Chapter Thirteen

Rain Xingyue gently cleaned Yuli’s wounds, her heart aching at the sight. How could Wang Tianqi be so ruthless? There were even bruises on Yuli’s neck from his grip. Remembering the look in Yuli’s eyes, Rain Xingyue wished she could give Wang Tianqi a thorough beating.

Dabbing at the blood on Yuli’s neck and face, Rain Xingyue asked softly, “Does it still hurt?”

Yuli didn’t respond. Rain Xingyue smacked her forehead—she’d forgotten that Yuli was deaf and mute, and could only read sign language. Rain Xingyue had prepared for this, having consulted a sign language teacher and learned what mattered most to those like Yuli.

She made a sign to Yuli, meaning: Does it still hurt?

Yuli’s eyes lit up with delight—finally, someone who understood her! She shook her head, indicating the wounds weren’t painful.

Rain Xingyue smiled and made another sign. Her movements were clumsy, and Yuli could tell her sign language was just passable, but she was still thrilled. This new big brother was adorable.

The sign Rain Xingyue had just made meant: Were you scared at the time?

Yuli shook her head, meaning she wasn’t afraid.

“What a brave little girl,” Rain Xingyue said with relief.

Yuli responded with a series of gestures. Rain Xingyue watched carefully and soon understood.

Big brother, do you have a girlfriend?

“What? Why are you asking that kind of question? Who taught you that?” Rain Xingyue asked.

She forgot again that Yuli couldn’t hear her. Rain Xingyue thought the girl was precocious to know about boyfriends and girlfriends at her age, and could only shake her head helplessly.

Seeing this, Yuli immediately made another sign.

Big brother, let’s make a promise.

“A promise?” Rain Xingyue was puzzled.

Before he could answer, Yuli made another, more complicated sign. Rain Xingyue struggled to keep up, but after several repetitions, he understood.

When I grow up, can I be your girlfriend?

Rain Xingyue was at a loss for words.

He didn’t have time to think about such things, and Yuli’s question had caught him off guard. He didn’t know how to respond, so he said nothing, but after thinking for a long time, he wrote something in his notebook for Yuli to see. Her expression changed as she read his words.

Written in the notebook: “If you can defeat your Senior Brother Xiao, then I’ll agree to your request.”

Yuli was elated, giving a thumbs up. Rain Xingyue knew she wanted to hook pinkies—a promise to show she wasn’t lying and would keep her word.

They hooked pinkies, though neither knew when this promise might be fulfilled.

Big brother, what’s your surname? Yuli signed.

Rain Xingyue pointed at her. Yuli glanced down at herself, puzzled, thinking there was nothing dirty on her. Suddenly it dawned on her, and she nodded—he had the same surname as her.

Rain Xingyue wrote his name in the notebook: Rain Xingyue. He didn’t write “Rain Guo”—he considered the name his father gave him a disgrace.

Yuli read the name: Rain Xingyue.

Once the wounds were all tended to, Rain Xingyue stuck a band-aid on Yuli’s forehead, where there was a small cut. Even a tiny wound was not to be taken lightly—that was the responsibility of a team medic, to care for every member.

“All done, your wounds are treated.” He mimed being finished.

Yuli returned to her training. Watching her go, Rain Xingyue thought, What is this little girl talking about? How could I possibly like her? Yet, her serious expression made it seem as if she wasn’t joking. Maybe I should be more open-minded.

“All settled?” Lin Zimo came over.

“Ah, Zimo, you scared me,” Rain Xingyue gasped.

Lin Zimo said irritably, “You were just standing there daydreaming. If I hadn’t interrupted, you’d still be out of it.”

“So I should thank you, then?” Rain Xingyue retorted.

“Of course.”

“Boring,” Rain Xingyue said, walking off without looking back.

After training, Rain Xingyue went home as usual. As he reached the bottom of the building, he saw Wu Siying facing off with a man.

“What’s going on? What are you doing here?” Rain Xingyue asked.

Wu Siying, seeing Rain Xingyue, looked as if she’d spotted her savior and shouted, “You’re just in time, come here quickly!”

Rain Xingyue hurried over.

“Siying, who’s this man?” the guy demanded.

“Him?” Wu Siying suddenly grabbed Rain Xingyue’s arm.

A sense of foreboding swept over him.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Wu Siying blurted.

“What?!” Rain Xingyue was dumbfounded. When did he become Wu Siying’s boyfriend?

The man didn’t believe it. “Siying, you just found a stranger to get rid of me, didn’t you? Aren’t you ashamed?”

Wu Siying pouted, “What, I can’t have a boyfriend? My private life is none of your business.”

“I don’t believe you, unless you can prove he’s your boyfriend.”

