Chapter 7: Rooftop
The lunch break bell sounded like a pardon, causing the crowd to disperse.
They headed to the cafeteria, the canteen, spreading the most explosive gossip they had just seen this semester.
Soon, the originally crowded corridor became empty, with only a few crushed snack bags left on the floor.
Xiahou Ming and Ling Yicai were still standing there.
Xiahou Ming’s entire body was cold, her hands and feet numb.
Those contemptuous, excited, and probing glances were like countless sticky hands, rubbing her all over, making her feel dirty from the inside out.
Yu Yuhui’s whisper, like a spell, kept echoing in her ears.
“Xiao Ming, don’t listen to her.”
Ling Yicai’s voice brought her back from her trance.
She still held Xiahou Ming’s sleeve tightly, her palms sweaty from nervousness.
“She’s just a lunatic…”
Before she could finish her words, Xiahou Ming had already started walking towards the stairwell.
“Xiao Ming!” Ling Yicai was anxious.
She hurried to catch up and grabbed her again.
“Where are you going?
Are you really going to the rooftop?
What are you afraid of her for?
…What on earth is that recording?”
Xiahou Ming stopped and looked back at Ling Yicai.
The look in his eyes was complex.
It contained fatigue, impatience, and a hint of despair that he himself wasn’t even aware of.
She didn’t want to go, she had to go.
That Sony Walkman radio was like a time bomb.
She couldn’t imagine where the tape containing her most shameful voice would end up if she didn’t show up on time.
In the dean’s drawer?
On the school radio station?
Or even by someone like Lin Xiaomei, playing it over and over in front of the whole class?
She didn’t dare to gamble.
She knew that from the moment the recording was played, she no longer had any bargaining chips.
She didn’t explain to Ling Yicai, but just kept walking forward.
Seeing her firm attitude, Ling Yicai stopped trying to persuade her and just followed her closely.
She probably decided that no matter what, she couldn’t let Xiao Ming face that dangerous “weirdo” alone.
Xiahou Ming knew what she wanted to do.
She wanted to “protect” herself.
Ridiculous.
She thought to herself.
You can’t even protect yourself.
The road leading to the rooftop was more difficult than Xiahou Ming had imagined.
The maintenance ladder at the end of the hallway was narrow and slippery, covered in rust, and every step made a teeth-grinding creaking sound.
She struggled to climb it, and the hem of her baggy boys’ school uniform scuffed with a dark red rust.
Then came the distribution box blocking her path, covered in a thick layer of dust.
She could only clumsily climb over it, using her hands and feet, her knees aching from the rough concrete edge.
Throughout the whole process, Ling Yicai followed behind her and tried to reach out to help her several times, but was always forced back by her impatient look.
Finally, there was a loose board used to seal off the entrance to the attic.
She pushed the wooden board open with force, and a heavy smell mixed with pigeon droppings and dust hit her face.
The rooftop was empty and dilapidated.
The ground was littered with white droppings from the nearby pigeons.
Stones carved into the concrete floor were scraggly, outdated declarations of premature love, like “L❤H, for a lifetime.”
In the corners, a few weathered cigarette butts lay, faded by the wind and sun.
It was unclear whether they were left by a daring student or a lazy teacher.
Yu Yuhui stood at the edge of the rooftop, with her back to them, overlooking the gray little town.
The wind blew her long black hair.
Her back looked as thin as a piece of paper that could be blown away at any moment.
Hearing the movement behind her, she slowly turned around.
“You’re here,” she said.
Her gaze passed Xiahou Ming and fell on the girl behind her.
“What is she doing here?”
This sentence was not a question, but a demand, directed at Xiahou Ming.
“I…” Ling Yicai was about to speak.
“Didn’t I tell you to come alone?” Yu Yuhui interrupted her, still looking at Xiahou Ming.
Xiahou Ming felt like she was trapped between two red-hot iron plates.
She could feel Ling Yicai’s hand behind her pulling at the corner of his clothes, tightening even more.
“Let her go.” Yu Yuhui finally gave the order.
“I can’t leave Xiao Ming alone.”
Ling Yicai’s voice was trembling, but her eyes were resolute.
She stepped forward and protected Xiahou Ming behind her.
