Chapter 2 Ten Years Ago (Part One)

Ten years ago

September embarked a new semester. It was the first semester of Shirley's new school year. It also signified that she had completed nine years of compulsory education. Now she was a big girl, stepping into senior high school.

Shirley had spent the past few months studying diligently and her hard work had finally paid off. For the entrance exam, she had scored high marks and ended up getting admission in one of the best schools of the city. According to the parents in the city, everything would be fine as long as one studied in No. 2 Middle School. Her future would be secure and she could easily join a prestigious university. Almost every student who studied in No. 2 middle school ended up studying in top universities.

Shirley didn't work hard to get admitted in No. 2 Middle School because scores mattered to her. It was because of what her mother had said. Yvonne Su once said, "If you can get into No. 2 Middle School, I promise to grant your wishes."

Shirley was a girl who had too many wishes. In order to make her mother fulfill that promise, Shirley tried her best, studying day and night. She was the kind of girl who could do anything if she set her mind on it. And to her mother's delight, her efforts were not in vain. When the result was announced, Shirley shrieked with excitement.

Hugging her report card, Shirley sat on her school bus. She had already decided what she would ask for. Thinking that her wishes would be fulfilled soon, she couldn't wait to rush home.

Firstly, she wanted her mother to buy her a dog. Secondly, she wanted to go on a trip.

On hearing out these requests, Yvonne Su seemed a little hesitant. She agreed with her second wish. "About the dog, I want you to reconsider. It's not as easy as you think. Raising a dog requires time and commitment. Are you sure you won't put the responsibility of it on my shoulder? I already have a lot going," she said, hoping her daughter understood what she was asking for. Raising Shirley was in itself a big task. She could only imagine how troublesome a dog would be!

While the mother and daughter were on the trip, Shirley coaxed and pestered her mother until she finally got her consent to raising a dog.

Shirley was giddy with excitement. She had an urge to run, to shout and to tell everyone she was getting a dog! But knowing this could compel her mother to change her mind, she remained calm. When the dog finally appeared in her life, Shirley spent the whole day wondering the name she would give him. She wanted him to have a pleasant and funny name. In the end, she resorted to calling him "Rice."

When Charlie Xia, who lived next door, heard the name, he burst out laughing. After composing himself, he asked, "Are you going to call your next dog 'Meat'?"

Suddenly, Shirley's face was etched with surprise. Widening her eyes, she looked at Charlie Xia, who was still laughing, and asked him, "How did you know that? I haven't told anyone about it!"

Hearing her response, Charlie Xia broke into a fit of laughter. His tummy hurt from all the laughing. 'She is trying to tell the whole world she is a foodie, ' he thought and continued laughing.

Her holidays would end soon and senior high school would begin. Just the thought of it made her furious. She wished she could spend all her time at home, playing with her dog. Her mother kept reminding her that she would have to study more since she was going to become a member of the senior high school. On the very first day of school, her teacher made her the vice monitor. Before this, she had only once been selected to become an assistant to the biology teacher, who had only two classes in a month.

Being selected as the vice monitor was a great support and inspiration for Shirley. It brought a sense of leadership and inspired her to study hard.

However, the novelty faded as her responsibilities got bigger. Once again, she found herself lagging behind in studies. The workload was too much for her and she couldn't manage to keep up with it. Dark circles appeared under her eyes.

During the weekend, Shirley decided to give herself some rest. 'I will do nothing but spend my weekend sleeping!' She had stayed up late finishing her assignments. Due to all this, she managed to get very little sleep.

On Saturday morning, sun disturbed Shirley from her deep slumber. Instinctively, her hands fell on her eyes, covering them. She rolled out of the bed, helplessly sat up, swayed towards the window like a ghost, and closed the curtains to make the room dark once again. Then she went back to her bed and fell asleep.

Not long after she closed her eyes, she heard the door open. Seeing that Shirley was still asleep, her mother opened the curtains that had just been drawn. Feeling the strong light hit her eyelids, she was overcome by an urge to close them. However, she didn't have the strength to get up. Instead, she resorted to covering her face with the quilt. In a matter of seconds, she was sound asleep.

Shirley's mother patted her and mumbled something. Shirley was so sleepy that she barely heard a word. Furious at being ignored, her mother pulled the quilt and asked, "Did you hear what I just said to you?"

"Yeah, I did." Shirley nodded, feigning to have heard everything. Then she turned around and continued to sleep.

Her mother shook her head helplessly. "You have to get up soon. It isn't good for your health to be sleeping day and night." With a sigh, she left the room and closed the door gently.

Shirley's peace was restored and she slept happily.

If someone asked Shirley how she had finally woken up, she would have told them it was hunger pangs that forced her to get out of the bed. She tried several times to sleep but her empty stomach couldn't take it any longer. Half-heartedly, she opened her eyes and got up.

When she sat up and saw the alarm clock at the head of the bed, she realized it was eleven o'clock. Stretching her hands with satisfaction, she put on her slippers and got ready to brush her teeth.

She waddled across the room with her unkempt hair. Once she reached the bathroom, she didn't know what to do. She looked like a drunk girl. Reminding herself why she was here, she muttered, "Brush your teeth, brush your teeth, brush your teeth..."

Standing by the sink, she picked up her toothbrush, squeezed some toothpaste and lazily attempted to brush. Suddenly, it occurred to her she hadn't seen her puppy. She walked toward the living room while she brushed her teeth.

As she neared the hall, she caught sight of a young man. He was sitting calmly in a suit and reading a magazine. Shirley was frightened seeing this intruder. She took a step back. Her waist clashed with a chair, giving her an excruciating pain. The pain was so intense, she let out a yelp.

The man sitting on the sofa set the magazine aside. He raised his head and looked at Shirley.