Chapter 37: The Young Master is Acting Up Again

“Why?! You’re being ridiculous again. Weren’t you fine just yesterday? Is it because Si Si didn’t like the movie you picked?”

Cheng Simin looked utterly confused, shaking her arm in an attempt to free her hand from Shi Ying’s grip. But instead of letting go, he tightened his hold, squeezing her fingers so hard they curled inward, leaving her knuckles aching.

Like a wildcat capturing a sparrow with its sharp claws, Shi Ying felt Cheng Simin’s palm grow sweaty—it must have been uncomfortable—but he still refused to let go, keeping her right hand firmly locked in his grasp.

“Why?” he asked himself, and then answered himself.

“Because I wasn’t fine yesterday, or the day before that. This entire summer, ever since you started hanging out with these delinquents, I haven’t been happy!”

Just behind them, their friends were only a door away. Hearing Shi Ying openly badmouth them, Cheng Simin nearly dropped her jaw. She quickly stepped closer, covering his chin with her other hand as she whispered, trying to calm him down: “What on earth is wrong with you?! Can you keep your voice down? Why are you suddenly talking about delinquents? If you’re not happy, why do you keep coming out with us every day?”

“If you didn’t want to watch the movie, you could’ve just said so. When I called you this afternoon, didn’t you tell me you liked watching movies?”

“This has nothing to do with watching movies!” As soon as Shi Ying opened his mouth to speak, his lips brushed against Cheng Simin’s sweaty palm. The skin, roughened by calluses, tasted salty and bitter, seeping into the crevices of his lips.

“Then what is it about? We’re all friends here. Can you stop throwing tantrums all the time? We’ve been having fun together these past few days. Can’t you try to be happier?”

The heat in his heart turned cold, and the sourness throughout his body turned bitter. Shi Ying finally released Cheng Simin’s left hand and gently pushed away the palm she had pressed against his face.

He wasn’t as angry anymore. After all, human nature was inherently dark, and his misplaced feelings for Cheng Simin were even more incomprehensible. He couldn’t explain himself to her; all he could do was make unreasonable demands.

“Cheng Simin,” Shi Ying’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“What exactly am I doing that makes you so dissatisfied?”

“Isn’t having me alone by your side enough?”

“If you think my personality is terrible, I can change. If you hate it when I scold you, I’ll stop arguing with you from now on.”

“Can’t we just be friends, just the two of us? I don’t need any other friends—just you and me.”

Shi Ying spoke earnestly, but Cheng Simin found his words increasingly strange. However, seeing that he seemed to have calmed down and stopped raising his voice, she didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, Shi Ying was known for being moody and quick to anger—it wasn’t the first time.

In the past, she’d even gone as far as poking holes in a plastic bag and wearing it on her head, pretending to be a gorilla, just to make him laugh.

Outside, the rain grew heavier, and the hallway grew colder. Cheng Simin, feeling the urge to pee, walked back toward the restroom, casually replying: “Are you out of your mind? How can anyone only have one friend in their lifetime? Even if we only stay friends with each other, it won’t matter. Once we go to college, we’ll definitely end up in different schools, maybe even different cities, and we’ll both make new friends anyway.”

“My parents always say, ‘More friends, more opportunities.’ To live a good life, you need to make more friends.”

“I’m begging you, stop looking down on Si Si and the others, okay? They’re really nice people. If you give them a chance, you’ll see how loyal and dependable they are. I honestly enjoy being friends with them, and they value our friendship too.”

She reached the restroom door, pushed it open, and turned on the light inside. In the dim yellow glow, Cheng Simin glanced back and saw Shi Ying still standing rigidly at the top of the stairs.

This time, she got a clear look at his expression. His face was pale, and a flawless, beautiful smile lingered on his lips.

“Is that so? They’re really good people?”

As he smiled, Cheng Simin smiled back, her little dimples appearing on her cheeks, thinking she’d convinced her friend and resolved the conflict. She nodded happily.

“But I don’t see it that way. Not only do I not think they’re good people—I think they’re low-minded, vicious, worthless, worse than garbage. They don’t deserve to be my friends.”

The smile froze on Cheng Simin’s face. Before she could retort, Shi Ying had already turned and walked down the stairs. He moved quickly, disappearing from her sight within seconds. The empty hallway echoed with his detached voice:

“Watch the movie by yourself. From now on, if you go out with these people again, don’t bother inviting me. Just the sight of them makes me sick.”

“What’s that noise outside? Are they fighting?” Inside the theater, the girl with orange-dyed hair sitting next to Qiao Yusī turned her head toward the door. Another girl on the right, with black nail polish, adjusted her rhinestone nose stud and said, “Probably. Just hearing it now? They were really going at it. The young master seems to be calling someone trash.”

“Hilarious. What’s going on? The young master’s acting up again, such a temper! Wait… Do you think he’s talking about us?”

“Should we go check?”

“You two stop talking.” Qiao Yusī stood up sternly, the two girls following behind her. When they pushed the door open, the hallway was empty, not a soul in sight.

The girl with orange hair walked to the staircase, leaned over, and peeked down at the first floor. The steel doors of the video store were wide open, swaying in the wind and rain, creaking noisily.

“Wow, it’s raining outside. Did those two idiots just leave?”

“For real?” The girl with black nails came over, descended a few steps, and confirmed it. She cursed under her breath: “Damn it, they didn’t even say goodbye. So disrespectful.”

Qiao Yusī also approached, her dark eyes scanning the area below intently. Her face remained expressionless as she turned and headed into the restroom, kicking open the wooden door blocking the men’s room entrance.

After a quick inspection, she found no one inside. Then she entered the women’s restroom, switched on the lights, and pulled out a compact powder from her backpack to touch up her makeup in front of the mirror.

