At the entrance of the banquet hall, Ming You’s wrist was firmly grabbed by the girl, and she couldn’t break free. “Say it again. Let go.”
The girl not only didn’t let go but also angrily scolded her. “Ming You, what the hell are you doing? For three years in high school, Teacher He thought of you everywhere and tolerated you plenty. Now we’re all graduated, and Teacher He has her own new life. Stop making a scene, okay?”
Back then, her Chinese literature scores had ranked near the top of the grade, but she never once beat Ming You. This frustrated her greatly, and she had privately approached Ming You about it.
Her original intent was to ask for study tips, but Ming You’s dismissive attitude pissed her off. She spat harsh words on the spot, vowing that one day she would make Ming You her defeated opponent.
Ming You had indeed lost to her once. But it hadn’t been a glorious win.
At first, she strutted with pride, thinking she had brought honor to the class, the homeroom teacher, and herself. She blocked Ming You in the hallway, acting like the victor.
But that very evening, she ran into her homeroom teacher dining alone with Ming You off-campus. Ming You still had that pampered, infuriating look, and Teacher He took meticulous care of her meals the entire time.
Ming You had seen her but ignored her completely.
A classmate who was with her then relayed the gossip she had heard, explaining that Ming You failed Chinese literature because she turned in a blank essay, causing her score to plummet—not because she went off-topic or performed poorly.
She swallowed her rage and left the restaurant before finishing her meal.
The next day, during the class review of the exam papers, the rumor from the day before became common knowledge, and her “victory” turned into a widely mocked joke.
She had harbored a grudge ever since.
“Since you know she tolerated me, and neither the bride nor groom said anything, what business is it of yours?” Ming You raised her injured hand, clenched her fingers, and a drop of blood fell straight onto the girl’s hand. “It’s been so long, and you’re still not convinced?”
“I…” The blood on her hand startled the girl into immediately letting go. “Are you insane?!”
“Insane?” Ming You smiled indifferently. “Yeah, insane. Isn’t that what you people have always said about me?”
“Ming You, Teacher He has no responsibility or obligation to indulge you, spoil you, or coax you. As her student, if you have any conscience, you should repay her kindness with gratitude and respect, not embarrass her in front of everyone.”
“You’re right. I came today precisely to express my gratitude to Teacher He.” Ming You gripped her left hand hard again, and another drop of blood fell. “Look, a hundred yuan is red, and blood is red too. Not festive enough?”
“Lunatic!” the girl cursed, reaching out toward Ming You. “If you’re going to go crazy…”
“Ming You.” Yan Ningxi, who had arrived beside them at some point, grabbed Ming You’s tightly clenched hand before the girl could. She ordered, “Let go.”
The hand obediently relaxed, and Yan Ningxi wrapped it twice with a clean white handkerchief. “Hold it. Gently.”
The girl hid her bloodstained hand behind her back. “Teacher Yan, we were just messing around.”
“Teacher He already told me. I know you’re looking out for her. Go ahead and eat first.” Yan Ningxi’s tone was flat, but it inexplicably made the girl feel tense and oppressed.
The girl shot Ming You a warning glare before smartly walking away.
Almost at the same time, Ming You turned to Yan Ningxi with a aggrieved expression. “Sister Yan, it hurts.”
She didn’t know what He Huan had said to Yan Ningxi—good or bad—but when Yan Ningxi grabbed her and said “come with me” for the second time, she followed without thinking, just like the night before.
…
In the clinic, throughout the entire process of treating the wound, Ming You’s cold expression on her face never changed, as if she were an emotionless marionette and the injury wasn’t her own.
“Okay, I’ll head over this afternoon.” Outside the door, Yan Ningxi hung up the phone.
Only after Yan Ningxi finished the call and returned did Ming You change her expression. She looked at her pitifully. “Sister Yan, did I cause you trouble?”
“No.” Yan Ningxi’s denial came out instinctively, but the next moment she turned serious. “What did you do before leaving the hotel this morning?”
Ming You rarely showed guilt. “Did the hotel call you demanding compensation?”
“What do you think?” Yan Ningxi’s tone was even, but her gaze was intensely intimidating.
What could she say now that it was done?
That morning, in a fit of anger and emotional outburst, Ming You had smashed everything in sight in the room. She hadn’t even checked out at the front desk before leaving.
If she hadn’t vented that way, her encounter with He Huan wouldn’t have stopped at verbal humiliation.
“I woke up to find you gone, and nothing had happened as expected. I thought your standards were too high and you looked down on me, so I felt a bit down. Plus, I was hungover and irritable, so smashing things was just emotional venting.”
Knowing she was in the wrong, Ming You pulled out her phone from her bag while apologizing. “How much do I need to pay? I’ll give it to you.”
