That day was Wednesday, the 11th day since Aimo moved in.

I received Aimo's call just before the first class in the afternoon. She told me to hurry to the central hospital because Bai Jun had been beaten and his condition was critical.

"There’s a lot of blood, you need to contact Auntie now!"

Is he about to die? That was my first reaction, and I was quite indifferent to the news. But after a brief consideration, I informed my mom and then took leave to go to the hospital.

I found Aimo in the emergency room at the hospital; my mom hadn't arrived yet. Aimo looked very anxious, and her white blouse and mini skirt were stained with blood.

Dad was in the resuscitation room. A doctor hurried past me, and some equipment was making a piercing "beep-beep" sound. I thought, so karma really does exist in this world; evildoers will get their comeuppance sooner or later. Maybe even I didn't realize it myself, but the real reason I came to the hospital was to witness all of this with my own eyes!

"It's all because of me!"

Aimo saw me and grabbed me in a hug.

"Will he die?" I asked.

"God bless! Nothing bad should happen! But he was stabbed multiple times with a watermelon knife! I know the guy; he used to give me trouble, and Junjun had fought him before."

Aimo didn't cry. She let go of me with a solemn expression, biting her nails while trying to comfort me, saying everything would be fine and that later the restaurant staff had pinned the guy to the ground and called the police. I glanced at the door to the resuscitation room, half-heartedly making conversation with her. But no doctor came out shaking their head at us.

At that moment, Mom arrived, still wearing the apron from the butcher's shop, the red letters "YouYouMei Supermarket" standing out on her chest.

"Jun brother, where's my Jun brother?" Mom was crying, trembling all over.

I said nothing because I couldn't bring myself to offer any comforting words.

It was Aimo who spoke. "Auntie, don’t worry, he’s still in the resuscitation room."

"Smack—" Mom slapped Aimo hard across the face. Aimo staggered and nearly fell, but I caught her.

Almost simultaneously, Mom grabbed Aimo by the throat, the veins on the back of her hand bulging. Aimo's face instantly turned red as she made choking sounds, her eyes rolling back, desperately prying at Mom's hand. My brain hadn't caught up yet, but I was already trying to pull Mom’s hand away. But those fingers clamped around Aimo's slender neck like steel, not budging an inch.

I saw Mom's eyes, bloodshot, bulging, filled with murderous intent, as if her eye sockets were about to burst. I was stunned; was this the same mom who didn't even dare to kill a fish?

A male nurse and I together separated them. The young male nurse repeatedly asked Aimo if she was alright, and after seeing her catch her breath, he handed over the "Blood Transfusion Consent Form."

Mom stood in front of the nurse, blocking his view of Aimo and me. "I’m his wife, I can donate blood! I'm also O-type."

The male nurse shook his head, explaining that family members donating blood was not safe, and that the blood bank had plenty of blood. Families only needed to sign the consent form.

After a long while, Dad was wheeled out of the resuscitation room, his condition essentially stable.

I felt both disappointed and relieved. Then, dealing with a series of hospital admission procedures and cooperating with the police investigation, Aimo stayed beside me, while Mom stayed by Bai Jun's side without leaving.

When I left the hospital, it was completely dark. I had originally planned to finish my evening self-study at school, but a headache made me give up on that plan. Besides, I was very worried about Aimo. There was a red-purple mark on her neck. After such an incident, she must have been very upset!

I went home early.

When I walked into the house, every room was lit, but it was very quiet, no sound at all. I felt a bit scared and softly called out for Aimo, but there was no response. I tiptoed to the kitchen, intending to get a knife.

Just then, I heard sobbing. Very light, like the sound of the wind outside, coming from Bai Jun and Mom's bedroom.

I walked over and saw Aimo. She was crouching beside the chest of drawers. On the floor, old items, an old iron box, envelopes, paper scraps, and photos were scattered everywhere.

She looked up at me, her face covered in tears. She hurriedly tried to tidy up, but her hands were trembling badly, and tears kept falling. "Yu Qing, I... it's not what you think."

She was clutching a photo in her hand. In that yellowed old photo, the person Mom was linking arms with was—

Aimo's mom.