บท 11: Chapter 11- I Know

Huan Hei fed Ya Nuo the last spoonful of soup and placed the empty bowl aside.

"Still hungry?"

She shook her head and rubbed her stomach satisfyingly. "I'm sleepy."

"Wait and rest for 20 minutes before sleeping. It's bad for your digestive system."

"My stomach is as strong as an ox." she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Be good and listen to me. I'm going to go clean your bowls and then come back. You better be awake when I come back or else don't blame me for what I'll do to you." he picked up the tray and walked towards the door.

"mmm...it's you so whatever you do to me is fine." she moaned softly as she tried her hardest to keep her eyes opened. After Huan Hei left the room, her eyelids grew heavier and eyes slowly closed.

When he finished washing the bowls and putting everything away, he quickly walked back to Ya Nuo's room. The moment he left the room to clean the bowls, he already predicted that she would be asleep. When he opened the door, he saw her sleeping peacefully and smiling. He carefully tucked her in and leaned his face close to hers.

"You don't know how dangerous it is to tell me that it's me so whatever I do is fine." he smiled and gave her a peck on the cheeks before exiting the room to look for Marina.

Knock Knock

"Come in"

"Aunty Marina, sorry to bother you this late."

"Oh! Hei dear, did you need something?"

"I was just wondering when you will help Ya Nuo remove the makeup that is on his face. It might become really bad if you don't remove the makeup quick.."

"Huh? Oh.. that.. well, the makeup used on his face is specialized to last longer than regular cosmetics. So, I could only remove it when the cosmetic is ready to be removed."

"Oh..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering what makeup would you be able to remove from her face when that is how she really looks." he rubbed his chin and smirked.

Marina smiled awkwardly, "What do you mean?"

Huan Hei took a deep breath, "What I mean is, you also know that Ya Nuo is a girl."

Marina chuckled, "Little Hei, are you half asleep? How could Ya Nuo be a girl? He's your childhood friend."

"Aunty Marina, I don't know why you are trying to hide her gender, but I knew about her disguise since long ago. Ya Nuo thought that her disguise was perfect so I never said anything."

"W..wait.. you knew since the start?"

He smiled, "Yep."

"And Ya Nuo doesn't know that you know about her gender?"

"Mhmm, I helped her keep that secret for such a long time. Finally, somebody else here knows about her. phew"

"How did you know that I know?"

"Because you were treating her wounds earlier and locked me and Senior Qi Yang out of the room."

"That's not enough evidence."

"When I brought Ya Nuo food earlier, she was in a different outfit. She woke up from her sleep when I entered so she wouldn't have enough time to change."

"Such sharp observations.. you squirt.. fine. I do know. Don't tell me you came here just to confirm your thoughts."

"I came because I could finally talk to someone about her."

"Talking about this...how did you find out about her being a girl?"

"Actually... well... let's see" he scratched his head

"Ahem, is this really the time to be shy?"

"You're right. This is how I knew..."

/Flashback 8 years ago

Two months before Huan Hei approached Ya Nuo

Huan Hei was walking home from school one day and passed by the track field. He stopped and watched from a distance when he saw a girl running around the tracks.

'Hmm... a girl in an oversized shirt and beige shorts? That's rare. Most girls in this neighborhood wear dresses, skirts, or decent outfits. She...looks so different. she also has some dirt on her face too.'

10 minutes later, she stopped running and wiped the sweat on her face. She tied her hair up and washed her face using the public sink. "Haaaa, this feels nice hehe.."

His eyes widened when he saw her clean face and smile. 'She's actually very beautiful! Even though she's wearing a not too appealing outfit... heh.. interesting.. shit I need to get home now! Ugh, but I want to continue wat- huuuuh?? Where did she go?...'

He frowned as he walked home and decided that he will stop by the field tomorrow to look for Ya Nuo. For the next few days, he stopped and looked around the track field for her.

'Seems.. like she won't be here today either...'

One rainy day...

Huan Hei: 'It's raining today.. she's most likely not going to be there, but it doesn't hurt to take a look'

splash

sounds of footsteps at the track field

'Ah.. she's actually here today! it's raining, isn't she afraid of catching a cold?'

He stood from a distance and watched her run continuously for the next 15 minutes. She tripped and scraped her knees. Huan Hei wanted to ask if she was alright but paused when he saw her sitting on the ground with her hands in a tight fist.

She screamed, "Yang Ya Nuo! Why are you so weak?! When will you get stronger and be able to fight back? Stronger.. you need to be stronger!"

'She sounds like she's in a lot of pain. I shouldn't be interfering with her business, but why do I want to run over there and give her a hug seeing her like this? ...I'll leave after she leaves."

After a few minutes, Ya Nuo stood up and left the field. Huan Hei sighed and walked home. That night, the image of her drowning in sorrow repeatedly showed up in his mind. "shit! now I can't even sleep without thinking about her! But I don't even know her. I want to know more about her.." he scratched his head frustratedly.

After that day, Huan Hei purposely stops by the track field to see if he could see Ya Nuo at the track field. Whenever he sees her running, he would stay to watch her from a distance and spend the afternoon with her that way. He saw her looking at a bottle of lemon tea for a long time but left without buying it. After that, he started buying lemons and tested different lemon tea recipes until he made the one that tasted the most delicious. He didn't know if the lemon teas were good enough so he always brought some of his samples to the Taekwondo house to share with everyone there. When everyone complimented his lemon tea, he revealed a rare smile and thought, 'Next time, I'll give her a bottle of my lemon tea.'

/flashback ends

/Present

Marina sipped her tea and smiled teasingly, "Sounds like you have a nice crush on little Nuo"

He sat down and poured himself a cup of tea, "I did."

"'Did' is past tense, my child."

"Yep. I had a crush on her. Now, I love her."

"... I should've expected that from you."

"Now you know."

"I just want to make sure of something. You say you love Ya Nuo, is it because of her looks? Because you seemed to have been interested in her since the beginning."

"Well, I fell in love with her ever since I don't know when. By the time I found out, I was flirting with her in my own way haha... I didn't like her because of her looks so don't worry. I like her attitude towards food and friends. I love it when she eats nonstop and not care about how she would look in others eyes. I like her independence and loyalty to the people she cares for. I love her kindness and innocence. I don't know how I feel about her homemade 13 chili spices chicken and beef mixed with her special sauce and other creations, but if she makes it, I'll eat it. I love how she laughs and expresses herself freely. The thing I love about her the most is her smile."

"Huan Hei, it's good that you are clear about your feelings, but don't you ever get curious about her family? Did you ever try to find out on your own?"

"Curious, yes. Of course, I would be interested in the person I like. Ever since I met her, I've had my eyes on her. I am curious, but I won't and didn't ever ask her about her family unless she decides to tell me about it. When I met her, I've already seen her in her worst outfit. When I saw her cry on the track field, I only wanted to become stronger and take better care of her. If she wants to tell or talk to me about something, she would say it eventually."

Marina smiled and patted him on his shoulders, "And here I thought I could hook you up with my niece.. pfft.. alright..I get it that you love her. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well... I've never had any experience with girls before so I want to know what I should do to get her attention."

"Hahahahaha, Hei, continue doing what you've been doing. Ya Nuo may be a male in disguise, but she also has a female heart. She will realize it eventually. I'm glad that you weren't here to ask me about her because I wouldn't have told you anything."

Huan Hei smiled confidently as he made his way to the door, "Don't worry, one day, she will tell me everything about herself and I will listen to every word she says."

After leaving the room, he walked to the garden and looked at the starry sky. "I wonder when she will get my hints."