The Unveiling of Mei Ruolan’s Heart

With a clatter, two cans of fruit juice tumbled from the vending machine’s dispenser. She picked them up, offering one to me.

“Thanks,” I said. “My phone’s dead. I’ll send you the money later.”

“Don’t worry about it. My treat.”

‘It seems I’ve been treated to a lot lately.’

Mei Ruolan pulled the tab and began to drink, her throat parched from speaking so much.

She drank with a remarkable flourish, tilting her head further and further back until the drink was completely gone. Then, with a basketball throw, she tossed the empty can into a trash bin five meters away.

“It’s getting a little chilly,” she said. “Let’s walk and talk.”

“Where were we?” I asked, as we began to stroll around the track.

“Ah, right. My puberty,” she continued. “I became prettier, grew taller than the boys in my class, and then… well, my chest grew larger and larger.”

She glanced down at the substantial curves that swayed with her steps.

“Back then, I used to be quite shy about boys staring, but now I’ve grown accustomed to it, in every sense.”

“Speaking of which, Yi Chang, which do you prefer?”

“Prefer what?”

“Larger chests or smaller chests? Which do you like?”

“I don’t really have a preference for either.”

“I suppose so,” she replied, as if my answer had been expected.

“But most boys definitely prefer larger ones,” she stated with absolute certainty.

“No matter who it is — even teachers or other students’ parents — every man will, consciously or unconsciously, glance at these two.”

As she spoke, she lightly nudged her ample bosom with her hand.

“It was only after I developed these that I started becoming popular, and began receiving confessions from boys, just like Tianman.”

“So, I finally started to gain a little confidence. Back then, because I was tall, I was invited to play basketball.”

“I figured I didn’t have anything else I particularly wanted to do, so I agreed, and to my surprise, I found I was quite talented.”

She smiled triumphantly. “Slowly, I built my confidence, slowly, I began to accept myself.”

“Every day, I’d look in the mirror and cheer myself on, believing I could be loved by everyone, just like Tianman.”

‘But that was impossible.’

“Reality, however, dealt me a harsh blow. A girl from another class, someone like a gang leader, had a crush on a boy who confessed to me.”

“Even though I rejected him, the news somehow reached her ears. Perhaps the boy himself told others, or maybe someone secretly witnessed it — it didn’t matter.”

“Suddenly having an enemy left me completely at a loss. During that time, I was inexplicably harassed and pranked, yet I didn’t dare show any anger.”

“My entire life had been about compliance; I simply didn’t know how to resist.”

“Did they do anything truly outrageous to you?”

“It never escalated to physical harm. Perhaps it was because I was so tall and a member of the basketball team, but in truth, Tianman resolved it before anything could happen.”

Mei Ruolan’s expression was a complex blend of emotions.

“That day, we walked home together after school for the first time in a long while. We both apologized to each other, though neither of us felt the other had done anything wrong.”

“We talked for a long time, and then… we just reconciled? I didn’t ask Tianman what she said to those girls, nor why she suddenly stopped hanging out with me.”

“I knew most of the problems stemmed from me, but I didn’t know how to fix them.”

As we continued along the track, we reached the platform directly in front of the field.

This platform served as a rostrum for assemblies and a stage for performances. It possessed a daunting height, reserved only for school administrators and students of exceptional talent.

“Do you remember the freshman welcoming gala?” she asked, gazing at the platform.

“Tianman had a performance then, with the street dance troupe. It was so spectacular that the whole crowd cheered non-stop. You must remember it, right?”

“I don’t,” I replied, recalling the scene.

“Our class was seated on the back side, and there was a light shining directly at us, making my eyes ache. I just kept my head down and played on my phone.”

“With such a lively atmosphere, didn’t you consider moving to see what was happening?”

“I wasn’t interested.”

Mei Ruolan laughed again. Talking with her always gave me the illusion that I was incredibly witty, always managing to make her laugh.

“Tianman is truly remarkable, exceptionally so. Since childhood, if she saw someone possess something, she had to possess it too.”

“I’m not talking about simple competitiveness; it’s something more profound. Let me give you an example.”

“When she first started elementary school, there was a piano in music class. She went up and impressed her classmates and teacher with her skill.”

“The teacher, surprised, asked if anyone else in the class had learned an instrument. Two students raised their hands: one played the violin, the other the guzheng.”

“The very next day, Tianman went home and told her parents she wanted to learn both the violin and the guzheng, and her parents actually enrolled her in classes.”

“Ballet, singing, street dance, chess, painting… everything she saw others excel at, she would pursue, then surpass everyone around her.”

‘That sounds terrifying. I could easily imagine others’ cherished talents being one by one eclipsed by her; it was rather chilling.’

“Tianman exists at a considerable distance from ordinary people, and I’ve always wanted to bridge that gap.”

“Otherwise, standing together, we wouldn’t be a match; we couldn’t be equal friends. I really like Tianman, and I admire her greatly.”

“She possesses everything I lack, but I’ve never felt it was unfair. On the contrary, being with her makes me a better person.”

