Chapter 6 : A Ruthless Beating

After quite a bit of effort, Song Qiuyu finally solved the security question issue and got two QQ friends to help verify that the account belonged to her.

She was extremely grateful that Jiang Xiao wasn’t the only friend on this account.

Otherwise, there was a high chance she would never have gotten the account back.

As soon as she logged in, she saw 99+ unread messages from Jiang Xiao.

The most recent one: “Xi’er, today is the day I report to university. The weather was originally very…”

With a pounding heart, Song Qiuyu took a deep breath and, without a moment’s hesitation, clicked on the chat window.

The full most recent message: “Xi’er, today is the day I report to university. The weather was originally very nice, but in the afternoon, it suddenly started to rain.”

Time: 14:46:58.

The message before that: “Xi’er, today is the last day of the senior year summer holiday. Tomorrow, I’ll be going to university. You once said you liked the opera house at Nanxi. I’ll go see it for you, but honestly, I’d much rather see it with you.”

Time: Yesterday, 14:46:58.

The one before that: “Xi’er, I saw a movie poster at the entrance of the cinema. There was a girl playing the violin on it, and I immediately thought of you. You said you really like the violin too. I’m sure you’d love this movie.”

Time: The day before yesterday, 14:46:58.

At this point, Song Qiuyu gasped and continued scrolling up.

Memories came flooding back like a tide.

It was the afternoon after the high school entrance exam had ended, and the whole class gathered to take a photo.

Knowing they would soon be going their separate ways, she decisively picked up her phone and used her alternate account to send Jiang Xiao a message, cutting off their contact herself.

But not long after, Jiang Xiao sent her a message: “Xi’er, April Fool’s Day is long over. How about trying that joke again next year?”

She inexplicably smiled a little when she saw that message.

Then she silently played dead.

But pretending to be dead was pointless—Jiang Xiao would still talk to her like before and invite her to play games.

And she happened to have red dot (notification) anxiety.

After several days of this, she made a decision and picked up her phone to type many lines of text.

Very soon, Jiang Xiao received the following messages:

“Alright, I’ll confess. Actually, I’ve been hiding something from you.”

“In reality, I have acute neuritis.”

“A week ago, the doctor already told me to undergo surgery. The success rate is very low.”

“It’s been great knowing you during this time… If—and I mean if—I make it out of the operating room alive, let’s get back together.”

“If not, please don’t be sad for me. Go find someone better. I won’t blame you.”

After that, Shen Xi’s profile picture never lit up again.

Because she had unlinked her alternate account.

Ever since she no longer saw the red dot notifications, she felt mentally and physically relieved and immediately put the whole emotional entanglement behind her.

As the memories faded, Song Qiuyu clutched her phone tightly and guiltily glanced at the person in the bed next to her.

Afraid Jiang Xiao would notice her staring, she quickly looked away, pressed her lips together, and braced herself as she scrolled all the way to the first unread message.

The first message read: “Alright, I wish you a successful surgery. I’ll be waiting to get back together with you!”

Time: July 7, 2022.

Second message: “Xi’er, did you see it? There’s a Gemini meteor shower tonight. I’ve already made a wish for you—you’ll definitely get better.”

Later that same night.

Third message: “Xi’er, have you entered the operating room already?”

Time: July 8, 2022.

Fourth message: “Xi’er, I bought your favorite oranges today. I wanted to visit you at the hospital, but I figured you probably need rest right now. Once you’ve recovered, you have to contact me, okay? I’ll be waiting for you.”

Time: July 9, 2022.

Fifth message: “Xi’er…”

Sixth message: “Mhm, I understand. I’ll keep messaging you. I won’t forget you.”

Time: July 21, 2022.

Seventh message: “Xi’er, I miss you.”

Time: July 22, 2022.

Eighth message: “Xi’er, I think I’m sick… If I close my eyes and could see you, that would be enough.”

Later that same night.

By the time Song Qiuyu read this, cold sweat had soaked the back of her shirt.

The old saying was true—those foolish things you do when you’re young really will come back to hit you hard when you grow up!

What kind of stupid things had she done back in middle school? She had basically turned herself into someone’s tragic lost love!

So… could Jiang Xiao’s whole transformation really have been her fault?

I mean, who wouldn’t get emotionally wrecked after something like that?

She couldn’t bear to read any more.

She backed out of the chat and checked the full message history.

Her phone hadn’t been replaced in three years, so she wasn’t sure if any of the old middle school chats would still be there…

Suddenly, she was terrified—what if she’d done even worse things back in middle school…?

The worst part was, she couldn’t even remember anymore.

As expected, the account only saved Jiang Xiao’s unread messages.

Their older conversations were nowhere to be found.

Cue the pain mask.

Song Qiuyu squeezed her phone and shut her eyes, taking a few deep breaths.

Then she opened her eyes again, switched back to her main account—the one she used most often.

She decided to take a break and look at something else for a while.

If she kept wallowing in guilt like this, she’d start feeling unworthy of being human.

She was just about to check out what kind of new crazy antics the folks on “Zhengqi Bar” were up to when a pop-up from Tieba made her freeze mid-scroll.

“Nanfeng Drama Academy Bar (Followed): Shocking! All the campus heartthrobs and beauties are gathered in the boys’ Dorm Building 3 this year!”

“…”

Come to think of it, their dorm was Building 3.

Song Qiuyu immediately tapped into the post.

With just one glance, she shot upright on her bed.

The opening post had no picture.

But the first reply did—it was a photo of her and Jiang Xiao walking out of the boys’ dorm together.

So someone had been secretly taking pictures!

She didn’t even need to look closely to know exactly who the so-called campus beauty and hunk were.

[New reply from [Dingdang Cat]: Is the person on the left really a guy?]

[New reply from [Tieba is My Home]: If the person on the left is just a girl, then okay, whatever—but if it’s a guy, that’s amazing!]

[New reply from [Fleeting Blossoms]: What’s going on here? Don’t try to fool me with a red middle tile (refers to a mahjong term, slang for fake-out)—they’re clearly a couple! The one on the left has to be a girl!]

[New reply from [Day Day Up]: They’re so well-matched! I ship this CP hard. What major are they in? OP, spill the tea!]

The replies kept piling up.

Song Qiuyu was growing more and more anxious.

Knees were okay to fall on, but shipping random CPs was crossing the line.

Jiang Xiao was already emotionally stuck in the past because of her—and now, these comments were just making it harder for him to meet someone new!

And of course, they were fixated on her gender again.

But she was clearly a boy who had somehow inexplicably become a girl.

Instead of focusing on her…

Wouldn’t it make way more sense to focus on Jiang Xiao? He was the better value!

Tall, handsome, smart, and strong.

[New reply from [No Paparazzi]: Debunking this—those two are just good bros. And come on, doesn’t the guy on the right seem even more handsome?]