Maybe that was the point.
Maybe she fought in the darkness so that they could live in the light.
The thought settled over her like a familiar weight, both burden and purpose intertwined.
They passed through the commercial district, where shops were just beginning to open their doors, shopkeepers sweeping sidewalks and arranging displays. Office workers hurried along with coffee cups in hand, headed to their nine-to-five jobs. Normal people living normal lives.
Tang Fei envied them sometimes, that simplicity, that predictability. But she'd chosen her path long ago, in another life, and there was no going back now, it's something that will always follow her.
"Auntie," Qin Xinyu said suddenly, leaning forward slightly. "Thank you. Really. For everything. For letting me stay with you, for getting me into a good school, and now for supporting this modeling thing..." His voice wavered slightly with emotion. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you."
