According to My Heart (GL) - Chapter 1

“The first sentence of a novel is very important.” Meng Buqing held a cigarette in her hand, debating whether to light it before finally stuffing it back to the “Yellow Hair” guy next to her. “Can’t I just use it as a status signature?”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t,” a boy in a leather jacket muttered from the corner. “I just wanted to know which book it’s from.”

They had been beating around the bush for a while, acting casual, but they had actually discussed Meng Buqing’s new status update several times behind her back since she changed it at midnight.

“Oh,” Meng Buqing smiled. “So you guys actually want to read a book now?”

The group of delinquent youths looked at each other. Yellow Hair gave up the act: “What book? Do we look like people who can read? We just wanted to know what Sister Meng likes.”

A few seconds of silence followed.

Meng Buqing pursed her lips, a cute dimple appearing on her cheek as she said honestly, “When I changed that signature, I’d only read one chapter of the book.”

She glanced toward the door. “A customer is here.”

The color printing shop had actually long since closed for the night.

A young girl wearing a heavy backpack stood there motionless. The night was cold, and she was dressed thinly; the tip of her nose was red from the chill. She looked flustered and awkward as she said, “My brother told me to come here.”

“Oh, oh, come in and sit,” Yellow Hair said, standing up immediately to clear a spot. He explained to the group, “Li Feng’s sister. She’s here to do some homework. Little sister, you just started high school this year?”

The girl nodded shyly and walked in. As she took off her backpack, she couldn’t help but peek at her surroundings.

The heater was running, making the room a bit stuffy, messy, and crowded. The printer was pushed right up against an old leather sofa. At one end of the sofa sat a very beautiful older girl, leaning her head on her fist with a relaxed, slouching posture. Mixed in with this room full of street youths, she looked both harmonious and out of place at the same time.

They all called her Sister Meng.

The girl opened her workbook but glanced at her again. She was truly beautiful—a different kind of beauty than the girls she saw at school. Even sitting down, you could tell she was tall. She was casually playing on her phone, dressed in loose black leisure clothes. Tall and thin, she exuded a sense of effortless, cool independence.

“If there’s a problem you don’t understand, you can ask her,” Yellow Hair laughed, seeing her staring at Meng Buqing. “She’s a university student. A top scholar.”

The girl was both surprised and delighted. “From Shen-U?”

She blurted out the name of the best top-tier university nearby—her dream school.

“No,” Meng Buqing looked up from her phone and explained with a smile. “Don’t listen to their nonsense. I’m a ‘slacker’ student—the kind where if I try to cram at the last minute and ‘hug the Buddha’s feet’ for luck, the Buddha just kicks me away.”

Everyone laughed.

“True, I’ve never seen Sister Meng study.”

“Right, I remember Sister Meng was calling people to play games right before the College Entrance Exam. Legend!”

“Maybe Sister Meng should actually learn something for once.”

“Shut it,” Meng Buqing gave them a mock-fierce look. “Even my parents don’t nag me, why are you guys so talkative? Also, lower your voices. Don’t disturb the kid’s studying.”

The girl hurried to say, “It’s okay.”

So the beautiful sister wasn’t good at studying. She felt a tiny bit of disappointment, followed by a wave of gratitude. Since moving to the city with her brother, who had dropped out to work, she had met many “bad girls” like this. Even if they smoked, drank, or hung out on the streets, they would always tell her to study hard so she could have a future, looking out for her simply because she was young and still in school.

The room grew quiet, and the hum of the air conditioner became clear. On the glass coffee table sat a basket of shriveled oranges; only by peeling them would you find the thin skin hid sweet, refreshing flesh. Yellow Hair picked a few and placed them by the girl’s hand, telling her to eat.

After a while, Meng Buqing received a text saying her delivery had arrived. She confirmed with her counselor and got a reply saying everything was fine.

She stood up. “I’m off. You guys have fun.”

“Leaving already? Let Haozi walk you.”

“No need.”

Meng Buqing didn’t look back, just waved as she left. “See ya.”

The moment she pushed the door open, the cold wind rushed down her neck. She quickly lowered her head, texted Zuo Xiaoyun that it was “done,” pulled up her hood, and started walking home.

The phone buzzed.

Zuo Xiaoyun: [Great, great, great! You’re so nice, I don’t even know how to thank you!]

Zuo Xiaoyun: [As soon as the money is approved, I’m taking you to dinner. Anything you want!]

Zuo Xiaoyun: [Sorry for the trouble again.]

Meng Buqing finished reading, stuffed the phone back into her pocket, and kept her eyes down to avoid puddles on the road. Beside her was a fresh food delivery station; she passed busy delivery drivers in blue uniforms. Her vision bobbed as she walked; she didn’t reply further.

The School of Science at Songjiang University had a new scholarship this year from alumni donations, requiring a paper application. Zuo Xiaoyun had finished the materials on the deadline day but missed the printing shop’s closing time. She had called Meng Buqing, crying, asking for help.

Meng Buqing lived off-campus. Upon receiving the call, she had immediately walked two kilometers, knocked on the door of this shop run by an acquaintance, printed the materials, attached the photos, and ordered a flash-delivery to get them to the counselor overnight.

She didn’t find it troublesome. Zuo Xiaoyun was her friend, and helping friends was natural. Furthermore… the moment she heard about the problem, at least three solutions had popped into her head. Meanwhile, her peer on the other end of the line had been weeping in hopeless despair.

The surrounding area was a mess of overhanging buildings and chaotic commercial zones. The residential complex next door consisted of “re-settlement” housing, mostly partitioned by landlords for group rentals. The environment was poor, but the rent was cheap.

