Destiny is a rotating gear. I can't tell when I will return to the starting point, nor when I will go off the track and become different from myself. But at that time, I felt that even if I was no longer different from myself, it would be better than my previous life. For example, I never regretted meeting Luo Qiqi and Ling Haochen, even though the setbacks later made me feel extremely painful.

When I got home last night, Ji Dahai lectured me in the living room for an hour. I kept my head down and admitted my mistake, saying that I shouldn't have stayed out of school after school and left my schoolbag at my classmate's house.
Seeing that I had a proper attitude, Ji Dahai did not embarrass me. When I hid in the bedroom, I threw myself into the quilt and smiled somewhat rebelliously.
The next day I got up early, bought two meat buns near the school and ate them, then waited at the school gate.
I suddenly realized a very serious problem. For someone like Luo Qiqi who treats school as a playground and comes to play occasionally, can he bring his schoolbag on time?
When I thought of this, I pinched my eyebrows and sighed.
"Nian Zi!" As a whistle sounded, Luo Qiqi's voice came into my ears.
I looked up and saw Luo Qiqi, who was casually wearing a school uniform with a schoolbag hanging on one shoulder, and my heart leaped with joy.
She threw the bag into my arms, poked me with her elbow as if she saw through my thoughts, and said with a wicked smile, "Are you impatient? Are you worried that I won't be able to bring the bag on time?"
I pretended to be calm, put my schoolbag on my back, and said, "I trust you."
Luo Qiqi held my arm affectionately, blew a big bubble out of the bubble gum in her mouth, poked it with her finger, and said, "Let's go together."
I didn't refuse.
Many people around me who knew Luo Qiqi and me looked at us with strange eyes. I knew in my heart, how could Ji Qingnian, who was at the top of the class, be with Luo Qiqi, a gangster girl from the society? I sneered in my heart and looked straight at the eyes cast around me.
Walking into the hallway of the teaching building, Luo Qiqi pulled her hand out of my arm and patted my arm gently: "Thank you."
"Go to class." I smiled and shook my head.
Luo Qiqi put his hands in his pockets, took two steps at a time up the stairs, then looked back at me and jogged up again.
I turned and walked into the classroom next door, sat down in my seat as usual, and waited for the teacher to call my name.
I like to sit by the window. Sometimes when studying is too boring, the old ginkgo tree outside is my entertainment. In my mind, it is a living and soulful character. It listens to my secrets that I cannot express and is my spiritual confidant.
During the lunch break, I planned to do two questions before going to the cafeteria - I don’t like to queue up.
Luo Qiqi jumped down the stairs carelessly. Seeing that I was still in the classroom, she immediately rushed in and said, "Nianzi, aren't you going to eat?"
The classmates around her all looked at her with disgust and consciously avoided her, but Luo Qiqi had the ability to ignore everything around her.
"It's too crowded down there now." I spread out my exercise book and took off the pen cap and put it on the other end.
Luo Qiqi came over, closed my exercise book, snatched my pen, and said seriously: "Studying is important, but health is the capital of revolution. The day lily will be cold later, and eating leftovers is not good for your health. Come on, I'll take you through the back door."
"Ah?" Before I could react to what Luo Qiqi meant by "going through the back door", she pulled me up from my seat.
"Ji Qingnian, people are eating as if they are being chased by ghosts, but you are not in a hurry at all. It's really strange." Luo Qiqi's voice trembled, and she pulled me to the cafeteria at the speed of a 100-meter sprint.
The cafeteria was already packed with people, and there were long queues in front of every window.
"Do you have any back door? You don't want to cut in line, do you?" I deliberately made fun of Luo Qiqi.
Luo Qiqi didn't answer me. She stood on tiptoe and looked around. Finally, she pulled me through the long queue as if she had found a treasure.
I looked at the rich stir-fried dishes on the table and the three people next to me, and then at Luo Qiqi's smug look, and I guessed that most of them had guessed it. They used the boring class as an excuse to go to the bathroom two minutes before get out of class ended and ordered all the dishes, thus avoiding the pain of queuing.
That's awesome, I really mean it.
"Sit down." Ling Haochen patted the stool, motioning me to sit down and eat together.
I didn't hesitate and sat down and started eating.
Ling Haochen stuffed his mouth full of white rice and asked me while picking up some food: "We are going to the island for a barbecue this weekend. You can come with us."
"I don't want to go." I refused directly.
