What's Wrong With Being Fifteen Years Older Than Me?! - Chapter 12

“But how did you know I was Ye Li?” the girl asked, her hand in her uniform jacket pocket. Her ponytail swayed in the wind. She was alert and calm.

“They said you’re the tall, cool, and pretty new student from the first year,” the boy said, turning his head to look at her again with a smile. “The rumors were true.”

Ye Li didn’t react or say anything else. She just followed him as he quickly turned into an alley. After a short, narrow, and damp passage, the area suddenly opened up. The seemingly ordinary alley held a world of its own, with a bustling internet cafe, a pool hall, and a mahjong room, their neon lights blinking rhythmically.

The boy pushed open the glass door of the pool hall, and everyone inside turned to look at them.

“Ye Li, what are you doing here?” Qin Shu frowned, looking annoyed. There was an emotion in her eyes that was hard to read, as if she didn’t want Ye Li to get involved in this mess.

“Well, look at that. Another pretty girl. The quality of girls from Jingchuan High is pretty high,” a young man with bleached hair, dressed like a street punk, whistled.

“Zhao Zhijie, what’s wrong with you? Why did you bring her here?” Qin Shu scolded him unceremoniously.

Ye Li asked calmly, “He said you were stuck here. What’s going on?”

“It’s none of your business. Go home,” Qin Shu said, taking a big step toward her and grabbing her arm to push her away.

But as she turned, several tattooed young men blocked their way. The bleached-haired boy leaned his head to the side, one foot on a stool. His tone was lazy. “Don’t be in such a hurry, little girl. Why don’t you stay and play for a bit?”

“Brother Zhang, she’s my younger friend. It has nothing to do with her. Let her go. Do what you want with me, okay?” Qin Shu said, trying to smile and reason with him.

“What’s going on?” Ye Li whispered, tugging on Qin Shu’s uniform.

Qin Shu said, “It’s too complicated to explain right now. I’ll tell you later.”

“How about I tell her, little girl? Your friend hooked up with my girlfriend. They’re openly playing a lesbian game. How do you expect me to deal with that?” The bleached-haired young man was fuming, and his smile became more sarcastic and angry.

Ye Li looked at Qin Shu in disbelief.

Qin Shu spread her hands in exasperation. “Do you believe that? His girlfriend came on to me. I didn’t even acknowledge her.”

“This isn’t the time to explain to me. Just figure out how to get us out of here,” Ye Li said.

“Brother Zhang, let her go. You can deal with me,” Qin Shu said, pulling Ye Li behind her. But since Ye Li had come, she wasn’t going to abandon her friend.

She stepped forward and said, “Tell me, what do you want?”

“You’re pretty cool, little girl. I like it,” the bleached-haired young man said, his eyes darting around. He rested his tongue on his cheek for a couple of seconds, thinking. “How about this? It’s fate that we met here today. You can play a few games of pool with me. If you can beat me in three games, I’ll let you both go. We can call it making a new friend. But there is a second way to help your friend.”

“What’s the second way?” Ye Li asked, her face unchanged.

“Be my girlfriend,” the bleached-haired young man said with a smirk.

As soon as he finished, Qin Shu immediately spoke up. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Okay, I’ll play. You said three games, right?” Qin Shu whispered to her, “Do you know how to play?”

“There’s no other way. I can’t actually let him make you his girlfriend, can I?” Ye Li muttered, her eyes lowered.

Just then, the pool hall door opened, and a familiar, gentle voice called out. “Xiaoli.”

Lu Zhiyun had arrived at the most unfortunate moment. She had just heard everything from outside. Although she didn’t know the full story, it was clear that Xiaoli and her classmate were being held by these thugs. The woman, in her long violet dress, was stunningly beautiful, and all the men and women in the room stared at her. Especially the leader of the group, the bleached-haired young man, who cursed under his breath and jumped off his chair. “Holy crap, what a catch. I must be having a lucky day.”

“Auntie Lu, how did you…” Ye Li’s face was still in shock.

Before she could finish, the woman gently took her arm and walked forward, signaling that she would handle everything.

“Excuse me, beautiful lady…” The bleached-haired boy’s tone became sickeningly sweet.

Lu Zhiyun interrupted him, her expression calm. “Snooker, right? I’ll play you.”

