HGG - 41

“What Kind of Story is Rapunzel?”

To most people, it’s just another tale from the Grimm Brothers’ collection, no different from the rest.

Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tall tower by an evil witch, who uses her long, beautiful hair to climb up and keep watch over her. Fortunately, one day, Rapunzel meets a prince.

Together, they defeat the witch and live happily ever after.

This summary is accurate—there are no mistakes in the plot.

But to Jenny, this story is about separation—a mother and daughter torn apart.

Rapunzel and the witch share a mother-daughter relationship. The long hair that serves as a ladder to the tower was originally only let down for the witch. But as Rapunzel grows older, one day, she lets down her hair for a stranger—a man.

She falls in love with the prince, marries him, bears his children, and ultimately abandons her adoptive mother, the witch.

The role Jenny played in her most recent musical was precisely this kind of character.

If possible, she wished she could have invited her own mother to watch. But that was impossible.

Unlike the Chi family, where Uncle Chi and his wife divorced briefly only to quickly realize they couldn’t live without each other and remarried, Jenny’s mother remarried someone else.

She would never return to them.

“The musical I performed in the other day... I really wanted my mom to come see it, but she couldn’t,” Jenny said with a vacant smile as she parked the car. “So I gave the ticket to you. Did your mom come?”

Song Yi had already opened the car door. She thought for a moment before answering honestly, “No.”

Jenny didn’t seem disappointed; she just nodded lightly. “Oh, I see.”

“But I did invite her, and she thanked me for taking care of you, Miss Zhan. If there’s a chance,” Song Yi added, “next time I’ll definitely bring her along.”

“Mm,” Jenny replied sincerely. “Thank you.”

With a sharp U-turn, Jenny drove back to Chongming Games’ office building from the esports base. Without hesitation, she strode confidently through the entrance.

She didn’t have an access card, but as the eldest daughter of Chongming Culture, she didn’t need to ask permission—someone always came to let her in.

She went upstairs. The receptionist hadn’t had time to notify anyone of her arrival, so when Jenny pushed open the door to Zhan Heqing’s office, she was greeted with an unexpected sight—

Wu Qiuxiu was slicing a honeydew melon on Zhan Heqing’s desk.

For a brief moment, Jenny’s mind conjured up a mental question mark. Then she spoke two words: “Who are you?”

Wu Qiuxiu immediately introduced herself.

“Hello! My name is Wu Qiuxiu! I’m…” She glanced at Zhan Heqing, who sat lifelessly in the corner, then continued, “I’m… a friend Zhan Vice President recently made!”

“A friend?” Jenny placed her hands on her hips, nails perfectly manicured.

Zhan Heqing sprang to his feet, grabbed Jenny, and quickly ushered her out. Lowering his voice, he hissed, “What are you doing here?!”

“Why can’t I come?” she retorted. “How old are you now, still making friends? Is this one of those hourly workers who pretends to be your friend after you pay them?”

Zhan Heqing rolled his eyes at his sister’s sarcasm. “Let me tell you, this girl just confessed to being the biggest fan in the world of me…”

Jenny’s face registered pure shock. She turned her head slightly, glancing at Wu Qiuxiu past Zhan Heqing.

“Really?” she said. “I’ve seen plenty of women who want to be my sister-in-law, but this girl doesn’t look like—”

Before Zhan Heqing could respond, Jenny leaned against his shoulder and asked Wu Qiuxiu directly, “Little sister, let me ask you something. Are you often bullied or tricked by others?”

“Ah! How did you know?!” Wu Qiuxiu exclaimed in surprise. “Yes! People always say I’m so dumb!”

Jenny nodded sagely. “That explains everything…”

“Dear cousin, why are you really here? For heaven’s sake, just leave already,” Zhan Heqing pleaded, desperate to get rid of her.

Jenny had only come to kill time, and now she didn’t want to bother him further. Before leaving, she asked, “Did you give the ticket to Brother Chi Zhao for my musical premiere last time?”

“I went with him,” Zhan Heqing replied, then added another question. “Did you also give one to Miss Song?”

“Mm. I told her to bring her family along.”

Zhan Heqing suddenly perked up. Grabbing her shoulders, he leaned closer and asked, “‘Family’? You didn’t say anything else, did you?”

“What’s wrong now?”

Zhan Heqing hesitated painfully for a moment before finally telling her the truth. “Miss Song’s situation isn’t as simple as ours. Both her parents gamble and are in debt. Especially her mother—she once even contacted human traffickers to sell Song Yi to pay off their debts. In short, don’t talk recklessly in front of her…”

He rambled on, but Jenny had already stopped listening.

Song Yi’s subtle, gentle expression overlapped in her mind with the smile Chi Zhao had worn years ago when he received that signed photograph.

When Zhan Heqing finished speaking, Jenny suddenly spoke up, her voice tinged with confusion.

“Brother,” she said, looking at Zhan Heqing. “Maybe… maybe Song Yi and Chi Zhao really are a good match?”

“Huh?”

________________________________________

Meanwhile, in one of the training bases of Cor Esports Club, Song Yi was hard at work.

After exchanging basic greetings, Song Yi reported the situation online to Chi Zhao. His reply came swiftly: “Then I won’t show up. Just give me the address, and I’ll pick you up.”

The main reason for Chi Zhao’s visit was the heated debate online regarding Cor’s stance on replaying a match.

Initially, the event organizers proposed continuing from where the previous match had been interrupted. However, due to various reasons, Cor insisted on invalidating the second half of that match and starting over.