Ling Haochen's chopsticks stopped in mid-air, and his tone was somewhat disappointed: "Are you so disrespectful?"
Seeing this, Luo Qiqi swallowed the food and said, "Nianzi, let's go for a barbecue at 3 pm on Saturday. Let's go together."
"Okay." I agreed.
"Hahaha!" Yang Yanxiao sprayed a mouthful of rice on Ling Haochen's face and almost fell to the ground with laughter. Mu Shaobai choked a few times with laughter.
Luo Qiqi looked at Ling Haochen with pride, stretched out her hand, and naturally straightened Yang Yanxiao, who was laughing towards the sky.
Ling Haochen breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled brightly and said, "It's okay, just agree to it."
I continued eating and ignored him.
"Qing Nian, why are you..."
When I heard the sound, I looked up and saw Jiang Lin and Mo Yanyan, who were good friends with me in the class, holding their plates and looking at me in surprise.
"Why are you with our group, huh?"
Luo Qiqi stared at them provocatively.
Mo Yanyan leaned forward and said, "Don't lead Qing Nian astray."
Luo Qiqi stuck her chopsticks into the rice, laughed a few times in a shady way, then waved her hand and said, "Sisters, go eat quickly, the food is getting cold."
Mo Yanyan withdrew her gaze and looked at me.
I chuckled and said, "They are all my friends. Don't let your imagination run wild. Let's go eat."
Mo Yanyan wanted to argue for me, but Jiang Lin held her hand and said to me apologetically, "Sorry to bother you. We'll leave first."
After saying that, she pulled Mo Yanyan away with all her strength. Mo Yanyan angrily shook off Jiang Lin's hand, still blaming her in a low voice.
I watched them walk away, then looked at Luo Qiqi and said calmly, "I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter, we are friends." Luo Qiqi repeated what I just said and gave me a "thumbs-up" gesture.
"But speaking of this." Mu Shaobai finished his meal and wiped his mouth with a tissue. "Qing Nian, don't delay your studies because of this. If there is anything inconvenient, be sure to tell us."
"That's right." Luo Qiqi pushed my arm and said, "If I make you fall behind in your studies, then I will be a sinner for all eternity."
"How can making a few friends make me fall behind in my studies?" I rolled my eyes at them and said, "Don't worry about other people's business."
"That's right. How can making a few friends cause you to fall behind in your studies?" Ling Haochen repeated my words like a tape recorder. His bowl was almost empty, but he still didn't notice the grain of rice on his face that he hadn't wiped clean.
I stood up, sighed, and walked out of the cafeteria. Luo Qiqi followed me and also sighed.
After leaving the cafeteria, I couldn't help laughing, and Luo Qiqi also laughed. Luo Qiqi said, "Nianzi, let the grain of rice on Ling Haochen's face be forgotten."
The past is gone with the wind, everything is empty.
Mo Yanyan still minded me eating with Luo Qiqi and the others, so before going to the classroom, I went to the canteen and bought her Mo Yanyan's favorite snacks.
Mo Yanyan snatched the snacks from my hand, opened it and started eating, then turned her face away and ignored me.
Jiang Lin advised me not to bother with her and that she would be fine after a while .
I turned around and walked towards my seat, and Mo Yanyan suddenly called me from behind: "Ji Qingnian!"
I turned around, and she glanced at me and said, "You can have many friends, so even if you have that group of people, don't forget about me and Linlin!"
I thought about it, my face a little serious. Seeing Mo Yanyan's angry look, I smiled and said, "Of course."
Mo Yanyan nodded with satisfaction, stuffed another handful of snacks into her mouth, and said to herself: "These potato chips are quite delicious."
I smiled and shook my head, and the matter was over.
On Saturday
When she and I took great pains to load the ingredients, which were almost all meat, into the car, the three young masters slowly came over.
Luo Qiqi shouted angrily: "Yang Yanxiao, are you snails? So slow!"
Yang Yanxiao ran over with a large travel bag on her back and explained, "Miss, we are going to buy snacks. Don't worry, I bought a lot of things you like to eat."
Luo Qiqi was still complaining about Yang Yanxiao, but her hands were helping Yang Yanxiao put down his heavy backpack.
I clapped my hands and prepared to get in the car. Ling Haochen walked in front of me and leaned against the car body.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing, I just think you look familiar." Ling Haochen smiled in a gangster way.