“Fine, I’ll show you right now.” Wu Siying said to Rain Xingyue, rising on tiptoe.

Neither Rain Xingyue nor Wu Siying knew what they were doing. To get rid of her persistent suitor, Wu Siying felt compelled, even if it meant her first kiss—his, too—would be lost this way.

Rain Xingyue never imagined things would come to this. If he had, he would have ignored Wu Siying. But there’s no going back, and what was done was done.

The suitor stared, dumbstruck. He knew he’d lost his chance, another had beaten him to it, and he left in dejection.

Once he was gone, Rain Xingyue immediately pulled away from Wu Siying and wiped his mouth.

“What are you doing?” he asked, bewildered.

Wu Siying didn’t wipe her mouth; she seemed to enjoy it. “Sorry, I borrowed your lips. Besides, it was the first time for both of us.”

“You…”

“Alright, let’s just pretend it never happened. I’m heading home.” Wu Siying walked into the apartment complex, leaving Rain Xingyue with mixed feelings. What on earth just happened?

Back home, Rain Xingyue showered right away. The memory of what had happened lingered—why were girls’ lips so soft, so unforgettable? He even wanted to experience it again.

“Rain Xingyue, you’re supposed to be pure, don’t get carried away,” he scolded himself, slapping his cheek for clarity.

Even if he wanted to forget, he couldn’t. The fragrance still lingered in his mind.

That night, Rain Xingyue couldn’t sleep, his thoughts consumed by Wu Siying. He told himself to forget, but failed. He tossed and turned restlessly.

“I’d better clear things up with Wu Siying tomorrow morning. There’s nothing between us,” he decided. They’d only met a few times, nothing more. Once he clarified things, he could sleep easier.

Meanwhile, Wu Siying, the floor above, was much the same. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, fretting over how to face Rain Xingyue after what had happened, already feeling a twinge of regret.

The next morning.

Rain Xingyue looked in the mirror—his dark circles were obvious, and his hair was a mess, as if he hadn’t cut it in ages. He wanted to clear things up with Wu Siying, but hesitated.

When he arrived at the classroom and saw Wu Siying, both of them grew awkward, avoiding each other’s eyes.

At his seat, Rain Xingyue was still unsettled when his phone buzzed with a QQ message from Wu Siying—three unread messages. He opened their chat.

“Um…”

“Sorry about yesterday.”

“It was so sudden.”

She was too embarrassed to say it face to face, so QQ was easier. Rain Xingyue replied,

“Forget it, there’s nothing between us, so don’t overthink it.”

“If this happens again, I’m not helping you.”

Wu Siying replied instantly.

“So you want it to happen again! Dream on.”

Rain Xingyue replied: “…[Goodbye]”

That morning, the school announced a week-long break, so Rain Xingyue went straight to the Tianyuan Taekwondo Academy.

Everyone was there except Wang Tianqi. Lin Ling never came in the mornings—she had work and would come in the afternoon—so mornings belonged to Rain Xingyue.

At that moment, Yuli came over and took him by the hand. Rain Xingyue wasn’t sure what she wanted. Her gesture meant: follow me.

Yuli led Rain Xingyue to a secluded spot, a place even among the six of them was rarely visited. How did Yuli know about it?

“Yuli, why did you bring me here?” he asked.

Yuli just shook her head and tugged at his pants, urging him to crouch. Rain Xingyue understood and squatted down.

Yuli covered his eyes with her right hand, as if preparing a big surprise, then took something from her pocket. She removed her hand, and Rain Xingyue opened his eyes.

“This is…” He was stunned—the object was very familiar.

Yuli made a sign: This is very important to you, isn’t it?

The item was the watch Rain Xingyue used to keep here, a gift from his youngest junior, Zhang Yan, that had mysteriously disappeared.

I found it and asked the coach—he said it’s very important to you, Yuli gestured anxiously.

Rain Xingyue shook his head. It was enough that she’d found it. He’d missed that watch for a long time and now learned it had been with Yuli all along.

He made a sign: You should keep the watch. I trust you to look after it.

Why?

The watch bore the marks of time, its hands no longer moving. But Rain Xingyue thought: the more precious something is, the better it is left with someone trustworthy.

It could never be Xiao Jian—besides his quick fists, he’d lose anything else entrusted to him. Yuli trusted him so much; entrusting her was no bad thing.

This will count as keeping our promise. If I ever forget or break it, you can use this watch to remind me, he signed to Yuli.

A smile broke over her face. She signed: Really? Then can I really keep the watch?

Rain Xingyue nodded his agreement.

He wondered whether to share his secret with Yuli. For one, she couldn’t speak, so his secret would be safe. For another, since Yuli trusted him so much, it felt wrong to keep things from her. Rain Xingyue hesitated, torn.