Love For You - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Own Sister, Good Sister

Chen Yi and Miao Jing attended the same junior high school. They would pass each other by as if they were complete strangers. Even if special circumstances forced them to speak, they were so distant and cold that no one would ever suspect their relationship. That is, excluding those in the know—Bo Zai, who also attended the school, lived not far from the Chen family and knew Miao Jing. Occasionally, he would follow behind Chen Yi to greet her.

The school had built a new five-story dormitory building for both boys and girls. The first and second floors were for boys, and the third floor and above were for girls. The dormitory had two stairwells cordoned off: one exclusively for boys and one for girls.

Chen Yi lived on the first floor, while Miao Jing’s dormitory was on the fourth. They often crossed paths at the bottom of the building or occasionally ran into each other in the cafeteria or on the playground. By then, Chen Yi had developed into a teenage boy; he had shot up to an unattainable height, his pant legs hung loose, his limbs were long, his Adam’s apple had become prominent, and his voice had cracked. He smoked in secret. It was rumored that the school’s physical education teacher wanted to recruit him for the sports team to prepare him for a sports academy, but for some unknown reason, it never happened.

The third year of junior high was a graduation year, and the school was focused on increasing the high school entrance exam pass rate. Aside from drifting through his days, Chen Yi didn't seem to get into many fights—it was the good fortune of every bad student to meet a painstaking head teacher, and that was one of the reasons Chen Yi remained in school. His head teacher was surnamed Li, a short, stocky middle-aged man. Back in the second year, old Li had vouched for Chen Yi to keep him off the expulsion list. Every semester, old Li would catch Chen Yi and drag him back to school, and he even personally contacted Chen Libin regarding tuition fees. Chen Yi’s grades weren't the worst; in fact, the time he scored the highest, he made it into the top ten of the class. It was rumored that he had made a bet with his classmates, and the whole class had placed money betting he would fail. He ended up winning over a thousand yuan in one go, which led to a formal disciplinary notice from the school.

He was also exceptionally popular at school, especially during ball games and sports meets, where he drew large crowds. Sometimes, Miao Jing would hear senior girls from her dormitory floor gossiping, frequently mentioning Chen Yi’s name. They said he was cool and handsome, that his eyes were fierce and bright, yet he had an evil, brilliant smile when he laughed, possessing a kind of bad-boy allure that made one’s heart race. Even the school beauty had a crush on him. Miao Jing didn't know so many strange adjectives could be applied to one boy; she only remembered what he looked like when he was getting beaten or sleeping.

Miao Jing had also grown taller in junior high, and her skin had become fairer, though she remained childish. It was inconvenient to wash her hair at school, so she had cut it into a short "Chibi Maruko-chan" bob, and her cheeks still had a touch of baby fat. Whenever she passed by Chen Yi and his group of little hooligans, she would lower her eyes and sidestep them, her eyelashes curled and fuzzy. She was a slender, quiet little junior. Some of the boys would frequently look back, saying she was cute and that they wanted to pursue her. Chen Yi would walk with a slouch, mocking them: "You're interested in a primary schooler? Go to the hospital if you're sick; don't embarrass yourselves here, goddammit."

The boys would laugh loudly, and Miao Jing would feel unhappy in her heart, secretly knitting her delicate brows.

Both children lived on campus, and Wei Mingzhen, with nothing to do at home, found a job as an attendant in a teahouse. She hadn't been pregnant in these past few years and seemed unable to fully enter the core of the family. Chen Libin spent his days obsessed with playing the stock market and video games, chatting intensely with strange women online. Even though the Power Supply Bureau was a great unit with astonishing bonuses and benefits, Wei Mingzhen had never managed to seize financial control; she even had to scrounge up her own money just to play mahjong.

Wei Mingzhen began to argue with Chen Libin, fighting earth-shatteringly, but after living in Tengcheng for these few years, it wasn't easy to break this relationship. She couldn't return to her hometown, and these past years she had been fed and housed for free, including the children’s school expenses. Although Chen Libin wasn't exactly generous, he didn't treat them too harshly either. It was like chewing chicken ribs: it had no flavor, but it felt a pity to throw it away.

