On the way, Zhao suddenly stumbled and hit his foot against the edge of a small ditch beside the road. The impact was hard and unexpected. He lost his balance and fell heavily onto the wet ground. A sharp pain shot through his leg, and when he looked down, he saw blood beginning to trickle from a cut near his ankle.
The rain had already drenched him completely. His clothes clung to his body, and his hair stuck to his forehead. He was wearing only a thin, half-sleeved shirt, and the cold wind mixed with the heavy rain made him shiver uncontrollably. His whole body trembled, but his mind was focused on only one thing.
Li.
Ignoring the pain and the blood, he pushed himself up from the muddy road. He wiped the rainwater from his face and started running again. Every step hurt, but he didn't care. All he could think about was catching up to her.
Meanwhile, Li was walking aimlessly along the road, completely lost in her own thoughts. Her mind was filled with anger, sadness, and confusion. The argument with her mother kept replaying in her head again and again. She felt hurt, lonely, and helpless.
Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't even realize it. The world around her felt distant and unreal. She couldn't hear the sound of traffic or the rain hitting the ground. She just kept walking forward, unaware of everything around her.
From the opposite direction, a car was speeding down the road.
Li didn't notice it at all.
The driver honked loudly, but the sound didn't reach her ears. She was trapped inside her own painful world, far away from reality.
The car was now only a few steps away from her.
At that exact moment, Zhao Ming saw everything from a distance. His heart froze in fear.
"Li!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Without thinking for even a second, he ran toward her with all his strength. The pain in his injured leg didn't matter anymore. The rain, the cold, the exhaustion—none of it mattered.
All that mattered was saving her.
Just as the car was about to reach her, Zhao grabbed Li's hand and pulled her back with full force.
The car rushed past them with a loud screech, missing them by only inches.
Because of the sudden movement, both of them lost balance and fell onto the corner of the road. Zhao fell first, and Li landed beside him.
For a few moments, everything was chaotic.
People nearby noticed what had happened and quickly gathered around them. Some gasped in shock, others whispered nervously, and a few asked if they were okay.
Li sat there on the wet ground, completely stunned. Her heart was beating wildly, and she was breathing heavily. She didn't even understand what had just happened.
Then she turned and looked at Zhao.
That was when it hit her.
He had saved her.
If he hadn't been there at that moment, she didn't even want to imagine what could have happened.
Slowly, Li stood up. Her legs felt weak and shaky. She looked down at Zhao, who was still sitting on the ground, trying to catch his breath.
Without saying a word, she stretched out her hand toward him.
Zhao looked at her hand, then at her face. He held it gently and stood up.
For a few seconds, they just stood there in silence, rain pouring over them, the noise of the street fading into the background.
After things calmed down a little, Zhao suggested they move somewhere safer. They walked together to a small market nearby—the same place where they often used to sit and talk.
They found a bench under a small shade and sat down.
For a long time, neither of them said anything.
Only the sound of rain filled the silence between them.
Finally, they both turned to each other at the same time.
"Tum—"
"Tum—"
They stopped and smiled awkwardly.
"You speak first," Zhao said softly.
Li hesitated for a moment and then asked, "How did you come there?"
Zhao took a deep breath.
"Momo wasn't feeling well today," he explained. "She asked me to drop you at school instead. But when I reached your house, you had already left. I saw you from behind and tried to call out, but you didn't hear me. So I just followed you."
He paused and looked at her carefully.
"But tell me something," he continued. "What kind of thoughts were you lost in that you couldn't even see a car coming right in front of you?"
Li lowered her eyes.
"Woh… woh…" she tried to answer, but her voice trembled.
The memories of the morning came rushing back to her—the shouting, the tight grip on her hand, the slap.
Suddenly, she couldn't hold it in anymore.
Tears filled her eyes, and before she knew it, she began to cry bitterly.
All the pain, fear, and sadness she had been carrying inside finally broke free.
Zhao was startled.
"Hey, why are you crying?" he asked gently. "Tell me what happened."
Li wiped her tears but more kept coming.
"My mother slapped me," she said in a broken voice. "She always treats me like this. She's so strict… so harsh. She doesn't even know how to show love."
Her shoulders shook as she cried.
"When my sister was here, everything was different," she continued. "She used to take care of me. Whenever Mom got angry, my sister would protect me. She was always on my side."
"I miss her so much," she whispered. "So, so much. When she comes back, I'll tell her everything. I'll not talk to Mom anymore."
Zhao listened quietly. He didn't interrupt her. He could see how deeply hurt she was.
After a while, he stood up and went to a small shop nearby. He bought a bottle of water and brought it back for her.
"Here," he said softly. "Drink this."
Li took the bottle and drank slowly. The cool water helped her calm down a little. She took a deep breath, feeling as if some of the heaviness inside her heart had eased.
Zhao sat beside her again.
"Do you want some ice cream?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Li looked at him in surprise.
"Ice cream?" she repeated.
"Yeah," Zhao said with a small smile. "Ice cream makes everything a little better."
"Okay," she said.
He bought two ice creams from the nearby stall and handed one to her.
As they sat there eating, the tension slowly faded.
After a few minutes, Zhao glanced at her and said teasingly, "I didn't know you were so weak that you'd cry over just one slap."
Li immediately frowned.
"It's not like that," she replied. "The tears just kept coming on their own. What else could I do?"
Zhao chuckled.
"Alright, alright. I was just joking."