To Covet (GL) - Chapter 88

Returning to school and resuming the routine of commuting between two points every day, my life suddenly fell into a pool of stagnant water. It was excessively peaceful, to the point where I could barely feel the passage of time.

Before evening self-study began, Xu Lanlan dashed to the classroom door and asked if I wanted to go for a stroll on the playground, saying the teachers for the next two periods were all in a meeting. As she spoke, she didn’t forget to hand me a chocolate-coated ice cream bar as a bribe.

She pulled me to sit at the highest point of the bleachers and began chattering away, complaining about how she couldn’t adapt to her new class life.

“I actually want to go back to the science track,” she grumbled. “But the liberal arts classes have so many girls, and everyone is so nice. The science track is full of boys; the whole classroom stinks. It makes me want to barf.”

“It’s okay. Over two-thirds of my class are girls.”

“I can’t get into the ‘Rocket’ top-tier class anyway…” Xu Lanlan pouted crossly. “Never mind one-third; even one boy is enough to make it stink.”

“Anyway, I haven’t felt good about these last few exams. I used to get high scores in politics, history, and geography, but I failed everything this time including the electives.” Xu Lanlan ruffled her hair in frustration and took a resentful bite out of her Cornetto cone. “My parents signed me up for cram school. Oh my god, I can’t understand a word that teacher says! Plus, the people there aren’t from the same school; they form cliques all day. And the school cafeteria changed the cooking ladies this summer; the food is so bad it’s lethal. Truly disgusting.”

I don’t know how long it takes for a person to adapt when thrown into a strange environment. Even someone as naturally optimistic and sociable as Xu Lanlan couldn’t help but complain about new curriculum and environments. What about Yu Zhouwan? She’s in a foreign land completely removed from her mother tongue, with a pace of life and study entirely different from home. I raised my hand to check the time on my digital watch—it now had an extra little box for London time. It was just afternoon in the UK; what was she doing right now?

Yu Zhouwan would seriously reply to my every message asking about her well-being. She told me she would stay at Professor Sheng’s for a while until she found a suitable apartment, and she had already planned to contact her tutor to start her first university design project.

There were also many trivial details: the neighbor was a cranky old British lady; the local Chinese supermarket often had discounts at 9:00 PM where she could buy sauces and vegetables she’d never seen at home, weird-smelling meat, and the salty cheese she would never eat.

The room’s soundproofing was poor, so the things Yu Zhouwan and I could talk about during video calls were very limited. All I could do was look at her a few more times.

From nearly ten thousand kilometers away, the flickering silhouette on the screen felt like a virtual electronic placebo. With frequent use, my “drug resistance” was becoming more apparent.

Having gained her freedom, Yu Zhouwan naturally didn’t notice the change in my emotions. She was very happy about being able to socialize with local residents. However, as I listened to her detailed descriptions, I kept thinking about what role I would play for her if I could be a part of it.

I stared blankly at the foxtail grass swaying in the cracks of the steps, completely unaware that the chocolate ice cream had melted and run all over my hand.

After finding out I had moved out to live alone, Xu Lanlan would pretend to be “on her way” to walk with me every day after evening self-study. I didn’t refuse her kindness. The stretch of cement alley from the school’s east gate to the entrance of the residential complex was dimly lit, with stray dogs barking occasionally. Having her chattering beside me relieved a lot of the oppressive feeling.

I stomped my foot to trigger the voice-activated light, fumbling for my keys as I headed upstairs. I was startled to see a figure standing at my door, and my keys fell to the ground with a clink.

“Hello there.”

I waved at her stiffly.

“Can I come in?” Lu Xiaoting asked.

“Why are you here?” I patted my chest to calm my racing heart while mentally complaining about her recklessness. I was frustrated enough to want to stomp my feet. “I mean, how did you know I live here?”

“Sorry. I couldn’t reach you by phone lately, and I was anxious to find you. I’ve actually been waiting downstairs for the past few days.”

I got a layer of goosebumps; my wariness toward her spiked.

“I don’t bring my phone to school,” I explained, quietly putting the keys back in my pocket with no intention of taking them out.

I somewhat regretted living alone. Had I known, I would have asked my grandmother to stay for a while. Living alone is always a bit frightening.

Mostly, I always sensed a certain excessive paranoia in Lu Xiaoting that made me uneasy—I had smelled it in the scent of camphor from our first meeting. If Gao Rui merely seemed precocious and impulsive out of an eagerness to prove herself, Lu Xiaoting magnified that stubbornness a thousandfold. I couldn’t communicate with her like a normal friend. That was why I had cut contact after hurriedly handing her the items. Besides clearing her mother’s name, there was nothing else in her life—she lived for revenge.

“Can you let me in to talk?”

“Just say whatever it is right here.” I sent a message to Gao Rui. Knowing Lu Xiaoting was with me, she sent a string of question marks and told me to keep the voice call interface open.