Miao Jing knew they were fighting. Wei Mingzhen went to work every day, and she still had lingering fear of Chen Libin. Although she returned home every week to get her living expenses, she would only stay for one day, heading back to school on Sunday afternoon. Chen Yi basically didn't return home during his third year of junior high, only occasionally dropping by to pick up some things. It was unknown how he got his living expenses; perhaps he had his own ways of making money.

Every Sunday afternoon, boarding students would return to school with their living expenses, and the commercial street outside the school gate would be bustling with people. Miao Jing and the girls from her dorm would shop together, buying stationery and snacks.

The area near the school gate was full of small restaurants, stationery shops, and boutiques. Walking further along the road to the slightly more distant residential area, one would find hidden small internet cafes, game rooms, and pool halls. The girls said that the boys in their class would secretly sneak out here to play games. The gangs, "big brothers," and "big sisters" from the school also frequently hung out in this area. Everyone would look around with curiosity. The storefronts in the alley were all open with their roller shutters pulled halfway up. Inside, one could hear voices, and only green pool tables were visible, with a group of people pacing around the tables. It was the same in the game arcade, where pinball machines were placed at the entrance, and the roaring sound effects drifted out from within.

The little girls didn't have the guts to get involved, merely observing out of novelty and excitement. As they turned the corner at the end of the alley and headed back toward the school, they saw a few boys ahead, either squatting or standing together, smoking with an arrogant, pretentious air. This group blocked two girls, said a few words, and waved them away. They then blocked a passing boy, who reluctantly pulled something from his pocket and walked past, dejected.

"They're shaking people down for money."

"What should we do? Should we keep going?"

"Let’s take another route; I’m a bit scared..."

Miao Jing followed her friends, turned around, and walked quickly back the way they came.

"Hey, you lot! What are you running for? Come here, come here!" someone roared from behind. "You lot, try running if you dare! Get over here!"

The five or six girls trembling, stopped in their tracks, huddled together, looked back, and moved forward inch by inch.

The one shouting was a dark-skinned boy wearing a denim jacket, a cigarette dangling from his lip, holding a wooden stick in his hand. His gaze swept over the little girls: "Where were you planning to run?"

"Back, back to school."

"What are you going back to school for? To tell the teacher or find the security guard?"

"No, no, we’re going back for evening study."

"If you dare to report this to the school, you lot are looking for death, you know that?!"

"We know!"

A plump white boy walked over. Seeing that the girls were all carrying snacks, he knew they had money on them: "How much money do you have? Take it out and let's see."

"Not... not much." The girls were all panicked.

"Brother Yi said not to rob girls; it’s beneath us." The dark-skinned boy swung his long stick and tapped his chubby companion. "Let them go; girls are the best at telling on people."

"Go on, get lost. If the school finds out..." The plump boy had sharp eyes and grabbed the student ID card from one of the girls' pockets. "Class 5, Grade 7. You lot, you're going to be in big trouble when the time comes."

"Okay..."

The group walked forward with their heads down, terrified and weak, their footsteps chaotic.

A boy with a buzzcut who had been squatting nearby threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stood up slowly, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and leaned lazily against the wall. He stretched out a long leg and blocked the last person, Miao Jing.

His voice was also listless, lacking energy: "You—"

His dark, pitch-black eyes circled her. Seeing she was holding a skewer of fried meatballs and feeling hungry, he reached out and snatched it away. Miao Jing hadn't expected this and let go abruptly, her figure shrinking backward. Watching her jump and dodge, he squinted his eyes slightly and smiled with contempt: "Scared to death yet?"

He swallowed the meatballs in one bite, threw the bamboo skewer on the ground, clapped his hands cleanly, and shamelessly extorted the little junior: "How much money do you have? Take it out."

The dark-skinned boy had just said—they don't rob girls.

