CHAPTER 12: Like a Hero Falling from the Sky

Although Xu Xiaotao had also played a part in starting the fight back then, his case was different from Song Shi’s. Xu Xiaotao had just asked classmates for help, which, at its core, could be written off as youthful foolishness—just a minor scuffle.

But Song Shi had brought in gang members. That was a whole different level.

What’s worse, he started the fight and targeted students from Xinghai High. Of course, the school wouldn’t let him off lightly.

So while Song Shi got expelled and sent to juvie, Su Jiasui and the others walked away unscathed—and were even given a banner of commendation.

There was no way Song Shi could swallow that.

So he bypassed Xu Xiaotao and started holding a grudge against Su Jiasui, the one who had called the cops.

During his year in juvenile detention, Song Shi didn’t reflect on his actions—but he did get a lot smarter. Now that he was over eighteen, he knew any misstep would land him in real prison. So instead of going after Su Jiasui directly, he targeted Su Jiahe.

In Xu Xiaotao’s words: Song Shi was now dead set on skirting the line of legality to mess with Su Jiasui—using Su Jiahe as his weapon.

“These past few days, Song Shi hasn’t shown up himself. He got some girls from the nursing school to corner Su Jiahe. And those girls… they’re bad news. Young and reckless. The worst part? If things go public, they’ll just say they’re dating Su Jiahe. With something like that, even if the cops get involved, they can’t do much.”

“They’re just asking him for money?”

“Not sure about the details, but I doubt it’s that simple. What do you want to do, Sister Sui? Should we talk to Bother Jing about it?”

“Don’t tell him yet. I’ll go home and ask Su Jiahe first.”

“Alright. If there’s anything I can do, just say the word. After all, this whole mess started with me.”

Su Jiasui smiled, reaching out to squeeze Xu Xiaotao’s shoulder. “Don’t overthink it. Song Shi is nothing. He’s just one of those people who has nothing to lose and wants to disgust us—but he can’t actually do anything. At most, he’ll go after Su Jiahe, that soft target. But Su Jiahe doesn’t even care. He comes home laughing every day after school. I just mean, don’t throw away your future over trash like him. If a dog bites you, are you going to bite it back?”

—Though she didn’t say it out loud, what she really meant was: At most, we beat it with a big stick.

Xu Xiaotao gave a reluctant nod. Just as he looked up, he suddenly shuddered. “Bother Jing.”

Following his gaze, Su Jiasui looked up to see Ji Jing leaning over the stair railing, staring at the two of them with dark, unreadable eyes. It was honestly kind of creepy.

“What are you doing? Eavesdropping on us?”

“I didn’t hear anything. You two were whispering down here.”

Ji Jing probably hadn’t heard. Otherwise, given his temper, he’d already be storming off to settle the score with Song Shi.

Su Jiasui let out a barely noticeable breath of relief. “Xiaotao, you head back first.”

“Okay.” Xu Xiaotao quickly stepped around her and started up the stairs—but before he could pass, Ji Jing straightened up and blocked his path with an arm.

“Bother Jing…”

“Keeping secrets from me now? Isn’t that a bit cruel?”

“Ji Jing! Get down here!”

Su Jiasui’s face darkened, showing signs of transforming into her furious dragon form. When Ji Jing saw his girlfriend like this, he often thought of Digimon, which he’d watched at his grandpa’s house as a kid. He always thought she was just like that rampaging Megadramon—sometimes he even wished he had a Poké Ball, so when his red-eyed, snarling monster lost control, he could just capture her with a flick of the wrist.

“Hurry up!”

Unfortunately, Ji Jing didn’t have a Pokéball, so he could only roll down like one himself: “I was just messing around with Xu Xiaotao.”

Su Jiasui stared at his messy, spiky hair, feeling more frustrated than she could say. “You—you don’t have to hate Ji Mutian anymore.”

“Huh?”

“Her parents died a long time ago.”

“So…” Ji Jing tried to figure out what his girlfriend was thinking. “I should show her some humanitarian care?”

“Care? And how exactly are you planning to ‘care’ for her?”

“……”

The person in front of him wasn’t his girlfriend anymore, but a full-blown Apocalymon.

