PSMD – Chapter 110

Qiu Wenyun’s previous number had been blocked by Qiu Yang. Now, he either got a new SIM card or borrowed a friend’s phone. Even so, he still called Qiu Yang to ask her for money.

It wasn’t “borrowing,” it was “giving.”

And the reason was absurd. Hearing it, a cold laugh welled up inside her.

Qiu Wenyun was clearly stunned by Qiu Yang’s reply, but it didn’t stop him from continuing his shameless plea: “Jie, just give me the money, it’s an emergency.”

This time, Qiu Yang didn’t hang up quickly. She turned around and looked at the pool. Shen Ningruo, worried about her, had stopped swimming and was leaning on the edge, looking up at her. Yue Chu and Yao Yao had also stopped, their faces showing concern.

“Qiu Wenyun.”

“Why don’t you ask your mom?”

“Your mom has always doted on you the most.”

Whenever Qiu Yang stayed at her uncle’s house and had free time, she would be asked to take care of her younger cousin, Qiu Wenyun. If Qiu Wenyun complained to his mother that she wasn’t treating him well, she would face even heavier chores.

Qiu Wenyun had tormented her quite a bit in the past, and she hadn’t forgotten any of it.

Qiu Yang even remembered when she was very young, she found fifty cents on the street. Prices weren’t high back then, and fifty cents could buy her an ice pop. But Qiu Wenyun saw it and wanted it, and she wouldn’t give it to him.

Qiu Wenyun cried and screamed and tried to snatch it. She kept avoiding him, still unwilling to give up the ice pop.

It was summer then. Qiu Wenyun had ice cream and watermelon every few days, but she had nothing.

What did Qiu Wenyun do later?

Oh, Qiu Wenyun went home and told his mother that Qiu Yang had stolen money from the house to buy an ice pop.

Qiu Yang was beaten, and the food she had eaten was forcefully thrown up. Her uncle sat on the sofa smoking, feeling a bit of pity, but ultimately didn’t stop his wife.

Qiu Yang didn’t admit fault; she hadn’t stolen money. She gritted her teeth and endured the pain of the feather duster hitting her body, catching a glimpse of Qiu Wenyun secretly smiling, looking smug.

So many years had passed, and Qiu Yang remembered many similar incidents. She usually didn’t like to think about them, but just like the time Qiu Wenyun deliberately pushed her into the pool, whenever she recalled any detail, she would feel very upset and angry.

Upset because she was isolated and helpless back then, with no one to help her.

Angry because she couldn’t resist. She could only rely on studying hard to earn more choices for herself.

Qiu Wenyun’s answer pulled Qiu Yang out of her memories: “Jie, you know what my mom’s like. If she knew I spent the living expenses she gave me this month in just a few days, wouldn’t she scold me?”

“And I won’t scold you?” Qiu Yang’s voice carried a hint of coldness.

Qiu Wenyun clearly didn’t hear it. He even thought there was still hope: “Of course not, you’re my sister. We grew up together. How could you just leave me hanging?”

“That’s absolutely impossible.”

If someone didn’t know the truth, they might actually be fooled by Qiu Wenyun’s words. Qiu Yang remembered his attitude when he called her last month, which was completely different from now. Back then, he was aggressive; now…

Pleading?

Qiu Yang couldn’t find the right word for a moment. She lowered her gaze, her lips parting and closing several times: “Fine, I’ll give you the money.”

“Yay!”

“Thanks, Jie.”

“My Alipay is my phone number, you blocked me…”

Qiu Yang interrupted him: “No need for all that trouble. I’ll give you a quick way to make money. Get a bowl and a woven bag, lie down on the ground, specifically choose places like overpasses, and see if any kindhearted people will drop a dollar in.”

“You…!” Qiu Wenyun’s voice immediately rose significantly, but before he could finish, Qiu Yang hung up the call and added that number to her blacklist as well, cutting off his words on the other end of the phone.

She could roughly guess what Qiu Wenyun would curse her with.

Probably words like “ungrateful wretch” or “sponging off my family.”

The water on Qiu Yang’s palm hadn’t dried yet. Her phone had been in her hand for so long that its surface was covered in a layer of mist. She looked at the black screen of her phone and lowered her eyelids.

Shen Ningruo had already gotten out of the pool. She was wrapped in a towel, her swim cap off, and her goggles hanging around her neck. She looked at Qiu Yang, her face full of concern: “What’s wrong? Xiao Yang, did your cousin call again?”

They weren’t far away just now, but Qiu Yang’s voice wasn’t loud, so they naturally couldn’t hear exactly what was being said.

Qiu Yang hummed in affirmation: “Yes.” She lifted her eyelids and looked into Shen Ningruo’s eyes, “He called to borrow money, oh no, to ask for money.”

