Weekend. Downtown surged with crowds and traffic. The crosswalk lights blinked relentlessly. I stood on the overpass, scanning the sea of faces but failing to spot the one I knew.
Chasing after her to explain—that wasn’t like me at all. Maybe it was the first time in my life I’d felt this flustered. Spurred on by Sister Qianqian, my body moved before my mind could catch up.
Honestly? Today had been wonderful. Eat till full, sleep till rested—repeat. For a boy whose dream was to be a "househusband," it was pure bliss. And Nan Dongye… the shy flicker in her eyes when our gazes met, the quiet joy as she nibbled her burger—it made my heart skip without reason.
*A boyfriend for a day.* That kind of joke could never work in the real world, not just for "research."
Whenever I idled in bookstores reading such scenes, I’d wonder: *Are all male leads idiots?* When girls practically fan their feathers like peacocks in courtship displays, how could they stay blind? Low EQ seemed to be the universal disease of harem protagonists—even "Big Brother" only won by hiding behind cynicism.
So if I’d misread everything… well, maybe I was just too green as an otaku, and Yuzuru Sensei’s acting surpassed mine. But before that, I had to make sure she knew: *something’s wrong with me*, not her.
Anyway—I spotted them near the subway entrance. A cluster of unmistakable figures had cleared a small space on the pavement. Pedestrians gave them a wide berth, like avoiding a street performer. Or rather, like instinctively steering clear of trouble. Their features were too vivid to miss: the Rainbow Crew I’d seen at the chapel. Seven delinquents with hair dyed in seven different colors surrounded a lone, bewildered girl.
Regrettably, that girl—blank-faced and utterly unaware of her predicament—was Nan Dongye. *Was she really the type who’d stir up trouble if left unsupervised for five minutes?*
"This must be really troubling for you," I said, aiming for coolness. Normally, I’d weigh my pathetic martial arts skills and sheepishly dial 110. But after seeing the nun effortlessly crush all seven of them? They should be easy to handle.
"None of your damn—"
The ringleader—a red-haired thug who looked like a rural ganguro—glanced back. One look at me, and he recoiled two steps as if my scrawny frame hid some unspeakable horror. His crew yelped and scattered.
*Seriously?* I rubbed my nose, wondering what exactly the kind old priest and the Bible-illiterate nun had done to them.
"Why are you here?" Nan Dongye’s gaze flicked from the fleeing men to me. Her puzzled eyes made me look away.
"Just… passing by."
She blinked. "Really?"
"Of course! Uh—I mean, today I’m still your boyfriend, right? Walking you home is the least I can do." I coughed and patted the bike seat behind me.
Nan Dongye studied me silently, then nodded and climbed on.
Crossing the bridge over the ring-city river, the sunset stretched our shadows into one. The riverside path stood empty, accompanied only by crisp evening breezes.
*See?* This was the suffocating awkwardness of silence.
"Those guys earlier… what did they want?" I couldn’t believe such sketchy-looking seven could be proper thugs.
"Directions."
"Huh?"
"Guess where they were asking for."
I shook my head.
"Your Martial Arts Hall."
My body trembled slightly. The bike wobbled forward. The Hall had been closed for years—the main entrance rented to a convenience store. Xiao Yu and I lived in the backyard dojo, entering through a side gate. That street had changed beyond recognition. *Why would Father’s Martial Arts Hall have anything to do with them?*
"I was hesitating whether to tell them when you showed up. Why did they run at the sight of you?"
"Dunno. Maybe I radiate manliness."
"Tch!" Her arms tightened around my waist. "By the way… since you chased after me… did you have something to say?"
I froze. Words failed me. Some truths were too tangled to voice. It reminded me of that rooftop scene in *Infernal Affairs*:
*"Sorry, I’m a cop (freak)."*
*"Who’d believe you?"*
Something like that.
Could I really declare with righteous fury: *"I have a condition—I’ll die if I don’t wear women’s clothes"*?
I hadn’t changed a bit from three years ago. Hopelessly ill. No chance for an ordinary romance with a normal girl. Not yet.
"Silent again. You never tell me anything important." Nan Dongye huffed. "But *I* have something to say. If you won’t talk, just listen."
"Remember when we met at New Moon City last year?"
*Last year…* Was she talking about that time I spotted her at Central Plaza—hiding under huge sunglasses and a hat, trying to conceal Yuzuru Sensei’s identity? I shrugged in confirmation.
"When they told me about the live signing event, I was stunned. I was just a rookie writer with failing grades. My debut novel now looks like shit-covered jelly to me… but back then, I was still happy to go. I dressed so ridiculously, terrified someone might recognize me."
She paused, her voice turning bitter. "Turns out it *was* ridiculous. Crowds swarmed other authors’ booths. But mine…" A dry laugh. "Not a single person."
*Why did I spot her instantly in that crowd?* Because she stood utterly alone. I still remember Nan Dongye hunched over, trying to vanish—a stark contrast to the confident class monitor who’d once lent me her homework. That was the first time I saw her other side.
"Just as I was about to flee… someone walked up. Seeing that boy’s face, my heart turned to ash. I wanted to die right there." Her tone was unexpectedly light, even amused.
That moment when buried truths surface—it’s a raw, naked slap. Like… realizing today that my own cringey past was witnessed firsthand. I understood that feeling.
*"Can I get your signature?"* That was his only line.
"Twenty copies. The promotional side-stories I’d rushed to print. He placed them one by one before me, urging me silently. Then he packed them carefully into a bag and left without a word."
Nan Dongye’s soft voice drifted like a dream, warm as the breeze flushing my cheeks.
"If you hadn’t stumbled upon me that day… some things I might never have told anyone. So…" Her arms tightened again. "You don’t have to tell me what happened to you. But—but—but Jiang Wuque, flaws and all… he’ll always be *my* male lead!"
My body jolted. Something tender deep inside me shattered.
