Chapter 11

On the afternoon of the 18th, the weather became unusually sultry, indicating that a heavy rain was about to come. However, Yang Jingxing still played basketball with Zhang Yang and the others in the afternoon, using just enough strength to let his friends have fun.

After the game, it was only a little past five, but the sky was already covered with dark clouds, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The four of them, drenched in sweat, didn't even take a shower before going to find a place to eat. They happened to meet Du Ling at her family's motorcycle shop and decided to go together. Du Ling, of course, asked Yang Jingxing if he wanted to try a motorcycle, but he politely declined her offer.

Yang Jingxing had been riding motorcycles for a long time. He got his first old Suzuki from his uncle after graduating from primary school and rode it for a year. Later, he begged and pleaded to get a Yamaha 125 from Qu Hang and often caused trouble on the national highway. Eventually, he crashed and broke his head, which delighted everyone. Since then, his parents wouldn't even let him mention motorcycles.

After dinner, the sky was already dark with thick clouds, as if it were night. They were still aimlessly discussing what to do next when the rain started to fall heavily, quickly turning into a torrential downpour. It was like countless thick water columns shooting down from the sky, making a terrifying noise. The rain was so loud that friends had to shout to be heard, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

In a small county, the number of cars on the road drastically decreased during heavy rain, especially taxis. In such a rare heavy rain, the road on Minzu Street was almost empty in no time.

Lu Lin nudged Zhang Yang, "Why don't you ask Zhang Xuguo to send a car to pick us up?"

Zhang Yang shouted at the top of his lungs, "Lu Fengren, Lu Fengren, come pick up your brother."

While these two were wrestling, Du Ling revealed to Yang Jingxing, "Last time, Zhang Yang gave his umbrella to Qi Qi and got drenched in the rain, looking so cool." Qi Qi was actually the daughter of Zhang Yang's grandfather's brother's daughter, a relative, and a very cute girl.

Zhang Yang didn't want to pay attention to Du Ling, "I like getting drenched in the rain, what's wrong with that?"

Du Ling pointed to the flooded road, "Go, go!"

Zhang Yang glared, looked around, and after a second of hesitation, took out his phone and money and threw them into Du Ling's arms. Then he dashed out, stood in the heavy rain, spread his arms, and shouted to the sky, "Brothers, follow me!"

This kind of thing, they used to do in junior high. Yang Jingxing also handed his phone and wallet to Du Ling and bravely plunged into the rain. Xu Wei followed closely, laughing, while Lu Lin cursed Zhang Yang for being stupid and cleared his pockets.

In an instant, the four of them were drenched, drawing curious looks from people nearby. Du Ling laughed so hard that her voice startled the diners in the restaurant.

After a brief discussion in the rain, they decided to go to Lu Lin's house to get bicycles, which was only a ten-minute walk. Du Ling had to wait for a taxi and then meet the boys at the post office.

Lu Lin had a mountain bike and borrowed another one from the doorman. Then Lu Lin carried Zhang Yang, and Yang Jingxing carried Xu Wei, heading to Zhang Yang's house to get more bikes.

The doorman, looking at the four young and wild people, shouted worriedly, "Slow down, slow down, it's raining hard, and you can't see the road clearly."

Lu Lin wasn't willing to slow down, pedaling furiously, with an estimated speed of nearly 15 km/h, and cursing Zhang Yang for being too heavy. After the experience of damaging a boat, Yang Jingxing naturally didn't pedal too hard but kept up with his friends.

The two bicycles charged through the heavy rain, the four of them shouting and laughing as they raced from Minzu Street to Dajiao Road. Just as they reached the entrance of the Commerce Bureau, they were startled by Zhang Xuguo's loud shout, "Zhang Yang!"

Zhang Yang almost fell off the bike, and his friends immediately stopped shouting. After a series of scoldings from the elders, they admitted their mistakes and said some flattering words. Five minutes later, they were back on the road with four bicycles, with Zhang Yang riding a leisure bike.

The rain didn't let up, but it couldn't stop Yang Jingxing and his friends. The four bikes rushed to the post office on Huanghe Road, waiting for Du Ling. The area was low, and the water on the road had already reached their ankles. The friends pedaled as fast as they could, then dipped their feet into the water to see who could splash the biggest waves.

When Du Ling arrived, she was arranged to sit in the taxi and follow. The taxi driver chuckled, envying their youth.

There was a small convenience store next to the cinema run by an old lady. She kindly called the four children, "Don't get wet, you'll catch a cold. Come over and take shelter."

They might have been too exhausted from the physical exertion and were quiet for a while while taking shelter. Lu Lin asked Yang Jingxing, "You're leaving the day after tomorrow?"

Yang Jingxing nodded.

Xu Wei regretted, "You haven't been back for long."

Lu Lin asked again, "Have you decided which school to attend?"

