No. 42 Searching for a Face to Bid Farewell
I quit my part-time job at the Taekwondo gym and dedicated myself to mastering the Pai family’s techniques under Luo Wei’s guidance every evening after school.
According to Ouyang Dati, the Pai family was a martial arts lineage that had existed in Yixian Province for over a century. They were known for their low profile and rarely accepted outsiders as disciples.
They didn’t prioritize bloodlines, but they valued talent. Anyone with good character who passed their rigorous training could become a formal member of the Pai family.
However, two years ago, this peaceful and unassuming family had been massacred.
It sounded like something out of a martial arts novel, but it was a harsh reality. On that fateful day, everyone in the Pai family, except for Pai Ge and his missing uncle, had been killed. Pai Ge, carrying the family’s wealth, had disguised himself as a delinquent and joined the Black Dragon Society, living a “difficult” life of gathering information and indulging in pleasures.
He hadn’t told me who their enemies were, nor did he intend to involve me in this matter. I didn’t press him for details.
Meanwhile, Huang Yingdie’s personality had changed after learning about her father’s situation.
She was less shy, less demanding, and less prone to tantrums.
She could go to the restroom by herself, answer questions without hesitation, and even thank the group leader for collecting her homework.
I could see her trying to adapt to this new reality.
Perhaps, like Yi Yao, she had been hiding her vulnerability behind a facade of aloofness and defiance.
However, one thing worried me: she still avoided interacting with boys.
She was somewhat okay with male teachers, but she often ignored her male classmates. When a boy in our class, who was both handsome and academically gifted, gave her a love letter, she returned it unopened in front of everyone. Within three days of transferring, she had offended most of the boys in our class.
Love letters were unheard of in our school. Boys in this era were generally shy. The bolder ones had followed Huang Qinghao’s path and joined gangs. So, the incident with the love letter quickly spread throughout the school, and her rejection cemented her image as an unattainable goddess in the minds of those single boys.
That’s how males were. The more unattainable something was, the more they desired it. Conversely, if a girl was too eager, too available, they wouldn’t cherish her.
“Just you wait, I’ll win her over.”
“I bet she rejected him because he’s not rich. Maybe we should ask that rich kid in our class to try.”
“No way. He spends all his money on games. He wouldn’t waste it on a girl. I think our class president has a better chance. He’s handsome and good at basketball.”
“Not necessarily. What if she likes younger guys? Maybe we should try a crossdresser.”
“Ew! Don’t even suggest that! We’re roommates! If you do that, we’re no longer friends.”
Rumors and speculations spread like wildfire. Everyone was trying to figure out what could win the heart of the “school beauty.”
Most ninth-graders were boarders. Bored and with too much time on their hands, they could milk a single topic for weeks.
Only I knew their efforts were futile.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t targeting any specific boy. I meant that all the boys in the school had no chance.
Xiaodie was suffering from a broken heart. She was still healing. Pursuing her now would only worsen her condition.
Her boyfriend had tried to drug and assault her, her friend had been stabbed, and she had just transferred to a new school. And now, these boys were writing her love letters and professing their undying love. Even an animal could tell they were only attracted to her looks, driven by hormones.
“Yi Yao, can you help me with this problem?”
It was Friday afternoon, and the teacher for the second period was absent, giving us a self-study session. Xiaodie, as usual, turned to me for help.
Despite her initial struggles, her grades had improved significantly since transferring from Nurturing Talent. As she put it, “It feels like I’ve gone from a primitive farming village to a modern metropolis. I feel so much more alive.”
“This triangle is equilateral. This side is equal to this side. You can use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the lengths of the two sides. If they’re equal, you’ve proven it.”
“Do I need to use any formulas?”
“The cotangent formula. Page 241 in the textbook.”
“Oh…” She flipped to the page, her face lighting up with understanding. “I see! You’re a genius, Yi Yao.”
“You can do it too if you practice enough.”
These junior high problems were child’s play for me, like a high school student solving elementary school math.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period.
“Yes! PE!”
A few boys, carrying basketballs, rushed past me. One of them turned back at the doorway. “Yi Yao, want to play basketball later?”
I smiled. “Let me know if you need an extra player. Aren’t you guys always fighting for court space?”
“Heh, if we can’t get a court, we’ll just play with Class 12. Now that you’re on our side, we’re not afraid of anyone.”
He glanced at Huang Yingdie, then waved at me. “We’ll be going now.”
“Be careful.”
I turned around and saw Xiaodie frowning at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” She slammed her textbook shut, her voice petulant. “Yi Yao, can you come over for dinner tonight?”
She added, “Just the two of us. I want to learn how to cook from you.”
A week was enough time for two strangers to become close friends, especially since Xiaodie and I had already known each other for over a month.
Through countless conversations during breaks, we had learned more about each other.
I discovered that she was an anime fan, that she had a terrible sense of direction, and that she loved exploring new places.
Aloof, tsundere, innocent, yandere—she could switch between countless personalities depending on the situation. Sometimes, even I couldn’t tell which one was the real her. Or perhaps, she was simply a free spirit, unbound by labels.
She had once told me that her dream was to “live in a small but cozy home, where she could watch anime, attend conventions in cosplay, and explore the world with someone she loved.”
Huang Yingdie defied my expectations of a spoiled rich girl. She rarely spent money extravagantly, never asked her father for anything unless it was necessary, and never used her connections for personal gain. Apparently, few people in the Jiang Nan Gang, besides Huang Qinghao, knew she was the mayor’s daughter.
She had met Huang Qinghao through a coincidence similar to mine: her father had repeatedly broken his promise to take her out on weekends, so she had gone to an arcade in a fit of anger and met the local delinquents there.
“It’s just dinner for two. How complicated can it be?”
I capped my pen, stretched, and stood up.
She jumped up and hugged me, her arms wrapped around mine, her voice playful. “I want to learn everything you’re good at, Yi Yao.”
“I’m not good at anything special. Just basic home cooking.”
We left the classroom. The scorching sun made me realize that my skin would definitely get tanned if I stayed out too long.
Had I become so accustomed to being a girl that even my thought process had changed?
“Home cooking is fine. Training doesn’t start until eight. Just keep me company.”
Our relationship was somewhere between friendship and romance. She was incredibly dependent on me at school, and even at home, she would often message me on QQ, sharing everything from her father being harassed by reporters to what kind of underwear she was wearing. Although she claimed I was just her best friend, I couldn’t shake the feeling that our dynamic was a bit strange.
“I can keep you company, but I need to visit my mother at the hospital after school.”
Between a girlfriend and family, most people would choose family.
Besides, she wasn’t even my girlfriend.
“Okay, I’ll come with you.”
To my surprise, she agreed readily. “Let’s get our story straight. What’s our relationship?”
“Friends… I guess?”
“Okay, friends. How long have we known each other?”
“A month?”
“Your mother wouldn’t be comfortable with that. We’re best friends who have known each other for six months.”
“Wait, my mother reads the newspapers. She knows who you are.”
“So what? Can’t I be friends with you for six months?”
“Fine, six months it is…”
“…”
This was getting ridiculous.
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