The Name Game and a New Beginning

Regardless, this incident had thoroughly traumatized me, leaving a deep shadow in my heart and mind concerning that old scoundrel. In short, the Ye family was now in profound crisis! The family’s finances were so strained that even the budget for an additional infant had to be measured with meticulous precision.

****

At this moment, I lay sprawled on a pristine white sheet alongside another tiny tot of comparable size, both clad in garments that would make any man don them with such profound shame they might wish to pull out a gun and end it all… a mere bellyband. No, committing suicide by gun would be rather difficult; in the strictly gun-controlled Heavenly Dynasty, jumping from a building would be far more convenient. Yet, why was I still alive? It was because, at this very moment, I had not even the slightest room to resist my fate… To even be fed, I had to rely on the soft cushion that nurtured us.

Time, like a fleeting boat, sailed swiftly by.

****

“Darling, look, should we take this opportunity, during their first birthday ceremony, to name the two children?”

Mother’s voice remained as melodious and sweet as ever, imbued with a hint of girlish innocence, as if she had only recently left her own youth behind.

“Yes, we certainly need to consider it.”

“You see, I’ve been thinking about the boy’s name for nearly ten months now… I’ve almost settled on it…”

“Though a fallen leaf, it transforms into a deity by clinging to the tree… We’ll call him Ye Sakaki.”

At that, my entire expression soured. My tiny, unformed face twisted as if I had just tasted bitter melon. ‘Because Father’s finger… wasn’t pointing at me, was it? It was pointing at that obnoxious little brat beside me! Wait… so that brat is getting my name? No! I absolutely refuse to accept that annoying little kid is the new Ye Sakaki!’

Thus, I desperately squirmed, crawling toward my father like a newborn cub, my arms, no thicker than an adult’s fingers, flailing wildly as if to reclaim my parents’ attention.

‘You two! I’m Ye Sakaki!’

Although I tried to say this, in my parents’ ears, the words transformed into a rhythmic babble: ‘Waaah! Goo-goo ga-ga!’ Such was the cadence…

Mother watched me flailing my arms with a serene expression, smiling gently. Her delicate features radiated a peacefulness so profound it could melt even winter’s deepest snow.

‘But why was I the only one who perceived the silent irony in it all?!’

****

“Darling, what name do you think would be good for this child?”

Mother’s kind and benevolent expression, in my eyes, appeared chillingly cold.

Because Father then spoke.

“Hmm… well… I’ve spent so long thinking about the boy’s name… I wasn’t at all prepared for another daughter! Let me think…”

“Ugh…”

I gazed at my father with hopeful eyes, anticipating that with his talent for devising a name as profound as ‘Ye Sakaki,’ he would at least bestow upon me… a somewhat normal name. At this point, dwelling on my own name felt utterly meaningless.

“I’ve got it!”

“It shall be called….”

Father deliberately drew out the syllables, as if savoring the revelation.

“Elegant yet traditional, friendly with everyone, a friend to all, and a source of life itself….”

“Let’s call her ‘Ye Goudan’~”

Me: ‘…………….’

Mother: ‘…………….’

The silence was swiftly broken by Mother.

“Ye Luochen, this is our daughter! How could you suggest such a vulgar name?”

‘…’ ‘As expected, Mother still cares about me. As for the word “daughter,” I had subconsciously ignored it.’

“Besides, Luochen, didn’t you promise me that if we had a girl, I would get to name her? You even said that if I wished, her surname could be mine?”

Mother’s words held an unexpected blend of playfulness and assertiveness…

****

“Alright, fine, you decide.”

Even more surprising was Father’s candid and swift agreement, as if he had instantly shed some heavy burden. ‘However, if that’s the case… Yes! If it’s Mother, the Mother rumored to possess a Master’s degree in Literature! She’ll surely!’

“You see, this child is so fair-skinned right from birth, so why don’t we just call her ‘Ye Baibai’ then.”

