All Chapters of The Flaming Lips: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

330 Chapters

Chapter 1: My Safe Haven

In the cramped bathroom, steam swirled around.I huddled on the toilet, my legs drawn up, staring fixedly at the wooden door, which was secured with a makeshift wire lock and creaked as it swayed.It felt as if a beast would burst in at any moment, tearing me apart and devouring me."Gloria, don't be afraid. Be a good girl and open the door for Daddy," the man outside said, his voice dry and tinged with a mix of impatience and threatening coaxing. "All this noise will worry your mother. She can't take it, so open the door quickly."As he spoke, the wooden door swayed more violently, the faint sounds striking every nerve.Fear and despair surged, and I trembled, clenching the faded long sports pants, wrinkling them further.I opened my mouth, but no sound came out at first. After clearing my throat forcefully, I managed to speak, my voice quivering. "Dad, brother... he's coming back soon."The noises from outside paused for a moment. Through the door and the sound of water, I hea

Chapter 2: Chapter Two: Can I Hold Onto Your Clothes?

Stan Wallace got up and walked out, carrying his clothes. The hallway was too narrow, so I had to press myself against the wall to let him pass. The sudden proximity allowed me to feel the warmth and scent of his body clearly and directly.I lowered my head slightly, my fingers involuntarily tightening.He doesn't like me, nor does he like my mother. This is normal; people don't like disasters and burdens. It's already a sign of great manners that he doesn't show disgust or rejection towards us, not to mention letting me stay in his room.If possible, I wouldn't want to come back here either. I dream of escaping this life.Even though our goals are aligned, when he casually told me to keep my distance, my heart still ached.Stan Wallace closed the door behind him as he left.His room was off-limits to my stepfather, who feared him. This obvious fear made me feel safe.I picked up the T-shirt Stan Wallace had carelessly thrown on the bed, folded it, and placed it on the windowsil

Chapter 3: Chapter Three: If He Wishes It, Give Him a Chance

Even at the brink of falling asleep, I found it hard to breathe, my heart feeling as if it had been squeezed, all because of those three words casually spoken by Stan Wallace.The worst part of my life was almost over, yet at this moment, I felt so sad that I wanted to cry.I fell into a restless sleep, suppressing my emotions, and woke up before dawn. Only then did I realize that the hand which had been gripping Stan Wallace's shirt sleeve had somehow ended up holding his arm.His right arm. In this position, he must be facing me.Realizing this, I was fully awake, my heart beating a little faster.I didn't dare to look at his sleeping face; even when he was asleep, he was perceptive and would notice me. So, I just stared at the place where our skin touched for a while.Stan Wallace's skin was paler than most boys, with well-defined lines on his bent arm and prominent wrist bones. His hands were beautiful, especially when he held a pencil, drawing, revealing the veins on the bac

Chapter 4: Chapter Four: She Calls Him A-Zhun

My hands paused, and a brief buzzing filled my ears.She had spoken plainly and clearly, yet I still doubted whether the 'do' she meant was the same as the one in my mind when my mother said it.I couldn't dwell on her words. The moment I did, the pungent smell of cigarettes and the sticky gaze from my stepfather last night would flood back, making my stomach churn."Apply to a university not too far away, and come home every weekend. Consider it repaying me for raising you, Gloria Kit."She spoke calmly, as if asking me to return once a week was just for family reunions, and that all children should repay their parents this way, with nothing special about me.On the morning of my eighteenth birthday, there were no longevity noodles or cake.The mother I relied on was trying to convince me to serve her man, all for a bit of an easier life.My right hand trembled uncontrollably. I couldn't tell if it was from shock, fear, or the overwhelming nausea.*Clatter*—The sliding door

Chapter 5: Chapter Five: Don't You Want Me Anymore?

My voice and Stan Wallace's overlapped, one urgent and the other calm, creating an awkward contrast.Feeling guilty, I turned my head away, not daring to meet his probing gaze. I stubbornly thought, with different names and surnames, we were never siblings to begin with.The girl's eyes swept over both of us, and she laughed heartily, as if she didn't care about my identity at all. Her earlier question seemed to be out of mere politeness.It was just me who felt a sense of crisis and overreacted."Gloria Kit," Stan Wallace introduced us, "Florence Bobby."Seeing Florence Bobby scrutinize me, I nervously tugged down on my black long-sleeved sports jacket, smoothing out the wrinkles."Your sister is so pretty, like a doll," Florence Bobby said, clearly only hearing Stan Wallace's words. She tilted her head, smiling brightly and warmly, "Especially her eyes, they look so innocent. You have to protect her well; she must attract a lot of trouble."Florence Bobby's words left me sligh

