Chapter 286: A World Without Me

In a daze, Su Yuqing opened her eyes.

The sound of pouring rain filled the air, and the sky had already grown dark.

She couldn’t tell if it was dark because of the rain, or simply because it was late.

CRACK!

A sudden clap of thunder jolted Su Yuqing from her daze, and her mind instantly cleared.

She was startled to find that the surroundings, illuminated by the flashes of lightning, were exceptionally familiar.

’Isn’t this near Chen Mo’s house?’

She quickly realized that she was only dreaming.

Just as Su Yuqing was wondering why she would have such a dream, she was startled to see another version of herself standing at Chen Mo’s door with a conflicted expression.

The scene felt incredibly familiar.

This was the rainy night when a ray of hope had shone into her world.

Back then, she had been just like the girl in the dream now, her heart filled with panic.

After a period of internal struggle, the other Su Yuqing seemed to finally make up her mind and gently pressed the doorbell.

A short while later, just as she remembered, the handsome boy opened the front door.

Only then did Su Yuqing realize that the moment her past self saw him, her body had begun to tremble uncontrollably.

To Chen Mo, she must have looked like she was just shivering from the cold, but only she knew how excited and panicked she was on the inside.

"Chen Mo..."

Droplets of water ran down the ends of the other Su Yuqing’s hair and into her collar as the familiar words were spoken.

"I heard... your parents are away on business, and you’re home alone..." Water droplets clung to her eyelashes, which trembled with each breath. Forcing herself to summon her courage, she blurted out the words she had practiced so many times in one go. "Can... can I stay at your place for a few days? I won’t stay for free. I can help with chores or something else... as payment."

Hearing herself say those familiar lines, a shy blush immediately crept onto Su Yuqing’s face.

Back then, she had truly been in the depths of despair. She would have given up anything, even her own sense of self, for just one place in the world that would take her in like family.

Her longing for a home had driven her to the brink of obsession.

The harm inflicted by a toxic family of origin is absolutely devastating to a child.

When one’s mind and body are both being ravaged, it’s inevitable for extreme thoughts to emerge.

Just as Su Yuqing was lost in her memories, something unexpected happened.

"Are you serious?" Chen Mo asked, looking at her in astonishment.

The other Su Yuqing nodded.

Chen Mo looked utterly incredulous. ’What reason would a girl as beautiful as the school belle have to run to my house on a stormy night?’

This was too strange; there had to be a catch. He asked in bewilderment, "Su Yuqing, you didn’t lose a game of Truth or Dare and come here to mess with me, did you?"

"No, that’s not it," the other Su Yuqing said, shaking her head in a panic. "I’m serious."

She looked up at Chen Mo, and the moment he saw the sincerity in her eyes, he inexplicably found himself believing her.

His heart skipped a beat. He looked her up and down, completely soaked, and caught a glimpse of her faintly visible bra. Chen Mo felt a sudden rush of blood to a certain part of his body.

He suddenly realized that just having her stand before him like this was already making it hard for him to maintain control. If he really let her stay, given his current state, he might end up doing something terrible to her.

’If my parents found out, wouldn’t they break my legs?’

For Su Yuqing’s sake, and for his own, Chen Mo looked conflicted for a moment before finally deciding against letting her stay. "It might be a little inconvenient for you to stay here," he said. "But did you get caught in the rain without any money and can’t get home? How about I take you? We can call a taxi; it’ll be quick."

Watching the scene unfold, Su Yuqing was completely bewildered. ’Why is this happening so differently from what I remember?’

But even so, both she and her dream self understood Chen Mo’s decision.

From Chen Mo’s perspective, when a girl suddenly shows up at your door late at night asking for shelter, the best options are to take her home or to the police station.

After all, a situation like this usually meant one of two things: either she was in some kind of trouble, or she was trying to set him up. An ordinary high school student couldn’t handle that.

Chen Mo’s choice was perfectly understandable.

"No, that’s okay. It’d be too much trouble for you," the other Su Yuqing said, shaking her head.

In truth, she didn’t want to go home. Or rather, she had no home to return to at all.

Because of her, her mother had stabbed Li Gang and then driven her away with a look of pure venom.

’How could she go back to that home?’

’At her father’s house, her younger sister and stepmother despised her. How could she go back to that home either?’

Taking her home was simply impossible.

Because she no longer had a home!

"It’s no trouble. Wait a second, this rain is too heavy. I’ll go get you a raincoat."

Chen Mo flashed a smile as bright as sunshine, and in that instant, the hearts of both Su Yuqing and her dream self ached with a bittersweet pang.

In such a desperate state, his smile was the only thing that could offer her the slightest bit of comfort and healing.

But at this moment, that smile was clearly not something she was allowed to have.

Her heart heavy, the other Su Yuqing quietly said, "Thank you, Chen Mo," to his retreating back, then turned and plunged into the curtain of rain.

She didn’t want to reveal just how shattered her family was to the boy she liked.

She was both grateful and happy that Chen Mo had offered to take her home.

It showed that he cared about her.

But because of that, she couldn’t bear the thought of him seeing just how miserable her life had become.

Watching her other self suddenly run off, Su Yuqing felt a sudden, profound empathy, even though she had never actually been turned away by Chen Mo.

Yet in this moment, she could feel the thoughts and emotions of her runaway self with startling clarity.

When Chen Mo returned to the doorway with a raincoat and an umbrella, only to look around in confusion, Su Yuqing’s eyes inexplicably began to sting, and tears streamed down her face.

Su Yuqing felt as though she had betrayed Chen Mo’s kindness, and her heart ached with guilt.

Even though Chen Mo hadn’t taken her in, she felt no resentment whatsoever. In fact, she was filled with gratitude for his offer to escort her home.

But Su Yuqing was now very curious. ’If Chen Mo hadn’t taken me in that night, what would I have done?’

Having been enveloped in the happy glow of life with Chen Mo, she had almost forgotten what her heart felt like during its darkest hours.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, the scene before her suddenly shifted, and she found her perspective was now following her other self as she moved.