Chapter 5 of 10
Chapter 5
9 min read2,293 words
Chapter 3, Thoughts Too Sweet!
Some are angels with broken wings, some are those whom heaven wants to break your wings to let you die.
Mother said that when Li Muyang was born, he was struck by lightning, almost not getting a chance to see this colorful world before his life ended.
This made Li Muyang wonder how many heinous deeds he must have committed in his past life to suffer such heavenly punishment?
Li Muyang could only open his eyes to see things at the age of three, and it wasn't until he was seven that he could walk unsteadily. He didn't speak until he was ten, and even at fourteen, he still lacked the strength to lift a chicken, unable to practice swordsmanship or cultivate qi like other boys.
Some say that when heaven closes a door, it opens a window.
If he couldn't excel in martial arts, he should focus on his studies, perhaps he could drink more strong liquor and write more poems to be remembered for generations, just like those great literary scholars. But every time Li Muyang picked up a book, his head would become drowsy, and he would soon fall asleep on the pages.
His desk partner had called him, but he didn't wake up.
His teacher had scolded him, but it was useless.
A new teacher even broke a whiteboard eraser on Li Muyang's head because he was sleeping in class— that eraser was made of alloy.
But Li Muyang remained the same.
He was obsessed with sleeping!
As long as he could sleep, anything could be negotiated.
If he didn't get enough sleep, his temper would become particularly irritable.
For example, today during the boat ride, the intense conflict with Zhang Chen was because he was woken up from a sweet dream due to lack of sleep.
At least, that's what Li Muyang thought.
Splash—
Li Muyang's head emerged from the bathtub, and he gasped for breath.
He calmed down for a long time, but his heart still felt like it was racing.
"Am I a good-for-nothing?" Li Muyang thought. "What was that punch just now—what was it all about?"
He carefully examined his arm; the skin was as smooth as ever, just turned purplish-red from the hot water.
Bang!
The bathroom door was pushed open forcefully, and a very cute girl rushed in, her face full of urgency. "Brother, did some bastard bully you again?"
The girl had large eyes, like natural beauty contacts. Apart from the black pupils, you could hardly see any whites.
Her nose was slightly upturned, and her lips were red. Her skin was as white as fresh snow, and touching it felt like it would melt.
Her white shirt was dazzlingly white, and her black skirt swayed slightly from running too fast.
The girl's face was sweet, and even in her current angry state, it made people want to pinch her cheeks.
Li Sinen, Li Muyang's younger sister by three years. Both were students at Fuxing High School, with Li Muyang in the third year and Li Sinen in the second.
Of course, unlike Li Muyang, the 'good-for-nothing' brother, Li Sinen had been smart and clever since childhood. She was the leader of the children in kindergarten and always won the top prize in the school with the best grades every year.
She started school three years later than Li Muyang but was only one grade below him because she skipped grades twice in elementary and junior high school.
The school also suggested she skip grades in high school, but her parents refused. They believed that the three years of high school were the most important, and more preparation during this time would help her get into the best university in the empire.
Li Sinen was a beauty in the school and a well-known school flower. It was no surprise to Li Muyang that she knew about him being bullied so quickly.
Li Muyang crossed his arms to cover his exposed parts and said with a bitter smile, "Li Sinen, how many times have I told you to knock before entering—"
Li Sinen never knocked. She always barged into his room. This had cost Li Muyang many copies of "Playboy" that he hadn't had time to hide.
Whenever Li Sinen saw Li Muyang reading these 'inappropriate books,' she would righteously snatch them and say she would turn them over to their parents.
Strangely, his parents never mentioned this to him.
"Oh." Li Sinen's face turned slightly red, glanced at Li Muyang, and then retreated.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to close the bathroom door.
Knock, knock, knock—
There was a knock on the door outside.
"Brother, can I come in?" Li Sinen called from the door.
Li Muyang, with a helpless look, said, "Come in."
Li Sinen pushed the door open again and asked anxiously, "Brother, which bastard bullied you?"
