"Ning Xi! Watch the game!"
Ning Xi had just heard this and was still in shock when the basketball in his palm was suddenly snatched away by a high school boy in front of him.
The boy dribbled the ball across the court and passed it to Xing Cheng who was standing inside the three-point line.
Xing Cheng jumped up, raised his arms high, exerted force on his wrists, pushed the basketball out of his palms, and made a two-point shot!
The ball fell straight into the net, and the scoreboard turned to the next page.
There were many students standing under the shade of the trees beside the basketball court. Some of them were holding hand warmers and cheering in order to watch the game. If there were no teachers maintaining order, some of them would have been squeezed into the court as substitutes.
The temperature in the city is about to enter the bone-chilling cold of mid-November.
Coincidentally, the weather forecast said that it would be sunny for several days during the school sports meet. The whole Shizhong school was in jubilation, as they had finally been waiting for the "short holiday" to rest.
The grade basketball games of the school sports meet are in full swing.
The first-year high school students didn’t even watch the competition among their grade. Instead, they all ran to watch the “Battle of the Chosen” between the second-year high school students and the third-year high school students, because compared to the heavyweight spark clash between the second-year high school students and the third-year high school students, the first-year high school students were simply too naive.
Boring.
Besides, the two twin stars of the school team, Ning Xi from the third year of high school and Xing Cheng from the second year of high school, haven't played against each other for a long time, and they both want to see who is better.
There is not much difference in strength between the third and second year teams, but because Ying Yuchen, a capable third year player, took leave due to injury, the entire third year team, with five people on the field, put all the scoring power on Ning Xi's shoulders.
However, Ning Xi is not in good shape at all now.
In the first half of the game, Gao Er assigned Xing Cheng to defend him. The two had hardly spoken to each other for two days. Xing Cheng was much taller than him, and his horse stance defense made him breathless...
Ning Xi didn't even want to look directly into Xing Cheng's eyes.
When playing one-on-one with his back to the basket, Ning Xi glanced over and saw Xing Cheng staring at him closely.
Their eyes met, and Ning Xi's arm, which was already wrapped in a sports bandage, trembled, and he almost dropped the ball in his hand.
These past two days, Ning Xi has been secretly thinking back to what he said to Xing Cheng that day, and what Xing Cheng said to him.
His brother's last sentence "Only you" touched him deeply, but Ning Xi felt that Xing Cheng's words were as if he had several people in his heart.
Between him and Xing Cheng, he always seems to be the one who does wrong, and he can't help but be nice to Xing Cheng and keep giving him hope.
Don’t think about it for now.
Ning Xi had no way of refusing when seeing Xing Cheng, who was concentrating and full of energy on the court.
Ning Xi lowered his center of gravity slightly, and the ball moved back and forth between his hands.
His dribbling skills are steady and solid. If he doesn't lose concentration, his ball will not be intercepted at all. But just now, he was indeed affected.
He couldn't let his concentration get distracted anymore. He had already lost by more than ten points in his senior year. If he continued like this, he would be beaten badly sooner or later.
I can’t say that I can definitely beat Xing Cheng and his group of energetic guys, but at least I can’t lose too badly in the third year of high school.
Xing Cheng held the ball in his hand and scored a two-pointer. As soon as the ball landed, he lifted the hem of his jersey and fanned himself, revealing a nice pair of abdominal muscles under the fabric.
After the exercise, the boy's body was like small transparent beads of sweat dripping on his wheat-colored skin, and the explosive power hidden under the epidermis that was about to burst, mixed with unbearable breathing, and every inch of it melted into the scenery of the court...
It's so eye-catching.
Xingcheng's performance that day was so good that the whole audience screamed.
On this day, he was no longer the helpless kid in front of Ning Xi. Even when he was dribbling past someone, even if the person he was dribbling past was Ning Xi, he held the ball very steadily in his hand. After a pick-and-roll, he gently stood on tiptoes and threw the ball into the net.
Only Xing Cheng himself knew that he was almost mad at the time as he kept staring at Ning Xi's nonchalant look.
In this game, Xing Cheng wanted to play with all his strength and suppress his brother. The two of them would compete based on their strength.
Xing Cheng wanted to tell his brother how powerful he was.
Ying Yuchen was not there that day, so a substitute player came up to cooperate with Ning Xi. Ning Xi seemed to be struggling, especially several times when he failed to catch the ball and missed several three-pointers. In the end, he relied on several excellent change of direction dribbles and breakthroughs to get into the basket and score a few points.
