Hello, ni hao

It is a Monday morning in White snow high school, Amara stared at the whiteboard and was lost in thought. Her economics teacher Mr John was teaching them Demand and Supply. Meanwhile Amara's mind was not in the class. She was thinking about the novel “never ever after" that she read last night. Amara loved reading novels and stories, listening to music that carried her to another world, anytime there is noise at home. She quietly goes to her bedroom and listens to music and read novel. Most times, during the holidays she goes to the library to read romance or fantasy novels but she felt that she wanted something new, she doesn't want to stay in the same genre. "Amara" someone called. She looked up and saw that it was Mr Bello. "sir?". "The law of demand, what happens when the price of a commodity increases?" he asked Amara thought “emm, demand increases, sir" Mr Bello nodded "you are correct but try to listen in the class" Amara nodded As, he returned to the front of the class, the bell rang for closing time and he left the class. Her best friend Funke leaned towards her “Welcome back to Nigeria" "I wasn't sleeping, I was just lost in thought" Amara said. Funke stood up “let's pack our books and go outside" Amara and Funke walked side by side toward the mango tree near the school's entrance, their usual meeting spot before heading home. Funke adjusted her backpack excitedly. "I have something to show you." Amara raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" "A drama." Amara laughed. "Another one? Last month, you made me watch that Indian movie where the twins switched places." "And you loved it." "I tolerated it." Funke gasped dramatically. "Liar." Amara laughed again. Funke was the complete opposite of her. Where Amara was quiet and observant, Funke was loud, energetic, and very curious. She always discovered new trends before everyone else. This one is different," Funke said. "How?" "It's Chinese." Amara frowned. "Chinese?" "Yes." "People watch Chinese dramas?" Funke stopped walking and placed a hand over her heart. "That question hurts me deeply." Amara burst into laughter. "I'm serious." Funke pulled out her phone. "Come and see." They sat beneath the mango tree while other students walked past them. Funke tapped quickly on her screen before handing the phone over. The image displayed two young people standing under pink blossoms. The girl wore flowing traditional clothing, while the boy held a sword. Everything looked beautiful. The colours. The costumes. The scenery. It looked almost unreal. "What's the title?" Amara asked. “the female student arrives at the imperial college"Funke said Amara laughed "why is the title so long" " Don't judge a cdrama by the title" Funke said and laughed "Is it interesting?" Funke nodded eagerly. "Very." "But I won't understand Chinese." "There are subtitles." Amara handed the phone back. "I don't know." Funke narrowed her eyes. "You said you wanted something different." "I do." "Then trust me." Amara smiled. “you're too persuasive" Funke pointed at herself proudly “It's a gift " The yellow bus that usually took Funke home arrived outside the school gate. She stood up quickly. “I'll send you the first episode". “okay" “And you must watch it Funke placed a hand on Amara's shoulder. “If you don't watch it, I will eat your snacks for the whole session " Amara laughed. “You're funny" “Tell me after you finish" Before Amara could reply, Funke hurried toward the bus. “Bye"! “Bye"! When the bus disappeared into traffic, Amara shook her head affectionately. Trust Funke to become obsessed with another trend. What are Chinese dramas. Who even watched those? But still, the images of those Chinese actors she had seen on Funke's phone lingered in her mind When she got home, Amara dropped her bag near the sofa. “Mummy, I'm home" Her mother emerged from the kitchen. “Welcome“ “Thank you" “How was school" “School was fine" “Okay, go and have your bath and change, food is almost ready". Amara nooded. Her younger brother's, David and Daniel, raced past her down the hallway. “Welcome, Aunty Amara, last one there is a goat". “you cheated" Amara smiled, the house can't be quiet when you have two small brothers who loved to play. After lunch, she washed the dishes, washed her school uniform, completed part of her assignment and helped her brothers with theirs. It wasn't until later that evening, when she finally entered her room that her phone buzzed Funke DON'T FORGET OH!!! Below the message was a link. Amara sighed. She typed back. You're too serious about Chinese dramas The reply came immediately. Yes, I am very serious. Watch episode one. Just one episode, trust me. Amara sighed and placed her phone on the bed She wasn't even really interested but curiosity had always been her weakness. So, she