Meng Yu finally made up her mind to buy a knife today.
She'd spent the whole night unable to sleep, desperately searching for a reason to keep living.
Her parents had both died when she was in elementary school. She'd lived under someone else's roof and endured their scorn, then spent middle school under the pitying eyes of her teachers and classmates. In nine years of school, she hadn't made a single friend.
When she got to college, she wanted to make her life more fulfilling, so she ran for class monitor. Her classmates resented her for getting both a subsidy and a scholarship, and when the class voted for outstanding student leaders, she got only one vote.
Her own.
She'd thought she had a friend. After all, her roommate always asked her to pick up food in such a gentle voice.
She clung to that little bit of kindness.
Until she found out that her boyfriend and her roommate were using matching profile pictures on WeChat.
It was laughable, really. Her roommate had introduced her to that boyfriend in the first place.
The truth was, Meng Yu knew he was only looking for a girlfriend to save face. The school's basketball tournament was coming up, and having a girlfriend bring him water would make him look good.
But she didn't mind. Even if he didn't like her, he'd still bought her beautiful roses.
They were the first flowers she'd ever received.
Even if there wasn't a handwritten card in the bouquet.
She'd known about a lot of things, but she'd never wanted to call anyone out. She hadn't expected these people to stop even pretending to be nice to her.
Now she had nothing.
She thought no one in this world would care whether she lived or died.
Meng Yu picked out the prettiest fruit knife, thinking that her high school teacher had been lying when they said college would make everything better.
She didn't want to fill out spreadsheets or knock on every door to check who was in their dorm, playing the villain who disturbed everyone. Carrying a pile of books and several meals was exhausting. Making PowerPoints was exhausting. Organizing class meetings was exhausting. Replying to messages was exhausting. Gathering materials was exhausting...
Living was exhausting.
After Meng Yu paid and walked out of the supermarket, a little girl suddenly rushed over and wrapped her arms around her leg. "Mommy!"
The girl looked about three or four. She was sweet and adorable, and her voice was soft as could be. She said she was Meng Yu's daughter, Chen Yansui.
This was way too fake. Feeling the fruit knife in her pocket, Meng Yu thought two men would come running out any second. She'd seen plenty of short videos; this was a new kind of kidnapping scam.
Although the little girl really did look a lot like her.
Were scams customized now?
2
The paternity test results came back in black and white: Chen Yansui really was her daughter.
Meng Yu immediately posted on her Moments: Hey, everyone, I'm a mom at 19, no pain involved.
Of course, there wasn't a single person on her WeChat list.
She had no family.
But now she did.
It felt a little strange.
3
Chen Yansui was sweet and adorable, but she had a bit of a temper. One day, Meng Yu took her to Wanda Plaza for barbecue when her roommate hurried over. "Meng Yu, perfect timing. Can you lend me 200 yuan? My ID expired, and my money's been frozen."
Before Meng Yu could say anything, Chen Yansui stood up. "What do you want, Auntie? If you borrow and repay, you can borrow again. But have you ever paid anything back? Pay my big sister the 2,000 yuan you owe her first."
A tiny girl with a huge voice. Her roommate lowered her head and walked off awkwardly. Meng Yu glanced at her balance and thought she really ought to get that money back. Her daughter was practically out of clothes.
4
To support her little girl, Meng Yu started taking portrait photography jobs.
One day, she encountered a customer demanding a refund because the finished photos weren't in the style she'd wanted.
Meng Yu was in a difficult position. "She says she'll post about us online if we don't refund her."
Chen Yansui clenched her fists. "She even said you took great photos during the shoot. I heard her!"
Meng Yu said, "We don't have any proof."
Chen Yansui pulled out her little pink phone. "Please watch the video."
Theme: Stay alert!
