Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 15 - Seven, Eight, Nine Wan
Chapter 15: Seven, Eight, Nine Wan
Gao Yu, Liang Li’s older brother, had once been a student at No. 5 High School, just like Zhou Yao. No one knew exactly where his affection for Zhou Yao stemmed from, but everyone knew that he was truly, deeply fond of her.
Zhou Yao’s dislike for him grew with each repeated act of harassment. It escalated to the point where, when he confessed his feelings in public, the usually gentle and composed Zhou Yao uncharacteristically rejected him with harsh words.
The word ‘trash’ wounded Gao Yu more than anything else ever had—this school bully, who had always acted with impunity thanks to his privileged background.
That night, he and his gang of drinking buddies went out drinking, getting completely wasted. He called Zhou Yao incessantly, but she, studying at home, eventually got fed up, turned off her phone, and blocked his endless harassment.
That same night, with Gao Yu leading the way in his drunken despair, a group of intoxicated youths recklessly rode motorcycles through the city streets. Back then, slot machines weren't entirely banned yet, and some small shops still had a few, attracting customers for a few rounds of gambling.
These machines, much like gambling itself, mostly resulted in losses rather than wins. For a time, they were wildly popular.
Gao Yu came from a wealthy family; his parents were business owners, and he had never lacked material possessions. Perhaps he was stung by Zhou Yao’s rejection that day, but with his friends egging him on, they rode their motorcycles with iron rods stashed in their trunks and, still drunk, began robbing the slot machines outside various small shops.
They dismounted, said nothing, and simply swung their iron rods, smashing the machines to pieces before taking all the coins inside.
The money from a single machine wasn’t even enough to cover Gao Yu’s usual allowance, but what they wanted wasn’t money—it was the thrill. When they reached the sixth shop, the owner, a strong young man, instinctively tried to stop them. The situation escalated immediately, turning into a violent altercation.
No one knew who pulled out a knife, but the shopkeeper was stabbed in the waist. The incident spiraled out of control, and the police soon began chasing down the young delinquents in their squad cars.
Gao Yu and his gang sped away on their motorcycles, fleeing at breakneck speed. But later, on a deserted beach, he called Zhou Yao again—this time using her home’s landline. Fortunately, her parents were busy at the mahjong parlor; otherwise, she would have been interrogated about it.
“Why don’t you like me?!”
“I like you so damn much, Zhou Yao. Why the hell don’t you like me?!”
Gao Yu roared into the phone, “Zhou Yao, I like you! I like you—”
Before he could finish his third sentence, Zhou Yao didn’t respond. She simply hung up and unplugged the phone.
At the time, she had no idea—no one did—that Gao Yu would go completely berserk because of this. Despite being drunk, he insisted on taking the wheel himself, recklessly speeding down the road.
The moment the accident happened, it was both unexpected and inevitable.
The motorcycle collided head-on with a heavy truck, scattering debris everywhere. Gao Yu lay in a pool of blood, while his passenger, seated behind him, was left paralyzed from the waist down. Gao Yu never opened his eyes again.
After the incident, the students at No. 5 High School reacted differently. Some thought Zhou Yao was heartless, while others believed Gao Yu deserved it. Under the weight of public opinion, the already quiet and reserved Zhou Yao became even more withdrawn.
That year, during her third year of high school, No. 7 High School extended an offer—offering her a high scholarship to transfer.
And so, in her final year of high school, Zhou Yao became a student of No. 7 High.
……
Liang Li’s resentment was something Zhou Yao didn’t care about. Everyone has their own sense of right and wrong, and she didn’t need others to judge her. She had her own inner scale—fair and steady. She had no guilt, and therefore, no need for forgiveness.
Liang Li transferred from a private school to No. 7 High School with only one goal in mind: to ‘avenge’ her brother. She could never let go of the past and managed to convince her parents, under the guise of wanting a better academic environment, to allow her to transfer.
But her real purpose was to make Zhou Yao suffer. That was why she paid more attention to Chen Xuze than anyone else—because she could see that he treated Zhou Yao differently.
The pavilion was silent for a long time. Da Xiong took two steps back in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard. But no matter how slow or simple-minded he might be, he still knew right from wrong.
