Volume One: High School Days Chapter 66: Meeting Xiaoya Again

Two days after Bian Ran’s departure, during the fourth period of the afternoon, Liu Sheng, being an athlete, was once again running on the school’s sports field.

“Everyone, come over and help me out for a bit. My little brother got beaten up two days ago, and it was by someone from our own school. Brothers, help me stand up for my brother!” called out a senior from the liberal arts class, also an athlete, standing on the field.

In no time, the united members of the sports team, upon hearing that one of their own had been bullied, all ran over to the student who had called out, Liu Sheng included.

As captain, Liu Sheng asked, “What happened?”

“I don’t know the details. I just got a call from my brother—he said he was beaten up by someone from our school and wants me to gather a few people to block the guy after school,” the student replied.

Liu Sheng, his sense of justice surging, shouted angrily, “Damn it! Who’s got the guts to bully one of our sports team? I'll skin that bastard alive today!”

With even the captain saying so, the rest of the team felt their blood boil; they were determined to beat the hell out of that guy!

Liu Sheng was quite pleased with everyone’s attitude; he addressed the group, “That’s more like it! We have to stick together—as always, it’s only ever us bullying others, never the other way around! And if someone dares, we’ll deal with them together!”

Then he turned back to the student who had called out, “Li Jian, where is your brother?”

“At the school gate!” Li Jian pointed toward the entrance.

Liu Sheng checked his watch and said, “There are still ten minutes before school ends. Go change your clothes, and let’s meet at the school gate to deal with that guy!”

After changing, Liu Sheng led the group to the school gate, where he saw a student in another school’s uniform waiting. The outsider spotted Li Jian and called out, “Bro!”

Li Jian ran over and declared loudly, “Don’t worry, I brought the whole sports team today. Let’s see if we don’t beat the guy who bullied you to death!”

Hearing that his brother had brought the entire team, Li Jian’s little brother gained confidence, “Damn it! All I did was spit on that bastard, and he beat me up for it!”

As Liu Sheng got closer and recognized Li Jian’s brother, he couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Isn’t this the kid I beat up at the internet café? So after all that cursing, it turns out the ‘bastard’ was me!”

Li Jian’s brother, spotting Liu Sheng, was just about to tell Li Jian it was him when Li Jian pointed his brother out to Liu Sheng, “Captain, this is my brother. Today we have to take down the guy who hit him!”

Realizing that the captain of the sports team was the one who’d beaten him, Li Jian’s brother immediately panicked.

The school bell rang.

Li Jian turned to his brother again, “When the students come out, keep an eye out—whoever you recognize, tell me. I’ll take care of him!”

Li Jian’s brother was at a loss. The one who beat him was right in front of him, but he didn’t know if he should say so.

Li Jian kept cursing, “Damn it! Who dares bully my brother? That bastard must have a death wish!”

Liu Sheng, unable to bear it any longer, smacked Li Jian on the back of the head, “Are you done? I tolerated it just now, but you’re still going on!”

Then, looking at the silent Li Jian’s brother, Liu Sheng asked, “You’re looking for me—why don’t you just say so?”

Li Jian, already a bit stunned from the smack, looked at his brother in confusion, “What’s going on?”

Li Jian’s brother finally replied, “It was your captain who beat me.”

Li Jian was left at a complete loss—on one side, his brother whom he couldn’t ignore, on the other, his captain whom he couldn’t offend. As he struggled, Ren Xiadong, who didn’t have evening classes, came out, saw Liu Sheng, and walked over.

That scared Li Jian even more. Liu Sheng might fight and bully people at school, but he was at least reasonable; Ren Xiadong, on the other hand, never hesitated to fight, never caring about right or wrong.

“So many people—are we in for a show?” Ren Xiadong asked Liu Sheng.

Liu Sheng didn’t answer him, but turned to Li Jian’s brother, “Anything else you want to say?”

Ren Xiadong recognized the kid too and burst out laughing, “No way! This kid came to block you, and even brought your own people! Hilarious!”

Afraid his brother would get him in trouble, Li Jian quickly said to Liu Sheng, “Sorry, Captain, I didn’t know my brother meant you. I won’t interfere—do as you please.”

Li Jian’s brother, hearing his own brother wash his hands of him, hurried to plead with Liu Sheng, “I didn’t know you were captain of the sports team. I was in the wrong that day—please, let it go, big bro.”

He glanced at Li Jian, who began scolding him, “Why are you always causing trouble? I can’t help you today—you’ll have to deal with it yourself!”

Li Jian’s brother was so scared he nearly collapsed to the ground, sensing a beating was inevitable. Li Jian, too, braced himself, ready to watch his brother take his lumps.

But unexpectedly, Liu Sheng didn’t pursue it further. Instead, he said to Li Jian’s brother, “You’re forgiven. You didn’t know, so it’s not your fault. Study hard from now on—don’t skip class to hang out at internet cafés.”

“Weren’t you skipping class that day too?” Ren Xiadong snorted, thinking Liu Sheng had some nerve to say that.

Then Liu Sheng said to Li Jian, “He’s your brother. Remember, no matter what, you must protect him—no matter who you’re up against!”

Saying this, Liu Sheng thought of his own brother. If anyone ever bullied him, he’d risk his life to protect him.