I put my hands on my hips and tilted my head to look at him: "Are you trying to hook me up?"
Ling Haochen stood up and stretched out his arms to wrap around my shoulders: "Let me tell you, I..."
I found the right time to slip away from him, leaving him empty-handed.
"Classmate Ji Qingnian, I need to explain to you that I, Ling Haochen, am a gentleman. Have you ever seen the word 'hook up' used to describe a gentleman? Obviously not." Ling Haochen followed me into the car chatteringly and chose the seat next to me and sat down.
"It should be seduction." Yang Yanxiao in front whispered to Mu Shaobai.
Luo Qiqi asked Ling Haochen while eating snacks: "Ling Haochen, are you interested in our Nianzi?"
"Go away, stop telling the truth." Ling Haochen waved his hand at Luo Qiqi as if to shoo away a fly.
I took out my cell phone, plugged in headphones, turned on the music and turned the volume up to maximum, then leaned against the window, closed my eyes, and put a baseball cap on my face.
The noisy sounds around me suddenly stopped.
The weather in May is no longer cool. In the sticky air, hot molecules are surging. The island stands by the lake and the climate is pleasant. Standing by the lake, you can see the green mountains in the distance. You can enjoy the scenery and have a barbecue at the same time. It is the best of both worlds.
The island provided a stove, so Ling Haochen, Luo Qiqi, and Yang Yanxiao could not wait to set up the stove and prepare to start the barbecue. Mu Shaobai was responsible for being a beautiful boy quietly, and recording all the joyful outdoor barbecue in the camera.
I took the frozen ingredients out of the bag and felt a little tricky: "How do I bake it?"
Ling Haochen came over and helped me carry the ingredients to the stove, and said, "We are enough, you can go and have fun."
I knew I didn't know how to barbecue, so I didn't want to join in the fun and cause trouble. I looked up and saw the cable bridge not far away, so I became interested and ran over.
I am afraid of water and heights, especially walking on a suspension bridge, but I really want to give it a try.
"Are you afraid of heights?" Mu Shaobai's voice sounded behind me.
"I'm afraid of water too," I confessed.
Mu Shaobai smiled, walked in front of me and held out his hand. I looked at him and handed him my hand. Mu Shaobai held my hand and carefully guided me, saying, "It will shake, but not too much. As long as you walk normally, there will be no problem."
I held Mu Shaobai's hand tightly and walked for several meters. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore and said with my eyes closed: "Wait."
Mu Shaobai didn't leave and waited quietly for me to speak.
I opened my eyes and said sheepishly, "I fell into a river and nearly drowned when I was a kid, and I have a trauma in my heart."
Mu Shaobai heard this and said with a guilty look on his face: "Sorry."
"It's okay." I grabbed Mu Shaobai's arms with both hands, then slowly squatted down and sat cross-legged on the bridge. Mu Shaobai also followed my example and sat next to me.
"Do you have a lot of these?" I asked, feeling the thrill of the gently swaying rope bridge.
"Yeah, we go out to play often." Mu Shaobai replied.
"It's great." I said sincerely, "The feeling of being able to do whatever I want is something I only had when I was a child at my grandmother's house in the countryside. Because my father usually disciplined me strictly, I was curious about everything when I went to my grandmother's house when I was a child. I secretly ran to pick oranges and finally fell into the river."
Mu Shaobai smiled softly and asked, "Then how did you get up here in the end?"
I recalled that time and a smile appeared on my face unconsciously: "I choked on a lot of water, and felt like I was about to see the Dragon King, a passerby..."
"Coward, remember I'm Superman from another planet!"
At that time, the tender voice of a child echoed in my ears, and I smiled and said, "A passing alien superman saved me."
"Click——" the sound of the shutter brought my thoughts back.
"Sorry." Mu Shaobai said, "You were very beautiful just now , not like your usual self." After saying that, Mu Shaobai held up the SLR camera to show me.
The girl in the photo tilted her head slightly, a smile from the heart showing on her face, and her eyes were full of longing for a better future.
"So, you always remember that alien superman, right?" Mu Shaobai continued what I had just said.
I shook my head and said, "I was too young at that time. I can't remember what he looked like. I only remember this sentence."
"It doesn't matter, everything will return to the starting point and we will meet again." Mu Shaobai's words sounded unrealistic, but they were what I wanted to hear.
I don’t want to abandon the beauty in my memories. I thought that we would return to the starting point and meet again.
