That day, Ning Xi brought seven dolls home, lined them up in a row, and placed them on the corner of the bed.
Xing Cheng took one and held it in his arms. He was quite proud of himself and sat on the bed and laughed at him: "Don't you think it's too crowded?"
Ning Xi said expressionlessly: "It occupies a smaller area than you."
Xing Cheng was blocked by his brother again, but he was used to it. He took off his coat and lay half of his body on the bed, playing with the kitten doll in his hands.
"Look at you, you're just like a cat, with a bad temper and arrogant. When you're unhappy, you scratch me, and when you're happy, you stick to me..."
After Xing Cheng finished speaking, he turned over and reached out to lift the hem of Ning Xi's clothes: "Let me see if there is a tail?"
Ning Xi dodged it immediately, and without hesitation, he pinched half of Xing Cheng's face: "Is there anything wrong with that? Is there anything wrong with that?"
His brother was merciless in this pinch. Xing Cheng's cheeks were sore from being pinched. He squinted his eyes and shouted, "It hurts, it hurts..."
You can't touch a tiger's butt at all.
Xing Cheng leaned against the bed, looking carefully at Ning Xi's angry profile, her slightly trembling eyelashes, and the part of her wrist that was exposed when the sleeves of her sweatshirt were rolled up.
The outline and expression clearly showed that he was still a young man with a cross at the beginning of his name.
His brother was so wonderful that time was reluctant to send him into the adult world.
On the night of New Year's Eve, Ning Xi went to his mother's house for dinner as usual, and said goodbye and went home before the Spring Festival Gala even started.
The little brother kept crying, his mother and uncle were busy, and several unfamiliar relatives came to the house, making him feel like sitting on pins and needles.
Ning Xi helped her mother entertain the guests, made the tea, and left the house with a red envelope of 200 yuan.
He was wearing a scarf around his neck that Xing Cheng had given him a few days ago. It had khaki stripes and was made of pure cashmere. One could roughly guess how much it cost by just touching the material.
It seems to be a branded product and feels really good.
He buried half of his face in his scarf, wrapped his down jacket tightly, and walked alone on the street on New Year's Eve.
The street lights were dim, and the leaves on the streets were falling one after another. Occasionally, a car would speed by, and it would pick up fallen leaves and flutter them into the night sky.
Ning Xi walked while looking up at the moon hanging high in the sky. When he got to the back, he seemed to be chasing it. He quickened his pace, panting, and ran across two streets.
Fireworks and firecrackers are banned in the city, so the festive atmosphere is much less. The sparse red lanterns hanging on the trees are flashing, which indicates some good meanings...
The past is like a flying goose imprinting on the snow, walking on the song of the end of the year, wandering thousands of miles away. Just a few steps, it seems to fall into the ravine of time.
As Ning Xi ran, his speed slowed down, and his eyes suddenly caught a bright star in the sky.
He stopped and stood on the almost deserted street, with a few yellow leaves falling above his head.
He sent a text message to Xingcheng.
He looked at the taxis passing by on the street. Most of them had red signs saying "Empty Car", which was very conspicuous at night.
Ning Xi continued walking, and every time he passed a car, he silently said in his heart, "Happy New Year."
Ning Xi walked for more than an hour and turned into the street of the community. He felt that the street lights on this road seemed brighter than before.
Ning Xi walked a few steps with his arms folded, and the red envelopes in his pocket were already warm. The cold wind cooled Ning Xi's face, and when he exhaled, his eyelashes seemed to be covered with frost.
He had just crossed a crosswalk when he saw a figure standing on the side of the road.
He is 1.85 meters tall, wearing a dark grey down jacket, and had his hair cut short before the New Year...
Xing Cheng had a stern face and looked fierce and arrogant when he was silent. He stood in the night with his hands behind his back and looked in his direction.
Ning Xi suddenly felt motivated to run again and no longer felt tired. He crossed the street and ran in the direction of Xingcheng in small steps.
Ning Xi was overwhelmed with emotion. He didn't expect that there would be someone to spend the night of New Year's Eve with him.
Ning Xi sniffed and asked him, "Did your uncle and aunt allow you to come out?"
"We have a lot of guests at home, and I ran out to play for a while, but they couldn't pay attention to me."
