Come, Let Me Take You Home 53

No. 53 Reaching Out to Grasp Hope

The sun blazed mercilessly, its heat radiating from a distant star, threatening to incinerate Upper Capital City, leaving no shred of hope behind.

The city center shimmered in the heat. Withered plants and flowers drooped by the roadside. Drivers, agitated and irritable, honked their horns in frustration, creating a cacophony that echoed through the streets, converging at the central intersection.

Xiaodie stopped walking and let go of my hand.

I turned to see her sink to the ground, her small frame swallowed by the harsh sunlight.

“Drip.”

Two teardrops fell onto the scorching pavement, like delicate flower petals wilting in the desert heat.

“I can’t… anymore…”

Her voice was a whisper, laced with despair, helplessness, and utter bewilderment.

It was a familiar scene, echoing memories from Yi Yao’s past.

Being kicked out of the house after failing an exam, wandering the streets with no money or destination.

Being caught by thugs from another district, narrowly escaping, too afraid to go home, spending the night huddled in an internet cafe, stomach growling, clutching a ten-yuan note.

There were countless people in this world living such lives—misunderstood, disrespected, unwanted. Even their own kind kept their distance, seeing them as harbingers of negativity. Over time, these souls learned to be silent, to let go, burying their sorrow deep inside, maintaining a facade of normalcy for the sake of a world that preferred to look away.

We were destined to be supporting characters in our own lives, never the protagonists of our own stories.

“Let’s go home. You’ll get heatstroke if you stay out here.”

I swallowed my own sadness and walked towards her.

“Home?”

She spoke as if in a dream, the word detached from any real meaning. “Where is my home…?”

“Then let’s go back to that small, safe haven.”

You have no home, and neither do I.

The real Yi Yao was gone, sacrificing herself for my future because this world held no place for her. I was left behind, forced to witness the tragedies of her past unfold once more.

Even I, who had inherited her life, couldn’t build a simple, ordinary “home.”

Tell me, where does someone like me belong…?

“Yi Yao…”

In the blinding sunlight, I noticed beads of sweat glistening on Xiaodie’s delicate neck.

“You go on ahead. Leave me alone.”

She stood up, wiping her tears, her voice strangely calm.

I grabbed her arm, my grip firm. “No. My gut tells me you’ll do something foolish if I leave you alone now.”

She remained silent.

“Where do you want to go?”

“…The detention center.”

“Absolutely not.”

“My dad is there!”

She ripped her arm free, tears streaming down her face. “He promised me! He said once he recovered, he would spoil me, love me, never remarry, never leave me. He kept all the other promises, so why… why did he break the last one…?”

“Promises are meant to be broken.”

“But he’s my father!”

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face a picture of heartbreak. “There must be something we can do! If I talk to those uncles who are close to my dad, they can help… I’m sure of it…”

“Help with what? What are their names? Where are they from? What did your father do for them?”

“You don’t understand anything!”

She was nearly hysterical. “You have a loving family! I have nothing! I called everyone in my contact list, and no one is willing to help! All those so-called brothers, who swore eternal loyalty…”

I took a step closer. “You didn’t call me.”

She avoided my gaze.

I took another step. “You believe that if it were me, I would have come for you, even without a phone call, right?”

When you’ve seen enough death, you learn to bow your head to the world.

The heat shimmered, distorting everything around us.

I advanced, and she retreated.

Backed into a corner, she suddenly shoved me away and assumed a fighting stance.

“Why do you always look at me like you can see right through me? You have no idea how infuriating it is!”

I didn’t answer, merely observing her with a neutral expression. “Shouldn’t you show your senior some respect before challenging her?”

“Shut up!”

With a perfect 360-degree spin kick, she launched her attack.

“Not bad. Your form is good, but too stiff. You hesitate in a real fight, and that hesitation exposes your weaknesses.”

I blocked her kick effortlessly, offering advice as I would during our usual training sessions.

