Back in the water town, besides her brother Yun Zai, Ah Heng had many childhood friends who grew up together catching fish and playing in the water. However, none made it to high school—they all left their hometown to chase dreams in prosperous northern cities. Without exception, when leaving, they hugged her saying, “Ah Heng, Ah Heng, we’ll miss you so much, we must write to each other every day.”
Yet the time between their first letters and completely losing contact was merely a matter of months. It only troubled Ah Heng, who spent much time writing letters only to worry over a pile of “addressee unknown” returned mail.
The school Ah Heng would attend was Xi Lin, City B’s prestigious school combining middle and high school. Students there were either academically excellent, wealthy, or from powerful families—at least one of the three.
Si Wan entrusted Ah Heng to Director Chen from the Academic Affairs Office before hurrying away. Judging by Director Chen’s praising tone, Si Wan must have been an outstanding student in all aspects.
Director Chen, well aware of the Wen family’s influence and sensitive to Ah Heng’s identity, placed her in Class Three—the best class in first-year high school.
Ah Heng stood at Class Three’s doorway, hesitating, her hand gripping her backpack sweaty as she heard the lecture inside. Embarrassed, she tried to enter through the back door. As she turned, she felt a gust of wind rush toward her, and suddenly the world spun as she crashed solidly into the partially closed door, falling in a complete daze.
“Damn! Grandma’s teeth, who’s blocking the door!” Instantly, the classroom fell so silent that only the echo of that loud curse could be heard.
Ah Heng was dizzy, that “damn” shocking her soul out of her body. When she looked up, she saw the other person’s blood-red mouth showing eight big white teeth, and couldn’t help feeling terrified. It seemed she was bleeding—Ah Heng looked at the blood seeping from her palm, finally feeling something real.
The frozen atmosphere began to thaw as thunderous laughter erupted, with the bolder students even jeering: “Auntie Flow, you’re getting old, take care of yourself!”
The person rubbed their messy black hair, turning back to curse: “Go to hell! You’re the one with Auntie Flow! Your whole family has Auntie Flow!”
“Xin Da Yi!” The female teacher at the podium’s face turned tomato-red, trembling with anger.
“Ah, Teacher Guo, I’m sorry! My bad. Don’t be angry—you’re so beautiful, that pig-kidney complexion doesn’t suit you at all, right? Smile, and you’ll look ten years younger!” The youth grinned impishly, half teasing, half mocking.
“You!! Get back to your seat!!!”
“Yes!” The youth made a crooked military salute, flashing his brilliant white teeth, then abruptly extended his hand to Ah Heng.
Ah Heng was dazed and then began to break out in cold sweat.
“What are you spacing out for!” The youth grinned, grabbed Ah Heng’s wrist, and pulled her up from the ground.
And so, before she could introduce herself, Ah Heng inexplicably and dazedly became part of the new class.
The students discreetly observed Ah Heng—a transfer student from the south, with ordinary pretty looks, and some family connections. Knowing this was enough. Everyone had fought to get into Class Three to enter top universities; rather than waste time investigating others’ ancestral history, they’d rather solve two more problems.
However, some fateful connections were still destined to form.
Xin Da Yi, in the following decade, would periodically have fits of grief and indignation, rubbing his messy hair, pointing at Ah Heng and Yan Xi with trembling fingers, as if about to spit blood: “I, Xin Da Yi, have lived half my life, made friends as numerous as fish crossing the Yangtze and carp in the Yellow River, how did I end up with you two troublemakers?!”
Ah Heng would smile, her eyes gentle: “Really?”
Yan Xi would sneer, lips slightly curved: “Kotex must be hard for you?!”
Da Yi would rage: “Yan Xi, don’t you dare call me Kotex!!!”
Yan Xi widened his phoenix eyes, innocently: “Then how about Whisper?”
Da Yi would be tearful: “Is there any difference?”
Ah Heng would ponder for a moment, seriously answering: “Whisper isn’t as good as Kotex.”
Da Yi would foam at the mouth.
For Xin Da Yi, Ah Heng, and Yan Xi being together would shorten his life by fifty years, but their not being together would probably shorten it by a hundred years. So whenever others cried out “You two kids, whoever meddles with them again, I’ll let tofu knock them silly when they go out,” Da Yi would vow to play matchmaker, willing to suffer as an underground agent even if it meant being trampled by the enemy. His friends would kick and beat him, calling him a “masochist.”
