The ride back to the city was no longer a rebellious escape; it felt like a funeral procession. The neon lights that had seemed so vibrant an hour ago now felt like taunting, artificial ghosts. When Lu Shaodong pulled up to the curb of my apartment complex, the heavy silence between us was more suffocating than the humidity.

"I’m coming up with you," Lu said, his jaw set in a hard, stubborn line as he killed the engine.

"No," I whispered, my hand trembling as I unbuckled the helmet. "If they see you, it will only make things worse. You saw my mother’s message. This isn't a movie, Lu. I can't just run away forever."

He looked at me, his eyes dark with a mixture of fury and helplessness. "I'm not leaving you to face that alone, Owl."

"Please," I gripped his arm, my eyes pleading. "Let me handle this. If I can just calm her down, maybe we can fix this. Just... go."

He lingered for a moment, his fingers brushing against mine one last time before I turned and ran toward the flickering lights of the hallway.

When I opened the door, the air in the apartment felt thin. My mother was sitting on a packed suitcase in the middle of the living room, her face pale and tear-stained. My stepfather—my "Uncle"—was standing by the window, his back to us, radiating a cold, sharp anger.

"So, the prodigy returns," he said without turning around. His voice was terrifyingly calm. "Do you have any idea what you've done, Ling Yin? I put my reputation on the line to get your mother that job, and I provided this roof over your heads. And how do you repay me? By skipping out on the most important night of my career to ride around with a delinquent?"

"It was a school project—" I started, my voice cracking.

"Don't lie to me!" my mother shrieked, jumping up. She looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown. "Lu Zhengyuan called the house! He said you kidnapped his son! He said if we don't keep you away from him, he’ll make sure your uncle loses his contract. We’re being evicted, Yin. We have nowhere to go!"

"I didn't kidnap anyone," I said, cold dread settling in my chest. "He’s my partner. We’re competing together."

"Not anymore," my uncle turned around, his eyes narrowed. "You’re withdrawing from that competition. Tomorrow, you’ll apologize to Mr. Lu, and you will never speak to that boy again. If you don't, your mother and I are done with you. You can find your own way to pay for university."

I looked at my mother, hoping for a flicker of support, but she just looked away, sobbing into her hands. I was alone. Completely, utterly alone.

Meanwhile, across the city, Lu Shaodong stood in the grand foyer of his father’s mansion. The "Palace" felt colder than ever. Lu Zhengyuan was waiting for him in the study, a glass of scotch in one hand and a stack of legal documents in the other.

"You had your fun," his father said, his voice echoing against the marble. "But now the bill has arrived. I’ve already contacted the school. The girl’s family is being dealt with. If you want them to have their life back, you’ll do exactly as I say."

Lu Shaodong took a step forward, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles bled. "Leave her out of this. This is between us."

"It stopped being between us when you involved a nobody in your rebellion," his father countered. "Here is the deal, Shaodong. You go to the MIT interview. You win the national gold—with a different partner, or alone, I don't care. And in return, I’ll reinstate her uncle’s contract and give them a place to stay. If not... well, I hope she likes living on the street as much as you like playing hero."

The silence that followed was agonizing. Lu Shaodong looked at the portrait of his family on the wall—a family that didn't exist. He thought of the blueberry candy, the ferris wheel, and the girl who looked at him like he was the only truth in a world of lies.

"Fine," Lu whispered, the word sounding like a death sentence. "I’ll go. I’ll do everything you want. Just... leave her alone."

"A wise choice," his father smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Welcome back to the real world, son."

As the moon hung low over Nanshi, two hearts were being forced back into their cages. The geometry of our love was being recalculated by people who only understood the mathematics of power.

But as I sat on the floor of my empty room that night, I realized something. They could take my house, my competition, and my silence. But they couldn't take the taste of blueberry and the memory of the wind.

The war had just begun.