The news that Xiao Wu and Yi Yun were together seemed to sprout wings, spreading throughout Nuoding Academy within half a day.
Some were envious, some were jealous, some offered their blessings, and some watched for entertainment.
But everyone was focused on the same question: how would Tang San react?
Tang San liked Xiao Wu. The whole academy knew that.
Although Xiao Wu had kept quiet about the torn-up love letter, there had been so many people at the training ground that day that word of Tang San handing her the letter had long since spread.
Tang San had been rejected, Tang San was heartbroken, Tang San numbed himself with Pole Vault every day-these were all open secrets.
Now that Xiao Wu and Yi Yun were together, what would Tang San do? Would he fall apart? Go mad? Fight Yi Yun to the death?
Everyone waited for a show, but Tang San did nothing.
He got up early as usual, did Radio Calisthenics as usual, practiced Pole Vault as usual, and watered the vegetable patch as usual, as calm as though nothing had happened.
But that calm unsettled everyone.
"Has the shock been too much for Tang San?" a student whispered.
"Maybe he's pretending? His heart must be bleeding."
"Mine would be bleeding too. Xiao Wu's so cute, and Yi Yun snatched her away..."
"Keep your voice down. If Yi Yun hears you, you're done for."
Tang San crouched in the vegetable patch, watering the seedlings one by one.
His hand was steady, the water fell evenly, and his face was expressionless, but his eyes were empty.
He was thinking about Xiao Wu.
Only a few short months had passed since he first met Xiao Wu, but it felt like a very, very long time.
He remembered the first time Xiao Wu smiled at him, her eyes curving into crescents, showing two little pointed canines.
He remembered Xiao Wu sharing a carrot with him. She had clearly wanted to eat it herself, yet she had still broken off half for him.
He remembered Xiao Wu calling his name, her voice clear and sweet, like the tinkling of a mountain spring.
But those moments would no longer belong to him.
Xiao Wu's smiles, Xiao Wu's carrots, the sound of Xiao Wu calling his name-all of it belonged to Yi Yun alone now.
Tang San's hand paused, and water from the watering can spilled onto a seedling. He came back to himself and continued watering, but the water no longer fell as evenly as before.
The sun set, and the people on the training ground gradually dispersed.
After finishing his Pole Vault practice, Tang San headed back with his pole over his shoulder. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and looked up at the teaching building's roof.
The roof was high, higher than anywhere on the training ground. Standing there, he could see all of Nuoding City, the distant mountains, and the clouds on the horizon.
Tang San suddenly wanted to go up and look. He planted his pole against the ground, launched himself into the air, and landed steadily on the roof.
The roof sloped and was covered in gray tiles that were somewhat slippery underfoot.
Tang San found a flat spot to sit down, set his pole beside him, and gazed at the distant sky.
The setting sun was sinking below the horizon, dyeing the clouds orange-red, as beautiful as a painting.
Watching those orange-red clouds, Tang San suddenly remembered Xiao Wu blushing.
Whenever Yi Yun teased her, she would turn as red as a cooked shrimp, then stubbornly insist, "I'm hot." The corners of Tang San's mouth lifted slightly, but the smile soon vanished.
He stood up on the roof and picked up his pole. He did not want to sit. Sitting meant thinking, thinking meant thinking of Xiao Wu, and thinking of Xiao Wu hurt.
He needed to do something, to keep himself busy and wear himself out so he had no time to dwell on those troubles.
Tang San inserted his pole into a gap between the roof tiles, stepped back a few paces, took a deep breath, then charged toward it.
Plant, jump, soar-his movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, smoother than any attempt on the training ground. He spun two and a half times in midair, then prepared to land.
But the roof was not the training ground. The training ground's sandpit was soft, while the roof tiles were hard-and slanted.
The instant Tang San's foot landed on a tile, it shattered. His foot slipped, he lost his balance, and he fell from the roof.
Wind howled past his ears, and the ground rushed closer. Watching it approach, Tang San suddenly had a strange feeling. Maybe falling would be good. If I'm knocked unconscious, I won't have to think about Xiao Wu. He closed his eyes.
Then he felt something catch him around the waist. Not something-a hand.
Tang San opened his eyes and saw Yi Yun's face.
At some point, Yi Yun had appeared beside him, one arm around his waist and the other hand braced against the eaves. They hung in midair like two bats dangling from the roof.
"Little San, are you all right?" There was a rare trace of tension in Yi Yun's voice.
Tang San looked at Yi Yun without speaking. His gaze was complicated, filled with gratitude, anger, sorrow, and unwillingness to accept things.
With a heave, Yi Yun pulled Tang San onto the roof. They sat side by side, neither saying a word.
After a long time, Tang San spoke.
"Why did you save me?"
"You're my little brother. If I don't save you, who will?"
"I'm not your little brother."
"Then what are you?"
Tang San fell silent for a moment. "I'm your... rival."
"A defeated opponent."
Tang San turned to look at Yi Yun. "Could you stop stabbing me in the heart every time?"
"I'm telling the truth."
"You don't have to keep telling it."
Yi Yun laughed and patted Tang San's shoulder. "Fine, I'll stop."
Tang San lowered his head and looked at the tiles beneath his feet. One had a crack in it, left when he stepped on it earlier.
"Xiao Wu confessed to you," Tang San said.
"Mm."
"And you accepted."
"Mm."
Tang San stayed silent for a long time before asking a question. "Will you treat Xiao Wu well?"
"I will."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Tang San nodded and said nothing more.
