"Come sit here," Bai Peiwen said.

  Fang Siying walked over and sat down on the sofa in the small hall. The room wasn′t brightly lit; only a wall mp was on, casting a soft, gentle light. Bai Peiwen leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly saying:

  "You've been busy all afternoon. I can see that you truly care about that child, don't you?"

  "I care about her because she's so 'poor,'" Fang Siying said.

  "Poor?" Bai Peiwen paused, confused. "What do you mean?"

  "I've never seen a child more deprived than her!" Fang Siying said, her voice slightly agitated. "No warmth, no love, no care, nothing at all!"

  "Are you bming me?" Bai Peiwen asked.

  "I would never bme you, Mr. Bai," Fang Siying said, trying hard to calm her emotions.

  "But please, love her a little more. She needs you!" Her tone even carried a hint of pleading.

  Bai Peiwen was moved. "I know," he said, this time with a sincere and earnest tone.

  "You must think I'm an irresponsible father. But you have to understand, I′ve never really understood children, and I don′t know how to treat her. This child, she always brings back some painful memories for me. Sigh, Miss Fang, I think you′ve heard a bit about her biological mother, haven′t you?"

  "Yes, just a little," Fang Siying said softly.

  "She was a good woman, someone worthy of remembering for a lifetime..." Bai Peiwen fell into deep thought. "People often make irreversible mistakes in moments of foolishness, and if she were still alive…" He took a deep breath, his voice filled with pain and longing, and impulsively said, "I would sacrifice everything I have to bring her back to life!"

  "Oh, sir!" Fang Siying couldn′t help but excim. She was shaken, and as she looked at the man′s face, she saw a burning passion and pain that struck her deeply. It overwhelmed her. She felt confused, disoriented, and helpless.

  "Oh," Bai Peiwen suddenly realized, a look of unease appearing on his brow. He immediately shrank back, stammering, "Sorry, Miss Fang, please forgive me. I shouldn't have said that to you. I... I think I lost my composure."

  "Oh, no, Mr. Bai," Fang Siying said hastily, her emotions stirred up. She regretted causing Bai Peiwen to say such things. Standing up, she hurriedly said, "I'm very tired, Mr. Bai. I think I need to go back to my room and sleep. See you tomorrow, Mr. Bai!"

  "Wait a moment," Bai Peiwen said, sensing something. "You seem to be a bit afraid of me, Miss Fang."

  "No," Fang Siying instinctively shrank back, feeling very weak.

  "Don't be afraid of me, Miss Fang," the man said deeply. "If I have been rude or inappropriate, please forgive me. It's because I rarely interact with others, especially women. I've almost forgotten how to be polite and how to converse."

  "Oh, you're fine, Mr. Bai," Fang Siying said somewhat stiffly. "I'm not afraid of you; never have been. Well, goodbye, Mr. Bai."

  She turned around and hurried back to her room, walking so quickly as if trying to escape from something.

  Now, lying on the bed, she stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Everything she had experienced during the day repyed in her mind, scene after scene, so clear and vivid, as if she could not escape the images of the father and daughter. The blind man's years were pitiable, and the little girl's situation was heartbreaking. How could she help them? Could she bring back the dead wife and mother for them? She shuddered suddenly as the autumn breeze blew in through the gauze window. The night had already deepened.

  She gnced at her watch; it was almost one o'clock. Everything was so quiet, and Mrs. Bai still hadn't returned. She picked up a copy of Pride and Prejudice in English and began reading absentmindedly. In fact, her thoughts couldn't focus at all, and her eyes couldn't stay on the book for long.

  Every few lines, she would unconsciously lift her gaze, staring at the vase of roses or the sculpture of Juliet, lost in a daze. She didn't know how much time had passed when the sound of a car horn startled her—Mrs. Bai had returned. Why was she honking the horn? At this te hour, when the night was so quiet! Hadn't she brought the key to the front door? She put the book down and listened instinctively.

  The car entered the garden, and the door smmed shut with a loud noise. Then came the crisp sound of high heels walking into the living room, and soon, she was climbing the stairs, singing as she went. Her voice was quite high and clear, and she had a good singing voice. She wasn't singing the popur tunes of the time but a famous old poem set to music:

  "I live at the head of the Yangtze River, and you live at its tail. Every day I think of you but can't see you, yet we drink the same Yangtze River water..."

  She didn’t finish singing the song; her voice suddenly stopped, as if interrupted by something. Fang Siying hadn′t heard the door from the next room open, but now she heard Bai Peiwen′s suppressed, angry growl:

  "Ai Lin!"

  Ai Lin? So, this was the name of Bai Peiwen's wife?

  "What's this? Is it you? Bai Peiwen?" The woman′s voice was high-pitched and defiant.

  "What do you want?"

  "Can you stop waking up the whole house?"

  "Oh? Are you afraid I'll wake someone up? Your private tutor, perhaps? Hahaha!" Ai Lin's ugh was sharp. "Don't worry about waking her. If you weren′t blind, you′d realize she hasn′t even fallen asleep! There′s light still coming from under her door. I bet she's probably listening to our conversation right now!"

  "Ai Lin!"

  "Hah, let me tell you, Bai Peiwen, don't try any tricks with me. I don′t know what you brought a private tutor into the house for, but I don′t like her. There’s something sneaky about her eyes. I'm telling you, a real thief's look!"

  "Ai Lin! Are you crazy? How much have you drunk?" Bai Peiwen's voice was filled with anger and helplessness, and there was even a trace of anxiety. "Can you say a little less?"

  "Say a little less? Why should I say less? It's you who blocked my way and made me talk! Are you scared now? Scared she'll hear? The one you set up that room for, the one you went to great lengths to bring here? An old maid! Ha! A blind master and a private tutor! I can't wait to see how things develop between you two! This is great material for a novel!"

  "Shut up! You despicable, filthy creature!" Bai Peiwen's voice trembled, and these words were clearly forced through clenched teeth.

  "What? Despicable and filthy? You call me despicable and filthy?" Ai Lin's voice grew even louder. "The truly filthy one is your wife who jumped into the river! Even if I were filthy, at least I haven't given birth to bastard children for you!"

  With a loud "smack," the sharp sound echoed, clearly indicating Bai Peiwen had spped his wife. Fang Siying braced herself for a bigger storm, her heart pounding as she listened, but there was a long silence outside. For a long time, no sound came.

  Then, as if a century had passed, Fang Siying finally heard Ai Lin's voice, lower, gritted through her teeth, filled with hatred, saying:

  "Bai Peiwen, if you ever y a hand on me again, don’t bme me for being ruthless. I will destroy everything you have!"