Chapter 7: Children hate all adults

The air felt suffocating.

In the living room, the adults exchanged awkward glances. Meng Zhi’s mother sat silently on the sofa, while his stepmother cast him an uneasy look.

Finally, his father stepped in to smooth things over.

“Meng Zhi, listen… this might be sudden for you…”

His father’s voice faded into a distant hum, barely registering.

Meng Zhi’s eyes were fixed on the short-haired girl.

Her bright, clean smile, dimpled cheeks, long lashes, and striking legs.

Feng Xiyao. He’d seen her before.

When she called him “Brother Meng Zhi,” he froze, dazed.

‘…Brother Meng Zhi, let’s run away.’

‘You hate Mom and Dad, and I hate them too. Let’s escape to a place where no one knows us, live a life of just music and love, okay?’

That’s what she’d said.

But they never found that life. Neither did Meng Zhi.

Life couldn’t be just music and love. They couldn’t survive on each other alone.

In the end, Meng Zhi watched her in that rented apartment’s bathtub, clutching her unpublished CD, lying in a pool of crimson.

She was soaked, lips pale, face serene—like the nights she curled up like a cat in his arms, sleeping peacefully.

But after that, Meng Zhi couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt something soft and warm slip into his bed.

When he lifted the covers, there was nothing.

“…Brother Meng Zhi?”

Her soft, cat-like voice pulled him back. He looked at the lively girl standing with her hands behind her back, his mouth opening, then closing silently.

Why her?

No… of course it’s her. I should’ve known.

She was one of the girls he failed to save. No surprise there.

But not now.

He first met her after the college entrance exam, when his parents had already revealed their divorce, introducing him to their new families.

Back then, Feng Xiyao was a quiet, withdrawn girl. She barely spoke to him, lost in her earphones, hiding in her own world.

But now, she stood confidently before him, openly friendly, leaving him unsettled.

Could she… be reborn too?

“…Meng Zhi, your mom and I are sorry. We planned to tell you after the exam to avoid distracting you.”

His father was still fumbling for words, but Meng Zhi barely listened, waiting until he finished before speaking quietly.

“It’s fine, Dad. I’ve known for a while.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m prepared.”

“After the exam, I’ll move out. You don’t need to give me money. I’m not a kid anymore. I’ll work part-time.”

His parents were stunned by his response. They exchanged a glance. His mother’s eyes reddened, and his father sighed deeply.

“Actually, if you want, you can choose to live with either me or your mom—”

“I don’t want to live with either of you,” Meng Zhi cut him off firmly.

His father stared, dazed. For the first time, he realized he’d never truly known his son.

In Meng Zhi’s eyes, he saw only a foggy haze.

“Really?”

Feng Xiyao’s voice broke in. “Brother Meng Zhi, you don’t want to live with us?”

Her mother tugged at her, but she ignored it, continuing. “I get it. You’re probably shy. How about we go to your room and chat? Let the adults handle their stuff.”

Before Meng Zhi could respond, Feng Xiyao grabbed his hand and pulled him into his room, leaving the three adults staring blankly.

Meng Zhi’s room wasn’t large, filled with his high school passions—game, anime, and manga posters. The bookshelf held novels and figurines, a basketball hung behind the door.

These were his treasures, rare pieces of himself.

“Wow… so this is a boy’s room? First time I’ve been in one.”

Feng Xiyao poked around shamelessly, like she owned the place.

Meng Zhi sat on the bed, watching her silently before hesitating. “This… is our first time meeting, right?”

“Yup.” She turned, her dimples flashing as she smiled. “But I feel like I’ve known you forever, Brother Meng Zhi.”

“Known me forever? That’s some cheesy pickup line.”

“Hehe. If you think I’m hitting on you, sure.”

She strolled to the bed, slipped off her black shoes, revealing white cotton socks like snow cones.

Flopping beside him, she lay across his lap.

Meng Zhi instinctively pulled back, but before he could speak, she said, “Don’t you hate your dad?”

“…I hate all of them,” he said after a pause.

“Same!”

Beaming, she reached up and pinched his cheek. “I hate my mom too.”

“I hate all the adults. Wish they’d just disappear from my world.”

“I knew we’d get along, Brother Meng Zhi.”

He brushed her hand away, frowning slightly. “We just met. We’re not that* close.”

“What? You mad?”

Her long lashes fluttered as she gently took his hand.

“Then pinch me back.”

She guided his hand to her forehead.

A familiar warmth flowed through him.

He looked at her, lying quietly on his lap like a small animal, her bright eyes gazing at him as if he were her entire world.

It was so familiar, so natural, reminding him of that winter in the rented apartment, when she’d look at him with those expectant eyes, waiting for his touch.

As if the next moment, he’d lean down, kiss her lips, let her wrap her arms around his neck, their bodies entwined.

Feeling her sweet, soft lips, her cotton-candy-like whispers.

Feng Xiyao closed her eyes, waiting obediently for his touch.

But moments later, she opened them, disappointed.

“…Stop messing around.”

Meng Zhi pulled his hand back, glancing at the door. “I’m still single. Never been this close with a girl.”

Feng Xiyao pouted, sulking.

“Never?”

“Then who were you staying with last night?”

Meng Zhi froze.

“Isn’t Chen Xinya… a girl?” She stared at him deeply.