Yang Jingxing shook his head, "I'll decide next semester."

Zhang Yang agreed, "We'll talk about it during the winter break."

Yang Jingxing stretched out his palm in front of his friends, "Let's cheer each other on!"

The friends, though embarrassed, quickly slapped their palms together, cheering each other on.

After the rain eased a bit, Zhang Yang and the others sent Yang Jingxing home first. Du Ling didn't want to take a taxi, so she bought an umbrella and had Yang Jingxing carry her while holding the umbrella.

Lu Lin and the others had nothing much to say, but Du Ling reminded, "Study hard, and don't go chasing after princesses or ladies."

Yang Jingxing replied, "If I hadn't met you, I would have had a girlfriend long ago."

Du Ling glared, "What do you mean?"

"Can't help but have high standards."

Lu Lin and the others expressed their sympathy for Yang Jingxing. Du Ling lifted her right leg and spun half a circle, as if this powerful sweep could scold her friends from a distance.

On the 19th, Yang Jingxing and his parents visited his grandparents. After returning home in the evening, he packed and prepared, including some items for his aunt Xiao Shuyun in Qu Hang. Yang Jingxing's aunt was only a year older than Xiao Shuxia, but her daughter was three years older than Yang Jingxing. His aunt and uncle ran a fabric company in Qu Hang, and after years of hard work, they were doing well.

On the morning of the 20th, Xia Xue and Liu Miao arrived at Yang Jingxing's house on time to see him off. Xiao Shuxia was surprised, "Liu Miaomiao, why are you here?"

Liu Miao said, "Xia Xue and I are out for a walk."

Yang Chengyi asked, "Is Xia Xue's foot better?"

Yang Jingxing took the two girls to the fourth floor, took out his guitar, and said grandly, "You're my first audience, who wants to be the second?"

The girls laughed, and Xia Xue said, "You're the first, we're the second."

Liu Miao was skeptical, "Can you play? Didn't you stop practicing a long time ago?"

Yang Jingxing asked the girls to sit on the sofa, while he sat opposite on a stool, "If you give me face, sing along with 'Cinderella.' I've been practicing this for days, and it's pretty good. I memorized the sheet music after one look, and it's right in front of you."

Yang Jingxing prepared for a moment, and when he started playing, the girls, who had been sitting stiffly, quickly turned from smirking to surprised.

However, Yang Jingxing was playing the melody, not the accompaniment, so the girls didn't know where to start singing and just listened carefully.

After playing once, Yang Jingxing complained, "Why didn't you sing?"

Xia Xue moved her bottom back, looking a bit embarrassed, "You played so well."

Liu Miao's smile suddenly disappeared, and she frowned, staring at Yang Jingxing, "Are we really the first to hear it?"

"Really, give me some feedback, sing once."

Xia Xue shivered slightly, full of hope, "Let's start over."

This time, Yang Jingxing added an introduction and gave the girls a nod when the melody started, his head nodding along. Liu Miao started first, and Xia Xue followed half a beat later, but they quickly got in sync with the guitar: "... I can give up anything, but today I find it hard to leave..."

The girls were much more nervous than Yang Jingxing. After singing two lines, they both focused on the lyrics, and their rhythm slowed down, their voices becoming quieter. Fortunately, Yang Jingxing could still keep up.

There were two interruptions, but the girls didn't notice and kept singing, and Yang Jingxing quickly corrected them. After finishing, the two girls looked at Yang Jingxing, as if waiting for a score.

Yang Jingxing scolded, "I told you to listen to me play, but it turned into me listening to you sing. Why sing so well?"

The girls laughed. Xia Xue leaned forward on the sofa, her hands on her legs, "I forgot when I started singing... but I think we did well."

Liu Miao looked at Yang Jingxing seriously, "Play again, and we'll listen carefully."

Before Yang Jingxing finished playing, Xiao Shuxia came upstairs to urge them, so they had to end it hastily. Yang Jingxing told the girls, "Tell me what songs you like, and I'll play them for you next time."

The girls nodded. Xiao Shuxia playfully hit her son, "Play, play, play!"

Going downstairs, Yang Chengyi asked the girls where they were going and offered to drive them. The girls said it wasn't necessary and waved goodbye to Yang Jingxing as he drove away.

Before getting on the highway, Yang Chengyi switched places with his son, still not fully trusting him. By the time they reached Qu Hang, it was already 5 PM. Yang Jingxing's aunt lived in a nice neighborhood in a duplex, with enough rooms, so the family didn't need to stay in a hotel.

They had dinner outside. Yang Jingxing's uncle, Wang Jianhua, drove a Passat and joked that it wasn't as good as an Audi. His aunt's daughter, Wang Hui, was a sophomore at Qu Hang University, not beautiful but very fashionable. She didn't believe Yang Jingxing didn't have a girlfriend and offered to introduce him to some.