During those few attacks, Xing Cheng seemed to see Ning Xi controlling the court back then. He could see through the direction of almost all games, and his style of play was flexible and changeable, never giving their sophomore students a chance to breathe.
In the last quarter, Ning Xi led the senior class to overtake by two points, but was overshadowed by Xing Cheng's three-pointer and fell behind by one point again.
Ning Xi was really helpless on the court. He scored half of the total points for the senior year, plus a few assists and rebounds. If he was a little better, he could have led four players.
The other senior high school buddies were so obsessed with studying that they hadn’t practiced basketball for a long time. Besides, Ning Xi was there this time, so they felt like they were just a bystander.
Many high school seniors have stopped reviewing at school.
Ning Xi's usual tactics are to feed the ball to Ying Yuchen into the offensive area, and then Ying Yuchen takes the ball for a layup or a quick stop jump shot. Ning Xi rarely chases points himself.
After all, Ning Xi's strengths are dribbling and assisting, while Xing Cheng's best strengths are scoring and rebounding. In the words of the school team coach, this is a match made in heaven.
The teacher in charge of the senior group had been chasing Ning Xi on the sidelines for a long time. He kept holding the whistle and wanted to blow it but didn't dare to. He waved his arms and shouted at Ning Xi: "Tactic five!"
Ning Xi was stunned. A foul? Wasn't this a clear attempt to make fun of Xing Cheng?
This is how it is on the basketball court. The guards will use some reasonable techniques to make the opponent commit a foul in order to achieve their own goals, although Ning Xi rarely does this in normal times.
He took a step to the side with the ball, made a fake move to knock Xing Cheng down, and stepped aside. A sophomore player in front of him immediately took his place and stared at Ning Xi's every move nervously.
Ning Xi lowered his center of gravity, lowered his eyebrows and observed his position, held the ball in his palm, shook it continuously, quickly accelerated his dribbling movements, and suddenly broke through from the diagonal side of the opponent in front of him!
In order to make physical contact, Ning Xi suddenly lowered his body, put his arms against each other, and confronted the high school boy who was half a head taller than him.
The boy was indeed a beat slow, and the referee blew the whistle immediately, giving the senior student a free throw opportunity.
Xing Cheng watched from the side and gritted his teeth.
Just now, Ning Xi deliberately took the time to knock him down. Was it because he didn't want to commit a foul in front of him?
Senior year of high school is almost over, and you still have the time to argue with him about these things?
Xing Cheng was really still furious from the past few days, and he was reluctant to yell at Ning Xi, so he gathered all the anger in his hands and pressed it on the basketball.
Ning Xi naturally noticed that Xing Cheng played hard that day, stealing the ball, making interceptions and blocking shots without mercy. In the last quarter, he threw a ball in and even dared to raise an eyebrow at Ning Xi.
provocative.
Gao Er won two more points, and the score was completely tied. However, with only half a minute left in the fourth quarter, Xing Cheng's palms were sweating.
He didn't let up much that day, and Ning Xi carried the entire senior year on his own, beating a group of young boys in the second year of high school so hard that they were dizzy.
The experienced people on the court are different. Every step they take is steady. They never run an extra step or waste a second, except for the time when Ning Xi dodged him.
Xing Cheng lowered his center of gravity, his eyes fixed on Ning Xi's ball. He couldn't look at his face, because if he did, he would be distracted again, and then he would not be able to play.
For Xing Cheng, Ning Xi's face was so addictive that he couldn't stop looking at it once, and after just two looks he would dare to do a slam dunk.
In the last twenty seconds, the second-year student overtook by two points.
The background was the red wall beside the basketball court. The various colors of sneakers on the court dazzled him. A wall of people in blue school uniforms surrounded the court, holding drinks in their hands and screaming...
"Sophomore, sophomore! Invincible! Sophomore, sophomore! All are stars!"
"Senior Gao is awesome! Ning Xi is awesome!!!"
There were also some high school students who didn't understand what was going on and shouted at the top of their lungs: "Brother Xi, MVP (Most Outstanding Player)!"
The slogans from both sides were about to get louder. When playing basketball in the past, people on the sidelines would only shout "Awesome", "Steal the ball", "Block the ball", etc., but now there are many more ways to do it.
Ning Xi was used to these inexplicable slogans, so he calmed down and held the ball seriously. He bent down slightly, wiped the sweat off his face, coughed, and glanced at Xing Cheng in front of him.
