Su Li had a childhood friend.
They once lived together in a distant, quiet village.
The mountains there were green, rolling and overlapping, layer upon layer.
The streams were so clear, gushing from the woods in the mountains, winding their way through the village.
It was barren and remote, not bustling—empty, without dazzling lights or tall buildings, and even the roads were always muddy.
It was so impoverished, yet in his memories, everything about the village was beautiful.
Whether it was the morning light, the smoke rising from chimneys, the dappled sunlight filtering through the forest, or the sunset glow at dusk—everything in his mind had become blurry.
The bad, the terrible things were overlooked because the memories were hazy, leaving only the good, the things he would rather cherish.
And the most important person in those memories was her—her childish face, her grayish-white hair that was a bit like snow, and those sapphire-like eyes.
She was You Xue, the childhood friend Su Li had grown up with.
He still remembered the day they went to see the train—the wind was gentle, the light was soft, and everything was so tender and warm.
At that time, facing You Xue,
He made a promise never to abandon her.
Her blue eyes were so clear, truly like gems.
In the end, Su Li saw her brows lift, and she gave a beautiful smile.
***
That was a really, really long time ago, something that happened when they were still young.
Even so, Su Li couldn’t forget it, because it was a promise made from the heart, something he could never abandon.
Even though, in truth, he didn’t actually think he and You Xue would stay together forever.
Su Li figured that even if they had once walked together, they would inevitably part ways in the future, and besides, he was a superpowered individual while You Xue was just an ordinary person.
He was in a more dangerous world and couldn’t let You Xue get involved.
So they would always walk on different life tracks; they would separate, they would part.
But no matter what, Su Li would protect You Xue, because she was his childhood friend, someone he had lived with for so long, and someone with whom he had made a promise.
However, he never expected the connection to be cut so abruptly.
It was right after he had received his admission letter from Enlightenment Academy.
He was just about to invite You Xue for a celebration dinner.
But the invitation didn’t work out; instead, she unilaterally cut ties with him.
After that, even when he sent messages to You Xue, he got no reply.
These past few days, Su Li had been thinking about this, but no matter how much he mulled it over, he didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
He didn’t understand why such close childhood friends would sever ties so inexplicably.
Su Li wanted to ask You Xue face-to-face, but with too many enrollment matters these days, he kept putting it off until today.
He saw You Xue, but it was by chance.
From the first moment he exited the school gate, Su Li spotted her—the familiar gray-white hair, those light blue eyes.
Without a doubt, it could only be her.
But why was she so disheveled?
Her body was covered in mud and stains, her clothes were badly torn, and from the gaps, wounds were oozing fresh blood.
How did she end up like this?
Su Li’s heart was filled with deep worry.
He wanted to call out to You Xue immediately.
But Su Li saw that she had lowered her brows.
The moment she spotted him, she immediately dropped her head and even hid in the shadows of an alley.
Clearly, she didn’t want to be discovered by him.
But why?
When they had been so close before, why did they suddenly part ways so abruptly?
Why had things turned out like this?
Full of doubt and confusion, Su Li wanted to rush over and question her, but also to comfort her.
So he walked past her, only glancing at You Xue from the corner of his eye.
She kept her head down, and Su Li couldn’t see the expression on her face.
Finally, when he was about to reach the end of the alley, Su Li said to his classmates,
“You guys go ahead. I suddenly remembered something I need to do.”
His classmates didn’t ask any more questions.
They waved and just said they’d wait for him at the restaurant.
Then Su Li turned back, his mind a tangle of thoughts, but his actions were decisive.
He saw You Xue.
She hadn’t left yet—she was huddled in the shadows, like a curled-up hedgehog.
Su Li walked behind his childhood friend and said,
“You Xue.”
“I know it’s you.”
You Xue’s body seemed to tremble, then she slowly turned around.
Her right hand was clutching her clothes, trying to cover the wound on her chest, while her left hand was clenched tightly.
Was he really that scary?
Su Li thought to himself.
But when he saw his childhood friend’s current state, what surfaced first in his mind was still worry.
You Xue’s light blue eyes held an emotion Su Li couldn’t understand.
She pressed her lips together and said nothing.
In the end, Su Li was the first to lose his composure.