Ji Jing hesitated for a moment, then pulled a piece of nougat from his pocket, unwrapped it, and held it up to Su Jiasui’s lips. Su Jiasui rarely resisted food that was brought straight to her mouth—especially sweets. She immediately popped it in, cheeks puffed out as she chewed, expressionlessly staring at Ji Jing.

She wanted to say something, but couldn’t—this nougat was thick and way too sticky.

Ji Jing pressed his lips together to hide a laugh. His sharp, narrow eyes curved into two slits. “Is your dad picking you up later?”

Su Jiasui nodded.

Ji Jing looked a little disappointed. “There’s a new grilled fish place that opened on Daxing Road. I wanted to take you there since we’re getting out early today.”

Su Jiasui mumbled unclearly, “Let’s go on the weekend.”

Even though they were third-year students, they weren’t third-year workhorses. On Fridays and Saturdays, there were no evening study sessions, so school ended around 4:30 p.m.

At No. 11 High School, there was a class meeting on Fridays, so dismissal was a bit later. That’s why Old Su came to Hai High first to pick up Su Jiasui and Jiang Yan.

From the car window, Old Su saw his precious daughter stomping over like a thundercloud. He immediately thought she’d bombed another big exam and his heart sank. But when she opened the door and sat in the front seat, he quickly forced a warm, fatherly smile. “Sui Sui, what do you want for dinner? Dad will take you out. Maybe catch a movie too—just to relax a little.”

Su Jiasui buckled her seatbelt, took a deep breath, and said, “Let’s go pick up Jiahe.”

In this world, there’s always something that counters something else. Old Su might smack his son or scold him without thinking, but when it came to his daughter—for reasons he couldn’t explain—he always felt a little nervous. So he immediately fell silent.

Soon, the car reached No. 11 High School. There weren’t many people at the gate by then, and Su Jiasui spotted Su Jiahe right away—or more accurately, spotted the cheap canvas shoes on his feet.

They looked like classic Converse, but the stitching was messy and the build was crude. The underground mall at the school district sold them for twenty-five yuan a pair. If you shamelessly bargained, you could get them for twenty.

“Su Jiahe, where are your shoes? I remember you weren’t wearing those this morning.”

“I was on duty this morning. The homeroom teacher asked me to burn the trash chute, and my shoes accidentally caught fire. Only one was left—I couldn’t wear just one, so I threw them out.”

“And those on your feet now—where’d they come from?”

“My classmate went to the basement mall during lunch and bought them for me.”

Su Jiahe lied with a straight face and steady heart. Su Jiasui wanted to slap him twice, but in the end, she held back. She turned to Old Su and said, “Dad, you don’t have to pick me up after school tomorrow. I’m going out with Cheng Zi.”

“Oh, alright.”

Honestly, Old Su’s work kept him busy—he often had unavoidable social engagements. When the twin siblings used to go to the same school, it was easier to pick them up together. Now, he prioritized Su Jiasui, since she usually got out later and, being a girl, needed a little more attention. As for Su Jiahe—he was a boy, no need to pamper him so much.

“In that case, Jiahe, you take a cab home with Xiao Jiang tomorrow, alright? Hey, I’m talking to you. You hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you.”

Su Jiahe stared out the window, answering impatiently. That made Su Jiasui both furious and sorry for him—her feelings tangled like an endless string puzzle.

Under Su Jiasui’s years of mental violence, Su Jiahe had developed an extraordinary level of endurance. He’d also gotten very good at pretending. Once they got home, he acted like nothing had happened—ate, drank, and even played a round of badminton in the yard that night.

It wasn’t until breakfast the next morning that he showed a hint of distress.

“Mom.” While Old Su was shaving in the bathroom, Su Jiahe quietly said, “Can you give me a hundred yuan?”

His pocket money always came from Old Su. Ms. Sun never handled that stuff. “Ask your dad.”

“……”

“What do you need so much money for?”

“I just need it.”

“If you don’t tell me, I can’t give it to you.”

Ms. Sun was a traditional housewife. She usually followed her husband’s parenting approach, but she couldn’t bear to see her son looking so pitiful. So she poured him some juice and fried an egg, hoping he’d forgive his “stingy” mom.

Su Jiahe could barely eat. He sighed and glanced at Su Jiasui.

She cast him a sidelong glance, then silently pulled a hundred yuan out of her backpack and placed it on the table.