Xing Cheng reached out and tied the scarf around his brother's neck a little tighter, then touched his face with the back of his hand: "It's so cold."
Ning Xi looked at him, nodded, and said nothing more.
The two people were originally walking side by side on the street, but for some reason, I forgot who started running first, and they ended up running one after the other...
As they ran to the intersection at the end of the street, snow suddenly began to fall from the sky.
Ning Xi got ahead, snow fell on his shoulders. He slowly slowed down his pace and turned to look at Xing Cheng who was chasing him.
The teenager stood in the light snow, his black turtleneck sweater making his face look even more handsome. He still only carried his backpack on one side. His hands, which used to get frostbite easily in winter, seemed to be just a little red from the cold this year.
The time during this winter vacation passed so quickly that Ning Xi couldn't even remember what he read or what books he reviewed every day...
It’s New Year’s Eve, a windy and snowy night.
Later on, no matter how many years passed, Ning Xi still remembered it.
It snowed in Chengdu that winter.
In the late night of New Year's Eve, Xingcheng's father called Xingcheng. Xingcheng was still out of breath, so he had to tell his father that he was playing outside with Ren Meiningxi and others and would be home soon.
It was four o'clock in the morning when Xing Cheng and Ning Xi returned to the community together.
The two men stood in the corridor looking at each other. Xing Cheng looked at Ning Xi's collar, his Adam's apple rolling up and down.
He walked up one step and said earnestly, "Happy New Year, brother!"
Ning Xi smiled so hard that her eyes curved. She urged him to go home quickly with a gesture and said, "I wish you happiness, too."
On the last day of winter vacation, Xing Cheng heard that Ying Yuchen had returned from Beijing, and originally planned to go to Shuangliu Airport with Ning Xi to pick him up.
Ying Yuchen was still playing games on the other end of the phone, scolding his stupid teammates while playing. Although he cursed quietly, his momentum was still as strong as it was on the basketball court: "Don't come to pick me up, oh, you hit me again!"
Xing Cheng held the phone and resisted the urge to hang up: "What time will you arrive?"
"Ah? I arrived in the early morning..."
"Not in the early morning. My brother won't be able to get up tomorrow."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xing Cheng hung up the phone. Ying Yuchen was so angry at his teammates and Xing Cheng that he took a sip of juice: "What kind of people are these!"
As soon as Ying Yuchen returned to Chengdu, he made an appointment with his brothers from the school team to play a game at a streetball court in Qingyang District.
The school team he transferred to was pretty good, but he was a lot shorter than him.
By the way, it has been a while since I went to the street basketball court to make money, and Xingcheng is still a little new to it. The last time was before the final exam. I played for ten minutes and didn’t make much money. I won four points and then slipped away.
No matter how poor Xing Cheng was, he was always very focused on the court. He just did things without saying anything. His style of play was fierce and efficient, and he made Ying Yuchen's team retreat step by step.
Ying Yuchen made a three-step layup and scored. Seeing that he had two more points on the scoreboard, he challenged Xing Cheng: "You're running so fast, do you want to put a rocket on your butt and fly all over the court?"
Xing Cheng smiled heartily, knowing what he was upset about, and threw the ball directly to Ren Mei: "You let him go, I'll guard him!"
Every policy has its own countermeasure. Ying Yuchen ran to Ning Xi and pulled him over: "Go and guard your brother..."
The game on the court was Xing Cheng suppressing Ying Yuchen, double-teaming him and then using zone defense, and they directly defeated the senior high school team.
After the game, Ying Yuchen leaned on the sidelines, touched his waist, and grinned: "I'm really old. I can't beat you little brats..."
Xing Cheng deliberately hit him in the sore spot: "How is your relationship with the person who hit you?"
"Don't mention my sister-in-law. She's a very nice person. How can you mention her?" Ying Yuchen smiled and knocked on his head, feeling very proud.
A bunch of people from the school team started to make a fuss and asked him about his sister-in-law, which made Ying Yuchen take out his phone and look through the photo of that person, showing off in his palm: "Isn't she pretty? Are you jealous? She loves me so much!"
Ning Xi took a glance at him and found that he was quite good-looking, extremely handsome.
