Some people were angels with broken wings, while others were people Heaven wanted to break the wings of and kill.
Li Mu Yang's mother had said that when he was born, he had been struck by lightning. He had nearly died without even getting a glimpse of this colorful world.
This left Li Mu Yang wondering: just how many heinous things had he done in his previous life to suffer such heavenly punishment?
Li Mu Yang had not been able to open his eyes and see until he was three, had not been able to stagger around on his feet until he was seven, and had not spoken until he was ten. Even at fourteen, he still lacked the strength to tie a chicken and could not practice swordsmanship and qi cultivation like the other youths---
They said that when the gods closed one door for you, they would also leave you a window.
If he could not succeed in martial arts, then he could study hard. Perhaps he could become like those great literary scholars, drink a few more bowls of strong liquor, write a few more poems, and leave his name to posterity. Yet every time Li Mu Yang picked up a book, his head grew drowsy, and soon he would rest his head against those square characters and drift into dreamland.
His deskmate had shouted at him, but he had not woken up.
His teacher had cursed him, but it had been useless.
A new teacher had even broken a ruler over Li Mu Yang because he slept in class---and that had been a ruler made of alloy.
Yet Li Mu Yang remained unchanged.
He loved sleep more than life itself!
As long as he was allowed to sleep, anything could be negotiated.
If he had not slept well, his temper became especially explosive.
For example, the reason he had clashed so fiercely with Zhang Chen while boating on the lake today was that he had been woken up while making a beautiful dream because he had not gotten enough sleep.
At least, that was what Li Mu Yang thought.
Splash---
Li Mu Yang's head burst out of the bathtub, and he gasped for breath.
He took a long time to calm himself, but he still felt as though his heart were pounding violently.
Am I not a good-for-nothing? Li Mu Yang wondered inwardly. Then how do I explain that punch just now?
He carefully examined his arm. His skin was as delicate as ever, though it had turned purplish-red from soaking in the hot water.
Crash!
The door was shoved open, and an exceedingly adorable girl rushed in, her face full of urgency. "Brother, did some bastard bully you again?"
The girl's eyes were huge, as if she had been born with natural contact lenses. Apart from those eyeballs like black ink pearls, one could hardly see any white in them.
Her nose was slightly raised, and her little mouth was rosy. Her skin was like fresh snow, seeming as though a light touch would melt a patch of it.
Her white gauze dress was dazzlingly white, and the peach-red ribbon in her hair swayed lightly because she had run too fast.
The girl had a sweet face. Even though she was furious now, she still made people want to step forward and pinch her little cheeks.
Li Sinian was three years younger than Li Mu Yang. The two siblings both attended Fuxing High School. Li Mu Yang was a senior, while Li Sinian was a junior.
Of course, unlike her "good-for-nothing" brother Li Mu Yang, Li Sinian had been clever and quick-witted since childhood. She had always been the children's leader and had claimed first place in the entire school with the best grades every year.
She had started school three years later than Li Mu Yang, yet was only one grade below him, because she had skipped grades twice in succession when she was young.
During high school, the school had also suggested that she skip a grade, but their parents had refused. They believed that the three years of high school were the most important three years, and that only by preparing more thoroughly during that time could she get into the best university in the Empire.
Li Sinian was a little beauty at school, as well as a famous campus flower. Li Mu Yang was not surprised in the slightest that she had learned immediately that he had been bullied.
Li Mu Yang crossed his arms over his exposed parts and said with a bitter smile, "Li Sinian, how many times have I told you? Knock before coming in---"
Li Sinian had never had the habit of knocking. Every time she entered her own room, she charged straight in. Because of that, Li Mu Yang had no idea how many "flowery harems" he had sacrificed before he could hide them.
Whenever Li Sinian caught Li Mu Yang reading these "indecent books," she would snatch them away with righteous indignation, claiming that she was going to hand them over to their parents.
Strangely, their parents had never mentioned the matter to Li Mu Yang.
"Oh." Li Sinian's pretty face flushed slightly. She glanced at Li Mu Yang, then backed out.
Before leaving, she did not forget to close the bathroom door.
Knock, knock, knock---
Knocking sounded outside.
"Brother, may I come in?" Li Sinian called from the doorway.
Li Mu Yang wore a helpless expression. "Come in."
Li Sinian pushed the door open again and asked anxiously, "Brother, which bastard bullied you?"
"I bullied someone else," Li Mu Yang said. This time, he was not bragging to his sister. He really had punched Zhang Chen flying, and plenty of people could testify for him.
"Brother, which bad person did you bully?" Li Sinian asked, her expression easing slightly.
Li Mu Yang's face filled with emotion. As expected of my own sister.
He smiled broadly at Li Sinian. "Zhang Chen wanted to bully me, but I bullied him instead---although it's all over now."