clicked the link The screen loaded. Chinese characters appeared. Soft instrumental music played in the background. Then came the subtitles. For the first few minutes, Amara watched with mild interest. The language sounded unfamiliar yet beautiful. The setting was magnificent, unlike anything she had ever seen. Everything felt magical, it felt as if the drama had hypnotized her Soon, thirty minutes passed. Then forty. Before she knew it, the episode had ended . Amara stared at her phone. What? That couldn't be the ending, NO, let me just watch one more episode. She immediately searched for the next episode. Then she stopped herself. NO. she had homework. Her phone buzzed again Funke. WELL? Amara hesitated before typing. It was okay Three dots appeared instantly. Just okay? Amara smiled to herself Fine, it was good. I knew you will enjoy it, I knew it!!! Amara laughed quietly Watch episode two I will try and watch it tomorrow Funke sent several laughing emojis. See you tomorrow, future c-drama addict. Amara rolled her eyes. Just dey play She put her phone away and returned to her homework but her mind was still on the Chinese dramas, she had just watched. Maybe, I should just watch one more episode, the homework can still wait. Then she checked for the second episode, again she felt so drawn to the Chinese drama, the scene looked so mesmerizing and magnificent, the actors were amazing and also the male lead was very handsome. “Even the language fascinates her. How many words exist in Chinese? How difficult was it to learn? How was daily life like there?” An hour later, she was halfway through episode three when her mother knocked on the door. Amara jumped. “Are you sleeping, honey?” “Yes, mummy.” Her mother looked at the screen. “What are you watching?” “A Chinese drama.” Her mother raised an eyebrow. “Chinese?” Amara laughed. “I know.” Her mother smiled. “As long as you don’t forget your studies.” “I won’t, I promise.” After her mother left, Amara put her phone away. As she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, the images of the Chinese drama she’d just watched lingered in her mind. Funke was right. This drama is fascinating. The next morning, Funke woke up surprisingly early. What was happening to her? At school, she found Funke surrounded by classmates. The moment Funke saw her, she smiled knowingly. “You watched more episodes?” Amara froze. “How did you know?” Funke crossed her arms. “Your face.” “My face?” “You’re glowing.” Amara laughed. “You’re exaggerating.” “So how many episodes did you watch?” Amara looked away and smiled. “Just three.” “Just three, really?” Funke screamed. “What?” Other students turned to stare at them. Funke lowered her voice. “Welcome to the club.” Amara shook her head. “It’s actually interesting.” “Actually?” “Fine, very interesting.” Funke grinned happily. “There’s no going back now.” Over the following weeks, Chinese dramas slowly became part of Amara’s daily routine. She watched while doing chores. She watched after showering. Sometimes she stayed up later than she intended just to finish an episode. Each story introduced her to something new: Food. History. Language. Traditions. Festivals. Music. A handsome actor. She learned how to say simple greetings. She discovered that China had many different cities. She watched videos explaining cultural traditions she had seen in the dramas. For the first time, a country she had only read about in textbooks began to feel real. One Saturday afternoon, she sat with Funke at a small restaurant near their neighbourhood. “What are you smiling about?” Funke asked. Amara looked up from her phone. “Nothing.” Funke leaned over. “You were watching clips again?” Amara laughed. “Maybe.” “I created a monster?” “It’s your fault!” “I accept responsibility.” They both laughed. Amara sipped her drink thoughtfully. “Can I ask you something?” “Of course.” “How did you discover C-dramas?” Amara smiled. “My big sister recommended one to me.” “And now you’re obsessed?” “A little.” Amara nodded. “I think.” Funke studied her carefully. “You know what’s funny?” “What?” “A month ago, you didn’t even know people watched these dramas.” Funke smiled. “I know.” “And now? You can’t even stop watching!” Amara laughed. “I want to learn more,” she admitted quietly. “Like what?” “The language, the culture, the places.” Funke smiled. “I knew it.” Amara looked around at the busy street. People hurried past. Cars sped by. Vendors called out to customers. Everything felt familiar. Comfortable. Home. Yet for the first time, she felt the pull of somewhere she had never been. A place thousands of kilometers away. A place connected to beautiful stories, unfamiliar words, and endless possibilities. And it all started because one friend sat beside her under a mango tree and said, “I have something.”