Chapter 1

The idiom ‘Narrow road between enemies’ was definitely made for Yu Tian. Yu Tian felt that as long as He Ming was by his side, the road was not wide enough. He couldn’t wait for a pair of hot wheels to be born under his feet. Stepping on it and rushing forward, leaving the surname He far behind and it would be better to spray the exhaust.

He Ming was Yu Tian’s neighbor and a child. It was normal for two children with opposite personalities not to play together. Even if they were of the same age. There was no need to forcefully get along for over 20 years. But Yu Tian and He Ming’s family were quite special. In the early years, the two adults worked in the same company and they bought the house together later. They felt that ‘fate came and it couldn’t be stopped’ and simply worshipped each other.

Adults always try to impose valuable friendship on the next generation. Yu Tian didn’t like He Ming very much since he could remember. In his opinion, He Ming had a sense of superiority of ‘good student’ and was the biggest lapdog of teachers and parents.

Yu Tian once secretly shared his secret with He Ming when he was still ignorant: “I think Deng Jie looks the best.” The next day his mother asked him kindly “who is Deng Jie?”

“It’s so shameless!” Yu Tian couldn’t help blurting out.

Unfortunately, the scolding that he had been holding for thirteen years came a little late. So much that the person who was scolded strutted beside him and asked him unsurely, “What’s wrong?”

Yu Tian: “I said this road-too long, too shameless, why can’t it end?”

He Ming: “Don’t blame the road for being long. It’s your legs that are short.”

Yu Tian snorted from his nose: “You have long legs, so why don’t you walk faster? Did you sterilize today?”

After He Ming graduated, he opened a pet hospital and sterilized cats and dogs. It usually happened in every two days. He just finished one case today and he was habitually about to answer “Yes”.

Suddenly he realized that there was something deep in the words. He took out a hand from his pocket and unceremoniously grabbed Yu Tian’s back collar, showing a lukewarm smile: “Why, do you want to try?”

Although the two were of the same age, He Ming was a few centimeters taller than Yu Tian. Yu Tian was close to him and the feeling of oppression blew up all the hair on his body. Just like a small animal invading its hunter’s territory. He immediately took a step to the side and was about to speak. Not far away, someone called “Yu Tian”.

He Ming’s reaction was faster than his. He immediately let go. He put his hands over his shoulders, smiling like a spring breeze, he instantly created the illusion of hooking shoulders and pretended their bond was stronger than gold.

“How many times have I told you to pick up He Ming quickly? and you were still on the road!” Yu Tian’s mother Chen Ran showed up and cursed. “You are the old one! Only someone else can pick you up? Right? He Ming was always on time when he picked you up!”

Yu Tian couldn’t help saying: “That’s when I get off work on time! He…”

The young man in his twenties could never beat her middle-aged woman in quarreling. Chen Ran raised her hand and interrupted him: “You forgot that He Ming’s car was restricted once, and he had to come to pick you up. He walked in the snow to borrow a car. What about you now? You are so reluctant when I ask you to pick him up. I am done spoiling you!”

Yu Tian was really wronged in his heart. When did his mother spoil him? He Ming was the ‘child of someone else’s family’1 since childhood. Yu Tian watched the animal world when he was a child, determined to grow up to shoot lions on the African savannah and was scolded by his mother for ‘playing with things’. Now He Ming opened an animal hospital by himself, facing some cats and dogs all day long. It was not even as powerful as a lion and in his mother’s eyes he was still ‘young and promising.’

However, Yu Tian didn’t care about this. He looked at He Ming, who was smiling shyly beside him and said in his heart: “restricted? Snow? Borrowing a car? What is it?”

He had a somewhat impression of that snow day.

The elders of these two families prefer to catch up with the trend. They celebrate both the Chinese Festival and the Western Festival. Usually, they find their own mothers on Chinese festivals, and the two families gather together during the Western Festival. There was a heavy snowfall last Christmas. He worked overtime at the company and received a call from his mother saying that they had booked a place in a restaurant and He Ming was on the way to pick him up.

At that time, it seemed that he had fought with He Ming because of something. On the way, he mocked, saying that the pendant on He Ming’s car really looked exactly like the owner—the pendant was a naïve little piglet.

Looking back now, the car He Ming drove that day did not seem to be his. Going back to the memory a bit deeper, Yu Tian seemed to be able to see He Ming sitting in the car heater. His hair and eyelashes were covered with the first melted snow, which looked damp and wet.

The image with water vapor overlaps seamlessly with the face in front of him. Regardless of personal prejudice, He Ming was actually quite handsome, especially when his eyelids were slightly drooping and his gaze was focused on something, his eyelashes would drop slightly along the curve from the bridge of the nose to the chin, which could be seen. An exquisite sense of “don’t come near” flew out.

Wait, what the hell is he staring at He Ming for?

Yu Tian shook his head and immediately focused on walking.

Today was the day for their parents to worship, and it was a usual celebration.

After Chen Ran scolded Yu Tian, she turned and led the way. He Ming put his hand back in his trouser pocket and walked a few steps away on his long legs. When he turned around, he saw Yu Tian still stunned, and then hooked his finger at him—not a seductive hook. But the hook of teasing the dog with the image of onomatopoeia.

So Yu Tian committed rabies, and when he caught up with him, he punched He Ming, and forgot to ask him if he had borrowed a car to pick him up.

When they arrived at the hotel room, Yu Tian found that they had also pulled a banner that read, “A Golden Orchid of Righteousness, Love is Stronger than Gold – Celebrating the 32nd Anniversary of the Righteousness of the He and Yu Families!”

He Dad: “Oh, this banner is better than what I thought last year for the 31st Anniversary of Sharing Wealth and Weakness!”

Yu’s father was very humble: “No, the advertising company did this, it was not what I thought.”

He Dad: “In short, today is a great day!”

Yu’s father grinned, “That’s right, that’s right, then let’s share the same joy!”

Then the two fathers shook hands enthusiastically.

Yu Tian: “…”

Are you crazy?

He came to this set every year, saying it was a sense of ritual. it made his scalp numb.

Yu Tian hurriedly retreated from the opening ceremony-like scene. After he pulled a chair and sat down. He found that He Ming was sitting on his right hand, with his head down, as if he was sending a message to someone.

Yu Tian cleared his throat: “That day…”

He Ming looked up.

“Forget it, nothing.” Yu Tian lowered his head and took a sip of juice.

“Playing on the seesaw, you two, one with raised head, and the other with lowered.” He Ming’s mother, Chen Ran’s best friend-Ms. Li Yan started her chattering mode as soon as she sat down next to them. “He Ming, who are you sending messages to? Girlfriend?”

He Ming said: “No.” Then he put the phone back on the desktop.

But Yu Tian inadvertently glimpsed it. It was the head of a pink rabbit. It should be a girl, right?

At night, Yu Tian was surprised to realize that he was absent mindedly eating this meal until he laid on the bed after taking a shower.

Footnotes

It is particularly used by moms to compare their child with neighbour’s. The excellent child we can never become