At nine years old, I met Adrian at the foster home. He had been abandoned by child traffickers. I took beatings for him, shared my food with him, and we begged together on the streets. Later, when Adrian’s family found him, he insisted on bringing me back with him. I thought Adrian would marry me as he had promised. But he ended up proposing to his business partner’s daughter instead. He said, “She’s just a filthy, stinking beggar. Nothing but a burden.” Clutching my brain tumor diagnosis, I numbly thought: In a month, you’ll finally be rid of me for good. “Do I really only have a month left?” I asked the doctor. The doctor nodded gravely, “At most a month before the tumor in your brain ruptures.” “During this month, headaches, nosebleeds, and temporary blindness are all normal symptoms.” I nodded, gripping the diagnosis paper tightly. The doctor asked, “Where’s your family? It’s best to have loved ones with you at a time like this.” Hearing this, my heart ached like it had been stabbed with needles. I forced a smile and told the doctor, “He’s busy with work… he couldn’t come.” If Adrian knew I was dying, would he be sad? He probably… would be, right? After all, he did love me once. But if he loved me, why did he abandon me on the way to my medical check-up just because of one call from Rosalie? Maybe my death would be a relief for him? When I returned to Adrian’s house, I found a crowd gathered in the garden. It seemed like a party was being held. Although I had lived in Adrian’s house for several years, the young ladies and gentlemen from wealthy families always looked down on me because of my past as a beggar. Before, Adrian would protect me, even beating up those who despised me. But rumors and gossip can be hurtful, and he gradually grew distant and began to despise me too. I didn’t want to draw attention, just hoping to quietly return to my room. Rosalie, who had been basking in everyone’s attention, suddenly called out to me: “Sister Lily!” She came over, feigning affection as she linked arms with me, showing me the necklace around her neck. “Look, Adrian gave this to me to celebrate my award at school!” “Isn’t it beautiful?” So that’s why Adrian had abandoned me – to celebrate Rosalie’s school award. The huge pink diamond on the necklace reflected light, somewhat dazzling. I suddenly felt a bit dizzy. I could only stiffly reply, “It’s beautiful.” The people around us burst into laughter. “Look at her dumb expression, she must be so jealous!” “Oh please, don’t flatter her. A dirty beggar like her wouldn’t even know what she’s looking at!” “How dare a street rat compare herself to Rosalie?” I was used to their mockery and Rosalie’s smug looks by now, and had no intention of arguing. The dizziness was slowly turning into a headache. Numbly, I asked, “Can I go now?” Rosalie flashed me a sly smile. The next second, she threw the necklace directly into the lake! “Ah!” Rosalie let out a piercing scream, clutching my sleeve tightly. Her sharp nails dug into my arm, causing a stinging pain. “Sister Lily! This was a gift from Adrian! Even if you’re jealous of me, you shouldn’t throw the necklace into the lake!” I struggled to break free from her grip: “I didn’t!” Blood trickled down my arm where Rosalie had grabbed me. I tried to cover it, but the blood wouldn’t stop flowing. At that moment, Adrian appeared, pulling Rosalie into his arms and roughly pushing me away! Rosalie sobbed quietly in Adrian’s embrace. Adrian lowered his head to kiss her, softly comforting her. Earlier at the hospital, when the doctor told me I didn’t have long to live, I had managed to accept the fact calmly. But seeing Adrian now, an indescribable feeling of grievance washed over me. My eyes reddened. “I…” I wanted to say, Adrian, the doctor says I’m sick. I’m dying. I’m in so much pain. But I was cut off before I could finish. Adrian coldly said, “Go fish it out.” The lake water was truly cold on that early winter night. The chill felt like sharp needles stabbing into my legs. My hands searched back and forth in the water. By the time I found the necklace, over an hour had passed since I jumped into the lake. The headache was getting worse, as if a sharp knife was being twisted inside my skull. I crawled up to the shore, enduring the pain as I shakily handed the necklace to Rosalie. But Rosalie recoiled as if she’d seen garbage, shrinking into Adrian’s arms. “I don’t want it, it’s too dirty now.” Adrian was amused by her little tantrum, holding her even tighter. “Then we won’t keep it.” He glanced at me, “What are you still standing there for? Get lost!” I tossed the necklace