Extraterrestrial demons invaded; I laid the groundwork eight years in advance.

"What are you doing!"

Wang Lili struggled desperately, trying to get her phone back from Zhou Zheng's hand.

Give me back my phone!

Zhou Zheng ignored her.

He held Wang Lili's chin with one hand and held the phone up to his face with the other.

The screen displayed the interface of the chat software. At the top of the chat list was a profile picture of a man whose name he did not recognize.

He opened the chat window, and the last message showed it was a voice call that only lasted a few minutes.

He slid his finger upwards.

"Honey, are you free tonight?"

"Not tonight. He took that stupid son out and will be back in a bit."

"Then tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, after his silly son falls asleep, come pick me up."

"Okay, I'll send you a message this afternoon."

"Oh, by the way, buy another bottle of sleeping pills when you come; we've already finished the last one."

"So fast? Won't it cause problems if we eat this every day?"

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"That idiot is too noisy. He keeps making a fuss if I don't give him his medicine. How am I supposed to get out?"

"Okay, I'll bring it to you tomorrow. I can't sleep, so I'll send you a picture."

"Are you trying to die? I'm already lying down."

"Go to the bathroom and take a picture for me."

"Wait for me a moment."

The chat history scrolled through page by page, revealing various ambiguous conversations between Wang Lili and her lover, as well as some nude photos.

His finger hovered over the chat log about feeding the medication. Zhou Zheng stared at the line of text on the screen, feeling as if something had pierced through his chest, and he was stunned for a moment.

Wang Lili broke free from Zhou Zheng's grasp, rubbed her wrists and chin, and her emotions calmed down.

"Finished watching?" Wang Lili asked, her voice carrying a defiant tone that suggested she had been exposed and was now giving up.

"That's right, I cheated on you. Are you satisfied now?"

Zhou Zheng didn't speak, still staring at the line of text on the screen.

"I couldn't live with you anymore a long time ago."

"Your silly son is always making a fuss, and nothing he takes works. Look at how other families live, and what kind of life am I living? You're always busy with him, when have you ever cared about me?"

Zhou Zheng remained silent, his fingers trembling slightly.

He suddenly understood.

Those unfinished pills.

Those scenes of Ping An always sleeping when I come back.

He's figured it all out.

Wang Lili didn't forget to give him the medication, but she gave him sleeping pills instead.

Every time he came home and saw Ping An sleeping, it was because she had taken sleeping pills, and he never realized it.

"I've wanted to divorce you for a long time. Your son has been a burden to me for so many years, why should I—"

Why?

Zhou Zheng interrupted her, his voice sounding as if it were being peeled away layer by layer from the bottom of his throat.

He looked up at Wang Lili, and something inexplicable was churning in his eyes.

Why give Ping An sleeping pills?

Wang Lili paused, her arrogant expression still lingering: "...It was just a little sleeping pill. He was being restless and couldn't sleep, so I gave him a tiny bit. It won't do anything—"

Zhou Zheng suddenly raised his hand, grabbed Wang Lili by the neck, and slammed her against the wall.

Wang Lili's back hit the tiles with a dull thud.

"Uh—uh—"

She grabbed Zhou Zheng's wrists with both hands and struggled desperately, but Zhou Zheng's arms did not budge, like a block of iron filled with cement.

"You gave him sleeping pills?" Zhou Zheng stared into her eyes, his voice low and low, with a tone that sent chills down her spine.

"I bought medicine for Ping An, medicine that would gradually make him better, but you wouldn't give it to him. Instead, you gave him sleeping pills?"

"You... let go..." Wang Lili's face began to flush, her eyes widened, and a trace of saliva spilled from the corner of her mouth.

"I don't blame you for cheating on me."

Zhou Zheng did not loosen his grip, his voice trembled slightly, and his eyes were red.

"If you can't live with me anymore, just leave. I'll take care of Ping An. But why did you give him sleeping pills? He's only eighteen. Do you know how much damage those drugs can do to him?"

His voice changed from a growl to a hoarse strain, tinged with a sob, yet carrying something colder than anger: "I'm asking you why!"

Wang Lili's face turned from red to purple, her eyes rolled back, her feet kicked wildly on the ground, and her lips moved, but she couldn't speak.

"dad--"

A timid voice came from the doorway.

Zhou Zheng froze, then slowly turned his head.

Ping An stood at the bathroom door, barefoot, holding the orange duck in her arms.

He looked at Zhou Zheng with a mixture of doubt, fear, and a hint of unfamiliarity in his eyes. He had been standing outside the door for who knows how long.

"Dad... what are you and Mom doing...?"

Zhou Zheng snapped out of his daze and quickly released his grip.

Wang Lili slid to the ground, clutching her neck with both hands, gasping for breath. Each breath sounded like a broken bellows, tearing painfully.

She coughed a few times, pushed herself up, stumbled out of the bathroom, pushed open the door, and ran barefoot into the stairwell.

The footsteps grew fainter and fainter, finally disappearing beneath the motion-activated light that never turned on at the corner of the third floor.

The door was wide open, and the night wind blew in from outside, carrying the chill of autumn.

Ping An was still standing at the door, clutching the little duck in her hand, tears streaming down her face, her voice choked with sobs: "Daddy...where did Mommy go...did you two have a fight...?"

Zhou Zheng opened his mouth, then stepped forward and hugged Ping An tightly.

"I'm sorry, it's Dad's fault for not protecting you."

Ping An didn't understand Zhou Zheng's words; she just nestled in his arms and sobbed softly.

Zhou Zheng held Ping An tightly in his arms, his shoulders twitching, but he didn't make a sound.

All I could hear was the dull thud of my heart pounding against my ribs, one beat after another, like something was stuck in my throat, causing a painful, throbbing pain.

After an unknown amount of time, he raised his head, his expression as if it had been shattered and then pieced back together.

He released Ping An and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

"It's alright," he said, his voice hoarse but still trying to stay calm. "Mom just went out on something, it's alright."

Ping An pouted and asked tearfully, "Will Mommy come back?"

Zhou Zheng paused for a moment, then lowered his head and touched Ping An's hair: "...Dad doesn't know either."

He glanced at the back of his hand, where there were still several bloody scratches from Wang Lili's fingernails.

He clenched that hand, then completely let go.

Tomorrow he can leave this city safely and go to a place where no one knows them to start a new life.

But what he didn't expect was that the shed, which he thought could at least hold for another day, would start to collapse tonight.

His eyes flickered, and he said to Ping An, "How about Daddy takes you out to play?"

Ping An, tears still streaming down her face, looked at Zhou Zheng with a puzzled expression: "What are you playing?"

"hide and seek."

After Zhou Zheng finished speaking, he walked out of the bathroom and began to pack his things.

Occasionally, a car would pass by outside the window, its engine sound sliding down the building like an echo from afar during a nighttime journey.