Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 10 - Circle One, Two, Three
Chapter 10: Circle One, Two, Three
Zhou Yao carefully folded the exam paper that earned her the top spot on the Red Ranking Board into three sections and tucked it into her bag to take home and show her parents.
When she arrived home, both of her parents were busy. The mahjong parlor at the front was packed, with every table occupied.
“Dad, Mom, I…”
Before she could finish, her father saw her and immediately instructed, “Take tea to the front, third table. Hurry up, they’re waiting!”
Zhou Yao fell silent, took off her backpack, and quietly walked over to the table to pour tea. She placed each cup neatly on the tray and carried them to the mahjong parlor.
As she was setting the tray down after returning to the house, she almost knocked over the incense burner on the cabinet. Her mother’s voice instantly rose. “Be careful! Where are your eyes? What if you spill the incense burner? Yaoyao, you’re never careful when you do things. I don’t even know what’s on your mind these days—you’re always so absent-minded…”
After a few more scoldings, her mother stopped and picked up a rag to wipe the table. Zhou Yao took out her exam paper and was just about to place it on the table when, the next second, her mother’s wet rag swiped across it, soaking most of the sheet.
Zhou Yao froze. “Mom, my exam paper…”
“Oh, how careless of you! I was wiping the table, and didn’t see it. And you still put your stuff here!” Her mother clicked her tongue. “Forget it, forget it. It’s just a little wet. Just dry it out, and it’ll be fine.”
Zhou Yao pinched the damp edges of the paper and spoke slowly. “Mom, this is our latest exam paper, I…”
Her mother responded impatiently, “Don’t block the way, move aside. You high school seniors have exams every day, one paper, two papers—what does it matter? It’s not like it’s the actual college entrance exam. Just keep it yourself.”
Zhou Yao said nothing more.
……
After lunch, she left for school. At the alley entrance, Chen Xuze was waiting for her, and the two walked together.
Making small talk, Zhou Yao joked, “Niannian said she wants me to tutor her, and asked if I’m free during the break.”
Chen Xuze frowned. “She already knows how. That’s just an excuse. Jiang Jiashu, her brother, has said it many times—she just likes pretty girls. She’s weird like that. You should keep your distance.”
Despite his warning, Zhou Yao found Ying Nian adorable. Actually, Chen Xuze wasn’t really stopping her from being friends with Ying Nian. When it came to friendships, fate was hard to come by.
As they walked toward the bus stop, Zhou Yao suddenly said, “Oh, by the way, I threw away that keychain.”
Chen Xuze glanced at her. She smiled. “It was really dirty, and old, too. It’s been so long—I figured I might as well get rid of it.”
He didn’t respond, just looked at her, his eyes softer than before.
As they walked, a message from Ying Nian popped up on Zhou Yao’s phone. She took a look and said, “Niannian’s inviting me to her place tomorrow afternoon—says she wants me to help with her homework.”
Same old excuse.
Zhou Yao chuckled and immediately replied, chatting with Ying Nian enthusiastically.
Feeling ignored, Chen Xuze stared straight ahead, pretending not to notice her. Lips pressed together, he finally said, “You might as well tutor me instead.”
Zhou Yao was amused. “You don’t need my help.”
“She’s first, and you help her. I’m third—why won’t you help me?”
Zhou Yao laughed softly.
Then, as if something suddenly came to mind, her smile faded slightly. “But my exam paper got wet. A lot of it’s unreadable now. If we’re going to go over key problems, I’ll need to borrow someone else’s.”
“How did it get wet?”
She answered matter-of-factly, “My mom got it wet while wiping the table.”
“Did you show it to them?”
“I did, but they didn’t really look.” She smiled. “Too busy, no time.”
A few seconds of silence followed.
Chen Xuze didn’t really want to ask, but still, he did. “Did they say anything?”
“My dad took one glance and walked away. My mom didn’t notice—she was cleaning the dust off the incense burner.”
For a moment, the air was heavy with quiet.
“Chen Xuze,” Zhou Yao suddenly said, “time is passing so fast.”
He didn’t reply, just listened.