Su Jiahe froze. He didn’t dare reach for it. He just sat there for a whole minute. Then the buzzing of the electric razor suddenly stopped—Old Su was coming out for breakfast. Only then did Su Jiahe quickly stuff the money into his pocket.

…

During the big morning break, Su Jiasui went to find Cheng Xiangxue and told her about what happened to Su Jiahe.

They were the same age—Su Jiahe was even a few months older—but because he was Su Jiasui’s younger brother, Cheng Xiangxue treated him like her own little brother too. Before Su Jiasui even finished speaking, she slammed the table in righteous fury. “What the hell! This is outrageous! We’re going to the nursing school at lunch!”

Cheng Xiangxue was from Harbin, a place often called the Eastern Paris. A land where women wore fur coats and men played with machetes. There was no such thing as swallowing your anger after being bullied. They believed: If people don’t mess with me, I won’t mess with them. But if they do—damn right I’ll mess them up.

Su Jiasui tugged at her sleeve. “Calm down, Erkang.”

“Don’t give me that. Just tell me—are we going or not?”

“Of course we’re going. We’ll go after school.”

Seeing how calm Su Jiasui was, Cheng Xiangxue figured she had a plan. “So, what’s the move?”

“Catching cheaters has to be on the bed, catching thieves requires stolen goods. We’ll quietly follow Su Jiahe and try to get a video of them robbing her. Once we have evidence, everything becomes easier.”

“…Sister Sui, you’ve really grown up,” Cheng Xiangxue sighed in admiration, then asked, “But are we really not going to tell Bother Jing about this?”

Su Jiasui crossed her arms and pursed her lips, thinking for a long while. “Everything needs evidence. We don’t have proof that the girls from the nursing school were ordered by Song Shi. If Ji Jing goes to confront Song Shi now, he’s bound to suffer. And getting the short end of the stick with Song Shi isn’t the worst part—he’d still have to deal with Ji Hanhua’s crap at home. You know how awful his dad is, always hoping Ji Jing will mess up.”

“Mm, true. But it’s just the two of us. What if a fight breaks out and we’re outnumbered?”

“Eh?”

“Ehh—”

“You’re Cheng Xiangxue?”

“Guaranteed authentic!”

Su Jiasui caught on. “Then we’ll call Jiang Yan too?”

Cheng Xiangxue immediately smiled sweetly. “Sounds good!”

So, before the end of the long break, Su Jiasui called Jiang Yan out to the corridor and gave him a concise summary of the situation.

Chen Xu was about to enter the teaching building when his eyes swept around and landed precisely on Su Jiasui and Jiang Yan standing by the third-floor open-air corridor. He grabbed Ji Jing. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“…Looks like a little secret.”

“Didn’t you say yesterday she had a little secret with Xu Xiaotao? What is this, now all the smart kids are ditching us to play on their own?”

Ji Jing shoved Chen Xu away with slight disgust. “Ugh, you’re drenched in sweat. Can you stay away from me?”

“What the hell is wrong with you? You only ever snap at your bros, but when you’re around her, you turn into a mute chicken.” Chen Xu clicked his tongue. “Look at yourself. If Su Jiasui were my girlfriend, I’d ‘put her in her place’ eight hundred times a day.”

Ji Jing sneered, “You can’t even handle Cheng Xiangxue, and you think you can handle Sister Sui? Your ego is as big as your delusion.”

“I don’t ‘handle’ Cheng Xiangxue because I don’t want to. Quit forcing random couples. That type isn’t my taste.”

“So then, what’s your type?”

“Sister Sui’s type.”

As soon as Chen Xu finished speaking, he turned and bolted—but he was still a step too slow. Ji Jing grabbed him by the collar. Ji Jing’s chokehold skills were straight from Su Jiasui’s playbook, and Chen Xu couldn’t break free. All he could do was beg repeatedly, “Hey hey hey, I was joking, I was wrong, I was wrong! Ji Jing!”

Su Jiasui leaned on the balcony railing, watching the two of them brawling at the entrance of the teaching building, totally blocking student traffic. She was utterly speechless. “One’s an idiot and the other’s brain-dead. Hopeless… Hey! Didn’t you hear the bell?!”

Aside from chokeholds, Su Jiasui had another signature skill—Lion’s Roar.

