Siwan sat in the passenger seat, and Aheng sat behind her on the same side.
This was Aheng's first time in the North, and everything was naturally new and exciting. The bustling crowds, the lively Beijing dialect full of life, the towering and orderly buildings, the exquisite courtyard houses—the same city, different styles, yet they blended together so wonderfully.
"Siwan, the traffic is terrible up ahead." The refined Secretary Li turned to Siwan with a smile, his tone questioning.
"It's very close to the school, Wen Heng and I will get off first, Uncle Li?" Si Wan hesitated for a while, looking at the long line that had been stuck at the intersection for almost twenty minutes, and answered politely with a smile.
Ah Heng, carrying her schoolbag, followed behind Si Wan, neither too close nor too far, just an arm's length away.
After a while, if Yan hope wasn't around, Aheng would always stand an arm's length away from Siwan, appearing somewhat reserved. Siwan didn't notice at first, but later realized that among all his friends, only he was treated this way, and even with his youthful gentlemanly demeanor, he couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"Little girl, it's me, your brother!" Siwan said, gently placing her hand on Aheng's head, half-jokingly.
“I know,” Ah Heng replied gently and honestly.
It was precisely because he was her older brother that she clearly remembered that he didn't like her getting close to him.
Siwan would never understand such careful and meticulous cherishing, just as he doesn't understand why he would give up Aheng again and again for Si'er.
Siwan chose a side road, passing through a winding and narrow alley. Aheng lowered her head and silently memorized the route until she reached the intersection at the street corner and saw a bustling crowd.
The power of fate lies in its ability to stand at the end and witness the amazing encounters you've created along the way. While these encounters may make you admire their irreplaceable nature, in retrospect, they seem so natural and inevitable, like tiny, almost negligible pieces in a puzzle. Only by existing can a piece be complete.
The second time Aheng saw Yanxi, her boy was sitting on a street corner, mingling with a group of old people, intently sipping milky white soy milk from a rough porcelain bowl. His long, slender, fair fingers held the rim of the bowl, and his soft black hair, shimmering with a faint purple hue in the sunlight, fell naturally along his forehead, just covering his profile and revealing only his high, delicate nose. Every single slightly upturned strand of hair was clearly visible, along with the messy stitching next to the first button of his dark blue school uniform jacket, but his face was completely blank.
It was 7:58.
"Axi, we're going to be late! Hurry up!" Siwan patted his shoulder as if it were a habit, and strode forward with her long legs.
Ah Heng watched the boy silently without blinking, watching him lazily raise his slender finger in Si Wan's direction, but never lifting his head.
Ah-shi.
It sounds like a girl's name.
Seeing the bean stains that had accidentally gotten into the boy's hair, Ah Heng smiled faintly, gently took out a white handkerchief from her pocket, silently placed it on the wooden table covered with a layer of grime, and then left.
When Aheng was at her previous home, she spoiled Zai Zai. Although she was only two years older, she had a motherly attitude towards Zai Zai, always feeding her food and medicine bite by bite and patiently taking care of her before eating herself.
Later, Eve watched as Ah Heng spoiled Yan hope so much that he became lawless and arrogant, daring to blow up planes with a grenade. Eve's desire to kill him grew stronger day by day.
"Yan hope, keep causing trouble, sooner or later the master will take you back!"
Yan hope kicked Eve hard, then looked at Aheng pitifully with starry eyes.
“He wouldn’t dare.” Ah Heng glanced at the sky and spoke gently.
"You're such a young girl, how come your maternal hormones are so strong?" Eve got up from the ground, pounding her chest and stamping her feet, almost vomiting blood.
"I'm used to it." Ah Heng smiled, brushing the snowflakes off Yan hope's shoulder, and spoke softly.
"So, Yan hope isn't the first person you've spoiled like this?" Eve glanced at Yan hope, her gloom vanishing, and smiled maliciously, revealing her gleaming white teeth.
"No." Ah Heng's voice was gentle and soft, completely lacking the sharp tone of people from City B.
So Yanxi started to feel conflicted, clinging to Aheng like an octopus and acting coquettishly, constantly asking, "How can Aheng treat others as well as she treats me? Why wasn't I the first?"
Ah Heng shut her mouth, ultimately refusing to speak again.
Why? Why wasn't it the first, but the last...?
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Back in the water town, besides her younger brother Yunzai, Aheng had many childhood friends with whom she had grown up, catching fish and playing in the water. However, before reaching high school, they all left their hometown to pursue their dreams in bustling cities in the north. Without exception, before leaving, they hugged her and said, "Aheng, Aheng, we'll miss you terribly. We must write to each other every day." But from the initial exchange of letters to completely losing contact, only a few months had passed. It was a difficult situation for Aheng; she spent many hours writing letters every day, only to be met with piles of letters from people she could never reach.
The school Ah Heng is going to is a prestigious school in City B that combines junior high and high school. Students there are either academically excellent, wealthy, or powerful—at least one of these three qualities is required.