Seeing Liu Sheng let it go, Li Jian quickly dragged his brother away. Once they were gone, Ren Xiadong asked, “You’re just letting them off?”

“What else can I do?” Liu Sheng retorted.

“If it were me, I’d have tied them up together and used them as punching bags for two days!” said Ren Xiadong, clenching his fists.

Liu Sheng walked off, saying, “If you’re not leaving, go back to your evening classes!”

On the way home, Liu Sheng asked, “The day after tomorrow is Xiaoya’s brother’s wedding. What should I say if I see her?”

Ren Xiadong stopped his mountain bike, lit a cigarette, handed one to Liu Sheng, and said, “If you say nothing, it’ll be awkward for both of you, and everyone else too. Don’t forget, she’s coming back with her husband and child.”

“Let’s go,” Liu Sheng said, and the two of them headed home without further discussion.

The next day, neither of them went to school. Together with Lele, they went to the shopping mall to buy appropriate clothes for the wedding.

With Lele’s help, Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong each picked out a casual outfit. Liu Sheng looked at his reflection: black t-shirt, black jacket, black track pants, and black sneakers.

He complained to Lele, “I’m going to a wedding, not a funeral! Isn’t all black a bit much?”

Lele replied, “That’s what makes you look stylish! It makes you look fair and handsome.”

Liu Sheng had little faith in Lele’s taste, so he chose a plaid shirt and a blue jacket to go with the black pants. He thought it looked a bit better.

Just as they were about to leave, Liu Sheng got a call from Sister Ya, inviting them to dinner.

After hanging up, Liu Sheng took Ren Xiadong and Lele to the restaurant. When he entered the private room, he saw that Sister Ya wasn’t alone—Xiaoya was there too.

Liu Sheng stood in the doorway, staring at Xiaoya, who hadn’t changed at all—she didn’t look like a new mother in the slightest, still exuding the same grace, only a bit thinner.

Sister Ya noticed Liu Sheng blocking the entrance and said, “You’re blocking President Ren behind you!”

Liu Sheng snapped out of it, quickly stepped aside, and welcomed Ren Xiadong and Lele in.

Once everyone was seated, Liu Sheng lingered by the door, hesitant to approach the table. Sister Ya spoke again, “Come sit down—standing there is tiring.”

Liu Sheng mumbled an agreement and sat opposite Xiaoya, feeling lost and unsure what to do. He fidgeted with the utensils, glancing around the room.

Ren Xiadong, noticing his odd behavior, said, “Are you sick or something?”

Liu Sheng, as if his mind had been left at home, replied, “Yes, yes, yes.”

Ren Xiadong was baffled. Usually, Liu Sheng was clever and sharp-tongued, always outwitting others—what was going on with him today?

Sister Ya, seeing Liu Sheng’s nervousness, explained to Ren Xiadong, “In front of someone you love, you’re always a child at heart. No matter how many years you’ve been married, seeing each other after a long time apart will always be awkward and uncertain. You think about them every day, love them all the time, but when you finally meet, you don’t know how to act. Liu Sheng is just trying to hide his feelings for Xiaoya.”

Ren Xiadong, suddenly understanding, nodded, “Got it.”

Liu Sheng glared at him and snapped, “What do you know!” Then turned to Sister Ya, “Don’t fill Ren Xiadong’s head with nonsense. I just left my brain at home today.”

Xiaoya, looking at Liu Sheng, was equally at a loss for words. Just as Sister Ya said, after so long apart, seeing the one you love again feels both strange and familiar, but in the moment, you don’t know how to respond or how to interact.

After a moment, Xiaoya finally asked Liu Sheng, “How have you been?”

After saying it, her heart trembled, even her breath was shaky.

When Liu Sheng heard her greeting, he broke into a smile, stopped fidgeting, and put down his chopsticks and spoon. “Not bad,” he replied.

At his words, Xiaoya’s body visibly trembled; she wanted to cry but held it in. Her voice quivered as she said, “That’s good.”

After that, the two fell silent. Ren Xiadong, watching them, thought to himself, “That’s it? After longing for her every day, all Liu Sheng can say is ‘not bad’? This isn’t how it should be!”

In the quiet and awkward atmosphere, the waiters brought all the dishes.

Once the waiters had left, Sister Ya broke the silence, “The food’s all here—let’s eat! I specially arranged this dinner for Xiaoya. Welcome home, even if it’s only for a short while.”

Then she looked at Liu Sheng, “President Liu, if you can coax Xiaoya today, who knows when you’ll see her next.”

Liu Sheng, unsure what to say, remembered Xiaoya had just had a baby and asked, “Where are your husband and my little nephew?”

Hearing Liu Sheng say this made Xiaoya feel a pang of guilt; she knew it had taken a lot for him to say those words.

Liu Sheng stared at Xiaoya, waiting for her answer. Despite his usual cheerful facade, he had never truly accepted her departure.

Suddenly, Xiaoya looked up at Liu Sheng, and he instinctively looked away, afraid that seeing her reluctance to leave would only awaken his own. He knew she was only home for a short time.

She answered, “My parents are taking care of the baby—they adore him.”

Then, with a trace of unhappiness on her face, she added, “And the baby’s father is with them, too.”