Chapter 8

For the last subject, the candidates' hearts were already wild. Especially for English, those who didn't know it really didn't, and there was no place to guess.

So, it wasn't just Qilei who submitted his paper early. By the time he came out, there were already many joyful figures in the corridor, and Wuning was among them.

However, it wasn't because he was bad at English; quite the opposite, Wuning relied on English to boost his grades!

Dong Xiuhua was determined to send her son abroad, so she started giving Wuning English tutoring from the beginning of junior high. In this aspect, he far surpassed Tang Yi and Qilei.

As soon as the two met, they didn't talk about their scores at all. Wuning immediately said, "It'll take a while for the lunatic to come back. What should we do?"

Qilei didn't even think about it, "Come on, I'll buy you an ice lolly."

Wuning immediately beamed, "Brother Shitou is a man of his word."

The two of them walked out of the teaching building, arm in arm, and from time to time, familiar faces would come up to greet them.

Of course, it wasn't for Qilei, but for Wuning's connections.

This guy was always the type who was good at socializing and was well-known in No. 2 High School.

Whether it was the good students or the poor ones, the obedient or the rebellious, even if they weren't all friends, they were at least familiar with each other.

Otherwise, why would he be called Wu Xiaojian? Scoundrels always get along well!

Qilei deliberately went to the bookstore where he had read before. Bookstores around schools usually have an ice cabinet for cold drinks.

The last time he came, Qilei saw an ice cabinet at the entrance.

The owner clearly remembered Qilei. At first sight, his heart sank, thinking this unlucky kid was back to take advantage.

To his surprise, Qilei took out ten yuan, "We'll settle up later."

The owner was overjoyed. If the two big guys ate to their heart's content, ten yuan might not even be enough, and it would earn him more than selling textbooks.

In those days, the monthly income of a small town worker was around 500 yuan, and a pound of pork ribs cost only 4.5 yuan. Ten yuan was already a significant amount.

Wuning naturally picked the more expensive ones, a Meidengao and a Big Foot in each hand.

Qilei, however, grabbed an "ice bag" and bit off a corner, sipping the not-so-tasty flavored water.

It was less about the taste and more about the nostalgia.

Who among the children of the 1990s hadn't enjoyed the coolness of an ice bag on a scorching summer day, sucking it with relish?

However, just as the two of them leaned against the ice cabinet and started their feast, a brand new mountain bike screeched to a stop in front of them.

Tang Yi stylishly flicked his side-parted hair, "Damn! Eating alone?"

Qilei and Wuning were both surprised, "Why are you here?"

His exam venue was at No. 3 High School, which was quite far.

Tang Yi glared, "I was let out an hour early!"

He dismounted, threw the bike against the wall, and then opened the ice cabinet to search.

"Boss, do you have any cola?" He moved with fluid grace.

The three of them blocked the entrance to the bookstore, eating and drinking by the ice cabinet, chatting about girls and boasting, like three delinquents.

But this was youth, full of exuberance.

Of course, if there were a couple more girls, even if it wasn't romantic, just a close and ambiguous relationship like brothers, it would be enough to be cherished in memory, to be savored over drinks years later.

After chatting for a while, Tang Yi suggested going home. Qilei hesitated for a moment but finally agreed.

So, one mountain bike, three big guys.

Wuning huddled on the crossbar, crouching low and clinging to the handlebars.

Qilei sat on the back, the most comfortable position.

But Tang Yi had it tough, pedaling with all his might, grunting and groaning, and enduring Wuning's taunts.

"Can you ride a bike? Can you be more steady?"

Tang Yi was furious, "Shut up! Why don't you try?"

...

"Damn! Shitou, can you sit still? Stop moving around."

Qilei laughed, listened, and then burst into song: "In my heart... there was once a dream, to make you forget all the pain with my song!"

Wuning: "Let us sing, for your sincere smile..."

Chorus: "Wishing your life to be different from now on"

"Seize every minute of your life..."

"Strive for the dream in our hearts!"

"No rainbow without rain, no success without effort..."

"Wu Xiaojian, are you a pig? Can't even remember the lyrics!"

"I don't care..."

The three young men gradually faded into the distance.

However, in the shadow of the school gate, Xu Qian saw a peculiar scene:

At the T-junction in front of No. 1 High School, a dirty and chaotic dirt road extended into the distance, lined with dilapidated houses.

That was the direction Qilei was heading home!

As for the big boy who had stirred her heart, he swayed on the back seat, an ice bag in his mouth, humming an indistinct tune.

