Chapter 20: The Heart of a Young Man

On this day, many things happened: the strange encounter with Zuo Yuxi, the despicable and hateful sneers of Gu Wenyuan, the satisfying punch he threw across time and decades, the look of unwillingness in Mu Shanshan's eyes, the meekness of the little hooligans, all flashed through his mind like lightning. In the end, they all turned into Zuo Yuxi's radiant smile, full of charm.

The direct consequence was that after nearly two months of rebirth, Wen Liang finally experienced his first nocturnal emission.

In the morning, his parents were already gone. Wen Liang chuckled as he washed his underwear, humming the childish song "Washing My Underwear in the Morning" from years later. He deeply analyzed and self-criticized his behavior—losing his virginity for a beauty wasn't a big deal, but in the dream, Zuo Yuxi had taken the initiative, which was unacceptable. In the end, Wen Liang concluded that Zuo Yuxi should bear the main responsibility for this nocturnal emission, with the duration to be determined!

When he received Xu Yao's call, Wen Liang was just about to go out for lunch. The little girl mentioned a restaurant's name and told him to arrive within half an hour, or else. By the time Wen Liang reached the hotel called Yan Du, an hour had already passed. Xu Yao, seeing the detestable man slowly saunter in, slammed the table and angrily said, "Stupid boy, you're so late! Get down and bark like a dog!"

As soon as Wen Liang entered, he saw three people sitting at a table by the window: Xu Yao, the girl he had saved, Tan Xue, and a long-haired boy who looked very familiar. Just as he was about to take a closer look, he heard Xu Yao's despicable punishment.

"Damn!" Wen Liang glared and walked over, slamming the table. Xu Yao remained unmoved, arms crossed, a cold smile on her face. Tan Xue, remembering how the two were always arguing when she first met them, quickly stood up to mediate. Unexpectedly, Wen Liang said, "Just barking, no kneeling, okay?"

Pfft!

The boy sitting next to her couldn't help but laugh. Seeing Wen Liang's gaze, he gave him a thumbs up. Wen Liang, feeling a sense of camaraderie, nodded back, feeling quite pleased.

Xu Yao's bright black eyes turned a few times, pretending to think, then smiled and said, "Your shameless face, I still appreciate it as always. Fine, I'll let you off! Here, I just ordered some soy milk, drink it to settle your stomach. I knew you wouldn't have had breakfast..."

Only then did Tan Xue realize they were joking. She watched as Wen Liang sat down and leaned over to say something to Xu Yao, feeling a faint sense of melancholy. Such intimate and carefree friendship, she wondered if she would ever experience it in her life...

"Hello, Tan-ji, I often joke with Xu Yao, I hope I didn't scare you," Wen Liang smiled and nodded at Tan Xue. From the moment he saw her, he knew why Xu Yao had called him out.

Sure enough, Tan Xue stared at Wen Liang's dark face, her eyes already welling up with tears. "You saved me last time, and I haven't had the chance to thank you in person. Luckily, Xu Yao came to the store, and I was able to contact you..."

As she spoke, Tan Xue stood up and was about to kneel. Wen Liang was startled and quickly held her arm, pressing her back into her seat. "Tan-ji, please don't. I appreciate your gratitude, but we're all young people. You're making me uncomfortable."

"No, that's not what I meant," Tan Xue was on the verge of tears.

"Okay, I know, I know... Let's not talk about this. Who is this, Tan-ji? You haven't introduced us yet?"

Tan Xue was successfully distracted and quickly pulled the boy up. "This is my brother, Tan Yu. He insisted on coming when he heard I was meeting my savior today. Little Yu, this is Wen Liang, who saved me that day..."

Tan Yu?

Wen Liang felt a sudden clarity. Past, present, and future scenes converged in his mind. He thought of the mischievous, lecherous, and shameless brother from years later and sighed: it's better to be a young boy; time ages people, and Tan Yu had only gotten worse.

Tan Yu, with a very stylish flick of his long hair, shook Wen Liang's right hand vigorously. "Thank you, really!"

Looking into Tan Yu's sincere eyes, Wen Liang could sense the lingering fear deep inside. In his previous life, he had seen Tan Yu cry over photos countless times, torturing himself mercilessly. In this life, helping his only good friend escape this bitter cycle was a truly happy thought!

Tan Xue suddenly remembered the main reason for her visit and took out two large envelopes from her bag, handing them to Wen Liang and Xu Yao. Wen Liang opened his in confusion and exclaimed, "So much money?"

Inside the envelope was two thousand yuan, the same amount as Xu Yao's.

