Eat Less Fish in the Future - Chapter 1
“My rebellious life got back on track because of her.”
—
Zheng Yimian came out of the subway station just as she received a message from the class monitor in the class group chat.
In the voice message, the class monitor reminded repeatedly. “Let me remind everyone one more time, our gathering location is at the Hequan Resort Hotel. It’s a 15-minute walk from the subway exit. Don’t go to the wrong place, everyone.”
This was their high school graduation gathering, held to celebrate the start of their new college life.
After listening to the voice message, Zheng Yimian opened the map app, checked the navigation route to make sure she wasn’t going the wrong way, and then quickened her pace, walking in the sticky, stuffy air of the summer night.
At the end of July, W City could still be called a furnace, with the heat palpable even at night.
Air conditioner units tirelessly pumped out hot air, while street-side shops were brightly lit with their doors tightly shut, refusing to let the hot wind sneak inside.
As she was nearing her destination, she heard intermittent crying coming from a nearby alley.
“Please, don’t do this…”
Zheng Yimian thought the voice sounded familiar. She paused her steps involuntarily, turned towards the alley entrance, and peered inside using the dim streetlight.
The crying boy was called Li Tian, a person with mental disabilities from their high school. He was a loner who sometimes had trouble speaking clearly. Though he appeared somewhat simple-minded, he was definitely not a bad person — once, when she was coming out of the teacher’s office, someone had knocked her assignments to the ground, and Li Tian had helped her pick them up.
However, because he looked easy to bully, some people in the school specifically took pleasure in tormenting him.
This gathering included many classes together, so naturally, they would encounter people from other classes.
Two people were standing in front of Li Tian. At that moment, the leader was pulling off Li Tian’s suit jacket and waving it around. “Oh, our Tiantian is wearing a suit today, so formal. What were you planning to do?”
The other person kicked Li Tian. “What, did you think wearing something fancy would hide the fact that you’re an idiot?”
Li Tian shrank his shoulders, his eyes showing fear, but he still pleaded weakly. “Can you please give me back my clothes?”
“To hell with you!” Someone directly kicked Li Tian to the ground, making him sit, “You’re lucky if you can leave here standing, and you still hope I’ll let you wear something this nice? Do you deserve it? The clothes are confiscated!”
Li Tian shook his head, trying to grab his clothes. “No, you can’t do this…”
“What can’t we do?!” That voice sounded vicious and menacing, “You’ve grown some courage today, huh? Daring to touch me, I’ll fucking make you…”
Before the person could finish speaking, he raised his hand, preparing to punch Li Tian.
As the fist was about to land, it was suddenly caught mid-air by someone else and pushed aside.
Another voice, lazy yet with a hint of roguishness, rang out. It wasn’t particularly loud or soft, but somehow carried an intimidating authority.
“Make him what?”
Zheng Yimian covered her mouth, but felt relieved inside.
Someone had come.
Among the group of small-time thugs, someone recognized the newcomer. “Liang Yu?!”
The dim light vaguely outlined his profile, blurring the details.
His side profile cast on the wall looked smooth and attractive, with a high, straight nose bridge and thin, tightly closed lips. His features were deep-set and pleasing to the eye. The top of his hair was fluffy, carrying the same air of casual indifference as the rest of him.
He tilted his head, and although he seemed to be smiling, his tone was wrapped in a layer of frightening danger. “I’m asking you a question.”
Of the two thugs, one had already started trembling. “Bro Jiang, Liang Yu is here. We can’t beat him, let’s run.”
The one called Bro Jiang was initially still hunched over, but suddenly straightened his back as if remembering something. “Run my ass! There are two of us and only one of him. Are we afraid of him?”
As the words faded, the shadows on the wall merged into a dark mass.
In a one-against-two situation, Zheng Yimian initially felt nervous.
Liang Yu, with his long arms and legs, used this advantage to remain completely undefeated.
When a punch came, he dodged to the left quickly. Immediately after, he grabbed one person’s wrist, twisted it forcefully, turning the arm so the elbow pointed upwards. The person groaned, completely subdued by him.
He kicked the back of the person’s knee, quickly knocking him down.
The second person tried to attack from behind, but Liang Yu suddenly turned, grabbed the wrist, supported the elbow, and locked the throat, throwing the defenseless second person to the side.
The first person wobbled back up, aiming another punch at Liang Yu’s stomach. Liang Yu quickly caught his hand and twisted his arm outward forcefully.
At the same time, Liang Yu let out a scornful laugh from his throat. “Is this all you’ve got… Where did you get the courage to bully others while hiding behind numbers?”
He easily took them down and stood under the light, breathing slightly heavily.
Zheng Yimian wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but for a fleeting moment, his gaze seemed to fall on her, though only for an instant.
Soon, the two began to attack him from both front and back.
After an unknown amount of time, someone shouted. “The police are coming!”
Liang Yu’s hand paused, and the person he was holding broke free at lightning speed, supported by the other as they ran forward.
“We can’t win, let’s run!”