After a while, Luo Qiqi waved to us from a distance and asked us to go downstairs and have barbecue.
Mu Shaobai and I returned to the headquarters. Ling Haochen held up a large bunch of meat and handed it to me, saying, "You can choose whatever you want."
I looked at him with disdain on purpose: "It's all meat, it'll make you fat." Then I picked out two skewers of lean meat and said with a smile, "Thanks."
Ling Haochen responded readily: "You're welcome!"
My mood began to brighten up, just like the cloudless sky. As a result, Ling Haochen seemed less annoying.
We had a great time that day, as if we were the only ones left in the world and we only needed to indulge ourselves and laugh heartily to drive away all the sorrow.
I rushed back before 7 o'clock in the evening - the time Ji Dahai set for me.
One day in early June, I was cleaning the blackboard at the podium when Mu Shaobai motioned me to go out at the classroom door. I put down the blackboard eraser, walked out, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Mu Shaobai said: "Ling Haochen has a game this afternoon, do you want to go?"
"What time is it?"
"Half past four." Mu Shaobai said.
Four thirty, which means I have to skip a class.
I thought about it and said, "Okay, let's go now."
Mu Shaobai nodded, took me and sneaked to the back of the school library and climbed out over the wall.
When we got to the arena, I was stunned. It was so crowded. Luo Qiqi and Yang Yanxiao took Mu Shaobai and me to the audience. Before the game started, Luo Qiqi was already cheering for Ling Haochen in an exaggerated manner.
I sat down, looked around at the enthusiastic audience, and asked Mu Shaobai: "What kind of game is this? There are so many people."
Mu Shaobai said: "The GP500 Championship (World Motorcycle Championship) is held for the first time in City A, and it brings together many motorcycle enthusiasts. The first place winner will receive a prize of 50,000 yuan. If Ling Haochen gets this prize, he won't have to worry about tuition and living expenses."
I asked in confusion, "Does he still have to rely on competitions to earn tuition and living expenses?"
"Yeah." Mu Shaobai nodded. "Haochen's father died of illness when he was young, and his mother remarried soon after and didn't care about him. He lives with his grandmother, who is old and can't take care of him, so he has to earn his living expenses and tuition by himself. His father has an old comrade-in-arms, and everyone calls him Uncle Hua. Haochen received a lot of care from Uncle Hua when he was a child, but he feels that now that he has grown up, he can no longer ask Uncle Hua for money."
After hearing this, I was silent for a long time, not knowing what to say.
Just as I was thinking, screams were heard all around me and the game was about to begin.
"Haochen is in that red car." Mu Shaobai pointed to me.
As the whistle sounded, ten GP500s sped from the starting point to the finish line. I was about to shout "Come on!" but my voice was drowned out by the cheers.
Come on, Ling Haochen.
I recited to myself.
Ling Haochen had been ahead of the others, but at the last turn, he was overtaken by the second place. I was shocked and couldn't help but tighten my arm.
"Ah! Ling Haochen, speeding! Speeding!" Luo Qiqi and Yang Yanxiao screamed in front.
The big screen camera cut to Ling Haochen's face. Through the helmet, I saw that Ling Haochen's eyes were sharp and serious. He accelerated slowly, and amid increasingly loud cheers, he surpassed the first place at the finish line in 0.098 seconds.
"Ling Haochen, you're awesome!" Luo Qiqi screamed, "Idol! The invincible one!"
The heart that had been hanging in the air finally settled down, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. I felt even more tired than when I was competing myself.
I followed Luo Qiqi and others to the lounge to wait for Ling Haochen. Ling Haochen came over wearing a red and white racing suit, took off his helmet, and kept his eyes on me.
With an irrepressible smile on his face, he stretched out his hand and threw the helmet into my arms. I hurriedly caught it and rolled my eyes at him.
"Here, water." Luo Qiqi quickly handed Ling Haochen a bottle of mineral water. Ling Haochen took a sip, bumped fists with Mu Shaobai and Yang Yanxiao, and Mu Shaobai and Yang Yanxiao also gave their blessings.
Ling Haochen exhaled and walked in front of me, his hair wet with sweat.
"Thank you for coming to see me." Ling Haochen said seriously.
I took out the handkerchief I usually used from my pocket and handed it to Ling Haochen: "Congratulations."
