Chapter3

  In the water town, Ah Heng had many playmates who grew up together catching fish and playing in the water, besides her younger brother Yun. However, none of them went to high school, and they all left their hometown one after another to chase their dreams in some prosperous cities in the north. Before leaving, each of them hugged Ah Heng and said, "Ah Heng, we will miss you so much when we leave. We must write letters to each other every day." But from the initial exchange of letters to completely losing contact, it only took a few months. Ah Heng was troubled, spending a lot of time writing letters every day, but could only sigh at the pile of letters with no one to send them to.

  The school that Ah Heng attends is a prestigious school in City B, where the middle school and high school are combined. The students who attend this school either have excellent grades, or they come from wealthy families, or they have powerful connections; at least one of these three conditions must be met.

  Si Guang entrusted Ah Heng to Director Chen of the Teaching Affairs Office, who had been arranged by Old Wen in advance, and left in a hurry. Listening to the tone of praise in Director Xie's words, Si Guang must also be an outstanding student in all aspects. Director Chen was naturally clear about the power of the Wen family and knew the sensitivity of Ah Heng's identity, so he assigned her to the best class, Class 3.

  And Ah Heng stood at the entrance of Class 3, hesitating, clutching his school bag with sweaty hands, hearing the calm and steady teaching voice from inside the classroom, feeling embarrassed, he turned around to enter through the back door. As he turned around, he felt a gust of wind coming, followed by dizziness, and he bumped heavily into the slightly closed door, falling into a mess.

  "Damn it! Grandma's, how did someone block the door!" In an instant, the classroom was quiet enough to hear only a loud and clear echo.

  A Heng's head was dizzy and his eyes were blurred, and that one shout of "rely" made his soul scattered. Due to the pain caused by the impact, he leaned back and stood up instead.

  It seems to have squeezed out blood. Ah Heng looked at the bloodstains seeping from his palm, and finally had a sense of reality. When he raised his head, however, he saw the other party's mouth full of eight big white teeth, and couldn't help but feel terrified.

  The originally solemn air began to relax, and bursts of thunderous laughter came, with the bold ones even starting to tease: "Auntie, you're old, take care of your body!"

  That man rubbed his messy black hair and turned back to curse, "Get out of my sight! You're the one who's having a period! Your whole family is having a period!!!"

  "Shinda yi!!!!" The young female teacher on the podium had her face red like a tomato and was so angry that she was trembling with rage.

  "Ah, it's Teacher Lin, sorry about that, I was wrong. Don't be angry, you look so beautiful, but with a complexion like a pig's waist, isn't it quite mismatched? Smile and you'll look ten years younger!" The young man said with a mischievous grin, half teasing and half sarcastic.

  "YOU!!! GET BACK TO YOUR SEAT!!!!!"

  "Yes!" The young man gave a sloppy military salute, revealing his white teeth, and stretched out his hand awkwardly in front of Ah Heng.

  A Heng was stunned and immediately began to break out in a cold sweat.

  "What's wrong with you!" The young man opened his mouth and grasped Ah Heng's wrist, pulling her up from the ground.

  Then, Ah Heng somehow blended into his new class without even having a chance to introduce himself.

  The transfer student from the south, looks ordinary and delicate, has some connections at home, knowing these is enough. Everyone is desperately squeezing into Class 3 just to get into a famous university, who has the leisure to care about others' ancestors eighteen generations ago, it's better to do two more questions instead.

  However, some grievances were buried after all.

  Xinda Yi, also known as Eve, spent the next decade in a state of intermittent madness and grief, clutching her disheveled hair and shaking her finger at Ah Heng Xian Xi. She was so angry she could have spat out a mouthful of blood: "I, Eve, have lived for half my life, and all the friends I've made are like fish in the Yellow River - how did I end up with these two useless people?!"

  Ah Heng smiled, his eyebrows and eyes gentle - "Really?"

  Xian Xi sneered, his lip corners slightly raised - "Hushu Bao, you're really something else?!"

  "Eve was furious - 'Xī, you're not allowed to call Lǎozi Hùshūbǎo!!'"