He said bluntly,
“You’re injured. Let me take you to get treated.”
He tried to take her hand, but she dodged it.
You Xue’s eyes flickered away.
She averted her head, and her words were somewhat cold.
“It’s just a small injury, and it has nothing to do with you.”
Su Li’s hand stopped in midair, then slowly withdrew.
“I don’t understand.”
His words were filled with bewilderment.
“You Xue, what exactly happened? Everything was heading in a good direction. I got into Enlightenment Academy, I can have a better future, and I can earn more money. Once I have money in the future, you won’t have to live in the slums anymore. You can move to the city center, and later you can find a job near the school. Everything was getting better for us, so why did you say those things?”
Su Li spoke more and more urgently, as if he wanted to pour out all the emotions he had been holding in.
“I never forgot our promise. I never gave up on you!”
Su Li stared at You Xue, wanting a reasonable explanation.
“I made this decision after serious consideration.”
But You Xue shattered Su Li’s last shred of illusion.
Her eyes were so cold.
No trace of that clear, gentle feeling from before.
“Then what about the money I sent you before? What was that?”
Su Li knew You Xue lived in the slums, surviving on a small government subsidy, but that amount wasn’t enough for a person’s normal living expenses.
So Su Li sent You Xue some money almost every month, even if he himself didn’t have much to spare.
Because he had said he would never abandon her, like the train and its cars.
But Su Li never expected such a result.
In his field of vision, the gray-haired girl lowered her eyelids.
Su Li couldn’t see what emotion was in her eyes.
“I’ll pay you back in the future. I don’t want to owe you.”
The girl said so.
“How will you pay back? Where would you get the money?”
Su Li’s face showed mockery, but his heart was still worried.
Moonview City was, after all, a city for superpowered individuals.
People without abilities couldn’t take a step here.
But then the girl pulled a small knife from her bosom.
Su Li looked closely—it had a Seal engraved on it.
Even the lowest-level Seal was something someone living in the slums couldn’t afford.
You Xue didn’t stop.
Su Li watched her pull out six small knives in total, each engraved with the same Seal.
“I don’t need to rely on you anymore.”
The girl’s words were so clear, but Su Li would rather not have heard them clearly.
But that was the fact.
“Did you get something? Or meet someone better? Is it because you look down on me that you cut ties?”
Su Li demanded.
He had done his best to take care of You Xue, but he never expected her to be so cold and heartless.
The gray-haired girl nodded and said,
“Yeah, that’s just the kind of person I am. So it’s best if we don’t meet again from now on.”
“You’ve changed, You Xue. You weren’t like this before.”
Su Li felt he should be angry, should rush over, grab her shoulders, and demand how she could say such things so easily.
He restrained himself.
He didn’t act on that impulse, but the fire burning in his heart only grew stronger.
“Fine! You said it!”
The girl didn’t respond to that.
She only said,
“As for the money, I’ll pay you back.”
Hearing those flippant words, Su Li’s anger surged even more.
“I don’t want that money anymore. Consider it money thrown away. And I hope you won’t disturb my life in the future!”
After saying that, Su Li turned and walked away.
He walked fast, as if fleeing.
He was afraid You Xue would say something else to hurt him.
His mind was a mess.
The images of the past overlapped with the scene just now.
There was her smiling gently at him, and also her speaking coldly just now.
Which one was real?
Maybe both were.
Everyone changes.
Every relationship changes.
No connection is eternal.
What he missed was the her from before, but the her now had nothing to do with him anymore.
Su Li’s footsteps slowed.
He didn’t even know which direction to go.
His thoughts were still chaotic, but he remembered that at the end, she had whispered something.
Her voice wasn’t loud, and Su Li heard it vaguely.
The words seemed to be,
“I’m not You Xue after all.”
That face, no longer childish but still beautiful, the soft gray-white hair, the curved eyelashes, and those eyes that used to sparkle but now seemed a bit dull.
She had been his childhood friend, so how could he not recognize her?
Of course, she still was, but they had already parted ways.
Bitterness still filled his heart.
Finally, he reached the academy gate and remembered,
He had agreed to eat with his classmates.
Su Li decided not to go.
He turned and walked toward the academy.
Right now, he just wanted to rest.
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