Chapter 6: Chapter Six: That's Called 'Loss' and 'Reluctance'

Stan Wallace said I should stay at the company-arranged apartment, and for the whole day, I felt a bit disoriented, like a puppy that had been caged for too long, forgetting how to step out of its cage.It wasn't until he finished work early and came to my workstation, saying he would take me there directly, that it started to feel real.At the company entrance, Florence Bobby was waiting by the motorcycle, her head lowered as she poked at the pink helmet with her finger. When she heard us approaching, she looked up and waved, her makeup still perfectly in place after a full day's work, and she even reapplied her lipstick, "Stan, don't be late for the birthday party tonight."Hearing this, I blinked in disbelief, unable to fathom such a coincidence—our birthdays were on the same day.Perhaps, I should have offered to go home myself, not wanting to intrude on my brother and his girlfriend's date, especially since it was their annual birthday celebration. But the words stuck in my th

Chapter 7: Chapter Seven: Shattered Dreams

Away from the inherent constraints and despair, my heart felt lighter, though the sense of guilt was more pronounced than ever, reminding me that this wasn't a real dream.Before I turned off my phone, I finally received my first birthday wish of the year, from a small Whatsapp group with my deskmate, Judy Richardson.I quickly replied with a "Thank you," and then saw another member, whose profile picture was of Rukawa Kaede and whose nickname was 'Yu,' send an animated GIF of a little dinosaur singing a birthday song.I pursed my lips, my fingers hovering over the screen for a moment. After taking a deep breath, I replied with another "Thank you."As soon as the message was sent, 'Yu' sent a private message: "When are you going to repay the love letter you owe me?"I frowned at the message, replying with a brief "Soon" before turning off my phone.I stretched my numb legs and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the deepening twilight.I used everything in the h

Chapter 8: Chapter Eight: No Place to Run

At the office, my colleague Sister Cynthia Gold and I went to copy the documents needed for the meeting. She has a very outgoing personality."Totally forgot to tell you, I ran into your brother and our 'Princess' when I was out for dinner with friends the other day," Cynthia Gold said as she unpacked the files, turning her head to me. "It seemed like it was her birthday, and our company only invited your brother.""Princess" is the nickname of Florence Bobby.Birthdays should be spent with important people, so she could only bring her best friend and boyfriend."Oh," I responded with a slight smile, pressing the start button, and the papers came out with a rustling sound from the other side."It was actually the first time I saw your brother drinking," Cynthia Gold said, showing a thoughtful expression, as if recalling something."What's up?" I asked.Cynthia Gold shook her head, "When I was leaving to go to the restroom, I bumped into him again. He was staring at his phone, ta

Chapter 9: Chapter Nine: Happy Birthday

Randolph Wallace's visit surprised me, yet it was also within reason. After all these years of his obsession, how could he let me go so easily?This week of peaceful life was nothing but a brief illusion before the storm. I had known this from the start, so I followed everything Stan Wallace said, neither seeing nor hearing, letting the problems lie there, and trying to enjoy as much of this tranquility as possible.But what needs to be faced will eventually come.I slowly took off my slippers and placed them aside, tiptoed to the sofa, grabbed my phone, and returned to my room, even my breathing was kept low, afraid that the devil sixteen floors below would catch a whiff of my presence.After gently closing the door, I installed an old SIM card. The screen of the phone gradually lit up, showing that the unread message counts for two Whatsapp contacts had reached 99+, one from my mother, the other from my stepfather.Opening my mother's Whatsapp, I scrolled from bottom to top, and

Chapter 10: Chapter Ten: A Love Letter?

This night, I didn't dare to sleep too deeply, always feeling that there were clicking sounds in the room. Every time I closed my eyes, it felt as if someone was approaching me. Even so, it seemed like I had a whole night of nightmares, leaving me utterly exhausted when I woke up.Unable to fall asleep, I got up early and went to the kitchen to make a sandwich. While slicing the sausage, I almost cut my finger.In the past, I never cooked; every meal was prepared by Dad. He said I didn't need to learn these things, that girls should know less, just like Mom, so that the people who love me would do everything for me in the future.Back then, he always thought he could be with me for a long time, but before I found someone who loves me, some things had to be handled by myself.So, girls should still learn more. You don't have to do it, but you can't not know how.At most, when I meet someone who loves me, I can pretend not to know, I laughed to myself, countering Dad's words.The i

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