“In the past, when I did well on exams, my parents would be really happy. In elementary school, when I ranked first, my dad would buy me cake. It was always a different one, but there was always a strawberry on top—they knew I liked strawberries. It feels like that was so long ago.” Zhou Yao’s gaze lifted slightly. “Now, I can’t even remember the details anymore.”
The walk to the bus stop wasn’t long, but suddenly, every step felt heavy to Chen Xuze.
……
At dinnertime, Chen Xuze, Zhou Yao, and the others were eating at a restaurant near the school. Ying Nian had never joined Jiang Jiashu’s gatherings before, but because of Zhou Yao, she was here now. Naturally, she sat right next to Zhou Yao, taking the spot that used to belong to Chen Xuze, leaving him with no choice but to sit across from her.
Girls always had endless things to talk about, and with Ying Nian’s naturally humorous personality, every topic turned amusing. She had a way of making people laugh effortlessly, and Zhou Yao couldn’t stop smiling.
As they chatted, they leaned closer and closer. At one point, Ying Nian suddenly tilted her head and rested it directly on Zhou Yao’s shoulder, snuggling up to her intimately.
Hugging Zhou Yao’s arm, Ying Nian spoke in a voice laced with playful affection. Zhou Yao didn’t resist; in a rare moment, she accepted someone else’s closeness without hesitation.
They continued their conversation, while the group of boys had no choice but to discuss other things. Chen Xuze, however, remained silent the entire time, not saying a single word.
Ying Nian said something funny, and Zhou Yao covered her mouth, laughing uncontrollably. Ying Nian tilted her head, watching her laugh, then suddenly said, “Yaoyao, can I kiss you?”
Zhou Yao froze.
The boys all turned to look.
Jiang Jiashu was the first to scold her, “You're acting up again! Would it kill you to kiss fewer girls?”
Ying Nian couldn't be bothered with him, acting as if she hadn't heard a thing.
“Just one kiss, okay? On the cheek, just once. I didn't put on lipstick, but my face cream smells really nice. Let me kiss you, okay?” Ying Nian pouted playfully.
Zhou Yao was stunned. It was the first time someone had made such a request to her, and she didn't know how to respond.
Ying Nian clung to her arm, shaking it lightly. “Just one kiss, just a little one! You can kiss me back later!”
Zhou Yao looked into her watery eyes, filled with an intentionally pitiful expression. She knew it was all an act to win sympathy, yet somehow, she just couldn't refuse.
Helpless, Zhou Yao pressed her lips together, smiled faintly with a hint of shyness, and nodded slightly.
Ying Nian beamed with joy, leaned in quickly, and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“Wow, so soft! Yaoyao, you're adorable!”
Zhou Yao's face turned bright red. Ying Nian pulled out a tissue to help her wipe her cheek. Seeing her blush, she burst into laughter.
Across the table, Chen Xuze had been watching the whole time. His expression was cold and rigid, his gaze sweeping over Ying Nian, nearly sharp enough to cut.
After a while, the dishes arrived, and everyone started eating. Not long after, Ying Nian received a phone call, excused herself, gave Zhou Yao a quick hug, and left in a hurry.
Zhou Yao was quietly eating her bowl of noodles when Chen Xuze suddenly handed her a tissue. “You got sauce on your face.”
“Huh? Where?”
“Your cheek.”
Zhou Yao didn’t doubt him. She took the tissue and wiped her cheek, but when she looked at it, there was nothing there.
“A little more to the side,” Chen Xuze said.
So, Zhou Yao followed his instruction and wiped again.
The next second, Chen Xuze simply took a tissue himself and started rubbing her cheek, scrubbing the same spot over and over.
Zhou Yao was bewildered. “Did I really get that much sauce on me?”
Chen Xuze replied seriously, “En.”
Jiang Jiashu, chewing on his noodles, silently watched them for a long time.
— Zhou Yao is still too easy to fool.
Her bowl of noodles was in clear broth, without a drop of sauce. How could she have gotten sauce on her face?
And Chen Xuze—he was beyond understanding. The spot he was wiping was exactly where Ying Nian had kissed her.