Xing Cheng's head was covered in sweat, he stood still, and there was a rare calmness in his eyes.
With ten seconds left, the senior year was trailing by one point.
Ning Xi took a deep breath and took a step back. Xing Cheng also shook his upper body, as if he was about to pounce.
But time was running out, and this ball was almost the last buzzer beater. If it could go in, it would be the winning shot against Gao Er. According to the arc and strength of Ning Xi's shot, there would be no major problem.
He is not like Xing Cheng, who always takes random shots. Instead, he cherishes the opportunity to pass the ball and basically calculates the probability of scoring.
He used his ankles to jump high, and also used all his strength in his wrists, and Xing Cheng immediately followed suit...
Xing Cheng deviated his body at the moment of taking off.
Make a foul.
Xing Cheng gave Ning Xi a chance to commit a foul. If the ball didn't go in, Gao San would still have a chance to survive.
In that split second, Ning Xi suddenly understood what was going on. He shook his wrist violently, but he didn't have enough strength to hold the ball and almost fell sideways!
The ball went out, but Ning Xi dodged the foul committed by Xing Cheng, and fell backwards to the ground.
Ning Xi sat on the ground, half lying down, facing the warm winter sun amidst the sound of gasps, and in front of him was Xing Cheng with a somewhat stunned expression...
He watched helplessly as the winning ball in his senior year of high school hit the side of the basket and slipped out of the net to the ground.
Almost at the same time, the referee blew the whistle.
The basketball game is over and the high school sophomore won.
There was thunderous cheering from the sidelines again, and a groan from the senior class, but many people still admired Ning Xi for leading the senior class to the end. They came up to him, handed him water and towels, comforted him, and encouraged him. Xing Cheng stood there in a daze, his throat choked and he couldn't speak.
If he hadn't been so smart just now, maybe his brother would have really won the game.
He will definitely be deified.
Ning Xi had no expression on his face. He slowly stood up, took the tissue and wiped the sweat off his face, then smiled apologetically, not knowing whether he was addressing Senior High School or himself.
He glanced at Xing Cheng, unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle in his hand, tilted his head back and took a sip.
In the sunlight, Xing Cheng could clearly see that some of the mineral water had overflowed, slid down the corners of Ning Xi's mouth, flowed over his collarbone, gathered at his chest, and then went down, leaving a wet mark.
He hesitantly took a bottle of Coke from his teammate behind him and handed it to Ning Xi in front of everyone.
Ning Xi took it , twisted the button gently, and the carbonated drink went down his throat, stimulating him so much that his whole body trembled.
He tightened the bottle cap again, shook it towards Xing Cheng, and whispered, "Congratulations."
The sun is shining. It's good to lose.
Maybe it was because he was bound to lose when facing Xing Cheng.
On the afternoon after the game, Xingcheng went home early because he didn’t have to attend evening self-study classes for the second year of high school.
I am still working hard in school in my senior year of high school. Now that winter has arrived, classes start half an hour later in the morning and are expected to start at 10 o'clock at night.
Without Ning Xi, Xing Cheng walked very fast on the way home. He went straight, turned two roads, rushed into the residential area, went straight to the apartment building, stood on the second floor, took out the key from his schoolbag and opened the door.
He twisted the dusty door lock with his fingertips and rubbed it against the white wall, leaving a light gray mark.
It's almost half past eight now. Xingcheng's parents are still awake. They are making soup for Xingcheng, saying that he played a game in the afternoon and he needs to replenish his body to avoid getting cramps when playing basketball the next day. If that happens, will Xingcheng still be able to raise his arms, roar, wield the sword, pick up the ball, and fight against all opponents?
Xingcheng's mother packed a bowl of food, sealed it, and put it in the refrigerator, saying that she would wait for Ning Xi to come home at noon tomorrow and ask Xingcheng to send some over.
He reached out and touched the edge of the bowl, which still felt a little hot, so he asked his mother seriously if she would make soup tomorrow.
Xing Cheng always felt that the soup his mother cooked for him and Ning Xi tasted different from the soup he bought for Ning Xi outside, and it was especially fragrant.
Occasionally, at times like this, Xing Cheng would feel that Ning Xi and he were a family.
This is good and bad.
Xingcheng's mother looked a little worried. While serving soup to Xingcheng, she said, "This afternoon, there were movers at Ningxi's house again..."
Xing Cheng slowly raised his head: "What did you move this time?"
