“Yeah. Sheng Siwei at your service. Are you surprised to see me?”
“Very, very surprised.” Thank God I’m not from Sheng Gang, or I’d be fainting from excitement! ^_^ … But this guy is really full of himself. Does he think I’m from Sheng Gang? Wow! Should I tell him I’m not? Kid, I still remember you with that runny nose from back in the day, how could I possibly fall for you?
“I should’ve waited for you at the school gate, maybe… that would have been cooler.”
Good heavens! He was going to wait for me at the school gate!! Is it the trend now to have handsome guys falling from the sky? I, Xiang Xiaowu, always thought that even if lightning struck me eight times, a handsome guy wouldn’t hit me once, but… O(∩_∩)O~ it came so suddenly. But… cough, how can he be so cool? No wonder the girls from Sheng Gang are crazy about him, especially those breathtaking brown sunglasses. A voice inside me asked: Is Xiang Xiaowu going to betray Leader Gu? Another voice answered: No way! I’m a staunch fan of Leader Gu. With that thought, I lifted my head coolly and said, “It doesn’t matter where we meet.”
“Xiang Xiaowu is truly Xiang Xiaowu, always so unique,” he laughed.
I shrugged. Of course, I won’t let you outshine me; I’m from Gu Gang! I’ll fight you to the end.
“Xiang Xiaowu,” he said, “Do you remember why we fought back then?”
I was stumped. Yeah! Why did we fight back then? All I remember now is feeling dizzy and confused, my mind full of thoughts about Xiang Xiaoxi. But I swear, it wasn’t because I thought he was particularly annoying that I fought with him. I didn’t even have a reason: did I accidentally ruin his painting, or did he ruin mine?
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember,” he said. “Come, I’ll show you something.”
I had no choice but to comply. I pushed the car into the garage and locked it; when I looked up, he was very close to me, backlit, and I could clearly see the scar on his forehead. Though faded over the years, it was still quite distinct upon closer inspection, and I couldn’t help but remember the day when blood was streaming down his face… The past seemed to unfold vividly as if it were just yesterday, yet eight years had already passed. Eight whole years, with countless days and nights flowing by grandly. In another eight years, or ten sets of eight, neither I nor he would exist in this world anymore. How could seeing him make me reflect on life? It was such a melancholic thing! And that scar on his forehead, it seemed to remind me of something. Has the past really passed? No! — That was my masterpiece. I thought of Xiang Xia again, and my heart began to ache, really ache, to the point where tears almost came out. “How about it? Pretty cool, huh?” Sheng Siwei still had that cool-to-the-death expression on his face. Seeing him like that, I forgot the pain and couldn’t help but want to laugh. Over all these years, I hadn’t even thought there would be a day when we would meet again. “A laugh means you approve,” he said, looking at me earnestly, his eyes filled with an indescribable affection that I dared not meet, so I turned away, pretending to look elsewhere, smiled, and didn’t respond. He grabbed my hand and quickly led me towards the river. This time, I didn’t shake him off, thinking it as compensation for him. By the river, there was an easel set up, with a freshly completed comic in full view. The watercolor box was open beside it, and the painting depicted a schoolgirl in a skirt, sitting on a window ledge, lost in thought, gazing at the sky. Above her head was a vast expanse of blue sky, with ivy covering the walls around her. She sat there, her hands supporting her on the ledge, her gaze both lonely and elusive. If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, the girl in the painting somewhat resembled me in the mirror. But how could that be? Why would he draw me? I’m not a beauty, after all. Cough! Although I, Xiang Xiaowu, am not beautiful, my charm is astonishing O(∩∩)O~. Allow you to join Sheng’s fan club with me. Sheng Siwei said, “I was painting this when you walked over and stepped on my foot. I don’t know why, but I blurted out ‘sorry’, and you got angry, picked up the watercolor box, and threw it at my painting. Before I could understand what was happening, the stool came flying, and then my forehead was hit, blood flowing non-stop.” He laughed, “Xiang Xiaowu, you were too much! You hit me, and yet you screamed louder than me.” I hung my head. A hero doesn’t dwell on past glory! Cough, I barely remember what happened back then. “Actually, I was about to transfer to Beijing, and I intended to give you that painting as a farewell gift. But you ruined it.” So that’s how it was! ^^ If Sheng’s brainless fans found out, wouldn’t they die of jealousy? Ah~ I pretended to be nonchalant, “Is that so?” “Of course!” He smiled warmly at me, pulling my hand, “Xiang Xiaowu, to make up for the past regret, I’ve decided to give you another one. Look, I spent an entire afternoon to finish this. Do you like it?” I stood rigidly, letting him hold my hand, my head bowed very low. — How could I not like such a beautiful painting? — How could I not like such a handsome leader of Sheng’s gang? ^^ “Xiang Xiaowu, actually, I’ve always remembered you.” Then, his hand lifted my face. Hey, hey! What are you doing? I was stunned, eyes wide with shock looking at him, — the sunset cast a golden glow on his face, very ethereal, very handsome. At that moment, my feelings were somewhat blurred until he gently pressed his lips against mine. No way, I belong to Gu’s gang, it felt like an electric shock, and suddenly I came to my senses, frantically breaking free from him. My heart was in chaos, like a frightened deer escaping in panic. Although this was a scene many girls at Yunxiao School dream of, but… but I, Xiang Xiaowu, am loyal to Gu’s gang, vowing to follow Gu’s leader to the death. And how could this guy kiss me without my consent? That was my first kiss! (><)~~ I opened the door, threw myself onto the bed, and buried myself in the covers, crying in sorrow. I didn’t know why I was so sad, tears gushing out like a burst pipe. The sobbing gradually stopped as the night fell, I got up, turned on the light, and barefoot walked into the bathroom. The large mirror across from me reflected my image, my gaze fixed on my lips, my mind blank. I thought of Gu Nanxiang, feeling quite guilty, though I wasn’t sure why I had such thoughts, but once formed, they lingered. — Did I do wrong? I didn’t know. I stood disheveled under the shower, like a puppet, numbly turning on the tap. Cold water poured over my head, feeling like countless needles piercing my skin, I tilted my head back, letting the cold water cleanse my body in a masochistic manner. I didn’t feel cold, not at all! Just an indescribable pain in my heart, a pain a thousand times greater than the icy water. Without warning, I dropped the showerhead, knelt on the ground, and burst into tears. I knelt on the white tiles, — out of tears. I didn’t know how long it had been when I dazedly left the bathroom. I couldn’t stay there anymore; I feared another minute would kill me; my head hurt as if it would split, my nose running uncontrollably. I was scared, wondering if I would die silently if Xiang Tong didn’t come back and Xiao Si didn’t show up? Leaving this world forever, never to see Xiang Xia, Su Hao… and him, my leader. In my sickness, I held my head, staggering towards the bedroom. I thought: Xiang Xia, now that I’m dying, let’s reconcile, okay? I won’t make you unhappy anymore, won’t force you to come back to see me, and you won’t have to worry about my matters anymore, let’s reconcile, reconcile… And then, I fell heavily to the ground.