aside and turned to leave. I had barely taken a few steps when an intense pain shot through my head. The next second, I lost consciousness. In my hazy state, I felt someone carrying me. That embrace was so warm, just like Adrian’s embrace from many years ago. When I was nine, I met Adrian at the foster home. The caretaker at the time, Mr. Thompson, was greedy and made a rule that children over seven had to do forced labor every day to “earn their keep”. As for how seven-year-olds were supposed to do this work, that wasn’t important. Begging, stealing, robbing, or conning – it didn’t matter, as long as they did the work. If they couldn’t, the lightest punishment was no food. The worst was being beaten half to death. Adrian was different from those of us who had grown up in the foster system. He came later. Apparently, Adrian had been kidnapped first, but when he got a fever that wouldn’t break, the traffickers dumped him on the roadside where Mr. Thompson found him. Adrian was proud and could never do enough work to satisfy Mr. Thompson, so he was always getting beaten. I felt sorry for him. So when he couldn’t bring himself to beg, I would give him all the money I had scraped together. Even the sandwiches I secretly saved up to buy, I would share half with him. The one getting beaten became me instead. Late at night, Adrian would cry looking at the bruises on my body. I comforted him: “I’m used to the beatings now, it doesn’t hurt!” But how could it not hurt? I grew up under the shadow of those beatings, even trembling at the sight of a stick. I just didn’t want him to feel guilty or sad for me. On cold winter nights, he would hold me as we huddled in a corner. He said: Lily, when I find my family, I’ll give you all the best things in the world. He said: Lily, I’ll protect you forever and ever. He said: Lily, I love you. When we go home, I’ll marry you. I thought it was just silly talk from a little boy and didn’t take it to heart. A few years later, someone really did come looking for Adrian. Adrian’s parents came, bringing a whole fleet of cars. It was quite a spectacle. Those cars were so spacious and grand, unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Adrian wanted to take me with him. But I was scared. Everything about Adrian’s family was foreign to me, like a whole different world. I said I didn’t want to go. The corrupt caretaker had been fired, and the foster home got a new person in charge – a kind and gentle lady. I wanted to stay and help her take care of the younger kids. But Adrian said he couldn’t leave without me. In the end, I softened. When we got to Adrian’s home, he treated me really well at first. I didn’t understand anything and made a lot of silly mistakes. The servants would secretly laugh at me behind my back. When Adrian found out, he beat them up and threw them out of the house. He even had a big fight with his parents and replaced all the servants and nannies. Adrian did love me once, I knew that better than anyone. But unfortunately, that love couldn’t withstand the rumors and gossip. My background gradually spread throughout their social circle. Adrian was mocked because of me. He seemed to get tired of it all and slowly distanced himself from me. When Rosalie appeared, he tossed me aside like garbage. I became their laughingstock. But it’s okay, because it will all be over soon. “What will be over?” A cold, hoarse voice came from beside me. I jerked awake. Adrian was sitting next to me, wiping my face. Hearing my sleep-talking, his eyes were cold. “Nothing,” I turned my face away, avoiding his touch. Adrian’s expression grew colder. He gripped my arm and repeated, “I asked you, what’s going to be over? Or where are you planning to go?” “Ouch—” I sucked in a sharp breath. Adrian’s hand was pressing right on the wound on my arm. He pulled up my sleeve, looking at the now dried wound. “Did Rosalie do this?” I didn’t say anything. “Don’t blame her,” Adrian said. “Rosalie’s just a young girl, it’s normal for her to lose control of her strength when she’s upset.” “Besides, you were in the wrong first in this matter.” I sat up straight and said, “I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t throw the necklace, she threw it in herself.” “Nonsense,” Adrian frowned. “When did you learn to lie like this?” “Rosalie loves me so much, how could she possibly throw away something I gave her?!” “Go apologize to Rosalie tomorrow. She’s good-natured and won’t hold it against you.” I said firmly, “I won’t!” Adrian stood up angrily. “Lily, you’re getting more and more rebellious. It seems I’ve really spoiled you!” He thought