Ling Haochen took it, looked at the handkerchief, wiped the sweat off his face, turned around and said, "It's my treat tonight, you guys can eat whatever you want."
"Good!" Luo Qiqi cheered first.
Then, Ling Haochen turned around and looked at me, and said softly, "You come too."
"Yeah." I smiled and nodded.
"Cheers!" In a dim and old alley, we sat around a steaming hot spicy hot pot table and clinked our glasses.
Luo Qiqi and Yang Yanxiao were both very happy. They pulled Ling Haochen up and drank together, wished him well, and told stories about their past frivolous times.
I envy their friendship from the bottom of my heart. In the eyes of others, they are troublesome problem students who may be disobedient and rebellious, but I think they are really cute.
I smiled, pushed the glass away, picked up the beer bottle and started drinking.
"If you don't know how to drink, drink less." Mu Shaobai tapped the table lightly.
"It's okay. It's rare to be so happy." I smiled, then tilted my head back and took a big sip.
Mu Shaobai picked a few bunches of vegetables for me and put them in the bowl, saying, "Eat something before you drink."
Ling Haochen looked at me, put one hand on my head, rubbed my hair, and said, "Drink less, you still have to go home later."
I touched my slightly hot cheeks, but because there were two elders at home, I had to keep silent for the time being.
Yang Yanxiao and Luo Qiqi drank too much and started talking nonsense while hugging each other's shoulders. Mu Shaobai was afraid that something might happen to them, so he decided to send them home. Ling Haochen went to pay the bill, put his hand on my arm and said, "I'll take you home."
I didn't refuse. After saying goodbye to Mu Shaobai and Luo Qiqi, I followed Ling Haochen home.
We walked through the streets and alleys and saw a public toilet. Ling Haochen asked me to go in and wash my face so that my family wouldn't notice anything. Then he ran to buy me a bottle of mineral water and a bottle of perfume. I laughed at Ling Haochen for being too considerate, but Ling Haochen just smiled and said nothing.
When we arrived downstairs of the community, Ling Haochen waved at me and said, "Go in."
I took a few steps, looked back at him, and said, "See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow," he said.
I turned around and entered the community.
When I got home, Ma Wenjuan was already washing dishes, and Ji Ming and Ji Dahai were sitting on the sofa watching TV.
Seeing me come back, Ji Dahai immediately stood up and asked me, "Qingnian, where have you been? You came back so late."
I replied in a very good manner: "Dad, I'm sorry, a girl in my class had a birthday and invited us all to her house to hang out. My phone ran out of battery, so I didn't have time to tell you."
Ji Dahai wanted to scold me, but when he saw me saying that, he didn't say anything. Ji Ming, on the other hand, looked at me with a sly smile. I ignored him and went straight into the bedroom and closed the door.
The almost enclosed space made me feel suffocated, so I quickly opened the window, opened my arms, and began to breathe in the air. I don't know when I started wanting to escape from this so-called home.
Outside the classroom window, the ginkgo trees are lush green. The pen is turning on my fingertips. The teacher's voice sounds like it is coming from a distant valley and is not clear.
I secretly took out my phone and sent a text message to Luo Qiqi: "I want to go to the game room."
"I'll accompany you."
I suddenly felt secretly delighted and skipped classes for the entire afternoon.
When Luo Qiqi and I collapsed on the dance machine, Luo Qiqi said, "I didn't expect, Ji Qingnian, that you would take the initiative to ask me out to play, and even skip an entire afternoon of classes to come."
"I feel suffocated in the classroom. Besides, I can keep up with my grades if I skip classes occasionally."
"Tsk tsk tsk, that's awesome." Luo Qiqi said with a look of disdain, then stood up and challenged, "Another game?"
"Okay." I also got up and had a duel with Luo Qiqi.
I went home on time that day, and for many days after that, I secretly skipped classes and went out to play with Luo Qiqi and his gang. As the saying goes, if you walk too much at night, you will always encounter ghosts, and I also happened to encounter one.
The day before the final exam, I returned home. Ma Wenjuan was taking care of Ji Ming's meal. Ji Dahai was sitting on the sofa. The TV screen was black and he was sighing frequently.
I realized the atmosphere wasn't right so I decided not to stay any longer and went straight into the bedroom.
"Qingnian." Ji Dahai called me.
My intuition told me that something bad was going to happen, so I stopped and slowly turned around.
Ji Dahai said, "Come here." I walked up to him obediently, and he looked up and asked, "What happened to you at school?"
