Chapter Thirty-Five

Chen Siyu did not reply to Huang Feifan, which made Huang Feifan anxious. He could never tolerate being kept waiting by others, so he sent another message: “If you have something to say, just spit it out. I’m about to die from suspense.”

After a while, Chen Siyu finally responded, “Sorry, I was in the bathroom and didn’t see your message.”

“Oh, come on, just tell me what it is already. My mom’s about to make me go to bed,” Huang Feifan wrote.

“All right, all right, don’t rush. Let me explain slowly,” Chen Siyu replied.

Chen Siyu claimed it was a friend in trouble, but in truth, the so-called friend was herself. Embarrassed to admit her own issue, she could only fabricate a friend as a cover. She said her friend had developed feelings for someone during the course of daily life, but lacked the courage to befriend him, which was causing her a great deal of distress. In reality, Chen Siyu was friends with everyone on the Tianyuan team; her earlier slip about not being friends was simply a mistake.

As Huang Feifan listened to her story, he pondered. He had no expertise in such matters; these were questions best left to Yuxing Yue, who was the best at analyzing problems. Why Chen Siyu had come to him, who understood nothing about these things, was a mystery in itself.

“Your friend’s unwillingness to befriend that boy is her own problem,” Huang Feifan said.

“Can you be more specific?” Chen Siyu pressed.

Huang Feifan replied, “First of all, unless your friend was bullied as a child and became timid, over time she would only grow more withdrawn, making it harder to approach people of the opposite sex. She needs to change, or she’ll end up a total loser.”

“Is it really that serious?” Chen Siyu asked.

“It may come across bluntly, but this is important. If you don’t want your friend to become a loser, she needs to take action. I believe things will improve soon enough,” Huang Feifan typed, his message a bit lengthy.

“Well, your analysis makes sense. I’ll pass your advice on to my friend,” Chen Siyu replied.

“All right then, my mom’s nagging me to go to bed. Goodnight.” With that, Huang Feifan’s profile picture faded to gray—he had gone offline.

Chen Siyu sat lost in thought. Should she remain so passive? If she kept on like this, she’d never be able to express her feelings. She contemplated for a long time before making up her mind: only by changing herself could she attract the attention of the one she liked. She remembered Lin Zimo once told her this—she still recalled his words.

…

Early the next morning, the three arrived at Huang Feifan’s home. Because of the pandemic, they all wore masks. Yuxing Yue, feeling stifled, escaped to the restroom to breathe freely for a moment, pulling down her mask. Instantly, she felt much better; breathing her own recycled air in the mask was making her nauseous.

When she came out, the three sat on the sofa to chat. Yuxing Yue spoke first: “No one’s forgotten what we discussed yesterday, right?”

All three nodded, indicating they remembered clearly.

“Good. Now we just wait for Li Li to arrive. I wonder how she’ll react when she sees Zhang Yi,” Yuxing Yue said with a mischievous grin.

Huang Feifan asked with concern, “Zhang Yi, is your arm feeling any better?”

Zhang Yi nodded with a smile. “It’s only been three days. I haven’t moved it much, but lately it feels like it’s slowly getting better.”

“That’s great! We’re all waiting for you to rejoin the competition,” Xiao Jian said with a laugh.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Huang Feifan could hardly bear it—it was the same old routine, the same familiar knock. He’d even memorized Li Li’s knocking pattern by now. Seeing Huang Feifan’s exasperation, Zhang Yi felt both sympathetic and amused. Following Yuxing Yue’s plan, Zhang Yi went to open the door.

As expected, it was Li Li. Seeing Zhang Yi at the door, Li Li wanted to flee. She didn’t want Zhang Yi to think poorly of her, especially since she was wearing a mask. But Yuxing Yue and Huang Feifan, standing behind Zhang Yi, quickly rushed out and grabbed her.

“So it’s you again, knocking on my door nonstop! Are you ever going to stop?” Huang Feifan’s resentment toward Li Li ran deep. Having finally caught her, he felt a surge of satisfaction, rapping her on the head as if to repay her for disturbing his peace.