for a moment and decided to punish me: “You’re not allowed to eat for the next few days. Take some time to reflect on your behavior!” Five days after being given my death sentence, I huddled in a corner, trying to ignore my hunger pangs. I was starving, so I snuck downstairs at night to find some food, only to discover the huge kitchen completely empty. All the food had been locked away. After searching for a while, I finally found half a bowl of leftover rice in a corner of the cupboard. It must have been overlooked by the servants and accidentally left there. I wolfed it down ravenously. There were no forks, so I had to use my hands. For a moment, it felt like I was back at the foster home, never having enough to eat. Suddenly, there was a loud “boom”, and a huge firework burst open in the dark sky. It was followed by a second, then a third. Countless fireworks shot into the night sky, exploding in a dazzling display that lit up my face. I suddenly remembered something and ran out of the house with a smile. Adrian actually remembered our promise! Back at the foster home, someone had set off fireworks during New Year’s. I thought they were beautiful but couldn’t afford them, so I could only watch longingly. Adrian had promised me that he would set off fireworks for my birthday every year in the future. I thought he had forgotten that promise after Rosalie came along. I never expected him to still remember. I kept telling myself over and over that I couldn’t love Adrian anymore. But at that moment, the feeling called love began to spread uncontrollably in my heart once again. Overjoyed, I ran into the garden. Adrian was already there. “Adrian…” I started to call out to him. But I stopped short when I saw Rosalie standing across from him. Adrian noticed me but only gave me a cold glance before turning away. He got down on one knee in front of Rosalie. Amidst the spectacular fireworks, he said softly: “Rosalie, will you marry me?” The people around them burst into cheers, chanting: “Kiss! Kiss!” Adrian lowered his head and gently kissed Rosalie’s lips. Rosalie wrapped her arms around his neck, passionately returning the kiss. The cheers from the others grew even louder. I stood in the shadows under a tree, staring blankly at them. Someone noticed me. The mocking whispers started up again. “She doesn’t think the fireworks were for her, does she?” “Where does she get the nerve?” “Talk about thick-skinned.” I fled in panic. A few days later, as I was tidying up my room, I felt the diagnosis paper in my bag. Should I tell Adrian? I had been foolishly hoping that if Adrian knew I was sick, he would feel sorry for me. But now that Adrian and Rosalie were engaged, my death would probably just be a relief for him. Still clinging to that foolish hope, I hesitated for a moment before placing the diagnosis on the table. Let fate decide. Just then, Adrian pushed open the door and came in. I panicked for a second and said, “Why didn’t you knock?” Adrian smiled, “Back at the foster home, we used to sleep in the same bed. What’s the big deal?” I calmed down and said, “You’re engaged now. It’s not appropriate.” Adrian raised his hand and gently stroked my face. “Are you still mad at me?” I stepped back a few paces: “No.” “I was wrong to be upset about Rosalie before. It won’t happen again.” Adrian lowered his hand, looking quite displeased. He used to always think I wasn’t well-behaved enough, that I embarrassed him. Now that I was being obedient, he still didn’t seem happy. Adrian seemed to remember something and took a deep breath to calm himself. “Forget it, you haven’t been feeling well lately. I won’t argue with you.” “How did your check-up go the other day? What did the doctor say?” So Adrian did still care about me. I stared at the test results on the table not far away, and decided to tell the truth. “The doctor said…” Before I could finish, Adrian’s phone rang. Rosalie’s coquettish voice came through from the other end. “Adrian, where are you? Didn’t you say you’d come have dinner with me?” Adrian coaxed her: “I’ll be right there.” I grabbed Adrian’s sleeve: “I wasn’t done talking.” After hanging up, Adrian irritably swatted my hand away: “I have something to do now. We’ll talk when I get back.” With that, he hurried out the door. He was really in a rush to have dinner with Rosalie, swatting my hand quite forcefully. He really seemed to love Rosalie. My hand was red and swollen in no time. I rubbed my swollen hand, unsure if it was my hand or my heart that hurt more. I spent a week knitting a scarf for Adrian. This was one of the promises between us. When I first