Dad lit two cigarettes in a row, stubbed them out, and said to me earnestly, "Son, we've let your mother down too much."
I nodded hurriedly.
"You have to make something of yourself, understand?"
"I know, I know."
"You have to study hard and get good grades. Do you understand?"
"I understand, I understand." I nodded vigorously, gritting my teeth. "I won't let Mom down."
Dad patted my shoulder with a relieved smile. "Alright, hurry back to your room and study. I'll clean up here."
For some reason, my nose tingled, and tears welled up again. I clenched my teeth and said, "I'll study hard, I promise I'll never make you and Mom angry again."
Dad patted my head gently. "Alright, alright, stop crying. Hurry back to your room and study. No matter how big the mistake, when your mom comes back, just apologize, and it'll be over. What mother holds a grudge against her son forever?"
The more I listened, the sadder I felt. Biting my lip, I nodded firmly.
Besides feeling guilty toward Mom, I was also filled with remorse toward Dad. Holding back my tears, I said to him, "I'm sorry, Dad. I was wrong."
Dad chuckled. "Alright, alright, as long as you change. Now hurry back to your room and study."
Back in my room, I sat at my desk. Once I'd calmed down, I opened my textbook and swore to myself—I had to get good grades. I couldn't let Mom down again.
With finals approaching, I threw myself into reviewing, determined to make up for all the schoolwork I'd neglected in the past few days.
Days flew by, and there were only two days left until finals.
After school, I walked home with my English notes, memorizing vocabulary along the way. As I passed Longhe Bridge, I suddenly saw a girl sitting outside the railing. Her figure looked familiar, and upon closer look, it was An Nuo.
What was she doing here?
Though I had no intention of getting involved with her, crossing Longhe Bridge was the quickest way home. Taking a detour would add a lot of time, and I didn't have any to spare.
After hesitating, I lowered my head and planned to pass by quietly behind her, trying not to disturb her. But as I got closer, I couldn't help but sneak a glance. The little troublemaker was sitting on the edge of the bridge outside the railing, head bowed, fiddling with something in her hands.
I had originally intended to pass by quietly from behind her, but as I approached, I heard her softly humming "Invisible Wings." Her two small feet were tangled together, swinging back and forth. The innocent and delicate look of a child was utterly adorable.
"Every time, I grow stronger amidst loneliness and hesitation; every time, even when deeply hurt, I don't let tears fall.
I know, I've always had a pair of invisible wings, carrying me, flying past despair.
I don't think about the beautiful sun they possess; I see that even the sunset changes every day.
I know, I've always had a pair of invisible wings, carrying me, giving me hope.
..."
Her voice was clear and transparent, tinged with a hint of weariness within its youthful innocence; the song was ethereal and melancholic, yet it gave a sense of fearless courage, pushing forward with determination.
I never expected that mischievous little imp could sing so beautifully. Without thinking, I stopped in my tracks, standing behind her, quietly listening.
Halfway through the song, Anuo suddenly stood up, straightening herself outside the guardrail, still looking down, fiddling with something in her hands, her body leaning slightly forward.
Thinking she was about to jump into the river, I didn't hesitate. I rushed forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back with all my strength.
Anuo was clearly startled, turning her head in a daze. It was only then that I noticed a large bruise around her eye and a cut at the corner of her mouth—obviously, she had just been beaten.
"You... your face... what happened?"
"Oh, it's you, big brother." Anuo's face broke into a bright smile. "It's nothing, I just fell."
"Nonsense, there's no way that was from a fall. It's clearly from a beating." I asked, "Was it that big guy who did it?"
"Are you worried about me?" She flashed that little devilish grin again. "Does it hurt your heart?"
"I... I'm worried about my sister."
"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine."
"Then what are you doing sitting here?"
"Singing, of course." Anuo said nonchalantly, raising her hand to hand me a folded paper crane with a smile. "For you."
I hesitated for a moment, one hand still gripping her arm tightly, the other taking the paper crane. "Come over here first."
"Then carry me over." Anuo turned to face me, spreading her arms in a gesture asking to be held.
I sighed helplessly and lifted her over from the bridge railing.
"What's really going on with you?" I asked.
"Nothing."
"Then why aren't you going home? What are you doing here?"
"Which home?" Anuo looked at me with a playful grin.
I was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. After a moment of silence, I asked softly, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet."
"What... would you like to eat?"
"Are you treating?"
"Obviously."
"Well..." Anuo's eyes darted around, and she smiled. "Then let's go to Dicos."
I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. No matter how much she acted up, she was still just a kid.
"Let's go. There happens to be one nearby."
Anuo walked beside me, still smiling. "Looking like this today, I can't really help you out." As she spoke, she made a circle with her hand, mimicking an up-and-down motion.
I was both amused and exasperated. "Can you stop joking around? You're my sister, my own sister."
"Can't a sister do that with her own brother?" She then made a ring with her left hand and thrust her right index finger in and out of it.
