(1)
Grade Nine, Class Five, was a class Ninth Ai had deliberately chosen to forget.
Or rather, it wasn’t the class she had forgotten, but a specific person within it.
Zhou Chao.
When she had first broken up with him, there were indeed plenty of rumors circulating through the school, many of which were filled with sarcasm and personal attacks against her.
Ninth Ai was well aware that she wasn’t exactly in the right in that situation. During those early days, she had actually considered transferring to another school, but over time, her reputation slowly began to improve again.
This was because the victim of betrayal in the story had been reframed as a ‘scumbag’ who constantly cycled through girlfriends. As his first girlfriend, her decision to break up with him became justifiable — it was even possible that he was the one entirely at fault.
Even though Ninth Ai knew full well that she had been the one in the wrong back then — one’s inner feelings were impossible to escape. Having no feelings for him simply meant there were no feelings; a relationship like that could not be sustained.
And… her current boyfriend, whom she still hadn’t broken up with, had seemed much more charming to her at the time.
Whether she wanted to admit it or not, and regardless of whether that so-called ‘lack of feeling’ was truly the primary reason, Ninth Ai was undeniably the traitor.
Ninth Ai had once thought of herself as heartless and fickle, but now, she thought she might just be someone controlled by desire.
Perhaps it was physical desire, or perhaps it was the craving for another’s care. Of course, it could also be like the present — betraying her current boyfriend once again for the sake of money.
Amidst her hesitation, reluctance, and confusion, she often found herself unsure of what she truly wanted. She always felt as though she were being pushed along by life, but in reality, those were all decisions she had made herself.
Just like now — she had arrived at the entrance of Grade Nine, Class Five without even realizing it.
She had taken the money, and she wanted to take even more in the future…
Therefore, she had no choice but to do exactly as that man said — even if she didn’t understand why he wanted her to do it in the first place.
‘Ninth Ai… what on earth are you doing?’ she muttered to herself before suddenly bracing her spirits. ‘So what if I see him? It’s all in the past anyway!’
A cool breeze blew through the corridor. Would this wind carry with it the memories of yesterday?
(2)
“Hey! Sun Wei, a pretty girl is looking for you!”
“Fuck off. April Fools’ Day was days ago, you idiot.” Sun Wei didn’t even lift his head as his pen flew across the paper. He was currently busy copying the math homework An Jing had already finished. This way, he would have one less assignment to copy tomorrow morning, leaving more time for other things.
As for those ‘other things’, they might involve reading novels, sleeping, or eating breakfast. Regardless, even if he was just wandering around aimlessly, there was no way he would spend a single second reviewing his schoolwork.
“Look at the door yourself, damn it!”
Sun Wei looked up impatiently only to see a girl standing at the entrance. She was wearing a school uniform, and her appearance sat somewhere between pure and mature. She was smiling at him and even reached out to give a gentle wave.
“Ninth Ai?” Seated on Sun Wei’s desk, An Jing blinked. “What is she doing here…”
“Huh? That’s Ninth Ai? Holy crap, you’re right. It is her. I didn’t even recognize her at first.”
“Probably because she’s changed so much… Why is she looking for you? She couldn’t possibly be trying to — get back together with Zhou Chao, could she?” As An Jing spoke, she couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Chao, who was currently sweeping the floor. That guy had reverted to being a boy after lunch. For some reason, he had spent every break sitting in his seat with his chin in his hand, staring out the window like he had lost his soul.
“Probably… not… Uh, she’s the niece of the tenant living at my house.” Sun Wei scratched his head, looking a bit hesitant. “What should I do? Should I go over?”
“Just go see. Who knows what she’s up to.”
“Heh!” At the start of their first year, Sun Wei and Zhou Chao hadn’t been close yet, so he didn’t know exactly how heartbroken Zhou Chao had been. Unlike An Jing and Fang Qiang, he didn’t feel a deep sense of loathing toward her — Fang Qiang hated her the most, to the point where just mentioning her would make him scowl in disgust. “Then this young master will go take a look. *Ahem*!”
Sun Wei put down his pen and jumped up from his chair. He slid over to Ninth Ai in a few quick steps, trying his best to act nonchalant. “Yeah? Do you need something?”
“Sun Wei, I’m heading to my uncle’s house today. Why don’t we go together?” Perhaps feeling her words were too abrupt, she followed up with a wide smile. “I only just realized I didn’t recognize you when I saw you the other day.”
“Uh… if you’re heading to your uncle’s house anyway, then we really can take the same bus.” The indifference Sun Wei had been faking vanished instantly. He stared at the mole near the corner of Ninth Ai’s mouth and found his head nodding of its own accord. “Sure, s-sure…”
“That’s great.” She laughed and suddenly grabbed Sun Wei’s arm, pulling it close. “Shall we go now?”
Sun Wei’s body froze on the spot. In all his years, he had never had a girl his age act so intimately with him.
How could he even describe that feeling?
It was as if he had lived in a dark, damp cave for years, only for bright sunlight to suddenly stream in, illuminating the gray cave walls and making the murals vivid once more — like a caveman suddenly discovering he could step out into the world outside.
