Chapter 7 Old Acquaintances and Scars
I actually knew Jiang Shuo from before, if you could call it that.
It was the kind of acquaintance where I remembered him, but he did not know me.
My family situation had never been good. During my senior year of high school, I came home one summer break and learned my parents had divorced while I was away at school.
Our small apartment of a few dozen square meters always felt stuffy. Even outside of summer, the air hung heavy.
The ceiling fan creaked overhead, and no one spoke much unless they had to.
My mother had a terrible temper. Everyone in the house, even the dog if it barked too loudly, would get shouted at impatiently.
I never liked sharing my school life with her. She would always latch onto some detail and sneer.
"You have it so easy at school, eating meals with meat and vegetables every day. Your dad and I only have plain porridge and pickled vegetables. We barely eat meat once a week."
My father was in poor health. He had lost over a hundred thousand using the family's savings on a failed business. My mother constantly argued with him about how useless he was.
He stayed quiet during fights.
One day after drinking, he came home and faced her criticism again. Suddenly he lost his temper and slapped her.
They divorced after that.
The house grew cold and empty. My father smoked more and more. I begged him to stop for his health and eat better, but he said it was fine. His body wasted away until he was skin and bones, yet he refused to see a doctor.
After finishing homework, I hated staying inside. I preferred sitting on a park bench in the cold wind downstairs.
One evening I bought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the small shop on impulse.
I had never smoked before. I wondered why my father liked it so much. I just wanted to know if it could really make troubles disappear and bring joy like he claimed.
I lit one clumsily and put it in my mouth.
The next second I choked hard, tears streaming down my face.
I refused to give up and tried again. Suddenly someone grabbed my wrist.
I looked up in shock.
I wore my faded school uniform with thick bangs covering half my eyes. My face was sallow from poor nutrition, and my whole presence carried a gloomy, withdrawn air.
The person frowned and asked, "You are a student from No. 5 High School too?"
I nodded hesitantly.
He spoke seriously, "High school students cannot smoke."
I stared at his flashy silver hair, three ear piercings, and the tattoo on his arm. I stayed silent for a moment.
How did he have the nerve to lecture me?
He snatched the cigarette pack and lighter from me domineeringly and handed me a tissue.
"Wipe your eyes."
"You have eye boogers from crying." He reminded me kindly.
I really wanted to cry then.
Someone called from across the street.
"Jiang Shuo, what are you doing!"
"Let's go!"
"He's picking up girls again. Quick, take a photo and send it to his father!"
"We got the picture. Come on, let's tell his father!"
Jiang Shuo waved at me casually and said goodbye, then crossed the road to join them.
Through my blurry tears, the road seemed to shrink into a sharp black-and-white boundary.
On the other side lay bustling city life and lights. This side held only old, lonely buildings in the district.
Jiang Shuo from my school was famous. Of course I knew him.
Most No. 5 High students lived nearby. The five-story villa with a garden across the street belonged to his family.
Jiang Shuo was handsome, rich, and always received countless love letters in his desk.
To him back then, I was just a small, accidental moment in his colorful day.
To me, he was an unreachable silhouette under the streetlights, and the half-smoked cigarette that lingered in my mind.
My father's health worsened, and his temper grew worse too.
He went from inviting people home to play cards while smoking to lying in a chair sleeping all day.
When he was awake, he drank on the sofa.
I urged him to stop. He flared up, lost his grip from weakness, and the bottle shattered. A shard cut my forehead.
It left a long scar. It did not hurt, but it itched.
My college entrance exam score dropped by dozens of points. I got into Shanxi Media University.
On the day I received the admission notice, I called my mother. She hung up after two rings.
I called my father. No one answered.
I used my remaining pocket money to buy a plane ticket and left for school early.
My mother transferred thirty thousand to me before I left, saying it was saved for my tuition.
After that, her calls never connected again.
In my sophomore year, I performed in a play shot by classmates. They did my makeup and hairstyle for the first time, clipping up my thick bangs.
After finishing, my classmate stared in surprise. "Lin Zhi, you should really dress up more. You have such a beautiful face, but you've ruined it."
I smiled. University had made me more outgoing.
I wanted to dress up too, but I had no time. I could not abandon my father. I sent money back to his card every month.
A small director invited by the school noticed me during the play. From then on, a ray of light broke through the fog in my life.
I started with my first supporting role in a web drama. I ran as an extra for a while. I gained ten kilograms for a role only to be rejected and cast as a devoted villainess instead. I gained some popularity. Then I starred in a major female lead drama that made me go viral.
After countless hardships, I finally stood firm in the industry as a top rising actress.
Soon after I blew up online, I received a seven thousand transfer one day.
It was exactly the total amount I had sent my father from part-time jobs over two years. He had not touched a cent.
There was also an unnamed text message.
[My dear daughter, live well from now on. Be happy.]
My father rarely used my pet name. That was the last time.
Perhaps he watched over me from above. My path in the entertainment industry smoothed out, and I truly became happier.
My personality stayed gentle and introverted. I never fought or grabbed in the circle, thinking I would avoid trouble.
Yet the day came when I was dragged into Trending Search and blackened.