Looking at Tang San, Yi Yun suddenly felt a little guilty. This kid was clearly hurting terribly inside, yet he still had to make sure Yi Yun would treat Xiao Wu well. Perhaps this was what truly liking someone looked like.
"Little San."
"Mm?"
"Fragrant grass grows all across the world."
Tang San turned to look at Yi Yun, the corner of his mouth twitching. "You're really terrible at comforting people."
"I know, but this is the only way I know."
Tang San sighed and tilted his head back to look at the sky. It was dark now, and the stars were lighting up one by one.
"Yi Yun, do you think I'll meet someone better someday?"
"You will."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're Tang San."
Tang San paused. "What does that mean?"
"It means a man as good as you couldn't possibly be unwanted."
Tang San looked at Yi Yun for a long time, then smiled. Not a bitter smile, but a genuine one.
"That's the first time you've complimented me."
"Is it? Then I'll compliment you more often."
"No need. Just mess with me less."
"Can't do that. Messing with you is my idea of fun."
Tang San: "..."
He should never have held out any hope for Yi Yun.
Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong stood below the roof, looking up at the two of them.
"Brother Yun won't push Tang San off, will he?" Ning Rongrong asked worriedly.
"No," Xiao Wu said. "Brother Yun likes messing with Tang San, but he wouldn't hurt him."
"Then what are they doing up there?"
"Chatting, probably."
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, quietly watching the two figures on the roof.
Under the moonlight, the two figures sat side by side, one in robes white as snow, the other in robes blue as the sea. They actually looked rather harmonious.
"Sister Zhu Zhuqing, what are you looking at?" Xiao Wu asked.
"Nothing." Zhu Zhuqing looked away.
"Were you looking at Brother Yun too?"
"No."
"You're blushing."
"I... I'm cold!"
"It's summer."
Zhu Zhuqing fell silent. She realized she was just like Xiao Wu: whenever someone exposed what was on her mind, she would say she was hot or cold. Either way, it was the weather's fault.
"Little San."
"Mm?"
"Do you hate me?"
Tang San remained silent for a long time, counting the stars in the sky one by one. When he reached the seventh, he spoke.
"I used to. Not anymore."
"Why?"
"Because hating you is useless. You're stronger than me, better-looking than me, and more popular with girls. Hating you would only make me feel worse."
A flicker of surprise crossed Yi Yun's eyes as he looked at Tang San. This kid was far more mature than he had imagined.
"Then what do you plan to do from now on?"
"Get stronger."
"And after you get stronger?"
"Then..." Tang San thought for a moment. "Then keep getting stronger."
Yi Yun laughed. "Good. You've got ambition. Once you get stronger, I'll teach you real combat techniques."
"Really?"
"Really."
"You're not lying?"
"I'm not."
Tang San looked into Yi Yun's eyes. There was no mockery or scheming in them, only a rare seriousness.
"All right. I believe you."
They sat side by side on the roof, neither speaking again.
Moonlight spilled over them, casting two long shadows. From the distance came Ning Rongrong's voice. "Handsome Master! Come down and eat!"
Yi Yun stood and brushed the dust off his clothes. "Come on. Let's eat."
Tang San stood too and picked up his pole.
"Little San."
"Mm?"
"Why did you close your eyes when you fell just now?"
Tang San was silent for a moment. "Because I wanted to see whether falling would hurt."
"It would."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've fallen before."
Tang San stared at Yi Yun for a moment, then laughed. "You fall too?"
"Of course I fall. I'm not a god."
"You are a god."
"Am I?" Yi Yun laughed. "Then I suppose I'm a god."
They jumped off the roof and landed steadily on the ground.
Xiao Wu ran over and took Yi Yun's hand. "Brother Yun, what were you doing up there?"
"Chatting."
"About what?"
"Life."
Xiao Wu looked at Yi Yun dubiously, then glanced at Tang San.
Tang San nodded. "Life."
Although Xiao Wu did not believe them, she asked no further questions. Holding Yi Yun's hand, she headed toward the dining hall.
Tang San followed behind them with his pole over his shoulder. Looking at Xiao Wu holding Yi Yun's hand, he felt another pang in his heart, but it soon faded.
He was used to it.
In the dining hall, the five of them sat together to eat.
Yi Yun sat in the middle, with Xiao Wu to his left, Ning Rongrong to his right, and Zhu Zhuqing opposite him. Tang San sat in the corner.
But today, Tang San did not sit in the corner. He sat beside Zhu Zhuqing, face-to-face with her.
"Tang San, you're not sitting in the corner today?" Ning Rongrong asked curiously.
"I've sat long enough," Tang San said.
"Then why are you sitting next to Sister Zhu Zhuqing?"
"Can't I?"
"Sure, of course you can."
Ning Rongrong grinned as she glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, then at Tang San, her eyes carrying an "I get it" look.
Zhu Zhuqing ate expressionlessly, but the tips of her ears reddened slightly.
Tang San said little else either and ate quietly! Today, he ate three bowls of rice, two plates of red-braised pork, and a bowl of soup-twice as much as usual.
Watching him wolf down his food, Xiao Wu couldn't help asking, "Tang San, why are you eating so much today?"
"I'm hungry."
"Why are you hungry?"
"From practicing Pole Vault."
Xiao Wu nodded and asked no more.
Yi Yun watched Tang San, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
This kid said he didn't hate anymore, but he was definitely still hurting inside. Still, he was venting through eating rather than tormenting himself with silence.
That was a good thing.
Before you continue