Chapter Six: Forty-Eight Hours of Pitch-Black Despair

After the police left, only my uncle and I remained, facing each other across the table.

He told me to behave myself in prison, to strive for leniency, but faced with such hollow platitudes, I could only sneer.

“What are you sneering at? Do you think this attitude will solve anything?” His tone grew harsher, his brows knit together in a scowl, his eyes filled with disdain.

“You’re just like your mother was back then!” he suddenly scoffed.

At that, my heart lurched, fury flaring up inside me.

I sprang to my feet, fists clenched, glaring at him. “Uncle, when my mother was driven to desperation, why couldn’t you give us even a sliver of hope? Do you know how hopeless she felt?”

“She was your own sister!”

My uncle seemed taken aback by my sudden outburst, but quickly regained his composure, his face growing cold once more. “You’ve landed yourself in jail—do you really have the nerve to blame me? With the way you are, if your mother were still alive, you’d have angered her to death!”

His mockery and derision cut through me like a knife, dragging me back to that helpless night.

My mother writhed in pain on her hospital bed, and I could only watch as she slipped away, my uncle’s indifference and heartlessness leaving a wound I could never heal.

“You never understood what we went through!” I shouted, unable to contain my rage. “All you ever saw was the surface, you never truly cared!”

His face darkened further. “Do you think I didn’t want to help you? Your family has always been nothing but trouble; I’ve done all I could! As for your mother, I was powerless!”

There was a trace of exhaustion and helplessness in his voice, but far more coldness and detachment.

I knew that no amount of arguing would change anything. I took a deep breath, fighting to calm the anger burning inside me.

“You should go,” I said quietly, refusing to look at him. “I don’t need your fake concern.”

He snorted, then seemed to remember something, turning back to look at me. “Su Li told me everything. You were too impulsive. She’s your cousin, after all—don’t hold it against her!”

“Get out!”

I roared.

“Lunatic!” he spat, and stormed out.

As the door closed behind him, the world fell silent. Only pain and helplessness filled the emptiness left inside me.

Outside, it wasn’t winter, but I felt a biting cold.

I thought of my mother’s passing, my uncle’s indifference; it was as if my heart had been ripped into countless pieces.

“The one you offended has connections. Staying inside is for your own good. Once things settle down, maybe it’ll all blow over.” My uncle’s words echoed in my mind.

I sneered, saying nothing.

Money—I had none to pay compensation... All I could do was serve my time. That was my fate.

But I refused to accept it.

Life had only just begun to improve for me. Then, all at once, everything crashed down.

And to think, it all started because of Su Li.

I couldn’t even come up with fifty thousand yuan; honestly, in my situation, even five hundred would have been impossible.

I kept reminding myself that I only had to endure a few months in this sunless place.

It was nothing—I’d survived worse darkness in my life. What was this, really?

...

I endured forty-eight hours of utter gloom.

In a place like this, even cellmates would provoke one another.

But I sat in the corner, eyes cold and shadowed; not one of them dared to come near me.

Just as I thought I’d have to spend the full three months here, on the third day, Sister Hong came and bailed me out, settling everything.

Standing at the prison gates, the sunlight stabbed my eyes, and the long-lost taste of freedom felt almost unfamiliar.

Sister Hong stood nearby, a faint smile on her face, as if she always had everything under control.

“Come on, let’s talk after we get back.” She patted my shoulder as if nothing had ever happened.

I nodded. “Sister Hong, I’ll find a way to pay you back as soon as I can!”

“You silly kid, still so stubborn! If I cared about your wages, why would I have bothered to get you out early?”

“Young man, your youth is precious. You can’t waste it locked away in there!”

I gave a bitter laugh. “Other people have golden years; for me, it’s just wasted time.”

“I hate seeing you looking like this! Get in the car, I’ll take you home—have a meal, wash up, and shake off the bad luck!”

Once inside, I couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Hong, thank you so much, but I really don’t understand—how did you manage it?”

She smiled slyly, a glint in her eye. “Don’t worry about it. What matters is, it’s been taken care of.”

I nodded, then suddenly thought of someone.

I pulled out my phone, but it was dead.

Sister Hong handed me hers, and I immediately dialed Xiaomi’s number.

No answer.

I called several more times, but no one picked up. Panic began to rise within me.

Now, in my world, Xiaomi was my only hope. If something had happened to her, I truly didn’t know what I would do.

Sister Hong noticed my anxiety, her brows furrowing. “What’s wrong? Who are you trying to reach?”

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. “I’m looking for Xiaomi. She’s my best friend. I went to jail this time because I stood up for her. If she isn’t answering, something must have happened.”

Sister Hong nodded. She took out her own phone. “Don’t worry, I’ll make a call and check.”

She dialed quickly, exchanged a few brief words, then hung up, frowning. “Strange—I haven’t heard anything about Xiaomi. Where does she work?”

“She works at your KTV!” I answered.

“That can’t be. If she worked for me, I’d know about her!” Sister Hong grew even more puzzled.

“Sister Hong, I have to find her.” My resolve hardened. “She means too much to me. I can’t let anything happen to her.”

Sister Hong looked at me, worry flickering in her eyes, but she nodded. “Alright, I’ll help you search. Tell me where she usually goes, and we’ll check every place.”

Grateful, I quickly listed all the places Xiaomi frequented.

Sister Hong started the car, and we began searching the city.

The first stop was a café Xiaomi often visited.

I asked the staff; they said they hadn’t seen her in days.

“Could she have been taken by someone?” I couldn’t help but guess.

Sister Hong shook her head. “It’s too soon to jump to conclusions. Think—are there any other places we should check?”