came to Adrian’s house, his birthday was coming up. I had no money since Adrian’s family provided everything for me, so I couldn’t afford expensive gifts like the other young ladies and gentlemen. Adrian was always cold. After much thought, I knitted him a scarf. After that, giving him a scarf on his birthday became a tradition. Adrian’s birthday was still two months away, but I only had half a month left, so I wouldn’t be able to give it to him on his actual birthday. I had to prepare it early. I knitted and unraveled the scarf over and over, never quite satisfied, afraid Adrian wouldn’t like it. I took the scarf and went downstairs to find Adrian. At the turn of the staircase, I heard many people talking. “Adrian, now that you’re engaged to Rosalie, why don’t you give that Lily girl to me!” “She may be a beggar, but she’s not bad looking!” “You’re not picky at all. Aren’t you afraid she’ll stink, coming from such a lowly background?” Adrian’s voice was lazy: “She’s just a filthy, stinking beggar. Nothing but a burden. If you’re not afraid of your dad skinning you alive, feel free to take her.” Amidst their raucous laughter, I walked over and handed Adrian the box containing the scarf. Seeing me, Adrian’s face became a bit unnatural. “What’s this?” “A birthday gift,” I replied calmly. Adrian looked confused and very uneasy: “Why not wait until my actual birthday to give it to me?” “I saw some nice yarn and decided to knit it.” Adrian was about to say something when Rosalie interrupted. “What nice thing is it? Let me see!” She opened the box and pinched the gray scarf between two fingers. It was a very disdainful gesture. But she said, “Lily, you’re so skilled!” She turned to Adrian and said, “Adrian, I really like this scarf. Give it to me!” Adrian glanced at me and said softly to her, “This scarf is just cheap stuff. I’ll buy you a nice one tomorrow.” Rosalie pouted and whined, “No, I want this one!” Adrian was amused by her act. “Alright, alright. It’s yours. You can play with it.” With that, he personally put the scarf around Rosalie’s neck. I said, “Adrian, that’s something I gave to you. If you don’t like it, give it back to me.” “Lily, aren’t you happy that I got the gift?” Rosalie blinked her eyes, looking innocently at me. Adrian’s expression became stern: “Lily, don’t be so petty.” My heart was pounding, and I could feel the blood rushing to my head. The familiar headache came back. I rushed into my bedroom, found a pair of scissors, grabbed the scarf around Rosalie’s neck, and started cutting furiously! “Ah—” Rosalie thought I was trying to kill her and let out a piercing scream. Adrian hurried over to pull me away. “Lily, stop! Don’t go crazy!” In the struggle, the scissors left a bloody scratch on Rosalie’s face. It also cut my hand, blood flowing freely. With a loud rip, the scarf tore in two. Adrian grabbed my hand and slapped me hard across the face! I fell to the ground. “Lily, don’t push it too far!” “It’s just a piece of trash, I don’t want it anymore, okay?!” Rosalie yelled as she tore off the ruined scarf and threw it in the trash. Then she came over and kicked me several times to vent her anger. Adrian held her back and coldly told me: “Get out!” This was the second time Adrian had told me to “get out.” I tried to get up, but I had no strength. I wasn’t sure if it was because of Adrian’s slap or because of the tumor. My nose felt hot, and then blood started gushing out uncontrollably. My vision flickered, and everything became blurry. I couldn’t see anymore. Adrian’s expression changed when he saw me covered in blood. I lay in the hospital bed, my vision completely dark. I waved my hand in front of my face but couldn’t see anything. Death was getting closer and closer. Adrian was talking to his assistant outside the hospital room. The assistant said: “Don’t worry, sir. The country’s top dermatologists and plastic surgeons are on their way here.” “They’ll examine Miss Rosalie as soon as they arrive and make sure she doesn’t have any scars on her face.” Adrian grunted in acknowledgment. “Lily went too far this time. She needs to be warned properly, or who knows what trouble she might cause in the future!” The assistant listened quietly. Adrian casually asked: “When will Lily’s test results be ready?” The assistant replied: “In about twenty minutes.” Adrian pushed open the door and entered the room. I had my eyes open but couldn’t see him. Adrian started berating me. “Lily, you’re really out of line!” “Rosalie is young and finds everything new and exciting. What’s wrong with indulging her a bit?!” “It’s just a scarf, not worth