“No way. Why am I getting all the luck today? Beautiful girls and beautiful women are all coming to me. What am I supposed to do?” the bleached-haired young man said, feigning a difficult choice.

“I’ll play you in seven games. If I win all seven, I’ll take them and leave. If I lose, I’ll be your girlfriend.” The woman’s naturally soft and magnetic voice was now filled with incredible resolve and calm.

“No, you can’t!” Ye Li was the first to object.

Qin Shu nudged her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Your Auntie probably wouldn’t have said that unless she was sure.”

The bleached-haired young man rubbed his chin, thought for a second, and then said, “Deal.” He sauntered over, picked up a pool cue, and offered it to the woman, his flattery obvious. The charm and attraction of a mature woman were too much for these twenty-something youths to resist.

The younger guys around him had already started celebrating as if Lu Zhiyun’s loss was a foregone conclusion. But Ye Li was sweating. The thought of Auntie Lu becoming his girlfriend if she lost made her feel incredibly uneasy.

However, she had underestimated the woman’s abilities. Or perhaps, there were still many more charms she hadn’t yet shown. Although Ye Li didn’t know how to play pool, she could see the bleached-haired young man’s face turn more and more ugly. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

“You’re about to win. Your auntie is really good,” Qin Shu said, watching the game with her arms crossed, feeling a sense of relief.

The final ball went in, and the bleached-haired boy lost all seven games. His face was a sight to behold. The onlookers, who hadn’t seen such a skilled winning streak in a long time, were so excited they almost started clapping. They stopped themselves when they realized who they were rooting for.

“Xiaoli, let’s go home,” Lu Zhiyun said, putting down the cue and turning to leave. But the tattooed young men blocked their way again.

Lu Zhiyun glanced at her phone. She was ready to press the call button to call the police.

“Let them go. Just let them go. A deal’s a deal. You can’t go back on your word if you want to make it out here.” The bleached-haired young man was extremely upset, but he tried to maintain what little face he had left. He never imagined that the woman would be so good.

Finally, they were out of the alley and back on the bustling street. Qin Shu was about to say something, but her phone rang. “I have to go. Ye Li, thank your auntie for me. I’ll thank her properly another time.” The girl with her bag scurried away and disappeared into the crowd.

In an instant, it was just Ye Li and Auntie Lu. Maybe it was her imagination, but Ye Li felt that the other woman’s mood was off.

“I didn’t know you were so good at pool, Auntie Lu,” the girl said, awkwardly taking a step forward to start a conversation.

Lu Zhiyun lowered her gaze and turned to her. “Xiaoli, you shouldn’t hang out with people like that. It’s not good for you.”

The girl pursed her lips, about to explain.

“I know you were trying to help your friend. But I don’t want there to be a next time. Your father entrusted you to me, and I have to be responsible for your safety.”

Hearing her speak about responsibility, a rebellious feeling rose inside Ye Li. “I get it. You’re here to watch over me for my dad. But I’m old enough now. I can take care of myself.”

The girl left without looking back, her fingers clenched tightly. After only a few steps, she started to regret her words. Auntie Lu hadn’t said anything wrong. Why was I so stubborn?

Watching Ye Li walk away, Lu Zhiyun was in a daze for a moment. She wondered if she had been too harsh. Xiaoli wasn’t a twelve-year-old girl anymore. She was a teenager now, with her own thoughts and her own temper.

Ye Li went back to the apartment building alone but didn’t go upstairs right away. She waited on the ground floor, as if waiting for something. Not long after, the slender, purple figure appeared in the night. The girl nervously swallowed. The warm, yellow streetlight shone on the woman’s gentle face, and she smiled at Ye Li.

The girl pursed her lips and returned a subtle smile of her own. In that moment, it was as if they hadn’t said anything at all, and yet everything had been said.

The two of them went upstairs, one after the other. Lu Zhiyun broke the silence, answering the girl’s previous question. “I once participated in an amateur snooker competition in the Chinese community in the US and won first place.”

So that’s how it was. Ye Li, who was walking in front, clenched her fingers and asked, “Our school has a sports meet next week. Are you coming to watch, Auntie Lu?”

“Did you sign up for any events, Xiaoli?” the woman’s gentle voice came from behind her in the dim hallway.

“I signed up for the 100-meter dash.”

“I’ll be there.”