  Xian Xi opened her big phoenix eyes, her eye waves clear and flowing, half leaning on Ah Heng's body, innocent and romantic - "Is that Moon Moon treasure good or not?"

  Tears streaming down Eve's face — "Does it make a difference?"

  Ah Heng thought for a moment and replied seriously: "Mei Mei Bao is not as good as Hu Shu Bao."

  Foam spewed from Eve's mouth.

  For Eve, being with Ah Heng and Xi is absolutely going to shorten his lifespan by 50 years, but if they're not together, it's likely to shorten his lifespan by 100 years. So, every time people shout "Those two little rascals, whoever takes care of them will be out of luck!", Eve would rather die than give up on them, even if it means being trampled by the enemy as an underground party member. Being kicked and scolded by a group of friends, who cursed him as a "masochist", Eve was covered in tears and snot - "You bunch of bastards don't think I'm easy to mess with! If it weren't for living 50 more years, I'd rather use Moon Moon Treasure as toilet paper every day than care about those two little shameless ones!!!"

  Cough cough, generally speaking, the Xin Shi Da Yi "one collision warm and harmonious mistake for a lifetime" that has been circulating in Xiling for a long time is basically not a rumor.

  Of course, Ah Heng and Yan Xi were unclear about Eve's suffering. Even if they were clear, they often pretended not to know in a straightforward manner.

  From that day on, Ah Heng in class, saw people with a warm smile, not annoying at all... always quietly sitting in his seat, like half an invisible person.

  It just so happened that her deskmate, Xinda Yi, was sitting diagonally behind her. He wasn't very talkative, but when he did speak, his words were always laced with sarcasm that could suffocate people to death. Yet, the girls in class loved to tease him, and although they would get angry, their faces reddening with rage, they wouldn't lash out at him. Instead, they would cleverly steer the conversation towards "Xin Huai Wen Xuan".

  "When did I become their babysitter?" The young man spoke bluntly, with a hint of sarcasm.

  "Aren't you and Xī Wēn Sī Huā childhood friends?" The girl who asked the question blushed bright red.

  A-Heng was shocked, and his hand holding the pen drew a messy line on the practice book.

  "About that little thing of yours, I'm afraid to say it out loud in case you idols get disillusioned! Sisters, go wherever you want, we haven't been paparazzi for many years." The young man didn't give face, waving his hand to shoo people away while rolling his eyes.

  Ah Heng suddenly remembered the basin of water he had splashed on Si Guang's body and burst out laughing.

  "Sister, what's with this again?" The young man was perplexed, looking at the slightly trembling back in front of him.

  "It's nothing." Ah Heng said softly, his voice smooth and gentle.

  "Why does this girl's voice sound so weird?" Sindai muttered under her breath.

  A Heng smiled faintly and closed his mouth, continuing to work on the math problem.

  "Ah! How could I have forgotten this?! The young man seemed to have remembered something, patted his messy hair once, and stared straight at the slightly thin back in front of him with his bright eyes. Then he picked up a pencil and lightly tapped the girl "What's your surname?"

  "Wēn héng, wǒ." Ah Héng turned around, quietly looking into the boy's eyes, his tone still strange, but with a different meaning.

  "As expected, her surname is Wen." Xinda Yi didn't know why, but he suddenly thought of another girl, and his voice dropped by eight degrees. Slowly, the hand holding the pencil loosened.

  At that time, "Blue Life and Death Love" was in full swing. Xinda Yi thought after being kicked out of the Wen family, he couldn't become Jun Xi, but becoming Tai Xi shouldn't be too difficult. But no one told him, when En Xi is still En Xi, Xin Ai is no longer Xin Ai, who should he vent his anger and resentment to?

  Xinda Yi, although rough and impulsive since childhood, never did things that would harm others. Even if it was for Si Er's sake, he wouldn't make an exception and take out his frustrations on a kind and gentle girl who couldn't even speak properly. As a man, he had to maintain his dignity, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to hold his head high in front of Yan Xi.

  Xinda was annoyed, holding back a belly full of fire, slamming the book loudly. Ah Heng vaguely felt it had something to do with her, listening to the clear and rough sound, his heart strangely became calm, his eyebrows still warm like distant mountains, but with a hint of fatigue.

