Glacier sister, don't want to be a sandwich

This thought was like the last straw, supporting him to move forward alone in countless late nights.

He told himself that it was all worth it - overtime, social engagements, and the increasingly distant relationship with his family, all for his career and for the so-called "success."

But sitting on the cold steps, he suddenly felt uncertain. The night breeze blew away the alcohol and the thoughts that had been hidden by his busy schedule, revealing a blank space deep in his heart that he didn't want to look at directly.

He looked up at the night sky of Tokyo, at the neon lights flashing between the tall buildings.

The colorful lights reflected on his slightly tired face, reflecting a hint of coldness.

Somehow, his thoughts suddenly drifted back to high school.

At that time, he was standing on the simple campus stage, holding the guitar tightly in his hand, the pick jumping flexibly on his fingertips, and his heartbeat accelerating with the drum beats and melody.

The flickering glow sticks in the audience were like countless stars, illuminating the dream that he once thought was within his reach.

But now, the hands that once held the picks have long been accustomed to the cold keyboards and documents.

The fingertips no longer press the strings flexibly, but are stained with a faint smell of tobacco, and thin calluses formed by years of holding a pen and signing can be vaguely seen between the knuckles.

He looked down at his hands. His finger bones were clearly visible, but he could no longer find the warmth he had felt when he held the guitar.

"How long has it been since I last touched a guitar?"

The thought crept into his mind with a prickly nostalgia.

He tried hard to recall the last time he played, but all he remembered was the dusty guitar case in the corner of his old home and the old pick forgotten in the depths of a drawer.

"And how long has it been since you sang outside of social gatherings?"

His throat tightened slightly, as if blocked by something invisible.

Those melodies that I once sang freely are now just a few perfunctory words forced out to liven up the atmosphere at the dinner table.

He smiled bitterly, rested his fingers on his knees, and his fingertips unconsciously imitated the action of plucking the strings, but there were no strings or notes in the void, only the cold night wind blowing.

Ichinose Ren looked down at his fingers, suddenly smiled at himself, slowly stood up, and brushed the dust off his trousers.

He murmured to himself with a hint of bitter ridicule: "When you get older...it's easy to think too much after drinking."

The sound was blown away by the night wind and floated lightly onto the deserted street. No one responded, only the occasional sound of car horns in the distance and the elongated shadows under the street lights.

He took a deep breath, as if to expel all the unnecessary sadness, straightened his suit jacket that was messed up by the night wind, and patted the corners of his clothes, as if to wipe away all the unnecessary emotions.

"Forget it, go home."

----------------

"I am back."

Ichinose Ren took out his key and skillfully inserted it into the lock. With a faint metallic clang, the door opened. His voice was quiet, with a habitual lowness, as if he didn't expect any response.

After all, every time he returned home, he was often greeted only by empty darkness and dead silence.

However, tonight seemed a little different.

The light from the corridor poured in through the crack in the door. He was stunned for a moment and found that the light in the living room was on.

The warm yellow light cast a soft glow in the quiet room, forming a sharp contrast with the previous darkness.

Ichinose Ren frowned slightly, took off her shoes, and walked lightly, as if she was facing some unexpected existence.

He casually hung his suit jacket on the hook in the entrance, loosened his tie, and walked towards the living room.

"Su Shi?"

There was a hint of doubt and hesitation in his voice. His eyes swept across the living room and he saw a familiar figure curled up on the sofa - Ichinose Suyo.

She was lying on her side, holding a thin blanket, breathing evenly, and was obviously asleep.

The light shone on her quiet profile, outlining a soft outline, but there was a hint of fatigue between her brows.

Ichinose Ren took a few steps closer, squatted down, reached out and gently patted Su Shi's shoulder, speaking in a low voice, as if afraid of disturbing her dream.

"Su Shi, don't sleep here. You'll catch a cold."

Su Shi opened his eyes drowsily and met Lian's slightly tired face with hazy eyes.

However, the next second, a faint smell of alcohol mixed with the remaining chill in the air hit me in the face.

She frowned slightly, as if stimulated by the familiar and pungent smell of alcohol to become more sober.

After his eyes finally adjusted to the light in the room, Su Shi could finally see the face of the person in front of him.

"Welcome back... Dad."

Ichinose Ren was slightly startled, his expression as if slightly scratched by these words. He quickly gathered his emotions, trying to keep his tone calm as he asked, "Sushi, why did you fall asleep here? Where's Mom?"

He stood up as he spoke, his eyes subconsciously scanning the surroundings, trying to find his lover. His eyes swept across the neatly arranged dining table, the empty kitchen, and then to the half-open bedroom door, where a dim light shone through, but no one responded to his voice.

Su Shi rubbed her eyes, sat up, and wrapped the thin blanket tightly around her. There was still some sleepiness in her voice: "Mom just came back from overtime work, took a shower and went to bed."

Hearing this, Ichinose Ren frowned slightly and the corners of his mouth twitched, as if he wanted to say something.

"Tsk..."

He smacked his lips softly, and the words in his throat were suddenly swallowed back when they were about to come out.

He wanted to complain about something, but then he realized that he had just returned home.

The air was filled with a faint smell of alcohol and the fragrance of laundry detergent. The brief silence between father and daughter seemed to be prolonged by these two smells.

After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice, his voice hoarse and low, as if diluted by the night: "Don't sleep on the sofa, go to the room, you will catch a cold."

He paused, his voice lowered a bit, and added almost casually, "And... you don't have to wait for me to come home later."

However, Su Shi did not stand up and leave immediately.

She sat on the sofa with her knees hugged, a corner of the thin blanket slipped off, revealing her slightly cold wrist, and looked up at her father.

