Little Fish and Mint - Chapter 4

Everything went black for Xu Yitong.

Conquer: [Don’t tell me you didn’t know? [surprised]]

Conquer: [It’s okay, now you know [haha]]

After several minutes of silence, Chen Yuzheng finally sent a voice message: “So, what did you want?”

Sad Zhenzhen: [Screw you]

Conquer: [Told you not to ask. Now you’re upset. XD]

Sad Zhenzhen: [When did I ask you?!]

Conquer: [.]

Sad Zhenzhen: [Just you wait. Yu Ge’s going to kill you.]

…

…

“What?!” Moli exclaimed, her voice rising.

“Your Brother’s dating?! Yu Ge’s sister?!”

Xu Yitong rolled down the car window, sighing.

Just days ago, she and Chen Yuzheng had been commiserating over their love lives.

Heaven, please, she thought. Shouldn’t sincere people like me find happiness first?

Moli peeled an orange, worried. “Yu Ge is a huge deal, with so many fans… Is Your Brother going to get ripped apart for this?”

Cai Cai, oblivious to esports, asked, “How huge?”

“Massive,” Moli said, recalling the scene at the venue.

“The fan support was like a concert. I thought only guys watched esports, but Yu Ge’s fans were eighty percent female. Crazy popular.”

“That popular?” Cai Cai understood. “No wonder Xu Yitong can’t get him.”

Annoyed, Xu Yitong snapped. “Does anyone care about me? My cousin’s dating my crush’s sister! He’s happy, but what about me?”

Cai Cai said calmly, “Isn’t this great? Be happy with them.”

Xu Yitong: “?”

“You’re practically family with your crush now,” Cai Cai said, enjoying her misery. “One big happy family.”

“…”

Xu Yitong was speechless.

✧✧✧

Back home, sweaty and dragging the rejected twenty-pound gift, Xu Yitong immediately showered.

A message from her mother: [Baby, what’s wrong? Back to Sad Zhenzhen?]

Zhenzhen was Xu Yitong’s nickname, meaning “precious pearl,” given by her grandfather. When Chen Yuzheng was born, they called him Zhengzheng. Xu Yitong, feeling her nickname was being copied, had secretly retaliated against the defenseless baby.

Her WeChat nickname reflected her mood: Happy Zhenzhen, Sad Zhenzhen, or Pretty Zhenzhen.

She made up an excuse: [Nothing. Just fought with Cai Yishi.]

Chen Bolan: [Still acting like children at your age.]

After the day’s emotional rollercoaster and her friends’ teasing, Xu Yitong felt strangely calm.

She applied a face mask and began dismantling the gift. Reaching the fish pendant filled her with melancholy.

She should have put that on top.

Sigh…

At least the cookies had a few months before they expired.

Surely she could give them away before then.

…

Before bed, she scrolled through Douyin.

When unhappy, she liked mindless entertainment.

Hoping to distract herself, she kept seeing Yu Ge content due to her frequent searches.

Usually, it was highlight reels. While she didn’t understand them, she enjoyed the commentators’ excitement.

Today, however, the algorithm suggested a romantic “shipper” video of Yu Ge.

It was even trending?!

She was wide awake.

The title: “A Weirdly Appealing Ship: Cold Beauty Host x Cold ADC” with a “Fans, do not enter” disclaimer.

Furious, she clicked on it.

The host with the long, black hair…

She remembered. The one Yiyi had pointed out.

The video began with the host, in a qipao, tilting her head towards Yu Ge, smiling faintly. “Shall we begin?”

Yu Ge took the microphone.

A normal interview, deceptively edited – in Xu Yitong’s opinion.

A glance from Yu Ge, lasting a second, was stretched into an eternity.

When the host repeated a question, and Yu Ge leaned down to listen, it was captioned: “Her exclusive gentleness, his rare patience.”

Jealousy and bitterness consumed her.

She sat up, checking the comments, which were even more infuriating.

Top comment: Anyone else get this ice king/ice queen pairing?

Xu Yitong replied: [I don’t]

Second comment: The more aloof, the bigger the difference in private. Cold in public, “wild” in private…

She reported the comment.

Third comment: They’re meant to be.

Xu Yitong replied: [They’re not a match at all]

She replied to fifty comments, finally exhausted.

Late at night, the video creator, seeing the ID “Angry Zhenzhen,” wondered where this argumentative commenter had come from.

✧✧✧

Xu Yitong had been feeling down.

Usually, her worries were fleeting. She never enjoyed studying, reading, or contemplating life. Her family often said Zhenzhen would be happy anywhere.

But Yu Ge had been on her mind for days.

She dabbled in divination. A friend, after checking her chart, hesitantly suggested incompatibility with Yu Ge. Unconvinced, she checked their zodiac compatibility – a dismal ten percent. Even tarot was unclear.

She concluded Western methods were unsuitable, deciding to try traditional Chinese practices.

