"Let's head back."
The girl watched Yao Ran step out of the back door with her school bag in her hand. Her head was bowed down, but almost everyone could make sense of her flushed face and trembling figure.
As soon as she had finally left the perimeters, she called for a taxi.
It didn't take long for one to arrive. When she stepped into the car, she sniffled. Tears trailed down her cheeks, and she dialed Qin Man's number. "Hello?" Her mother's voice sounded at the other end of the line; she whimpered in response. She looked so terrible that the taxi driver couldn't help but glance back in curiosity.
"Mom, can you come home? Please?" she sobbed out. "I need you."
Yao Ran's voice was soft and whimpery – like a puppy that had been kicked to the gutter. She sniffled once again, and the older woman could hear her shifting in her seat.
The papers Qin Man had been holding immediately fell onto the table. She froze.
Had she been crying?
