C1

Su Yi was dead. Looking around the empty house, she finally realized that the woman was really dead. Su Xu once again had a strong desire to leave, to escape.

She had thought of this more than once in the past twenty years.

"I'm not leaving." When she mentioned this idea to Su Yi, this was Su Yi's reply.

In the end, for Su Yi's sake, she did not leave. Now that the only tie was gone, what reason did she have to stay?

This was a very simple and crude house. The walls were so dirty that one could only vaguely make out the original color of the paint. Most of the bottles were scattered on the ground. In the past, that woman would tidy up her room, wash the heavy bedding and clothes brought by others with her old sleeves, and earn some money. Due to being immersed in water all year round, Su Yi's hands became rough and thick. Su Yiqing was thin and always carried a cold aura.

More than once, she had asked Su Yi why she married that man who failed to achieve anything. Su Yi didn't answer. She glanced at her and then looked away. Su Xu knew she looked like that man.

One morning, she couldn't remember what day it was, and the woman sleeping next to her never woke up. Her mother committed suicide by taking medicine.

Seeing Su Yi's peaceful sleeping appearance, she did not cry. She understood that Su Yi was relieved and that the unknown country would let her have her freedom. In that instant, Su Xu seemed to see her released soul flying happily.

Su Xu came back to her senses and looked at the clock on the wall. It was ten o'clock. The man didn't come back from drinking last night. She rushed to the closet, pulled out a large cloth bag, and began stuffing things inside, some old clothes, a few used books.

Maybe because she was too anxious, Susu threw her bag on the table to the cup, smack, glass splattered everywhere.

The last time Su Yi hid something here, she saw it. She stretched out her hand to feel the dark ground, and when her hand touched something, she grabbed it and took it out. It was a simple but clean wooden box.

She was about to open it when she heard footsteps outside. Surprised, she quickly put the box in her bag, tied it shut, got up and pulled open the box beside her, and threw it in before she could open the door.

The door opened and a shaft of sunlight shone into the dark room. The man walked in. He was tall, had a stubble on his chin, and his body was swaying. The smell of alcohol permeated the room. He shouted, "Bring me the rice."

She stood still.

"Little bastard." The man walked over and pushed her to the ground with a dark expression. "Where's the food?"

Su Xu's palm was in pain. A piece of glass was deeply cut into her skin, blood slowly oozing out. She looked at him with loathing: "No, there's nothing."

The man kicked her and angrily said, "F * ck! How dare you talk back to me? What the hell is that?!" He turned his head and saw the broken pieces on the ground. He continued to curse, "You prodigal son, it's useless even if you're alive. Hurry and clean it up."

With an expressionless face, Su Xu crawled up and picked up the pieces one by one. Drops of blood fell to the ground, forming dark red flowers.

She didn't know if it was because of the pain from her wound, or the excitement of wanting to escape, but her heart was beating exceptionally fast. Was Su Xu nervous? To be honest, a bit, she was afraid that he would notice, afraid that he would discover that cloth bag, discover her secret, so she pretended to be so obedient, seeking only to be safe.

"Same virtue as that bitch, pooh." The man swore, took a few steps forward, lay down on the bed, kicked off his shoes, and fell asleep.

Su Xu stopped what she was doing and looked at the man's back. Only when she heard the man's uneven breathing when he was sleeping did she stand up and find a cloth bandage to stop the bleeding. Then, she walked over to the bed and once she was sure that the man was really asleep, she opened the box very gently and took out a cloth bag, hugging it tightly to her chest.

As Su Xu walked through the crowded hut, she tried her best not to touch anything. When she was a few steps away from the door, she stopped.

Su Xu looked at the sleeping man again. She really hated that man, she even hated him. His insults and beatings towards her and Su Yi all came to mind. Thinking of her patience, she felt so uncomfortable that she wanted to curse that man to hell. But is there any use in cursing, Sue thought, for her mother had killed herself, and the man was still alive?

The wind came in through the window, and the man seemed to shudder.

Su Xu went to close all the windows, then turned around and walked to the gas tank. With a shake of her hand, she opened the two valves.

She opened the door and slowly backed out. "We'll never meet again." Su Yu mouthed to the people in the room silently.

Summer was almost over. The afternoon sunlight was not very harsh, causing people to feel warm. Su Xu found a park and sat on a bench by the flowerbed. She looked back and forth between the pedestrians, at this time the park only had a few couples and some old people. She shrugged her shoulders, her heart suddenly feeling a little desolate.

She knew what that meant and resisted the urge to turn back and look for the source of the food. She rubbed her belly with one hand, feeling the pain in her stomach because she hadn't eaten in a long time.

