Photo? What photo? Why do I get a bad feeling about this?
“Hehe, class leader, what’s your guess? I keep this photo on top of my dressing table every single day.”
The photo on her dressing table? Wait! Isn’t that my childhood picture! The one that my dad gave away, a picture of me standing in front of Tian An Men Square as a shota, before my face became crippled?
“Xiao Qin, why do you keep a boy’s photo in your bedroom? But to be honest, he’s pretty cute…”
How dare you call me cute! The class leader should definitely not call me cute! My cute form is already gone forever! The more you call him cute, the more hurt I’ll be!
“Hehe, I knew the class leader would think he’s cute. How about it, I have great taste, don’t I?”
How is your sense of taste good! Any girl who would actually like someone like me, must be blind! Or, are you saying that you can travel through time to go look at my shota form?
“Although the boy is cute, but this is still a girl’s room, Xiao Qin, you…”
“Class leader, let’s forget about that for a moment, you still haven’t guessed? Take a guess! C’mon, take a guess!”
“Is it someone that I know?”
“Well, can’t say you don’t know him, yet can’t say you know him….”
“Is he an actor? Has he appeared on TV before?”
“He might appear on TV in the future, but no, keep on guessing!”
“I have no clue, just tell me the answer.”
“No way, it wouldn’t be interesting if I just told you! I’ll give you a hint, he’s an innocent playmate from childhood, and we pledged to get married…”
Who’s an innocent playmate from childhood! Who pledged to get married to you! That youth in the photo, the one that you terrorized with 1001 different methods, even in his dreams he still can’t escape from your from your devilish grasps!
“Pledge… of marriage? Xiao Qin, aren’t you maturing too fast? Although he looks better than Ye Lin, but you can’t judge someone based on appearance.”
Xiao Qin definitely didn’t mature early! She’s a perfect example of a late bloomer! Also, class leader, you’re the one that’s judging by appearance! Why did you say he looks better than me based on a photo! We’re clearly the same person!
“I like him, there’s nothing I can do! Class leader, I already gave you so many hints, can you still not guess?”
It would be strange if she guessed correctly! According to one of my distant relatives (faraway aunt), when I was young, people would want to hug me and buy candy for me, but now when they see me, they would run and call the police!
“Do I have to guess? Is he your childhood neighbor? Did you guys play together with Ye Lin when you were kids? Oh I know, you guys must have been constantly bullied by Ye Lin, so you empathized with each other.”
That’s so wrong! It couldn’t be further from the truth!
But it’s a normal train of thought. No one would believe that cute shota grew into someone like me.
“I can’t take it anymore. Class leader, why can’t you just get it, this picture is actually a picture of Ye…”
Is the truth going to be revealed? Are the secrets going to come to light? I can’t raise my face in front of the class leader anymore after she finds out about my embarrassing past!
At this crucial moment, for some reason they lowered their voices and I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
I wanted to press my ears against the door, but I despised those sneaky and dirty actions.
After a while, the class later walked out alone.
The gaze she used to look at me was filled with pity and she plopped onto the sofa without a word. It wasn’t the same as last time, she didn’t purposely leave an open spot between us.
For the class leader who strictly followed the ‘100 Relationship Rules’, it was definitely an off track action.
“Ye Lin, About the photo in Xiao Qin’s room, I know everything…”
So she told you? I never knew she would play her trump cards this quickly, is she going for the big finale!?
“I’m really sorry about what happened… I feel like I kind of understand why you treat her that way at school…”
Not kind of, you should completely understand! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, my actions when I bully her are completely justified!
“But I don’t want you to resent her, since it wasn’t on purpose.”
Wasn’t on purpose? Then why did she kick me down ditches or push me into the river, she still says it’s not on purpose? How would I not resent her!
“The one that’s hurt the most is Xiao Qin…”
She’s hurt? Bullying others is one of the principal facets of life, after years of bullying her happiness meter should already be maxed out, how can she be hurt?
“Ye Lin, you don’t have to say another word. I know after all these years you’ve always blamed her, because of her, your younger brother went missing…”
“My younger brother!? When did I get a younger brother? What exactly did Xiao Qin tell you?”
The class leader slightly turned her face as if she didn’t want to see the expression on my face.
