Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 97: Chess Pieces

Meng Xiaomeng walked into the police station with a paper bag of fast food. Her eyes were still red.

She had just had a falling-out with a close friend today, and even bombed her best subject, math. Her emotions were still spiraling, and now her mom had the nerve to send her to the police station to deliver food.

Usually, it was her mom who picked her up; this time the roles were reversed.

Since her mom could still call, it couldn’t be anything too serious. While ranting to Ku Yue about having to deliver food “in the middle of the night”, she stepped grumpily into the reception room.

Meng Xiaomeng tossed the paper bag onto the table and picked the most isolated chair to sit in, radiating pure “I’m in a bad mood” energy. But Fang Xiu’s striking appearance caught her attention, and she couldn’t help sneaking a few glances, wondering why her mother was meeting with a man in red.

…A secret love child? No, he looked too old, and frankly, better-looking than her mom.

…Could he be her long-lost dad? Also unlikely. He didn’t seem quite that old.

She fired off guesses to Ku Yue as her fingers flew across the screen. Before she could send her next emoji, Hu Die walked over and yanked the phone out of her hands.

Meng Xiaomeng glared at her mother in annoyance.

“Sit.” Hu Die pointed to the seat beside her.

Meng Xiaomeng opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing. She sat beside her mother in silence, not wanting to throw a tantrum in front of Fang Xiu.

“I don’t think I’ve had a proper conversation with you in a long time.”

Hu Die stared at the tea leaves swirling in her cup. “Rough day? Your eyes are all red.”

“It’s nothing,” Meng Xiaomeng replied stiffly.

Hu Die was quiet for a moment, then sighed. “I want to talk.”

“Yeah sure, let’s have a heart-to-heart in front of a total stranger. Super comfortable,” Meng Xiaomeng said with biting sarcasm. “Is it illegal to talk at home?”

Hu Die ignored the sharpness, as she often did. “I want to talk about my own mother.”

A strange setting, strange company, and now a strange topic. Meng Xiaomeng dropped the sarcasm and visibly tensed. She had never been curious about Hu Die’s childhood, and Hu Die had never offered anything.

Something must have happened with her grandmother. Meng Xiaomeng sat up a little straighter.

Hu Die repeated what she’d told Fang Xiu, calmly and evenly. She left out all mention of the Yellow Millet E and added a few personal reflections.

“She wasn’t a perfect mother. Honestly, it’s hard to even call her a ‘good’ one.” Hu Die continued, “But I think she did love me.”

Looking back now, in that cramped old apartment, her mother had still prepared a room just for her.

The clothes might not have been stylish, but they were always new and comfortable. The meals were plain, but there was never a lack of meat, eggs, or milk. Her books and stationery were just as good as anyone else’s, and school fees were always paid on time.

The money from her father couldn’t even come close to covering their expenses.

So her mother took on hard labor jobs outside, scavenged cardboard on the side, and still did all the housework…just to make sure she could study in peace.

But at the same time, her mother had a foul mouth and a nasty temper. She had zero talent for emotional support and failed every metric when it came to nurturing a child’s mental health.

As a kid, she’d grown too used to the sacrifices, without having the capacity to understand the rest.

That wasn’t the child’s fault, but…

“Now I think, being a ‘parent’ is a lot like being a ‘student’.” Hu Die spoke slowly. “Some students are top of the class achieving good grades and have excellent behavior. Others are better at some subjects than others. Some don’t want to study at all, and some work hard but still can’t get it right.”

“It’s the same with character. For every awkward bookworm, there’s a social butterfly. For every kindhearted one, there’s someone who’s inexplicably cruel. And the worst part? Grades and personality don’t always match up.”

Meng Xiaomeng frowned. “So what’s your point?”

Hu Die gazed into space. “The tension between me and my mom… we both believed the other should be a ‘perfect student’, thought that with a little effort, everything could be fixed.”

“There are always kids who are model students, and others who are just mean for no reason. But most people? They’re just ordinary.”

Meng Xiaomeng stiffened. “Got it. You’re just making excuses for yourself.”

“I didn’t want you to grow up in shabby clothes, packed into a dingy house like I did. So I found a better-paying job, bought a better home, and took on a mortgage.”

Hu Die’s voice remained even.

“You’re saying I’m a burden. I never asked to be born,” Meng Xiaomeng muttered.

Hu Die looked at her in silence.

She knew the girl wouldn’t understand. To give her daughter a better life, she couldn’t risk being unemployed. She worked herself to the bone and didn’t dare complain.

She drained herself during the day, then came home to cook and help with homework. There were no holidays, no breaks. She had to manage her emotions around the clock.

In all those years trying to raise Meng Xiaomeng right, she hadn’t even had time to see a movie alone, let alone take a trip.

But if she said any of this aloud, it would just sound like whining to a child.

Love isn’t a default label that should be taken for granted. It takes real, constant effort.

…She had simply figured this out too late.

“I’ve just accepted reality. My mom and I—we’re both just ordinary people,” Hu Die said. “Whether I was a child or an adult. Whether it’s you.”

“Mom, can you just say what you mean? You’re seriously creeping me out.”

Meng Xiaomeng had tuned out most of the “nagging”. She looked at Hu Die with half-understanding eyes, just trying to find her own answers.