“He said the girl he likes thinks he’s poor, so he came to ask me for money to buy her a bag to chase her. I don’t know how much, maybe over ten thousand, but that doesn’t matter, I couldn’t possibly agree.”

“I told him to go beg.”

“He’s probably cursing me now.”

Yao Yao walked over and heard Qiu Yang’s words. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her expression mostly anger: “That jerk still dares to call you! Good timing! Yangyang, give me his contact info. I’ll really let him know what it’s like to be black and blue tonight.”

Yue Chu pulled her wrist from the side: “This is a society ruled by law.”

“I’m not going to do anything serious, just show him a thing or two.” Yao Yao was panting, clearly very angry.

Shen Ningruo raised her hand and stroked Qiu Yang’s face: “Your suggestion was very good. I hope he adopts it. A dedicated and responsible cousin like you is rare.”

Qiu Yang’s eyes curved into a smile at her words: “Really?”

“I think so too.”

Yue Chu pursed her lips and asked Qiu Yang: “Yangyang, what do you think about your cousin now? In today’s society, it’s actually not hard to deal with someone.”

“I… don’t want any connection with their family at all. I’ll avoid seeing them if possible, and I believe they will definitely face consequences,” Qiu Yang blinked, her tone light.

Yue Chu: “Okay.”

Yue Chu: “Then don’t see them.”

Seeing them would not only feel disgusting but also bring back many memories. Qiu Yang felt she was living well now and didn’t want to think about those unpleasant things.

Yao Yao and Shen Ningruo exchanged glances, then looked away.

Swimming continued until five o’clock when the four of them left the pool. Qiu Yang’s state wasn’t as good as when she arrived, and swimming was also physically draining. As soon as she got out and into the sun, she felt a bit sleepy.

After saying goodbye to Yao Yao and Yue Chu, Qiu Yang got into the passenger seat. She was drowsy, so she simply rested her head to the side and closed her eyes.

Shen Ningruo didn’t drive too fast. During several red lights, she turned her head to look at Qiu Yang, her eyes filled with unconcealed heartache.

She could understand Qiu Yang’s thoughts.

When she was little and watched TV, a line that often appeared in dramas was “Good is rewarded with good, evil with evil; it’s not that there’s no retribution, it’s just that the time hasn’t come.” Back then, she believed it implicitly, thinking that’s how the world worked, that bad people would definitely be severely punished, it was just a matter of time.

But as she gradually grew up and her worldview formed, she realized that this line only appeared in TV shows and novels. In reality, many people who did bad things not only didn’t receive the so-called retribution but lived much better lives than many good people.

Qiu Yang’s uncle’s family had been exploiting Qiu Yang for so many years. Shen Ningruo, putting herself in Qiu Yang’s shoes, felt suffocated, as if carrying many heavy things, stumbling as she walked.

Things like the incident where Qiu Yang cried about being pushed into the water, which Shen Ningruo heard about, already made her very angry. And in fact, that was just one incident; there were definitely more things that didn’t align with the word “good”. Shen Ningruo couldn’t help but wish she could appear before that family the next second and exact heavy revenge.

But Qiu Yang didn’t want to unlock that long and heavy memory. The lock had just managed to become secure, and forcing Qiu Yang to face it would be like making her bleed again.

Because what made the lock secure wasn’t something made of iron, but Qiu Yang’s heart.

Shen Ningruo’s mood became heavy. The light turned green, and she continued following the traffic. She was originally going to drive to Qiu Yang’s place, but as she got close, she didn’t stop the car but changed routes instead.

Qiu Yang was asleep in her car now, and she seemed to be sleeping soundly. Shen Ningruo continued driving, wandering around the city.

Yuncheng had developed well over the years, building many new buildings, and some shops had been renovated.

It was almost dinner time now, and since it was Sunday, if they wanted to go to a popular restaurant, they would have to queue early. Shen Ningruo passed several trendy spots, but she had no intention of stopping.

She didn’t know her destination. After driving for another half hour, she finally stopped the car.

Unconsciously, she had driven to the neighboring district. This area belonged to the newly developed part of Yuncheng, with tall buildings everywhere. People’s pace was much faster, their hurried steps seeming like afterimages.

Shen Ningruo parked the car by the roadside. To the left was a lively pedestrian street, and not far to the right was the city river.

Summer was approaching. Some people were out for a walk at this time, walking their dogs along the safety railing. The wind lifted their hair, brushed their eyes, and passed over their clothes and skirts, as if trying to hold onto spring.

Qiu Yang slowly woke up. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the sky outside the car window about to darken. Shen Ningruo in the driver’s seat had her eyes closed but was sitting upright.

