My cool and academically gifted childhood friend fell for a delinquent.

She said he was a breath of fresh air, unlike anyone else, brightening her monotonous life like a ray of light.

She cut classes to go on dates with him. She brawled and street-raced for him.

She left me without a second thought for him in the midst of a fire.

My decade of secret love was reduced to ashes in that inferno.

Later, I went overseas and never laid eyes on her again.

But I never anticipated that a decade later, I’d cross paths with her again at a business conference.

I thought she’d married her old flame and was living happily ever after. But she locked eyes with me and broke down in tears right there.

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been searching for you?”

01

I met Maria again at a business banquet.

She was lost in thought, her head bowed, revealing a swan-like, snow-white neck beneath her jet-black hair.

Despite the bustling crowd around her, she seemed to have created an aura of aloofness around herself.

She was strikingly noticeable at first glance.

After ten years, she seemed even colder than before, looking at others with eyes as unthawed as the snow on an ice field.

Perhaps only when she looked at Tom did the snow melt into the warmth of spring.

She didn’t see me, only lowering her gaze with a slight impatience in her brows and eyes.

Seeing me staring at her, my friend whispered, “That’s Maria, who took over the family business right after returning from abroad.

She’s a high-flying graduate from Oxford, and she managed to control the board of directors right away.

She’s not one of those brainless rich second-generation kids.”

“Pretty, isn’t she?” He winked and gave a suggestive smile.

“She’s the classic rich and beautiful heroine. They say the line of men pursuing her could stretch from Tucson Street to the main road. Why don’t you go and meet her?”

I didn’t say a word, but my mind involuntarily conjured up images of the Maria from the past.

At seventeen, Maria’s skin was so pale it seemed translucent in the sunlight.

Her eyes, looking at me earnestly, carried a faint smile, and her voice was like ice melting in a spring stream.

“Dominic, let’s study together at Tsinghua University in the future?”

That was a memory from too long ago, but I had forgotten it for so long that I couldn’t remember it clearly anymore.

However, when I thought about it again, it was still so vivid that it felt like yesterday.

I put my glass back on the tray being carried by the waiter and said softly, “No, thanks.” “Let’s go.”

At that moment, Maria’s gaze swept over from not far away, and then abruptly lingered on me.

She was stunned.

Then, she suddenly pushed through the crowd and strode toward me, and finally, she even started running in a hurry, her high heels making a hurried tapping sound on the floor.

“Dominic…?!” she exclaimed loudly, her voice carrying a trace of incredulous tremble. I’m not sure if I was mistaken, but her eyes seemed a little red.

I pretended not to notice.

I turned around and left.

02

My story with Maria is not particularly unique.

Our families have been close since we were young, and we were even born in the same hospital, one after the other.

We were the epitome of childhood friends.

Maria has been proud since birth, thinking that everyone in the world except her was unworthy.

Even in elementary school, her love letters could have filled half a drawer, and she never read a single one, only tearing them up expressionlessly in front of the little boys and tossing them in the trash can.

She had every reason to be proud, with a wealthy family background, exquisite looks, and a high IQ.

At three, she began poring over the Oxford Dictionary, and at eleven, she breached her father’s company’s firewall to obtain confidential documents, making her father leap in a mix of anger and pride but also helplessly proud to show off.

But with me, she toned it down.

Maria never skipped a grade, as she put it, I was so slow, if she didn’t stick by me, I’d be lost.

So after school every day, I would go to her house, or she would come to mine, tutoring me while we played.

She’d even rap my head with a pen, scolding me, frustrated that I wasn’t getting any smarter: “Dominic, how many times have I explained such a simple problem, are you an idiot?”

Under the daily tutoring of a genius tutor like Maria, even a slowpoke like me should have caught on.

Since we were young, our grades were always first and second place, and in life, we were inseparable, like peas and carrots.

Her mother often teased that we were so close it was like we were wearing the same pants, joking with my mother about arranging a childhood marriage.

Every time she said that, I would blush and not say a word, but in my heart, I was overjoy.

Who wouldn’t love Maria?

She’s so beautiful and talented.

And she shows me such unabashed favoritism.

If the story ended there, it would be a sweet childhood sweetheart ending.

Unfortunately, not long after that, Tim appeared.

03

Tim is unlike any boy I’ve met before.

Some might see him as a maverick, a free spirit. But let’s be frank, he was a thug, plain and simple.

He transferred in his sophomore year, booted from his old school after some undisclosed drama.

He was a chronic class-skimmer, always off having a good time instead of paying attention.

Unlike the other boys in their uniformed conformity, he sported a snug black tank, his abs and tats on full display, drawing the girls’ covert glances.

He was a serial dater, having tapped just about every pretty girl in school.

Gossip didn’t faze him; he used his dating tales as icebreakers, no shame.

He ran with the rough crowd, locking lips with punk-haired girls in plain sight.

Post-school, he’d hop on his bike, gum in mouth, and with a single roar of the engine, the girl clinging to him would let out a thrill scream, all under the prying eyes of onlookers.

In a sea of sameness, he was a standout, a one-off firework, grabbing everyone’s gaze. This included Maria.

Typically, someone like Tom and Maria should have remained in separate orbits.

One was a perennial underachiever, a small-time thug whose parents were compulsive gamblers who never cared for him, and teachers turned a blind eye to his existence.

The other was a top student, always ranking first, from a wealthy family, self-disciplined, and the pride of teachers and parents.