As she walked, Meng Buqing felt something sticky under her shoe. She frowned and tried to stick to the well-lit areas.

Turning a corner, she saw a group of young girls arguing loudly around a camphor tree. A flying toy was stuck in the dense branches. Meng Buqing glanced around and picked up a large stone.

She walked over silently and, amidst the girls’ gasps, threw it. The stone hit the branch perfectly, the branch shook, and the “Flying Princess” toy fell—she caught it easily with one hand. It was a remote-control toy that flew by spinning its skirt. The princess’s face was distorted, looking like a cheap knock-off, yet its unique ugliness gave it a certain charm.

Meng Buqing handed it back and kept walking, not lingering for the girls’ cheers behind her.

The cold wind whipped her face. she ducked into her oversized hood, the white faux-fur trim blowing into a different color. She thought to herself: doing these trivial little things is probably just to satisfy my desire to show off. Or a sense of achievement? Or vanity? Things that made her peers cry or children scream, she could solve with ease.

Meng Buqing smiled slowly, feeling that she was mature and perceptive. Not childish at all. At this moment, she felt there was nothing left in the world that could leave her stunned, slow-witted, or confused.

She soon reached the entrance of her complex.

Walking ahead of her was a woman pulling a suitcase. She wore a black coat and a deep brown long skirt that fluttered with her steps; her high heels clicked rhythmically on the asphalt. The brand logo on the leather suitcase was easy to recognize—a famous luxury brand, worth at least five figures.

Meng Buqing trailed leisurely behind the woman. To her surprise, they stayed on the same path the entire way. Before entering the building, the woman turned to look at her.

She didn’t expect them to be in the same block.

The old complex had no elevator. The concrete stairs were narrow; two people could only walk side-by-side. The woman stopped before the stairs and moved to the side to let her pass, as pulling the suitcase was inconvenient. She paused, signaling for Meng Buqing to go first.

Their eyes met briefly.

Meng Buqing finally saw her face clearly and couldn’t help but feel her eyes light up. The woman wore exquisitely detailed makeup, her long lashes were distinct, and her lip color was vibrant. Rather than someone coming home late, she looked like she was just about to head out for a date.

She had slightly upturned “peach blossom” eyes; when her gaze swept over you, it made you unintentionally hold your breath. Her expression was indifferent, but her gaze lingered on Meng Buqing—a bit pointedly, as if she were sizing her up.

“…”

Meng Buqing didn’t know how to react. She wondered if she was being mistaken for a stalking creep.

The next second, the woman smiled and asked casually, “Coming home from school?”

“No,” Meng Buqing blinked. Who gets out of school at 11:30 PM? She replied honestly, “Not in school. Just coming back from hanging out.”

Glancing at the large suitcase by the beauty’s hand, she assumed she knew why the woman had spoken up. She said generously, “A suitcase that big is hard to carry alone, right? Why don’t we turn it sideways? I’ll take the front handle, and you support the back?”

“Okay.”

The woman paused after answering, then suddenly bit her lip and gave a slightly mischievous smile. “But I’m wearing high heels, so that’s not very convenient either. How about you just carry it up for me? Thank you.”

“…”

Meng Buqing was utterly stunned. Offering a hand was already nice enough; how could someone have the nerve to take a mile when given an inch?

But meeting those smiling, calculating eyes and hearing that soft, delicate voice, she found she couldn’t say no. It was strange; usually, Meng Buqing had no problem saying “no” or “I don’t want to.”

Meng Buqing lifted the woman’s suitcase and walked upstairs quickly and silently. After several flights, she asked:

“Which floor?”

“Keep going.”

“You live on this floor, right?” Reaching the fifth floor, Meng Buqing finally stopped to catch her breath. “Any higher and it’s the top floor.”

“Mm, keep going.”

Meng Buqing resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She hauled it to the final floor and set the suitcase by the door. She walked a few steps to the opposite unit and pulled out her own keys. Just as she opened the door, she heard the sound of suitcase wheels and high heels following right behind her.

She turned around. “Is there anything else?”

“I live here, too.” Ji Wan pointed to the door, looking quite innocent. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ji Wan. For the time being, you can consider me your father’s friend.”

Meng Buqing swallowed a curse and said cautiously, “My father passed away a month ago.”

“I know. Have you seen his will?”

“He didn’t have a will.”

“He did,” Ji Wan pulled two photocopied sheets from her bag and handed them to Meng Buqing, her voice low and gentle. “Have a look first.”

Meng Buqing frowned and read through them quickly. The instructions regarding the estate were simple: summarized, all assets, including the real estate, were to be jointly owned by Meng Buqing and Ji Wan.

What kind of joke is this?

She was about to say exactly that, but her father’s handwriting was unmistakable. The attached notarization proved this wasn’t just a simple prank.

Meng Buqing knit her brows, sizing Ji Wan up again, and said calmly, “I don’t care how you got this, it violates public order and good customs; it must be invalid. If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police.”

“Does it? Then how did it get a notary seal?” Ji Wan took out her phone and showed her a bank transfer record. “Before your father passed, he owed me eight million and didn’t pay it back. The gift in the will is actually debt repayment. Technically, I’m still the one losing out.”

“Why would he owe you eight million?! Did you scam him?!”

“He started a business and asked me to invest. Before he died, he begged me to take good care of you.” Ji Wan curved her lips into an ambiguous smile. “As it happens, I lost money on my own house, so I might as well move in with you for a while. Sorry for the intrusion.”

Meng Buqing: “…”

Too much information. The situation was far too complicated.

For a moment, she stood there—stunned, slow-witted, and confused—staring at Ji Wan.