At first, there was significant opposition from the organizers, the opposing team, and even the fans.

But under pressure from Chongming, these dissenting voices gradually subsided. After all, a rematch was fair competition.

However, a few days ago, a user claiming to be a Cor fan posted online, exposing that higher-ups were interfering, which caused dissatisfaction among Cor’s own players.

As the person responsible for this decision, Chi Zhao decided to come personally. But based on what Song Yi had gathered, the team leader and coach had already stated, “We’ve dealt with the relevant players, so there’s no need for leadership to worry about it.”

Just as she entered, she passed by the room where the players were training. Song Yi didn’t pay much attention, but the data showed that they were the team whose match had been forcibly interrupted.

Team management also had its pride. Since they’d already handled the matter, any further interference from Chongming would only complicate things.

Besides, they weren’t responsible for the aftermath.

Chi Zhao’s decision was sound. Song Yi got up to leave.

Passing by the smoking room, she overheard some players whispering and giggling about “fluorescent Barbie pink.” Apparently, they were curious visitors intrigued by the guest.

She shouldn’t have worn this lipstick.

Jenny, used to living abroad, clearly couldn’t be trusted when it came to aesthetics.

Lost in thought, Song Yi edited her reply to Chi Zhao as she walked out. Just as she was about to leave, a crisp young voice called out behind her.

“Miss Song Yi.”

Turning around, she saw a boy wearing a hoodie standing by the door.

He removed his hat, revealing slightly long hair and a rebellious look in his eyes, like a wild dog.

Tennis.

That was the first name that came to mind. He was one of Cor’s professional players.

But at the same time, fragmented memories surfaced, bringing forth a few Chinese characters.

“Luo Jiaming.” Song Yi said his name aloud.

Luo Jiaming fell silent for a moment. Finally, he responded, “It’s me.”

He stared at Song Yi.

This woman, who seemed as calm and emotionless as still water, yet repeatedly appeared in his dreams, was now standing right in front of him.

His impression of her ran deep.

At first, it stemmed from his parents’ constant nagging about how exceptional the neighbor’s child was. They compared him to her, and though he grew tired of it, he occasionally retorted, “Well, if she doesn’t try hard, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

As a child, his last shred of self-respect came from pitying Song Yi.

Their families lived just a street apart. She had just started middle school while he was still in elementary school.

But their time as neighbors was short-lived. Song Yi’s family soon moved away to escape their debts.

Luo Jiaming had secretly watched Song Yi countless times from behind his window.

After school, she would stand by her doorstep, lost in thought.

Their walls were smeared with red paint demanding repayment, along with her and her family’s names. Their home had been vandalized with feces, dead rats stuffed into their door cracks, and their keyholes frequently blocked.

Yet, Song Yi never shed a tear. She simply stood there, observing quietly, and dealt with everything with cold composure.

Their neighborhood relations weren’t bad. Song Yi had once given him something—a tennis ball her homeroom teacher awarded her for excelling in a subject competition.

She brought it home but had no racket and zero interest in sports. As she turned, her gaze caught Luo Jiaming peeking at her from behind the window.

“Do you want it?” she asked. “It’s yours.”

That was the first time Luo Jiaming and Song Yi spoke.

Later, she moved away, and they never saw each other again.

________________________________________

Back at Chongming Games’ headquarters.

Having finally sent Jenny off, Zhan Heqing closed his office door. Leaning against it, he said to Wu Qiuxiu, “Sorry about that.”

Wu Qiuxiu shook her head and smiled brightly. “I should be the one apologizing!”

“What?”

“I didn’t realize Zhan Vice President already has a girlfriend,” Wu Qiuxiu murmured, lowering her head. A blush spread across her cheeks as she bit her lip and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think too much about it.”

“Ah, uh, that, she’s not—” Zhan Heqing stammered.

“It’s okay!” Wu Qiuxiu suddenly extended her hand, her youthful shyness evident. But holding a large watermelon knife made the scene oddly surreal. “Actually, I’m not sure what my feelings for Zhan Vice President really are.”

Zhan Heqing froze.

Wu Qiuxiu continued, “But after seeing your girlfriend, I understand now. She’s so beautiful, tall, fashionable, and her nails are adorable. It feels like…

“She’s from a completely different world than me.”

She put down the knife, stood up, and slung her bag over her shoulder.

The honeydew was sliced into neat, bite-sized pieces. Not a single scratch marked the desk, and the juice had been carefully wiped clean—proof of how meticulous she had been.

“I just came to say thank you! I’ve said my thanks, and I’ve cut the melon. So I’ll be going now! My ‘like’ for you was just gratitude, nothing more,” Wu Qiuxiu said with a smile. “Thankfully, I didn’t cause any trouble!”

Standing beside Zhan Heqing, she looked at him. He stared back, dumbfounded.

They locked eyes for a long moment. Then, Wu Qiuxiu grinned mischievously. “Could you please step aside?”

Only then did Zhan Heqing realize he was blocking the door.

He quickly moved out of the way.

With a wave, Wu Qiuxiu walked out.

She looked genuinely relieved.

Zhan Heqing closed the door again, turning to face the table full of melon slices.

You idiot! Why did you move just because she told you to?!

Zhan Heqing wanted to slap himself. He imagined doing 200 squats in his office while whistling the Peppa Pig theme song, just to remind himself of his stupidity.

He realized he might actually be falling for her.