It was just a peck, just one little peck, and yet Chen Xuze was practically scrubbing the skin off her face!
This guy… he was really getting worse.
……
That night, after school, Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze walked home together. When they were near the alley, Chen Xuze told her to wait a moment and went into a brightly lit cake shop.
A few minutes later, he came out holding a bag.
“You wanted cake?” Zhou Yao was curious about why he suddenly wanted something sweet this late at night.
Chen Xuze nodded vaguely. “Just bought it randomly.”
They continued walking home. When they reached a small convenience store at the entrance of the alley, Zhou Yao said, “Wait, I’m going to buy some water.”
They walked in together.
The store owner was a familiar face—everyone in the alley knew each other. Naturally, he recognized them both.
Good grades, good looks—the two of them were the so-called ‘model kids’ in the neighborhood, the ones parents always talked about. But everyone also knew Chen Xuze didn’t talk much and was a loner, so the owner only greeted Zhou Yao.
“Hey, isn’t this Zhou Ma’s little daughter? Just got out of school? Senior year is tough, huh? You two are in the same school now, right?”
Zhou Yao’s family ran a mahjong parlor, and her father had a nickname—everyone called him ‘Zhou Ma.’ People who weren’t being overly formal would simply refer to her as ‘Zhou Ma’s little daughter.’
Hearing that title, the smile on Zhou Yao’s lips faded slightly, but she still nodded politely. “Uncle.”
The store owner asked, “What do you need?”
“A bottle of green tea,” Zhou Yao replied.
“Got it.” The owner grabbed a bottle from the shelf and handed it to her.
Zhou Yao thanked him. Seeing her polite and well-behaved manner, the owner sighed, “Zhou Ma and his wife are really lucky to have such a good daughter—top grades, well-mannered. Who wouldn’t want a daughter like that?”
He continued, “Just the other day, Old Zhou from next door was saying, if all the kids in this alley were as obedient as Zhou Ma’s little daughter, parents would have so much less to worry about!”
Zhou Yao said nothing. Chen Xuze handed over the money, and for the first time that evening, he spoke up.
“She’s not Zhou Ma’s little daughter.”
The store owner froze, his hand pausing as he took the money.
“She is the Zhou family's child,” Chen Xuze said. “The Zhou family has only one daughter.”
……
As they neared Zhou Yao’s house, Chen Xuze handed her the cake.
“For me?”
“Yeah.”
“Why…”
“You did really well on your exam. First place. Yaoyao is amazing.” Under the night sky, Chen Xuze looked so gentle that he almost didn’t seem real. He raised his hand and lightly patted the top of her head.
“A reward for you.”
Zhou Yao suddenly felt a slight sting in her nose.
During those years when she had been treated as a stand-in for her brother, her parents had indeed been kind to her. But in the end, different was still different. No matter how well she did, no one would buy her a cake anymore.
And everyone in the neighborhood knew—Madam Zhou had once had a beloved son. He hadn’t lived long, passing away early. It was a pain she could never speak of.
Zhou Yao was the ‘little daughter’ of the couple who ran the Zhou family’s mahjong parlor, forever living in the shadow of the older brother who came before her.
Holding the cake, she stood in front of Chen Xuze, lowering her head. The ground was dark, yet she could still make out bits of gravel. His shoes were clean, toes pointed toward her, the space between them barely there.
Perhaps, aside from him, no one else would ever speak up for her over something so seemingly insignificant.
Chen Xuze reminded her, “Make sure to eat the cake. I bought strawberry—your favorite.”
Zhou Yao remained silent but nodded.
Maybe only Chen Xuze cared.
Only he cared that she wasn’t ‘Zhou Ma’s little daughter.’ She was simply the Zhou family’s daughter.
Chen Xuze took in her expression, but under the deep night sky, he didn’t say anything more. He simply watched her go inside.
No matter what others thought, she wasn’t the replacement for someone else. She wasn’t destined to live as a shadow cast by another.
To him—to Chen Xuze—
She was Zhou Yao. One of a kind.
The author has something to say:
What do I do? I love Shisan so much. I love Chen Xuze so much. I love him so much I could cry QAQ.
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