She lost her voice again

Even after time passed, wasn’t the truth still the same?

The phone’s disconnected beeps echoed in the cramped space. Liu Tingsong slumped against the wall, engulfed by darkness, unable to stand or summon the strength to try.

Outside, the rain seemed endless, gushing through rusted pipes, soaking the cement walls. The air carried a strange mix of water and dust.

Liu Tingsong curled up in this corner, her unfocused eyes losing their spark, slipping into memories of rainy days. @Infinite Good Stories, Exclusively at Jinjiang Literature City

She was sixteen when she first met Xu Nanzhu.

Contrary to online rumors, Liu Tingsong had no grand background or wealth. She was born in an ordinary southern town—moldy white walls, perpetually damp gray tiles, and narrow alleys filled half her memories before sixteen. The other half was endless arguments and her father’s weakening coughs.

Her family was like a clichéd fairy tale.

It began beautifully: a wealthy city girl, charmed by a frail, poetic town youth, defied her parents to marry him. At first, love was enough. She played piano and read poetry; he sang and recited, soulmates in name. Even after Liu Tingsong’s birth, they strolled hand-in-hand by streams, sometimes forgetting their daughter.

But fairy tales crumble under daily necessities. Poetry didn’t feed them, and love didn’t buy money.

When the city girl awoke from her romantic haze, she saw their patched-up old house couldn’t stop leaks. Her brought-from-home clothes, worn for years, had faded beyond recognition. They scraped by, unable to afford Liu Tingsong’s school fees.

She tried to change, suggesting they leave for work or business.

But her husband refused, unable to fathom why his poetic wife suddenly reeked of money.

Romance turned to chaos. Once-loving, they quarreled daily, unable to change each other or their poverty. Their love eroded until she discovered his secret.

The reason he clung to the town.

In a breakdown, the gentle husband roared, revealing wrists scarred by old and new cuts, wrapped in white cloth. He slammed walls, showing a desperate urge to die. @Infinite Good Stories, Exclusively at Jinjiang Literature City

He couldn’t leave—not unwilling, but unable, needing the town’s calm to stabilize his mind and illness.

In an era that shunned mental illness, his wife couldn’t endure, leaving alone.

Liu Tingsong, abandoned without choice, didn’t resent her mother. She understood a marriage built on deception was doomed. Her mother sent money monthly, improving their life compared to before.

But her father’s episodes worsened, uncontrollable despite medication, landing him in a mental hospital.

At fifteen, her mother remarried, sending a final, hefty sum—enough for Liu Tingsong’s college years.

Instead, Liu Tingsong used it to take her father to S City for treatment.

But that sum, substantial in the town, was nothing in the city, barely covering six months.

She scrambled to earn money, but what could a sixteen-year-old do?

Her striking looks brought trouble, costing her several hard-won jobs.

Then she met Xu Nanzhu.

At the time, Xu Nanzhu wasn’t successful. After five years studying medicine, she abandoned it for business, but her influential medical family blocked her. Despite birthing a daughter to appease them, their pressure persisted.

Frustrated but ambitious, Xu Nanzhu, though achieving some success, sought freedom from her parents’ control.

She decided to enter the entertainment industry.

Her proud parents, who disdained even merchants, knew no one in showbiz, leaving them powerless to stop her.

But finding the right person to break into the industry proved difficult.

Until she met Liu Tingsong.

Xu Nanzhu had ulterior motives from the start. Spotting Liu Tingsong’s beauty at a business dinner, she intervened when a client harassed her.

Naive, Liu Tingsong thanked her, even helping her to her car. Xu Nanzhu asked her to sing a few lines.

Liu Tingsong’s father, charming enough to win a city girl, had a gifted voice. Liu Tingsong, surpassing him, captivated Xu Nanzhu.

One needed money, the other a star. Their paths aligned.

From sixteen to twenty-three, Liu Tingsong and Xu Nanzhu’s lives were intertwined.

Xu Nanzhu sold her company, hitting rock bottom, but never skimped on Liu Tingsong’s music or poise lessons.

They stumbled from obscurity to stardom, supporting each other through hardships. By the end, even they couldn’t define their bond—friends through tough times, mentor and muse.