“Thud! Thud! Thud!”

She didn’t let up, her legs a blur as she unleashed a furious barrage of kicks.

“What are you waiting for? This isn’t the gym. There are no targets here. Aim for my waist or head, not my hands.”

The pain in my arms, combined with the relentless heat, was pushing me to my limit.

“You’ll get yourself killed fighting like this in a real fight.”

I dodged two more kicks, then lunged, grabbing her wrists and pulling her close.

“Your heart is in turmoil.”

“Let go of me!”

She struggled in my grasp. “You don’t know anything! Stay out of my life! Get away from me!”

Our breaths mingled in the hot air, our bodies pressed close.

Images from the past month flashed through my mind—moments of laughter, shared secrets, playful banter. Our struggles had left red marks on both our arms.

“Let go! I said let go! Yi Yao, if you don’t let go, I…”

Her emotions were spiraling out of control. I sighed inwardly, releasing her wrists and instead wrapping my arms around her waist.

And then, I kissed her, my lips pressing against hers.

“Mmm…”

Her lips were soft and warm, sending a ripple of unexpected emotion through me.

Our eyes met, and in her bewildered gaze, I saw a reflection of my own future self.

All those dreams, those hopes, those forgotten aspirations, withered and fell away like petals scattered by the wind.

A delicate, lily-like fragrance lingered in the air.

The suddenness of my action stunned her into silence. She stared at me, her eyes wide, her chest rising and falling rapidly. I gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from her forehead.

“Well? How was it? Unpleasant?”

I chuckled, releasing her from my embrace. “You said you wanted to be my girlfriend. Did you think it would be like in those anime, a sweet and innocent yuri romance?”

It didn’t bother me. After all, I was still half-boy in my mind. But Xiaodie was different. Before we met, she was an ordinary girl, dreaming of falling in love, of a prince charming sweeping her off her feet. To be suddenly kissed by another girl… it must have been jarring, even repulsive.

“You…”

She blinked, as if waking from a dream. “Yi Yao… you…”

“Yes, it’s me.”

If she mentioned the detention center or the police again, I would resort to more drastic measures.

“That was my first kiss! And you just…”

Her face was flushed, a mixture of anger and embarrassment. She grabbed the violin case containing her sniper rifle. “And in the middle of the street, no less…”

I glanced around. “There’s no one around.”

Was that really her biggest concern right now? The fact that I had kissed her in public?

“Don’t change the subject!”

She raised the case threateningly. I held up my hands. “Hey, hey, think about it! That rifle is practically worth a down payment on an apartment…”

“It’s mine! I bought it with my own money!”

…

We ended up in a newly renovated villa, Xiaodie sprawled on a plush bed, still fuming.

The house was sparsely furnished but had a cozy, welcoming atmosphere. It was simple yet elegant, comfortable and inviting.

“So, what are your plans now?”

I poured myself a glass of water from the dispenser and took a seat, observing her.

The villa was quite luxurious, with two floors and a garden. I had heard that Xiaodie’s father had purchased it with his life savings, leaving her the house and his remaining savings—a total of one million yuan. This was all that remained of the man who had been vilified by the entire city.

“During the trial, my dad and the court people asked me if I wanted to live with some distant relatives.”

“And you agreed?”

“I refused.”

She sat up abruptly, her cheeks flushing again as she avoided my gaze. “They used to be close to our family, but after my dad’s arrest, they distanced themselves. I refuse to live with hypocrites like them.”

“But you won’t be able to afford living here on your own.”

One million yuan might seem like a lot, but half of it would go towards her high school tuition. That left her with five hundred thousand yuan, which would have to last her three years of high school and, potentially, university. Less than one thousand yuan per month wouldn’t be enough for a growing girl.

“That’s where you come in, right?”

She hopped off the bed and padded over to me in her slippers, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Yi Yao… will you… be my girlfriend?”