"It was I who bullied someone else," Li Muyang said. This time, he wasn't boasting to his sister; he really did punch Zhang Chen, and there were many witnesses.
"Brother, which bad guy did you bully?" Li Sinen's face relaxed a bit as she asked.
Li Muyang felt touched, thinking, "She is indeed my own sister."
He smiled at Li Sinen and said, "Zhang Chen wanted to bully me, but I turned the tables on him— but it's all over now."
"Hmph—" Li Sinen lifted her face and coldly snorted. Her short hair swayed with her movement. "That bastard Zhang Chen, I won't let him off."
Li Muyang quickly tried to dissuade her, saying, "Sinen, it's over. Your brother didn't lose this time, so don't go looking for trouble— you're a girl—"
Li Muyang was worried about Li Sinen's safety. After all, she was just a delicate girl. If Zhang Chen vented his anger on her, it would be the last thing Li Muyang wanted to see.
He would rather suffer some委屈himself.
This was also the main reason he didn't want to get into conflicts and didn't want to tell his family about being bullied at school.
"No." Li Sinen said firmly, "No one is allowed to bully my brother."
"Sinen—"
"Brother, I bought you some roasted sweet potatoes." Li Sinen took a small box out of her backpack. Even before opening it, the rich aroma of sweet potatoes could be smelled. "Come, eat while it's hot."
Li Muyang was deeply moved and divided the large sweet potato in half, saying, "Come, let's share it."
"You eat it, I won't." Li Sinen shook her head. "Eating sweet potatoes makes you fart."
"——"
——
——
At the school basketball gym, a friendly match was being held among the school team members.
As the captain of the Fuxing High School basketball team, playing basketball was a daily must for Zhang Chen.
Moreover, he enjoyed hearing the sweet and clear cheers of the girls as he sweated.
"Zhang Chen, go for it—"
"Zhang Chen, you're the best—"
"Zhang Chen, I love you, kiss kiss—"
——
Zhang Chen couldn't help but look at the audience again. There was a group of girls cheering for him, but the most active and sweetest-looking girl was someone he had never seen before.
"What a beautiful junior—"
"What a beautiful voice—"
"Her bouncing is so cute, like a little angel—"
Because he frequently looked at the audience, he missed several passes from his teammates.
The game paused, and a group of teammates gathered around, winking at him.
"Captain, new meat—"
"Such a fresh and tender girl, I give her 90 points—"
"I give her 98 points, if you don't want her, I'll take her—"
"Sometimes, after eating too much rich food, you need to switch to something light, right?"
Zhang Chen bantered with his teammates for a moment and then walked toward the audience.
The fans in the audience immediately screamed, some brought drinks, some brought towels, and some prepared love lunches.
"Thank you, thank you all." Zhang Chen, surrounded by fans, smiled and thanked them.
He saw the girl who had been the loudest and most active hiding behind the crowd, looking at him with a shy gaze but too timid to approach.
Newcomers, understandable.
Zhang Chen parted the crowd and walked toward the girl.
"What's your name?" Zhang Chen's voice was deep, and he smiled warmly.
"My name is Sinen." The girl looked up at Zhang Chen, then quickly lowered her head like a frightened rabbit.
"Sinen, what a beautiful name—" Zhang Chen smiled even more charmingly.
What a good girl, the moment she looked up and then down, his heart beat wildly.
She reminded Zhang Chen of a poem by the imperial poet Xu Zhimo: "The most gentle is that moment of lowering the head, just like the shy water lily trembling in the cool breeze."
"Thank you," the girl said, her face blushing.
"What are you holding in your arms?"
"It's the soup I made."
"Really? There aren't many girls who can make soup these days. The man who can make you cook for him must be envied—"
"This is for you—" The girl looked up, her star-like eyes firmly meeting Zhang Chen's.
"Really?" Zhang Chen smiled. "So I'm the lucky man?"
"My cooking isn't very good—"
"That's already impressive."
"It might not taste good—"
"The thought counts."
"Will you really drink it all?"