This momentary flutter in his heart was something that Sun Wei, who was usually shunned by girls at school, might keep engraved in his memory forever.
However, he snapped back to reality almost immediately. He glanced toward Zhou Chao’s seat in a panic, only to find him bickering with Zhang Qiqi. The latter reached out a hand to smack his head, while the former refused to be outdone, returning the favor with a flick to her forehead. They seemed to be on very good terms…
This actually made Sun Wei breathe a sigh of relief. “Ah, then wait for me to finish copying this math paper. Just a second, I’m on the last few problems.”
“Okay.” Ninth Ai waited obediently at the door, the smile on her face never wavering.
(3)
“She actually invited Wei to take the bus home with her…” An Jing puffed out her cheeks as she watched Sun Wei’s back, which was practically vibrating with excitement. She couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “Did she break up with her current boyfriend? But there’s no way she’d be interested in Wei…”
“Is this Wei’s spring?”
“Qiang, do you believe that?”
“I don’t. That bitch is probably up to no good again.” Fang Qiang spat on the floor. “Pah. Just looking at her makes me sick.”
“Why is your reaction even bigger than Zhou Chao’s?”
“Because you only understand after you’ve been through it. Before, I just thought she was annoying, but after experiencing things myself and putting myself in Zhou Chao’s shoes… just think about it. After all those years of feelings, she dumped him just like that. Isn’t that disgusting?”
“Hmm… did Zhou Chao see her just now?”
“I don’t know. He seemed to be talking to Zhang Qiqi the whole time.”
The two of them suddenly turned their heads in unison, as if sharing a silent understanding.
They saw Zhang Qiqi pressing down on Zhou Chao’s head, laughing as she scolded him. “Save your pick-up lines! If you want to chase me, wait until you’ve turned into a girl!”
Zhou Chao had a smile on his face. When he noticed An Jing’s gaze, he intentionally started shouting loudly, “An Jing, you’d better be careful! This wicked woman actually likes girls! Watch out, or she’ll steal your girlfriend!”
“Hmph, I only like Jing. No one can steal me away, so don’t you try to drive a wedge between us!” Zhu Ying huffed and quickly grabbed An Jing’s small hand.
“You’re so conceited. I never said I was going to chase you. What are you thinking? I have a girlfriend now,” Zhou Chao retorted with a laugh, directing his words at Zhang Qiqi.
“Who knows if you’re planning to date several girls at once?”
“Definitely not. That’s basic professional ethics.”
“What profession? A Flower-Plucking Thief?”
“What are you talking about? I’m clearly a provider of love.”
“Why does that sound so wrong coming from your mouth?” Zhang Qiqi rolled her eyes. “If you had been this silver-tongued back then, maybe… your Childhood Sweetheart wouldn’t have run away.”
“…Is that so? Actually, maybe she ran away because I’m just a fickle person.”
Zhang Qiqi ignored his intentionally sarcastic self-deprecation and shot him a sidelong glance. “Others might not know, but I’m quite familiar with the details of that situation. Back then, you were basically as naive as an idiot.”
“…Ha. Pretty much.”
“Zhou Chao!” An Jing hesitated for a long time before she finally couldn’t help but call out. “Ninth Ai was here just now. Did you see her?”
“Yeah.”
“She seemed very intimate with Wei.”
“Isn’t that great? That guy who can’t get any girls finally has his spring.”
“Do you really think she could like Wei?”
“Yeah.” Fang Qiang took over the conversation. “She’s probably just using him to get something done. Thinking optimistically, she wants to get close to you again and find a way to reconcile. Thinking pessimistically, it’s probably something incredibly disgusting.”
“Don’t worry. Nothing good ever happens where she’s concerned.” Zhou Chao sneered. The usually amiable and smiling expression on his face turned a bit cold. “Who knows what she’s actually trying to do. Whatever. As long as she doesn’t disgust me, I won’t be polite.”
“If she really…” Fang Qiang hesitated for a moment before hesitantingly finishing his sentence, “If she really tries to get back with you?”
“Who would want a filthy rag?”
“Phew, hearing you say that makes me feel relieved. I was afraid you still had feelings…”
“Do I look like I’m fucking sick? Me? Still thinking about her? If I want a woman, I can find one whenever the hell I want.” Zhou Chao seemed to have a bit of a temper now, his tone sounding like he was looking for a fight. “Cut the crap. Aren’t you supposed to be at your job after school today?”
“Oh, right. I need to get going.”
“A job? Doesn’t the water delivery station close in the evening?” An Jing looked confused.
“Didn’t that kid buy a motorcycle? When he’s free, he goes to crowded places to pick up passengers. He can make 10 or 20 dollars a night.”
“That’s not really a job, then.”
“He’s working for himself.” Zhou Chao shook his head. His emotions calmed down, and he seemed like he wanted to say something, but the words died on his lips. “…Forget it. Time to go home.”
“Did you want to say something?” An Jing frowned slightly.
“I don’t want to say anything at all.”