"...You yourself said you hate me..."
"No matter how much we hate each other, we're still brothers!"
Ah Heng sniffed and finally ran to Xin Dayi's side.
"You...did you...train for a marathon before..." Xin Dayi ran out of breath, and finally, her legs gave way, and she collapsed on the grass of the football field, panting heavily.
Ah Heng blushed and remained silent. She recalled the time when Yun's father chased her all over town. That's how she developed her leg skills.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Sweat dripped from Xin Dayi's forehead onto his neck.
"Xin Dayi, please stop crying, okay?" Aheng's voice was soft and sweet.
"Who...who's crying?" the boy sniffled, feeling perfectly normal. But damned liquid kept streaming down his face, blurring his vision, making it clear then blurry again...
"Here you go..." Ah Heng handed the handkerchief to the boy.
Xin Dayi wiped her eyes hard with a handkerchief, but then smelled a strange odor. She sniffed it and realized it was coming from the handkerchief—"What's that smell?"
"Ah, braised pork rice, yesterday, it rolled on top of that..."
"..." Is it the braised pork rice that picks up smelly socks, smelly shoes, trash and junk and brings them home?
Hehe. It should be it.
Ah Heng nodded at Da Yi's despairing gaze.
"Wen Heng, I'll destroy you!!!!"
Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Yan hope has a girlfriend, and she's a stunning beauty.
When the news spread, the entire school, both male and female, was filled with wails of grief.
The girl's situation was much simpler; she just wailed about losing Yan hope.
The boys' feelings were extremely complex. Some were jealous of Yan Xi, some regretted that the beauty had won the heart of another beauty, and some lamented that the beauty wasn't theirs. So, they were conflicted and groaned...
After Xin Dayi cried her heart out that day, she acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to play and make a fuss with Yan hope as usual.
Yan hope was also puzzled. He acted as if nothing had happened, with a calm expression and no remorse towards Xin Dayi.
Ah Heng watched from the sidelines, racking her brains over the situation. She realized she wasn't cut out to be a saint and resolve disputes, so she pretended nothing had happened and continued living her peaceful and happy life.
Well, the person who's acting the most strange is actually Siwan. Every day, he subtly probes Aheng, acting like a gentle and kind older brother, asking her what happened at school, from big things like who argued with whom in class to small things like how many ribs she ate at noon. He asks her about everything related to Yan Xida Yi Chen Juan, no matter how big or small.
Ah Heng was also gentle and kind. Sniffing, she described in her broken Mandarin in a vivid and detailed way: "Today, Da Yi glared at Yan Xi really hard; today, Yan Xi mentioned Si Wan a lot more; today, Rou Si Mei Li wore a beautiful pale yellow scarf..."
Upon hearing this, Siwan's eyebrows twitched, and her smile looked more like a grimace—"Aheng, do you know something?"
Ah Heng said, "I don't know, I don't know anything."
Siwan looked at Aheng, holding back for a long time, but couldn't utter a single word. She just watched her own sister's gentle eyebrows and eyes, which were as beautiful as mountains and rivers.
In fact, she really didn't know anything. It was just that Yan hope's behavior towards Chen Juan was too fake. He was clearly deliberately putting on an ambiguous and intimate act for Da Yi's benefit. And Chen Juan was genuinely wearing a scarf all the time, even during PE class.
An outsider's perspective is always clearer; that's enough.
It wasn't that Aheng thought too highly of herself; to be honest, in her opinion, Chen Juan was far less attractive to Yan hope than the ribs she made.
Yan hope has a peculiar eating habit: he always saves his favorite and most delicious foods for last. So, every time he eats a meal, he always eats the other side dishes and rice first, leaving the ribs for last to savor.
Aheng felt that Yanxi had an obsessive possessiveness and protectiveness towards the ribs within his sphere of influence. If an outsider were to infringe upon his ribs, the consequences could be immeasurable, like the surging tide of the Yellow River.
As it turned out, she was absolutely right.
One day, Yan hope glanced sideways at Xin Dayi, pinching—you could tell from Chen Juan's almost distorted face that it was a pinch—his new girlfriend's delicate hand, spitting out cheesy words—"Rousi, I think we two are a pair of lovebirds in the sky, a pair of mandarin ducks in the water, a pair of landlubbers on land, our love will last forever, no matter what difficulties or setbacks we face, we can never be separated. I love you so much that I wish I could give myself to you, darling!"
Chen Juan had a dark, rose-colored face.
Xin Dayi's black hair stood on end, and her hand holding the chopsticks trembled.
Ah Heng twitched her lips, looking at the lunchbox where Yan hope had only eaten the ribs left, and said gently, "Yan hope, the ribs will get cold."
Yan hope looked down and saw neatly arranged, oily spare ribs in the lunchbox. He smiled contentedly and picked up a spoon to scoop out a piece and put it in his mouth.
Mary leaned over curiously, looking at the ribs, and asked softly, "Is it really that delicious?"
Then, he naturally picked up a piece with his fingers and put it in his mouth. After chewing it, he felt that although it tasted good, it was just ordinary pork rib flavor. He didn't taste any rare flavors like abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, or fish maw.
When she looked up again, she unconsciously shifted her hips back a little.
A pair of large, dark, bright eyes stared at her with unwavering determination and murderous intent. Her delicate face was darker than the bottom of a pot, and her hand holding the spoon was clenched tightly. She gritted her teeth and said, "Who told you to touch my ribs?"
May was stunned—"Just one piece of pork rib..."
Yan hope's lips curled into a cold, hard smile—"That's mine, not yours!"
Mary pouted – “You just said you loved me so much you wanted to give yourself to me!”