Bai Shuangying also looked at Fang Xiu with a similar half-understanding expression.

It was Fang Xiu who had suggested bringing Meng Xiaomeng here, so Hu Die could say what she needed to before the dream ended.

It had seemed like a very human idea and Hu Die had readily agreed.

But Meng Xiaomeng was still sixteen. A few heartfelt words couldn’t change her entire perspective. And Hu Die, after watching Meng Xiaomeng die horribly so many times, was unlikely to suddenly fall in love with “herself”.

To Bai Shuangying, this conversation felt more like a display. A performance, meant for Fang Xiu.

“Now you see.”

As expected, Hu Die turned to Fang Xiu in the next moment. “This is the core issue. We’ve become completely different people.”

“If we don’t deal with the overlapping memories, once the dream ends, Meng Xiaomeng will just turn into a split-personality lunatic. I don’t know how you plan to ‘save me’, but you’d better explain—”

“Mom, what are you talking about?!”

Fang Xiu glanced at the clock on the wall. He didn’t answer right away.

But Bai Shuangying suddenly sensed something wrong. He turned toward the darkened window, brow furrowing in alarm.

He could feel the presence of a spell, one he hated the most.

Someone was casting a Heaven-Breaking spell around the police station.

Bai Shuangying scooped up the little black dog with one hand and grabbed Fang Xiu with the other, pulling them both back to a safe zone. The next moment, all remaining lights outside went out. Conversations in the hallway fell dead. A dreadful silence took over.

Meng Xiaomeng gasped in fright. Hu Die stood up abruptly and glared at Fang Xiu. “You set me up!”

She seemed convinced Fang Xiu was in on it. One person to stall her, the other to cast the spell.

Fang Xiu only smiled and said nothing.

Hu Die clenched her jaw. She could feel the dream spiraling out of control.

The reception room’s windows began to melt like butter. The furniture warped into bizarre shapes like abstract art. Meng Xiaomeng shrieked and clung to her mother’s waist in panic.

Hu Die’s connection to the dream was rapidly weakening. Even if she killed herself now, it would be hard to restart the loop.

And to think she had actually believed Fang Xiu was reasonable. His so-called negotiation, his rescue mission, it was all fake. He’d only lowered her guard, even dragging Meng Xiaomeng here as a distraction.

What a vicious plan.

Hu Die tried to push away her crying daughter but didn’t dare hurt her. She was afraid that if Meng Xiaomeng was gravely wounded, the dream would end prematurely. Eyes bloodshot, she glared at Fang Xiu, magic gathering in her hand once more.

“I just wanted to live.”

Her voice tore through the silence. “I only wanted to live well here! I didn’t invite you into this dream! Who do you think you are, judging me? You—”

“Jiao Jiao, Yan Yan. Knock her out!”

Fang Xiu ignored her completely and raised his voice. The two spirit shrimp flinched from the shock, but reacted surprisingly fast.

Jiao Jiao lit a bundle of herbs with trembling hands and smeared something on Yan Yan. In an instant, Yan Yan reverted to his true form, growing to the size of a tiger.

He barreled through the doorway like a sledgehammer, aiming straight for Hu Die. She scrambled to dodge, terrified Meng Xiaomeng would be killed in the chaos.

“Shameless!”

Hu Die cursed as Meng Xiaomeng screamed.

Fang Xiu casually brushed Bai Shuangying’s sleeve. Wearing a ring, he pointed toward Yan Yan. The red fox vanished into thin air without a trace.

Then he patted the black dog. It too disappeared from sight.

“Go play with her.”

The little dog wagged its tail and bounded off after Hu Die, who was trying to flee.

She tripped within two steps. Yan Yan struck, cracking the defensive barrier around her and leaving visible fractures.

The world was dimming as though someone were slowly turning down the lights. Invisible creatures twisted through the dark. Hu Die had to defend herself. She had no energy left to fight whoever cast the spell.

“What is this?!” Meng Xiaomeng whimpered. “Mom… Mom…”

But Hu Die couldn’t answer.

As she dodged and ducked, she held Meng Xiaomeng tightly in her arms, glaring at Fang Xiu like he was the source of all evil.

Just as the darkness was about to swallow everything, Fang Xiu gave a slight bow and slowly faded from view. His red clothes dimmed and disappeared, like a pool of blood evaporating.

In that moment of stunned silence, Hu Die felt a sickening sensation against the back of her head, like hair brushing her neck, and then the blunt force of something heavy, like a bat.

As Meng Xiaomeng’s cries filled the air, Hu Die’s consciousness began to fade.

Why?

Fang Xiu hadn’t used any communication spell…

He had never coordinated with another team…

How had they managed this, and when had they even planned it?

She didn’t understand.

She didn’t want to die.

“…Mom…” she whispered, instinctively.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Damn, I didn’t expect this chapter, or rather this arc, to be so insightful and relatable. Teenager me definitely held resentment for my parents, despite their sacrifices, and adult me now understands the full scope of it. Though to be fair, they did lack the emotional and mental support for teenager me, but, no one can be perfect. They did their best.

As they say, there are just some things you can’t understand without the wisdom that comes with age.

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