Tomorrow as Bright as Day – Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Between “running away” and “walking slowly”, Ming Xi chose to walk on her own.
She walked neither fast nor slow, her mind clear yet tangled.
Professor Liang’s son didn’t seem to chase her downstairs. She had already reached Wutong Avenue, and not a single shadow trailed behind her. She even looked back, fancied that he cared, but the avenue was empty.
Beneath the red-walled and white-tiled building, there was only a parked black sedan with a conspicuous logo and a shiny black body.
The professor had thrown a few sharp words at her—and she had actually taken them to heart…
Ming Xi lowered her head and sighed. Being driven out so humiliatingly, it was impossible for her not to feel even a trace of dejection.
None of what Professor Liang had said earlier was wrong. She had the guts to come because she relied on Professor Liang’s approval, treating him like a benefactor, a living Bodhisattva.
In truth, over the past two years, Professor Liang’s academic guidance had already gone far beyond what duty required. Yet she had grown greedy, hoping he might even help her find a job… She had really taken herself, a mere TVU student, too seriously.
Forget it, it’s better for a poor person to act recklessly than to daydream.
At least she had done something, not just dreamed about it…
Ming Xi consoled herself. Where there’s effort, there’s a way; if this road didn’t work out, there would be others.
…
Inside Professor Liang’s apartment, Liang Jiancheng was still in the living room, taking his time getting ready—putting on his coat, wrapping his scarf, tying his shoes.
A grown man wearing ankle boots—what was the point of all that?
Professor Liang was upset by what he saw. Before Liang Jiancheng could stand up, he stuffed two cartons of cigarettes in a black nylon bag directly into his arms.
Liang Jiancheng caught them helplessly, both hands outstretched to keep them from falling, his expression full of resignation.
He really shouldn’t have bothered coming all the way here to visit his old man. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been stuck being pestered with these cigarettes—first shoved at him when the door opened.
And again now…
It wasn’t as if Liang Jiancheng meant to dawdle. It was below freezing outside; surely he could at least put on a coat? But the professor didn’t care in the slightest. His temper was fierce. He found the sight of the cigarettes unpleasant—and the pile of gift boxes on the floor irked him even more.
“Take the bird’s nest too. I don’t eat that nonsense.” Professor Liang said, tossing another box into his son’s arms.
And that red box—what was that?
Brown sugar cocoa powder? What kind of ridiculous stuff was this! Did they think he came to Yincheng for confinement, recovering from childbirth?
Professor Liang threw that box in too. Liang Jiancheng’s arms were now so full he could barely move his hands.
“Alright, if you shove one more thing at me, I really won’t be able to carry it.” Liang Jiancheng said calmly.
The professor’s face stiffened, his sternness tinged with embarrassment.
Liang Jiancheng sighed helplessly. His father—so sharp-tongued, yet soft-hearted. A student had finally come to visit him, and he’d driven her off with harsh words.
That young woman, though—she had spirit. Even after hearing those cutting remarks, she hadn’t cried; she’d even smiled and spoken her mind.
Liang Jiancheng shook his head, carrying the two cartons of cigarettes and the boxes downstairs.
No one was there anymore.
However, Liang Jiancheng hadn’t hurried earlier because he knew the building only had one exit. He grabbed the two gift boxes and cigarettes, got in the car, started the engine, and drove off.
After less than two minutes, he spotted the girl walking ahead—hands tucked into her pockets, head slightly lowered, lost in thought, seemingly unaware of everything around her.
Her surname was Ming, wasn’t it?
Lowering his window, Liang Jiancheng slowed almost to a stop and called out: “Student. Student Ming…”
Huh?
Ming Xi turned her head. She first saw the car, then the man inside, until a cheerful face appeared from the car window. Half-surprise, half-calm flickered across her expression, which quickly transformed into friendliness. She smiled as if she saw a great benefactor.
“Oh—it’s Boss Liang… Hello, Boss Liang. Are you heading out?”
Well, wasn’t she good at small talk!
Liang Jiancheng raised an eyebrow slightly, smiled and said, “Yes, heading out, just to chase you.”
Ha, really?
Ming Xi stopped and didn’t continue forward. Surely he was only here because the professor had ordered him to come after her…
She didn’t want to make things difficult for him. Taking her hands out of her pockets, she let them hang naturally in front of her.
Liang Jiancheng got out of the car first, unfolding his tall, straight legs.
He was a handsome man, with a calm yet vigorous air about him—his presence gave her a direct, almost refreshing sense of vitality.
Ming Xi straightened her neck, waiting for him to walk up to her.
He was also tall, so she naturally raised her head slightly to look at him.
Now that they were both outside, she could more clearly sense the difference in their heights than back in the apartment. He was a whole head taller than her. He must’ve grown up drinking milk, to be that tall.
Funny—Professor Liang himself wasn’t nearly as tall…
Ming Xi’s thoughts flickered playfully, though her expression remained reserved.
