Forgetting on purpose about transforming was a powerful drug that numbed her. Ever since she was little, Su Yuan had believed that people should adapt to circumstances. As their surroundings changed, people ought to be the creatures best at adjusting themselves.
When she was young, her family was still fairly well-off. They weren't exactly living in luxury, but at least they had enough to eat and wear. Even then, she'd had the damnable thought: What was the point of studying so hard? She wasn't trying to sound profound. She had genuinely thought that.
Though she'd had no father since childhood, she'd gradually grown used to life without one. Between her classmates' mockery, her teachers' pity, and a hint of resentment, she'd come to feel, from around third grade, when she was old enough to understand a little, that she ought to be different from everyone else.
Yes, didn't the smallness of everyone around her just make her seem greater by comparison? That was basically how her unruly personality had taken shape. From then on, she'd looked down on everyone around her. No matter how they provoked her, she wouldn't get angry, wouldn't fight back, and would simply keep to herself.
Until one day, when her emotions crossed the bounds of reason, even the most serene and benevolent person could fly into a rage. That blue-green brick, worn smooth by history, had been the perfect catalyst. Su Yuan still remembered the little universe burning inside her when she'd held it. It had been so thrilling.
With one swing of the brick, her enemy had hit the ground. From then on, she'd feared no one and nothing. The serene Su Yuan had vanished, replaced by the schoolyard thug who ruled elementary, middle, and high school: Su Yuan.
After that, perhaps as a result of some cycle of cause and effect, her family's fortunes steadily declined. She remembered moving several times, each time closer to school, and into a smaller house.
Before the college entrance exam—or, more precisely, just before she started her final year of high school—her mother, Su Caiwei, finally ran out of patience with her. Hoping she'd come to her senses on her own was less reliable than buying a lottery ticket! So, on Su Yuan's birthday, Su Caiwei stayed up all night talking with her. She hadn't expected much, but perhaps Su Yuan had finally grown up, because somehow she'd pulled her daughter back from the edge completely.
From then on, Su Yuan cast aside her wasted years and veered to the opposite extreme.
September 10, Monday.
After class, Su Yuan was about to head back to the dorm when she spotted a crowd gathered down the corridor. Chinese people had always loved a spectacle. Wasn't a gray ring of numb onlookers the perfect image of the rubbernecking masses Lu Xun had written about?
"There are a lot of people over there. Let's go see what's happening." Su Yuan struggled her way through the crowd and saw a man and a woman surrounded in the middle. The man seemed embarrassed. Annoyed, he shoved through the crowd and left.
Once the main character had left, the onlookers dispersed too. The girl's classmates, however, seemed indignant and kept comforting her. From their bits and pieces of conversation, Su Yuan more or less figured out what had happened: a couple was having relationship trouble. But gradually, she realized she'd misunderstood. There was more to the story.
"Su Yuan, did you find out what happened?" Gao Jun and Ji Yehao came over, looking eager for gossip.
"Yeah, I figured it out. A couple is breaking up."
"That's all? And it drew this many people?" Gao Jun looked surprised. Couples couldn't date without ever having disagreements, but did every little argument really need to become public knowledge? Couldn't the two of them just bicker in private?
Su Yuan found it absurd too. "Yeah, it's just a couple breaking up. I heard the guy's a typical rich playboy. He's handsome and loaded, but apparently not a very good person. He changes girlfriends like he changes clothes. Even though his past is a complete mess, countless girls still can't resist his aggressive pursuit and throw themselves into his arms."
Su Yuan couldn't understand what those girls were thinking. They were practically asking for it. They knew exactly what kind of guy he was and still went after him. They deserved to get dumped!
And that guy, too. Did having a little money make him so great? Did it mean he could seduce girls and then abandon them?
"Good cabbages always get eaten by pigs!" she said with feeling. As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone around them turned to look at her. Su Yuan jumped, then hurried off with Ji Yehao and Gao Jun.
"What do you think is wrong with those girls? Why are they so stupid? They know they're flying into a fire and still rush in, thinking some miracle will happen? They bring it on themselves!"
"That's the charm of a handsome face and money!" Gao Jun clicked his tongue. "I think that guy's name is Peng Jie. He's pretty famous."
"Peng Jie?"
Su Yuan froze. The name sounded familiar. Damn, she remembered now. He was the guy who'd hit on her when she was handing out flyers the other day!
She couldn't believe he was that kind of person—a playboy! The thought that he'd hit on her made her deeply uncomfortable. That guy even went for both men and women, and she'd been dressed pretty masculine that day.
"You've heard of him too, Su Yuan?" Gao Jun asked, intrigued by her reaction.
"I've heard a little. He's a third-year student at the School of Economics, right?" Su Yuan thought to herself. He'd told her that himself.
"That's right, he's the campus heartthrob at the School of Economics! He's really famous there. He's dated one girl after another, and he has this weird quirk: no girl he gets ever stays with him for more than a month. He's basically invincible, striking success after success."
"Uh... I didn't realize he was that famous! He really is rotten to the core."
"Yeah, that guy's awful. It's not enough that he's messed around with so many girls from the School of Economics. Now he's set his sights on our School of Biochemistry!"
Watching his indignant expression, Su Yuan suddenly realized Gao Jun wasn't angry about Peng Jie's lousy character. He was angry that the guy had reached into another school. She was at a loss for words.
"Yehao, what do you think?"
Ji Yehao hadn't intended to comment, but when Su Yuan asked, he shook his head. "I don't know him well, but what he's doing really is going too far. We shouldn't associate with someone like that."
Su Yuan nodded repeatedly and gave Ji Yehao an approving look. She was satisfied with his attitude. Gao Jun, on the other hand, had completely "missed the point." He practically deserved a scolding.
She never could have imagined that after talking about how awful Peng Jie was that morning and deciding he was a scumbag, she'd come face-to-face with him that afternoon.
"Su Yuan, someone's looking for you!" Just after class, while she was packing up her books, a boy at the door turned and called out to her.
"Looking for me?"
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