After Being Reborn, I Had A Bad Ending With My First Love. - Chapter 9

Yan Sui shook her head.
“We weren’t acquainted before. I only got to know Yu Shuli after joining the choir.”

In fact, when she first joined the choir, she and Yu Shuli weren’t close at all.

At that time, Yan Sui was the lead singer, and she was focused entirely on “how to be a good lead.” With more than twenty people in the choir, apart from Tan Shu—her friend from before she joined—she hardly had any impression of the others.

So, compared to the days after she entered the choir, Yan Sui always felt their true first meeting happened in the alley by the neighborhood in front of the school.

No. 1 High School was located in the western part of Sucheng City. Compared to the bustling city center and the more developed eastern district, the west seemed much more run-down. Old residential compounds stretched across the west side, and right in front of their school sat a chaotic urban village.

It wasn’t the only school in the area either: a technical school, a middle school, and two elementary schools all surrounded the village, hemming it in at the center. Because of this, many internet cafés and arcade halls sprung up inside. They became gathering places for truant boarders from nearby schools and idling youths with nothing better to do.

For some reason, public security in that area had gotten particularly bad during that period.

That night, after choir practice ended, it was already ten o’clock.

Tan Shu’s parents were away on a business trip, so she planned to stay at her grandparents’ place. After practice was dismissed, she left with another student who lived in the same direction.

Yan Sui stayed behind in the hall to tidy up. By the time she was done, the room was already empty.

She locked up the rehearsal hall as usual and hurried toward the school gate.

It was late, the campus was deserted, and the security guard at the entrance was yawning.

The last bus had long since gone, so Yan Sui planned to walk to the intersection ahead and catch a taxi. But as she passed the school gate, she noticed a girl standing to the side whose face looked somewhat familiar.

The girl clutched her phone, staring at it anxiously. The screen lit up and dimmed, again and again, her panic growing more obvious each time.

Perhaps because she realized Yan Sui had stopped and was staring, she finally looked over.

Yan Sui immediately recognized her as a fellow choir member and took the initiative to speak:
“Is something wrong?”

As if Yan Sui’s words had opened a floodgate, the girl’s eyes instantly welled with tears.
“I can’t reach my family. They were supposed to pick me up.”

Yan Sui hesitated, then asked, “Where do you live?”

“Just across in the urban village.”

At that, Yan Sui immediately understood why the girl would rather wait here alone.

Lately, that village had seen an influx of local thugs. The school repeatedly warned students not to linger there after dark. Those who lived there were told by their parents to wait at school until someone came to fetch them.

Yan Sui herself had been avoiding that area, not wanting unnecessary trouble.

But she also couldn’t just abandon a fellow choir member.

She steeled herself and said, “I’ll walk you home.”

After all, this was a law-abiding society—two people were safer than one.

The girl, truly frightened, nodded quickly through tears.

It had been raining for days. The village’s drainage was poor, and the place reeked of damp rot.

As they passed a food stall, a group of men in flashy T-shirts sat drinking, their table littered with beer bottles. The stench of cigarettes mixed with the heavy smell of rain-soaked earth.

The men jeered and cursed in dialect, their ruddy faces betraying their drunkenness.

As Yan Sui and the girl walked by, a few of them narrowed their eyes, their leering gazes trailing after the girls.

The girl’s grip on Yan Sui’s arm tightened. Yan Sui patted her hand in reassurance and quickened her pace.

When the noise behind them finally faded, Yan Sui glanced back and saw they had put considerable distance between themselves and the stall. She exhaled in relief.

The girl’s house was at the far end of the alley. After dropping her off, Yan Sui didn’t linger, planning to leave while things were still relatively quiet.

She had just braced herself to run out of the alley when the girl suddenly tugged on her backpack, stopping her.

“What is it?”

The girl’s hand slid from the strap to Yan Sui’s arm. In a soft voice, she said:
“It’s so late… that place is dangerous. If you don’t mind, you could stay at my place tonight. I’m sorry—it’s my fault for holding you up. But it’s unsafe for you to walk back alone. I was too scared to make the walk by myself, and I don’t want you to go through it either.”

Her words carried a sincerity born of hesitation, and Yan Sui felt a warmth rise in her heart.

She wasn’t a saint, but the solidarity between girls in such a moment felt deeply touching.

Yan Sui grinned.
“It’s okay. I’m not afraid.”

“But—”

“If you’re worried, then check on me tomorrow at school!”

Not wanting to argue further, Yan Sui waved lightly, then ran off before the girl could reply.

When she passed the food stall again, she saw those same men standing squarely across her return path, smoking.

The urban village had one main road running east to west, with countless dark side alleys branching off.

Only the main road had working streetlights. The alleys relied on the dim glow of household bulbs.

Yan Sui thought quickly. The side alleys were too dark and deserted—if someone lurked there, she’d be trapped. The main road, at least, still had open shops and passersby.

She tightened her grip on her backpack straps and strode forward, heart pounding.

As she neared the men, one of them suddenly stepped away from the trash bin, moving toward her.

She sucked in a breath, gauging her odds of breaking through. If she sprinted, she could probably make it.

But just as she was about to dash forward, urgent footsteps sounded behind her.

“Run!”

Before she could react, someone seized her arm and pulled her along.

The boy’s pace was fast, his grip firm, forcing Yan Sui to run much faster than usual. She didn’t even have time to see who it was before they had sprinted all the way out of the village to the main gate.

Outside, the street was safer. They crossed to the other side before stopping, both panting heavily.

Once Yan Sui caught her breath, she finally looked at the boy.

The instant their eyes met, he abruptly let go of her wrist, realizing how forward his action had been. He scratched his head awkwardly.
“Sorry. It was an emergency—I didn’t have time to ask.”

Yan Sui recognized him as one of the choir members, also a classmate of Tan Shu.

She quickly waved her hand.
“No, it’s fine. Thanks to you, I don’t know if I’d have made it out otherwise!”

The boy’s blush deepened, spreading to his ears. He kept his gaze averted.
“I’m Yu Shuli, from Science Class One. Same choir as you.”

“I remember—you’re in the same class as Tan Shu, right? I’m Yan Sui.”

“I know.” His voice was quiet.

She didn’t notice his expression and simply asked why he had been there.

Yu Shuli explained that he had been eating supper nearby when he saw her surrounded by those men. Sensing trouble, he acted on instinct and pulled her away.

It made sense, and Yan Sui didn’t think much more of it. After chatting briefly, she went to hail a taxi.

Plenty of cabs worked the night shift, and she soon flagged one down.

After confirming the destination with the driver, she pulled the door open.
“Then I’ll head off. Thanks again for tonight.”

But just as she was about to get in, her arm was grabbed again.

Startled, she looked back.

Though Yu Shuli was holding her arm, he still kept a respectful distance.

Meeting her eyes, he voiced his concern:
“It’s really late… If you don’t mind, let me take you home.”

Yan Sui couldn’t even remember later why she had agreed to his offer.

She only remembered that from that night on, she truly came to know Yu Shuli.

Not just a name anymore—this was the first story that drew them closer.