Susu pulled her mother's wooden box out of the bag. "I hope I have money." Su Xu whispered. She opened it and was immediately disappointed. It was just a yellowed picture.

A beautiful and elegant woman smiled like a flower, she and the man behind her sat coquettishly on the grass, their faces full of happiness, the woman holding a baby in her arms, the child staring curiously at the camera, her chubby little hands raised up high, they were like a family of three, that happiness was fully displayed in the photo, even Su Xu was inexplicably jealous.

Su Xu didn't expect Su Yi to be so beautiful when she was young, nor did she expect Su Yi to smile so beautifully. In her memory, her mother was always silent. Su Xu was not sure if the child in Su Yi's arms was her or not, but she was sure that the man behind Su Yi was definitely not her current father. Who is this man? Su Xu looked carefully, his eyes were light brown, she had never seen him before.

She still missed her mother. As Su Xu studied the photo, she even forgot about her stomachache. She flipped the photo over and found a row of delicate and pretty words written on the back, "Road X, Palm City's Building 3 — Tang Ling, Su Xu knows where this address is. Not only her, the entire city knows that Palm City is the representative of wealth."

After walking for half a day and walking around half of the city, Su Xu finally found the address on the back of the photo.

This was a villa complex, and the house was luxurious and exquisite. The lake water was calm and serene, and the people who lived here were either rich or noble. On the other side of the city, there was a shabby, cheap house like hers. It was extreme.

Could there be no such person? Could it be that he no longer lived here? She began to worry.

Su Xu hesitated to walk towards the residential area, but the security guard stopped her at the entrance. Even though she was old and worn-out, the security guard was still polite. "Miss, you need to have a card to get in and out."

"I am looking for Mr. Tang Ling." Su Xu gripped the photo tightly.

"You're looking for Mr. Tang?" The security guard was surprised.

The security guard took a look at her attire, "Uh, how about this, Miss, if you have something to say to me, I'll pass it on to you."

Su Xu looked at the photo in her hand and didn't dare to hand it over. This was the little thing she had left. Su Xu raised her head and said to the security guard, "Please tell Mr. Tang that a woman named Su Yi is looking for him."

"Alright."

The weather gradually turned cold. Su Xu tightened his clothes. What if Tang Ling had already forgotten about Su Yi? What if Tang Ling didn't come out? Where would she go? The sun was about to set. Was she going to wander the streets tonight?

Su Xu looked at the floating clouds in the sky. "Su Yi, you have to bless me."

After a long while, Su Xu finally saw a middle-aged man, who was leaning on a walking stick, quickly walking over with the security guards. Su Xu stood up straight. The security guard pointed at her and said a few words to Tang Ling. Tang Ling looked at Su Xu and frowned. It was obvious that she was not the person he wanted to see in his heart. Su Xu walked toward Tang Ling. His expression was dignified but a bit tired. He looked old and decrepit, without the slightest trace of the spirit that was shown in the photo.

Su Xu and Tang Ling looked at each other like warriors from both sides. Neither of them moved their gaze away. Tang Ling did not say anything as he was waiting for the person to speak out his intention.

In the end, Su Xiao was defeated. Because she was very hungry, she handed the photo over to him, "Su Yi told me to give this to you."

"She died a few days ago."

When Tang Ling heard her words, his hand that was going to hold the photo stopped mid-air. He couldn't help but mutter in disbelief, "Dead?"

"Right." Tang Ling's eyes never left Su Xu, as if he was trying to determine whether her words were true or false. Su Xu pursed her lips and spat out even more cruel words, "He died by suicide."

Tang Ling finally received the photo. He stared at the location of the photo without blinking. Su Xu couldn't see anything from his face, but she saw that Tang Ling's eyes had reddened and his hands were trembling. Su Xu heaved a sigh of relief as she knew that she had taken the right step.

Su Xu was silent the entire time. She quietly stood beside Tang Ling.

Tang Ling closed his eyes and waited for his emotions to calm down before he put the photo back into his coat pocket. Only then did he turn his gaze towards Su Xu, "You are?"

"Her daughter." Su Xu replied softly.

"Where is that person?" Tang Ling asked with a complicated expression on his face, as if he was regretting and resentful.

"He's dead as well." After a long while, Su Suo finally reacted to who Tang Ling was asking. She looked at the sky and saw that it was already dark. His father was probably sleeping soundly, so she added, "I'm an orphan now."

Tang Ling shifted his gaze down and saw the big cloth bag in Su Xu's hand.

