Chapter Two: Too Embarrassed to Speak

I hissed through my teeth and said to the people holding me down, “Let go.”
One of them was about to release me, but the other immediately said, “Calm down first, and then we’ll let you go.”
It was Zhou Fan, my father’s prized protégé, the detective who had cracked countless cases.
I had no patience for pointless words. I sneered, suddenly sprang up in a swift motion, and turned both my palms into fists, striking out at the two of them.
Zhou Fan didn't budge an inch, but the younger one staggered back a couple of steps, gripping a chair to steady himself.
Zhou Fan moved toward me again. I cried out, grabbed the stool in front of me, and hurled it at him.
He raised his arms to block. The little wooden stool shattered into several pieces.
I dashed for the door, but he grabbed my waist and threw me to the ground. His knee pinned my side, twisting my arms behind me, and he shouted breathlessly, “Wu You, calm down! Let’s talk this out!”
In that moment, all my strength left me. I broke down, wailing, “How am I supposed to calm down? If your brother slept with your girlfriend, why don’t you show me how calm you’d be?”
He froze, stunned. I shoved him away, ran to the hidden compartment behind the door, pulled out my grandfather’s military knife, and pointed it at Zhou Fan as he approached again. “Don’t think I can’t take you. If you come any closer, I swear I’ll die right in front of you.”
He took a step back, hands raised, trying to soothe me. “Wu You, listen. What’s done is done. Acting on impulse won’t help anything, will it?”
I had no desire to argue. I turned and bolted for the door. The crowd of neighbors, who’d been watching the commotion, scattered in an instant.
I ran all the way downstairs without stopping, only then noticing my phone was ringing. It was my mother, sobbing. “Your father is furious right now. Your sister is badly hurt. Don’t come to the hospital.”
I said nothing. My mother’s voice rose, sharp with emotion. “Are you trying to make your father die of anger?”
With no place at the hospital, I could only go to Du Fanchuan’s house.
Only Du’s grandmother was home, her eyesight failing with age. The whole place was festive, filled with the smells of New Year’s dishes.
She was in the kitchen making soup, shuffling out unsteadily when she heard me. “Girl, didn’t Fanchuan say he was going to celebrate your birthday?”
I entered Du Fanchuan’s room in tears. I tore up the down jacket, shirts, and T-shirts I’d given him, throwing the pieces on the floor. I smashed our framed photo together. I slashed great gashes into the black-and-white checkered sheets we’d bought together. I swept everything off his desk onto the ground.
Du’s grandmother rushed in to stop me, but I pushed her away. She stumbled back against the wall, clutching her chest. “What’s wrong, girl? Tell Grandma, did Fanchuan bully you?”
I knew the old woman had done nothing wrong, but my anger only burned hotter. I pointed the military knife at her. “Please tell your grandson that from this moment on, everything between us is over. If he wants to mess around with Yihua Yang, he can go ahead. I don’t love him anymore. I don’t want him anymore.”
With that, I strode toward the door. The old woman cried out in distress and tried to hold me back. “Girl, girl, tell Grandma, what happened?”
I burst into tears, pushing her away, unable to utter a single word.
How was I supposed to say it? On my birthday, in my own bedroom, my sister and my boyfriend shamelessly tangled themselves together.
Something so filthy—how could I ever bring myself to say it aloud?
At the doorway, I turned back to look at Du’s grandmother, who was gasping, barely able to stand. Hope shone in her eyes; for so many years, she’d always wished I’d become her granddaughter-in-law, and she’d always treated me kindly.
I managed a smile. “Grandma Du, I’m sorry. I’m not destined to marry into your family.”
She clutched her chest, called my name, and collapsed to the floor.