To Liu Tingsong, Xu Nanzhu was almost a mother. Her real mother had cut contact, and her father, one clear day, escaped a nurse’s watch and leapt from the sixth floor.

Even rational, teenage Liu Tingsong projected her longing for parents onto Xu Nanzhu, who saw it but let the twisted bond persist.

So when Xu Nanzhu left entertainment for another industry, Liu Tingsong collapsed.

She could accept Xu Nanzhu signing other artists or assigning her new agents, but not using her and the company as a stepping stone, discarded after success.

To Liu Tingsong, it was utter betrayal, rendering their past a joke.

Her attempts to regain Xu Nanzhu’s attention backfired, drawing media attacks and fan backlash.

Fame brought impossible expectations. Her perfect persona, crafted by Xu Nanzhu, cracked, inviting vicious criticism.

Overwhelmed, Liu Tingsong half-retired.

Her phone rang with *Want You All The Time*, a song dominating her life since that day. But no smile came; Xu Fengluan’s soft voice dragged her deeper into guilt.

Xu Nanzhu rarely mentioned her daughter. Liu Tingsong learned of her in their second year together.

It was New Year’s Eve.

Drunk, Xu Nanzhu returned near dawn. Liu Tingsong brought hangover soup, only to hear Xu Nanzhu curse into her phone, “Xu Fengluan, can’t you behave?!”

Rarely so furious, she snapped, “Everyone’s busy today. Can’t you be good?”

The other end, scared silent, finally produced a timid child’s voice, “Mommy, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Terrified, trembling with tears, “I’m sorry, Mommy, I was just scared.”

Xu Nanzhu hung up, flinging her phone.

Later, with Xu Fengluan, Liu Tingsong learned that night she and Li Jianbai were taken to a hospital by elders to spend the holiday. A massive accident turned it chaotic, their grandparents called away, leaving the kids locked in a lounge, hearing screams and arguments, cold and hungry through New Year’s Eve.

Later, Xu Nanzhu hid nothing, knowing Liu Tingsong knew.

Though she disliked Xu Fengluan, she obsessed over her grades, planning to pit her against her parents for inheritance. Report cards filled her study; poor marks brought scolding and tutors.

She made Xu Fengluan learn music, then took her piano away.

Blood tied them, but their bond was weaker than Xu Nanzhu’s with Liu Tingsong.

Xu Fengluan’s senior year, Xu Nanzhu mentioned her most, even moving home briefly until her college acceptance arrived.

That day, Xu Nanzhu, unusually happy, opened wine in Liu Tingsong’s presence, drinking half-drunk.

She grabbed Liu Tingsong’s hand, rambling into the night.

How could she not be thrilled? Her career, unstoppable by her parents, soared, and her daughter—her shadow—filled her regret of not choosing business school.

She completed her life, making it perfect.

Her only gripe was Xu Fengluan’s resistance, causing her endless worry.

Xu Nanzhu knew and allowed Liu Tingsong’s approach to Xu Fengluan.

During that time, Liu Tingsong’s mental state was fragile, battered by Xu Nanzhu’s betrayal and fan hate, unable to perform or work.

Xu Fengluan, meanwhile, skipped school, defying Xu Nanzhu’s plans.

Xu Nanzhu permitted their contact, hoping Liu Tingsong’s downfall would deter Xu Fengluan from music, while showing Liu Tingsong that what she easily gained, Xu Fengluan could never touch.

Initially, it worked—Liu Tingsong stabilized, Xu Fengluan attended classes.

Xu Nanzhu was pleased, unaware Liu Tingsong manipulated her perception.

In truth, Liu Tingsong formed a band with Xu Fengluan, performing and joining shows, becoming her manager as Xu Nanzhu once was.

Xu Nanzhu betrayed her, so Liu Tingsong pushed her prized heir into the despised entertainment world—her true motive.

Her phone lit up repeatedly, urgent. Liu Tingsong’s memories kept breaking.

With no choice, she answered.

Li Zi’s anxious voice burst out, but Liu Tingsong opened her mouth, unable to speak.

She…

She’d lost her voice again.