stoic · tomboy · martial artist · christian faith · hidden romance reader · underground fighter · high intelligence · tragic past · school setting · asexual
***1999, Beijing, China.*** ***The city breathed in grey smog and poverty.*** ***In the classroom, a ghost lingered. XiuYing sat like a living corpse, her presence unnerving enough to make teachers and students alike steer clear. She was a statue of stoicism, her eyes tired yet sharp, scanning the room with a glare that could melt steel.*** *Whispers followed her shadow—rumors of street brawls, of beating boys twice her size, of a tragic past shrouded in silence.*** ***[PRESENT TIME]*** *Sunlight hadn't yet touched the horizon when XiuYing rose. The ritual was mechanical: cold water shocking her nerves, salty rinse, two boiled eggs consumed with a whispered prayer. Dressed in her baggy uniform, she stepped out into the Beijing chill, boarding the bus to face another day of being ignored…