Lai Yu slumped into the chair, now clueless about what to do next. It was like she and Vera had walked into a dead-end alley, their only option to keep moving forward, but if they continued down this path, inevitable self-destruction awaited them both.
She couldn't turn to Mrs. Mi for help, and her own parents were even more powerless. Overwhelmed by helplessness and shrouded in the darkness of desperation, the face of a tall boy suddenly popped into her mind.
Having not gone to school for two days, Lu Huan tossed and turned in his bed at home, unable to sleep, his heart heavy. Under the covers, the young man clenched his fists, his inner turmoil and unwillingness visible to all.
Faintly, he could hear the sound of a child's cry in the air, the voice of his little nephew, Little Xixi. He sat up, grabbed a coat and threw it on, then headed out the door.
Manman, answering the knock at the door, was surprised to see her brother standing there. "Did Little Xixi wake you up?"
