4 ✧ 3 ✧

Well, it was still November twenty-eight. However, she put an early interval inside the house. If she could only wish that in just one blink it would be another year starting from January again.

Her eyes and mind technically sees that it was December twenty fifth. She exhaled the bitterness. The rice cooker that she forgot to remember bleep.

Her door was wide open because it has been broken for almost nine years now. She looked at the floor from the dining room. A shadow moved.

"Xiao Mei Zhi!" She actively yet gently lowered her netbook carefully, trying not to damage the bezel that protects her LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

It was her mother screaming her name. Misses Zhi always appeared at home drunk. And by always, it means from day one her father left them until the upcoming days. It was already counted for her.

Xiao Mei Zhi's said with a heavy heart, "Not again. . ." To think her mother, Misses Zhi did not change for the better at all.

Meanwhile, her squad noticed that her character did not move anymore and with the help of the in-game alerts it gave out a noticed to her squad : RagingLightSpeed went AFK

Her squad opened their mic while she was away,

"Where did Rage go?"

"What happened?"

"Rage will be back. Rage would not be afk if it ain't that important."

"Something must have happened."

"Who knows."

Xiao Mei Zhi did not just asked her team to do a four squad battle without any reason, she wanted to get her team listed in the potential winners list of FFWC : Free Fire World Cup. For her the World Cup will be her new chance for a bigger change in the environment.

The prizes were not being mentioned yet, however, the in-game forum was already on fire. Their rivals were trying to guess the prize with some jokes.

"If Rage does die, then we would not be in the list."

"We must keep our battle record high."

While her squad felt worried on the other side, they still trusted her skills and they just did their own business. In spite of that, her team does not even know that her life out of the game was more difficult.

She walked away from her bed after she covered her netbook with a dirty pillow case.

Then she heard the sound of a breaking cups, it was an anthem since her childhood. And it was a unhealed scar from her mothers life.

Xiao Mei Zhi rushed out from her room , with her broken door creaking as she passed by.

"All of these man, I will tell you! They are all bastards!"

Xiao Mei Zhi's eyebrows slightly angled upwards ,forming an inverted 'V' above the nose with a barely noticeable wrinkles on her forehead.

Seeing her mother pulling the table cloth wildly as the glass parts were smashed mercilessly into a hundred of glittering pieces. As a daughter, she can not do any thing to remove the pain that her mother has been enduring all those years.

"Mother. ."

'My mothers' current lines in the forehead is just a hint that she is stressed about a lot of things. Her medium-length burgundy colored hair that is shag, and thin eyebrows are giving her a 10 years younger looking face for a 35 years old single parent.'

Xiao Mei Zhi bit her tongue inside her mouth to stop herself from crying. Sometimes she wanted to give up life, but if she did do it. . .who would take care of her mother? What will happen to her mother? If she will be gone, then her mothers' life will be filled with agony until the day she will perish.

"Mother, I am still here. Forget those man, you are beautiful."

Xiao Mei Zhi's voice was low, almost unstable, as if her she was about to cry any minute. How could she stop her self from holding back her tears? It was difficult, she looked up at the ceiling for a second.

Then she smiled at her mother and said, "I love you, Mother. Welcome home. Sorry if I greeted you late." Her mother suddenly hesitated pulling the cloth.

Xiao Mei Zhi was desperately trying to hide her approaching tears. She maintained her face and her words straight and stern as much as she could.

"My. . . life is a mess." Her mother said as she blankly looked at the floor. With that, she felt the exhaustion of having to put up with a smiling face all the time. She glanced at the plastic food box that has their dinner on it.

Xiao Mei Zhi braced herself up by avoiding the negative thoughts that were about to come on her way. When she calmed down, she then informed her mother, "Your life is not a mess, Mother. You and I. . . together we will fix it. How about you take a nap and will wake you up when I finish cleaning everything. Ok?"

Misses Zhi did not say anything until her breath was taken away, from the realization that her daughters' arms were around her, "Mother, this is the only way to help you relax. You are still a human not a titanium."

Xiao Mei Zhi sensed that her mother gradually cooled down. Misses Zhi gently hold her daughters' arms and pushed her lightly. She face her with a watery eyes along with what she was about to say, "What would I do with out you? . . . My precious daughter. . "

Xiao Mei Zhi has always wanted to talk about her father but she choose to never ask her mother anything related to it. She was highly disappointed everytime she thought about him.

"Your decision to keep me was not his choice, you keep me alive Mother. I will remain with you until my last breath." Xiao Mei Zhi said as she hold her gaze at her mother.

"But dear, you have to grow. ." Misses Zhi finally let go of the table cloth that was on her hand the whole time.

Xiao Mei Zhi shifted her gazed at the broken sofa. There were a few strings popping out, she has to repair it by sewing another cover for it. Still, her mother can use it.

"Now, you need some rest. Your energy has been consumed by your scream and actions."

Note: Zhi is a surname and so as Xiao but since I like the meaning of Xiao I put it as the main name. I hope you enjoyed reading it!