Miao Jing’s eyes flickered with panic. She looked at Chen Yi twice, pressed her lips into a thin line, and said nothing.

He was wearing clothes she had never seen before: a black hoodie and jeans. Relying on his height, he hunched his back, looking like a total scoundrel. His chin was a pale blue, with several small wounds from a razor blade, and his eyes were fixed on her with a predatory, threatening gaze that was also somehow lazily indifferent.

Miao Jing tugged at the hem of her school uniform, her brows slightly furrowed, her lips murmuring. Her slender figure looked timid, seemingly too scared to make a sound.

Watching her expression of being angry but not daring to speak, Chen Yi arched an eyebrow. He unfolded a pocket knife and wiped the fingerprints off the blade, his voice cold: "Where’s the money? Do you want me to frisk you?"

The group around them watched, and the girls looked at Miao Jing, trembling, not daring to let out a breath. Seeing the cold silver blade, Miao Jing swallowed, and slowly pulled a roll of banknotes from her pocket and handed them to him.

"How much?"

"Ninety-eight..."

Since she lived on campus, she didn't need to buy daily necessities; she used the benefits issued by Chen Libin’s work unit. She only had a hundred yuan for weekly living expenses, including three meals a day, hot water for the bathroom, and stationery. The rest was pocket money. She had just spent two yuan to buy two skewers of meatballs; one was in her stomach, and the other had been eaten by Chen Yi.

Chen Yi nodded, took the money, folded the pocket knife, and nudged her shoulder: "Go."

Miao Jing stumbled forward, was supported by her classmates, and ran off in a blur.

The boys were all wide-eyed, mouths agape, and asked in confusion: "Brother Yi, didn't you say we don't rob girls? Why did you make a move? And you picked the prettiest little sister, not showing any tenderness at all."

"She’s different." Chen Yi withdrew his gaze indifferently: "Let's go, let's go, let's go eat. I’ve been starving all day."

The girls from the dorm went out together, but only Miao Jing had been robbed by the hooligans. The girls were anxious: "What should we do? Should we tell the teacher? Or make a phone call and tell our family?"

Miao Jing sat on the edge of the bed, dejected, her gaze blank: "Forget it..."

She was afraid that if she told Wei Mingzhen, Chen Libin would beat people again, and she was also afraid that Chen Yi would bully her like he did when they were young.

Miao Jing borrowed thirty yuan from her dorm roommate. She had twenty yuan left on her meal card, and with ten yuan for daily food, she could barely manage to survive the week—but then she had to pay fifteen yuan for class fees for evening study. After deducting the hot water ticket for showers, she had less than thirty yuan to eat for an entire week.

 

She gnawed on steamed buns morning and night and ordered a vegetable dish at noon. Right when she was at the age to be growing, Miao Jing felt hungry. Every day the school had mandatory exercise drills, and there were two physical education classes a week. After running two laps on the playground, she felt her ears ringing and her legs turning to jelly.

Facing such a dire situation, Miao Jing didn't want anyone to see her struggle, so she hid on a garden bench with an English book as cover to eat her steamed bun.

A stone suddenly flew over, hitting her arm before rolling to her feet. Miao Jing turned her head to look for the culprit. The scoundrel who had robbed her living expenses was crouching in the bushes behind her, holding a cigarette, secretly taking a few puffs. Smoke billowed out, his pair of dark, rebellious eyes hidden in the white mist, unclear.

She looked down at her feet again. A pink paper scrap was wrapped around a small stone—she didn't know what it was. Picking it up, she saw it was a large stack of meal tickets from the cafeteria.

"Don't you know how to ask for money when you go home?" His voice was raspy and dry, but not unpleasant. "Can a person be stupid enough to starve to death?"

Miao Jing was long used to his tone, which was cold: "Where did this come from?"

She flattened the meal tickets. They were set-meal tickets sold at the window, with a choice of one meat and two vegetables, totaling twenty tickets.

"Did you steal them?"

Chen Yi let out a scoff of disdain: "Old Li gave them... as a prize."

