Chapter 27: You’re the idiot

It was a deep, moonlit night with sparse stars.

The clouds receded with the Cold Wave, and it was frighteningly quiet outside the window.

I lay on my side facing the wall.

If two people were to sleep in this single bed, their skin had to overlap.

Moreover, the Su Xixia beside me had no intention of keeping her distance, holding me tightly.

Ignoring her was useless.

Her presence was like a spotlight on a stage, entangling me directly and emitting a piercing glare.

Unfortunately, even in my dreams, I couldn’t ignore that light —

Here was my hometown, Heshan Village, nestled between mountains and water.

“Hey! Are you okay? Wow, you smell too bad! Go back and wash yourself!”

My nose was filled with the foul stench of waste.

I squatted outside the back wall of Heshan Elementary School, next to a small river.

Across the river were terraced fields stacked high, with the silhouettes of high mountains in the distance.

Nobody could see me; this was the first time someone had spoken to me.

“Go away.”

No matter who came, I treated them all as idiots.

Even though I looked more like an idiot at that moment, my clothes were soaked through, and the exposed skin was smeared with something like sludge.

“Who told you to get such good grades! You’re first every time, and you’re praised every time. If I were you, I’d use this look to chase after the teachers; they would definitely call you out and scold you in class, hahaha — !”

‘Who is this… talking to herself like an idiot…’

‘Only someone with a broken brain would do that!’

I looked up.

It was a girl in a bright red dress with fair skin and a round face, looking like a porcelain doll.

I remembered her as the “Red Flower” of the class?

A girl named Su Xixia.

“You wouldn’t do that! If you were me, and this beautiful dress was covered in smelly stuff, you’d be sitting on the ground crying! Idiot — !”

“You’re the idiot! Moron!”

‘Is this person picking a fight on purpose!?’

Even after seeing me being bullied by the boys, she still approached.

I was in a terrible mood.

“Go away. Idiots aren’t worthy of standing next to me. You failed the last test, didn’t you!”

The group of boys hadn’t gone far; they might still be watching.

She was still standing with me; no wonder she failed.

“Huh!? Getting good grades isn’t… isn’t that impressive. Look how dirty you are, how disgusting! No one in class likes you, and I hate you too. From now on, I hate you too, moron! Moron — !”

“Hating me is for the best. Go away. Shoo! Shoo!”

I waved my hand and splashed some dirty water, and a few black dots immediately appeared on that beautiful red dress.

“You, just you wait!!”

Su Xixia jumped back and ran away while shouting threats like a villain in an anime. Like an idiot…

After she was far away, I stepped out from the edge of the wall and wiped the sludge off my face.

“Li Doggy, who said you could leave?”

Several boys walked over from ahead.

As I expected, they had been playing marbles in the open space next to the school gate.

“Idiots, don’t call me that.”

Even though I was trembling with fear, I remained stubborn.

Those boys were too stupid to get good grades, so they bullied others.

How pathetic!

Everyone was an idiot!

“You still dare to talk back! Everyone, throw marbles at him! Xiao Wu, you won enough marbles today, right? Throw more!”

“Yes… yes! Dammit, it’s all your fault, Li Doggy! I’ll pelt you to death!”

Hard glass marbles whizzed past my ears.

Then, *thud!*

A sharp pain came from my forehead.

I could only crouch down and hold my head.

“Haha, headshot!”

But the marble onslaught only lasted a few seconds.

“Tsk! The ‘Red Flower’ is coming. Let’s go!”

“What about the marbles?”

“Forget them! Let’s go. Even the teachers listen to the ‘Red Flower.’ Do you dare to mess with her?”

“Wuwu, my marbles…”

The boys complained and called out to each other as they dispersed.

When I finally dared to look up, Su Xixia was still in front of me, wearing the red dress I had dirtied.

This time, several girls followed behind her.

“Xiaxia, what did you call us here for?”

one girl asked.

“Hey!”

Su Xixia flicked my forehead with her finger.

“Tell me, am I still an idiot!”

Everyone except me was an idiot.

“Of course… you are.”

She was probably bullying me on purpose again.

Everyone was like this.

“Xiaxia? He smells so bad. *Blech* — “

“Are we going to play with him? I don’t want to.”

The girls cast disgusted looks.

“Li Mingshan is a big moron — ! From today on, he is our doll! Didn’t you all say you wanted a bigger one? This is it! He can still be used once he’s washed!”

Su Xixia rummaged through her small leather backpack.