Tan Xue explained, "This is a token of appreciation from our boss. Without you, the jewelry store's reputation would have been severely damaged. Our boss is from Hong Kong and heard that there's no bravery reward here, so he decided to give you this as a thank you!"

Xu Yao threw the money on the table and laughed, "Is that so..."

It turned out that last night, the Hong Kong boss of Phoenix Jewelry Store, accompanied by Gu Shitong, had visited Xu Yao's home. The boss expressed his sincere gratitude to Xu Yao, and it seemed that without her bravery, the store would have gone bankrupt. In the end, he offered a large red envelope, which Xu Yao's father pushed away. Both the boss and Gu Shitong were shrewd, knowing that the family wouldn't accept the money, but it was a matter of showing respect since their daughter had almost lost her life there.

Xu Yao thought the matter was over and even blamed her father for cutting off her potential income. But today, Tan Xue had been sent to handle public relations. These businessmen were indeed perceptive and thorough.

Of course, she didn't need to tell Wen Liang all this, just watching how he would handle it. Wen Liang, hearing Tan Xue's explanation, laughed, "A fool who doesn't take money when it's offered is a fool. Why not take the landlord's money?"

Xu Yao rolled her eyes, "He's a Hong Kong businessman!"

"Then he's a bourgeois comprador, even more reason to take it!"

Xu Yao couldn't do anything about it, rolled her eyes, and was about to refuse, but Wen Liang kicked her under the table and shook his head. Tan Xue, seeing them accept, breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. Our boss said if you didn't accept, I wouldn't be able to return."

Xu Yao then understood that Wen Liang had probably known about Tan Xue's predicament and didn't want to make things difficult for her. She thought about it; two thousand yuan wasn't much, and it was fine to accept. Seeing Wen Liang's silly, ear-scratching face, she couldn't help but roll her eyes again, finding him charming and adorable.

The meal proceeded in a friendly atmosphere. When it was over, Xu Yao quietly paid the bill, making Tan Xue a bit anxious. Wen Liang, after much persuasion, finally sent the Tan siblings away and smiled at the little beauty, "Well, you've become a big spender in just a few days?"

Xu Yao pouted, pulling out her back pocket of her jeans, looking pitiful, "I've spent my two months' allowance... Stupid boy, you have to take responsibility..."

Wen Liang patted her head. This girl seemed carefree but was actually very kind. Knowing Tan Xue's poor financial situation, she had paid the bill herself. "Alright, when I make enough money, I'll take care of you! See you!"

As soon as he said that, he got a kick on the butt, "Take care of you, my foot! See you, my foot! Find a place to play this afternoon, or I'll make you bark around Qingzhou City!"

The punishment from a beauty was always so enchanting!

After some playful banter, Xu Yao looked at the large envelope, worried, "What should I do with this money? If I take it home, my dad will definitely scold me and make me return it. That would make things difficult for Tan Xue, right?"

"Ha, who's your dad? He'll be happy his daughter is rich, right?"

Xu Yao's eyes darted around, giggling, "My dad is a shoe shiner, he'll go crazy with so much money..."

"Phew," Wen Liang ignored her. In this era, there were still many upright people who refused rewards for good deeds. It wasn't surprising. He thought for a moment and said, "Since that's the case, let me keep the money for you. I have something going on recently..."

Just as he was about to explain, Xu Yao threw the envelope at him without hesitation, clasping her hands and smiling, "Amitabha, I'm so glad to get rid of this hot potato."

Wen Liang smiled, touched by Xu Yao's absolute trust. Two thousand yuan was a significant amount, even for an ordinary family. Xu Yao had handed it over to him without a second thought, not even asking what he would do with it. Friends like this were rare.

In the afternoon, Qingzhou was not as stiflingly hot as usual. On the winding mountain road leading to the Linzhuang Dam, two bicycles moved slowly, one after the other. If it weren't for the obstructive Wen Liang in front, Xu Yao, in her white dress, would have been the ideal fantasy of every boy her age. At sixteen or seventeen, riding a bike on a summer day, her long hair flying, her dress fluttering, a glance back, and a boy would be tossing and turning all night, infatuated for months.

This was the time of blooming youth, a unique and irreplaceable memory. Any boy with a sound mind would cherish this rare scenery. If they saw Wen Liang's impatience and harsh tone, they might think he would never see the next day.

"Can you hurry up? I won't wait if you keep dawdling."

Xu Yao bit her lip, stopped her bike, and looked at Wen Liang with her big, watery eyes, saying nothing. Wen Liang was initially furious, spouting a string of harsh words, but eventually gave in, raising his hands in surrender, "Alright, I didn't consider your physical limits. It's my fault. How about we turn back? You must be tired, and we can rest early."

