Chapter 11: Bound to Meet

This wasn’t the first time Xia Xun had been called to the school.

Once or twice was manageable, but by the third or fifth time, she was getting annoyed too.

In this latest incident, the fight ended when the Principal finally lost his temper and threatened to give every student involved in the brawl a disciplinary mark on their record. That was when the parents panicked, chose to bury the hatchet, and were the first to apologize, putting the matter to rest.

Leaving the Principal’s office, Xia Xun glanced at the time. It was already noon.

She turned her head to look behind her. Huo Zhu, who had been shuffling along slowly, stopped in her tracks. The two looked at each other, both frowning.

Huo Zhu averted her gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I was wrong too?”

Xia Xun took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. “Forget it. I can’t be bothered to scold you.”

Huo Zhu hurried forward a few steps as Xia Xun started walking away. “You’re leaving, just like that?”

“What else?”

“What did the homeroom teacher say when she kept you behind just now?” Huo Zhu asked. “Did she tattle on me?”

“Tattle about what?”

Huo Zhu still didn’t dare look at her. “If you don’t tell me, how would I know?”

Xia Xun stared at her silently.

Li He’s words from earlier echoed in her mind: “This child is excellent in every way, except for her personality… Do you know she usually doesn’t interact with her classmates at all?”

Xia Xun could probably guess that.

Ever since she’d gotten to know Huo Zhu, the girl would come running to the bookstore whenever she had free time. Outwardly, she came to read, but Xia Xun had caught her holding books upside down several times.

This happened even more often after she started high school. Xia Xun wasn’t a fool, nor was she blind. She’d been a teenager herself. What was going on in this kid’s head was crystal clear to her.

But knowing was one thing; rejecting it was another.

If she firmly refused and strictly forbade Huo Zhu from visiting, the girl would deliberately hurt herself. She’d show up in front of Xia Xun, drenched from the rain and sobbing, begging for help.

Just like a teacher on a podium can clearly see students cheating, Xia Xun could tell at a glance that Huo Zhu’s pitiful act was always premeditated. After living in that household for so many years, how could she not know her family’s temperament? Deliberately provoking them into beating her was all part of her pity act.

And unfortunately, Xia Xun fell for it every time.

Looking at Huo Zhu was like seeing her former self. She could be ruthless with herself, but she couldn’t bear to watch Huo Zhu become battered and miserable. She had no choice but to draw a line between friendship and something more, setting rules that neither could cross.

This was her bottom line, she told Huo Zhu.

But Li He’s later words made her begin to suspect that her years of helping behavior might have been the biggest cause of Huo Zhu becoming the way she was now.

“I once saw her rescue a few stray cats. She was secretly keeping them in the alley behind the cafeteria. One time, I brought some cat food, planning to help her feed them, but… but I found…”

Xia Xun finished the sentence for her: “You found the cats were all dead?”

“Yes,” Li He said, surprised. “How did you know?”

Xia Xun didn’t know; she had deduced it from Li He’s micro-expressions moments ago.

She asked Li He how the cats died.

Li He looked troubled. Her brows knitted tightly as if recalling something terribly horrific, something that made her nauseous just thinking about it. “Anyway… they died in all sorts of bizarre ways.”

Xia Xun couldn’t help but remember the stray cats that had died near the bookstore a few years back. She’d feed them occasionally. Then one day, she discovered they’d all died overnight.

Poisoned.

She’d found a crumpled tissue near their bodies.

Others might not have known, but she remembered clearly: Huo Zhu had a habit. She liked wrapping the candy she couldn’t finish in a tissue and tucking it into her pocket.

She’d noticed it several times—the candy would melt from her body heat.

She had thought the older Huo Zhu had kicked this habit, but seeing that tissue, she couldn’t help but make the connection.

After Li He finished speaking, Xia Xun just smiled and shook her head. “Teacher Li, if you haven’t seen it with your own eyes, it’s best not to suspect things lightly. At this age, kids value their self-respect more than anything. Never judge a person’s entire character based on just a speculation.”

Li He nodded, feeling her point was reasonable. Finally, she said, “No wonder she only softens up a little bit when she’s with you, her sister.”

“Stop looking at me like that.” Huo Zhu felt like her neck was about to retract into her shoulders under that gaze.

Xia Xun pulled back her thoughts, shook her head helplessly, and turned to head downstairs.

Huo Zhu chased after her, muttering quietly, “Since you’re already here, treat me to a meal.”

Xia Xun replied without looking back, “Doesn’t your school cafeteria have food?”

“Oh, come on, you know better than that,” Huo Zhu tilted her head to look at her. “The cafeteria food is awful.”

Xia Xun might not have attended university, but she at least finished high school. School cafeteria food truly was appalling; she knew that as well as anyone.

But she was still mad. She didn’t want this kid to think the fight had just blown over. So, her expression remained grim, looking like she couldn’t be bothered.

“Still none of my business,” she tossed the words out and quickened her pace.

Huo Zhu froze, stopping her pursuit. She nodded sullenly. “Right.”

That single word was spoken like a sigh.

“You’re not my real sister. You have no responsibility or obligation to care about me.”