She drew a deep breath.

“So, if I were to be seen as her shadow or an accessory, my newly formed self-esteem and self-identity absolutely wouldn’t allow it.”

“That’s why I started learning all sorts of things, and also began taking care of my skin and dressing up.”

“Now, I can finally beat Tianman in sports, though I do end up buying a bit too much sunscreen.”

“It is the south, after all.”

Mei Ruolan and I continued our stroll, unaware of how many laps we’d completed or how much time had passed.

Yet, the story continued, and she kept confiding her true feelings.

“Where was your class during military training?” she suddenly asked.

“Near the spectator stands.”

“Ah— that’s right, the teaching building blocked the morning sun there. How nice! We wanted to switch to that spot too.”

“Where was Class B then?”

“They were with Class A near the field entrance, exposed to the sun all day long.”

‘That sounds truly awful.’

“Then, a senior student walked by. Perhaps it was because my height was so noticeable, but she spotted me right away.”

“She asked if I wanted to join the Disciplinary Committee, saying my height was intimidating and that I had a certain presence. I, being a bit foolish, just agreed.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Not yet,” she replied. “The work and training for the Disciplinary Committee are actually quite interesting.”

“Really?”

“They bring in an active-duty military officer to teach you military combat techniques and grappling holds. You can even choose another martial art to learn.”

“I originally intended to learn Judo, but the Judo coach said my build would put me at a disadvantage, so he told me to pick something else.”

“What did you switch to?”

“Capoeira.”

‘What on earth? The one where you sway your body and then deliver a flying kick?’

“I’ve even reached blue belt, you know,” she boasted. “Want me to show you a move?”

Watching her eager anticipation, “Let’s not,” I said.

She made a regretful face, but another thought struck me. “Was it with Capoeira that you subdued that unruly student back then?”

“Huh?” She paused for a moment before realizing what I meant.

“Oh, you mean that incident. I just used a standard grappling technique then,” she explained.

“A student wasn’t wearing his school ID, and when we asked for his name to register it, he bolted into the school.”

“My trained reflexes kicked in, and I chased after him, pinning him to the ground.”

‘That sounds incredibly impressive.’

“That incident was a stroke of unexpected luck, I suppose,” she said with a wry smile.

“I had no idea the guy was a senior, and one that many girls in school disliked. Because of it, I suddenly became quite popular.”

“What happened next?”

“After that, that senior kept bothering me. Yes, I’d gotten myself into trouble again, but this time a senior girl helped me out.”

“She witnessed his actions multiple times and warned him, but he just wouldn’t change his ways. Ever since I caught him, he seemed determined to provoke me, constantly committing infractions.”

‘How persistent.’

“Indeed. And then he was expelled.”

‘Right.’

“Because of that incident, I owed that senior girl a favor. One day, she told me the girls’ basketball team was short on players this year.”

“She knew I was good at basketball in middle school and asked me to help out. And… well, here we are now. I think I’ve said everything I can.”

Mei Ruolan recounted her life, pouring out the story of her growth as thoroughly as she could.

Some of her thoughts and the specifics of events were too hazy to recall in precise detail, and she might have omitted certain unclear parts. Nevertheless, it was enough.

“The coach’s invitation, I had already planned to refuse, and I did,” Mei Ruolan said, coming to a stop.

“My friends’ expectations, the glory of the school — in the past, I might have agreed. But today, when I received the invitation, my mind was filled with the words you said to me on our walk home from school.”

“I got a little carried away, a little lost about who I was,” she confessed.

“In trying to conform to others and chase goals, I rushed things. I gained recognition, closed the gap with Tianman, my self-esteem was mended, and my efforts were rewarded.”

“But I realized — I wasn’t happy at all.”

“Because you weren’t doing what you loved.”

“Oh?” she asked, intrigued. “And do you know what I love?”

“Watching anime.”

Mei Ruolan’s eyes widened, staring at me in disbelief.

“Did Dorothy tell you?”

“I guessed,” I said, recalling the signs I’d seen so far. “I figured you weren’t really trying to hide it.”

She laughed, a sound of relief. “You’re right, I admit it. I spent an entire childhood trying to understand myself, doing a bunch of things I wasn’t good at to prove myself.”

“After finally getting everything I thought I wanted, I discovered that lying in bed watching anime still made me happier.”

“It’s truly strange,” she mused. “It’s as if, whenever I’m around you, I instinctively show my vulnerable side.”

“Is it because you’re some kind of anomaly? You don’t expect anything, don’t care about anything. You should be a detached, boring person, yet being by your side is incredibly comfortable.”

Mei Ruolan’s sudden praise left me at a loss for words. At that moment, another question sprang to mind.

If Mei Ruolan had already intended to refuse, what had she said to Yu Tianman that made her come to ask for my help?

“Yi Chang, do you know anything else I like?”

“You like sweets?”

“That’s one, I suppose. Anything else?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then I’ll reveal the answer.”

Mei Ruolan stepped in front of me.

Then, she lightly kissed my lips.

“I like you, Yi Chang.”