Taller than me, she easily pulled out a water bottle, held it over my head, and turned her wrist.

Warm water poured down from the top of my head.

“So that’s how you play!”

“Haha, let’s all help him bathe!”

“So dirty, so dirty!”

The girls followed her example, holding water bottles or soda bottles.

Liquids of various colors poured from my head.

As they flowed past my eyes, they formed a multicolored waterfall.

Of course, I couldn’t possibly think it looked good…

Impossible…

*Pfft!*

I suddenly sat up from the bed.

Replacing the foul stench was the sweet scent of steamed flour cakes.

“Good morning, lazybones. I saw there was some flour and beans left, so just make do with this!”

Su Xixia…

She was wearing a sweater and fleece pants with a newly bought apron over them.

Her slightly turned body traced a full curve.

“Idiot…?”

I blurted out.

“You, you’re the idiot! It’s rare for me to get up early to make cakes, you ungrateful wolf!”

I should have forgotten this distant memory long ago…

I probably dreamed of it because I had been spending too much time with her.

However, the current her was indeed still herself.

Because she had learned to take care of others and had come to me of her own accord, thinking she was different from before was simply too naive of me.

Why did she have to be so mischievous?

Why did she have to use that method to get my attention?

If she had honestly asked me for help, I wouldn’t have been able to leave her alone either. Why did she have to do that…

—

After swallowing the sweet cakes, I took out my phone and saw a message from Xiao Ji.

“I’m at home. When will you arrive? My sister is super annoying; come save me.”

Only then did I remember that today was Saturday.

Last week, I had made an appointment with my close friends to get together.

As for Su Xixia, I had originally agreed to take her with me and go public with our relationship…

“Xixia, I… have to go to Xiao Ji’s house today.”

“Huh? What about lunch?”

Su Xixia frowned.

“I probably won’t be back for lunch. I’ll be back before evening.”

At this point, there was no need to keep last week’s promise.

After all, she had done something unforgivable to me.

She was still a selfish person…

“Go ahead,” she said softly.

Hmm?

I thought she would refuse, but she unexpectedly agreed.

Perhaps holding leverage over me had made her arrogant.

Unfortunately, even if you didn’t let me go, it was too late to stop me.

I would see An Zhi again…

—

Xiao Ji’s house was located in the university district.

From the New City area where my house was, I had to take the subway and transfer twice, crossing the entire Old City area before reaching it.

The journey took nearly 1 hour.

It was actually quite far from my house.

As for how Xiao Ji used to often come to me with alcohol to drink until midnight and how he got back…

I didn’t know.

My side was near the suburbs, so the security was definitely not as good as the university district.

He probably stayed up all night at the bars near my house.

He had this habit since college.

I really didn’t know what Senior Schoolmate Xu would think of his behavior.

Given her conservative personality, she probably hated it.

Coming out of the subway exit, I could see a large stretch of lake water and the tall buildings on the opposite bank.

A familiar wind blew gently, carrying the scent of the lake.

This Jinhu was the soul of the university district.

The surface of the lake reflected golden light, overlapping with the sunlight that should have hit my body, as if it could bring double the warmth to this autumn day.

The Jinhu campus of Sucheng University was nearby, and there were several other different colleges in the surrounding area, so the lakeside on weekends was filled with young students laughing, talking, and looking at the scenery.

Of course, there were also sweet couples and newlyweds taking wedding photos.

I had once… come here with An Zhi as well.

We moved beyond the stage of close friends here and I held her small hand.

The expression on her face back then —

That was all in the past.

I quickly walked along the path, turned into a luxurious lake-view community, and found Xiao Ji’s house on a high floor.

It was a lake-view apartment.

To be precise, it was the apartment of Xiao Ji’s sister, Xiao Qingling.

Because it was close to Sucheng University, I often went to their house during my junior and senior years, sometimes with An Zhi…

It was all in the past!

I skillfully walked into the hallway, took the elevator to the 19th floor, and pressed the doorbell next to the heavy iron door.

“Hello, who is it?”

A clear female voice came from the doorbell’s speaker, as clean as spring water flowing in the mountains.

“It’s Li Mingshan. Sister Xiao Qingling, long time no see. Is Xiao Ji there?”

“Holy mother of… no… Heavens! You’re finally here.”

Then Xiao Ji’s coarse voice came through, torturing my ears.

“Xiao Ji, swearing again! Where are your manners!”

The door slowly opened to the sound of Xiao Qingling’s scolding.