anything. What’s the big deal about giving it to her?!” I struggled to sit up, facing Adrian’s direction. “Adrian, I can’t see.” Adrian sighed. “Lily, stop trying to gain sympathy now!” “There’s a limit to how much you can lie!” “Back then you took so many beatings and never got sick. How come you’ve become so delicate since coming to my house?!” “What, are you trying to say I haven’t taken good care of you?!” I suddenly felt like laughing. Oh, Adrian. Of course you never saw me get sick. Because I was afraid you’d feel guilty and blame yourself. Back at the foster home, I’d kneel in the snow with a fever after taking punishments for you. After coming to your house, I always endured when I was sick, afraid of causing you trouble. In the end, I became nothing but a joke to you. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I won’t cause you any more trouble in the future.” “I wish you and Rosalie a lifetime of happiness.” Adrian seemed unaccustomed to my calmness. I could sense him staring at me. Perhaps with a hint of concern. At that moment, the assistant pushed open the door. “Mr. Gu, the doctors have arrived and are waiting for you.” Adrian said to me: “I’ll come back to talk to you after I take care of Rosalie’s situation.” The assistant added: “The doctor said Miss Lily’s test results are ready. He seemed quite urgent and is on his way here now.” Adrian paused for a moment, but he had already left the room: “That’s not urgent, we’ll deal with it later.” He and the assistant had just entered the elevator when the doctor arrived with my test results and knocked on the door. They just missed each other. “Your condition is very serious. It’s best if you’re admitted for treatment.” I laughed bitterly: “No thanks, I don’t have much money.” “Could you just prescribe me some painkillers? My head hurts so much, I can’t stand it.” My heart was aching constantly too. I stayed in the hospital for a few days, leaving once I could vaguely see things again. Adrian wasn’t around. Not seeing him and Rosalie gave me a rare moment of peace. That afternoon, I received a video call from Adrian. “Guess where I am now?” Adrian panned the camera around, looking quite happy. I didn’t recognize the buildings around him, only realizing where he was when I saw a large oak tree at the street corner. This tree was all too familiar to me. Adrian said: “Remember when Mr. Thompson used to beat me? You’d help me run away, and when we couldn’t run anymore, we’d hide in this oak tree.” Looking at the tree, I felt a bit dazed, as if I’d gone back to when Adrian and I only had each other as children. My heart softened, and I continued his thought: “In the summer when you were too hot, since there was no air conditioning at the home, I’d bring you up here to cool off.” These memories should have been painful. But now, with death approaching, they felt warm somehow. Adrian said: “We should come back here for a visit sometime.” I smiled and agreed. But the next second, Rosalie suddenly appeared on screen. “Wow! Lily, you’re so amazing! You can even climb trees. Not like me, I’m too scared. Adrian has to carry me up!” “Adrian, I want to climb the tree too. Carry me up!” Adrian smiled and pinched her nose: “No way, what if you fall?” Rosalie pouted: “But Lily can climb up, I’m sure I can too!” Adrian coaxed her gently: “She’s tough, she won’t get hurt if she falls. If you got hurt, I’d be heartbroken.” “Okay then.” I watched them being affectionate on screen, feeling only bitterness in my heart. After hanging up, I curled up in the corner of my bed, enduring the unbearable pain. In the past, I always thought the time Adrian and I spent relying on each other was unique and irreplaceable. Now, Adrian and Rosalie were creating sweeter memories under that oak tree. I no longer had any value to him. By now, twenty days had passed since my diagnosis. Maybe it was because of the tumor in my brain, but I’d been sleeping more and more lately. Most of the time, it was less like sleeping and more like being unconscious. When I woke up, it was already afternoon. Surprisingly, Rosalie was sitting by my bed. I looked at her warily: “What are you doing here?” Rosalie held up a piece of paper, smiling smugly. It was the diagnosis I had left on the table earlier. “So you really are dying. I thought you were just faking it for Adrian’s attention.” “Look at you, a lowly beggar is still a lowly beggar. Coveting things that don’t belong to you will only bring retribution.” “Adrian’s been sick of you for ages. You dying would actually be doing him a favor.”
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