"Follow me."

Tang Ling turned around and led the way. He refused the support of the security guards while Su Xu followed behind him. The figure of Tang Ling, who was leaning on his walking stick, slightly trembled.

Su Xu absent-mindedly observed the whole area. They were all independent villas, with separate spaces. In front of each villa, there was a small flowerbed, palm trees and a small fountain made the night even more refreshing.

"Mr. Tang." Occasionally, when people from the neighborhood saw Tang Ling greeting him, they would also peep at Su Xu curiously. Tang Ling ignored everyone and kept one hand in his pocket.

He walked to the door and put his crutch-holding hand on the palmprint reader on the door. "Ding!" The door automatically opened, and Tang Ling walked in by himself as if he had forgotten that there was someone following him. Su Xu didn't mind as she stepped up the stairs two or three times with the cloth bag in her arms.

"Don't forget to close the door." He opened all the lampposts in the room, and the house suddenly lit up.

"Alright."

The room was beautifully decorated. It was extremely beautiful with black and beige colors. The concept of a post-modern and high-quality life could be seen everywhere.

"I'll live on the first floor." Tang Ling sat on the sofa and was a bit tired. He pointed at the stairs and said, "You can pick any room on the second floor."

"Alright." Su Xu nodded.

Tang Ling, who was leaning on his walking stick, slowly stood up and walked toward a room. He no longer paid attention to Su Xu.

Su Xu felt that Su Yi's death was a huge blow to Tang Ling, causing him to instantly age.

"Mr. Tang." When Tang Ling's hand was placed on the doorknob, Su Xu called out to him.

Tang Ling turned his head, "There's more, what's the matter?"

"Mr. Tang, is there anything to eat here?" She asked as if it was a matter of course, she didn't feel embarrassed at all. Wasn't this the reason why she came to find Tang Ling? He had something that she didn't have. "I'm a bit hungry."

"There's one in the restaurant, turn right." Tang Ling was stunned as he pointed out the direction for Su Xu.

"Thank you, good night."

She took out enough food from the refrigerator. She ate very carefully and carefully savored every mouthful of food, not knowing if there would be any food to eat every day. She had to remember these flavors.

She never asked the biggest question in her heart. What was the relationship between Tang Ling and Su Yi? Who was that baby? Su Xu grasped the reason, what should be said, and what shouldn't be said. She was careful to stay under someone else's roof, knowing that she could be kicked out at any time. Therefore, her curiosity was sufficient.

After a hearty meal, Su Xu felt that she had come to life again and felt better. She began to clear up the table and place the plate in the sink. She looked at the dishwasher. It didn't work, and she rolled up her sleeves. The wound on her hand was still aching, and the blood on the cloth had turned a deep red. She tried not to let her injured hand touch the water while she washed the dishes. Su Xu wiped the table a few more times. She stood aside and looked at the dining room and kitchen as before. Only then did she pick up the cloth bag and leave.

This place that did not belong to her made her feel uncomfortable. Although Tang Ling was in his room and she was the only one here, Su Xu still did not dare to act rashly. It was as if someone was watching her from behind.

She looked around the second floor and determined which rooms were bedrooms and which were not. She walked down the corridor and chose the innermost room, which gave her a sense of security that she could not be disturbed.

"Go away! "Go away!"

Blood, fall, Su Yi's body, all sorts of things kept appearing. She was very scared, no one was helping her, there was a monster chasing her behind, she stumbled and fell, the crowd was laughing, she had nowhere to hide, she was trying really hard to wake up.

Finally, her eyelids opened without warning. Su Xu abruptly woke up from her dream, opened her eyes, and looked at the blank ceiling. She was stunned for a while before she recovered her breath. She buried her head in her knees and sobbed, her back trembling.

Suddenly, she got off the bed and rushed out of the room, searching anxiously for something in the lobby of the second floor. She rushed to the sofa, picked up the phone on the table beside her, and dialed a number: 1, 2, 0.

"Du du du." "Hello, 120 emergency treatment centers, is there anything I can help you with?"

"There's gas poisoning here." Su Suo hugged her knees and said with a shaky voice.

The female voice on the other end quickly asked, "Please tell me the address."

"X Street, corner of X Street, 304. First floor. It's a man." In the end, Su Xu couldn't bear to kill his own father.

"Okay, we'll send the ambulance right away. Keep calm and open the doors and windows so that the patient can breathe as much fresh air as possible... "

Su Xu didn't know what else to say. She whimpered and felt something called fear shrouding her heart. She was very scared.

When she laid back on the bed, Su Xu was no longer sleepy.