  That evening after school, Driver Liu waited for Ah Heng and Si Ruan as usual at the nearby parking lot. Si Ruan was one grade higher than Ah Heng and got out of school a bit later.

  When Si Guang came out, he was carrying his school bag as usual, with a gentlemanly demeanor and an unruffled appearance. He walked towards the car. But suddenly, the young man seemed to have discovered something and shouted incredulously in the direction of the stone pillar, his eyes instantly accumulating waves - "Er Er!"

  A Heng's heart was racing, he rolled down the car window and saw a thin, long-haired girl standing by the stone pillar, her profile frozen. He heard Si Yun's shout, but the girl turned resolutely and walked away.

  At that time, Ah Heng had not thought about what the word "Er Er" represented. He only felt a strange feeling in his heart, as if the answer he was constantly searching for was right in front of him, but suddenly lost all desire to know.

  "Hey, aren't you going? Can't you?" The empty parking lot echoed with a clear and piercing voice that was devoid of elegance or courtesy. Si Gwan's long fingers slowly curled in, his ice-blue shirt clinging to his skin, the hem crumpled from being gripped too tightly, his frustration and resentment evident on his face like a child's.

  So fragile and delicate, Si Wei appeared in front of Ah Heng without disguise, losing the pretence of refinement, yet taking away her own gentle self-control like trampling on dusty mud - Ah Heng knew it was fake, but still savoured the few warm moments.

  But the girl who was intimately called "Er Er" seemed to have not heard, and walked straight forward, step by step, slowly straightening her back, becoming as noble and elegant as a white swan.

  Ah Heng looked through the car window, watching Si Gyun walk slowly towards him as if nothing had happened. His heart felt like it was shrouded in a layer of fog, blurry and unclear, unable to see the true appearance of this world from the beginning.

  They, Si Guang and his mouthful of Er Er, got lost too?

  Going in opposite directions, walking so persistently, yet losing direction.

  And she, existing like this, even if she has never done anything, just having the surname Wen means a kind of destruction? 4

  Ah Heng sometimes thinks that life is like a farce, before he even figured out why his surname was Yun, he already had the surname Wen.

  The surname is Wen, what does it represent? As Zhang Shu said, Ah Heng's father was a prominent naval officer, her mother was a famous pianist, and her grandfather was a politician. A daughter from such a family, without a doubt, has the qualifications to be spoiled. And Wen Si'er is precisely this girl who has been pampered with all the love in the world.

  Since arriving in B City, the name Si Er has been shrouded over Ah Heng's head like a dark cloud. She had vaguely guessed a small part of it, but it was far from being as clear and shocking as when Zhang Shu spoke up.

  When Ah Heng was living a simple and impoverished life in Wushui Town, always living in the shadow of her younger brother's heart disease, there was a girl who replaced her and became Wen Si'er.

  According to Zhang Shu's account, when her mother was sitting in the month after giving birth, she suddenly disappeared from the nursery. Her father and mother were so anxious that they almost went crazy. However, half a month later, her grandfather brought back a baby girl with a birthmark identical to hers and told her mother, "Si'er is back."

  And that Si Er, was exceptionally excellent, could dance ballet, play a fluent piano, looked beautiful, and what's more, had an extremely gentle and lovely temperament. The whole Wen family, including the late Grandma Wen, treasured her like a precious gem. Even Grandpa, who was naturally stubborn, would smile from ear to ear when mentioning her in front of outsiders, let alone Wen Mu, who had been doting on her daughter since she was little.

  "What a pity, such a good child..." Zhang Shu always spoke with a face full of regret and sorrow.

  In the Wen family, perhaps only Zhang Shu was able to talk to Ah Heng. This old man had been a widower for many years and had been helping with household chores in the Wen family since before Old Lady Wen passed away, and was deeply respected by everyone in the Wen family.

  It can be said that Ah Heng was able to get along harmoniously with Zhang Shu, thanks to the kitchen.