Liang Li stood there for a long moment, then suddenly grabbed the drink that Ying Nian had placed on the table and threw it at Zhou Yao.
Chen Xuze reacted almost instantly, leaping up and stepping in front of Zhou Yao to shield her.
The plastic cup shattered, and the drink splashed all over Chen Xuze, staining his uniform. But Zhou Yao, protected behind him, remained spotless—clean and untouched.
No one could reach her. It was as if she would always remain that way—pure, weightless, fragile yet resolute. So pristine and beautiful that even those who wanted to destroy her wouldn’t know where to begin.
Watching the scene unfold before her, Liang Li squeezed her eyes shut and let out a piercing scream. Then, slowly, she crouched down, clutching her head, and sobbed uncontrollably.
……
The incident reached the school administration, and Liang Li’s parents were called in. Three days later, after discussions with school officials and considering their daughter’s mental well-being, Liang Li was transferred out of No. 7 High School.
She was like a passing storm—coming and going quickly. Once she was gone, no one mentioned her again. Occasionally, Ying Nian brought it up as gossip, but when she saw that no one seemed interested, and Zhou Yao had no desire to discuss it, she never mentioned it again.
With the discordant presence gone, the group’s days became even more enjoyable.
One time, while out shopping, Chen Xuze and Jiang Jiashu walked behind the girls. Seeing Ying Nian kiss Zhou Yao again, Chen Xuze inhaled sharply and suddenly asked Jiang Jiashu, “Does your sister have… orientation issues?”
Fortunately, Jiang Jiashu wasn’t drinking anything at that moment—though he, too, felt exasperated about it. But he knew the truth.
Just then, they reached the city square, where a promotional video was playing on the big screen. Jiang Jiashu suddenly slapped Chen Xuze’s arm. “Look, look! That—”
On the giant screen, a few bold words appeared: The flames of battle reignite—starting anew! We are SF—never backing down!
Chen Xuze’s expression remained unreadable.
Jiang Jiashu pointed. “See? The third person who appeared—the one with the fox-like eyes and that sly grin. See him? That’s the guy Ying Nian likes.” He reassured Chen Xuze, “Relax, Ying Nian’s orientation is fine! You have no idea—her whole room is covered with pictures of that fox-eyed guy.”
Ying Nian didn’t have many hobbies, but she loved watching esports. This year, she had become obsessed with the SF team—a squad with a poor win rate that was often mocked, yet for some reason, they had become her favorite.
Other people might not get it, but Jiang Jiashu did. It was all because of that support player named Yu Linran. He was 19, had just transferred back from an overseas esports team, and had recently joined SF.
SF wasn’t doing well this year, and few people had high hopes for them. But their fighting spirit burned brightly—maybe that was what moved Ying Nian.
After learning that Ying Nian liked the man on the screen, Chen Xuze was silent for three seconds. Then, he asked: “—What do I have to buy him to be able to kiss him?”
Jiang Jiashu: “……”
Jiang Jiashu: “???”
Jiang Jiashu, startled, reached out to touch Chen Xuze’s forehead, only for Chen Xuze to dodge him. Jiang Jiashu asked in surprise, “Are you sick? Just now, you were asking about my sister’s orientation. Don’t tell me your orientation is…”
Chen Xuze shot him a cold glare, and he immediately fell silent.
Got it. Understood!
That troublemaker Ying Nian was always kissing Zhou Yao whenever she felt like it. Chen Xuze had seen it too many times and couldn’t stand it anymore. He was so fed up that he even started scheming about Ying Nian’s own crush.
Sigh. Jiang Jiashu sighed internally. What a twisted entanglement, this complicated love quadrangle!
……
On the day of their holiday, the group gathered at Jiang Jiashu’s house as usual. On TV, Jiang Jiashu’s newly bought Japanese anime DVD was playing—a highly popular show that had drawn many viewers. Naturally, they couldn’t miss out.
As they watched, Jiang Jiashu and another boy sat at the coffee table in front of the TV, playing chess.
The anime’s main plot was actually quite cliché. The central conflict revolved around the male protagonist, who was torn between his beautiful childhood friend and a beautiful girl he suddenly met one day and could not decide between them.
In the anime, the new girl was often described as a ‘sudden encounter,’ or ‘heaven-sent’ (Tianjiang). Essentially, it was the classic dilemma of choosing between childhood friendship and an unexpected romance.