Xing Cheng also looked at it, and his eyes were immediately fixed on the teardrop mole at the corner of the person's eye in the photo. Suddenly, he remembered that Ning Xi also had a small mole on the tip of his nose.
Ying Yuchen is still showing off here. If he continues, he will probably set up a table, fan himself, and start telling stories, with a look of joy on his face.
The second semester of Ning Xi's senior year of high school started on a sunny morning.
All the loneliness during the New Year holidays had long since vanished, transformed into strength given by Xing Cheng, encouraging him to complete the last journey of high school.
Every year there are college entrance examination candidates who are excited about liberation, but they do not know that they are about to face a bigger and more complex world.
The only worries in high school are the college entrance examination and premature love, but there is more to college than that.
Accompanying the warm spring breeze in March are still two taels of beef noodles in the morning, purple rice drinks from the yogurt shop on the corner, his younger brother waiting for him to finish class at the door after school in the evening, and the midnight snacks they eat while walking on the way home...
Entering the second semester of the second year of high school, Xing Cheng became much more well-behaved. He had fewer opportunities to go out and play street ball. After class, he was too lazy to watch Ren Mei and the others smoke, and they all went to the third year of high school.
Occasionally, I would go to KTV on weekends and sing a few of Jordan Chan’s songs.
In the KTV room, drink a few glasses of Sprite mixed with beer. Brothers will walk together for life, drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and the more they drink, the more excited they become.
Once, Ning Xi came down from upstairs to the printing room to get some information. From a distance, he saw Xing Cheng leading a group of boys standing at the edge of the corridor. Xing Cheng raised his chin and whistled.
Ning Xi was speechless. He turned around and tried to go the other way. As soon as he turned around, he ran into Ren Mei, who greeted him with a smile: "Hello, Brother Xi!"
Ning Xi turned around again and passed by Xing Cheng. As soon as he passed by, Xing Cheng stretched out his arm to stop him: "Collect the toll."
Ning Xi was stunned. After he reacted, he reached out and twisted Xing Cheng's ear, took out the vocabulary book he carried with him, and patted Xing Cheng on the chest.
"Copy it once and hang it for me tonight."
After saying that, Ning Xi continued walking forward.
Ren Mei saw that Xing Cheng's ears were twisted red, and couldn't help laughing, causing Xing Cheng to glare at her: "What are you looking at? A man's medal."
——He is my brother, he should be disciplined!
Xing Cheng shook the vocabulary book in his hand and held it upright against his chest.
Xing Cheng looked at Ning Xi's back as he walked away, but he didn't forget to look back. He suddenly remembered the text message Ning Xi sent him on New Year's Eve. It was very simple, just one sentence.
"On the last day of the lunar calendar, I wish I can see you often."
So that night, Xing Cheng suddenly turned off his phone and ran out.
English vocabulary book, Xingcheng copied it from class to school.
His handwriting was particularly large, and after he had finally finished writing, he accidentally hit the soda bottle with his elbow, and all the water spilled onto the paper, making the handwriting a little blurry.
Fortunately, as long as you can see it clearly.
To be honest, during this time of copying words, Xingcheng learned several new ones. He asked carefully about the pronunciation, waiting to show them off in front of his brother in the evening.
When Xing Cheng went home to get a rope to tie up the bag, he also put a piece of Ferrero Rocher in it.
Because his father caught him last time, he has been thinking about the Ferrero Rocher that he didn't give away.
As soon as Ning Xi got the vocabulary book, he read it again and again. He couldn't help it, so he called Xing Cheng down and started to scold him as soon as they met: "Why is your handwriting so ugly?"
This college entrance examination did not give me a good result. It was not neat at all and it made the examiners feel annoyed.
Xing Cheng drank a lot of carbonated drinks that day, and the more he drank, the more excited he became. Now there was a fruity taste in his mouth: "The handwriting reflects the person, this is called unrestrained."
Ning Xi was speechless and glanced at him.
How come this person looks like a decent person but his handwriting is so ugly? I guess he will lose several points on the paper after writing the composition.
Xing Cheng knew that Ning Xi's handwriting was beautiful, but he still couldn't help but said, "Write one for me to see?"