  Yunmu is a renowned woman in town, known for her clever hands and culinary skills. She cooks delicious dishes and brews excellent soups. Ah Heng has been influenced by her since childhood and has learned some authentic techniques.

  By chance, Zhang Shu was busy cooking and overcooked the rice. Ah Heng was anxious for a moment, saw half an orange on the table next to him, squeezed the juice into the rice, then inserted scallion leaves into the rice and steamed it over low heat.

  Zhang Shuo was inexplicably wonderful, and after a while, she actually smelled the clear fragrance of rice, and her heart changed its view of the little girl in front of her. When she had time, she took Ah Heng to study cooking skills and carefully taught Ah Heng how to make northern dishes.

  "Flip it three times, be careful." Zhang Shu commanded Ah Heng with some authority.

  Ah Heng easily flipped it over twice with a wooden shovel.

  "Wrong, it's three down." The old man was serious, holding the girl's hand and flipping again.

  "Two down, shall we go?" Ah Heng smiled.

  "Of course not, northerners always stir-fry three times when cooking." The old man had a matter-of-fact expression.

  "Three trips north and two trips south?" Ah Heng muttered under his breath.

  "Little scamp!" Zhang's wife turned her head and smiled as she scolded, wiping away the sweat on Ah Heng's forehead with a sweep of her hand.

  "Ah Po." Ah Heng's eyes were gentle and clear, his voice soft and sweet, with a pure southern accent.

  Zhang's wife was taken aback, as if she hadn't understood, and turned around to stir-fry the shredded chicken.

  "Mother... mother." Ah Heng spoke with sincerity, his warm words escaping from his lips in a slightly awkward Mandarin accent.

  The old man continued to stir-fry the chicken shreds, paused for a moment, and let out a light sigh.

  "It would be great if you were a bit naughty."

  Ah Heng didn't say a word, but the corners of his mouth always had a faint smile, like a light ink painting.

  Every day when eating dinner, the dining hall was very quiet, and even the sound of chewing food could not be heard. Ah Heng ate slowly and quietly, although it was strange, but she had been fond of cleanliness since childhood, and there was nothing else unusual about her.

  "Dad..." Warm Mother gently put down the spoon, wanting to speak but stopping herself.

  "What's wrong?" The old man frowned and looked at his daughter-in-law.

  The Wen family's home education was very strict, and it was taboo to talk at the dinner table. However, Su Er and Su Zhan loved to chat and laugh during meals every day. Although the old man had scolded them several times, it had no effect. As soon as Su Er pouted, they let it go.

  Nowadays, Ah Heng has come, he doesn't like to talk, but is actually a quiet kid. However, the old man somehow feels a bit unaccustomed to it.

  "Can't you, can't you take Er'er back home?" Madam Wen's temperament was usually elegant and refined, but at this moment, she was somewhat cautious.

  "In the house where Si'er is living now, I've found someone to take care of her specially, you don't have to worry." The old man looked somewhat displeased, but his eyes swept over Ah Heng.

  Si Guang continued to chew his rice grains politely and properly, but his eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

  "Dad, weren't you the one who doted on Er'er the most in the past?" Wen Mu hesitated and cast her gaze at Grandfather.

  "That's enough!" The old man slammed the spoon heavily on the table.

  Si Guang raised her eyes, looking at the old man with some hurt. Wen Mu no longer spoke, but Wen Wenyi's distant mountain eyebrows were furrowed, knotting up in her heart.

  The surroundings were quiet, and Ah Heng held a mouthful of soup in his mouth, awkwardly unable to swallow.

  "Yunyi, you have time, why don't you add some clothes for Ahheng instead." The old man sighed and picked up the spoon again.

  Ah Heng looked at his own somewhat dirty school uniform and suddenly felt embarrassed and uneasy.

  The closet isn't empty of clothes, it's just that those clothes ultimately belong to others, and most look very expensive. Wearing them always feels awkward. The clothes brought from home have gradually gone out of season, and wearing them is not suitable for the occasion. As a result, I can only wear two sets of school uniforms alternately. Coincidentally, today's physical education class got my clothes dirty, and it was noticed by Teacher Wen.

  "I understand." Wen's mother cast a glance at Ah Heng, her expression unreadable.

