When I reached the apartment gate, Huang Yingdie sat quietly on a roadside bench, eating breakfast.

I’d always wondered what her father had said to make her wait here obediently every morning.

This girl had a fierce princess complex—quick to throw punches when annoyed, spouting whatever crossed her mind when flustered. She didn’t seem like someone who could sit still unless threatened. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine what else would keep her in line.

"You really pushed yourself last night," I sighed, wheeling my bike toward her. "Martial arts are about cultivating the mind. Rushing it only hurts you."

Last night’s training haunted me.

After she’d finished twenty laps around the dojo and stretched, Huang Yingdie stunned every student during technique drills.

She kicked the pads in my hands like her life depended on it—sweat flying, shouts sharp and clear, movements crisp. Crack-crack-crack echoed through the hall.

Side kicks, roundhouse kicks, front kicks, spinning kicks, even consecutive flying double kicks—she nailed them all.

But only I knew the terrifying force behind every strike.

No one uses full power on pads unless venting anger. It burdens both student and trainer, hindering recovery.

For thirty minutes, she treated me like an enemy. When she collapsed, gasping on the floor, my arms went numb from holding the pads.

I knew it was just pride.

Kids from broken homes often have unbreakable pride.

"I told you—my life’s none of your business," she said coldly, packing away her breakfast and sliding onto my bike’s rear seat. "Just do your job. How I live is my choice."

We had no real feud, yet she saw me as her greatest rival.

*Sigh.* People only understand after getting hurt badly.

As I mounted the bike, my phone rang.

I rarely wore skirts—even though Yi Yao’s closet had a few—preferring jeans or uniforms. Skirts only came out when the apartment got unbearably hot.

"Hello?"

Seeing the caller’s name, a chill shot through me.

"Yi Yao… hurry… Azure Excellence…" His mother sobbed uncontrollably. "He’s fading… please come… he wants to see you…"

"What happened?" I froze. "What’s wrong with Azure Excellence?"

"Massive bleeding… they can’t stop it… the doctors gave up… just come, Yi Yao. He’s asking for you…"

Her voice—raw with grief and despair—cut deep.

"I’m on my way."

I shoved the bike keys into Huang Yingdie’s hand. "Get to school alone. Emergency at the hospital."

Without waiting for her reply, I sprinted to the street and flagged a taxi.

"Drive fast. My friend’s dying."

The driver took one look at my face, nodded, and floored the accelerator, swerving past cars.

In under five minutes, I reached the hospital. I paid, bolted for the stairs, and—thanks to daily training—reached the fifth-floor ICU before the elevator. Nurses pointed me to the room.

Over twenty doctors, nurses, and relatives crowded the hallway.

"She’s here!" Azure Excellence’s mother cried. The crowd parted slowly.

White sheets. Oxygen tanks. Blood bags. And the boy on the bed, face ghostly pale.

Cold floor. Cold faces.

"Excellence." I stepped to his bedside.

"Damn it, weren’t you almost recovered?" My voice cracked. Tears spilled anyway.

"Heh…" A faint smile touched his lips. "Yi Yao… you lied to me so often in class… can’t I trick you back… just once?"

The room emptied. The door clicked shut.

Outside, his mother’s wails cut through the silence.

"Fine, fine—I’ll play along. You always do this. Never tell me anything. Just call me ‘brother’ like it’s nothing."

"Truth is…" Two tears traced his temples. "I only have one brother in this world. Yi Yao… I’ve wanted to say this for so long… *cough*… will you… be my girlfriend?"

He rushed on before I could answer: "I want the truth."

His eyes held mine.

Clear. Pure.

Innocent. Hopeful. Lonely.

I forced back my tears and shook my head slightly. "No."

Relief washed over his face.

"Yi Yao… you haven’t changed a bit."

A trickle of blood seeped from his mouth.

The heart monitor shrieked.

"You’re still wearing the hat I gave you… *cough*… means you really liked it… thank you…"

Doctors burst in.

"I have no regrets… truly… Yi Yao… I hope you find your happiness too…"

"Xiao Liu! Now!"

"BP and pulse crashing! Bleeding’s accelerating!"

"Get that over here!"

Amid the chaos, the last thing I saw was Azure Excellence’s peaceful smile as his eyes closed.

I don’t remember leaving the room.

I’d witnessed countless farewells—tears, blood, shattered hearts.

I thought I’d grown numb to this world.

But in the end, I lost.

"We did all we could."

Sitting on a hospital bench, those words from the doctor twisted my heart like a knife.

"Thank you for everything, Director Wang." Azure Excellence’s father took the report, eyes red-rimmed.

"Go back to class, dear… don’t fall behind…" His mother tried to comfort me but broke down instead.

"Mm."

I bowed deeply, apologized, and left. There was nothing more I could do.

February 25, 2016, 10:00 AM. Azure Excellence, student of Class 11, Grade 9, Shangjing No. 3 Middle School, died from thalassemia complications and internal hemorrhage.

I returned to school during fourth period.

Predictably, my homeroom teacher summoned me.

Yi Yao had a record. This tardiness was extreme. The scolding was brutal. I stood silently before the middle-aged woman, letting her vent.

After all—I could still return to this classroom. Some people never would.

"Go. Five-thousand-word self-criticism. Or bring your parents tomorrow."

She waved me off, exhausted.

"Okay."

Five thousand words. Six essays’ worth.

I didn’t worry about content. If I could, I’d write ten thousand to etch this day into memory.

Back in class, Tan Lijiang and Liang Tong hovered by my desk.

"Yi Yao, where were you? Took forever!" Tan grinned. After the basketball game, our feud had cooled. Like most guys, he didn’t hold petty grudges for weeks—already better than a certain princess.

"Stuff came up." I mumbled, sliding into my seat and dropping my bag.

Azure Excellence’s desk remained untouched since his last day: review books stacked haphazardly, manga and novels crammed in the drawer, papers scattered across the empty center.

"Where’s Azure Excellence? When’s he back? It’s been half a month." Tan plopped into his chair. "I’ve been ready to apologize. He’s taking forever."

His words stabbed like ice.

"I don’t know."

I lowered my head, taking off my hat and placing it on the desk.

The red heart emblem glowed warmly in the sunlight.

"Hey, someone like Azure Excellence could die out there and no one—"

*THUD.*

I yanked Liang Tong up by his collar and slammed him against the wall. The whole class turned.

"You—" He raised his hands, trembling. "I was joking! Why so worked up? What happened to him?"

"He’s…" I swallowed hard, blinking back tears. "Gone."

"Gone?" Tan frowned. "Where?"

"Not coming back." I released Liang. "Internal bleeding. Just now."

Even Tan understood. His voice shook: "Yi Yao… don’t joke like this. It’s not funny."

I gave a hollow laugh. "Do I look like I’m joking?"

Some people, once lost, are gone forever.

"Tan Lijiang… your apology… he’ll never receive it."