He wondered how long ago it was when he took pictures with Brendan and the photography club. In a matter of minutes, the garden, the pictures, and Brendan’s kindness felt out of reach once more.
Chapter Six
Gasping, Aiden shot up from the couch and almost tumbled onto the floor when he saw Zhu Zhu standing before him with some of his clothes in her arms.
“…Good morning?” He tried to peek at his bedroom to see if the door was still closed.
She unceremoniously dropped the clothes in his lap. “Mother might throw out your clothes. Figured you’d want to keep some of your better ones.”
“…Why would she throw them out?”
“She has particular tastes.”
Silk brushed against his fingers. Eyes widening, he pulled his jacket aside to stare at the hanfu his brother gifted him. The emblazoned dragon shone less brightly in the dim lighting of his living room. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he buried his face into the hanfu, breathing in the bedroom where he last sat with Hui Ye to talk about his future.
He looked up, but his stepsister had already turned away and was tiptoeing back toward the bedroom.
“Zhu Zhu, wait.”
She stopped and looked back.
“Do you prefer going by Pearl or Zhu Zhu?” Aiden couldn’t even remember the last time he conversed with her alone.
“It doesn’t matter. I respond to both. You should call He Bao by his English name. He says his Chinese name is only reserved for family.”
“Right…” Aiden shifted, moving his small bundle of clothes aside. “Then, I’ll just continue calling you Zhu Zhu.”
“And you? Should I use your English or Chinese name?”
Aiden stared down at his hands. “Aiden.” His common Chinese nickname, Xiao Hui, was a reminder of the family hierarchy and the strict traditions in their business involvement. Hui was the family name. Xiao was given to the venerated heir of the surname. His full name, Hui Lang, was too formal. His personal nickname, Lang Lang, he only wished to ever hear from his brother.
“Then Aiden. Bye.” Zhu Zhu hesitated. She opened her mouth, closed it, and finally blurted, “I’m sorry about Hui Ye.” She disappeared as silently as she had arrived.
Left alone in the living room, Aiden shivered. Was it the air conditioning that his stepmother changed, or was it something else? He hugged his brother’s gift to his chest. “Do my duty,” he murmured. “Don’t disappoint. Be respectful and obedient.”
It was the right thing to do.
• • •
In a matter of days, Aiden’s stepmother had bought a home twenty minutes away from campus by car with money he thought was gone. It was in the richest neighborhood nearby, the house itself built with gaudy roof tiles, cylindrical shaped rooms made to resemble castle towers, and the white marble that the stepmother adored. The living room stretched in expanse of patterned tiled flooring, and every room was filled to the brim with furniture in the style she liked—vine etchings, golden handles, and drawers that opened far too widely.And where did all the concerns about the money go?Aiden followed after her.
She clapped her hands, beaming ear to ear. “This is perfect.” She ran her fingers over furniture smelling of fresh wood. “Come see where you’ll be staying.” She grabbed Aiden’s hand.
Aiden dug his heels in. “I’ll just stay at my place. You don’t need to accommodate for me.”
“You must not do that.” His stepmother whirled around with wide eyes. “It is dangerous for us to be separated right now. How could you already forget?”
“I-I didn’t. But Ge already paid for the apartment, so it seems like a waste of money—.”
“Nonsense. Safety comes first.” She stepped forward and lowered her voice. “In this family, we cannot hope for the best. We cannot have what happened to your mother happen to us.”
Screams echoed and splatters of blood flashed. The room squeezed his body, and the floor swirled before his eyes as he struggled to keep himself upright. He fell to the ground.
He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to remember. He didn’t want to believe those memories still existed.
“There, there. You are so frail, Hui Lang,” the stepmother soothed and patted his back. “I will help you. Just listen to me. Okay?”
“Y…yes…” Aiden managed to choke out through the closing of his throat. Her shadow cast itself over him, and he took several more breaths on the floor before finally summoning the energy to look up at her from the ground.
