2: Have We Met Before?

"Oh my god! Oh my god! I can't believe my eyes! Xue Mei! Is this for real? Is this really happening?!" Risa shouts happily while blinking her eyes a few times. She is very excited to see the extravagant lawn that they pass all along the way to the campus.

Shen Xue Mei, a girl from a poor province with an ordinary background, with her best friend Igarashi Risa, who lives in the same region as her, enters the same Art University in Imperial City. Where the wealthiest family lives in that city.

"Risa...I really feel like crying right now.." She's sniffing and grab Risa's shirt to wipe her wet nose. Touched to be able to enter the University they want to.

"Shhh! Don't cry..you make me embarrassed." Risa pulls her shirt back and pats on Xue Mei's head - more like hitting her head.

"But, but... I'm so happy. If it is not because of you... I will never be accepted here. I'm so poor, and yet you always stick with me. Wuu...Risa...I love you...Aishiteru!" Xue Mei tugs on Risa's arm and wipes her wet face on her shirt.

Risa pushes her head a little. "Stop it, Meimei! You make my shirt dirty with your tears and your mucus. Eeeuuuwww!!"

They are now walking in the middle of the campus. Where there's a massive group of people, gather at the center of the landscape near the fountain and listen to a senior's live piano playing. It seems like they do the live concert to welcoming the newcomers.

Some of the people near them look at both of them with an annoyed gaze. Noticing the people who look at them right now, Xue Mei even pushes her body harder to the person in front of her. And as a result, she collides with someone and...

Thud!

Both fall to the ground, where all the people look at them with an angry expression.

The harmonious music played by the senior also stops, and the one who plays the piano looks at the two of them who just fall down on the ground.

"He-he- " With a red face, both of them immediately stand up and bow their head a little try to apologizes to the people who look so angry right now.

Chuckles seeing Xue Mei, the lead pianist, smiles and said. "Nice hair color you've got."

Xue Mei immediately touches her hair, which is dyed with blonde, pink, and light blue. She looks just like Harley Quinn, except for the Asian version.

Blushed a bit, she runs behind Risa. Hiding. She didn't even look at the man who talks to her. "T-Thank you for your compliment."

Risa, who is also embarrassed by Xue Mei, pinches her arm a bit. "See... I told you, your hair color is so weird."

"No, it's not." Xue Mei sticks out her tongue to Risa before Risa shakes her head. Not knowing how to knock some sense into this girl anymore.

"Let's go.." She said with a low voice.

Risa then turned around and smiled at that man and leaves the crowded immediately. Both of them laughing so hard after they leave the embarrassing scene.

"Geez!! You always make us embarrassed. We didn't even start the class yet, and you already attract people with your hair color." Risa's holding her stomach. She doesn't know if the man is just being sarcastic or really compliment Xue Mei for her weird hair color.

"Well, what can I say? I'm beautiful.." She rolled her eyes and walked like a model on the stage.

"Beautiful?? Beautiful, my ass!" She laughs again.

"Eh, by the way, where are we right now?" Xue Mei stops her pace and looks around her. They are now in a building that is not many people there.

Risa also stops her pace. She looks around and tries to find someone to ask the direction to the female dormitory.

Ssst Ssst

A faint sound of someone brushing the canvas makes Xue Mei turn to look at one of the doors, which has a little gap. She went to the room and peeked inside it.

Inside, there is a tall man who only wears his cargo pants, painting the canvas. His body looks so very well built and not too big either. Just enough to makes a girl drooling after seeing his upper body. Even though he might still be in the early twenties.

The sweat on his skin makes Xue Mei gulp a bit. He had pitch-black hair. Even from the back sight, she could guess that the man must be very handsome.

Risa turns around and finds that Xue Mei was peeking something at one of the hallway's doors. She secretly went behind Xue Mei and slapped her on the shoulder.

"Oi! What are you looking at?!"

"Erk!" Xue Mei jolts her body, shocked. And she accidentally pushes the door in front of her.

Creak!

Ren Zhi, immersed in his work, immediately turned around when he heard the door was opened by someone.

That is when Shen Xue Mei's eyes and Zheng Ren Zhi's eyes met for the first time.

Zap!

"Let's not meet again in the next life. Rong Yuan, this is my final goodbye." Xue Mei diverts her eyes to the floor; there are tears in her eyes. Her heart starts to pounding unstable like something pricking her heart with a tiny needle.

There's a glint of memory that Ren Zhi could see. About a man who was kissed by a woman as his heart feels so much in pain. He manages to say something in the past memory of him. "Let's not meet again."

He also diverts his eyes to the side while scrunching his eyebrow a little. His heart suddenly had a faint pain, and his heart was beating like hell.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"Risa looks at Xue Mei.

Fall back to reality, Xue Mei shakes her head and wipes the corner of her eyes. 'What the hell is that?'

"Scram." Ren Zhi said after he also regains back to normal.

Both Risa and Xue Mei turn to look at him with a quizzical expression.

"I said, get out!"

"Oh! Sorry, we're intruding on your space." Risa nods her head and touches Xue Mei's shoulder. Ready to leave the man alone.

"Wait! Uh, have we met before?" Xue Mei bravely took a step forward to the man.

"Do you think I would've known an ugly girl like you?" His demonic eyes shot through hers, saying that he didn't care who she might be.

"Sorry. Maybe it just my mistake. By the way, my name is Shen Xue Mei. I am.."

"Get out. Now!" He turns his body around, not wanting to hear anymore, and he bends his body to pick a small penknife and slashing his drawing canvas.

Sreettttt...

Xue Mei looks at his painting, his piece of art piece is colored with black paint, and there's a red and white color combined on it. She scrunches her eyebrow. Don't know what to say anymore, she leaves the room with Risa waiting for her at the door frame.