He didn't say what the prize was for. He took two sharp drags from his cigarette, buried it in the dirt, stepped on it a few times, and turned to leave.

Miao Jing tore off a small ticket and, before the cafeteria closed, went to eat.

Returning home on the weekend, Miao Jing stayed for one night. The next day, after finishing lunch, she put down her bowl: "I’m going to school."

Wei Mingzhen took a red note from her wallet and gave it to her. Miao Jing obediently accepted it, pulled out her chair to leave, but then turned back and asked casually.

"Mom, what about Brother's living expenses?"

Wei Mingzhen and Chen Libin, who were still eating, were both stunned and stopped their chopsticks.

"What’s going on?" Chen Libin put down his wine glass and looked at Miao Jing with a pleasant expression. "What’s wrong with your brother?"

"Nothing, the third year of junior high is very busy. Brother hasn't been home for a few months. Are his living expenses enough?" Miao Jing’s voice was like a mosquito’s buzzing. "He’s grown taller again; his pants are a section too short."

Chen Libin stared at Miao Jing for a moment and smiled gently: "Is that so? It has been a long time since he came back. You tell him to come home and stay for a few days when he has time."

Before leaving, Chen Libin went to his room and took out a thousand yuan for Miao Jing to give to Chen Yi. Miao Jing carefully placed the money in her schoolbag. When she left, Wei Mingzhen secretly poked her forehead.

It was a large sum of money, and Miao Jing didn't dare to keep it on her for too long. When she got back to school, she searched for Chen Yi but couldn't find him. After evening study, she waited in front of the dormitory building. Just as the dorm was about to turn off the lights and check in, Chen Yi climbed over the wall, his footsteps hurried, passing by Miao Jing.

"Brother," she called out to stop him.

Chen Yi stopped and looked at her, confused.

She handed him the stack of money: "Uncle gave you your living expenses, a thousand yuan."

Chen Yi’s gaze swept over her face, then over the stack of red banknotes in her hand, then fixed back on her face. His brows furrowed deeply, his expression calm but filled with annoyed coldness. He stood frozen for a long time before letting out a cold sneer: "Thanks, good sister."

The money in her hand was snatched away by him. The atmosphere became inexplicably stiff. Chen Yi turned and walked away with large strides. Miao Jing stood behind him, watching his back, which looked particularly thin and gloomy against the brightly lit dormitory building ahead.

That thousand yuan was squandered by Chen Yi within two days.

Later, after staying at school for a long time, Miao Jing gradually got to know the group around Chen Yi. Besides Bo Zai, the dark-skinned boy who blocked their way that day was named Shen Hong, and the white, chubby boy was called A Yong; they were all part of the same gang. There was another group led by Big Head Yuan. The names of these groups were well-known throughout the school, but they kept to their own lanes and did not provoke ordinary students.

The school bathroom and hot water room were next to the dormitory building. The girls' dorms were on high floors, and at night, standing in the corridor, one could dimly see the boys below entering and exiting the bathroom in slippers, undershirts, and athletic shorts, aided by the light from the rooms. They also stood in groups in the open space in front of the building chatting, laughing, and chasing each other—Miao Jing could often see Chen Yi. Many girls in the school chased after him, but it was rumored that he was uninterested; he only liked playing games and pool, not mingling with girls. The third-year junior high girls were a bit more mature, and sometimes they would collectively sneak a peek at him emerging wet from the bathroom, his loose undershirt unable to cover his broad shoulders and the firm biceps on his arms.

After evening study, one had to queue for the bathroom. Miao Jing liked to go late, right before the bathroom closed. At that time, the bathroom was quiet, and the shower water pressure was stronger. She would take the opportunity to wash her dirty clothes. When the cleaning lady came to chase people away, Miao Jing would put on her clothes and jacket, hold her pink washbasin, and return to the dorm. The lights of the teaching building and playground would all be extinguished, with only the dormitory building lit. The evening breeze blew, and walking on the road felt exceptionally comfortable and quiet.

