Chapter 86 of 100

Chapter 86

16 min read4,026 words

Chapter 80: A Dream That Can Continue in This Life

After that kiss, the two of them did nothing more, just leaned against each other and watched TV. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, and they would smile at each other. Zuo Yuxi's eyes sparkled, her smile was gentle, and her lips curled slightly, leaving two faint dimples on her cheeks. Her gaze was neither the shy and evasive look of a young girl nor the alluring and direct look of a mature woman. It was somewhere in between, a look of hesitation and invitation, making one's mouth water.

In the TV, Qiong Yao's "Three Plum Blossoms" was being broadcast. The ancient costume drama featuring Chen Derong had once captivated Wen Liang in his previous life. Along with the drama, Jiang Yuheng's love song spread throughout the country: "The first plum blossom breaks the heart, the second plum blossom makes one ponder, the third plum blossom stirs up a storm, in the misty depths, the water is vast and boundless." When he heard this song again after crossing two worlds, Wen Liang no longer felt the initial amazement. Instead, he thought about something else: Fortunately, Qiong Yao wrote about plum blossoms. If it were chrysanthemums, combined with the lyrics, it would be a masterpiece!

Leaving Zuo Yuxi's house, it was almost nine o'clock. Wen Liang firmly refused her offer to drive him home and hurriedly caught the last bus. The night in Qingzhou was very quiet. Sitting on the bus, looking out the window, he saw that except for some main roads, everything was pitch black. There were few pedestrians on the streets. Only in front of some game arcades, dance halls, and karaoke places, groups of young thugs with buzz cuts, smoking cigarettes, wearing loose, puffy olive-green pants, black leather shoes with laces, and open jackets revealing white tank tops, would whistle at lone girls, causing the girls to hurry away in panic, followed by the thugs' raucous laughter. These cockroaches of Qingzhou's night had a strong vitality, rooted in the lives of ordinary people. You could ignore them or despise them, but you couldn't deny that, whether in the past, present, or future, these cockroaches would always exist.

The red light came on, and the bus stopped at a crossroads. One of the few passengers, a middle-aged man in his forties, shouted, "Driver, let's go. There's no other car, why wait for the red light at this hour?" In 1995, there were no traffic cameras everywhere, and whether to run a red light at night depended on one's personal integrity.

The driver was a woman who ignored him. The middle-aged man grumbled and fell silent. Wen Liang, bored, looked out the window and suddenly noticed a girl being blocked by four or five thugs in front of a game arcade. The girl tried to dodge and leave, but failed.

Wen Liang sighed inwardly. Whose girl was so unlucky? He opened the window, leaned out to shout, "The police are coming!" Just then, the girl looked up. By the light of the game arcade, Wen Liang recognized her face and cursed, turning to shout, "Driver, open the door, I have an emergency and need to get off."

The female driver remained calm. If she had a temper, Wen Liang would have cursed her to have a headache every day. The young boy received the same treatment as the middle-aged man, feeling quite helpless. Seeing the situation getting worse, Wen Liang didn't hesitate, bent down, stepped on the window, and jumped out.

There was a chorus of gasps inside the bus. The middle-aged man's mouth formed an "O," thinking, "Young people are so impulsive. Although waiting for the red light is a bit longer, it's better than walking home, right? Getting off halfway means wasting the ticket. What a wasteful kid, no economic sense!"

The female driver saw Wen Liang jump out in the rearview mirror but showed no expression.

Wen Liang ran into the group of thugs, grabbed the girl's hand, and called out, "Sis, I finally found you. Let's go, my brothers are waiting for us ahead." This was the best way to save someone: first, claim a family relationship, then bluff, and usually, the small-time thugs would just grumble and let you go.

The girl looked at Wen Liang with surprise. Seeing the thugs' eyes become a bit panicked, she squeezed his hand, trying to get him to leave first. A decent-looking thug sized up Wen Liang and smiled, "Tan Xue, I didn't know you had a brother."

This girl was none other than the long-missed Tan Xue.

Wen Liang put on an innocent face and said, "Big brother, I'm Tan Yu. Tan Xue is my sister. My brothers are waiting for us ahead. Could you please let us through?"

"Who are you telling to let you through, you little brat?" another thug with a red birthmark on his chin cursed.

The handsome thug slapped him and scolded, "How many times have I told you? Be polite in front of Tan Xue. Swearing just makes us look stupid. What good does it do?"

The thug with the birthmark stammered, "Boss, you swore too..."

The other three thugs laughed, and the handsome thug couldn't help but kick him, "Damn, I was just angry at you."

Wen Liang knew these people well. Despite their friendly banter, if you really believed they were easy to deal with, you were naive and brain-dead!

Wen Liang tried to lead Tan Xue around them, but the handsome thug, still smiling, stepped in and coldly said, "Did the boss tell you to go?"

