I’VE BEEN LIVING MY DAYS PROPERLY. Since I applied for the second ice cream shop as their waitress and leaflet distributor, I’ve been saving $20 every week in a certain envelope—although Xiao Gui still won’t accept the installment method I came up with, I think.

“I haven’t finished thinking about it. I’ll tell you later.”

That’s what he’s been telling me for the past few weeks. I wonder, maybe I’ve been making him feel burdened by the he-thinks-non-existent debt by now.

If only I was bad- enough to be the antagonist in life, I would’ve never reminded him about it at all. Isn’t it nice if he doesn’t remember at all? No, not at all, because I'll feel guilty.

I'm a greasy person.

---

On my way to campus, my phone suddenly buzzes. It makes me wonder who on earth would actually calls me.

I take a look at it, and it displays that an unknown number is calling me.

It’s not Xiao Gui, I’ve saved his number.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“Hello, are you Liu Boxin?”

“Yes, who am I speaking to?”

“May I see you today?”

Whoa, hold on there.

“Sorry, wrong number—“

“Wait! You saved my nainai, so she asked me to give you something, in person.”

“You don’t have to. So, how’s her?”

“She’s at home now. But, please miss.... she said she won’t eat her medicines if I fail to see you today.” Ok we’re seemingly talking about the same person.

“Alright. Just text me your address, bye—“

“Wait! What are your classes today?” Always be cautious when anyone asks you stuff related to possibly-stalk-able things.

“No. I’ll just come to your place. Where is—“

“It’s a cake, that’s why I have to give it to you very soon! I’m also in Beijing University and nainai is actually waiting for the proofshoot. So could you please help me?”

Wait, I’m thinking.

“I’m sorry....” She adds.

How can I know that the cake isn’t poisonous or something?

Who knows that nainai’s probably been holding a grudge to me, maybe because the money I gave was too few, or the bandana gave her an infection or something?

Or, maybe this girl is just some random person using the momentum that I just helped some random nainai on the street. Boo.

Sorry, I really am a morbid person.

So instead, I come up with “Let’s eat it together at the Music Department’s canteen.”

If I have to die, at least, die together.

“Great! I’ll see you at 12.”

“See ya.”

I’ll make sure she eats it with me. It’ll be cool if it happens before me, though. Lol.

---

At my department’s canteen, I barely see any empty seat. Perhaps, because this is lunch time, people are blinded by their hunger that they keep moving here and there, like the thing that’s multiplying a lot; cockroaches, although them here seem to be coming from different colonies.

Food does change people, people.

I text the girl, “Are you here yet?”

She replies, “Sorry, still on my way.”

“Ok, I’ll save a seat.”

I’m not sure if I should order something or not. The view of tens people lining up in front of the cashier makes me not feel that hungry.

I’ll just wait for the cake, then.

Bye everyone.

In case my former premise—about the cake being poisonous—is correct.

I lazily open my Mobile Legends app and start clicking on the daily bonuses. I don’t think I can play a battle, because I’ll probably go AFK if she comes. Besides, I’m seeing that my new friend—Xiao Gui—is online.

Let’s take a look at his profile.

I’m still glued to my phone, when I feel that everyone starts mumbling about similar things.

“Who’s that? Never seen her before?”

“Actress? Model?”

“Do we have Modelling major?”

“Hey we're on TV now??”

I look up to check on what they’re talking about; a very delicate girl in a light grey hoodie, covered with an army jacket, a pair of black skinny jeans and a pair of black converse 2004 sneakers, is standing at the canteen’s door.

Well hello there, fellow jeans warrior!

Everyone here is mostly in a pair of shorts or mini skirt or mini dress. I can’t seem to guess what they aim with that, but, wouldn’t they look too distracting for the guys? Or, maybe the guys have become used to the sight of girls’ thighs, so they’re ok with it now?

I’m glad they still have good eyes that they notice this girl, however.

Her hair is dark brown with reddish brown highlights, and it’s tied in a messy ponytail. Her nose is very sharp I feel like sliding on it, her eyes are huge and her jawline is perfect. The body is also to die for like Victoria Secret models, maybe? I never watched any of its show, though.

She’s likely looking for someone, because she’s been turning to the left and right, while tip-toeing her already-tall self. But, she halts when her eyes land on my area.

In a second, she gasps, like literally opens her pink small lips and her already-big eyes, so they’re bigger now if that’s actually possible, while looking at me.

“Oh my God!” I believe I saw her mouthing that. My eyes move to her middle area and start seeing a box.

So, she’s the girl? But how did she know it’s me?

I must have a really kind face.

I just wave to her and she replies with a grin and sparkling eyes, like a puppy asking for something to its owner, mixed with a puppy feeling grateful to its mother, owner, or whatever.

Why does she have to look that grateful? Ah, I have the gavel of ensuring her nainai to eat her medicines, or not.

She runs to my table, places her box on the table, and hugs me. So all of a sudden.

Ok, nice. A granddaughter who loves her nainai very much.

I pat her back and mutter, “Hi.” That excites her so she starts doing it too hard now. “Can we stop hugging? It’s too tight—“ She jumps off, then quickly drops herself on the chair beside me.

“Sorry, Lexie jie.”

W-W-WHAAATTT?

I shush her.

Nobody should know that name like, ever.

With a very confused face, she mutters, “But you’re really Lexie, right? My eyesight is still 20/20.”

I bite my tongue, thinking should I just lie to pass this. But it’s not a good thing so I mutter, “Yes.” I gulp.

“I just don’t use that name in college anymore.”

Why did I have such foreign name?

It’s my real name. Actually.

I was once raised in a certain church, I think, and those who found me claimed that my name was just Lexie. Liu Boxin was what they came up for my Chinese name.

Everybody in high school only recognized me as Lexie. This was because when I registered at a certain pre-school in Shanxi, the principal thought that my face suited Lexie more—or I bet he just liked seeing a foreign-looking name. Hence, I started using that name since then.

But up until now, only three persons knew both names. This girl, Lin jie and him.

“Oh, you’ve stopped Youtube-ing, then?”

“You can put it that way.”

She must be one of my subscribers.

“So how was your trip with senior Wa—“

I shush her, again.

“Sorry for asking too much already. But could you not mention that name, like ever again?”

She covers , probably gasping inside, then says, “Did I miss a lot of things?”

Let’s just randomly nod and smile to that. I’m still curious about how or where she knew me.

“Were you one of my subscribers?”

“You don’t remember me? Don’t tell me you have amnesia after....” She gasps again, while the air in; where the more she inhales the bigger , nostrils and eyes become.

But how does she manage to stay looking beautiful with that?

“No, I don’t. And sorry, by the way...” I pause. “Could you give me some clues?”

She starts looking for something in her backpack, then takes out a pair of brown glasses and a comb.

What is it now? Is she going to study the organisms in my hair?

Right, unfunny.

She takes off the hairband on her hair, combs the hair, then wears the glasses.

Let me also say, Oh my God—

---

 

Revealed character

- the treasured brilliant weed, Zhang Yuxi.