Chapter 3: An Utter Defeat

[Leng Mo]

The following days were as boring as usual. There was nothing new in Leng Mo's life except for the arrival of a new desk mate. Leng Mo sneered at the thought.

Seriously, who's in their right mind to transfer schools at the latter end of the semester? That student probably has a pig-brain if that's the case.

A few minutes passed and the class' starting. Time ticked and an unknown feeling crept through him as he heard steady footsteps entering the room.

Fixing his gaze at the newcomer, a smiled flashed across his face while mischief's boiling in his mind.

Would you look at that? A pig indeed.

Leng Mo clicked his tongue then sprawled on his seat again. As his luck would have it, it was the same wild boar he met last week. Just the thought of what happened stung the affected area at the back of his head.

DRRRRR.

The sound of metal against tiles perked him up.

Did she recognize him? Leng Mo glanced at the boar, then covered his face with a book, "Of all the possible seats available, you just had to choose the one next to me," his muffled voice echoed through the book, enough for the two of them to hear. He didn't know why, but he just felt like it was the right thing to say at that moment. It was like the cool opening lines of villains he admired most in anime—cool but sharp. Getting into his act, Leng Mo slowly put down the book separating their line of sight then smirked, "Say… are you here for revenge?"

The other party paused, but did not give a comment. Leng Mo stared at her, thinking of what to say next when he was interrupted.

"Do I know you?"

He lost. An utter and painful defeat.

Leng Mo slid the book back up again, and forced himself to sleep. How embarrassing... if he knew, he shouldn't have acted cool.

The rest of the day became a blur that he could hardly remember. Everything remained the same… except for the wild boar that needed taming.

...........

[Chen Ri]

Today was supposed to be a new day, a new beginning. It was her first day in this simple and carefree life, or so she thought.

"Of all the possible seat available, you just had to choose the seat next to me," a familiar yet muffled voice sounded from the person sitting next to her. Chen Ri furrowed her brows then threw a glance at the lump of meat beside her.

"Say… are you here for revenge?"

There's no mistaking it. It's the same shit she stepped on last week. No matter how he covered his face, his stink never lied. Chen Ri could still remember his condescending expression that time. Ugh… she dreaded such face that she'd rather forget.

She had the urge to punch him and throw him out, but a better idea popped up. Chen Ri stifled her laugh and replied, "Do I know you?"

Heh—you piece of shit, you're still too young against me.

......…

[Leng Mo]

Time ticked slowly and Leng Mo's boredom reached another level. His mind has been wandering as to what gift he should buy for Xiao Mu then his eyes landed onto the boar sitting next to him.

With a book on hand and earphones plugged in, it seemed like nothing mattered to her (which was good as Leng Mo could just ignore her existence).

Sigh. Was she just here for the feeling of being at school? Well, whatever. What can a boar even do?

Leng Mo looked past her and caught sight of a familiar smile within the crowd.

It came from the person in the middle. He had a tall and lean figure with a face that could drop panties. On a serious note, he does look decent with his clean-cut hair swept to the side, deep-narrow eyes, and brilliant smile; he was just like your typical guy-next-door character in TV dramas Mrs. Song always watched.

Leng Mo's gaze outlined that unsuspecting figure until his eyes landed on the ring on his index finger. It was plain and silver-coated, nothing extraordinary. He did not even know why he bothered looking at it so he moved his gaze onto the smile plastered on the other party's face. The dude was a complete stranger, but to Leng Mo's surprise, their eyes met. The other party nodded his head and passed the corridor with his bunch of friends.

Leng Mo lowered his gaze on his pendant and darted it back to that now empty space.

W-was it him?

___________________________

[Chen Ri]

The sound of a page flipping was like music to her ears. It gave a whole sense of accomplishment for an aspiring writer like her. A new page meant a new beginning, a new learning and a new scene. She really admired people who could leave their names in the industry. And she aimed to be someone like that.

DRRG.

The sudden sound interruption broke her off from her immersion. The fuck is this dweeb doing?

Chen Ri cast a gaze onto the person beside her then shifted it to the door where he had been staring.

The fuck! Is this what they called flirting? She caught sight of the guy smiling and nodding at the imp while the imp was left fascinated.

Hah—would you look at that? The imp looked cold and distant, but she never knew he was into this! It's indeed true to never judge a book by its cover. It came as a shock, but a rush of excitement filled her.

A new world opened her horizons.

Chen Ri put down her book, pulled out a sketchpad, then started scribbling. It was a one in a million inspiration she couldn't miss, the beginning of her career.

........

[Leng Mo]

The day ended without a thrill, except for the part where he was massacred by the boar. Leng Mo dragged his worn-out body upstairs and threw himself on his bed. His droopy eyes closed, but when he remembered the smile he saw earlier, they snapped back open. His hand fumbled in his drawer, then pulled out an old photo hidden underneath a pile of books.

It was a photo taken three years after his grandpa passed away.

On the photo, a boy smiled at the camera; looking rather young than his actual age, about eleven or twelve years old. On his left, stood an unruly kid with crossed arms and furrowed brows like the whole world owed him a ton, while on his right, his young self stood there with a corner of his mouth perked up, acting cool as usual. If he remebered correctly, Leng Mo was in a brawl with that grumpy kid on the left.

A smile crept through Leng Mo's face as he remembered that distant memory. 'If only…' Leng Mo paused, then stared back at the photo.

"It has been years, huh?"

His finger caressed the smiling figure, eyes tearing up at the thought of his carefree days.

That year, he succumbed to despair after his only remaining family's death. That smile pulled him out of that dark place, but it was also that smile that plunged him back deeper.

Five years later, that smile appeared again.

Leng Mo rubbed his pendant with his index finger, then placed the photo back in a secure place.

Guess he could never really escape despair's clutches.

Leng Mo gave the photo once last glance, covered it with a pile of books, then closed the drawer.

It's time to let out some steam.