He would sob with snot and tears: “You bunch of brats don’t know how hard this is, if it weren’t for living fifty years longer, I’d rather use Whisper as diapers every day than manage that shameless couple!!!”
Ahem, in short, the long-circulating Xi Lin legend of Xin Da Yi’s “One crash with Wen Heng sealed his fate” was not just hearsay.
After that day, Ah Heng would always greet people in class with a gentle smile, not annoying anyone, always sitting quietly at her desk, half invisible.
Coincidentally, Xin Da Yi who had crashed into her sat diagonally behind her. He didn’t talk much either, but when he got chatty, he could leave people speechless. The girls especially loved to chat with him, and though he’d make their faces turn purple and red, they wouldn’t get angry, instead circuitously steering the conversation toward “Yan Xi and Wen Si Wan.”
“When did I become their nanny?” The youth spoke bluntly, with sarcasm.
“Aren’t you childhood friends with Yan Xi and Wen Si Wan?” The gossiping girl’s face turned red with effort.
Ah Heng was surprised, her pen drawing a messy line across her exercise book.
“That little bit of drama, I’m afraid if I tell you, your idols will crumble! Sisters, go love wherever you want, I haven’t been a paparazzi for many years.” The youth showed no mercy, waving them away while rolling his eyes.
Ah Heng remembered the basin of water poured on Si Wan and burst out laughing.
“Sister, what are you laughing at now?” The youth was puzzled, watching the slightly shaking back in front of him.
“Nothing.” Ah Heng spoke softly, her voice sticky and sweet.
“Why does this girl’s voice sound so weird?” Xin Da Yi muttered quietly.
Ah Heng smiled faintly, closed her mouth, and continued solving problems.
“Ah! How could I forget about this!” The youth seemed to remember something, slapped his messy forehead, his bright big eyes staring straight at the somewhat thin back in front, then picked up his pencil and gently poked the girl, “What’s your surname?”
“Wen Heng, I am.” Ah Heng turned around, quietly looking into the youth’s eyes, her accent still strange but carrying some other meaning.
“So it is Wen.” Xin Da Yi somehow thought of another girl, his voice suddenly dropping eight degrees, and slowly, his hand holding the pencil loosened.
Though Xin Da Yi had been reckless since childhood, acting without considering consequences, he never stopped bullying others. Even if he had to make an exception for Si Er’s sake, he definitely wouldn’t take out his anger on an honest, unsophisticated little girl who couldn’t even speak properly. As a man, he had to maintain his dignity—otherwise, how could he hold his head high in front of that fellow Yan Xi!!!
He felt irritated, holding in a belly full of fire, so he slammed his books making loud “bang bang” sounds.
Ah Heng vaguely felt it had something to do with her. Hearing the clear, rough sounds, her heart strangely became calm, her eyebrows still gentle like distant mountains, but carrying a hint of weariness.
That evening after school, Secretary Li was waiting as usual in the nearby parking lot for Ah Heng and Si Wan. Si Wan, being one grade higher than Ah Heng, finished classes later.
When Si Wan came out, his expression was unruffled, but suddenly, as if discovering something, he unbelievably shouted toward the stone pillar, waves instantly gathering in his eyes: “Er Er!”
Ah Heng’s chest tightened. She turned to look and saw the side silhouette of a frail long-haired girl frozen beside the stone pillar. She heard Si Wan’s shout but fled in panic.
At this time, Ah Heng hadn’t yet thought about what “Er Er” truly meant, only feeling a strange sensation in her heart, as if the answer she had been constantly seeking was right before her eyes, yet suddenly she lost all desire to know.
“Er Er, can’t you stay?” In the empty school gate, a voice wrapped in threads of pain echoed. Si Wan’s long fingers slowly curled, his ice-blue shirt clinging to his skin, the hem crumpled from his grip, such grievance bottled up in his heart, expressed like a child.
But the girl intimately called “Er Er” walked straight ahead as if she hadn’t heard, step by step, slowly straightening her back, forcefully becoming as noble and elegant as a white swan.
Wen Si Wan lost his gentleness and politeness but didn’t chase after her. He walked to a distance, leaned against the stone pillar, and only returned after a long while, his eyes red, looking at Ah Heng more politely and more distantly.
A fog seemed to spread in Ah Heng’s heart, making everything hazy, unable to see the original true appearance of this world. They—Si Wan and the “Er Er” he spoke of—were they both lost? Going in opposite directions, walking so persistently, yet losing their way.
And she, existing, even though she hadn’t done anything, did just having the surname Wen mean destruction?