And right in front of Xu Qian, on the other side of the dirt road, a perpendicular road also extended into the distance.

That was the way into the city, a new asphalt road flanked by towering buildings and the bustling city center in the distance, the direction Xu Qian was heading home.

At that moment, standing in the shadow of the school gate, she saw the disheveled Qilei in the dust and the asphalt road leading to prosperity, and her mind seemed to conjure up a tragic scene from a Qiong Yao novel, or perhaps the harsh reality.

She wanted to call out to Qilei, to wave the string of phone numbers that connected them, but she didn't dare to break the poignant reality, letting him go.

She couldn't help but smile bitterly. The two people who had caught her eye were like the two directions of the T-junction, gradually moving apart, predicting different outcomes.

Finally, Xu Qian gradually let go, no longer looking at that back figure.

She crossed the dirt road, stepped onto the asphalt, and walked confidently into the city.

She and he... were destined to be from two different worlds.

She had a family background that seemed unattainable to ordinary people, a beautiful face, outstanding grades, and a maturity far beyond her peers.

So, her life was like a clock, carefully calibrated.

She would attend the best schools, get the best grades, then go abroad to the best universities, aiming for the most promising majors, and eventually walk a path that ordinary people could never reach.

Though mundane, it was stable enough and enough to make most people envious.

As for him...

Lacking ambition, wasting his youth. That wasn't personality, but immaturity.

Interesting or not? It would all be in vain.

If she were also a time traveler, she would certainly quote a classic line from a future comedian: "So ordinary, yet so confident!"

Xu Qian felt she had grown a little, realizing a new truth: life is about constantly letting go.

And this time, it was just saying goodbye to a sixteen-year-old kid. What was there to regret?

She gently tore the damp phone number and threw it into the trash can.

"Goodbye... I will forget you."

Xu Qian muttered to herself, making her final farewell.

But life is like a play, with unpredictable reunions and separations. She was still a child pretending to be mature, how could she know what the next intersection would bring? Would she look down on the ordinary, or be looked down upon by the ordinary?

...

The mountain bike finally stopped swaying. Tang Yi had found the knack for navigating the bumpy road, charging home without restraint.

Qilei was no longer in the mindset of a middle-aged soul. He had also realized a truth:

What was the point of pretending? At sixteen, one should be wild! How many adults occasionally sit in their cars, listening to old songs and feeling silly, just to relive that nostalgic era?

I don't need to relive it; I am living it at sixteen. Not being silly and not being wild would be a waste of good times.

So, he and Wu Xiaojian together cursed Tang Yi, "Slow down! Can you slow down?"

Their butts were numb, the ice bag had fallen off, and they were as disheveled as could be. Even worse than when they were being watched, but Qilei wasn't embarrassed at all.

Until they turned into the alley, the speed dropped sharply, and the two of them jumped off the bike as if escaping, pummeling Tang Yi.

Tang Yi quickly sped away to avoid the attack, using the front wheel to knock open the only two-story building in the alley, throwing the bike into the yard, "Mom, I'm done!"

Before Cui Yumin could catch up, he dashed out the door like the wind.

The three of them regrouped and headed straight for Qilei's house.

As soon as they entered, Tang Yi directly took down the coolest guitar from the wall, held it in his arms, and struck a rock pose, strumming a chord.

Qilei followed suit, taking another guitar, and after fumbling with the strings for a while, finally played the first note in tune with Tang Yi.

Wuning used the desk as a drum, lost in the music.

"Unable to embellish a pair of hands... bringing warmth that is always behind."

Instantly, the room was filled with cacophony, the roof almost shaking.

The neighbors, hearing the commotion, broke out in cold sweat. It was over; the junior high school kids were at it again.

In the house next to Qilei's, Old Lady Yang was chatting with a middle-aged woman, cracking sunflower seeds and gossiping.

Hearing the noise from next door, Old Lady Yang frowned, "They don't study, just fool around. What will they be like when they grow up?"

The woman laughed, "Why worry? Even Guo Lihua doesn't care. Do you really think their families are like the Tangs and Wus? Just wait, in a couple of years, their parents will be crying."

Old Lady Yang also sneered, "A couple of years? This year is the critical point! It's time for high school. Let's see where their Shitou can get in."

Just then, a figure flashed by the door, Cui Yumin chasing Tang Yi into Qilei's house.

Old Lady Yang perked up, "Come on, let's go see!"

...

The mountain bike finally stopped swaying. Tang Yi had found the knack for navigating the bumpy road, charging home without restraint.