I immediately understood that the head teacher must have told Ji Dahai about my skipping classes. It was impossible to argue at this time, so I lowered my head and said, "I'm sorry."
Ji Dahai frowned and suddenly became furious. He pointed at my hand and shook, "When did you become like this? This is outrageous! This is too outrageous! How can you still be a student?"
Ji Ming laughed with glee on the side.
"Eat." Ma Wenjuan stopped him.
I lowered my head, fiddling with the corner of my clothes, and whispered, "Dad, I was wrong. Don't be angry. It was my fault. I was too playful. But I promise you, there won't be a next time."
Ji Dahai was so angry that his chest heaved up and down. He pointed at the corner and said, "Go over there and stand still! If you don't do well in the exam tomorrow, we'll settle the score."
I quickly ran to the corner and stood there. I couldn't end it until Ji Dahai said yes.
Reality is sometimes unexpected. After the final exam, I stood at the door with a transcript that showed a total score more than 40 points lower than usual, not daring to go in. If Ji Dahai knew about this score, I would be beaten to a pulp.
While I was wandering, the report card in my hand was suddenly snatched away. Ji Ming suddenly flashed to the stairs, looked at the report card, and said , "Oh, I wanted to watch the fun. Your score is much better than mine. It seems that I will be scolded the most later."
"Give it back to me. " I snatched the report card from Ji Ming unhappily.
Unexpectedly, Ji Dahai did not scold me, he gave me another answer.
On the third day after the report card came out, Ji Dahai came to my room while getting dressed and said, "Xiao Nian, get up."
I dazedly lifted the quilt and asked, "Where are we going?"
“Tuition class.”
Cram school? I sat up from the bed. No wonder he didn't scold me, which was unreasonable. It turned out that he had enrolled me in a cram school so that I could improve my grades.
I was worried and couldn't help but hold my forehead.
The cram school is on the 18th floor of Jindian Building. It is a small class with five students in each class. There are three girls and two boys in my cram school, including me. They all wear black-framed glasses and stare at the blackboard like wooden sticks without saying a word during class.
The cram school teacher’s lecture was so boring that I lay on the desk and started drawing a little man. As I was drawing, I suddenly realized that this little man had some of Ling Haochen’s rebelliousness.
"Hey..." When we first met, he called me coldly, then a smile appeared on his face, "You seem to have your period."
I couldn't help laughing, I put the tip of the pen on the villain's face, and imitated Ling Haochen's humming: "Hey..."
In the subsequent times we spent time together, he was always so confident and energetic. When racing, his serious look made people feel moved.
I frowned, looked at the little man's grinning mouth, and cursed softly, "Shameless."
"Student Ji." The tutor called me in confusion.
"Ah?" I raised my head quickly.
"What did you say?" She squinted at me.
I said, "Teacher, you give a really good lecture."
The tutor tapped the blackboard with chalk and warned me: "Pay attention in class and don't be absent-minded. Doesn't your family pay to send you to tutoring?"
"Yes." I answered seriously.
At noon, the tutor came up to me and said, "Ji Qingnian."
"Yeah." I stood up.
She took out a red RMB note from her magenta wallet and gave it to me. She said, “Go to McDonald’s downstairs and buy me some fried chicken wings, a hamburger, a bag of French fries, and a Coke.”
"Oh..." I took the money, left the classroom reluctantly and waited for the elevator.
Because it was lunch time, McDonald's was already packed with people. There were long queues at all five ordering windows. I stood at the back, bored, chatting with Luo Qiqi on QQ.
"My dad enrolled me in a cram school and now he's buying McDonald's for the tutor."
Luo Qiqi replied: "Congratulations, Yang Yanxiao and I are traveling in H City."
I hesitated for a moment and asked again, "Where are Mu Shaobai and Ling Haochen?"
"Mu Shaobai goes out to work part-time every summer vacation. Ling Haochen seems to have an underground racing competition recently."
Underground racing? I asked Luo Qiqi about the time and location of Ling Haochen's race. A familiar voice came from above my head: "Hello, what can I do for you?"
I looked up and saw a smiling face.
"Mu Shaobai!"
I was a little excited. Mu Shaobai smiled and made a "silence" gesture, then asked, "What do you need?"
"One portion of fried chicken, one hamburger, one bag of French fries, and one cup of Coke, all to go."