Zhang Chen laughed happily and said, "Of course. How can I waste the kindness of a beautiful lady?"
The girl handed him the thermos and gently instructed, "Be careful, it's hot."
"Of course." Zhang Chen felt his heart melting. He unscrewed the thermos and said, "This is the best gift I've ever received—"
He tilted his head back and gulped it down.
As he drank, his eyebrows furrowed.
Remembering the girl's words, "My cooking isn't very good," he raised the cup again.
As he drank, his stomach started to cramp.
Remembering the girl's words, "It might not taste good," he persisted.
As he drank, his heart started to ache.
Remembering his own words, "How can I waste the kindness of a beautiful lady," he wanted to finish it—
"Ugh—"
He suddenly turned and vomited onto the wooden floor behind him.
——
——
——
The school basketball gym, a friendly match was being held among the school team members.
As the captain of the Fuxing High School basketball team, playing basketball was a daily must for Zhang Chen.
Moreover, he enjoyed hearing the sweet and clear cheers of the girls as he sweated.
"Zhang Chen, go for it—"
"Zhang Chen, you're the best—"
"Zhang Chen, I love you, kiss kiss—"
——
Zhang Chen couldn't help but look at the audience again. There was a group of girls cheering for him, but the most active and sweetest-looking girl was someone he had never seen before.
"What a beautiful junior—"
"What a beautiful voice—"
"Her bouncing is so cute, like a little angel—"
Because he frequently looked at the audience, he missed several passes from his teammates.
The game paused, and a group of teammates gathered around, winking at him.
"Captain, new meat—"
"Such a fresh and tender girl, I give her 90 points—"
"I give her 98 points, if you don't want her, I'll take her—"
"Sometimes, after eating too much rich food, you need to switch to something light, right?"
Zhang Chen bantered with his teammates for a moment and then walked toward the audience.
The fans in the audience immediately screamed, some brought drinks, some brought towels, and some prepared love lunches.
"Thank you, thank you all." Zhang Chen, surrounded by fans, smiled and thanked them.
He saw the girl who had been the loudest and most active hiding behind the crowd, looking at him with a shy gaze but too timid to approach.
Newcomers, understandable.
Zhang Chen parted the crowd and walked toward the girl.
"What's your name?" Zhang Chen's voice was deep, and he smiled warmly.
"My name is Sinen." The girl looked up at Zhang Chen, then quickly lowered her head like a frightened rabbit.
"Sinen, what a beautiful name—" Zhang Chen smiled even more charmingly.
What a good girl, the moment she looked up and then down, his heart beat wildly.
She reminded Zhang Chen of a poem by the imperial poet Xu Zhimo: "The most gentle is that moment of lowering the head, just like the shy water lily trembling in the cool breeze."
"Thank you," the girl said, her face blushing.
"What are you holding in your arms?"
"It's the soup I made."
"Really? There aren't many girls who can make soup these days. The man who can make you cook for him must be envied—"
"This is for you—" The girl looked up, her star-like eyes firmly meeting Zhang Chen's.
"Really?" Zhang Chen smiled. "So I'm the lucky man?"
"My cooking isn't very good—"
"That's already impressive."
"It might not taste good—"
"The thought counts."
"Will you really drink it all?"
Zhang Chen laughed happily and said, "Of course. How can I waste the kindness of a beautiful lady?"
The girl handed him the thermos and gently instructed, "Be careful, it's hot."
"Of course." Zhang Chen felt his heart melting. He unscrewed the thermos and said, "This is the best gift I've ever received—"
He tilted his head back and gulped it down.
As he drank, his eyebrows furrowed.
Remembering the girl's words, "My cooking isn't very good," he raised the cup again.
As he drank, his stomach started to cramp.
Remembering the girl's words, "It might not taste good," he persisted.
As he drank, his heart started to ache.
Remembering his own words, "How can I waste the kindness of a beautiful lady," he wanted to finish it—
"Ugh—"
He suddenly turned and vomited onto the wooden floor behind him.