Ning Xi lowered his eyes, picked up the pen and wrote his name on the paper. His strokes were as sharp as the ink and as powerful as Ning Xi himself, and each stroke was as fast as water and wind.
Xing Cheng picked up a red pen and drew a symbol around Ning Xi's signature to frame it.
Ning Xi took a look and said, "Boring."
Xing Cheng twisted the pen and said with a smile: "Don't you say that the handwriting reflects the person? This is you."
Ning Xi was quick to reach out and pinch Xing Cheng's ear. He was startled by the burning sensation in his hand and scolded him coldly, "Little bastard."
"I'm just an asshole, so what if I'm an asshole, go ahead and twist me as hard as you can!" Xing Cheng is a guy who loves to be tormented, and he enjoys being scolded.
This sentence was not enough, Xing Cheng was still playing tricks: "Aren't you also a bastard?"
Ning Xi was so angry that he opened his mouth for a long time but couldn't refute a word. He really used some strength in his hands but couldn't bear to do it, so he bent his knees to block: "I will teach you a lesson sooner or later..."
Xing Cheng stepped back suddenly: "You can teach me a lesson in any way you want!"
The spring breeze blows through the willows, and the scenery is full of green.
The faint light of a sunny day creates red peach blossoms before our eyes, reflecting in the March that belongs to Chengdu.
The results of the first monthly exam in the second semester of the second year of high school came out, with a score of over 450. If Xingcheng can maintain this score, he will basically have a chance to be admitted to an undergraduate program in his third year of high school.
But in a school like Shizhong where there are many top students, his grades are simply the worst.
Besides, Ning Xi’s review for senior high school has entered the sprint stage, with only two months left. Where would he find the time to give him extra lessons?
Xing Cheng knew that he could not hold his brother back, so he had to study hard and attend classes on time every day. He also reminded Ren Mei that if he accidentally fell asleep in class, she should pinch herself to wake him up.
It turned out that telling Ren Mei was of no use at all. The two boys slept together with their heads huddled together, and most of the morning passed like this.
Every morning, Xingcheng is only slightly more awake during the break.
Xing Cheng still remembers that when he first came to school in the first year of high school, he would look for his brother everywhere during the daily physical exercises, and sometimes he would stand in the open space in front of his brother to do them. He was always very nervous.
Xing Cheng was very famous in Qingyang District when he was in junior high school, not to mention when he went to high school. He was even more adept at causing trouble. Although he was not as aggressive as the Young and Dangerous gang members, at least if any of his brothers got into trouble, Xing Cheng would grab a stool and rush over.
Xingcheng's family is a military family. His father never opposed Xingcheng's character, but just told him to be moderate and not get expelled. Where could he find a better school for him to go to?
Xing Cheng is not cut out for study.
But occasionally, when he looked at Ning Xi's back, Xing Cheng would feel that he must find a way to keep up, even in all aspects of life.
When he was in junior high school, Xing Cheng was still a boy who sang "Superstar in Troubled Times" and "A Laugh in the Ocean" in KTV. After the end of July this year, he will become a real man.
The weather was getting warmer and more people were going to the court. Xingcheng asked a big brother in the district for a spot in a game. The price was 100 yuan per game. If he could get ten assists and five two-point shots, he could get the spot.
The venue was set at the Decathlon Stadium in Wuhou District, right next to the highway. A high net separated each court, and it was filled with players wearing colorful uniforms and various types of sneakers, sweating profusely. Occasionally, there were a few streetball masters who would change courts and beat a large group of people at a time.
Xing Cheng changed into a better pair of shoes this time, a mandarin duck style, with different colors on the left and right feet. He wore a black short-sleeved shirt, and his aura and height could overwhelm everyone on the field.
Actually, 1.85 meters is not considered particularly tall among basketball players, but Xing Cheng's advantage is that he has strong eyebrows and eyes, and a frown and a hint of provocation at the corners of his mouth, which is really intimidating.
The sun was shining brightly that afternoon and the performance lasted more than an hour. Fortunately, Xing Cheng was not seriously injured. He received 100 yuan and was called to go to Jinjiang District to help.
He seldom went to the court over there. Firstly, he was afraid of running into Ying Yuchen while playing dirty, and secondly, he didn't have any acquaintances to help keep an eye on him. If he got into trouble on the court, it would be hard for him to deal with it alone.