“Do you need something from me?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
In his words and actions, Liang Jiancheng was straightforward and decisive, but not rudely so. His upbringing and professional life had instilled in him a kind of natural courtesy—he respected women deeply, whether they were colleagues or students.
In his eyes, a naïve and lovely girl would one day become a capable and remarkable woman.
“I chased after you because I wanted to explain what he said back there.” Liang Jiancheng began. “I overheard your conversation with him earlier. You handled it well—you didn’t say a single thing wrong. It was he who spoke harshly. But his intentions were good. You can think of him as someone sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. He has always been like this—speaking harshly and being arrogant, and especially, when he’s angry, he says things people can hardly bear to hear.
“He’s like that with family too.”
Ming Xi listened with a smile. She liked hearing Liang Jiancheng speak—his voice was clean and elegant, his tone clear and warm, like the male lead in a film.
She had never met anyone who could speak with such a poise in real life…
“I know Professor Liang’s character. He’s a person of truly noble character.” Ming Xi politely echoing him.
“If you really think so, you should have listened to him and taken the gift back.” Liang Jiancheng interrupted her. There was a hint of teasing in his words, without a trace of sarcasm.
Ming Xi blushed slightly after hearing this, but she couldn’t express her feelings directly. She always believed that .
Liang Jiancheng didn’t press further. He simply took the cigarettes from his car. The black nylon bag had been placed inside a sturdy paper one. He handed the bag to her and said with a smile, “If a teacher only helps a student after receiving gifts, then he’s definitely not the noble character you just described.”
It’s so true, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed.
Ming Xi raised her eyes and looked at the person in front of her. The most powerful words weren’t those spoken forcefully, but those delivered gently and calmly. What the person in front of her said made her unable to refute them.
“…I understand.”
Ming Xi licked her dry lips, took the cigarette, and quickly put on a bright smile. “Thank you, Boss Liang. Your explanation makes me feel much better. If you could, please tell Professor Liang that I truly respect and appreciate him—before, and now as well.”
After Ming Xi finished speaking, she prepared to say goodbye to Liang Jiancheng, but unexpectedly… she was stopped again.
Liang Jiancheng quickly took two more boxes of gifts from the car, as if they were for her. Ming Xi watched with an unsure expression until the two bags of gifts were actually handed to her.
She gave an awkward little laugh: “What’s this?”
His eyes were bright, his smile even warmer than hers. “You can take them as a new millennium gift from your teacher.”
Ming Xi waved her hand to refuse; she couldn’t accept it.
Liang Jiancheng was calm and had already handed the gift box to her. When his fingers briefly brushed hers, there was nothing improper in the gesture—only a quiet, steady warmth.
His palms were also extremely warm.
Now it was her turn to feel indebted—to realize that once you’ve accepted kindness, it’s hard to refuse.
“You can also consider it as an apology gift from my father. His words earlier weren’t exactly pleasant,” said Liang Jiancheng.
If giving gifts was an art, Ming Xi had learned its true essence today. Compared to this man’s effortless grace, her own clumsy, overly insistent approach—learned from Ming Decheng—was child’s play. She hadn’t known that the proper way to give something could feel like being touched by a spring breeze—leaving no room for refusal.
“I also wish you a happy new year in advance.” As the millennium was approaching, Liang Jiancheng sent out his first New Year’s greetings.
Ming Xi echoed softly: “Happy New Year…”
She looked at him again.
Liang Jiancheng was already in the car. The matter was settled, so there was no need for formal goodbyes. To her, he was someone she would likely never see again—and to him, she was probably the same.
The dry and cold winter air rushed into Ming Xi’s slightly barren heart and lungs as her chest heaved. As she spoke the words “Happy New Year”, a tinge of bitterness bubbled up.
She also wanted to… live with dignity.
…
Ming Xi now lives in a shack behind Cai Primary School. Every day, when she biked home from class, she would pass through the noisiest, messiest place in Yicheng—the farmers’ market. It wasn’t just vegetables and meat there; the market also sold everything wholesale—daily necessities, clothes, shoes and socks, hardware supplies… even so-called miracle medicines that claimed to cure every disease, especially those “male problems.”
Ming Xi had just moved in and was not very familiar with this area. Today she wandered around with the crowd, wanting to buy herself a set of undergarments.
She found a shop, and the owner, seeing her thin figure, recommended a bra with thick sponge padding. She gestured with the bra repeatedly and said jokingly, “This one will make us women look even prouder up top.”
She wanted to live upright, yes—but not that upright.
Ming Xi chose a cheaper one, even haggled two yuan off the price.
“Okay, okay, let’s take this price.” the shopkeeper said impatiently, shoving the purchase into a black plastic bag.
Ming Xi was not annoyed and smiled at her: “Thank you, sister!”
Who do you call Sister? The shopkeeper felt a bit embarrassed and waved her hand: “Come back next time.”