— It turned out they realized they couldn’t win and used the excuse of the police coming to escape.
Liang Yu extended his long fingers to undo two buttons of his shirt. His chest heaved greatly, sweat soaking the edges of his shirt.
He raised his eyelids, looking in the direction of the two fleeing cowards, and chuckled lowly. “Wimps.”
Zheng Yimian was slightly stunned but quickly came to her senses. She took two steps forward, unsure whether she should approach.
Liang Yu reached out and helped Li Tian up. Li Tian was clearly still in a state of fear, trembling as he leaned against the wall.
Liang Yu walked a few steps, picked up the suit that had been thrown on the ground, patted off the dust and footprints, and tossed it to Li Tian.
Li Tian’s voice trembled. “Th-thank you…”
“No need.” Perhaps feeling hot, Liang Yu grabbed his shirt at the chest and shook it, his voice cold and indifferent, “Remember to dust yourself off.”
Li Tian agreed and walked out of the alley holding his clothes.
Liang Yu seemed to remember something and called out to him, tilting his head back, his Adam’s apple particularly noticeable in the moonlight.
“If you encounter them again in the future, just say you’ve helped me before. They won’t dare touch you again.”
“O-okay.”
Seeing that the incident had come to an end and there was nothing more to do, Zheng Yimian put away her emotions and opened her phone to check.
……
The class monitor had sent her eighteen messages.
[We’re just waiting for you! Where are you?!]
She was about to reply when she heard the class monitor’s resonant shout. “Zheng Yimian! Over here!”
She turned her head to see the class monitor taking big strides towards her. “I was worried you wouldn’t know where to go, so I came out specially to find you. Why are you standing here in a daze?”
After asking the question, the class monitor looked up and noticed Liang Yu in the alley. “Oh, Liang Yu? Is your class also having a graduation gathering today?”
They actually knew each other.
Liang Yu nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with a hint of regret. “Yeah, but it’s probably over by now.”
The class monitor smiled. “Then why don’t you join our class?”
He paused, his gaze flickering briefly before quickly withdrawing. The corner of his eye lifted in a casual smile.
“Sure.”
At the gathering, the class monitor suggested playing the game “Never Have I Ever.”
“Let’s modify the rules a bit. It’ll be like this — for example, if I say, ‘I’ve never skipped class,’ then those who have skipped class have to drink!”
The girls were singing in one corner, while the boys played the game in another.
Zheng Yimian sat alone on the sofa, neither singing nor playing. The class monitor called her over. “You look so bored, why don’t you come pour drinks for us?”
Zheng Yimian smiled. “Sure.”
She was just wondering what to do.
The bottle was spun, and the first person boldly said, “I’ve never been in a relationship!”
Those who had been in a relationship had to drink.
…..
Everyone at the table fell silent for about a minute.
Someone raised the bottle, pretending to smash it on him.
“Isn’t this just making things difficult for us? I mean, who here besides you doesn’t have to drink?”
“Just wait until it’s my turn, I’ll get you back!”
“Sneaky! You sneaky bastard!”
“First drink!”
……
Zheng Yimian couldn’t stop laughing at their antics. The class monitor waved his hand. “Fill ’em up, fill ’em up!”
She poured glass after glass, and the last one was for Liang Yu.
Zheng Yimian had some other thoughts in mind. Just as the bottle’s edge touched Liang Yu’s glass, someone stopped her.
She was startled and turned to look at Liang Yu.
Liang Yu lifted the bottle neck with his index finger, shook his head, and looked directly into her eyes.
His voice was low and hoarse, mixed with a hint of amusement. “Won’t drink.”
…Won’t drink?
The class monitor was stunned. “Whoa, Liang Yu won’t be drinking?!”
Everyone else was also quite bewildered.
“Is this for real? Are you tricking us?”
“What a plot twist, the big shot has never been in a relationship!”
“Brother Yu, only those who haven’t been in a relationship won’t drink…”
“Mm.” Liang Yu tapped on the table edge, repeating, “Those who’ve been in relationships have to drink, so I won’t drink.”
“Alright, alright–” The class monitor reached out, “Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him dating–let’s continue, next round–“
The next person pushed up their glasses, a glint in their eyes. “I’ve never had a crush on someone… for more than three years.”
Those who had a crush on someone for more than three years had to drink.
Everyone got excited again.
“What a stupid question! Who’s going to drink?”
“What, you think having a crush is trendy now? Who can maintain a crush for three years?”
“Come on, pass, next question!”
Everyone’s glasses were empty in front of them. Zheng Yimian stood to the side.
Just as everyone was laughing at the empty glasses on the table, a pair of hands reached out and grasped their own glass.
Liang Yu pushed his glass forward a few inches, then tapped the bottom of the glass on the wooden table.
The moment the glass hit the table, everyone looked as if they had just witnessed a cosmic explosion.
“I have.”
Amidst the commotion, he calmly spoke, his gaze towards Zheng Yimian carrying an indecipherable meaning. “Fill it up.”
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