“She told me that you wouldn’t admit to having a younger brother, looks like it was true…”
“But since it’s already happened, there’s no use running from it, we can only face the truth.”
The class leader’s words left me completely baffled. I told her to repeat exactly what Xiao Qin told her.
It was as expected.
Xiao Qin fabricated a story.
According to her, I have a younger brother a year apart from me. He was clever, cute, and kindhearted. Completely different from his older brother.
We used to play together all the time when we were kids. I would play as the bad guy, and they would be the male and female superheros who saves the world.
After I grew older, I thought it was embarrassing to play with a girl, so I told my brother to stop playing with her too.
But Xiao Qin and my brother liked each other, they were even always together in elementary school. Us two brothers always quarreled because of this.
In order to not get caught by me, they would always run to secluded areas to play. Even though they were warned multiple times by family members.
There was a time when they were playing hide and seek in a shipyard. Xiao Qin looked until sunset, but couldn’t find my brother, so she ran home crying. We called the police, there was a big search party, but no results. That’s how my brother vanished into thin air. The rumor being spread between neighbors is that he was caught by a child trafficker.
I hated Xiao Qin because my brother went missing when they were playing hide and seek, I couldn’t help but want to bully her every time I see her face. Xiao Qin never resisted or fought back because she felt guilty for all these years.
It has progressed to a point where it’s out of hand, because of Xiao Qin’s guilt towards me and her longing for my younger brother mixed together, she gradually developed feelings for me which she could not suppress.
Xiao Qin told the class leader that she was already helplessly in love with me. She would use her whole life to repay me and would give anything for me to forgive her.
How touching… No, what a melodramatic story! This was clearly inspired by Adachi’s ‘Touch‘! What kind of hackneyed story of liking the older brother just because the younger one died! Class leader, you wouldn’t be tricked if you just read some manga!
What was Xiao Qin’s goal with this story? Is it just a prank?
No, if I think carefully, she can use this story to cover up our dark history. It perfectly explains our relationship, while also giving her the position of a tragic heroine.
With such a sad story, even a gossiper like Loud Mouth wouldn’t ask Xiao Qin about it.
It’s a story that kills two birds with one stone!
The class leader sympathize with her story. She even urged Xiao Qin to work hard to escape from the shadows and to not confuse her feelings.
She explained to Xiao Qin: “I realize the guilt towards Ye Lin, but you like the younger brother, how can you use the older brother as a substitute? Although he’s currently missing, it doesn’t mean you’ll never see him again. What if he appears in front of you one day, how would you face him?”
Apparently Xiao Qin was left speechless by the class leader’s questions, it seems like she’s never thought of those possibilities.
No shit! We’re the same person! Xiao Qin’s story was full of metaphors between my past self and my current self. Rather than saying it’s to trick the class leader, it can be said that it’s to trick herself, so she can forget her unruly past.
It’s your own fault you’re getting caught up in your own lies! You wanted to establish a strong relationship between the two of us and suggest to the class leader to not get in between us, but since you didn’t think things through, she found a hole in your story!
The class leader doesn’t know that my non-existent younger brother is the past me, so she believes that your feelings for me is warped and should be corrected. That line of thought is correct and can’t really be criticized!
Since the class leader is the justice devil, to protect the rights of my younger brother that may still be alive on this planet, to protect the true feelings of Xiao Qin, it wouldn’t be weird for her to make that judgment!
“Ye Lin, I won’t mention your younger brother anymore, but you must believe me, I understand your pain.”
The class leader lightly patted my shoulders to console me.
“I misjudged you, I thought you were threatening Shu Zhe….But you saved him under the bridge, because you saw shadows of your younger brother, right?”
I didn’t see any shadows! Even if I had a younger brother, he would be a muscly Spartan, who wouldn’t be bullied by anyone!
“Umm…. On the subway, when you said you would train Shu Zhe, to help him pass gym class. If you’re still willing, come and teach him…. I’ll cook for you guys…”
What kind of expression is that? Is it sympathy? It’s sympathy! Sympathy even deeper than the ocean’s depths! Are you trying to share your brother with me to lessen my pains? You’re so generous! You’re so kind! I’ll thank you on behalf of my younger brother!