Liu Xiazhi’s shout was so loud it seed to echo through the entire building.
Liu Zhiyue, scratching his round belly, stumbled groggily out of his room.
“What’s going on? You woke up…”
“Brother, Brother!”
Liu Xiazhi dashed over to him and grabbed his arm, tugging at him with all her might.
“Look! Look!”
“Look at what…”
Still half-asleep, Liu Zhiyue followed the direction of her pointing finger and saw a woman lying flat on the floor.
Part of a blanket was draped over her, while the rest remained on the sofa. It seed like she had rolled off.
But…
Why is Aunt An here?!
Liu Zhiyue was equally shocked. On the one hand, he couldn’t fathom why An Yuan Yao was in their house. On the other hand, she was wearing a loose white T-shirt that clearly belonged to their dad.
“Brother, why is Aunt An in our house?”
His sister’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Glancing at his father’s closed bedroom door, then back at the woman on the floor, Liu Zhiyue could only assu that their dad had brought her ho.
But why…
Liu Xiazhi let go of her brother’s arm and cautiously approached An Yuan Yao, crouching down to poke her cheek.
“She reeks of alcohol.”
“She probably drank too much last night…”
Liu Zhiyue leaned in closer but, due to his size, nearly lost his balance and fell. Quickly regaining his footing, he looked down at her from above.
“The floor’s probably too cold for her…”
“Then Brother, take her to your room!”
“Why not your room?”
Liu Xiazhi pinched her nose and fanned the air.
“She slls gross!”
“Well, I think it stinks too!”
“So what do we do, Brother?”
“Hmm…”
After a mont of thought, Liu Zhiyue ca up with a solution.
“Put her back on the sofa.”
“But the sofa’s uncomfortable!”
Liu Xiazhi whined loudly, prompting a glare from Liu Zhiyue.
“Then we’ll send her to your room.”
At this, Liu Xiazhi imdiately clamped her hands over her mouth and shook her head vigorously.
As her older brother, Liu Zhiyue had no intention of actually following through. He was simply trying to scare his mischievous little sister.
He stepped forward, grabbed An Yuan Yao’s arm, and lifted it onto his shoulder. However, before he could fully support her, the seemingly unconscious woman suddenly shifted.
Her entire weight fell onto Liu Zhiyue, who, while appearing strong, was mostly just chubby and not particularly muscular. Unable to keep his balance, he toppled backward.
Thankfully, the sofa was behind him.
Falling onto the sofa, he found himself pinned down as An Yuan Yao’s body slumped on top of him.
“Ah! Brother!”
Panicking, Liu Xiazhi rushed forward and tried to pull her off, but her small hands weren’t strong enough to make a difference.
With a sudden burst of effort, Liu Zhiyue pushed An Yuan Yao off him, shifting her into a side-lying position on the sofa.
Breathing heavily, his face flushed red, Liu Zhiyue finally sat up.
“Brother, are you okay?”
Her worried eyes t his, and Liu Zhiyue shook his head.
“I’m fine.”
His gaze shifted to the still-sleeping An Yuan Yao.
Why did Dad bring her ho…
Liu Changqing hadn’t slept for long.
Checking his phone, he saw it was only a little past 9:30. Although he hadn’t gotten to bed until after 3 a.m., he got up, slipped on his slippers, and opened his door.
In the dining area, Liu Xiazhi and Liu Zhiyue were eating breakfast.
They had bought takeout: two cups of eight-treasure porridge, a plastic bag of xiaolongbao, four leftover youtiao, and two unpeeled eggs sitting beside a pile of eggshells.
As soon as Liu Changqing stepped out, Liu Xiazhi’s previously cheerful expression changed. Lowering her head, she sipped her porridge through a straw.
Her reaction didn’t escape Liu Zhiyue’s notice.
Looking up at his father, he said, “Dad, want so breakfast?”
“Sure, let wash up first.”
With that, Liu Changqing headed to the bathroom.
His complexion seed off.
Once he finished freshening up, he sat down at the table and reached for a xiaolongbao.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” Liu Xiazhi suddenly announced.
She pushed away her half-finished porridge, her face showing clear displeasure, before retreating to her room.
Liu Changqing froze mid-bite, unsure whether to continue eating or not.
Liu Zhiyue, observing the scene, said quietly, “Dad, she’s still young.”
“…”
His aning was clear: in Liu Xiazhi’s eyes, it was their father’s fault that their once-happy family had fallen apart.
To her, their mother was perfect and beautiful. If their dad hadn’t made mistakes, Mom would never have left.
She didn’t yet understand the true aning of divorce or where the real bla lay.
“It’s fine.”
Taking a small bite of the xiaolongbao, Liu Changqing chewed slowly.
Sohow, it tasted bland.
“Your sister is actually a very sensible child… but now isn’t the ti for her to know the truth.”
Swallowing, he turned to his son.
“Promise you won’t tell your sister about this.”
Liu Zhiyue t his father’s gaze. After a long pause, he nodded.
“I understand.”
Neither child asked about An Yuan Yao’s presence, and Liu Changqing wasn’t the type to bring ho a guest out of kindness.
He had only brought her back to settle the bill for last night.
That woman… she drank two cases of beer?!
And half a liter of white liquor!
Was she trying to drink herself to death?
Sitting on the sofa, Liu Changqing recalled the events of the previous night. His already sour expression darkened further.
He had even changed his clothes—his white shirt from last night was a lost cause, discarded in the trash.
He didn’t even bother washing it. The thought of taking it ho made his stomach churn.
An Yuan Yao hadn’t eaten anything while drinking, so her vomiting had been relentless, like a fountain.
The mory alone made Liu Changqing regret eating breakfast.
“Ugh…”
At that mont, An Yuan Yao finally stirred.
Like a cat, she stretched out from her curled-up position, her back arching gracefully.
Liu Changqing barely noticed, his focus on containing his irritation.
Still half-asleep, An Yuan Yao blindly patted around the sofa, likely searching for her phone.
Failing to find it, she reluctantly opened her eyes, rolled over, and ca face-to-face with Liu Changqing’s cold stare.
Their eyes t.
For a mont, ti seed to freeze.
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