Most people who play basketball are loyal and play together. No matter how good you are, if you step on someone else's field, you are just asking for trouble.
But this time, it was asked by his brother who usually helped him find work, so even if he didn't want to go, he had to give him this face.
When he arrived, he was sweating all over, with his wrists still wrapped in tape from practicing jiu-jitsu. His other hand had no strength left so he just bit it with his mouth, tearing it as he walked, with his shoelaces tied tightly.
As soon as he got the ball, he played with great momentum, directly cutting off the opponent's passing plan, taking the first blood with a fast break, and winning a lot of admiration from the sidelines.
He has not seen many basketball teams in Jinjiang District. Those participating in competitions in the city are also teams from schools. Can the school teams compare with those in society?
Xing Cheng knew that if he showed his edge he would be intercepted, so he restrained his movements a little and didn't play as hard as in the previous quarter. He took a step back and made a jump shot, scoring another point.
He doesn't need to be in the limelight here, just get the money.
During the half-time break, a few women who looked older than him and were in their early twenties came over with their arms folded. Their shiny nails dazzled in the sunlight, making Xing Cheng's eyes hurt.
No matter how much Xing Cheng gives in to life, he will not give in on this issue.
He didn't want Ning Xi to think in a biased way.
"Go!"
A familiar shout exploded behind Xing Cheng, and his scalp felt like it was going to explode. When he turned around, he saw Ying Yuchen covered in sweat, his obedient face flushed with exhaustion.
How come we meet again?
Xing Cheng saw that he was tired from playing on the next court, so he ran over and asked, "Why are you here?"
Ying Yuchen glared: "I was just about to ask you, do you know your teammates?"
Xing Cheng said nothing. He still had one or two hundred yuan in his pocket.
He took the water bought by Ying Yuchen, unscrewed the lid and poured the mineral water on his chest, letting the cold water wet his collar. He sighed comfortably and said seriously, "Don't tell my brother."
Because he had a good relationship with Ning Xi, Ying Yuchen also regarded Xing Cheng as his younger brother, so he naturally couldn't bear to see him disregarding his own safety like this: "What did you promise me last time?"
Ying Yuchen has always been the youngest in the family, and everyone in the family dotes on him. When he meets someone younger than him, he becomes very strict with her because he has always wanted to be an older brother.
"I told you not to come out and play this kind of ball, but you didn't listen, did you?"
Xing Cheng was bumped into on the field just now, and a bloody mark was left on his arm by a watch that some wicked fellow hadn't taken off. He grimaced in pain and groaned as he replied, "I know..."
His brother is in the final sprint stage now. He has to pay for a lot of review materials, and he has to eat midnight snacks when studying at night, and all of this costs money.
He couldn't say this to Ying Yuchen, because Ying Yuchen had no idea what it felt like to be penniless.
Ying Yuchen rolled up his sleeves and was about to start teaching him a lesson. Before he could even say anything, he heard a familiar voice behind him: "Why are you here?"
As soon as the voice came out, Xing Cheng subconsciously covered his arms, thinking that he was hallucinating.
Ning Xi was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and the pair of basketball shoes that Xing Cheng bought for him. He stood behind Ying Yuchen and stared at the stunned Xing Cheng.
He saw his brother when he entered the venue. The blood marks on half of his arm almost hurt his eyes.
Ying Yuchen subconsciously stood in front of Xing Cheng and said, "Xi, how come you are here so soon..."
Ning Xi frowned and said simply: "Take a taxi."
Ying Yuchen was at a loss for words for a moment, so he could only ask, "Didn't you say you'd take the bus?"
In the afternoon, he made an appointment with Ning Xi to come and play with him, but unexpectedly he ran into Xing Cheng who was out taking on a job. And combined with the previous encounter, it seemed that Xing Cheng was making money here and Ning Xi had no idea.
Ning Xi's eyes never left Xing Cheng.
He replied: "I felt anxious before I even reached the bus stop, so I chose to take a taxi."
After saying this, he still didn't forget that Xing Cheng was here, and asked, "Xing Cheng, why are you here?"
Didn’t you say you were going to play board games with Ren Mei and the others in the afternoon?