Qiu Yang slightly propped herself up. Her movements weren’t big, but Shen Ningruo still heard the sound.

Shen Ningruo’s eyelashes fluttered, and she immediately opened her eyes, then turned her head to look over: “Awake?”

Shen Ningruo’s tone was gentle and soft, like the current weather, very comfortable.

Qiu Yang looked around: “Where is this?”

Shen Ningruo gave the address, adding at the end: “I wanted to clear my head, so I drove here without realizing it.”

Qiu Yang immediately became nervous. She unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned closer to Shen Ningruo: “Did something happen? Is it serious?”

“It’s nothing.” Shen Ningruo smiled and invited, “Want to get out and walk a bit?”

“Okay.”

Qiu Yang had no reason to refuse. She had just woken up and her mind was still a bit hazy; walking would help her clear up. She didn’t know how long she had slept until she checked the time after getting out of the car.

Well, she had slept for almost two hours without waking up at all.

Once Shen Ningruo was walking beside her, Qiu Yang started shifting the blame: “The faint lemon scent in your car is so hypnotic, I actually slept for so long, and you didn’t wake me up. What if I can’t sleep tonight?”

“If you can’t sleep, I’ll keep you company.” Shen Ningruo took her hand and held it, squeezing it as she replied.

A smile appeared on Qiu Yang’s lips: “Okay.”

Dusk was almost completely gone, with only the last ray of sunset struggling, as if unwilling to leave. More and more people were walking by the safety railing now. Their pace was generally much slower. There were younger generations accompanying elders, couples and friends, and also solitary individuals listening to music with headphones.

After walking down a flight of stairs, they reached the area outside the safety railing.

The gentle breeze rustled, as if in a running race, passing over their heads and by their feet, leaving a soft caress.

Qiu Yang walked to the safety railing. She looked at that last ray of sunset, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. After exhaling, she tilted her head and looked at Shen Ningruo with smiling, curved eyes: “Ruoruo, do you know I understand you very well now?”

“Why do you say that?” Shen Ningruo raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.

Qiu Yang looked back at the rippling river surface. This area had had an accident before, so fishing was prohibited. Both sides were lively now, with various sounds mixing together. She didn’t hear anything clearly, nor did she need to.

“When you frown, I know what you’re thinking. Maybe not perfectly accurate, but the general direction won’t be wrong.”

Shen Ningruo said “Wow” and also looked at the river, her voice trailing upwards: “That amazing?”

“You brought me here, and I know what you’re thinking too.” Qiu Yang lowered her gaze, and without waiting for Shen Ningruo to ask, she said, “It must be because of my issues.”

Shen Ningruo pursed her lips, and a soft “Mm” was swallowed by the wind, yet it still reached Qiu Yang’s ears, crystal clear.

Qiu Yang’s lips moved: “Have I never seriously talked about myself?”

“Talk about what?”

“I didn’t have a good life growing up. I used to feel dark inside. I hoped that those who bullied me would experience many hardships, many, many times more than mine. But I could only think about it, because my power was so weak, I couldn’t do anything. I could only study hard and strive forward, but in the end, I just hid myself in the crowd, making it seem like I hadn’t experienced so much pain, making it seem like I was a child who grew up in a happy environment.”

“Those past events, I packed them away into a box. I don’t plan to take them out and look at them again, because it’s a painful and insecure past for me. I’ve finally gained a lot of confidence, and I don’t want to awaken these things, because it hurts so much. Not just in my heart, but even the places where I was hit by the feather duster before, even though there are no marks now, they seem to just be invisible, and they’ll make me break out in a cold sweat again from the pain.”

“I’ll blow on them for you tonight.” Shen Ningruo’s eyes turned red again.

Qiu Yang looked at her, her face calm: “Actually, I wasn’t very sincere before. I didn’t want others to know that I was someone who didn’t have a mother raising them. I would make excuses saying my mom was busy. She was indeed busy, I just didn’t know what.”

“I don’t know what I’m talking about right now, but after taking that call today, I thought for a long time. I realized that the box holding past memories isn’t something I can keep locked just because I want to; sooner or later, I’ll have to face all of this.”

Qiu Yang said these words still without much expression: “I also just realized that I actually hold a lot of resentment towards my uncle, aunt, and cousin. My mother transferred a lot of money to them, but they treated me so badly, they almost ruined my life.”

“Yes.” Shen Ningruo’s hands hanging by her sides gradually clenched into fists.

Assuming Qiu Yang hadn’t gotten through that period, her life would indeed have been ruined.

Qiu Yang suddenly smiled: “So I’ve figured it out.”

“Ruoruo.”

“I’m not some great saint. Why would I need to be so kind-hearted? Those who hurt me, of course I have to hurt them back.”

“Including Tao Sixian.”