Late-Night Home Visit

On the day of the parent-teacher meeting, Lin Yun noticed Xia Liang standing alone beneath the library portico.

It had been purely by chance.

If he had not been thinking about his daughter's studies after the meeting and happened to glance toward the library while passing by, he never would have realized that Xia Liang was leaning there alone, wearing a dark expression completely unlike her usual self.

That sight was precisely what made him decide that he needed to find some time to properly learn about Xia Liang's circumstances.

After all, he had known Xia Liang as Larkspur for only a month, yet he had already vaguely sensed that there were many strange things about this girl.

Her subtle attitude when they first met on Electronics Street; her personality, completely different from the reputation Lin Xiaolu had described at school; her hesitation when she claimed to have run away from home; and the lonely expression she wore while alone at the parent-teacher meeting... So many worrying signs seemed to point to one fact: Xia Liang's relationship with her family did not seem good.

That was why, under the pretext of a study session today, Larkspur had decided to visit Xia Liang's home.

Xia Liang's home was also in Sunset District, in an old residential complex on the edge of Third Ring Road, said to have been built more than twenty years ago.

Xia Liang did not want to fly, so Larkspur did not ask. She silently followed behind her. Once they entered the complex, rounded a bend, they could see rows of weathered six-story apartment buildings.

The buildings were spaced fairly far apart, and the housing layout was old. It seemed quite suitable for installing external elevators outside the buildings, and maintenance would be relatively convenient too?

Staring at the rows of buildings, Larkspur could not help letting her mind wander. She quickly shook her head and drove those messy thoughts from her mind.

Following the corridor into one of the residential buildings, the two soon arrived at Xia Liang's home.

"Come in."

Xia Liang opened the door, flicked on the entryway light, and gestured to Larkspur. "None of these slippers by the door are being used, so just pick whichever pair you like, Senior."

Larkspur looked down and found that, just as Xia Liang had said, several pairs of slippers in different sizes were neatly lined up by the entrance.

No one was home?

The sight made her suspicious, but she said nothing and merely nodded at Xia Liang.

After changing into slippers and entering the living room, she took in the whole apartment. The interior was not large. Though it was a typical three-bedroom, one-living-room layout, the overall area was relatively small. The décor and furniture were somewhat old, but everything had been cleaned thoroughly and arranged neatly, lending the place a simple, cozy warmth.

The only strange thing was that, perhaps due to their lifestyle, Larkspur could barely see any household appliances in the home.

There were almost no major appliances at all, and there was not even a television in the living room. A TV stand sat against the wall facing the sofa, yet only a vase rested atop it.

Combined with the layout, the home felt somewhat devoid of human presence—or rather, it lacked the feeling of people living there.

Without voices, the entire home was silent, save for the faint buzzing of the fluorescent light above the living room.

"Would you like some tea?" Xia Liang asked with a smile as she walked to the tea cabinet in the dining room.

"No, thanks." Larkspur was still looking around as she answered absentmindedly.

"Then are you tired and planning to rest right away?"

Xia Liang blinked. "You should take a shower before resting, right? It might take a little while to heat the water."

"It's not that urgent..."

"Where would you like to sleep?"

Before she could finish, Xia Liang cut in again. "There's an empty room, and the bedding in there has been washed and changed. But you can sleep with me too, you know?"

"I'm more used to sleeping alone."

"Huh? Since you're already here, wouldn't it be nice to sleep together? I actually really want to sleep with you, Senior."

"No need to trouble yourself. I'm only staying for one night."

"Then should I go make the bed in the single room first?"

"That won't be necessary either."

"Ah, then why don't you sit down first?"

"...Little Brocade."

Interrupting Xia Liang's rapid-fire questions, Larkspur looked at her calmly and asked bluntly, "Is there no one else in your home?"

That single question plunged Xia Liang into silence.

Rather, the reason she had kept asking questions just now, even cutting Larkspur off in an attempt to change the subject, was avoidance. She had already guessed what Larkspur might ask next. She was simply avoiding it, unwilling to bring it up.

The smile on Xia Liang's face remained, but it was no longer natural. After a long silence, as if resigning herself to it, that practiced smile finally collapsed into helplessness. "They aren't here."

"When you say they aren't here..." Larkspur could not help frowning.

"Not here means not here. They aren't in this home, and they won't ever come back." Xia Liang's tone was light.

She looked at Larkspur with a complicated expression, while Larkspur silently looked back at her. The light overhead continued to buzz, irritating enough to make one restless.

"Whew..."

Before long, Xia Liang looked away and sat down against the sofa. She let out a long breath, as if setting down some burden, then asked:

"You came here, Senior, because you wanted to confirm that, didn't you?"

"That's right." Still turning over the meaning of "not here" in her mind, Larkspur answered without evasion.

"Why did you notice?" Xia Liang turned to look at her. "Was it because of that conversation in Xiao Lu's living room before?"

"Not entirely."

Larkspur also walked over to the sofa and sat on its armrest. "More than that conversation, the main reason was that you seemed very lonely."

"Lonely?"

Raising a hand to touch her cheek, Xia Liang was initially dazed. Then she gave a self-mocking, bitter smile. "Why lonely... Was it really that obvious?"

"Think of it as an adult's intuition."

Larkspur lowered her gaze and brushed past the subject. "After all, we're companions now, so I felt I should know more about you. I just hope you don't find it intrusive."

Xia Liang was now undoubtedly a member of the Fangting City Magical Girl Squad. In theory, everyone should let down their guard around one another and become more united. Yet Lin Xiaolu harbored one-sided hostility toward Xia Liang, leaving no real progress in their relationship.

Larkspur had originally felt that, as someone from the older generation, it was best to let the children resolve these emotional relationship issues themselves. But seeing the situation gradually worsen, it would hardly be wise to continue leaving it alone. She could only step in personally.

Now that she had chosen to act, she needed to dig deeper and learn the real answer.

"...That's too cunning, Senior."

Listening to Larkspur's explanation, Xia Liang's smile became a little more bitter. "If you put it that way, then I have no room not to answer, do I?"

She leaned against the sofa, looking blankly ahead, then closed her eyes. "Still, I also think that you and Xiao Lu are both people I can trust, Senior. I shouldn't keep something like this bottled up."

"So please don't take it too seriously. Just treat it as a pastime and listen to my story."

Her voice softened as she spoke with a hint of nostalgia. "This really is my home, and it really was once where my family of three lived. But now, I'm the only one left here."

"My father died." Xia Liang slowly raised her head. "My mother is in prison."

Her words made Larkspur's eyes gradually widen.

The fluorescent light overhead still shone brightly, but in that instant, even its irritating electrical buzz briefly vanished.

After another pause, Xia Liang tilted her head toward Larkspur, her voice strained. "Because she killed my father."