No. 13 Falling from the Heavens
The crowd gradually dispersed.
As I picked up the scattered fruit, watching Long Fei standing in the doorway bathed in the setting sun, a strange sadness washed over me.
He was only sixteen.
While others his age were complaining about the unfairness of life and the pressures of education, he was silently enduring his family’s rigorous training, trapped in a gilded cage.
From e-commerce to computer software, to the etiquette of high society, even martial arts training—so many people in this world were bound by invisible chains from the moment they were born.
Scottish Fold cats suffered from a genetic condition, yet they were more popular than ordinary cats.
“Who is he?”
Dad approached me, pretending to help me gather the fruit, and whispered in my ear.
He had never met my “boyfriend” in person, only heard rumors from neighbors and acquaintances. Always eager to believe gossip, he had used my “boyfriend” as ammunition against me ever since, bringing him up whenever I made a mistake.
Besides, Long Fei, dressed in a suit, looked nothing like a teenager.
“He…”
“I’m Yi Yao’s client.”
Perhaps Dad’s voice was a bit too loud. Long Fei turned around, walked over to him, and handed him a business card. “Your daughter helped promote this shop at school, so I came to check it out.”
“Promote?”
Dad took the card, his eyes widening as he read the prominent title: “CEO of Heavenly Fire Network Technology, Upper Capital City.” He stammered, “I’m afraid we don’t have anything that you need, sir.”
“I think you misunderstand. I’m here to purchase fruit for our company’s employees. Could you please deliver all the remaining fruit to our company by tomorrow? Would that be possible?”
“A-all of it?”
I could see Dad gulp, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“Yes, all of it. Please discuss the details with my driver. I need to speak with your daughter privately. Would you mind if I borrowed her for a few minutes?”
“Oh… of course, of course. Yi Yao, go have a chat with our esteemed guest.”
When it came to money, Dad didn’t hesitate to sell me out.
Long Fei winked at me and walked out of the shop. I had no choice but to follow.
“Hello? Yes, it’s me. Go to that fruit shop and buy all their remaining stock. Yes, use that card. Wait for me in the car when you’re done.”
He led me towards a pedestrian bridge while talking on the phone. By the time he hung up, we were standing at the center of the bridge, overlooking the city. The setting sun, half-hidden below the horizon, cast a warm glow, painting the clouds in fiery hues.
“Yi Yao.”
He leaned against the railing, his arms outstretched, basking in the evening breeze. “Will you leave with me?”
This scene felt strangely familiar, like something I had seen in a movie.
I looked down, pretending to be conflicted. After a long silence, I whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
He turned to me, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. “I had you, yet I still messed around with other women… Heh, perhaps this is my punishment.”
Please, we barely even did anything during our “relationship.” As his girlfriend, Yi Yao wouldn’t even act cute or affectionate. She just ate, drank, and hung out with his friends. He might as well have been single.
“Well, this is for the best, for both of us. Yi Yao, I hope you find happiness.”
“…”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“I need to use the restroom…”
“Pfft…”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re still the same. Alright, I’ll be leaving for the Heavenly Capital City tomorrow. I won’t be back for five years. Forget about me, Yi Yao.”
He patted my head like an older brother, a wry smile on his face. “Go back. There’s a restroom in your dad’s shop, right? And please, don’t use such crude language. You’re picking up bad habits from Hua She and his gang.”
“Then…” I looked up at him hesitantly. “I’ll be going now?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
I bowed to the boy who had taken care of Yi Yao for almost a year, then turned and walked towards the stairs. For some reason, I couldn’t help but look back. Long Fei was still standing there, watching me. As if anticipating my action, he waved at me, his figure silhouetted against the setting sun.
I smiled softly.
“Be good to Zhong Qianqian.”
Zhong Qianqian, Long Fei’s future wife and a famous TV host in Upper Capital City. According to online sources, their families had arranged their marriage when they were children. They would have a happy marriage, free from scandals.
“You…” Long Fei looked surprised. “You know about her?”
“You keep telling Hua She and the others to call me ‘sister-in-law.’ As your supposed girlfriend, I’m obligated to show some interest in your life, right?”
Honestly, it was just Long Fei’s teenage rebellion.
His birth, his upbringing, his future—everything was planned out for him, even his marriage.
A life controlled by others.