Yet, they crossed paths nonetheless.

The first time Tom sent her a love letter, Maria threw it straight into the trash.

Then, Tom personally delivered a second love letter.

He cornered Maria, grinning mischievously as he pinned her hands above her head and leaned in to whisper through a cloud of white smoke, “Maria, I’ve set my sights on you.” “Go out with me.”

Many boys liked Maria, but none dared to pursue her so boldly.

I thought Maria would reject him as mercilessly as she did others.

But for the first time, she appeared somewhat flustered, her earlobes turning a deep red. Thus, Maria and Tom began dating.

According to her, Tom was a vibrant presence unlike anyone else, like a beam of light illuminating her monotonous life.

When I waited for Maria at the school gate, I would often encounter Tom with his arm draped around her neck.

He would grin at Maria, winking playfully, “Your little childhood friend is waiting for you. Do you want to do homework with him?”

His friends would start laughing and teasing, “Yeah, Maria, go home and hit the books. Dominic is eagerly waiting for you!”

I felt a pang of discomfort and frowned, my gaze locking onto Maria.

But she merely gave me a fleeting glance before hooking her arm through Tom’s and turning to leave.

She didn’t utter a single word to me from start to finish. Tom turned back, giving me a pitying yet mocking smile.

I lingered at the school gate for what felt like an eternity, my heart heavy, before finally bowing my head and leaving alone.

Tom didn’t like me and forbade Maria from being with me.

Consequently, Maria stopped seeking me out, and when I sought her, she always coldly rebuffed me.

She no longer joined me at the library for quiet reading sessions, nor did she accompany me home to help me with my homework. Instead, she began skipping classes with Tom to go on dates.

She fought with delinquent girls outside of school for his sake.

She even secretly drove her family’s car to go street racing with him.

That year, at the end of the semester, it was the first time in my life that I surpassed Maria to become the top student in the grade.

And her grades plummeted.

Maria’s parents were almost driven mad with anger, and her teachers earnestly tried to persuade her, but she was as if bewitched, obsessed with Tom.

In the end, I was asked by Maria’s mother to find Maria. I hesitated, knowing deep down that Maria wouldn’t heed my words.

But I still went. For the sake of the girl who once playfully rapped my head for being slow yet promised to conquer Tsinghua University by my side.

She was clad in daringly short skirt and fishnet tights, her hair dyed a shocking yellow, and her fingers adorned with a myriad of skull-shaped rings.

She was smoking with Tom in a back alley.

Then, through the haze of white smoke, they shared a kiss, a stark contrast to the meticulous girl she once was. I walked over and pulled

“Dominic, Maria is my girl, why would she take the college entrance exam with you for Tsinghua?”

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

My face drained of color as I looked at Maria, but she merely averted her gaze.

“Why don’t we let her choose?”

“So you can stop being so persistent, always ogling someone else’s girl.”

Tom blew out a puff of smoke and nudged Maria with his elbow.

“Choose yourself, him or me?”

To this day, I still remember that brief yet long evening.

The sunset was a fierce and decadent burnt red, and I stood there, waiting for Maria’s judgment.

After a moment, she lifted the corner of her mouth, revealing a mocking smile.

Then, in front of me, she locked lips with Tom in a deep kiss.

After the kiss, she looked into his eyes and said, “Duh, what do you think?”

04

I walked quickly, got into my car right away. Behind me, Maria, as pale as paper, stood at the entrance, frantically looking around but didn’t see me.

The streetlights stretched her shadow thin and long, hinting at a fragility that could barely withstand a single break.

I leaned against the driver’s seat and lit a cigarette. I never used to smoke. It was a habit I picked up after I went abroad.

Tobacco aren’t much of a joyride, but it helps you forget your troubles for a bit.

The reason I go abroad was almost getting barbecued alive.

That afternoon when I went looking for Maria, the gangster who had fought with Tom came looking for trouble.

Rumor had it, his sister had a thing with Tom and even got an abortion for him.

Later, she tried to get back with him but was slapped by Maria.

That little punk couldn’t hold his grudge and called in his big bro from the underworld.

That afternoon, the three of us were tied up and thrown into a minivan.

Tom was beaten particularly hard, his body covered in blood.

Then the three of us were left in an abandoned warehouse, waiting for the so-called big brother to deal with us.

Young bodies are resilient; although we looked terrible, they were mostly superficial wounds.

Tom woke up quickly and managed to rub through the ropes binding his hands.

The warehouse had two doors. Maria had always enjoyed taking things apart, including the lock on our front door.

She picked the lock with a piece of wire, and just as the three of us were about to hit the road, the thugs heard a sound and kicked the door open.

My eyes instinctively turned to Maria, and in that split second, her gaze fell on Tom.

She grabbed his hand and hit the road. My hand hung in mid-air, my entire body suddenly ice-cold.

As Tom left, he didn’t forget to slam the door shut in front of me! It was just a second too late, and I couldn’t escape.

I haven’t recalled what happened after that day for a long time.

That thug knew me, knew that Maria and I were childhood friends.

With Maria and Tom gone, the thugs took out their anger on me.

I was beaten with a stick until one of my legs was broken, and I don’t know how many times I was hit the whole nine yards. In the end, I was barely breathing.

Finally, the thugs set a fire in the warehouse.

The fire was hot, scorching, drying my eyes so much that I couldn’t shed a tear.

But I only felt cold.

Freezing cold.