I… ‘Good heavens… my… aunt’s…. Mother, I apologize for having overestimated you so greatly before…’

With my tender, pale hand, barely a tenth the size of an adult’s palm, I mercilessly snatched up an ugly snowman doll, comprised of two spherical parts, and hurled it off the bed in a fit of pique.

This action, however, seemed to spark Mother’s inspiration.

“Darling, look, the child grabbed a snowman doll… Let’s just change one character and call her ‘Ye Xuebai’ then.”

‘Oh, my dearest Mother….. What….. What the hell could I even do?’

Ultimately, my name was decided upon, though not due to any profound factor. Rather, it was an advertisement that suddenly popped up on the television by the bed.

[Today, XXX Carbonated Beverage brings you blessings!]

And so, these two irresponsible parents settled on a name for me that, at least, sounded rather pleasant.

[Ye Qi]

‘Though it carried no deep meaning, the name at least sounded far better than ‘Ye Goudan’ or ‘Ye Baibai,’ wouldn’t you agree?’

****

It’s worth mentioning that during the first birthday ceremony, I vented all my accumulated resentment upon my ‘elder brother,’ kicking him off the bed when my parents weren’t looking. I hoped he hadn’t been too badly bruised.

****

Time always seemed to pour away like a cascading waterfall; by the time I looked back again, over a decade had already passed.

Gekkoukan Academy – Second Year, Class B.

Yes, although my schooling began at age six, I simply couldn’t endure the reality of living with that self-righteous individual who now bore my own face. While this might sound selfish, aren’t humans inherently selfish creatures? Having skipped two grades, I finally arrived at this school, among a group whose psychological age was closest to my own… In any case, the ‘new’ Ye Sakaki would have to temporarily remain in junior high first year due to his extreme lack of knowledge, playing house with those annoying brats, wouldn’t he?

****

“Ye Qi, don’t sleep anymore~ The opening ceremony is about to begin~”

The Class Monitor patted my shoulder, rousing me from the depths of my dark dream.

Looking up, I saw a girl of extreme refinement, exquisite from every angle.

Her extreme delicacy made the girl appear almost like a finely crafted doll; were it not for the glint of ‘wisdom (cunning)’ in her eyes, she might truly have been mistaken for a mere plaything.

The girl’s long, raven hair cascaded straight down to her ribs, like unstrung jade beads. Even without any styling, gravity alone allowed the perfectly straight strands to fall into a neat, elegant drape.

Her skin, slightly fairer than most, was at its dullest state beneath the cover of makeup. Her dark eyes, indistinguishable from anyone else’s, upon closer inspection, subtly revealed the presence of contact lenses. She wore a modified male school uniform, resembling a suit, which was infinitely more fashionable and novel than the typical two-tone striped uniforms prevalent in the Heavenly Dynasty. The shirt beneath her uniform was a small red-and-black checkered pattern, capable of exuding the distinct aesthetic of a private institution on anyone. The uniform bore a school emblem adorned with a delicate chain; compared to the plastic-like texture of a typical public middle school badge, this one could probably be displayed as a work of art.

‘Private Gekkoukan Academy,’ or simply ‘Gekkoukan Academy’ for short—though it only omitted two letters. If Father hadn’t purchased an expensive insurance policy for his unborn child back when he was wealthy, I probably wouldn’t be able to afford this school, where tuition fees began in the hundreds of thousands, would I?

****

“Looking at it this way, Qi-chan is truly adorable.”

The Class Monitor’s soft yet energetic voice chimed again. Although I had no particularly deep friendship with this Class Monitor in my previous life, I understood one thing with absolute clarity: the Class Monitor before me was, in fact, my first love. Even after being reborn, this vague, budding feeling, upon meeting again, still delivered a powerful jolt. And what truly jolted me was… the undeniable fact that I… was a girl. However, I had selectively forgotten this fact, for after all, more than a decade of ingrained personality, hobbies, and joys could not be so easily destroyed or shattered.