On the rest day, Shen Yue got up early to tidy herself up. After some hesitation, she sent a message to Lu Jin.
Since she didn't know the specific home address of her parents, Shen Yue took a taxi. Lu Jin sent her the detailed address shortly after, even specifying the building and floor.
It was an old residential area with a poor environment and lax security. There were no cameras nearby, and not even taxis were allowed to enter.
Shen Yue finally got out of the car herself and walked in. She surveyed the old neighborhood, filled with confusion.
This was because the apartment she lived in was high-end, and she had assumed her family environment was quite good. She hadn't expected it to be so run-down.
There were even torn flyers scattered everywhere.
Shen Yue followed the address to the old building. A few gossipy elderly women sat at the entrance, looking at Shen Yue with peculiar expressions.
The clothes Shen Yue wore and the bag she carried were all valuable. Even if those elderly women didn't recognize the brands, they knew the prices must have been shockingly high.
She was completely out of place in this dilapidated and decaying neighborhood.
Shen Yue didn't pay much attention. She went upstairs. The walls were yellowed and plastered with all sorts of strange advertisements, and the stairs were narrow and worn.
Although it was daytime, the stairwell was dim, without a trace of light. It was even colder than outside, an almost bone-chilling dampness that made Shen Yue involuntarily shiver.
Arriving at the third floor, the door was shut. Shen Yue knocked gently twice, but there was no response.
It seemed no one was inside the apartment.
Helpless, Shen Yue could only stand nearby and wait.
She had slept late last night, so Shen Yue leaned against a relatively clean section of the wall, closing her eyes and pretending to doze.
As soon as she heard footsteps, Shen Yue quickly opened her eyes, but each time the result was disappointing. Passersby would look at Shen Yue strangely, their gazes filled with utter peculiarity.
After waiting for about two hours, footsteps echoed from the stairwell. Shen Yue instinctively opened her eyes and slowly watched a middle-aged woman come up, accompanied by a teenager.
The middle-aged woman wore a faded jacket, her skin was dark, and her face was covered in many wrinkles. Her shoes were stained with mud from who knew where.
She looked poor and shabby.
The teenager following behind looked very clean, with dark hair and fair skin. However, his eyes held a fierce, untamed look, making him appear difficult to approach.
Perhaps it was the tie of blood, but the first glance Shen Yue had, even without any memory, felt incredibly familiar.
She was almost certain that the people before her were her family.
At that moment, Shen Yue felt flustered and at a loss.
The middle-aged woman didn't notice her at first. After reaching the top of the stairs, she looked up and saw a stranger standing by her door.
Her eyesight wasn't very good. After looking for a while, she just felt a sense of familiarity. As she was about to lean closer to get a better look, the teenager behind her seemed to explode. He rushed forward, glaring intently at the woman, his expression furious and unpleasant, and coldly shouted, "How did you crawl back here? Didn't you say you'd never come back to this house in this lifetime? What are you coming back for now!"
The teenager's face was contorted with anger, his eyes seemed to blaze with fire, and his expression was fierce and menacing.
His accusatory questions seemed to echo in the narrow stairwell.
Shen Yue was completely stunned. She stared blankly at the teenager before her, her mind a complete blank.
"Who was it that said they'd rather die than return to this dump! Aren't you very capable? Aren't your wings grown strong enough that you don't need to come home?!"
Shen Yue snapped back to reality. She had no idea what was happening, but she inexplicably flushed red at the teenager's questioning, "I... I just came to see..."
"You've seen it now, can you leave?" The teenager's face clearly showed revulsion and disgust.
Shen Yue felt as though the teenager's gaze was piercing her like needles, making it impossible for her to stand comfortably. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She couldn't lift her head under his scolding.
It was Shi Juan who stepped forward to restrain the furious teenager. The middle-aged woman almost dared not look directly at her glamorous daughter. Her heart was soft, and she couldn't say harsh words, so she could only scold the teenager.
"You, how can you speak to your sister like that!"
Shen Yan retorted without thinking, "I don't have a shameless sister like her!"
The moment these words were spoken, the air seemed to stop for a beat.
Shen Yue had only intended to come and see, but she hadn't expected to be so disliked. Perhaps she had done something very wrong before she lost her memory, but now she remembered nothing. Shen Yue felt very wronged.
Her voice trembled slightly, like a broken feather drifting in the wind, ready to scatter at any moment. "I, I just came to look. Since there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
With that, Shen Yue bowed to Shi Juan and hurried away with her head down, not looking back.
Shi Juan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Shen Yue ran too fast. Before she could even speak, Shen Yue had already disappeared from sight.
Shi Juan's face was filled with anxiety. Just as she was about to chase after her, she was stopped by the teenager.
"What are you going after her for? Don't you think you're already disliked enough?"
Shi Juan's eyes were still fixed on the stairwell. "Your sister finally came back. Maybe she has something urgent. Look at you, you've just angered her and made her leave!"
The teenager rolled his eyes, but under his mother's accusing gaze, he had to restrain his tone. However, the underlying dissatisfaction and anger in his words were unmistakable.
"Stop worrying so much. What urgent matter could she possibly have? Don't you remember what she said before she left home?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Juan couldn't help but her eyes turned red. Seeing Shi Juan like this, Shen Yan couldn't stand it. He said stiffly, "Alright, don't be sad. Just think of her as an ungrateful child you raised. Anyway, we've been living quite well these past few years. When I start working in the future, you'll enjoy your life."
Shi Juan wiped her eyes, but still managed to say, "I won't allow you to speak about your sister like that."
Shen Yan perfunctorily replied, "Okay, okay, I won't say it anymore, alright?"
---
Shen Yue ran out of the old neighborhood in one breath. She ran so fast that she accidentally tripped on a stone by the roadside and fell to the ground. Her knees and arms burned with pain.
Maple leaves slowly fell to the ground, their withered red color adding a touch of desolation.
The sunlight overhead was warm, but Shen Yue felt no warmth at all.
She got up and hobbled forward.
Not long after, Shen Yue stopped under a streetlamp. Her calves trembled, and bloodstains slowly spread on the fabric of her knees. She slowly squatted down, her eyelids lowered, hugging her calves with her hands. Her head leaned limply against the cold pole, her full, bright red lips pressed tightly together. She remained silent for a long time.
Finally, her eyelashes fluttered, and tears began to fall.