Zhu Zhu continued to draw invisible lines in the air.
“I’ve…never thought about what I want,” he admitted.
“Think about it now.”
“Don’t be stupid, Zhu Zhu.” He stared at the laptop sleeping in the corner of his bed. “That’s not possible for the two of us. This is the only life we know, and this is the best life we can have. No one else has as much money as we do.”
“Other people aren’tmurderingpeople.” Zhu Zhu’s voice rose when she rose from the mini couch.
“Grow up. Every billionaire in this country is responsible for the murder of hundreds and thousands of people. We just do it more directly than them. If anything, that makes us more honest.”
“We shouldn’t even be comparing ourselves to those people in the first place!”
She pulled her necklace off and smashed it against the wall. Before He Bao could warn her about their mother hearing her outburst, she reached for and grabbed a cup of pencils on his desk and threw it on the ground. She screamed, running to the window and punching at the shades hanging over them. She rushed toward his laptop with outstretched hands, but He Bao snatched it back.
“Zhu Zhu—stop it! What if Ma hears us?”
“Where is Aiden?!”
He Bao blinked. “Hui Lang?”
“Yes, him! Who else do we know is named Aiden?”
“Why do youcareabout him? He never wanted to be one of us!”
He shoved her back, and his strength sent her stumbling onto the ground. She landed on the pencils, and her earrings swung into her face, making her cry out in pain. He rushed over to help her, but she smacked him hard on the arm before crawling onto the couch, sobbing into her hands. At a loss, He Bao ran to his door and placed his ear against it. The TV downstairs roared. With a sigh of relief, he sat down on the floor before Zhu Zhu.
“Are you thinking about what he said?”
“Are you not?” Zhu Zhu hissed.
He Bao narrowed his eyes. “Webothlooked in the study room that night. We found nothing.”
“She could’ve moved those pictures after Aiden found them.”
“Or maybe he was lying to save himself. I wouldn’t put it past him for that.”
“He’s dead.” Her voice broke. “Ma found a way to kill him.”
“No.” He Bao stubbornly shook his head. “No—I know you and Ma don’t get along, but don’t insult her like that. She wouldn’t cross that line. His life is in the other families’ hands now, but Ma wouldn’t kill anyone.” He Bao chewed on his nails. “Everything she does, she does because she loves us.”
Aiden shook in pain when their mother kicked him in the stomach, and even He Bao couldn’t help flinching when his mother insisted on beating him. The sound of her punches and her angry voice contrasted with her joyful eyes.
“Won’t you stop fighting with her already?” He chewed harder on his nails. “She’s our mom. No one else in the world would care and love us as much as she does. We shouldn’t trust anyone but her.”
Zhu Zhu abruptly looked up. Her eyes had dried, her body stopped shaking, and the apathetic expression that He Bao was familiar with returned to her face.
“Is that what she told you?" Zhu Zhu asked. “And you just believed her like that?”
“Well, why shouldn’t I?”
“You didn’t even get a say in your own room.” She gestured at the old-fashioned furniture.
“Well, I’m okay with that. She’s the one who bought it, so she gets a bigger say than me. This room is hers. Legally.”
Zhu Zhu stared. She bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing. “Ah. That’s why you’re her favorite.” She marched out of the mess she created in his room.
• • •