Wen Liang suddenly looked behind them, his face lighting up with surprise, almost illuminating the night sky of Qingzhou. He waved and jumped, "Police officer, we're here."

Ah, his brother was a police officer? Shocked, the five thugs, including the handsome one, turned to look behind them. Two of them were even ready to run. But there was no one there, no police. When they turned back, they saw Wen Liang pulling Tan Xue and running across the street, quickly disappearing into the night.

The thugs looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

After turning two streets, Wen Liang finally stopped. Tan Xue, out of breath, leaned against the wall, too tired to speak. Wen Liang turned to look at her and smiled, "Tan Sis, it seems every time I meet you, it's not a good thing."

Tan Xue, whether from running or from Wen Liang's words, had a flushed face. After catching her breath, she whispered, "Thank you!"

Wen Liang walked to the street corner and looked around, saying, "Don't mention it. What's going on? I thought those guys just ran into you by chance, but the leader seems to know you."

Tan Xue sighed, "His name is Zhao Jianjun, a well-known punk in this area. I work in a store, and once he came to buy a bracelet. Since then... sometimes he comes to harass me..."

Wen Liang nodded but was still a bit puzzled, "But the jewelry store is far from here, and do you work this late? Why were you walking here?"

Tan Xue lowered her head, "I work at other places too. After work, I pass by here, and sometimes Zhao Jianjun and his gang wait on the road. But they don't really do anything, just talk and take advantage. I ignore them, so it's fine."

Wen Liang shook his head. The patience of small-time thugs was limited. After a few times, they might lose patience, and then Tan Xue could be in danger. This wasn't the time of the 1983 or 1985 crackdowns. After ten years, many people had forgotten the lessons and were starting to act up.

"How about this? I'll have someone teach Zhao Jianjun and his gang a lesson and warn them not to harass you. What do you think?"

Tan Xue suddenly grabbed Wen Liang's hand, urgently saying, "No, don't provoke them. I heard Zhao Jianjun is fearless. If you anger him, your whole family will be in danger..."

Wen Liang inwardly scoffed. Fearless? That's because it's not life-threatening yet! But seeing Tan Xue's frightened look, he had to comfort her, "I understand. Don't worry! We won't provoke him. We'll negotiate, mainly negotiate!"

Tan Xue, though she had been in society for a while, still had a bit of naivety and didn't catch Wen Liang's insincere tone. She patted her chest, relieved, and said with a gentle smile, "Wen Liang, thank you. This is the second time you've helped me."

Wen Liang smiled, "No need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank the Qingzhou Bus Company. It's just a coincidence that I was on the bus both times. Ha, Tan Sis, why do you always have trouble with this bus?"

Tan Xue found his words amusing and laughed. Suddenly, she remembered that Wen Liang had called himself Tan Yu and said, "I heard Tan Yu said you helped him at school. I really want to thank..."

"Stop, stop!" Wen Liang put his hands down, making a gesture for silence, "It's not easy to meet. Tan Sis, no need for a commendation or thank-you meeting. Where do you live? I'll take you home."

Tan Xue felt a bit embarrassed and refused, "No need. It's too late, and you should go home too. It's not far from here, I can walk home alone."

Wen Liang casually said, "There are still four or five more stops. I'll take you, it's safer."

As soon as the words were out, both of them were stunned. Tan Xue asked, "How do you know my home is four or five stops away?"

Wen Liang, now a master of lies, said without hesitation, "Tan Yu told me. He even invited me to his home, but I've been busy." Of course, he knew where Tan Xue lived. In his previous life, it was almost his second home, where he ate and slept with the same treatment as Tan Yu, causing Tan Yu to complain to his mother many times.

They quickly arrived at her home. Tan Xue's home was in a row of old, dilapidated buildings. The ground in front of the building was uneven, and one could easily twist an ankle. The dark, damp stairs were filled with strange sounds, and each step made a muffled thud, perfect for a horror movie without any set design.

At the bottom of the stairs, Wen Liang stopped and smiled, "Mission accomplished, I should go back."

Tan Xue smoothed her hair and said, "Okay, I won't invite you up. My home is very simple, not because I'm ashamed, but because I have nothing to offer guests. When I earn more money, I'll decorate it nicely and invite you to visit." Tan Xue wasn't beautiful, just pretty, but she was graceful and unashamed of her circumstances. Such a sincere, unpretentious girl was easy to like.

Wen Liang didn't care about these things. It was too late, and a sudden visit wouldn't be appropriate. He laughed, "Tan Sis, don't think I'm some rich kid. My family isn't much different from yours. We're all part of the group that became wealthy later, nothing to worry about."

Tan Xue nodded vigorously, "Right, we're all part of the group that became wealthy later, but we're all working hard, and we will become wealthy!"

Dreams are simple and pure. Since this life offers a chance to continue living, there will be a day when dreams come true.

Work hard, Tan Xue!

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