Siwan entrusted Aheng to Director Chen of the Academic Affairs Office, whom Old Master Wen had already arranged, and then hurriedly left. Judging from the praising tone in the bespectacled, balding director's words, Siwan must be an exceptionally outstanding student. Director Chen was naturally aware of the Wen family's power and, knowing the sensitivity of Aheng's identity, placed her in the best class, Class Three.
When Aheng stood at the door of Class 3, he hesitated. His hands, gripping his schoolbag, were sweaty. Hearing the teacher's voice in the classroom, which was neither too loud nor too soft, he turned around awkwardly, intending to go in through the back door. But as he turned, he felt a gust of wind rush towards him, and then, the world spun around, and he crashed hard into the slightly closed door, falling flat on his face.
"Damn it! Why is someone blocking the doorway?!" Instantly, the classroom fell silent except for the echo of a loud curse.
Ah Heng was dizzy and disoriented. The shout of "Damn it!" made him lose his mind, and the pain from the impact caused him to stand back.
It looked like she'd rubbed her hand until it bled. Ah Heng looked at the bloodstain seeping from her palm and finally felt a sense of reality. When she looked up, she saw the other person's gaping maw with eight big white teeth, and she was horrified.
The previously tense atmosphere began to ease, replaced by deafening laughter, with some even jeering, "Auntie, you're getting old, take care of yourself!"
The man, rubbing his messy black hair, turned around and yelled, "Get the hell out of here! You're the one with periods! Your whole family has periods!!!"
"Xin Dayi!!!" The young female teacher on the podium turned as red as a tomato, trembling with anger.
"Ah, it's Teacher Lin. I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please don't be angry. You're so beautiful, it's such a mismatch between your face and that of a pig's kidney, isn't it? A smile makes you ten years younger!" The boy said with a grin, half teasing and half sarcastic.
"You!!! You get back to your seat!!!!!"
"Yes, sir!" The boy gave a haphazard salute, revealing his gleaming white teeth, and abruptly extended his hand in front of Aheng.
Ah Heng was stunned, and then began to break out in a cold sweat.
"What are you staring at!" The boy grinned, grabbed Ah Heng's wrist, and pulled her up from the ground.
Then, without having time to introduce himself, Ah Heng inexplicably and absentmindedly integrated into the new class.
The transfer student from the south was generally good-looking, but his family had some connections. That was enough. Everyone was desperately trying to get into Class 3 to get into a prestigious university. Instead of worrying about other people's ancestors, they'd be better off doing a few more practice problems.
However, some ill-fated relationships were ultimately sown.
Xin Dayi, also known as Eve, spent the next ten years in fits of rage and grief, rubbing her messy hair and pointing a trembling finger at Aheng Yanxi, as if she wanted to vomit a vat of blood—"I, Eve, have lived half my life, and made countless friends, how come I had to run into you two idiots?!"
Ah Heng smiled, her eyes gentle—"Is that so?"
Yan hope sneered, a slight smirk playing on his lips—"Whisper, you've really had a hard time, haven't you?!"
Eve roared, "Yan hope, you're not allowed to call me 'Protect the Sausage'!!!"
Yan hope opened her phoenix eyes wide, her gaze clear and sparkling, and leaned against Aheng, innocent and carefree—"How about Yueyue Bao?"
Eve was in tears—"Is there a difference?"
After thinking for a moment, Aheng answered seriously, "Yueyuebao is not as good as Whisper."
Eve was foaming at the mouth.
For Eve, being with Aheng and Yanxi would definitely shorten his life by fifty years, but if they weren't together, it would probably shorten his life by a hundred years. So, whenever everyone cried out, "Those two little brats! If anyone tries to control them, I'll smash their glasses in!", Eve was determined to play matchmaker, even if it meant being a secret agent and enduring the enemy's abuse. Her friends kicked and beat her, calling her a "masochist," but Eve, with snot and tears streaming down her face, cried, "You bunch of bastards, don't think it's easy for us! If it weren't for wanting to live fifty more years, I'd rather use Yueyuebao as diapers every day than deal with those two shameless little devils!!!"
In short, the story of Xin Shi Dayi's "one collision with Wen Heng ruined his life" that has been circulating for a long time at the prestigious Xilin University is basically not a historical anecdote.
Of course, Ah Heng and Yan hope were unaware of Eve's pain, and even if they were, they would often pretend not to know, being extremely honest.
After that day, Ah Heng always greeted people in class with a gentle smile, never annoying them... She always sat quietly in her seat, almost invisible.
Coincidentally, Xin Dayi, who bumped into her, happened to be sitting diagonally behind her. He wasn't much of a talker, but when he got sarcastic, he could leave people speechless. Unfortunately, the girls loved to tease him, making his face turn red and purple with anger, but he wouldn't get angry. Instead, he would subtly steer the conversation toward "Yan Xiwen Siwan".
"When did I become their babysitter?" the boy said bluntly, with a hint of sarcasm.