“Feifan, don’t!” Zhang Yi hastily intervened. He’d told Huang Feifan to go easy on her, but apparently, Huang Feifan had no intention of letting someone who habitually disturbed others off so easily.

Huang Feifan suggested, “I think we should just send her to the police station and let her stay there for a few days.”

Zhang Yi shook his head and sighed, “It’s no use. I know this girl—she’s a regular at the police station. They’ve already put her on their trust blacklist. If she gets caught again, she’ll face even harsher punishment.”

Hearing this, Huang Feifan was taken aback. He’d thought a short stay at the police station would be enough punishment and would stop her from bothering him. Now that Zhang Yi had explained the consequences, Huang Feifan’s heart softened. He let go of Li Li.

Yuxing Yue, however, kept a firm grip on Li Li. Now it was Zhang Yi’s turn—to show everyone just what kind of person this daily visitor really was.

Zhang Yi stepped closer. Li Li didn’t dare meet his eyes. Without hesitation, Zhang Yi ripped off her mask, revealing her face.

“So, you have the courage to come to my house, but when it’s my friend’s place, you’re suddenly scared?” Zhang Yi asked.

“Why… why are you here?” Li Li stammered, bewildered.

“First, tell me—why did you come to my friend’s house?” Zhang Yi’s tone grew forceful. Aside from Huang Feifan, Yuxing Yue, and Xiao Jian, Li Li felt overwhelmed by his presence.

“I’m asking you—what are you doing here? My friend said you left something at his house,” Zhang Yi pressed even harder.

Unable to withstand Zhang Yi’s pressure, Li Li quickly confessed, “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you. I didn’t leave anything at your friend’s house. I was just greedy and wanted to steal something from inside. That’s the truth.”

Huang Feifan nodded in relief—good thing he hadn’t let her in earlier, or she would’ve cleaned him out. But then again, why should he be afraid of a thief when he knew taekwondo?

Zhang Yi’s expression turned to disappointment. He had thought that after her time in the correctional facility, she might have changed, but clearly, she was the same old thief. Although they’d only met twice, Zhang Yi had already considered Li Li a friend. Her behavior today, however, left him disheartened. He said nothing and returned to Huang Feifan’s place.

Huang Feifan hurried after him, with Yuxing Yue and Xiao Jian following suit, leaving Li Li standing alone at the door.

Li Li was filled with conflicting emotions. Now that Zhang Yi knew her real intentions, how could she face him again? She had lost yet another place she could go.

Zhang Yi collapsed onto the sofa, breathing heavily. The others saw his condition and felt a pang of heartache—someone he thought he could help change had remained exactly the same. Yuxing Yue sat beside him. “Are you feeling any better now?” she asked.

Zhang Yi managed a bitter smile. “To think I once found her interesting. Who knew she’d go so far as to lie just to steal something?”

“People rarely change their nature—you should know that. Still, I don’t think that girl was lying,” said Xiao Jian.

“What? Are you trying to defend a thief?” Huang Feifan challenged.

“I’m not defending her—I just mean, what if she wasn’t lying? What if she said that to make Zhang Yi think less of her, to ruin her image on purpose?” Xiao Jian reasoned.

Yuxing Yue pondered. Xiao Jian’s point wasn’t impossible, but if Li Li didn’t mean that, then she really was the same old thief, just unable to confess her true reason.

Zhang Yi shook his head. “So, do you believe her, or…”

“I can’t decide yet. If she comes to your house tonight, talk to her and find out what she really means,” Yuxing Yue suggested.

“After everything that’s happened, do you think she’ll ever visit Zhang Yi’s house again?” Huang Feifan added. After today, Zhang Yi knew all about Li Li’s situation, and it was doubtful whether Li Li would have the courage to face him again.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now. I just want to be alone,” Zhang Yi said quietly, lowering his head. The living room fell into a heavy silence, and the other three were at a loss for words to comfort him.