Xu Yao shook her head.

"Then do you want to ride my bike?"

She shook her head again.

"Damn," Wen Liang was furious.

Seeing the situation, Xu Yao quickly stopped her bike, her pretty face smiling, and shook Wen Liang's hand, "Big Brother Wen Liang, you're the best, right? You must have a solution, right? Please..."

Wen Liang shivered, his skin crawling. He had always been helpless against this mischievous girl, both in his past life and now.

Seeing Wen Liang frantically rubbing his hands as if infected by a virus, Xu Yao laughed, holding her slender waist, "Daring to be mean to me, I'll get you back!"

"Alright, you win!"

Wen Liang took a rope from his backpack and, to Xu Yao's astonishment, tied the two bikes together. He then clapped his hands and said, "OK!"

"Did you guess I'd run out of energy halfway? And that I'd argue with you like this?"

Faced with Xu Yao's questions, Wen Liang smiled smugly, "Everything is under control!"

"Follow me! Go!"

"Wow, great, stupid boy, keep it up!"

On the long road, the two bikes sped along, the wind carrying their clear, joyful laughter, like the crisp and vibrant season.

The Linzhuang Dam, a water conservancy project from the 1960s, had gradually faded from history after the completion of the Qinghui and Qingli reservoirs. It would soon be developed into a tourist attraction, becoming a popular spot for Qingzhou residents to cool off during the summer over the next few years.

Walking along the shaded path by the dam with Xu Yao, listening to the cicadas chirping in the treetops and birds flying through the branches, Wen Liang felt a sense of peace. He wasn't really there to enjoy the scenery but to remember the bustling prosperity of the area after it was developed into a tourist spot in half a year, looking for opportunities.

Xu Yao bounced around, looking left and right, asking Wen Liang all sorts of strange questions. At this moment, she was no longer the cold and harsh girl he had first met. The classic look of disdain on her face was gone. She was a good girl, Wen Liang had no doubt, but was she the girl he wanted?

Wen Liang didn't know.

After wandering for a while, they found a flat patch of grass, spread out a plastic sheet, and laid out the food from their bags. They sat on the ground and enjoyed a very satisfying meal. Afterward, Wen Liang lay down, a blade of grass in his mouth, while Xu Yao sat beside him, hugging her legs, her chin resting on her knees. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, a few strands of sunlight playfully passing through, casting a soft golden glow, making her look incredibly beautiful.

"Stupid boy, what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Are we talking about ideals now? Wen Liang's inherent lechery sprouted, and he laughed, "What I want most is that in ten years, I'll still be lying here, and you'll still be sitting beside me."

Hearing Wen Liang's teasing, Xu Yao, unusually, didn't fly into a rage. She turned her head away, not letting him see her slightly flushed cheek, and whispered, "Ten years, who knows what will happen..."

Ten years ago, I didn't know you, you didn't belong to me. We were still the same, accompanying strangers, walking through streets that gradually became familiar. Ten years later, we are friends, and we can still greet each other, but that warmth, we can no longer find a reason to embrace. Lovers eventually become friends.

Wen Liang subconsciously hummed this song, and Xu Yao asked in surprise, "What song is this? I've never heard it before."

Wen Liang then remembered that "Ten Years" hadn't been released yet, "I heard it somewhere, I forget where. It's getting late, let's go back."

Xu Yao didn't mind, nodded, and stood up. Unexpectedly, her legs were numb from sitting for so long, and she stumbled to the side. Wen Liang reached out to catch her, and she ended up in his arms. Feeling mischievous, he blew a breath in her ear and whispered, "Be careful."

Xu Yao shivered uncontrollably, her heart racing, and pushed Wen Liang away, laughing and running off. The setting sun was like blood, and her white dress was like a painting. At that moment, Xu Yao looked like a fairy descending into the world.

On the way down the mountain, Wen Liang played "letting go of the handlebars," hands raised high. Xu Yao, finding it fun but scared, was encouraged by Wen Liang, "It's fine, just be a little reckless. Let go of one hand, that's it, now the other..." Xu Yao, mimicking him, let go of both hands, initially feeling nervous and afraid. But as the bike sped down the hill, she only felt the wind in her ears and endless exhilaration. Her long hair and dress flew behind her, and she joined Wen Liang in shouting, "Hey, I'm the king of the world..."

A thousand rivers in a month, a youth as pure as snow.

Alright, those years when we were allowed to be reckless, we call them:

Youth!