I was utterly speechless and forcefully pushed her hands down.
At Dicos, the little girl didn't hold back either, ordering a huge pile of food in one go. She then found an empty seat in the corner and started wolfing it down.
Her eating manners were far from ladylike, and combined with the injuries on her face, she looked like she had just escaped from a human trafficker, drawing quite a bit of attention.
I wasn't very hungry and only took a couple of bites of my burger before I couldn't help but ask, "You still haven't told me, who exactly hit you? Was it that big guy?"
Annuo chewed casually and replied nonchalantly, "No, it was my grandma and my uncle."
"Why did they hit you?"
Annuo swallowed, wiped her mouth, and looked at me. "They said my mom killed my dad."
"Huh?" I was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"That year, my dad and mom went hiking together. My dad fell off the mountain and died." Annu spoke in a flat tone, adding at the end, "Well... it was that dad who died."
I wanted to comfort her but felt it wasn't appropriate, so I continued asking, "What happened after that?"
"After that, Grandma and Uncle said my mom pushed my dad off the mountain, that she was a murderer. But there was no evidence, and the police said it was an accident."
"And then?"
"Then, Grandma kicked my mom and me out of the house. My mom took me back to her parents' home, but my grandma wouldn't let us in."
"Why?"
"My grandparents had opposed my mom marrying my dad, but she insisted, so they had a falling out. Grandma said my mom could come back, but I couldn't. She doesn't acknowledge me."
As she said this, Annu still wore a smile on her face. For some reason, the more she acted like she didn't care, the more my heart ached for her.
After a moment of silence, Annu continued, "My mom took me to Shanghai to find her classmate. We finally settled down, but then my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, so she sent me back. Although Grandma took me in, she never liked me since I was little. She also believed my mom killed my dad, so she often hit me."
Hearing this, I finally understood why her mother had left her a letter to be opened only after she turned eighteen.
I had thought she was just an orphan lacking family love. I never imagined that at such a young age, she had already gone through so much.
After leaving Dicos, I walked Annu home. She didn't say a word the whole way, behaving unusually well-behaved.
When we reached the entrance of her neighborhood, she waved goodbye. I couldn't help but ask, "Why... why did you lure me in and do that with me?"
Annu clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head, and said with a grin, "Because I like you."
"Come on, let's be serious. You knew I was your biological brother. Why did you still sleep with me? Can you give me a reason?"
Annu took two steps toward me, still smiling. "After reading the letter my mom left me, I started quietly observing your family. Last year, Beibei twisted her ankle at the entrance of the neighborhood, and you carried her upstairs. Do you remember?"
I thought back and remembered that indeed, there was such an incident. I nodded and asked, "Yes, what about it?"
Anuo pressed her little face close to my ear and whispered with a light laugh, "I want you to carry me on your back too."
She was so close to me that I caught the faint, sweet scent of a girl on her once again. Instinctively, I leaned back, feeling awkward, and said, "Then why don't you just come forward and acknowledge our relationship? We are siblings, after all. If I can carry Beibei, of course, I can carry you too."
Anuo pouted her lips. "At first, I really wanted you to be my brother, but later... I realized I've fallen for you. Not the kind of affection a sister has for her brother, but the kind a girl feels for a boy."
I wasn't sure whether she was telling the truth or not, so I forced a bitter smile and said, "Stop joking around, okay?"
"If you think I'm joking, that's fine too." Anuo took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned around and asked, "Do you remember the promise we made?"
"What promise?"
"If you want to sleep with me, you have to agree to one thing."
It suddenly dawned on me—there was indeed such a promise. But so much had happened since that day that I had completely forgotten about it.
Now that she brought it up again, I couldn't help but look at her warily. "What... do you want me to do?"
"Spend New Year's Eve with me, okay?"
I was taken aback, a bit skeptical. "Just that?"
"Just that."
I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Alright. But I still have to have the New Year's Eve dinner at home. After dinner, I'll come out to find you, okay?"
"Okay. I'll wait for you on the Longhe Bridge." Anuo nodded, her lips curling into a sweet smile. She walked up to me, stood on her tiptoes, and gently kissed my cheek. Then, she skipped away toward the residential area. Before entering, she turned back, waved at me, and said, "Don't forget, I'll be waiting for you on the bridge."
Watching her innocent and cheerful demeanor, a faint flutter stirred in my heart. I couldn't quite put my finger on what I felt for her, but it was definitely more than just sibling affection.
...
On the way home, I tried my best to shake off the impact Anuo had on me. I still had exams to take, good grades to achieve, and I needed to try to earn my mother's forgiveness. That was the most important thing at the moment.
When I got home, my dad had already returned. I greeted him and bent down to change my shoes. By chance, I noticed an envelope on the shoe cabinet. Pulling it out, I found a stack of photos inside. In the pictures, a man and a woman were walking side by side along a riverbank, and there were also some photos of them eating in a restaurant.
The man in the photos was that despicable Mr. Chen; the woman was my mother.
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