Chapter 18: Dividing the Spoils

Chapter 18: Dividing the Spoils

In the backyard stood a cherry tree that had grown over from the neighbor’s yard, its branches blocking half the moonlight. Bai Li stepped lightly over to Chengzi’s side, feigning casualness as she watered the roses she had planted.

Unsure how to start, her nerves were frayed to the breaking point.

With no other choice, she sat down beside Chengzi and gently poked his arm, waiting for him to gain some clarity.

Fortunately, the night breeze was cool. Chengzi wore only a short jacket, and his tattooed arms offered little warmth. A gust stirred him, and he drowsily lifted his head.

He was about to leave.

But then he saw the girl sitting beside him, hesitating, looking at him with unspoken words.

He paused his movement to stand.

“Little sister? You need something from me?”

Bai Li’s heart pounded fiercely.

Chengzi’s gaze was still hazy, but he grinned, revealing a row of large teeth. “If you need something, just say it. Brother Chengzi can still... hic... can still help you, right?”

That was the truth.

Ever since they met, out of respect for Fang Ye, they had treated her kindly.

After a moment’s hesitation, Bai Li gave up on finding the right words and softly asked, “Brother Chengzi, how long have you known my brother?”

Though drunk, he answered without hesitation, “Of course a long time. I’ve known Ye Ge since I was fourteen.”

Bai Li nodded.

Chengzi seemed to suddenly recall the past, his smile fading.

Some people liked to chat when drunk, and he happened to be one of them.

Looking at the blurry figure before him, he spoke earnestly: “Don’t be afraid of him about what happened that day. Ye Ge’s been through hell. He didn’t know how to protect a young girl. He never meant for you to see that kind of scene.”

The alcohol made his words a bit slurred.

But Bai Li roughly understood his meaning.

They all thought she had been frightened by Fang Ye that day, which was why she came to ask about him.

She didn’t explain, only seized on one key point.

“How hard was it for him before?”

Her voice trembled as she asked.

The cool June breeze rustled the leaves of the peach tree. She heard Chengzi speak slowly and clearly: “I heard, back then, he was sent back by the police. His grandmother was ill and couldn’t work. His uncle was unfilial. As soon as Ye Ge came back, he tried to seize the house and refused to give grandma any pension money. Ye Ge was just a kid, only able to beg on the streets to support grandma. Until he grew into a teenager, no one gave him money anymore. He had to rely on school subsidies just to get by.

“But then grandma got seriously ill during winter break. She knelt and begged his uncle, but the uncle kicked him out.”

On a freezing day below zero, he had no choice but to do illegal work by the bridge. Because he worked hard and disturbed the workers’ lazy schemes, a few men beat him so badly he couldn’t move for over ten days…”

Following this description, Bai Li took a deep breath, as if she could see that winter scene clearly:

A fourteen-year-old boy kneeling on cracked muddy ground, his body covered in wounds, his face pressed underfoot.

Chengzi said Fang Ye had no way to resist. Society was chaotic back then. He was young and had school to attend. His shoulders weren’t broad enough, and no one else wanted to hire him.

He dragged himself home with fresh wounds. Before they healed, grandma’s medical fees were gone.

So he had to get up and work again.

If he worked less, the foreman, seeing him as a kid, was ready to fire him anytime.

If he worked harder, the other workers found ways to beat him off the site.

This cycle repeated for a long time.

Until the construction site offended a local gang. When troublemakers came to disrupt the foreman’s project, fifteen-year-old Fang Ye risked his life rushing to the front, protecting most of the expensive equipment.

Those years should have been carefree, but the world relentlessly tried to break his spine, forcing him to give up.

He was ruthless with others and himself.

Almost fearless of pain, when hit with iron rods, he didn’t dodge but bore it, striking back.

That massive brawl didn’t kill him but left him near death. He dropped out of school and stayed in the hospital for two months.

Yet he earned the foreman’s favor.

He was given a large bonus, which he didn’t keep for himself but poured entirely into the hospital bills.

Chengzi and his friends all came from the orphanage. When it closed, with no disabilities and no support, they had no choice but to roam the streets. They had been bullied since childhood.

When life hit rock bottom, it was Fang Ye who reached out and pulled them up.

Following Fang Ye, they finally had the chance to finish high school.

After speaking, Chengzi’s mouth was dry and parched. He took a gulp of the wine on the table, then collapsed face-first onto it.

The moon hung high in the sky. Bai Li’s earlier intoxication had long since faded.

After hearing all this, she felt a chill run through her body.

Her heart tightened uncontrollably.

She had once thought Fang Ye’s life might be average, but hearing about such hardships, each detail was unimaginable.

Begging, kneeling, beatings, illegal labor, street fights.

What kind of torment was this?

Why didn’t he go home?

That question sparked an even more absurd suspicion in her mind.

She remembered that her military uncle had died.

He left behind a sizable inheritance and pension. Neighbors said it was enough to buy a luxury car.

For that era, it was a huge sum.

If that was so—

Would her mother allow Fang Ye to return home?

Coldness spread from her feet to her head. With no evidence to support it, she still couldn’t help but wonder.

A woman like Mrs. Hu—would she choose money or conscience?

In truth, Bai Li had personally witnessed her mother spend that pension, pouring large sums into her clothing store and beauty salon, appearing glamorous and frequently attending the most upscale social gatherings.

Her mother proudly tousled her elegant curls and, with her foot propped up, told her, “This is called self-investment. Learn it.”

Clearly, this investment had paid off.

The following year, Mrs. Hu successfully met Bai Li’s stepfather at one of those high-end venues.

After a long pause,

Bai Li’s teeth trembled. She steadied herself on the table, stumbling to her feet with heavy steps.

This night was nothing like the gentle snow of Jiangcheng, perfectly comfortable. She was freezing to death.

Strictly speaking, that money should have belonged to Fang Ye and Grandma Yun.

Because during those years, her mother held all of her military uncle’s salary, covering all family expenses. The house was the uncle’s, but was transferred to her mother before marriage.

The remaining pension and savings—at least a large part—should have belonged to them.

But in reality,

None of it ever reached their hands.

Bai Li herself had even been involved in dividing the spoils.

Her mother generously spent big money sending her to learn painting and piano, just to please her stepfather, ensuring she met the standards of a wealthy child and wouldn’t drag down Mrs. Hu.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She was nearly suffocating.

Mouth agape, trying to gulp air on her own.

If these suspicions were true—

What face did she have left?

What face did she have to come here from Jiangcheng?

There will be another update tomorrow.