Following her cleaning lady’s advice, she joined a queue at a fortune-telling stall in the park.

A simple banner read: “Resolving worries, revealing the future. (No charge if inaccurate)”

“What do you want to know?” the fortune teller asked.

“My romantic prospects.”

The fortune teller studied her birth chart. “Your fate is good. No major calamities. Excellent romantic luck. The Heavenly Joy star indicates a good marriage partner.”

“Really?” Sitting on a small stool, she confided, “But I recently fell for someone, and it’s not going well.”

The fortune teller, wearing dark sunglasses, said, “I see signs of blossoming romance in your chart and face.”

“Huh?”

The fortune teller pinched their fingers. “Swallows fly high behind you. Swallows bring children, romance arrives. Today is an auspicious day.”

“Today?”

“When heaven wills it, there will be auspicious signs.”

…

…

Skeptical, Xu Yitong paid the forty yuan.

Walking home, wondering about the auspicious signs, Yiyi called.

“Tongtong! I saw a dress perfect for you and bought it. Where are you? I’ll bring it over.”

Xu Yitong was surprised. “Aw, you shouldn’t have!”

Yiyi chuckled. “Consider it a thank you for all your gifts.”

Xu Yitong checked the time. “Where are you? I’m free. I can come to you.”

Following Yiyi’s directions, she drove for half an hour.

They met at a pedestrian street.

With limited shared history, the conversation naturally turned to Yu Ge.

Remembering the video, Xu Yitong asked about the host.

Yiyi smiled. “Why the sudden interest?”

“I saw them online,” Xu Yitong admitted.

“I heard Mi Yin did like Fish. But she’s too proud to chase someone after being rejected.”

Xu Yitong hummed, looking down.

Yiyi clarified, “I wasn’t implying anything about you.”

“It’s fine,” Xu Yitong said cheerfully. “There’s no shame in pursuing someone you like.”

Yiyi suddenly said, “I heard from Roy that something happened at Fish’s home.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“Not sure. He hasn’t been at the base.”

They wandered around, chatting. Yiyi bought some mooncakes for Roy and the team.

The OG base was nearby, so Xu Yitong gave her a ride.

It was her first time there.

No wonder OG was called a “rich team.” Their jerseys were covered in sponsors. The owner was wealthy; their base was a villa in the expensive Puxi district.

Dropping Yiyi off, Xu Yitong asked, “Need me to wait?”

“No, thanks. I’ll spend some time with my boyfriend. Thanks for the ride!” Yiyi unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Okay,” Xu Yitong waved. “Let’s hang out again.”

“Sounds good!”

Xu Yitong watched Yiyi enter. As she was leaving, a sharp pain shot through her heel. The skin was raw and bleeding. She parked near a convenience store to buy a band-aid.

Afterward, feeling hungry, she bought some oden.

Sitting by the window, eating, she wondered about the fortune teller’s prediction.

Why was today auspicious?

Should she message Yu Ge?

She hesitated. He’d been so cold. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to contact him again?

Darkness fell quickly.

She felt like she’d only been there a few minutes, but stepping out, the neon lights were on.

Eating ice cream, she thought about Yiyi’s words. She decided to message Chen Yuzheng:

[Heard something happened at Yu Ge’s home. Know anything? Is Yu Nuo okay?]

As she typed, she debated messaging Yu Ge.

Lost in thought, she stumbled.

She looked up, nearly falling, and saw someone on a nearby bench.

Black T-shirt, jeans, white sneakers.

The side profile looked familiar…

She thought she was hallucinating.

Under the streetlight, she realized…

It was Yu Ge!

Her mind went blank. The fortune teller had been right!

She paced nearby, hesitant.

Hiding behind a tree, she watched him.

He always seemed expressionless, but today, she sensed unhappiness.

He sat hunched over, opening bag after bag of cookies.

Eating cookies alone at night. Strange.

She walked past, pretending not to notice.

He continued eating, oblivious.

She walked back.

“Yu Ge, what are you doing here?” she asked, feigning surprise.

He looked up.

“I just dropped Yiyi off. What a coincidence,” she explained nervously.

He stared.

She noticed an empty beer bottle by his feet.

Had he been drinking?

Her heart leaped.

Watching his reaction, she cautiously sat beside him. He didn’t object.

Another surge of joy.

“You remember me, right…?” she asked tentatively.

He didn’t answer, opening another bag of cookies.

He remained silent.

Was he drunk?

Just as she gave up hope, she heard two words—

“SpongeBob.”

Stunned by the bizarre response, she asked, “Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh…” She played along excitedly. “Good evening, Patrick! Want to go jellyfishing?”

He stopped opening the cookies.

She heard a chuckle.

He studied her, then said casually, “Your ice cream is melting.”

Had Yu Ge just smiled at her?

Dumbfounded, she dropped her ice cream.