“There’s something important.” Lu Xiaoting swallowed.

After hesitating for a long time, I finally let her in.

“Yu Keyi, you know your mother left you a sum of money, right?”

I wanted to say I knew, but Yu Hanyang had only mentioned it in passing and refused to elaborate. So, I pressed Lu Xiaoting for the details.

“The bankbook you gave me before was for a supplementary card. I had the lawyer check—cough, the method wasn’t exactly official—but that money is indeed still in the primary card. It hasn’t been canceled. Did you miss this card when you were handling your mother’s death certificate?”

“No, I handled all her cards…”

I swallowed the rest of the sentence. As a minor next of kin, I had been taken by my grandmother and uncle. At the time, I was in a daze and barely asked any questions about the situation.

“Is that card on you now?”

I shook my head.

Lu Xiaoting scratched her scalp in confusion and took a deep breath. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Yu Keyi, look for that card again. And whatever you do, don’t spend the money in it!”

“Why?”

“Well…” Lu Xiaoting signaled for me to lean in; I smelled that pungent camphor scent again. “We actually checked the transaction history. Of course, it wasn’t through public means so it can’t be used as evidence, but I suspect…”

“Back then, my mom was pushed out to take the fall. As compensation, your father actually gave her a fairly large sum of ‘hush money.’ That’s why my mom was so quick to sign the contract and agree.”

“But later, my mom received a heavy sentence, and that money vanished. I initially suspected he never gave it at all, but now I’m wondering… is it possible that money ended up with your mother?”

“No. That father of mine isn’t the generous type you’re imagining. In fact, if he has money, he definitely spends it on himself. He took quite a bit of money from my mom—over a hundred thousand in total—back when I was a kid. And there’s one more thing: my dad asked me about this money too. It seems even he isn’t quite sure where it is.”

“I see…” Lu Xiaoting pondered. “But that money was indeed a one-time lump sum deposit… Who else could it be…”

“Anyway, it’s definitely impossible that my mom saved it. With her salary, she spent as much as she earned. Unless she didn’t eat or drink for decades.” My head was spinning.

“It’s so frustrating! I can’t report it to the police to find it, and wasting money on these secret little investigations yields nothing that can be used as evidence for an appeal. Annoying! Who can guarantee things from ten years ago are still around?”

A flash of inspiration hit me: “When was that money deposited?”

Lu Xiaoting gave an inquisitive “Eh?” and started searching through photos on her phone.

“Almost two… nearly three years ago. There, exactly 300,000 yuan.” She slapped her forehead and showed me the image.

Seeing me stare silently at the blurred receipt record, Lu Xiaoting pursed her lips and gave a hollow, comforting laugh. “Oh right, Yu Keyi, that old phone you gave me? The memory card can’t be read—the model is too old. I’m finding someone to match a battery for it. Consider it a favor to you; if you miss your mom, you can look at it as a memento. My mom left in a hurry and left me nothing; I’ve almost forgotten what she looks like. In a few more years, I’ll be the age she was then.”

“Are you still going to appeal?” I asked her before she left.

“Yes! Of course! If once doesn’t work, then twice!” Lu Xiaoting was incredibly determined, though her shoulders suddenly slumped. “Sorry, Yu Keyi, for always involving you and your family. But I just can’t swallow this pride.”

“It’s okay. I don’t care about him.” I knew Lu Xiaoting was referring to my father. “To me, he’s just a biological father. I have no feelings for him.”

The moment the door closed, I slid down onto the entryway floor tiles, my strength spent.

The phone was burning in my pocket; my call with Gao Rui had lasted a full hour.

“Are you okay?” Gao Rui asked with concern. “If it really doesn’t work, you can just tell her you don’t know…”

“It’s fine.”

My mind was both chaotic and clear. I knew exactly who to ask about the origin of that 300,000 yuan.

But would Shi Yunya actually talk to me?

I don’t know how many times I’ve opened the sketchbook tucked under the books at the head of my bed.

What met my eyes was a sketch framed with masking tape—in the drawing, a young girl was holding a book, sitting quietly on a soft velvet chair. Her body was completely bare. The lines were clean and sharp, the gray tones depicting the model’s graceful curves. There were slight smudge marks around the edges; it seemed the artist had decided on a whim to draw the model completely nude.

Yu Zhouwan drew facial features very meticulously—so meticulously that I could easily recognize that the person on the paper was me in the art studio that day.

Yu Zhouwan used to hide her drawings everywhere, unwilling to share them with anyone, as if she were deliberately guarding some treasure.

Only upon leaving did she deign to leave this entire filled sketchbook by my pillow.

Page after page of scattered sketches, some complete, some not—the person in the drawings wore different clothes, with varying expressions and poses, yet always bore the same face as the person in the first drawing.

No other subject ever existed.

The entire book was about me.