“Okay.” Ming Xi rode away on her bike.
When she got “home,” it was just as usual—crude and lifeless. Neither Ming Decheng nor Yang Yumei were there, but she was used to that. She went into the kitchen, planning to light the stove and cook dinner, when there was a knock at the door.
Bang, bang, bang!
Ming Xi wiped her hands on a grimy towel and went to the front room. Through the crack in the window, she saw a familiar heavily made-up face grinning at her.
“Ming Xi, Hurry, open up for me!”
Ming Xi opened on the door and called out, “…Aunt Qin.”
The person called Aunt Qin had already warmly held her hand, looking her over with exaggerated concern. “Haven’t seen you in a while—you’ve lost weight!”
Ming Xi didn’t say anything.
“What are you up to?” Aunt Qin glanced inside.
“Cooking.”
“Oh, don’t bother! I came to take you over to my place for dinner.” Aunt Qin smiled broadly, all friendly warmth, and tugged her toward the door.
Ming Xi wanted to refuse.
But Aunt Qin was insistent and full of cheer. She said, “Your parents are already over at my place. The food’s almost ready—come on, let’s go.”
Ming Xi was skeptical for a moment.
Aunt Qin’s full name was Qin Li, and she was indeed a friend of Ming Decheng and Yang Yumei. Her husband could even be considered Ming Decheng’s sworn brother from the old days. Since her parents had fallen on hard times, it wasn’t strange for the Qins to invite them for a meal.
Qin Li lived two kilometers away in an old communal apartment block—one of Yicheng’s earliest public housing conversions, formerly staff dormitories for the supply-and-marketing cooperative.
The corridor was narrow. After walking downs the long, cramped hallway, Ming Xi followed Aunt Qin to the last unit at the corner. That was their house.
The door was open. Aunt Qin pushed it gently, and Ming Xi could feel the hustle and bustle inside before she even entered the room.
“Come in quickly.” Aunt Qin said, pushing the door wide and pulling her along.
Ming Xi stumbled a few steps, her mind swaying for a moment as she focused on the scene inside.
Qin Li’s house was not small, but it was almost full of people at this moment, all strangers she had never met before. Each was dressed loud and flashy. The moment she entered, every gaze turned toward her, sticky and assessing.
A sharp unease froze her in place.
She didn’t see Ming Decheng or Yang Yumei. If one of them were here now, it would make her feel a little safer.
But no, they were not there.
“Where are my parents?”
“Oh, they were just here! Maybe they stepped out for something,” Aunt Qin said casually, not even pretending to care.
Ming Xi wanted to leave.
But Aunt Qin pulled her hand again.
Qin Li held her tightly and refused to let go. She dragged Ming Xi toward the center of the living room with near-brute force and pushed her down onto a gaudy red-flower sofa.
“Sit for a bit, dinner’ll be ready soon,” Qin Li winked.
Ming Xi sat stiffly, hardly blinking. She hadn’t yet pieced together what was happening, but dread was already tightening in her chest.
She came to her senses and looked around the room. There were about ten people, all men.
Some of them were playing cards, some were cracking sunflower seeds, and some were lounged around, staring at her openly with filthy eyes.
The whole house was filled with smoke.
They flicked cigarette butts unscrupulously, exchanged glances, and even talked openly.
“Not bad—pretty one.”
“Bit too skinny, though. Chest’s flat.”
“It’s fine. Brother Liu’s house has plenty to eat—she’ll fill out in no time.”
“Hah…”
Their vulgar laughter made her face flush red, then white.
With so many men in the room, the smell was very strange. Ming Xi hadn’t been sitting there for half a minute when a nauseating and intense feeling shot straight to the top of her head.
She didn’t know when a man in a fur coat appeared beside her. He came from the group playing cards and seemed to be the leader of the group.
When he smiled at her, it was the smirk of a thug who knew exactly what he was.
Ming Xi couldn’t even fake a smile; her face stayed blank.
The man had a fierce look, with a large ruddy nose. The most striking feature was a long scar running from his forehead to his scalp, causing a large patch of hair to be missing from his forehead.
The kind of man who looked every inch a street gangster. And truthfully, every man in the room looked the same.
She suspected some of them had only recently gotten out of prison.
Her chest felt tight; fear and panic tangled together. She barely dared to breathe.
The man finally spoke.
“You’re Ming Decheng’s youngest daughter, right? Nineteen this year, born in December, English class at the TVU, and your name is Ming Xi?”
His voice was hoarse and his smile was arrogant. The way he looked at her—it was the kind of gaze a bad man fixes on a woman he already believes he owns; confident, shameless, stripping her bare without touching her.
“My name’s Liu Xinjun. Everyone calls me Brother Liu.” The man rattling off her information before introducing himself.
“…”
If Ming Xi was still in a daze before, hearing him list her personal details snapped her awake. A terrible, absurd realization crept over her—
Had Ming Decheng and Yang Yumei… sold her?