This yell was more effective than the school bell and more commanding than the dean of students. The students loitering on the field instantly quickened their pace and rushed into the building.

Jiang Yan: “…” Do they really need me for ‘backup’?

Although he fully acknowledged Su Jiasui’s abilities, emotionally and logically, Jiang Yan still agreed to help without hesitation.

Su Jiasui was very pleased with his decisiveness. “After school, wait for me at the supermarket near the gate.”

“Okay.”

“And change your clothes.”

“Why?”

“The dean especially emphasized—if there’s a risk of getting into trouble off-campus, don’t wear your school uniform.”

There were boarding students at school, so borrowing clothes wasn’t difficult. Jiang Yan nodded. “Got it.”

Ji Jing and Chen Xu walked over, both pairs of clear eyes full of confusion and nosy curiosity.

Su Jiasui waved them off and turned back into the classroom.

Ji Jing felt like he’d been sidelined lately, and it annoyed him. But he couldn’t figure out why. He’d been memorizing vocab and doing exercises seriously, and he hadn’t even disturbed his girlfriend much… Maybe this was just what senior year was like.

Whatever. It’s only a year.

…

Although No. 11 High was just a regular school, its teaching quality was considered among the best in the city. The only downside was the campus environment. Despite being just two blocks from Xinghai, it was like a leap across centuries. In 2010, the streets around No. 11 still looked like they were stuck in the late ’90s—rundown illegal buildings, poorly parked motor trikes, narrow alleys, and scattered fruit stands and skewer stalls under the shade of big trees.

“Uncle, three grilled sausages for me—extra chili powder.”

“I want two.”

“Then four total. All starch sausages.”

Su Jiasui bent over, staring intently at the sausages in the pan, totally absorbed, eyes gleaming with admiration.

Cheng Xiangxue hid behind a tree, keeping an eye on the school gate while half her attention was still on the sausages. “Uncle, grill mine extra crispy.”

Jiang Yan: “…If we’re standing here, won’t Jiahe see us the moment she comes out?”

Su Jiasui: “Duh. The girls from the nursing school are going to ambush her. Of course they’ll get here early, just like us.”

The uncle quickly finished grilling and grabbed a handful of chili powder with his weathered, calloused hands, sprinkling it evenly over the four sausages. “Girls, it’s done—hold it steady.”

“Thanks, Uncle!” Su Jiasui handed two to Cheng Xiangxue and one to Jiang Yan. “But the three of us together are way too obvious. We need to split up.”

Cheng Xiangxue: “Whose head are we splitting?”

Su Jiasui: “Mine, obviously. One look at me and they’ll know I’m related to Su Jiahe. Way too easy to spook them. You two stay here. When they show up, I’ll go first. Your job is to record the evidence.”

Cheng Xiangxue stood straight and saluted. “Roger that!”

“That’s a Young Pioneer salute.”

“I am a Young Pioneer.”

Jiang Yan pursed his lips and quietly said, “Young Pioneers are all under fourteen…”

Cheng Xiangxue widened her eyes at him. “So what if I used to be one? This is called staying true to your roots.”

Jiang Yan also widened his eyes slightly, then pointed behind her. “Is that them?”

Su Jiasui looked over and saw a group of girls walking toward them, arms linked. Their hair was unnaturally thick, and their makeup unnaturally heavy. She counted six of them—just as Xu Xiaotao had reported.

“Should be them.” Su Jiasui finished the last bite of her grilled sausage and ducked into the convenience store nearby.

Only Cheng Xiangxue and Jiang Yan were left by the sausage stand. For Cheng Xiangxue, this rare moment of being alone with Jiang Yan was a great opportunity, one she was eager to use to deepen their connection.

“So, uh, what are you doing this weekend?”

“Helping Jiahe with tutoring.”

Cheng Xiangxue knew the basics of Jiang Yan’s situation. At his words, her face lit up. “Well, since you’re already helping one, why not help two? I’m doing okay with the art school entrance exam, but my academic grades are… kind of holding me back. We’re all friends here—could you give me a hand too?”

“……”

“Am I being too shameless?”

“If Auntie Sun and Uncle Su don’t mind, then sure.”