Mu Shaobai nodded, and skillfully ordered, collected money, and served the food.
"Hello, here's your order. Welcome to come next time." In less than thirty seconds, Mu Shaobai prepared it for me.
"Thank you." I took it with a smile, "I am very satisfied with your service."
Mu Shaobai deliberately performed a gentlemanly ceremony and said, "It's an honor to serve you."
I said goodbye to Mu Shaobai with a smile, and I didn't want to disturb him any more. When I walked out of the door, I breathed in some fresh air, looked at the scorching sun above my head, and said to myself: "Ji Qingnian, Mu Shaobai is working hard, Ling Haochen is working hard, Luo Qiqi is wandering around, the world is so beautiful, what reason do you have not to study hard?"
After saying that, I returned to the cram school in a very good mood and started to listen to the lessons seriously.
Ling Haochen’s racing competition started at 5 pm on July 21st, and I got out of class at 5 pm.
I looked at my watch, hurriedly hailed a car, and went to the underground parking lot of the competition.
It took me an hour to get there because the traffic was so congested during the rush hour.
When I arrived at the parking lot, I saw a man with tattoos all over his arms handing an envelope to Ling Haochen, and then he pressed his shoulder and said, "Good boy, that's awesome."
Ling Haochen's face was a little ugly, he just tightly held the envelope in his hand, then his brows relaxed, and he said calmly: "No, it was Brother Lei who asked me to do it."
"Ling Haochen." I called him from a distance.
Ling Haochen turned and looked at me with a surprised expression.
"Girlfriend?" Lei Ge sneered.
"No, it's a classmate." After saying that, Ling Haochen walked over quickly without making a sound, grabbed my wrist, and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to cheer you up," I answered honestly.
"Idiot!" Ling Haochen glared at me, his tone stern but caring.
Ling Haochen turned around and said to Brother Lei who was walking up to him, "Brother Lei, my classmate wants to talk to me about something, so I'll leave first."
Lei Ge put his hands on his hips and said, "Let's go."
"Thank you, Brother Lei."
After saying thank you, Ling Haochen put his arm around my back and led me out of the parking lot.
I glanced back at the dark entrance behind me and asked, "They are all members of society, right?"
"You still came even though you knew that?" Ling Haochen's tone was somewhat reproachful.
I was a little worried, so I stopped, grabbed Ling Haochen's arm, and said, "Don't participate in this kind of informal competition in the future. It looks very dangerous. If he is really a gangster, he will be very embarrassed if you win money from him."
Ling Haochen looked at me, slowly raised the corners of his lips, and asked: "Nian, are you concerned about me?"
My pupils gradually shrank and I felt goose bumps on my arms in the hot weather.
Ling Haochen laughed twice and patted the back of my head: "Come on, I'll buy you some ice cream."
I followed Ling Haochen with a frown on my face.
Ling Haochen leaned over the counter and asked me, "What flavor do you want?"
"vanilla."
"Two servings of vanilla ice cream." Ling Haochen said to the waiter.
After buying ice cream, Ling Haochen and I sat by the lake and enjoyed the breeze.
Ling Haochen licked the ice cream, turned his head and said to me: "Ji Qingnian, I want you to remember when you are old that you ate vanilla ice cream with a boy named Ling Haochen."
"This is nothing memorable," I said blandly.
"Why not?" Ling Haochen immediately objected. He asked me, "Don't you think our relationship is much better than when we first met? This is worth ."
I remained silent, my teeth chattering on the ice cream until a stinging cold feeling came over me, and then I slowly moved away.
I said, "Okay."
Ling Haochen nodded with satisfaction and then hummed a nursery rhyme.
" What are you singing?" I asked absentmindedly.
Ling Haochen said: "Have you watched Alien Legend when you were a kid? This is the theme song. The young boy Tim overcame many difficulties and finally succeeded in order to save the princess who was kidnapped by aliens."
"Hmm." I listened casually.
"Tim has a special move. He swings his arm, and whoosh - then he fires a thunder and fire bomb, which can knock the enemy to the ground. When the princess sees him, she will exclaim 'Alien Superman'! You know what? When I was a child, I really wanted to be an alien Superman."
The ice cream melted under the scorching sun and flowed onto my fingers. A breeze blew from the lake and blew my hair onto my face. A certain memory deep in my heart was stirred and began to flood.
Ling Haochen's voice was still echoing in my ears, and I was stunned.
Alien planet, Superman...