It was as if Xia Xun had eyes on her back; she accurately caught the dejection in Huo Zhu’s voice. So, reaching a corner at the bottom of the stairs, she stopped and looked up.

As the feeling of disappointment spread, the figure on the stairs seemed to dim slightly. But the instant it registered that Xia Xun had stopped, it brightened again.

Her dimples deepened.

She kept her lips pressed tight, not letting her smile become too obvious.

Staring at Huo Zhu, Xia Xun’s mind involuntarily conjured another face, equally youthful and vibrant. She remembered how, many years ago, someone had smiled at her just like this.

Suddenly, her anger dissipated. The irritations of the day no longer bothered her. Her emotions miraculously settled, turning into a pool of clear water rippling gently.

“You coming or not?” she asked.

Huo Zhu’s eyes lit up. “Where are we going?”

“Didn’t you want me to treat you to a meal?”

Huo Zhu bounced down the stairs to land beside her. “I knew you were the best to me.”

Xia Xun pulled her arm out of Huo Zhu’s grasp, her tone severe. “I’ll keep today’s incident a secret for you. But remember, fists are for protecting yourself, not for hurting others. Let this be the last time.”

Huo Zhu pouted. “They started the verbal abuse first.”

“You could have cursed them back.”

“I didn’t want to become the same kind of person as them. Rude, with no respect for anyone.”

“So hitting someone is polite? Respectful?” Xia Xun laughed helplessly. “Besides, weren’t you pretty good at cursing back in the Principal’s office?”

Huo Zhu got agitated. “That’s because they were forcing you to apologize.”

“Would apologizing cost you anything?”

Huo Zhu knew what she was about to say, so she frowned. “No.”

“Exactly,” said Xia Xun. “If saying sorry solves the problem, then just do it. It’s no big deal. Me apologizing doesn’t prove you were wrong.”

“Of course it does! If you apologized, it would be a slap in my face. It would be telling everyone, plain as day, that you think I was wrong.”

Xia Xun glanced at her. “You’re not very big, but your pride is enormous.”

“Hmph.”

“Hmph what?” Xia Xun asked.

Huo Zhu tilted her lips. “So, according to you, from now on if someone insults me, I should just take it quietly?”

“That’s not what I meant either.”

“Then what do you mean? Teach me, so I don’t have to hit people next time.”

The two walked out of the teaching building one after the other. Since students were all at lunch, there were few people around. Looking out across the vast school grounds, only scattered individuals could be seen walking.

Xia Xun’s gaze fixed on something in the distance, and she stopped walking.

Huo Zhu caught up in front of her. “Come on, say something.”

“I told you before. No matter what you want to do, first consider whether it’s against the law or school rules. You can hit someone, but at least don’t get caught with evidence. Don’t get yourself in trouble.” Xia Xun replied, her eyes still fixed ahead.

Following her gaze, Huo Zhu saw a person standing on the sports field across the tree-lined path. It was a tall woman, simply but sharply dressed—nothing but blacks and whites. She looked difficult to get along with.

“Someone you know?” Huo Zhu asked curiously.

“Yeah,” Xia Xun grunted, then immediately changed course towards a nearby staircase. Huo Zhu chased after her again. “If you know her, why are you hiding from her?”

“Shh!” Xia Xun made a silencing gesture and whispered urgently, “Let’s go, let’s go.”

Both sides of the staircase had manicured green hedges. The neatly trimmed plants blocked Xu Jinyao’s line of sight. Watching the two figures suddenly vanish, the corner of her mouth curled upwards into a smile.

–

The small restaurants outside the school were doing booming business, almost every one packed with people.

Huo Zhu led Xia Xun into the one with the fewest customers. As soon as they entered, the Boss came over to greet them and ask what they wanted.

Huo Zhu was clearly a regular here; she ordered without even looking at the menu, then turned to Xia Xun and asked, “Who was that person just now?”

Xia Xun rested her head on her hand, her back to the entrance. “Nobody.”

“Nobody who?”

Xia Xun frowned. “Are you annoying or what?”

“Hmph.”

Huo Zhu pulled out several paper napkins, stacked them, and scrubbed vigorously at the grease on the table. When she reached the other side, she said irritably, “Do you want your sleeves or not?”

Xia Xun straightened up and lifted her arms. “It’s not that dirty.”

“Look for yourself!” Huo Zhu flipped the napkins over and shoved them forward. They were completely black with grime.

Fine, it was a little dirty.

Seeing that she’d stopped wiping, Xia Xun put her elbow back on the table, propped her head up again, and idly started playing with a crumpled napkin.

A moment later, Huo Zhu suddenly looked alert. Her mouth didn’t move, but her eyes shifted, and she whispered a warning, “She’s coming, she’s coming.”

Her words were muffled and unclear. Xia Xun didn’t understand the words, but she understood the look.

Turning her head, she came face-to-face just as Xu Jinyao stopped walking. Their eyes met.

She snapped her gaze back. Her stomach started aching dully again. But slipping away now clearly wasn’t an option—the person was blocking the doorway.

After a brief two-second deliberation, Xia Xun looked back again and forced a smile in greeting. “Captain Xu, here for lunch too?”