Though Cheng Xiangxue looked a bit brash on the outside, she was actually quite thoughtful. She immediately remembered that Jiang Yan was living under someone else’s roof, and quickly added with a grin, “Don’t worry, I won’t come empty-handed.”

Jiang Yan glanced down at her. “Just… talk normally. The way you speak is weird.”

Cheng Xiangxue: “Actually, I’m a mix of northeastern and Taipei blood. My mom’s from Taipei.”

“Don’t believe it.” Jiang Yan had already seen her lie with a straight face too many times. She once claimed she could eat boiled eggs without peeling them, and even made it sound convincing.

“I’m not lying! My mom always dreamed of seeing snowfall everywhere, but it rarely ever snows in Taipei. So she left home to go to college in the northeast. That’s where she met my dad. And then came me, Cheng Xiangxue. Isn’t that romantic?”

The story made sense, logically speaking. As for whether it was romantic… Jiang Yan had no comment. That word felt too distant from him.

His parents were both ordinary rural folks. They hadn’t received much education, never mind anything like romantic love. They got married because their families were a good match, and a reliable matchmaker made the arrangements. Then they had kids and spent most of their lives together.

If civilization is built on having enough to eat, then romance is built on a life of abundance.

Jiang Yan understood very clearly—he didn’t yet have the right to chase something as extravagant as “romance.”

“Jiang Yan? Are you even listening to me?”

“…Jiahe just came out.”

Cheng Xiangxue knew when to focus. She immediately pulled out her phone like a reporter undercover in a pyramid scheme—full of righteous purpose yet sneakily filming from the shadows.

Jiang Yan stood beside her, keeping lookout to make sure the nursing school girls didn’t notice.

But the six girls’ attention was all on Su Jiahe. Laughing and chatting, they surrounded him and half-dragged, half-shoved him away from the crowd.

This kind of old residential block didn’t really have a proper “neighborhood” layout. Some buildings stood in slanted rows, others in straight lines, and some were so tightly packed that there was only a narrow gap between them—just wide enough for one person to pass through. Cheng Xiangxue wrapped her arms around Jiang Yan’s, pretending to be a couple, and carefully trailed behind the group.

They didn’t follow far before the six girls crossed the street and ducked into a narrow alley flanked by tall walls.

The location was perfect for filming. Cheng Xiangxue pulled Jiang Yan to hide at the alley entrance, poking her phone out just enough to record. The video quality on screen wasn’t great, but you could just barely make out the faces.

Su Jiahe was surrounded, backing up step by step until he was pressed against the wall.

“What’re you backing away for? You think I’m gonna eat you?” The one in a green camisole and matching green high-top sneakers—“Xiaolu,” it seemed she was the ringleader—tapped his shoulder with the hand holding a lady’s cigarette. The glowing red tip nearly brushed his chin. “We’re going to the internet café. You’re coming too, yeah?”

“……”

“Ahahahahaha.”

The group burst out laughing, apparently amused by Su Jiahe’s silence and timidity. “Xiaolu” had a pretty face, but her smile was full of menace. “I’m talking to you—don’t play dumb.”

Finally, Su Jiahe spoke. “I have to be home by five.”

The girl in the Hello Kitty pink T-shirt—”Kitty”—held out a hand. “Then how about you treat us to a round online?”

“……”

Xiaolu flicked away her cigarette and reached into Su Jiahe’s pants pocket, pulling out a wad of small bills. She handed it to Kitty. Kitty counted quickly. “Eighty-six bucks. Wow, not bad today.”

Xiaolu didn’t seem that greedy though. She rested her hand on Su Jiahe’s shoulder, leaned up on tiptoe, and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, babe.”

Su Jiahe froze, then shoved her away hard. “You—”

Before he could finish, a massive black garbage bag suddenly flew in from the other end of the alley and smacked right into Kitty and the others.

The sun hung low in the sky, casting warm golden light across the lush greenery at the alley entrance.

Su Jiasui stood in the light, looking like a hero descending from the heavens.

“Wow…” Cheng Xiangxue breathed in awe, trying to follow her Sister Sui’s shining entrance. But the moment she stood up, her face twisted in pain and she collapsed back to the ground. “Nope, nope—ow, crap, I got a leg cramp.”

---

Author’s Note:

When faced with problems, always seek help from your parents or the police first. Fighting is bad and strongly discouraged.