidly developed into pneumonia, landing her in the hospital shortly after. Now everything was completely chaotic. With only Aunt Tang left at home besides herself, and the aunt busy with various tasks sometimes unable to attend to her promptly, Cen Jin could only complain to her friend, passing days filled with frustration and disorder.

It was at this critical moment that Li Wu received a call from Chun Chang.

He had just arrived at the café and was grinding beans, preparing for the day's work.

Chun Chang's tone was elusive: "Are you really not going to care about your sister Jin Jin anymore? She's barely hanging on."

Li Wu was startled: "What's wrong with her?"

"You don't know?" Chun Chang chuckled mysteriously: "No wonder your sister calls you an ungrateful wretch. She almost fell to her death and you didn't know at all?"

Li Wu's heart pounded like a drum. Indeed, he hadn't seen Cen Jin for quite some time. He thought she was avoiding him and minimizing any chance encounters.

Li Wu asked: "Where is she now?"

Chun Chang replied: "At her parents' place."

After hanging up, Li Wu immediately rushed back to the changing room to swap clothes, quickly instructing Cheng Rui before dashing out the door.

Cheng Rui watched in bewilderment, only able to nod foolishly in acknowledgment.

Li Wu's anxiety peaked, almost paralyzing his thoughts. Only after forcing himself to calm down in the taxi could he finally give the driver Cen Jin's parents' address.

Arriving at her family's courtyard gate, he frantically rang the bell several times until the housekeeper came to answer.

Recognizing the familiar face from his Spring Festival visit, the woman quickly let him in.

Having run all the way from the community entrance, Li Wu was breathless and flushed: "Aunt Tang, where's my sister?"

Aunt Tang followed behind: "She's in her room."

Li Wu paused: "How is she?"

Aunt Tang sounded puzzled: "Not well. Why did it take you so long to visit her?"Upon hearing this, Li Wu's mind buzzed. He rushed straight for the stairs after entering the house, but the aunt quickly called out to him: "She's been staying on the first floor lately—it's inconvenient for her to go up and down."

Li Wu spun back around, his face drenched in anxious sweat. "Where?"

The aunt, baffled by his intensity, pointed to a door.

It was the guest room—the same one Li Wu had stayed in during the New Year.

Li Wu hurried over but froze at the doorway. He raised his knuckles toward the door panel only to let his hand drop, clenching his fist repeatedly, unable to bring himself to knock.

Seeing this, the aunt said, "Go on and knock. I doubt she's resting right now."

Li Wu shifted aside. "Aunt Tang, could you knock for me?"

Though puzzled, Aunt Tang stepped forward and rapped twice lightly. When there was no response, she knocked more firmly. Finally, a voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

Cen Jin's voice sounded listless, making Li Wu's heart clench.

Aunt Tang replied, "Jinjin, that student you've been sponsoring is here to see you."

Silence followed from behind the door. After a moment, a response came, noticeably firmer than before: "I'm trying to sleep. Tell him to leave."

Aunt Tang, seeing how drenched in sweat and distraught Li Wu was, was about to plead on his behalf when the boy beside her abruptly turned the handle and strode into the room.

Aunt Tang gasped as the door swung shut, cutting off her questions. She could only return to the kitchen to continue preparing the meal.

Cen Jin never expected Li Wu to be so bold as to barge in uninvited. She stared in shock, frozen in place.

The curtains in the room were half-drawn. The woman sat propped against the bed, wearing only a nightgown. Bathed in the light, her face was bare and paler, more fragile than usual.

Her hand rested on a book with a light gray cover, which lay face-down on her lap. Below the hem of her gown, one of her calves—encased in plaster—was fully exposed, completely uncovered.

Li Wu stood motionless, unable to move. He stared at her leg, his heart aching so sharply he could hardly breathe, his feet rooted to the spot.

The next moment, the woman noticed where he was looking. Her face flushed crimson, and she flung the book to the floor with a clatter. "Did I say you could come in?"

Li Wu didn't speak. His gaze returned to her agitated face, his brows lowered, eyes sharp as blades.

Immobilized and pinned by his unwavering stare, Cen Jin felt like a startled rabbit trapped by a snare, utterly flustered. She could only stiffen defensively and point at the door. "Get out."

Li Wu acted as if he hadn't heard, advancing step by step toward her.

Cen Jin's heart raced wildly. "Can't you hear me?"

But Li Wu had already stopped by her bedside. Seated as she was, the boy's frame loomed even taller, casting a dense, weighted shadow over her.

Still silent, he bent down to pick up the book from the floor, smoothing its pages before closing it and placing it beside her pillow.

Feeling powerless, Cen Jin snatched it up and threw it at him. Li Wu showed no reaction, as if impervious to pain, and picked it up again. After three rounds, Cen Jin's composure shattered, her eyes reddening. "What do you want?"

"Here to laugh at me?"

Already humiliated enough, she didn't mind making herself more pitiable: "Think you can get away with anything now that I'm like this? Finally found your chance, huh? Do you think I'll never recover, or that there's no one else in the house? How dare you swagger in here and flaunt your power?"

Li Wu endured her scolding in silence. Her bluster pierced his heart like a knife. He could only turn, pull a tissue from the bedside, and hand it to her.

Cen Jin paused slightly, then reached out to take it, dabbing the tears from the corners of her eyes.She suddenly remembered something, narrowing her crimson eyes as if having caught him in a fault, lifting her head to scrutinize him: "This time I didn't say a single word, yet you came running over eagerly, refusing to leave no matter what. Doesn't your face hurt?"

Li Wu finally parted his lips, his tone faint: "It does hurt."

But what did this little pain matter? On days he couldn't see her, his chest felt as if it were being twisted to death. Resigned, he knelt by her bedside—like submission, like begging for mercy, like coercion, like coaxing: "Sister, I'm not leaving. Let me stay by your side."