At night, due to the limited space in the orphanage, six bunk beds were crammed into one room, housing the kids aged twelve and older. The girls slept on the top bunks, while the boys took the bottom. This was for safety, as if a girl needed to go to the bathroom at night, there would always be a boy awake to accompany her. Starlight Orphanage only housed them until they turned sixteen, after which they had to leave and face the harsh realities of society. Many kids who left either became apprentices for labor-intensive jobs that offered room and board or became star students who earned scholarships to live on campus.
Bai Xiao, however, fell into the category of those destined to become apprentices. Unlike the ever-brilliant and talented Gao Ze, they were like two extremes, and this terrified her. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Gao Ze, but she feared that their worlds would drift further and further apart.
In the middle of the night, the counsellor was making his rounds with a flashlight. The flickering light cast shadows over Gao Ze’s face, waking him from his light sleep. In the darkness, Gao Ze noticed that the counsellor was holding something small, making him instantly alert.
The counselor stopped by Gao Ze’s bed, and above him was Bai Xiao’s bunk. Squinting, Gao Ze peeked upward and saw the counsellor gently pulling back the thin blanket that covered Bai Xiao, revealing her pale legs. Then, the counselor raised a small red-eyed V8 camera, filming up Bai Xiao’s legs. Her long thighs were still hidden under her nightdress, but the counselor wasn’t deterred. He placed the flashlight at the end of the bed and carefully lifted her nightdress. Seeing her simple, white cotton underwear, he seemed to smell her innocent fragrance. As he grew bolder and prepared to remove her underwear, Gao Ze, who had sensed something was wrong, rose with a cold expression, “What are you doing?”
The counsellor was startled and, without bothering to explain, bolted out of the room. Yafan, woken by the commotion, noticed the V8 camera still flashing red on the bed and immediately rushed after the fleeing counsellor, intending to catch him and demand answers.
Bai Xiao, having been startled awake, groggily sat up and checked the footage on the V8. Her face flushed with anger. Gao Ze, seeing this, knew it couldn’t be anything good and quickly ran after Yafan.
Suddenly, Bai Xiao heard the screeching sound of a car slamming on the brakes.
Crash!
Lying in bed, Bai Xiao didn’t know what had happened, but a shiver ran down her spine, her hair standing on end, and a bitter taste rose in her mouth. She quickly got out of bed, not even bothering to put on her shoes, and rushed outside.
What greeted her was Yafan lying in a pool of blood. He groaned in pain, like he was singing his final lament, bidding farewell to the world. It was as if he was saying, You didn’t like me, so I’m leaving. My soul will fly to a place where I will be accepted, a place full of hope and love.
Covering her ears, Bai Xiao screamed at Yafan, “Ah… Hang in there! Don’t go!”
Meanwhile, Gao Ze, who was still struggling with the counselor, realized that Bai Xiao’s leg had been cut by shards of glass from a broken car headlight, and she was calling out to Yafan, who was lying on the ground, barely breathing.
Gao Ze remembered that when he chased after the counsellor, the man had already been in his car, ready to escape. Yafan had blocked the windshield, preventing the car from moving forward, so the counselor reversed. Seeing Gao Ze following closely, the counselor panicked and slammed the gas pedal, completely forgetting that Yafan was still in front of the car. By the time the car ran over Yafan’s small body, no amount of braking could stop the tragedy from unfolding.
As Bai Xiao’s heart-wrenching screams echoed, the neighbours, awakened by the noise, rushed out. Some called for an ambulance, others called the police, and a few landed punches on the counselor. But no one approached Yafan, lying in his own blood. The impact had ruptured his internal organs, and blood flowed from his eyes and nose. It was clear to everyone that he wouldn’t survive.
The ambulance arrived soon after, and though Yafan had already lost all signs of life, they still tried to resuscitate him, as if there was some glimmer of hope. The police also arrived, but what they held in their hands was a black body bag.
To Bai Xiao, it seemed like a cruel joke. “If you knew he was going to die, why bother pretending to try and save him?”
The adults around her seemed to hear her, yet not hear her, as they continued with their tasks. It was as though as long as they stood on their moral high ground, collectively condemning the counselor, they could consider themselves on the side of righteousness.
After the incident, Starlight Orphanage could no longer operate. Most of the children were transferred elsewhere, except for Bai Xiao and Gao Ze, who were eventually adopted by Liu Hao’s grandparents.
But their days of peace didn’t last long. Liu Hao’s parents failed in their business ventures on the mainland, and after divorcing, they both remarried. This was something Liu Hao, now in middle school, simply couldn’t understand! Fortunately, his grandparents still doted on him, and their household now included the mature Gao Ze and the increasingly quiet and steady Bai Xiao. The five of them lived together without any major disturbances… until the eve of Gao Ze’s enlistment.
