Tears soaked his shirt

The stairwell was dim and silent, save for the occasional sound of a draft passing through.

Yuan Su stood rigidly in place, letting the girl in his arms cling tightly to his waist. Her heavy tears soon soaked the front of his shirt.

Warm, scalding, with a faint tremble.

His hands hovered awkwardly in the air.

He wanted to push her away, but couldn't bear to. He wanted to hug her back, but his hands were covered in dust and blood from the fight. They were too dirty.

"I didn't."

His voice was terribly hoarse, carrying a barely perceptible tremor. "I didn't leave you behind... I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry..."

Yuan Su didn't know how to comfort her.

All he could do was keep apologizing for the fear she had suffered.

But Pu Yu cried even harder, her shoulders heaving like a little abandoned animal that had endured every kind of hurt in an unfamiliar place.

The fingers of his hand hanging at his side curled, then relaxed.

In the end, he raised his arm and patted her thin, trembling back, very gently, with the utmost restraint.

"Don't cry."

His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse. "I won't leave you behind."

Pu Yu's crying gradually softened into suppressed sobs. Only then did she seem to realize what she had done. Her body stiffened slightly, but her arms stayed wrapped around his waist.

"Where did you go?" She buried her face deeper against him, her voice muffled.

Without a word, Yuan Su reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, took out the little blue cloth purse, and gently placed it in her palm.

"Here."

Pu Yu looked up through tear-blurred eyes. When she saw the familiar purse, she froze, her tear-beaded lashes trembling.

"When we were paying, the person who bumped into you stole your purse. I thought I'd get it back before telling you. I didn't expect..."

He hadn't expected something like that to happen in just those few minutes.

Panic seized Pu Yu's heart, and she unzipped the purse with trembling hands.

Instead of first checking whether the money was still there, she felt around inside the purse's inner compartment.

Until her fingertips touched that thin red cord and the cold little silver bead.

It was still there.

It was still there.

Pu Yu took out the red cord and clenched it tightly in her palm, tears falling again.

"Thank you... Yuan Su, thank you..."

Yuan Su's gaze fell on the red cord in her hand. "Aren't you going to count the money?" he asked quietly.

Pu Yu shook her head hard, her voice choked with tears. "It doesn't matter if the money's gone, but I can't lose this... If I lose this, I'll never be able to find Mom again..."

Seeing how the girl treasured what she had lost and regained, Yuan Su felt the aggression still churning inside him from the fight suddenly dissolve into heartache.

Thank goodness.

Thank goodness I got it back.

To him, it had only been helping her recover a purse.

To her, it was the last keepsake her mother had left in this world.

"But you haven't lost it." Yuan Su spoke softly. "Wear it on your wrist next time, and it won't get stolen."

Pu Yu sniffled and tightened her grip on the red cord, still shaken.

"I don't dare wear it. I'm afraid someone will see it and snatch it..."

"Not with me here."

The words left both of them momentarily stunned.

As Pu Yu slowly calmed down, she let go and took half a step back in embarrassment, lowering her head to wipe away her tears.

Only then, by the light coming through the stairwell entrance, did Yuan Su get a clear look at her face.

Several red finger marks stood out clearly on her once-fair cheeks, and marks from being choked still lingered on her neck.

Yuan Su's gaze darkened instantly.

"Does it hurt?" he asked suddenly.

Only then did Pu Yu notice the burning pain in her cheek. She raised a hand to touch it and let out a soft hiss.

Suddenly remembering something, she hurriedly asked, "My face... Is it really noticeable?"

Yuan Su's eyes rested on her slightly red, swollen cheek.

"Yes," he answered, his voice even softer than before. "Very."

Pu Yu's eyes dimmed at once. "What am I going to do... Grandma will worry if she sees it..."

Yuan Su was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Let's go back tomorrow. We might not make it in time if we head to the station now anyway, and those marks aren't going away anytime soon."

Still not fully recovered from the fright, Pu Yu was slow to think. "Then where do we go?"

Yuan Su glanced at the sky.

On that winter afternoon, the sky had already taken on a dusky gray-blue hue.

"We'll find somewhere to stay tonight," he said. "Then go back tomorrow morning."

Pu Yu touched her burning cheek. She really couldn't go home like this. Never mind how badly it would scare her grandmother-she was still shaken herself...

They left the apartment building and found a small inn near the station.

Half the neon lights on its sign were broken, leaving the words "Rooms available" flickering.

Just as Pu Yu was about to step inside, Yuan Su caught her wrist.

"Did you bring your ID?"

"Yes."

"Are you eighteen yet?"

Only then did Pu Yu understand. She shook her head, looking a little guilty.

She pressed her lips together and said quietly, "But my birthday's coming up soon. It should be all right, shouldn't it?"

"When's your birthday?"

"December thirty-first."

Yuan Su paused slightly and looked up at Pu Yu, something subtle in his eyes.

But he quickly took out his ID and some cash, telling her, "Whatever I say in there, go along with it. Don't say anything else."

Pu Yu obediently nodded. "Okay."

The owner at the front desk was a middle-aged woman with permed curls. When she saw them enter, her gaze swept over Pu Yu's red, swollen face, her expression complicated.

"Need a room?"

"Yes." Yuan Su placed his ID on the counter. "A twin room."

"No twin rooms left."

"What about a double?"

"No doubles either. It's busy on weekends." The owner lazily cracked sunflower seeds between her teeth and glanced at the screen showing the rooms were full. "There's only one single left. The bed's just a meter and a half wide, so it'll be a bit cramped. Want it or not?"

Yuan Su frowned slightly and glanced back at the darkening sky.

"We'll take it."

"And this girl..." The owner eyed the two of them suspiciously.

"I'm her brother." Without a change in expression, Yuan Su put the money on the counter, his cold demeanor discouraging further questions. "She lost her ID. Register the room under mine."

The owner took his ID and examined it, then glanced at Pu Yu again and asked uneasily, "Did your brother hit you?"

Pu Yu nervously clenched the hem of her clothes, unsure how to answer.

"She fell while chasing a thief," Yuan Su cut in impatiently, tapping his knuckles lightly on the counter. "Do you have a room or not? If you don't, we'll go somewhere else."

His cold manner and apparent eagerness to leave instead put the owner off questioning them further.

She pursed her lips and muttered, "What a mess the world's become," then picked up his ID and began registering him.

Standing behind him, Pu Yu found that her heart, which had been pounding relentlessly from lingering fear, slowly settled, little by little, at the sound of his cool voice.

The owner slid the key and ID across the counter together.

"Fifty for the deposit. Check out before noon tomorrow."

"Second floor, turn left. Room 204."

The key slid within Pu Yu's reach, and she picked it up along with Yuan Su's ID.

When her eyes accidentally passed over his date of birth, her fingers stilled.

Yuan Su's birthday was January first.

Hers was December thirty-first of the same year.

One marked the year's beginning, the other its end.

The realization sent a sudden tingling through Pu Yu's heart.

She pressed her lips together and gently returned the ID to Yuan Su's open palm.

"Here." Her voice was very soft.

Yuan Su took it, unaware of her momentary distraction. "Let's go."

Holding the cold key, Pu Yu followed him up the stairs.

So that was it.

What was lost on the last day of the old year...

Was destined to be recovered by the hand of someone born on the first day of the new year.