Cheng Cheng scrambled upright. "Who's disturbing the peace in the middle of the night?!"
The argument next door had already drowned out Cheng Cheng's cursing, accompanied by the crash of pots and bowls being smashed. The sounds set everyone on edge.
Lu Mi quickly got up too and went to the door to listen closely.
"...This is the wonderful daughter you've spoiled rotten!"
"Just let her go. Didn't you say she'd come back on her own once she ran out of money? It's too late to catch her now anyway..."
"Like hell! Who knows whether she'll go bad once she gets to the city? What if nobody wants her then?"
"Stop smashing things, stop!! We won't have any bowls left to eat from!" The woman began sobbing. "Why is my life so miserable..."
"Cry, cry, cry! You'll cry this whole family apart! Tomorrow we're going to her school to find her!"
Lu Mi pieced together what had probably happened.
Jian Di's claim that she would leave tomorrow had actually been a smokescreen to fool her parents. She had left early, in the middle of the night.
Cheng Cheng rubbed his eyes and lay back down. "Forget it. Let's sleep."
Lu Mi didn't move.
This game skipped irrelevant scenes. Would an argument suddenly breaking out in the middle of the night serve only to provide information?
The argument continued without pause, so Lu Mi simply sat down against the door.
Roman came over too, draped a quilt over him, and sat close beside him.
"Thanks." Lu Mi pulled the quilt tighter around himself. "It's way too cold. It was clearly still summer during the day."
The argument seemed to grow quieter and quieter, its cadence almost hypnotic.
Lu Mi's eyelids fell shut, and he slumped against Roman.
"Sorry." He quickly sat