Iris at Dusk

"What is it?" Zhou Han’s slightly deep voice came through the phone—brief and to the point, true to his style. "It’s like this: my parents arrived from home today and are at our place right now. I was just trying to figure out how to explain the situation quickly..." Lin Li began, but Zhou Han cut her off mid-sentence. "I’ve met your parents." Zhou Han’s voice was steady and calm—so calm, in fact, that he sounded as if he were merely mentioning he’d just finished a meal; his composure was almost surreal. Lin Li, however, was practically startled out of her skin by his incredibly calm statement. She shrieked into the phone, "What did you say?"  Had she misheard? Did he really say he’d met her parents? But wasn't he supposed to be at the office? How could he have run into them? "I’ve just arrived home. Come out here," Zhou Han said steadily before hanging up, ignoring Lin Li’s reaction. Lin Li stared blankly at her phone for a moment ...

In the end, Lin Li didn't take her father to the hospital. Before she had even called her daughter, her parents had already been there; however, the attending physician who had performed her father's surgery was off for the weekend, meaning they would have to wait until the following Tuesday for his specialist clinic hours. Lin Li drove her parents home. As she unlocked the door and stepped inside, she deftly retrieved slippers from the shoe cabinet—a series of actions that caused her parents, following close behind, to exchange a puzzled glance. Once inside, Lin Li asked her parents to sit on the living room sofa and brought out two glasses of water from the kitchen. All the while, her brow remained furrowed with worry over her father's condition. Her parents took the water and glanced around the house, taking in its general appearance. Just as they were about to ask their daughter about it, Lin Li spoke first: "Mom, Dad, have a seat for a moment. I need to make a pho...

Zhou Han left immediately after speaking, without wasting a single extra word. His departure was effortless, but it left Lin Li feeling conflicted. His apology had been straightforward and sincere; if she refused it, she would seem overly coy or difficult. Yet, if she accepted and went to eat noodles with him—sitting face-to-face—it felt rather awkward. However, if she didn't go, she would be going hungry. For some reason, her appetite had improved over the past couple of days; although she still couldn't eat large portions, it was a significant improvement over the recent past, and the bouts of nausea and vomiting had subsided. After a brief internal struggle—and driven by genuine hunger—Lin Li ultimately made her way to the dining area. By the time she arrived, Zhou Han had already eaten more than half his meal; he glanced up at her as she approached. Flustered by his gaze, Lin Li pulled out a chair and sat down, offering an awkward explanation: "I... I just didn't w...

The cool breeze outside the window blew past her face, which made her a little dry. Lin Li drove the car slowly and followed the large group, pausing for several minutes. After more than half an hour, she actually drove less than fifty meters. Her chest was still tight and uncomfortable, and she was still uncomfortable with what Zhou Han had just said. In fact, after calming down and thinking about it, he was right. They were not a couple in the first place. Not only could they not be called husband and wife, they could not even be called friends. She did not realize her identity and was careless. Lin Li did not deny that she did regard the little guy as her child who had not had time to be born. Thinking of the fateless child, the soreness and pain in her heart became a little more. She raised her head slightly and pushed back the tears in her eyes.  After a while, she heard the urging sound of "Papa -" from behind. Lin Li looked up again and saw that the long queue in fr...

Trigger Warning: Abuse Unable to shake the feeling of unease, Zhou Han grabbed his keys and drove straight to Ling Ran’s home. When he arrived, Ling Ran reeked of alcohol, and her gaze was already unfocused and hazy. Upon entering, he saw the child cowering in a corner of the living room; a shard from a broken bottle had sliced ​​a long gash across the boy's hand—fortunately, the cut wasn't deep, though it was bleeding profusely. Beyond the hand injury, the boy had a cut on his forehead that was oozing blood, and the skin on his face was scraped raw, showing traces of blood. Zhou Han could hardly believe his eyes. Although he knew Ling Ran was prone to verbally and physically abusing the child, he had never imagined she would be so brutal. After all, the boy was her own flesh and blood — did she feel absolutely nothing? He stepped forward and scooped the child up, turning to leave, but Ling Ran blocked his path. "You are not taking the child!" Glancing at the long, bl...

 When Lin Li drove up to the kindergarten, school had just let out; parents were coming out from the entrance, holding their children's hands and chatting happily as they prepared to head home. Lin Li parked her car nearby. As she stepped out, she spotted Teacher Chen standing at the entrance, deep in conversation with another mother. Lin Li glanced around but didn't see the little boy anywhere nearby. She closed the car door and walked straight toward Teacher Chen. By the time she reached her, the other mother had finished talking to the teacher and was walking away happily, holding her child's hand; the little girl she was with even gave a polite wave and said goodbye to Teacher Chen before leaving. Teacher Chen waved back at the child. As she lowered her hand, she noticed Lin Li approaching. She looked surprised for a moment, then walked over and asked with a puzzled expression, "Mrs. Zhou, what brings you here?" Lin Li was taken aback by the question but smile...