Yu Yuhui looked at her actions and a playful smile appeared on her face.
“Oh?
You want to protect her?”
She tilted her head and turned her gaze to Xiahou Ming, her eyes seemed to say “Look, your little angel is here to save you.”
Ling Yicai refused to back down and stared directly at Yu Yuhui: “What on earth do you want to do to Xiao Ming?!”
“I didn’t mean to do anything.” Yu Yuhui’s tone was as innocent as a child.
“I just want to play a game with her, a game that only the two of us can play, and you,” her eyes suddenly turned cold, “you are too much of an eyesore.”
Yu Yuhui’s eyes swept back and forth between Ling Yicai and Xiahou Ming, and she seemed to have suddenly come up with a more interesting idea.
“But…” She changed the subject, a malicious smile on her lips, “If you insist on staying, you can.”
Ling Yicai was stunned.
“Then we have to include the secret between us.” Yu Yuhui’s gaze fell back on Xiahou Ming.
“What do you think, ‘Xiao Ming’?
Should we let her see what fun games we played in the classroom last night?”
Xiahou Ming’s brain exploded with a loud bang.
How is it possible!?
How could I possibly let Ling Yicai know about that!?
That scene—myself like a pervert, holding a cold and colorful recorder in my mouth, making a sound that even I found disgusting.
If Ling Yicai knew…
No.
Absolutely not.
The pathetic, shaky self-esteem in her heart made her make the choice.
“You go first.” She said to Ling Yicai, her voice as low as a mosquito.
“Xiao Ming…”
Ling Yicai was unwilling to let go, she felt that things were heading in a direction that she could not control.
“Go!” Xiahou Ming suddenly raised her voice.
She shook off Ling Yicai’s hand and put on the tyrant’s mask again.
“Don’t make me say it again!”
Ling Yicai was startled by her roar.
She looked at the face twisted with anger, her eyes filled with hurt and disbelief.
But she finally took a step back, looked at Xiahou Ming, then at Yu Yuhui, who was smiling triumphantly, turned around, and stumbled out of this “monster” territory.
There were only two of them left on the rooftop.
“Well done.” There was a hint of approval in Yu Yuhui’s tone, as if she was praising an obedient dog.
She walked up to Xiahou Ming and suddenly stretched out her hand.
Xiahou Ming subconsciously tried to dodge, but she was faster.
Her cold fingertips gently brushed across Xiahou Ming’s lips, as if she were examining an interesting specimen.
“Your lips are… soft.”
Then, her fingers slowly moved upwards, stopping at Xiahou Ming’s smooth cheeks where his Adam’s apple should be.
Her fingertips gently rubbed there, feeling the pulsation of the artery underneath.
“Your neck… here, it’s too empty.”
These scrutinizing actions made Xiahou Ming feel a wave of nausea rising from the bone marrow.
“You didn’t finish our game this morning.” Yu Yuhui withdrew her hand and stated the facts calmly.
“So, now, you have to make it up to me.”
She walked to the edge of the rooftop and opened her arms, as if embracing the polluted air of the entire city.
“Look at those people down there,” she said without turning her head, “They think they’re alive, but they’re just maggots.
They imitate others, say what others say, do what others do, and then die with a clear conscience.”
She turned around and looked at Xiahou Ming.
“You are no longer the same as them.
You are only now beginning to truly ‘live’.”
She approached her, “So, stop wearing ‘their’ eyesore clothes.”
“Tomorrow,” she looked into Xiahou Ming’s eyes and said word by word, “I want to see you come to school like a real girl.”
Xiahou Ming was startled.
She remembered the school’s rules.
Although they could wear casual clothes most of the time, but…
“What do you mean!?” she retorted angrily.
Yu Yuhui tilted her head and revealed an innocent yet cruel smile.
“Wear a skirt.
I don’t like seeing girls wearing pants.”
“Where can I get it for you!?”
“I don’t care.” Yu Yuhui’s tone was light, but it made Xiahou Ming feel pressured.
“Go rummage through your mother’s closet, ask your noble friend to buy it for you, or just go to any store and ‘grab’ one… that’s your business.”
“Remember, I just want to see results.”
She leaned close to Xiahou Ming’s ear and added in a devilish whisper:
“I want something nicer.”