If it weren't for the boys on the first and second floors being driven out to be frisked, gathering in a swarm in the open space, with the principal leading four or five male teachers to search the dormitories, for Miao Jing, this would have been a beautiful night of intoxicated spring breezes.

She saw a sea of boys in front of her and knew this was a surprise dormitory inspection. The school was rectifying school spirit and discipline to root out the "bad elements." She had to go upstairs to return to her dorm, so she could only take a detour around the crowd to get to the stairwell.

"Xiao Jing." Chen Yi’s eyes lit up, and he called out to her loudly in the crowd.

Miao Jing walked forward steadily until she saw Chen Yi, very much doubting her own ears. Since she was a child, her name was Miao Jing, and no one had ever called her "Xiao Jing." The person in front of her had never even said her name, at most calling her "Hey."

"Chen Yi, stay put! It’s not your turn yet," the dormitory management teacher scolded loudly. "Where are you slipping off to?"

"My own sister," Chen Yi pointed at Miao Jing broadly. He was only wearing a loose black T-shirt, standing with his hands on his hips and a playful face. "I was looking for her just now. She’s going home tomorrow, and I asked her to bring some things back for me."

"Teacher, just a few words, one minute. You watch. Once it’s my turn to be searched, I’ll fly right over."

Chen Yi took two steps forward and waved at Miao Jing, "Little sister, help me find this when you go home tomorrow. In my room..."

Miao Jing stood before him, stunned. He had a smirk on his face, his voice clear, but his eyebrows were heavily pressed against his eye corners, his gaze exceptionally vigilant and sharp.

"Did you remember? Go back to school early tomorrow; I’m waiting to use it." Chen Yi reached out and rubbed her wet head, messing up her short hair, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Why didn't you dry your hair? It’s still a bit chilly out; don't catch a cold."

Miao Jing stood stiff as a board, blinked her eyes, and then nodded blankly: "Got it, Brother."

"Don't move, I’ll dry your hair for you. Your constitution has been weak since you were little; it’ll be a hassle if you get sick."

He leaned in one step closer, lifted a corner of his T-shirt, and Miao Jing suddenly caught a glimpse of his light honey-colored skin, resembling an iron plate, with bulging small muscle groups. Before she could take a closer look, Chen Yi’s frame covered her completely. He was very close, and she closed her eyes in fright. The scent of the boy rushed over—soap, clean water, skin, a faint tobacco smell—healthy and crisp, not unpleasant at all.

Then, fabric warm with body heat covered her head, and a hand rubbed her wet hair in a big, unconcerned way.

"Hold it well, don't get caught." The repressed volume in the boy’s throat was only audible to her. Chen Yi’s other hand quickly produced a cloth bundle from his waist—a hard, long shape, carrying scorching body heat—and stuffed it heavily into her hand.

"Tuck it into your clothes."

The atmosphere between the two was exceptionally grave and dark.

Miao Jing felt a panic in her heart. Concealed by her coat and washbasin, she quickly pushed the object into her hem, holding it against her stomach with a gesture.

The dorm management teacher was watching right behind them. The two were only close for a few dozen seconds. Chen Yi stepped back with a giggle, adjusted the small washbasin in Miao Jing’s hands, and leaned over to stare at her wooden, blank face, his smile gentle and brilliant: "Go back and rest early."

Miao Jing felt her hackles rise. Like a puppet, she held the basin, took short steps to walk away, and only dared to look back once she hit the stairs. The boys were standing in rows, being searched one by one by the male teachers. Chen Yi stood out in the crowd, his eyes watching her deeply.

Back in the dorm, the girls in the class were chattering, saying that it was a major inspection of the boys' dorms, as someone had hidden sharp weapons like iron bars and daggers in the dorm. The girls’ side had just been searched, and the dorm auntie had flipped through everyone's drawers and boxes before leaving.

Miao Jing shuddered and let out a secret sigh of relief.

Two sharp daggers with sheaths—brand new, with patterns and decorations that looked quite expensive—were still hidden against Miao Jing’s stomach.