Doris reached into her pocket, retrieved a pack of ladies’ cigarettes, took one out, and put it in her mouth. Then, she reached for the lighter again, but she had a hard time lighting the cigarette as her hands were trembling. After several attempts, she managed to light the lighter, and the cigarette was finally lit.

Her face was extremely pale under the reflection of the fire.

When the cigarette was ignited, Doris gently bit the cigarette with her pinkish lips and took in a deep breath. Right then, it was so quiet that she could hear the unique sound of the burnt tobacco.

Doris rarely smoked, and she did not like to smoke either, but due to her diligence at work, she was often overly tired as well as upset. Therefore, she would occasionally smoke a cigarette to bring her some relief.

As the smoke puffed out from her delicate nose, feeling the stimulation produced by the nicotine in her brain, Doris couldn’t help shedding two lines of hot tears down her cheeks.

Her mother’s words