"Dad, I have something I want to tell you."

Lian was slightly startled, and her movement to turn around and leave froze in place.

He slowly turned his head and met Su Shi's eyes. There was no longer the previous obedience and silence in his eyes. Instead, there was a very firm look.

Ichinose Ren always felt that he had seen that look somewhere before, but... now he couldn't remember where it was.

Under Su Shi's gaze, Lian's throat tightened slightly, and her Adam's apple slid up and down. In the end, she did not say any more words of excuses, but just uttered a word softly.

"it is good."

--------------

I found out that Sushi’s mother didn’t even have a name, let alone her father, so I created one.

Chapter 97: Su Shi's Determination (Part 2)

Ichinose Suyo skillfully took out the teapot and cup, took out a pack of sobering tea, carefully tore open the package, poured the tea leaves into the cup, then turned on the kettle and poured boiling water into the cup. Instantly, wisps of white mist rose up, appearing particularly hazy under the dim light.

The tea leaves slowly expand in the water, and a faint fragrance mixed with hot air drifts away.

She walked back to the living room with the cup in her hand. The tea swayed slightly, reflecting her slightly tired profile.

She gently placed the tea on the tea table in front of her father. Without saying anything extra, she just whispered, "Dad, have some tea to wake you up."

Looking at the steam rising from the cup, Su Shi's thoughts drifted away involuntarily.

She still remembered that the last time she made sobering tea for her father was last week.

The scene then was almost exactly the same as now - the same teacup, the same silence. The only difference was probably the different expression on my father's face.

But she couldn't quite remember when was the last time she sat down and had a good talk with her father?

She tried hard to find the answer in her mind, and her brows unconsciously frowned slightly.

Was it the Chinese New Year a few months ago?

No, at that time the house was filled with awkward silence. The cold war between Dad and Mom was like an invisible wall, cutting the whole family into alienated fragments.

It seems...longer than I thought.

A hint of bitterness arose in Su Shi's heart.

————————————————————————————

Ichinose Ren looked at the steaming teacup in front of her.

His gaze passed over the teacup and fell on the busy little figure.

Su Shi was concentrating on arranging the tea set. The light cast a slender shadow on her figure, which fell on the clean wooden floor, making her look a little lonely and thin.

Lian was slightly stunned, and suddenly realized that she had become accustomed to this scene - her daughter silently took over the role of household chores and took care of him like a little adult.

Making sobering tea, tidying up his messy suit, and even waiting for him to come home late at night... These daily routines that he had long taken for granted were now like a mirror, reflecting the neglect that he had never faced.

"Sushi... is just a fifth-grade student."

This thought came suddenly and hit his heart hard, with a dull stinging feeling.

Suddenly, a thought came to my mind: "Generally speaking, children who go to bed early are taken care of by their parents."

At that time, he just nodded casually, his mind had already flown back to the pile of work, and he didn't take it to heart at all.

But at this moment, these words were like a sharp needle, accurately piercing the softest part of his heart.

"Yeah... I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now that I think about it, it seems to make some sense."

He subconsciously looked down at his hands. There were still faint traces of keyboard pressing on his slender fingers, and the thin calluses on his fingertips were no longer the marks left by guitar practice, but the cold evidence of indifference accumulated from countless overtime work and signatures.

"When did I take all this for granted?"

Su Shi should be a carefree elementary school student spoiled by his parents, instead of a "little adult" who makes sobering tea for his father late at night and silently guards the empty living room.

------------

After Su Shi sat down, Ichinose Ren opened her mouth slightly, but still didn't know how to start.

Ichinose Ren opened her mouth slightly, her throat moving slightly, but no sound came out.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment, and even breathing seemed heavy.

His fingers gently stroked the wall of the cup, feeling the warmth, as if trying to find the courage to speak.

But he didn't know what to say.

To be exact, he didn't know what else he could say to his daughter.

He lowered his head and stared at the tea in the cup. The tea leaves slowly sank and floated in the water, exuding a faint bitter smell.

He suddenly realized that he hadn't looked into Su Shi's eyes seriously for a long time, and he had no idea what she was thinking, what she liked, or... how she was doing recently.

Work, social engagements, and promotions seemed to fill his life and obscure what he should be focusing on.

Just like this lamp in my home, I usually ignore its existence, and only realize its warmth in the dark.

He opened his mouth, trying to break the silence, but found his throat dry and even simple greetings became awkward.

Just as he fell into a frozen silence, Su Shi raised her head, her clear eyes looking straight at him, her voice not loud but with a clear power, breaking the dullness -

"father!"

Her voice was particularly loud in the quiet living room.

Ichinose Ren was slightly stunned, as if she was brought back to reality from her thoughts by this sudden call.

He leaned forward slightly and looked at Su Shi in panic. He didn't know why he felt a little nervous when facing his daughter.

A dryness welled up in my throat, and I began to stutter subconsciously: "What...what happened?"

"My mother told me that you formed a band when you were young?" asked Ichinose Suyo.

He tried to force a smile, but his tone was hesitant and bewildered: "Huh? Um... yes, we did form a group."

The tone of his voice was a little stiff, as if he was suddenly pulled back to a memory that he didn't want to face but couldn't forget.

What was strange was that he had just recalled his childhood days alone on the street at night, and now his daughter was asking him about it.

Su Shi asked gradually, "Mom said Dad sings very well, but I haven't heard Dad sing yet."

Ichinose Ren widened her eyes slightly, as if caught off guard by these words.

"Mom...did she say that?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in his tone, even a subtle panic, as if he had heard something strange yet familiar.

Su Shi looked up at his father, a warm smile on his lips, his eyes clear as water, his tone brisk and firm: "Yeah... I told you!"