"Hmph---" Li Sinian lifted her little face and snorted. Her bangs, cut straight across her forehead, swayed lightly with the motion. "It was that bastard Zhang Chen again. I definitely won't let him off."
Li Mu Yang hurriedly tried to dissuade her. "Sinian, it's over. Your brother didn't suffer this time, so don't go looking for trouble with him---you're a girl---"
Li Mu Yang was worried about Li Sinian's safety. After all, she was only a delicate girl. If Zhang Chen vented his anger toward him on her, that was the last thing Li Mu Yang wanted to see.
He would rather suffer a little himself.
That was also the main reason he disliked clashing with people and did not want to tell his family about how he was bullied at school.
"No." Li Sinian's little face was resolute. "No one is allowed to bully my brother."
"Sinian---"
"Brother, I bought you a roasted sweet potato." Li Sinian took a small box from her schoolbag. Before she even opened it, the rich fragrance of sweet potato filled the air. "Here, eat it while it's hot."
Li Mu Yang was deeply moved. He split the large sweet potato in the box in two and said, "Here, half for each of us."
"You eat it. I don't want any." Li Sinian shook her head. "Sweet potatoes make you fart."
"---"
--
At the school cuju stadium, an internal friendly match was underway.
As the cuju team captain of Fuxing High School, playing ball was Zhang Chen's daily duty.
Besides, he liked hearing the girls cheer in their crisp, sweet voices while he was sweating it out.
"Zhang Chen, go for it---"
"Zhang Chen, you're the best---"
"Zhang Chen, I love you, mwah---"
--
Zhang Chen could not help looking toward the stands again. A group of girls were cheering for him, but the sweetest-looking and most energetic girl there was someone he had never seen before.
"What a beautiful junior---"
"What a lovely voice---"
"The way she hops around is so adorable, just like a little angel---"
Because he kept glancing toward the stands, he stole several passes from his teammates and threw them away.
The game paused, and a group of players gathered around him, winking and nudging.
"Captain, there's a new catch---"
"Fresh and tender Little Bok Choy. I give her ninety points this time---"
"I give her ninety-eight. If you don't want her, give her to me---"
"After getting tired of grand feasts, you have to change your appetite now and then and eat something light, right?"
Zhang Chen joked with his teammates for a while, then walked toward the stands.
His cheering fans immediately shrieked. Some brought him tea, some brought towels, and others had prepared heart-shaped lunch boxes.
"Thank you. Thank you, everyone." Surrounded by his many fans, Zhang Chen thanked them with a broad smile.
He saw the little girl who had shouted the loudest and jumped around the most earlier hiding behind the crowd. She gazed at him coyly, looking too timid to approach.
A newcomer. Understandable.
Zhang Chen parted the crowd and walked toward that little bok choy.
"What's your name?" Zhang Chen's voice was rich, and he wore a gentle smile.
"My name is Sinian." The girl looked up at Zhang Chen, then hurriedly lowered her head like a startled little rabbit.
"Sinian. What a lovely name---" Zhang Chen's smile became even more charming.
What a wonderful girl. The instant she had looked up and lowered her head, his heart had pounded wildly.
She reminded Zhang Chen of a poem by the Imperial poet Xu Zhimo: Most tender was that lowering of the head, like the shy grace of a water lotus unable to withstand the cool breeze.
"Thank you." The girl's cheeks flushed red.
"What are you holding in your arms?"
"It's soup I made."
"Really? There aren't many girls who know how to make soup nowadays. The man who can make you prepare soup must be a truly enviable fellow---"
"This is for you---" The girl lifted her head, her star-like eyes meeting Zhang Chen's gaze with determination.
"Really?" Zhang Chen pursed his lips into a smile. "So I'm that lucky man?"
"My cooking isn't very good---"
"That alone is already rare."
"It might not taste very good---"
"What matters is the thought behind it."
"Will you really finish it?"
Zhang Chen laughed happily. "Of course. How could I waste a beautiful lady's kindness?"
The girl handed over the bowl of soup in her arms and gently cautioned him, "Be careful, it's hot."
"It won't be a problem." Zhang Chen felt that his heart was about to melt. He took the bowl and said, "This is the best gift I've ever received---"
He tipped back his head and gulped the soup down.
As he drank, his brows knitted together.
Remembering the girl's words, My cooking isn't very good, he tipped his head back and continued.
As he drank, his stomach began to cramp.
Remembering the girl's words, It might not taste very good, he desperately forced himself to persist.
As he drank, his heart began to ache too.
Remembering what he had said to the girl, How could I waste a beautiful lady's kindness, he still wanted to hold out to the end---
"Blegh---"
He suddenly turned around and vomited violently onto the grass behind him.
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