Chapter 3 — The Last Remaining Echo

Mother did not hesitate for even a second.

Treat Niamh first.

She has only just returned to the family home and cannot endure any more emotional strain.

Father chimed in, his voice low and resolute.

Shen Van’s situation is merely a recurrence of an old injury. If Niamh’s hand is left with a scar, it will ruin her future piano playing career.

The older brother immediately stepped forward to shield Shen Niamh behind him.

She has already caused enough drama for one lifetime. She can certainly yield just this once.

I raised my head to look at them, and suddenly, the entire scene felt overwhelmingly, hauntingly familiar. Seven years ago, in the chaotic aftermath of the firework explosion, I had collapsed onto the cold ground, holding my bleeding ears. Shen Niamh had wept softly, claiming she did not mean to do it. Back then, they had surrounded her in the exact same protective circle, telling me to swallow my grievances for a moment and not to frighten my little sister. When Lu Tram caught sight of the blood staining my ear, his expression had turned stark white. His shoes had instinctively shifted in my direction. Yet, Shen Niamh had immediately reached out to clutch the fabric of his sleeve.

Brother Lu Tram, it hurts so terribly.

Lu Tram had frozen in his tracks, his Adam’s apple bobbing sharply. In the end, he had turned his back on me and spoken to the physician.

Take Niamh inside first.

With that, he glanced back at me one last time.

Shen Van, just endure it a little longer. Once this is settled, I will personally come back to take you to the clinic.

Just endure it a little longer. Over the past seven years, those were the words that echoed most frequently in my ears. If your ears hurt, just endure it a little longer. If you cannot hear properly, just endure it a little longer. If you fail to pass the entrance exam, just endure it a little longer. Niamh has had a difficult time abroad, so you must endure it a little longer. I watched as they walked away, accompanying Shen Niamh into the brightly lit interior. The spacious living room quickly descended into a heavy, suffocating silence. Only the shattered glass scattered across the floor and the steady, rhythmic dripping of my own blood remained. This time, I did not stay to wait for their return. Pressing my palms against the cool wall, I forced myself to stand, walked back to my bedroom, and gathered my identification papers, medical records, USB drives, and graduation portfolios. The computer screen was still glowing. The confirmation page for my post-graduation employment placement remained open. With a few deliberate clicks, I changed the designated city to the furthest possible location from this household. Once the transfer was fully confirmed, I quietly exited the family chat group and permanently deactivated my old mobile phone number. By the time dawn broke, they had finally returned. A delicate layer of white gauze was wrapped neatly around Shen Niamh’s wrist. The very first question Mother uttered upon stepping through the front door was:

Where is Shen Van?

The domestic helper informed her that the lights in my room were completely extinguished. Mother let out a cold, derisive laugh.

Sulking again, no doubt.

My brother immediately dialed my number, but the receiver was met only with the mechanical, chilling voice of the automated operator.

The subscriber you have dialed is currently unavailable.

His expression shifted instantly. At that precise moment, the mobile phone belonging to my academic advisor began to ring from inside Mother’s handbag. The professor’s voice carried an unyielding calm.

Good evening, am I speaking with the family members of the student Shen Van?

She has officially completed her post-graduation employment confirmation, and all her dossier transfer procedures have been finalized.

Her flight departed half an hour ago.

The living room plummeted into a dead, suffocating stillness. Lu Tram abruptly jerked his head upward.

Where did she go?

The advisor paused for a brief moment.

To a place very far away.

She stated that she no longer requires anyone to meet her upon arrival, nor does she need anyone to bid her farewell.

She is going entirely by her own accord.

The living room grew so quiet that the faint buzzing of the electrical current inside the telephone receiver sounded deafening. Mother gripped the handset so tightly that her knuckles turned progressively white.

What did you just say?

On the other end of the line, the advisor paused once more, the tone remaining entirely professional and unperturbed.

Student Shen Van boarded her flight half an hour ago.

Her work placement confirmation, file transfers, and the acceptance letter from her new employer have all been successfully processed.

Father stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

Where has she gone?

The professor offered no direct answer.

I apologize, but that falls under the personal privacy of the student.

Lu Tram practically snatched the phone away from Mother’s grasp, his voice tense and strained.

I am her fiance.

Her ear was bleeding profusely just hours ago. Where could she possibly go all by herself?

The other end of the line remained silent for several agonizing seconds.

Mr. Lu, if you truly are her fiance, why was it that when the panel posed a question from her right-hand side during her thesis defense, she failed to hear it, yet you were nowhere to be found?

Why was it that when she completed her departure procedures from the university today, her hands were still wrapped in makeshift bandages she had to apply herself?

And why did she explicitly tell me that she has no family members left whom she can contact?

Lu Tram stood frozen as if nailed to the floorboards. In the end, the advisor delivered only one final sentence:

She said that from now on, no one needs to welcome her, and no one needs to see her off.

The call disconnected abruptly. It was only then that Mother seemed to snap back to reality, rushing frantically toward the stairs.

What kind of tantrum is she throwing this way?

What kind of proper young lady wanders out in the middle of the night! It is utterly disgraceful!

Yet, the moment she shoved my bedroom door open, her voice cut off instantaneously. Half of the wardrobe was completely empty. The stacks of graduation documents on the desk had vanished. The battered, outdated hearing aid I had worn continuously for seven years was placed with meticulous neatness atop a crisp sheet of paper on the bedside table. Right beside it lay several photocopied documents. The payment receipt for the surgery I needed seven years ago. The cancellation form for that very same operation, dated from the exact same period. Along with an official audiological impairment assessment report. A corner of the paper was stained with a dark smudge of dried blood. Mother picked it up with trembling fingers, her eyes scanning the contents. Father followed closely behind, frowning heavily.

Why would she leave these things behind?

However, Lu Tram snatched the papers away from her with frantic speed. His eyes locked onto the cancellation section. [Temporarily postponed.] [Family fully informed of the consequences regarding the forfeiture of the optimal recovery window.] Right beside the signature line, his own name was clearly written. In that instant, Lu Tram looked as though he had been struck by lightning. Memories violently flooded back. Seven years ago, while I still lay trapped in the sterile hospital room, suffering through nights so agonizingly painful that sleep became an impossibility.