You do know I'm still a minor, right?

"Is Xiao Shu at home?"
"Why are you looking for him? He's upstairs studying."

Jiang Yao took out a voice recorder and placed it on the table. As she pressed play, Xu Anxin's voice emerged from the tiny device.

Aunt Qin was unconcerned at first.
The more she listened, however, the more grim her expression became.
By the time the recording finished playing, Aunt Qin's face was completely drained of color.

"Are you playing a joke on me, Jiang Yao? This isn't funny, and you and I are not on terms where we can joke around."
"I'm sorry, Aunt Qin."
"Is that all you ever say? You said those exact words to me ten years ago, and I lost a son. Now you're saying them to me again—are you trying to tell me that I'm going to lose another son?" Aunt Qin roared at Jiang Yao in agitation.
She picked up a glass of water from the table and threw it straight at Jiang Yao's face.

Splashed full in the face, Jiang Yao raised a hand to gently wipe away the water stains. "Actually, even after Zeng Qiwen died, I still inexplicably suffered harassment. That was when I began to suspect something was terribly wrong, but I couldn't be sure whether certain things were actually happening or if my mind was just sick."
"Of course your sick in the head!" Aunt Qin, ignorant of the truth, assumed Jiang Yao was cursing herself. "Chen Shu! Chen Shu, get down here right now!"
She shrieked at the top of her lungs toward the upper floor.

Footsteps sounded from upstairs almost immediately.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Chen Shu hurried to the top of the stairs, his expression shifting slightly the moment he caught sight of Jiang Yao sitting below.

Aunt Qin's body trembled as she pulled the slender boy close to her. "Jiang Yao, look at him, take a good look—does he look anything like what you people claim? He's my good, wholesome son!"
"Mom..." Chen Shu turned his head, looking at his mother with a bewildered expression.
Aunt Qin's eyes were bloodshot. "Xiao Shu, she's the one who killed your older brother, and now she's come to harm you too. Make her leave, make her leave..."

Chen Shu looked back at Jiang Yao with a hollow expression. "Did you hear that? My mom told you to leave. You aren't welcome here, and don't ever come back again."

Xu Anxin was right. It was thanks to her years of "careful cultivation" that Chen Shu had been molded into a monster identical to Zeng Qiwen.
His ability to wear a mask in front of others was even more accomplished than his predecessor's.

If Jiang Yao hadn't known the truth beforehand, and if Chen Shu's eyes hadn't inadvertently betrayed a bone-chilling coldness as he looked at her, she probably would have started slapping herself in the face right then and there.

"Aunt Qin, I can leave, but if you truly have Xiao Shu's best interests at heart, take him to turn himself in to the police as soon as possible."
"Turn himself in? For what?" Aunt Qin shook her head. "My Xiao Shu is such an obedient child. He hasn't broken the law; why should he turn himself in!"
"The Cheng family has lost an heirloom—something very valuable. Even if Xiao Shu refuses to admit it and won't go turn himself in, the police will be coming for him soon enough."

Aunt Qin snatched up a small ceramic teacup from nearby and hurled it toward Jiang Yao. "Get out! My son is fine, my son doesn't need to turn himself in!"
Jiang Yao sidestepped slightly, and the small cup struck the doorframe directly, shattering into multiple pieces.
She stared at the shards for a moment, then bowed slightly toward Aunt Qin. "For Teacher Chen's sake, please put an end to all these mistakes. Don't keep going down the wrong path."

Watching Jiang Yao turn to leave, Aunt Qin's fury flared even higher. "Don't you ever mention Chen Zui again! You have no right to say his name!"
Chen Shu gently patted his mother's shoulder. "Mom, I'll walk her out."

Jiang Yao stepped out of the Hope Diner and stood by the entrance waiting for the cab she had called, her mind still in turmoil.
"Jiang Yao," Chen Shu's slightly youthful voice came from behind her.

Jiang Yao looked back to see Chen Shu walking toward her with a smile on his lips—not the smile that belonged to an innocent teenager.
Even standing in the sunlight, she felt the shadows within that smile were impossible to dispel.
"At the very least, you should call me older sister."

Chen Shu let out a soft scoff, walking up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her. "Sister, your cab hasn't arrived yet, has it? I'll walk you out."
At fifteen or sixteen, the boy was already much taller than Jiang Yao.
She had to tilt her head back to look at him.

She stared into the eyes of someone who should have been the epitome of innocence, only to find utter darkness lurking within. "Xiao Shu, turn back now. Your mother only has you left."
"Why would my mother only have me left?" Chen Shu asked casually.
Jiang Yao knew he was referring to Chen Zui.

"But don't worry, of course I'll take care of my mother," Chen Shu smiled. "You shouldn't have made this trip. Now tell me, are you scared?"
The look he gave her made Jiang Yao shiver, even beneath the blazing sun.
"What is there to be afraid of? I've always believed that justice will prevail over evil in this world."
"And who is the evil one?"

"Zeng Qiwen, and..." Jiang Yao stared straight into Chen Shu's eyes, "you, who were led astray by him. You and Aunt Qin always act like I'm the one who harmed Teacher Chen. It's true that he was implicated because of me, and I accept that blame, but don't forget—Zeng Qiwen was the true mastermind who killed your brother."

Chen Shu remained unbothered. "Sister, your car is here."
Jiang Yao looked up and saw that the cab she had summoned was indeed pulling slowly toward them.
"Be careful on the way. My mother is getting older, and her temper is bound to flare up sometimes—please don't take it to heart." He had slipped back into his polite, well-mannered persona.
"Stop acting in front of me. We both know the truth about many things."

"Alright, then I won't act anymore." Chen Shu smiled as he opened the car door for Jiang Yao. The instant she climbed inside, his gaze turned abruptly icy. "Sister, you know I'm still a minor, right?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that some crimes committed by minors are exempt from punishment, and even those that aren't receive lighter sentences," Chen Shu said calmly. "See? I haven't wasted my time; I've been studying hard."

Jiang Yao's eyes widened in horror as she watched Chen Shu slam the car door shut.
The car pulled away, leaving his figure behind and shrinking further and further into the distance...
"Miss, is that young man your brother?"
"Mmm." Jiang Yao had no heart to chat with the driver and offered a perfunctory murmur.
"Kids at that age are all rebellious, but I think he's quite well-mannered."

Jiang Yao stared silently out the window.
If only Chen Shu were merely rebellious...

After seeing Jiang Yao off, Chen Shu returned inside the diner.
Aunt Qin was still sitting in her original spot, staring blankly into space without a word.
"Mom," Chen Shu called out softly. "I'm going upstairs to study."
"Stop right there," Aunt Qin halted him. "Where did you go today?"
Chen Shu turned his head back. "Didn't I tell you? I went to a classmate's house to work on homework together. Please don't take Jiang Yao's words to heart—she's been through too much trauma, and I'm afraid her mind really isn't right anymore."