She hugged Huan Huan tighter, her lips opening and closing slightly.
"Huan Huan, would it be better if I died?"
"While I'm alive, I'll only cause trouble for Mom and Dad."
"But... what should I do?"
"I... still want to live."
"Then live."
Ruan Nuan spoke in a low voice.
The girl abruptly looked up.
Her vacant eyes had no focus, yet Ruan Nuan had the feeling that she was being watched.
"Your life belongs to you. As long as you want to live, no one can take your life away."
"And—"
The corners of Ruan Nuan's lips lifted slightly, her voice gentle. "Chen Xi."
"I think you should have a proper talk with your uncle and aunt."
"Instead of letting your imagination run wild on your own until everything seems worse and you become so frightened that you run away from home."
She did not give the girl much time to think.
The girl had already entered a dead end.
More time would not help her.
An afternoon and an evening had already been enough.
She took out her phone. "Your uncle is also at this school. I'll call him over."
Before the girl could respond, she had already dialed the number.
She was merely informing the girl of this fact, not asking for her consent.
The call connected quickly.
"Uncle Chen."
"I found Chen Xi."
The girl unconsciously reached out, seemingly wanting to stop her.
But because she could not see, she had no way to snatch Ruan Nuan's phone away.
Every word Ruan Nuan said to her father over the phone left her at a loss.
Thinking that her father would be coming soon, she even began to panic.
She was afraid that her father would be angry.
She was even more afraid that her