Yan hope slammed his fist on the table—"Don't you understand what an exaggeration is, you uncultured foreigner!"
Xin Dayi couldn't take it anymore and slammed her hand on the table—"Yan hope, can't you be a little nicer to people when you're dating them?!"
Yan hope spoke coolly, "How have I been bad to her? She said she wished she could give herself to her!"
Xin Dayi seemed genuinely enraged, dumping the entire lunchbox of ribs onto the ground—"Yan hope, you son of a bitch, I'm not letting you eat ribs today, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Yan hope also got angry—"If you don't like me, fine, but why are you picking on my ribs!"
Ah Heng felt that Xin Dayi was like a balloon, constantly being inflated by Yan hope's provocations. But the balloon's elasticity wasn't very good, and sure enough, "pop," it burst!
"I just don't like the look of you, so what!"
Yan hope rolled up his sleeves—"Damn it, let's fight one-on-one!"
"You think I wouldn't dare! Let's fight one-on-one then!" Xin Dayi raised his head and rolled up his sleeves.
"You're getting cheeky, huh!" Yan hope flicked Xin Dayi's forehead with a flick of her wrist, and with a bang, golden light burst forth, and birds flew up in a flurry.
"Yan hope, don't think I wouldn't dare hit you!" Xin Dayi's tone was firm, but then it became clear that her voice was trembling with tears.
Ah Heng smiled slightly, and Da Yi was clearly being coquettish.
Yan hope sneered, his tone serious – “In the end, isn’t it all about a woman? Do you need me to lend you a few more lives?”
Silence reigned.
The students exchanged glances, and finally, their eyes settled on two boys.
That tone was so aggressive and intimidating that anyone who heard it would find it utterly detestable.
Ah Heng was surprised, but when she turned her head and saw the beautiful woman with the rose that was being fought over, she smiled knowingly and disdainfully, with a delicate smile on her lips.
Xin Dayi rubbed his eyes hard with his sleeve, veins bulging on his forehead. He clenched his fist, took a step forward, grabbed Yan hope's pink shirt collar, his eyes bloodshot, and glared at Yan hope with a sinister look.
Yan hope looked back at the boy, his eyes still dark and bright, the vibrant colors of falling peach blossoms covering all the emotions in his eyes. He looked at him calmly, a hint of mockery on his lips.
Xin Dayi gritted her teeth, raised her fist, and swung it, but it stopped at the corner of Yan hope's eye.
He turned around, a gust of wind blew, the door slammed shut, and he walked out.
Ah Heng sighed and ran out again.
Xin Shi EVE's habit of running away at the first sign of trouble is really unlikable. However, this time, thankfully, she didn't use the speed she used to gather herbs on the mountain; Xin Dayi had already stopped.
He turned his head, his chest heaving, and said in a very serious and aggrieved tone, "Aheng, tell me, what's wrong with Yan hope? Why does he always want me to hate him?"
Aheng was stunned; she hadn't expected Xin Dayi to ask her that question. But then, her expression relaxed, and she felt genuinely envious of Yan hope.
How fortunate we are to have such a close friend with whom we have no suspicion.
Ah Heng smiled gently and said, "Da Yi, help me out, and I'll talk to you later."
*****************Divider*****************
Xin Dayi stood beside the cramped sink, his nose catching a faint stench, and his face turned green—"Wen Heng, what trouble do you have that makes me have to help you in the women's restroom?!"
Ah Heng chuckled – “Da Yi, just bear with it, it’ll be over soon.”
They were standing in what used to be the women's restroom for faculty and staff, next to the old teaching building. Later, when the school was being evaluated as an outstanding middle school in the city, the old teaching building was demolished and a new one was built. The restroom here was far from the new building, and the toilets were old-fashioned with no doors, so it was abandoned and rarely used.
Ah Heng glanced at his watch, estimated the time, and then silenced Xin Dayi. The two of them huddled in a corner to observe quietly.
Approaching footsteps could be heard in the distance.
A pale yellow scarf, as delicate and charming as a rose.
It's Chen Juan!
Xin Dayi turned her head quickly, her face burning, glaring angrily at Aheng.
"Damn it! Wen Heng, how could a fine young man like me act like a hooligan!" Xin Dayi exclaimed, gesturing wildly.
"You don't think it's being a hooligan, but I think it is." Ah Heng mouthed the words, sighed, gently turned the boy's head, and closed her own eyes.
Since Siwan was beaten, she had been observing Chen Juan for a long time and found that she never went to the toilet during breaks. Instead, during lunch break, she often turned towards the old teaching building.
I originally brought Dayi along just to try my luck, but unexpectedly, we actually ran into her.
After that lovely, rose-like girl drifted away, Aheng opened her eyes and saw that Xin Dayi's face was as green as black, and her expression was like that of someone who had swallowed a fly.
Judging from this, it seems she guessed correctly.
After a long silence, Xin Dayi slowly frowned, wanting to cry but unable to—"Aheng, Siwan knew all along, and then Yanxi knew too, right?"
Ah Heng shook his head – “I’m not sure.”
Siwan's reaction to Da Yi's pursuit of Mary, and Yan hope's reaction before and after hitting Siwan, only revealed a few clues.
They walked back in silence, but Ah Heng sensed that Da Yi's emotions were reaching a breaking point.
As expected, when they returned to class, Xin Dayi hit Yan hope.
There was crimson blood at the corner of the boy's mouth.
"Yanxi, you and Siwan already knew, didn't you?" Xin Dayi's eyes were full of disappointment and grievance.
Yan hope was surprised and stunned. Then he narrowed his eyes and looked at Mary.
Mary glanced at Ah Heng and smiled seductively—"Don't glare at me, I didn't say anything, they just happened to see it."