Xingcheng's mother stirred the soup in the bowl with a spoon and continued, "I don't know if the air conditioner is in the living room or the bedroom..."
"In the bedroom."
Xing Cheng said: "There is no air conditioning in his living room."
Not to mention air conditioning, there was no sofa or TV. There was only a small desk lamp and a small table that Xingcheng had worked hard to earn.
Next to the shoe cabinet, lay the pair of sneakers that Xingcheng bought.
In the past, Xing Cheng would think that as long as Ning Xi could walk happily on the street wearing the pair of sneakers he bought, then it didn’t matter where he went.
But now it's different. He wants to take good care of him and give him a home.
Xing Cheng had no right to criticize Ning Xi's mother and stepfather for what they did. They also had a baby, but they forgot that they also had Ning Xi.
It doesn’t matter, Xingcheng will remember it for them.
While on the court that day, Xing Cheng was thinking how great it would be if this game would never end.
He could always stand in front of Ning Xi, following his every move. Their eyes would always meet, creating sparks in the screams and sunlight...
Xingcheng suddenly felt a little bit hungry, but he still forced himself to finish the bowl of food. After all, it was made by his mother.
He pulled a tissue and wiped his mouth: "Dad, Mom, I'm going to take a shower."
Xingcheng's father was reading a newspaper on the sofa. He glanced at his son and nodded: "Take a bath and go to bed early."
Xing Cheng agreed, looked at the time, and said with a smile: "You and mom should also go to bed early."
As soon as Xingcheng entered the bathroom, he took a cold shower.
Taking a cold shower in winter made him feel icy all over. He was afraid that his mother would find out that the water heater was not turned on, so he had to wash quickly, wrapped himself in a bath towel, and jumped into bed after washing up.
Xingcheng wears the jersey he bought before the New Year to sleep in winter. The jersey is dark blue and is for his favorite team. He bought two jerseys at the time and he wears the new one to sleep.
The jersey has no sleeves and is long, so it is very comfortable to wear.
He also held a charged electric water bottle and was shivering from the heat.
Xing Cheng turned off the lights and just lay on the bed with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling for a long time. He ran to the window and looked down, and sure enough, he saw that the light was on near his brother's window.
Xing Cheng glanced at the time and it was almost time to go home.
If this light goes out one day, Xing Cheng really doesn’t know what to do.
Xing Cheng stayed in bed for more than an hour. It was almost midnight and most of the lights in the community had been turned off. Xing Cheng lay on the windowsill and looked down. The light was still on in his brother's room.
Xing Cheng waited for another half an hour and then the light went out.
Xing Cheng wrapped himself in a quilt, huddled in bed and gasped for breath. The winter in the city was really damp and cold. He himself was still cold even when he turned on the heater, let alone his brother.
Xing Cheng calmly took out his cell phone, the glaring light still made him a little uncomfortable.
Xing Cheng was typing away on his cell phone, with a hot water bottle in his arms that had just been charged and was still quite hot.
X: "Brother."
After waiting for about ten minutes, Ning Xi probably had finished getting ready and went to bed, and he replied slowly.
Do not disturb: "Yeah."
Xing Cheng considered his words for a long time before replying.
X: "Is it cold?"
Ning Xi responded immediately, with two words: "Not cold."
Xing Cheng thought about it and realized that he had slept in his brother's bed before. The quilt was obviously quite thin and he didn't know if it was thickened or not. It was already November and the air conditioner had been moved away. If he still slept like this, he would be frozen when he woke up the next morning.
X: "Wait for me."
After sending this message, Xing Cheng quickly stood up, put on the basketball shorts hanging on the bed, took the electric hot water bottle in his hand and started charging.
Do not disturb: "Ah?"
X: “Right away!”
After about two minutes, the hot water bottle was ready. Xing Cheng stood up holding the hot water bottle, picked out a hooded hoodie from the closet, put the hot water bottle into the hood, and put the clothes into the hood.
In this way, the hot water bottle was placed in front of him, and his clothes were on his body so that they could not fall off.
Xing Cheng sent another message to Ning Xi: "Open the window."
He wasn't stupid enough to throw the electric hot water bottle downstairs.
Xing Cheng opened the window directly. The security in this area was particularly good. Few households in the old residential areas installed anti-theft windows. Xing Cheng stood on the windowsill, touched the sewer pipe next to it through his sleeve, put on a pair of slippers, and stepped firmly on the balcony.
He flipped over directly, holding on tightly to the pedal beside his own window, and stepped onto the window sill of Ning Xi's house.
