Lei Nuwa was roaming around the club fair, when she came upon the mixed martial arts club. They had put on a demonstration, asking passing students to challenge one of the club members in a match.
Of course, everyone failed.
But Lei Nuwa, after deciding that she would not let a new life pass her by, decided to try it. As the fight began, she did not notice the crowd that began to surround her and her opponent.
Lei Nuwa took a deep breath and centered herself. She channeled her fear out of her body, letting her surroundings blur and her mind to focus. This was not Liu Yichen. This man had and continues to haunt her even when he is not there. She remembered the times she had flinched around the men who surrounded her before. She had forgotten the feeling of it, and while her heart pounded, she felt as if she was ready to start fighting back.
'I will start here. I will move forward. I will regain my safety.'
The fight went on for a while, until finally she had won by submission. Her body was bruised and sore, but she found it invigorating.
Lei Nuwa had not flinched or stepped back from a threat. The cheering behind her snapped her out of her reverie, as she realized a crowd had formed. Her opponent had stood up and walked towards Nuwa.
They both bowed at one another.
"What's your name? You should join– we'll let you skip tryouts for that performance." Lei Nuwa's first instinct was to say no and run– any attention brought to her would only make things worse. But now, she wondered if this mindset itself is what made the purgatory; if she changed, would she be able to find peace?
"My name's Lei Nuwa."
"Well, Lei Nuwa, call me. I can give you the meeting dates." She handed over her phone to him.
She wondered if she was still on Fengge's phone plan.
As he returned her phone, he threw her a wink and walked up to the crowd of people, trying to recruit more members.
Lei Nuwa was unphased and ignored it, but the one watching her took notice.
Xu Zihao was surprised at the performance. The things he thought he knew about Lei Nuwa seemed to contradict the character that appeared in front of his eyes. He wondered if she had a split personality– he could not fathom the pathetic, sniveling, girl Qian Qian always hated was the same one who had fought so fiercely.
When the fight ended and the club member had flirted with Lei Nuwa, Xu Zihao was intrigued. He felt a strange sensation in his stomach, as if he were sick. He didn't want to see Lei Nuwa with other men, and he didn't know why.
Any other man would, but Xu Zihao still felt a strong loyalty to Shi Qian. When he had helped her in the kitchen, he felt as if he was investigating an enemy. Now, he wasn't sure if that was still the case.
He followed Lei Nuwa as she walked away from the crowd. He didn't have a plan, and before he knew it, he had already called her name.
When he saw her jump at the sound of his voice, he felt as if he wanted to cry. The same girl who had beaten a man with zero hesitation and been startled at a simple 'hi'. He truly began to believe she had different personalities.
***
When Lei Nuwa turned around and saw Xu Zihao, she immediately broke out into a run. The high of her fight had all but disappeared; all she could think about was his relationship with Shi Qian, and the strange situation at the lunch. He would grow to become a very powerful man– even more powerful than Liu Yichen. She could not afford to make an enemy out of him. Lei Nuwa didn't think of where she was going, but ended up in an empty courtyard of the school.
She paused, as she thought she had lost him. She did not.
"Hey! Why are you running away from me?" Xu Zihao was confused and also out of breath. He thought that she was at least semi-comfortable around him, as he had seen vulnerable sides to her. Her run made him feel like a villain or a pervert.
"I don't know what I did to offend you, Young Master Xu, but forgive me. I won't cause you trouble, so I would like you to extend me the same courtesy." She had bowed deeply, her voice as monotone as ever.
Xu Zihao did not respond. He looked at Lei Nuwa as if she were a mental asylum patient who had escaped.
"I would like to ask you the same thing. Did I do something to offend you? If I offended you that day, let me apologize. I just wanted to talk." He said, almost desperately. He could not figure out why he felt so uncomfortable with the girl's apparent disgust of him– and why he could not let it go.
"I'm not sure what you are referring to. If you would excuse me–" She tried to slip past him, but he had grasped her hand in an effort to stop her.
"Lei Nuwa."