Xing Cheng's heart skipped a beat and he bit his lip. He had lied to his brother and he would probably have to confess his crime here.
He walked around Ying Yuchen, took a deep breath, and said, "I'll play."
Ning Xi looked at him for a while. Ying Yuchen didn't dare to speak. Ning Xi slowly squatted down to tie his shoelaces tighter and asked him, "Who made your hands like this?"
Xing Cheng was panicking. His brother was going to fight back, but he was just doing a job for someone else, so how could he care about that? !
He reached out to pull Ning Xi in, coaxing her softly, "It's just a little bit. Don't go on stage. You're going to take the college entrance exam soon. What if you get hurt..."
Ying Yuchen was terrified watching from the side, it was like a hell.
He knew that Ning Xi was a very contradictory person, with a soft and cruel heart. But now the look in his eyes seemed as if he wanted to challenge everyone in the field to a one-on-one duel.
Who is Ning Xi? He has been eating salt for three years longer than Xing Cheng. Seeing this situation, how could he not know what just happened here?
Ning Xi was held tightly by Xing Cheng. He was stunned and did not struggle. The shouts and cheers in his ears continued.
In this position, he stared at Xing Cheng and said, "Don't explain to me."
Xing Cheng almost bit his tongue : "Brother, it's just a small game, I'll play for my friend..."
When Ning Xi heard that Xing Cheng still refused to admit it, his eyes almost turned red. He didn't care that Ying Yuchen was standing next to him, and raised his head suddenly: "Don't lie to me!"
Xing Cheng was still trying to defend himself: "I didn't lie to you."
Ning Xi stopped talking and reached out to touch Xing Cheng's trouser pocket. Before Xing Cheng could dodge, two hundred-yuan bills fell out and landed on the ground.
Ning Xi slowly squatted down and picked it up.
Ying Yuchen, who was standing aside, was secretly shocked. He had no say in the matter at all.
After working hard for an entire afternoon and showing off my amazing ball skills, I only earned two hundred dollars?
But what right does he have to get involved in this matter?
Like his brother and sister-in-law, they would occasionally have a quarrel at home, and everything would be ruined. He would hide in his room and not say a word, not daring to say a word.
His brother never has any expression, and his sister-in-law always has ten thousand excuses.
Xing Cheng saw that he could no longer hide it. Ning Xi's eyes were like a mirror, and he knew what was going on.
Ning Xi held the two hundred yuan in his hand and carefully smoothed out the folded corners.
He remained silent, stuffed the money back into Xingcheng's pocket, lowered his eyes, and sniffed. He seemed to have lost track of the noisy background noise.
Ning Xi asked him: "How long has it been?"
Xing Cheng confessed honestly: "Half a year."
He finally understood why Xing Cheng was so generous in spending money on him. It was all his own money, so how could he not be generous?
But he kept asking again and again. He didn't refuse. This was all hard-earned money.
Xing Cheng looked at his brother standing on the sidelines in silence, and suddenly remembered that every time the school team won a game, Ning Xi was always exhausted and stood on the sidelines with his head down.
In order to hug him, Xing Cheng made a big splash on the court and hugged the entire team after leaving the court.
Every time he hugged Ning Xi, Xing Cheng felt like he had filled up his tank at a gas station and could run for several quarters on the court.
Ning Xi asked him hoarsely, "Do you think you are doing this... for my good?"
Xing Cheng didn't know how to answer for a moment, so he just nodded and said, "Yeah."
At that time, Xing Cheng knew nothing and grew up wildly on his own, doing things in the way he wanted most, what he thought was good for Ning Xi.
Ning Xi sighed, unable to say anything too harsh.
He didn't think Xing Cheng had done anything wrong, he just felt that he had hurt Xing Cheng.
Ning Xi finally calmed down his emotions. When he looked up, he saw the worried expressions of Ying Yuchen and Xing Cheng.
There was self-blame, guilt, and heartache in Xingcheng's eyes.
Ning Xi could see these emotions clearly. He couldn't say anything wrong at all, so what right did he have to accuse Xing Cheng of doing something wrong?
Ning Xi smiled in a relaxed manner, his arms nervously placed at his sides, and with mixed emotions, he spoke.
"Xingcheng, would you like some pomegranate soda?"