"Aren't you childhood friends with Yan hope and Wen Siwan?" The girl probing asked, her face flushed red.
Ah Heng was surprised, and the ballpoint pen in his hand drew a messy line on the exercise book.
"It's just that little bit of trash. If I told you, I'd shatter your idol image! Ladies, go wherever you want. We haven't been paparazzi for years." The young man didn't give them any face, waving them away while rolling his eyes.
Ah Heng chuckled as she recalled the bucket of water that had been splashed on Si Wan.
"Sister, what are you laughing at again?" The boy asked, puzzled, looking at the slightly trembling back in front of him.
"It's nothing," Ah Heng said softly, her voice gentle and sweet.
"Why does this girl's voice sound so strange?" Xin Dayi muttered to herself.
Ah Heng gave a faint smile, shut his mouth, and continued solving the problem.
"Oh no! How could I forget that!" The boy seemed to remember something, slapped his messy forehead, and stared intently at the somewhat thin figure in front of him. Then he picked up a pencil and gently poked the girl. "What's your last name?"
"Wen Heng, it's me." Aheng turned around and looked quietly into the boy's eyes. Her accent was still strange, but it carried a different meaning.
"As expected, her surname is Wen." For some reason, Xin Dayi thought of another girl, and her voice suddenly turned eight degrees colder. Slowly, the hand holding the pencil loosened.
At that time, "Autumn in My Heart" was very popular. After Si-er was kicked out of the Wen family, Shin-dae always thought that although he couldn't be Joon-hee, being Tae-seok shouldn't be too difficult. But no one told him that Eun-hee was still Eun-hee, but Shin-ae was no longer Shin-ae. Who should he direct his resentment and anger at?
Although Xin Dayi was impulsive and reckless from a young age, he never stooped to petty acts like ostracizing others. Even if he had to make an exception for Si'er, he would never take his anger out on an honest, unsophisticated girl who couldn't even speak properly. As a man, he had to consider his own pride; otherwise, he, Master Xin, would never be able to hold his head high in front of that scoundrel Yan Xi!
Xin Dayi was annoyed and fuming. She slammed the book down with a loud bang. Aheng vaguely felt that it was related to her. Hearing the clear and rough sound, she felt strangely calm. Her eyebrows were still as gentle as distant mountains, but with a hint of weariness.
That evening, as usual, driver Xiao Liu was waiting for Aheng and Siwan in the nearby parking lot after school. Siwan was a grade higher than Aheng and got out of school a little later.
When Siwan came out, he was carrying his schoolbag as usual, walking towards the car with gentlemanly manners and a calm demeanor. But suddenly, the boy seemed to have noticed something, and shouted incredulously towards the stone pillar, his eyes instantly filled with turmoil—"Er'er!"
Ah Heng's heart tightened. He rolled down the car window and saw the profile of a thin, long-haired girl standing frozen by a stone pillar. Hearing Si Wan's call, the girl resolutely turned and left.
At that time, Ah Heng had never thought about what the word "Er Er" really meant. She only felt a sense of unfamiliarity, as if the answer she had been searching for was right in front of her, but she had suddenly lost all desire to know.
"Er'er, can't we stay?" The voice, clear yet tinged with pain, echoed in the empty parking lot, devoid of grace and manners. Siwan's slender fingers slowly curled, her ice-blue shirt clinging to her skin, the hem clenched and slightly deformed, her pent-up grievances expressed like those of a child.
Such a vulnerable Siwan appeared before Aheng without any disguise. Without any embellishment, she seemed to trample on the dust and mud, stripping away her own facade of gentleness and self-restraint. Although Aheng knew it was insincere, she still managed to discern a few traces of warmth.
However, the girl affectionately called "Er'er" seemed not to hear her and walked straight ahead, step by step, slowly straightening her back, transforming herself into a noble and elegant swan.
Looking through the car window, Ah Heng watched Si Wan slowly approach as if nothing had happened. A fog seemed to drift through her heart, blurry and indistinct, making it impossible to see the true nature of the world at its beginning.
Have they—Siwan and Er'er, whom he keeps mentioning—all gotten lost?
They went against the grain, persisting so persistently, yet lost their direction.
And she exists, even if she has never done anything, does the mere fact that she bears the surname Wen mean destruction?
Chapter 4
Chaper4
Ah Heng sometimes thinks that life is really like a farce. Before he even understood why he was surnamed Yun, he was given the surname Wen.
What does the surname Wen signify? As Aunt Zhang said, Aheng's father was a prominent naval officer, her mother a renowned pianist, and her grandfather a political figure. A daughter from such a family undoubtedly deserved to be pampered. And Wen Si'er was precisely this girl showered with love and affection.
Since arriving in City B, the name Si'er has been like a dark cloud hanging over Aheng's head. She had vaguely guessed a part of it, but it was far less clear and shocking than when Aunt Zhang spoke.
While Ah Heng lived a simple and impoverished life in Wushui Town, constantly living in fear under the shadow of her younger brother's heart attack, a girl took her place and became Winsier.