The wind was biting cold, so he just wore a hoodie, bare legs, and held a hot pack in his arms. He climbed from the windowsill of his bedroom to the windowsill of Ning Xi's bedroom.
Only Xing Cheng could do such a thing.
Ning Xi went to open the window and then huddled back into the quilt. No matter how much he covered himself with cotton wool, he still couldn't sleep warmly, so he simply sat on the bed and stared at the window.
The first thing he saw was Xing Cheng’s feet. Then, he saw Xing Cheng standing by the window, supporting himself with his hands on the windowsill, turning over, and coming straight in.
Ning Xi was a little dazed and immediately threw off the quilt and stood up.
He watched Xing Cheng stand up from the side of the desk, leaning on the table, and take out an electric hot water bottle from his arms as if he was offering a treasure.
As soon as the hot water bottle touched Ning Xi's hand, he shrank back. Xing Cheng was so scared that he threw the electric water bottle away and asked quickly, "Does it hurt?"
Xing Cheng's worried words stunned Ning Xi, as if all the words he had said before had been forgotten.
The atmosphere between the two people finally eased a little.
Ning Xi lowered his eyebrows and cursed, "Stupid."
It was too cold for him to sleep with his shirt on, so he threw back the quilt and hid under it. He wanted to hide himself tightly in the quilt, cover his ears, and bury his face in it. It would be best if he didn't see or hear anything.
This way you won’t be too confused.
Ning Xi wanted to have a warm sleep, have a sweet dream, and preferably not wake up.
He narrowed his eyes and stopped moving. Slowly, he felt Xing Cheng handing the electric hot water bottle into his arms.
"Xingcheng." Ning Xi held the electric hot water bottle and coughed lightly a few times.
Xing Cheng leaned close to his ear and whispered to him, "Brother."
Ning Xi's breath was choked.
Xing Cheng laughed in a hoarse voice and said seriously, "Don't hold the hot water bottle too tightly, it will be cold when you wake up tomorrow morning."
Xing Cheng paused for a moment and then said, "But I can't."
Outside the window, the glass that was not covered by a curtain was misted over. It was late at night and the dew was heavy, so drops of water were dripping down in strings.
Ning Xi slowly relaxed his tense body, and before falling asleep, he glanced at the window.
The water is still dripping, the glass is very beautiful and transparent.
Yulin Road.
As soon as school was over in the second year of high school, more than a dozen people rode their bikes to Yulin Road, found a place to drink beer at night, pulled up a large round table, squeezed in, and put it on the street. They ordered barbecue worth a few hundred yuan and started eating.
As soon as he left the school, Xing Cheng pedaled on his bicycle and directed all his teammates to take off their school uniforms and tie them around their waists. They were going out for a midnight snack later, and it would be inappropriate to wear school uniforms.
There were also a few sophomore girls in the team, who were responsible for small matters and account keeping, as well as whistle blowing. They came along and were very excited. They followed the boys in taking off their coats, wrapping them around their waists, hugging their arms and shouting that they were cold.
Ren Mei followed Xing Cheng to attend the school team's games, and they became familiar with each other. She directed the boys to take off their inner coats and give them to the girls. Everyone started to make a noise, and one or two girls couldn't help but blush.
Xing Cheng understood the matters between men and women early on and avoided them very much. Whenever he met a girl who took the initiative towards him, he would basically keep his distance from her. He couldn't say hurtful words, so he would just avoid her whenever possible.
Xing Cheng rode on the bike and leaned to the side. Ren Mei understood immediately, took off her coat and handed it to a girl, smiling generously: "Take mine first!"
More than a dozen young boys and girls in their prime rode bicycles through the streets and alleys, speeding under the soft light of street lamps after dark, with the moonlight above their heads...
The wind whistling past my ears is the wind of seventeen or eighteen years old.
This is euphemistically called a celebration party, but everyone already has an idea of ​​how the second-year students won. If it weren’t for the last-minute effort made by senior Ning Xi, would the second-year students have won?
To put it bluntly, it was just a reason to get together after the sports meet, and Xing Cheng understood that.
Xing Cheng has always been brooding over the fact that he caused his brother to lose the game.
In the morning, Ning Xi's mother called him for the first time and said that she had transferred 500 yuan to Ning Xi's account and asked him to buy some small items when he was free. His little brother was cold when he slept at night, and the family couldn't spare the money to buy a new air conditioner...