As she opened the payment code, she recalled certain conversations from the night before and smiled. “Come on, Sister Yan. Show me your payment code—for the smashed stuff, and the room fee…”
She dragged out the last words deliberately.
“It’s fine since you smashed it yourself. I’ll handle it. It’s not a big deal.”
Yan Ningxi had asked about it not to make her pay, but because she worried Ming You had gotten into a conflict with someone at the hotel, leading to the damage.
After all, the Ming You she met at the bar clearly wasn’t one to take a loss—she was no pushover, and her temper was poor.
Yan Ningxi took responsibility for the compensation partly because Ming You was Teacher He’s student, still in school and not financially independent; she didn’t want it getting back to her parents. Partly because she had brought Ming You to the hotel last night, so her actions there were tied to Yan Ningxi.
“Oh, whatever Sister Yan says.” Ming You didn’t insist anymore. But her gaze passed through the purple scarf around the woman’s neck and landed on the spot she had rubbed and bitten the night before.
She couldn’t even remember what it had felt like.
After paying, the two stood side by side outside the clinic. Yan Ningxi spoke in an elder’s tone. “Luckily, the wound isn’t deep, but don’t take it lightly. Back home, follow the doctor’s instructions strictly. Be careful when washing up, avoid foods you’re supposed to, and don’t let it get infected. Take responsibility for your own body.”
Ming You replied obediently. “Yeah, I will.”
But in her mind, she thought this woman had two faces—night and day. At night, she was terse; during the day, she nagged. Which one was the real her?
“You can get a cab on your own, right?”
“No problem.”
“Be safe.”
Before getting in the car, Ming You waved at Yan Ningxi. “Thanks, Sister Yan. See you, Sister Yan.”
Yan Ningxi just nodded without saying anything.
In the car, Ming You stared blankly at the bandaged palm of her hand. Pain throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. She took out her phone, opened a forum, and clicked into a post: “The Woman Who Said She Would Wait for Me to Grow Up.”
With the cathartic relief of venting her pain, she typed word by word into the comment box at the bottom:
The woman who said she would wait for me to grow up put on a wedding dress for him.
She was beautiful; he was ugly.
They matched perfectly. Yes, I saw it.
At that moment, Ming You felt that writing her feelings for He Huan and smugly sharing them with so many strangers was the most foolish and ironic thing she had done in twenty years. Seeing those words now was like death by a thousand cuts.
Her unfinished story with her had come to a full stop. And this post, favorited and followed by thousands, would never have an update.
…
After the wedding banquet ended, Yan Ningxi dragged her weary body to the hotel to settle the compensation, then returned to her apartment. At ten at night, she received a call from He Huan. “Yan Yan, you haven’t slept yet? Can you come out now?”
Yan Ningxi asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?”
“Ming You got drunk at KTV. Could you watch her for me again?”
“Send me the address.”
When Yan Ningxi arrived at the KTV, Ming You was hunched over the toilet in the private room’s bathroom, vomiting. She went in, squatted beside Ming You, and gently patted her back. “Ming You? Look at me. Do you recognize me?”
The girl was vomiting hard and couldn’t open her eyes from the discomfort. She turned and leaned against Yan Ningxi’s body. “Sorry, Sister Yan. I didn’t listen to you. I drank.”
Yan Ningxi’s heart twinged. She awkwardly helped Ming You stand, supporting her. “How do you feel?”
“Everything hurts.”
He Huan, who had been dragged into this against her will, watched the girl—who used to obey only her—lean submissively against Yan Ningxi. A strange discomfort stirred in her heart.
She stepped forward to help and had just called out “Ming You” when the girl said, “Sorry, Teacher He. Disturbing you on your wedding night this late—your husband, Mr. Jiang, must hate my guts by now…”
Ming You’s apology was interrupted by a sudden ringtone. It was Mr. Jiang calling. He Huan glanced at the screen, muted it, and didn’t answer.
Yan Ningxi said, “Teacher He, all your family elders and relatives are there tonight. Don’t complicate things with Ming You. You go back first. I’ll take good care of her for you.”
Helpless, He Huan said to the girl, “Ming You, you’re an adult now. Bad moods don’t justify harming your own body. Teacher Yan is my colleague and also your elder. Listen to her properly.”
Ming You showed no reaction. He Huan could only say to Yan Ningxi, “Thanks, Teacher Yan.”
After He Huan left, Ming You fell into a stupor. Seeing the waiter hovering at the door, Yan Ningxi asked him, “Is the room tab settled?”
“Not yet.”
“How much?” Yan Ningxi pulled out her phone and frowned at the pile of toppled beer bottles on the table.
The waiter opened the electronic bill. “Total consumption: six hundred ninety-nine.”
After paying, she glanced at her remaining balance in the SMS, then at the barely conscious Ming You. Between taking her to a hotel or back to her own apartment, Yan Ningxi chose the latter. She didn’t want to cover another round of damages.