The male lead wavered constantly, and many viewers betting on the outcome speculated about which girl he would ultimately choose.
While playing chess, Jiang Jiashu suddenly asked, “Who do you guys think he’ll pick in the end?”
“I guess the new girl,” someone said.
“Yeah, I think so too…”
Jiang Jiashu then suggested, “We have so many chess pieces here—let’s vote. If you think the guy will choose his childhood friend, put a piece in the black box. If you think he’ll choose the new girl, put it in the white box.”
It sounded like a fun little game.
Hearing this, Ying Nian immediately picked up a chess piece and dropped it into the white box. “I vote for the new girl.”
Jiang Jiashu followed suit. “Me too.”
One by one, his chess opponent and the other boys sprawled on the couch got up, each picking up a chess piece and dropping it into the white box.
There was no surprise there—the ‘heaven-sent’ girl in this anime was incredibly charming, and overwhelmingly popular with the audience.
“So everyone thinks that, huh?” Jiang Jiashu pretended to be surprised, as if he had just realized it.
Then, he turned to Zhou Yao. “What about you, Zhou Yao?”
Zhou Yao smiled, picked up a chess piece, hesitated for a moment over the two boxes, then ultimately placed the piece in the center of the table.
“Me?” She looked troubled. “I don’t want to choose. I’ll just pass.”
Chen Xuze was in the kitchen drinking water and happened to walk out at that moment. No one asked for his opinion—they all assumed he wouldn’t be interested in such things. Unexpectedly, as he passed by the table, he casually picked up a chess piece and tossed it into the black box.
The only chess piece in the black box.
In the choice between the ‘heaven-sent’ girl and the childhood friend, Chen Xuze had chosen, without hesitation, the childhood friend.
……
“Did Shisan and Yaoyao have a fight?”
After lunch, Zhou Yao’s parents discussed how strange the two kids had been acting lately.
“I invited Shisan over for a meal, and he refused three times. That’s never happened before,” Mother Zhou said.
Father Zhou was surprised. “That can’t be. Everyone knows those two are inseparable. No matter who argues, they never fight. I can count on one hand the number of times they’ve disagreed since they were little.”
“Ah.” Mother Zhou sighed. “That’s true. Ever since Yaoyao injured her foot, Shisan has been especially good to her.”
After chatting a bit more, they moved on from the topic.
That night, Chen Xuze called Zhou Yao downstairs to talk.
He remained silent for a long time, so Zhou Yao had to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Zhou Yao could easily tell he was being stubborn. She sighed. “Is it about that chess game at Jiang Jiashu’s place?”
He didn’t respond, but his silence confirmed it.
Zhou Yao lowered her head and, after a while, said, “Xuze, you don’t have to be like this… You don’t need to feel guilty.”
Chen Xuze’s expression darkened instantly. “What makes you think I feel guilty?”
Zhou Yao didn’t answer. Neither of them spoke.
Years ago, the day Zhou Yao injured her foot, the two of them had been hiding in Chen Xuze’s family’s wardrobe, frightened by the adult world. When the room finally quieted down, a panicked and flustered Chen Xuze had dashed out. Zhou Yao had hurried after him.
They ran to the hillside where they often played. Zhou Yao wanted to comfort him, but before she could even touch him, an angry Chen Xuze had pushed her away.
Zhou Yao tumbled down the small slope. From that day on, her leg never fully recovered.
Chen Xuze remembered that Jiang Jiashu had once asked him why he treated Zhou Yao so well. Even if they were childhood friends, his level of care seemed excessive.
Chen Xuze had replied, “You wouldn’t understand. You’ll never understand.”
Jiang Jiashu had assumed he was just being dramatic and scoffed, “I don’t understand? Alright, alright, you’re the only one who understands. Happy now?”
But truly, no one could understand.
Zhou Yao’s limp had stayed with her for years. Ever since that day on the hill, she had never been able to run or jump like a normal person again. And all because she had wanted to hug him, to help him calm down.
He had destroyed everything.
In Zhou Yao’s life, most of the things that had caused her pain—half were because of her parents, and the other half were because of him.
As for that half, Chen Xuze was more aware of it than anyone.
No one could possibly understand how he felt. No one.
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