“Heh… You’ve really grown up, Yi Yao…”
“Thank you. Then, goodbye.”
I brushed my bangs aside, tucked my hands in my pockets, and walked down the stairs without looking back.
When I returned to the shop, Dad was chatting happily with the employee. He beamed at me, his smile as bright as a poppy flower. “So, did you thank our generous customer?”
“No, he left.”
I went to the restroom, washed my face, and used a hairpin to secure my bangs.
Being a girl was quite troublesome. I never used to fuss with my hair, but this body had its own habits.
“Dad, I’m going out. I’ll be back later.”
“Okay, be careful.”
Unlike usual, he didn’t even ask where I was going.
Of course, he wouldn’t. Thanks to Long Fei, he had sold more fruit in one day than he usually did in half a month. Any businessman would be happy.
If I told him that this “generous customer” was my boyfriend, he would probably forget all his previous prejudices and even encourage our relationship.
But I wasn’t going to give him that chance.
“City Central Hospital.”
I hailed a taxi, got into the passenger seat, and told the driver my destination.
Yes, Huang Qinghao was at City Central Hospital. I had found out through my hacker network on Sunday.
He had crossed the line.
Among delinquents, insults and fights were commonplace. If you didn’t like someone, you fought them. Life was cheap, and grudges were settled with fists. That was the unspoken rule.
But attacking someone’s family was a different matter. That was a line you didn’t cross.
“19 yuan.”
The taxi stopped in front of the hospital.
I rummaged through my allowance, paid the driver, and looked towards the entrance. Coincidentally, Huang Qinghao, his injured hand still bandaged, was walking out of the hospital, supported by a few delinquents, including the mayor’s daughter.
They spotted me at the same time I spotted them.
Instinctively, the girl who had shown up at my house drunk last night stepped in front of Huang Qinghao, shielding him from me.
“Leave.”
Her voice, as clear as a songbird’s, was laced with anger.
“But A-Pian Jie(Sister)…”
“You two, take Qinghao and go.”
She repeated her order, her expression calm.
The two delinquents exchanged glances, then dragged Huang Qinghao, who was glaring at me, away.
I tried to follow, but the girl intercepted me again, assuming a Taekwondo stance.
“You’re really going to protect him?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Xiaodie(Little Butterfly), this is between him and me. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Don’t call me Xiaodie.”
She said coldly.
“Then what should I call you? I don’t know your name. Should I call you ‘A-Pian'(1)* like the others? By the way, how did you get that weird nickname?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she launched a spinning hook kick at me.
I dodged, then retaliated with a roundhouse kick. “Thud!” My kick connected with her blocking arms, sending her stumbling back. Her graceful posture vanished.
“I have no reason to fight you. Move.”
Before this, neither I nor Yi Yao had known Huang Qinghao. The incident with Liang Zhenyi was purely coincidental. I had targeted him because he was the only one carrying a steel pipe. I hadn’t meant to injure him so severely.
“He’s my brother.”
She regained her footing and attacked me again.
I blocked her kick, then launched a double flying kick at her arms. As she defended, I used the momentum to spin 360 degrees and delivered a swift kick with my left leg.
“Thud!”
Like a master disciplining a student, I sent her crashing into the wall behind her.
“He’s your sworn brother. So what?”
I approached her slowly, looking down at her. Her pretty face was now smeared with dirt. “You take him in as your brother, then slowly develop feelings for him. Then, when you’re least expecting it, he slips something into your drink and takes advantage of you. Is that it?”
“Qinghao would never do that!”
Perhaps this was the first time she had been so thoroughly defeated. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Don’t you dare talk about him like that!”
She really was a girl in love…
“Get up.”
I sighed inwardly and offered her my hand, ignoring the stares of the onlookers.
“Hmph!”
She slapped my hand away, scrambled to her feet, and ran away without even bothering to brush off the dirt, disappearing around the corner.
My hand tingled from her slap.
I straightened up and looked towards the setting sun.
The last rays of sunlight faded from the horizon, carried away by the gentle breeze.
‘A-Pian'(1)* : I have no idea why she has that nickname, but according to what I saw on the internet slangs, it means ad*lt video or p**n, ‘A’ for adult and ‘pian’ for video or film (Well, it could also mean ‘flake'(uncommon), etc)
