A Desperate Call

“O-okay…”

It felt like a dream. She watched as Xu Ming pulled out her phone, dialed a number with her back to her, and put it on speaker. In the silent air, the only sound was the piercing beep of the call.

This call was to her mother. She should quickly think about what to say.

But the girl’s mind was a mess. Her heart pounded. She tried to organize her thoughts but couldn’t. The more she tried, the more tangled it became, until it turned into a blank.

Time didn’t stop for her confusion. Lin Ziyan continued eating her meal, while Lin Cheng kept glancing over, his fists clenched, obviously nervous.

Just then, the call connected.

To ensure the girl could hear clearly, Xu Ming turned the phone volume to maximum. In the quiet restaurant, only the voice from the phone was audible, and it was especially abrupt.

“Hello…?” After the call connected, neither side spoke. After a moment of hesitation, Ye Zhiyun on the other end asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

She sounded weak, stirring concern. The girl’s heart tightened. She lunged toward Xu Ming, wanting to call out to her mother directly. But Xu Ming saw her move, quickly covered the receiver, and turned to glare at the girl.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she whispered, afraid that Ye Zhiyun might hear.

Blocked, the girl withdrew her hand and stepped back. The person on the other end grew suspicious. With that hoarse voice, Ye Zhiyun said softly, “Um… did you dial the wrong number…?”

Upon hearing that, Xu Ming forced a smile. “No, no. Little sister, I’m calling to tell you something.”

There was a silence on the other end. “Is it about money again…?” Lin Ziyan, who had been eavesdropping, frowned. Xu Ming shook her head repeatedly. “Oh, no, no. Why always money? I’m calling because little Xingmian misses you and wants me to ask you a few questions.”

“…Mianmian misses me?” Though her voice seemed filled with endless exhaustion, upon hearing Xu Ming’s words, she perked up and asked tremblingly.

“Yes, yes.”

“Is he next to you?”

Xu Ming glanced at Ye Xingmian beside her, hesitated briefly, then answered truthfully. “Yes.”

“Put him on the phone!”

The voice on the other end suddenly became excited, loud. But it seemed she was in a public place, and her raised voice drew complaints from others. The people at the table heard her apologizing.

After a moment of silence—neither giving the phone to Ye Xingmian nor responding—Xu Ming looked at the girl beside her. Her gaze was icy, clearly deep in thought.

Only when Ye Zhiyun seemed to have moved to a quiet place did the call resume. “What’s going on? Did you give it to him? I want to talk to him.”

Xu Ming forced a smile and made an excuse. “Zhiyun, Xingmian can’t come to the phone right now. He… he just got back from outside and is taking a bath in the bathroom.”

“I see…” The voice on the other end suddenly fell silent, as if sinking into disappointment.

“Yes, yes. Anyway, phone bills aren’t cheap, so let’s keep it short. You work hard for your money.” She covered the receiver and shot a look at Ye Xingmian, signaling that she should say what she wanted quickly.

But the girl was lost in confusion. For the first time, she was so close to her mother, which sparked wild fantasies.

“Speak now, or I’ll hang up!” Xu Ming squinted and threatened softly.

“I… I…” Stuttering, the girl still couldn’t think of what to say. The other end came with another puzzled query. “Um… what does he want to ask…?”

Lowering her head, tears welled in her eyes. She could barely hold it in. Her mind raced, and she thought of a way to actually talk to her mother face to face.

She squeezed her eyes shut, gritted her teeth, and suddenly shouted, “Mom! I’m done with my bath!”

As soon as she spoke, the atmosphere fell into dead silence. The girl could feel Xu Ming’s murderous glare and Lin Ziyan’s profound shock and confusion. But only the girl knew this was her only chance. Her mother must have heard her voice. And since she did, no matter how Xu Ming tried to cover up, it was useless.

Sure enough, no matter how fiercely Xu Ming glared at her or how hard she covered the phone’s speaker, her mother’s puzzled voice came through. “…Has Mianmian finished his bath? Can I talk to him?”

Obviously, even from far away, Ye Zhiyun hadn’t completely let down her guard against the Lin family. Rather, she might have long sensed something off about them. But her work was too heavy, and dealing with it would be too troublesome. She lacked the energy and ability to intervene. After all, even if she worried about Ye Xingmian, what could she do? She had no one to turn to here, no way to send someone to investigate. Quitting her job and returning personally was impossible—jobs were hard to come by these days, and she had no special skills. If she lost her job, how would she support herself? How would she support her child? That was also why, despite her concerns, she kept responding to the Lin family’s relentless requests for money. Perhaps subconsciously, she thought that as long as she could still send money, the Lin family wouldn’t be too harsh on her child. Now that the end was in sight, she naturally didn’t want her child to suffer any more misfortune. This was the path she chose, ever since she resolutely decided to give birth to Ye Xingmian and live on her own—these burdens were hers alone to bear.

But no matter her concerns, when she heard a vaguely familiar, high-pitched voice like a little girl’s, and realized it might be her child, she could no longer contain herself. She voiced her request to Xu Ming. After all, not only did Ye Xingmian miss her, but she also missed her child dearly.

Xu Ming gritted her teeth, still determined to lie. “No, that wasn’t Xingmian just now. That was my Ziyan’s voice.”

“Didn’t you just say Mianmian went to take a bath? Are they bathing together?” she shouted.

The loophole exposed, Xu Ming’s face alternated between pale and green. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Finally, she decided to back down.

“Ah… sorry, little sister. I made a mistake. It really was Xingmian. He’s right next to me. Do you want to talk to him?”

“Mm.”

Xu Ming lowered her head and looked at the girl with eyes full of cold threat. The girl understood what she meant: if she said anything she shouldn’t, she would get a beating.