After dinner, Xiao Shuxia and her sister started to get busy. Xiao Shuxia took out the clothes and jewelry she brought to show off, and her sister also displayed her new collections.

Xiao Shuxia, who was more attractive in appearance and figure, had a nearly 100,000 yuan tourmaline diamond ring, an even more expensive necklace, a new spring collection handbag, and planned to buy more clothes the next day.

The next day, the two families went to the best mall in Qu Hang, where Xiao Shuxia was a gold card member. The three women spent the morning shopping, and it was quite intense.

Xiao Shuxia insisted on buying a suit for her husband because the best one he had was already worn at the last parent-teacher meeting, and someone might remember it. A suit costing 30,000 to 40,000 yuan seemed to have only one purpose: the parent-teacher meeting.

After a two to three-hour rest, they went to the theater to watch "The Peony Pavilion." Over two hours, Yang Jingxing realized he had been too limited in his understanding of music and beauty. He had gone to the theater with his mother before but never gained much. Today, he felt a lot.

Wang Hui teased Yang Jingxing, "He's watching so seriously, not even blinking!"

Xiao Shuxia was still in a trance, discussing with her sister, "The singing was really good, and the performance was even better. Better than the last time in Puhai, she's the best!"

Xiao Shuyun, a fan, said, "I wanted a signature last time, but I couldn't get in."

What was especially enviable was, "After all these years, she hasn't aged at all!"

Yang Chengyi asked his son, "Was it good?"

Yang Jingxing nodded.

Yang Chengyi laughed, "Being pretentious... opera, not commercial movies, can't be judged by whether it's good or not. This is culture, not for entertainment. You need to read more and understand various cultures; otherwise, learning music is pointless."

After learning that Yang Jingxing wanted to apply to a music college, Wang Hui was the most excited. Xiao Shuxia asked if Wang Hui knew anyone who attended a music college and if she could help Yang Jingxing.

Wang Hui said she had a classmate who took the art exam but failed the second round and then advised, "If your academic performance is good, don't give up. The art exam is tough, and if you don't pass, it's not fun."

Yang Jingxing suddenly became bold, "I'm determined to succeed."

Xiao Shuxia pulled her son's ear, and Yang Chengyi laughed coldly.

Wang Hui asked Yang Jingxing, "Not going to the karting club anymore?" Whenever Yang Jingxing came to Qu Hang, he wanted to spend all day at the karting club.

Yang Jingxing said, "I haven't played for years, and you're not a match for me, no rush."

In the next two days, Yang Jingxing's attention shifted to Kunqu opera. Xiao Shuxia finally found a kindred spirit and proudly taught her son a lot. They bought a large flower basket and presented it to their shared idol, Zhang Zhihong.

On the morning of the 24th, the family flew to Puhai. Shangpu School was located in the southwestern suburbs of Puhai, in a scenic area. It was quite remote, but the parents felt reassured. If out-of-town students wanted to go shopping on weekends, they had to take a bus to the subway station and then the subway to the city center, which took about an hour. The school covered about ten square kilometers, but most of it was open space and gardens.

Shangpu was established ten years ago, when so-called elite schools sprang up like mushrooms. However, today, only a few, like Shangpu, have developed rapidly and gained a good reputation.

Shangpu had both junior high and high school, and Yang Jingxing was one of the few new students who joined the high school. At first, he found it hard to adapt and often thought about going back to Jiuchun to live his life as a local bully.

The school didn't have a hotel, so parents attending the parent-teacher meeting had to stay in the city. Yang Chengyi rented a car to handle the pick-ups and drop-offs for the next two days. In the evening, Yang Chengyi accompanied his wife to get a haircut and facial, and he also groomed himself.

Xiao Shuxia had been getting beauty treatments for years without interruption, but she woke up early on the 25th because she had an appointment at a beauty salon. After getting ready, she looked so elegant and refined that Yang Chengyi was proud of her. She put in a lot of effort to make herself look good for her husband.

They arrived at Shangpu at 9 AM, and the parking lot was already filled with luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Land Rover, and Bentley. One Rolls-Royce belonged to Tao Meng's family, who sometimes came to pick her up on weekends.

Yang Jingxing and his parents went to the library's grand hall to meet other parents, sitting in their respective class sections. The diligent Tao Meng was at the door, guiding the seating: "Yang Jingxing..." She marked his name and bowed slightly to Yang Chengyi and Xiao Shuxia, "Hello, please follow me."

Xiao Shuxia looked at Tao Meng for a while and smiled, saying thank you.

Tan Dong had already arrived, and it seemed only his father was present. He greeted Yang Jingxing and greeted Yang Chengyi, and the parents also exchanged pleasantries.

A teacher came to distribute booklets to the parents, explaining the