My Youth Began With Him

“Sister Huo, I-”

“Don’t say anything. Let me guess your habits, shall we?” asked Huo Mian in a gentle tone as if she was talking to a little kid while looking at Cheng Yuning.

The little girl didn’t say anything. She stood by the edge of the rooftop looking at Huo Mian.

The policemen and firefighters standing nearby were all nervous and worried that the little girl might accidentally slip and fall.

This was really a matter of life and death.

Huo Mian turned around and slowly approached the little girl with light and slow steps.

As Huo Mian walked forward, she asked, “Your favorite movie is Big Hero 6 because you wanted to have a friend as kind as Baymax, right?”

The little girl’s eyes lit up with surprise because she had never talked to anyone about her inner feelings.

Huo Mian continued, “Your favorite book is Under the Hawthorn Tree because you think only the love that transcends life and death is worth remembering in life. This common but warm love is what you long for.”

“Mian, how do you know?” The little girl was shocked.

“You like eating pistachios because you think eating it can make you happy (TL Note: in Chinese, pistachios are called happy nuts). Your hobby is photography. You love capturing all the details in life, either moving or static. Your favorite celebrity is Audrey Hepburn because you think she looks like an angel. Your favorite animal is the koala because you think they are constantly protected by their mothers… Your favorite comic is One Piece because you like Luffy’s optimistic personality. You also want to live a free life.”

Cheng Yuning looked at Huo Mian’s face and was too astonished to talk.

“Sister Huo, I’ve never told anyone about this, how did you know all this?” The little girl’s face was full of surprise.

“I’m good at noticing details. Even though you never said anything, these facts are all revealed through the little details in your life. Your phone, your clothing, and your accessories all reveal your preferences. You are actually a kid with a kind and warm heart. You wish to be understood and you long for freedom.”

The little girl started tearing up, perhaps she had never met someone who understood her so well…

“But Yuning, wishing for freedom doesn’t mean looking for death. Death won’t give you relief, it will only make those who love you suffer. Don’t you know that it’s just denial?”

“But living is really tiring. I’m constantly suffering.”

“Misery or joy depends on your heart. Why don’t you try to live differently?”

“I… Can I?” The little girl looked confused.

After all this time, Huo Mian was almost standing right beside her…

She stepped quietly, one step after the other…

Finally, she got a hold of her hand.

“Sister Huo, don’t get close to me.” The little girl became agitated again.

“Yuning, we can talk through anything. Come down and let’s talk.”

“No, I don’t want to come down. Don’t come any closer to me. Otherwise, I’m jumping down.”

The little girl’s emotions seemed to be erratic again.

Not letting the little girl finish, Huo Mian suddenly extended her hand and grabbed onto her arm.

She succeeded easily all because of her sudden move.

But at the same time, the little girl started struggling and leaned backward due to her unbalanced weight.

“Chief!” Chen Jie was almost scared to death.

“Yuning… my daughter!”

Chen Jie and the girl’s parents’ voices came from the back.

The little girl dragged Huo Mian down and they both began falling from the edge, scaring everyone to their cores…