  A Heng lowered his head and slowly swallowed the soup, but it seemed as if a fish bone was stuck in his throat.

  Actually, the school uniform is pretty good. Ah Heng wanted to speak up, but thought it wasn't suitable, and glanced at Si Yun lightly, seeing that he didn't have any particular expression, his hanging heart slightly put down.

  Si Guang's goodness towards Si Er was seen by her in the parking lot that day.

  "Ah Heng, can you still keep up with the school curriculum?" Wen Lao slowed down his tone, looking at his ordinary granddaughter in front of him, feeling a little disappointed.

  He ultimately delayed this child after all.

  "Uh-huh." Ah Heng was somewhat surprised and immediately nodded honestly.

  "There are things you don't know, let... your brother teach you." The old man emphasized the two words "brother".

  In an instant, Wen Mu and Si Gyun's faces turned somewhat pale.

  Older brother.

  His throat was a bit itchy, he opened his mouth, but couldn't make a sound, and could only nod slightly.

  Si Guang's hand holding chopsticks trembled slightly, and after a moment, he stood up and politely pushed the chair away.

  I'm full.

  Si Guang turned around, his heart aching extremely, as if someone was pinching him, and naturally had no time to consider others' feelings.

  "Ah Xi." Si Gua returned to her own room, put the receiver to her ear, and remained silent for a moment before speaking.

  "Huh?" The other person's slightly nasal tone was accompanied by a hint of laziness.

  "I want you." Xī Guān's fingertips holding the microphone slowly tightened.

  "Uh-huh." The other party was too lazy to respond excessively, answering with just one word.

  "A Xi, I said I want you!" Si Gua's voice grew louder, a surge of pent-up emotions uncontrollable, her eyes slowly reddening.

  "What's with the loud voice? You little brat, are you crazy?" The young man's voice was clear and sharp.

  "Ashi......" Si Gyun said with a hint of grievance.

  "Calling out for your soul!" The young man sneered, extremely impatient.

  "Do you have to be so fierce every time you talk to me?" Si Gua's voice weakened, with a hint of childishness and helplessness.

  "I've never been gentle with anyone before!" The young man's voice was clear, but the rough words around his lips had a different tone.

  "What... about Lu Liu?" Si Gua hesitated for a moment, being extremely cautious.

  "Bang!" The other party slammed down the phone.

  As soon as he heard the "beep" sound on this side of the phone, he knew that he had stepped on the cat's tail and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

  A Xi, still... haven't let go?

  I don't know why, but when thinking of you, the words in my mind become increasingly arrogant and cold, even my delicate beauty has become a fake face.

  Nature, after many years, looking at the outcome of this kind of development, apart from bitter smile, four words like arrows, hitting the bullseye - Fate plays tricks on people.

  Since that day when Ah Heng caught a glimpse of Si Er at the parking lot, he had never seen her again.

  In the class, everyone gradually sensed something from Ah Heng's overly simple dress, and coupled with Ah Heng's Mandarin being really unpleasant to listen to, a sentence sounded fragmented and laughable. Some students from powerful cliques in the class started looking down on the girl, and when they heard Ah Heng speak, the smile at the corner of their lips often carried a mocking pity. They pretended not to know and exchanged glances with their classmates beside them, conveying a sense of superiority.

  Because of the indecent dress, because of speaking Mandarin with a strong accent, it is pitiful; because of poverty, because of the rustic tone, it is shameful.

  Ah Heng initially was still willing to communicate with everyone, but later on, he became completely silent, only wearing a warm and gentle smile while watching others talk and laugh.

  Xinda Yi, although aware of the crowd's power and influence, yet in her heart she had an inexplicable aversion to Er'er's affairs, weighing the pros and cons, and deliberately ignoring them, treating Wen Heng as a complete stranger. However, deep down, she strangely hoped that Wen Heng would cry or lash out loudly due to the crowd's ostracism, as if this would give her a sense of peace and justification for hating Er'er.

  It's a pity that from start to finish, Wen Heng never once showed a warm and gentle smile, but his eyebrows seemed to tolerate everything with softness and perseverance.