The girl with black nails lit a cigarette, observing Qiao Yusī’s reflection in the compact mirror through the mirror behind her. She nudged the orange-haired girl, who was fixing her bangs with colorful hair clips. They exchanged a glance, and the orange-haired girl reluctantly spoke up: “Qiao Yonghong! What should we do? Didn’t you say that if we managed to smooth things over between those two morons, we could make a big score next week?”

The girl with black nails chimed in, her tone even more insolent: “What’s the point of you constantly pandering to that fat pig? Bringing them to watch a movie, and halfway through, they just leave without a word, completely ignoring you. School starts tomorrow, and the young master clearly doesn’t like us. It doesn’t seem like he’s the type to hang out with us and spend money anymore.”

The orange-haired girl agreed, muttering softly: “I say we just find some guys to ambush them on their way to and from school, beat them up, and take some cash. And stop using fake names to pretend to befriend them—it’s exhausting just watching you act.”

“Yeah, Xiao Hong, your plan isn’t working. I overheard you asking that fatso about borrowing Shi Ying’s family villa. Turns out, the fat pig lied to you and said she didn’t know anyone who lived in a villa.”

The orange-haired girl, unaware of the villa situation, immediately put away her comb and frowned at the girl with black nails: “What villa? What plan? Seriously, you two never tell me anything! I’m always the last to know. Why is that?”

“It’s because you can’t keep your mouth shut. Don’t you remember? Xiao Hong’s mom hooked up with a property manager in a villa community last year. Shi Ying’s family lives in a villa in the Hillside Garden neighborhood. Their house has the largest area and the best location in the entire complex. Four floors, two luxury cars in the garage.”

“Damn, the young master’s family is that rich? So Xiao Hong recognized him from the start?”

“Of course. Who would willingly befriend that boring fatty otherwise? She’s got nothing going for her—trying too hard, always grinning like an idiot. Gross.” The girl with black nails lowered her voice slightly, wary of Qiao Yonghong, as she gossiped further with the orange-haired girl: “Xiao Hong’s dad owes gambling debts, so she has nowhere to stay. She sleeps in the security office at Hillside Garden at night and roams the villa area during the day. She’s already scoped out Shi Ying’s house thoroughly.”

Qiao Yusī, nicknamed Xiao Hong, remained silent, still powdering her face in the mirror. After blotting the shine off her nose, she pulled out a Barbie-pink lipstick, puckered her lips, and carefully applied it. Her voice was soft but firm:

“You two are all brawn and no brains. Beating someone up might get you a few bucks, but what then? His family has maids, drivers—his parents aren’t pushovers. You might succeed once, but twice? If the adults catch you and report it to the police, you’ll end up with a criminal record.”

“So what’s your plan? Throwing a party at his house will help?”

“In the living room on the first floor, there are gold display stands and jade prayer beads. I saw them through the window. His mother’s walk-in closet is full of jewelry. Even taking a small piece would be enough to cover our expenses for a whole year.”

“Hey! Stealing is illegal too. If we get caught, the punishment will be even worse.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Qiao Yonghong packed away her cosmetics, smirking as she raised an eyebrow: “His family has so much stuff, they probably wouldn’t even notice if something went missing. Besides, we can frame Cheng Simin. We were all there together—who can prove who actually stole it?”

“Her parents are just vegetable sellers, no different from migrant workers. It’s believable that their uncultured daughter would steal something.”

“And,” Qiao Yonghong closed her lipstick, spun it in her palm, and clenched her fist: “Shi Ying would never let Cheng Simin go to juvenile detention.”

“How can you be so sure?” The girl with black nails handed her a cigarette. Qiao Yonghong tucked away her cosmetics, placed the cigarette between her lips, lit it by touching it to her friend’s burning one, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke: “Because he likes her, obviously. Are you blind? Can’t you see it?”

“But it’s not certain. From Cheng Simin’s reaction, maybe she wasn’t lying—she truly doesn’t know that Shi Ying lives in a villa.”

“If that’s the case, things get complicated. It seems Shi Ying not only looks down on us but also keeps her at a distance. Poor Cheng Simin—ugly, short, poor, and fat. She’s probably unrequitedly in love with him.”

“His family is so rich, and she doesn’t even know it. Yet she keeps buying him the cheapest snacks, like spicy gluten.”

“Hahahaha, damn, she’s such a clown, Gotham City’s jester!” The orange-haired girl burst into laughter, her body shaking.

The girl with black nails couldn’t hold back either, laughing until she snorted: “You should’ve seen her sucking up to Xiao Hong earlier. ‘Si Si, you’re so pretty! Si Si, you’re so kind!’ What a joke.”

“We’re not blind. Your plan is a failure. There’s no way Shi Ying likes her—he’s just mocking her. What if we can’t get into the villa? Next month, we won’t even have money to buy cigarettes for gaming at the internet café.”

“Tsk. Besides his house, there are others. There’s a middle school girl next door to the Shi family, surnamed Lü. But who knows if she’ll be as easy to fool as Cheng Simin.”

The three girls shoved each other playfully, laughing and cursing, carrying their new Robin Hood-inspired plan out of the restroom.

About ten minutes of silence passed.

Inside the neglected stall of the women’s restroom, Cheng Simin—the one mocked as a “fat pig” and a “clown”—sat hunched on the toilet seat, clutching her knees and sobbing uncontrollably.

Her emotions crushed, her self-esteem shattered, the pain of being deceived and belittled by her so-called friends was unbearable, as if boiling oil had been poured over her heart.

Heavy rain poured outside the window, and tears rained just as fiercely inside.

Tears streamed down her tightly shut eyes like a mountain flood, washing away her colorful mascara and black eyeliner, streaking her cheeks like the aftermath of a mudslide disaster.