Ning Xi nodded, glanced at Xing Cheng who was still sleeping, and said "Okay" in a low voice.
To be honest, Ning Xi could understand that his mother loved his little brother and was afraid that he would get cold, but he couldn't understand why Xing Cheng had to protect his bad feelings in the end.
In Ning Xi's opinion, the most important thing is to make the other person better, rather than being like Xing Cheng, who makes things even harder than before.
After being moved, Ning Xi felt more guilty.
Xing Cheng woke up early. Ning Xi had already washed up and tidied himself up when he sat beside the bed, watching him. When he opened his eyes, he asked softly, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Xing Cheng had just woken up and was still a little confused: "How did you know?"
Ning Xi said: "You kept touching my forehead last night."
After listening to what his brother said, Xing Cheng thought about it for a long time. After pondering for a long time, he vaguely felt that he seemed to be subconsciously afraid that his brother would catch a cold, and he kept touching his brother's forehead for fear that he had a fever. But now when he thought about it, he didn't remember it at all.
Xing Cheng sat up and was about to get out of bed when he suddenly felt something was wrong. His face turned red and he sat on the bed, not moving.
Ning Xi put on his socks in front of Xing Cheng, and turned back as he put on his socks: "Can't you afford it?"
"Yes," Xing Cheng nodded calmly, "Wait a moment."
Ning Xi put on both socks, put on his slippers and started to tie his belt. He bit the hem of his clothes and looked back at Xing Cheng who was standing there in a daze. He couldn't help but laugh: "Are you in a bad mood after waking up?"
Xing Cheng shook his head: "No."
Ning Xi had basically finished everything. He stood up with his clothes in his pockets, looked at his watch, grabbed a pillow and hit Xing Cheng with it, frowned and said, "Don't lie around anymore, get up."
Xing Cheng couldn't hold it in any longer, and said in a serious tone, "Wait a moment."
Ning Xi turned around in surprise and glanced at Xing Cheng. Seeing him suddenly turn sideways and lie down, Ning Xi knocked on the door and whispered, "I'll wait for you in the living room."
After washing up, the two young men, still in their azure blue school uniforms, rushed out of the community and walked on the street lined with ginkgo trees.
The ginkgo tree is the city tree. It starts to shed its leaves in mid-November, and its golden leaves cover the ground.
The sunshine in the winter morning shines on them, as if holding a bright future.
In the morning, Xing Cheng walked out of the apartment building and ran with Ning Xi. The two of them ran all the way, out of breath. They stopped when they reached the corner outside the community. Ning Xi's face was flushed red, and a ginkgo leaf fell on his head.
Xing Cheng was originally half squatting and gasping for breath.
Xing Cheng raised his eyes and saw a golden leaf on his brother's head, so he slowly reached out his hand and brushed it away.
The winter morning breeze rises and the memories stop.
"I won't leave until I'm drunk!"
After Ren Mei finished yelling, he knelt on a stool with one leg, holding a cup in his hand. He shook the drink in the cup so that half of it spilled out. Xing Cheng stared at him without saying a word. He knocked the bottom of the cup against the edge of the table and took a sip of sweetness into his throat.
"You make such a fuss just to have a drink." Xing Cheng laughed at him.
"I'm so excited, I have to keep my momentum high! Got it?"
One of the boys got drunk and clamored to switch to white wine. The boss didn't dare to give it to him because he saw that they were underage. He brought out a bottle of Arctic Ocean and asked them to share it.
Soda is mixed with another kind of soda and poured into the cup, and this kind of soda has the greatest effect.
The neon lights on the barbecue stall's sign were so flashing that Xingcheng's eyes hurt. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. His fingertips stroked the noodles in the cup, tapped on the glass, and then he tilted his head back to take another sip.
Ren Mei ate a skewer, still holding her cell phone in her hand, whistled, put her arm on Xing Cheng's shoulder, and smiled, "What are you thinking about?"
Xing Cheng slowly sat up and said, "Nothing."
The other boys and girls at the table were all playing games together, such as Truth or Dare. Xingcheng was not interested, so he just picked a number at random and waited until his turn came.
Ren Mei gave a thumbs up: "Have you signed a confidentiality agreement?"
He picked up a glass of beer mixed with white wine, held it with both hands and handed it to Xing Cheng: "Drink this glass of wine, no matter how much I love you, I will never look back."
Seeing that Xing Cheng did not accept the glass of wine, Ren Mei advised him again: "Brothers are like limbs, and wives are like clothes. If you really can't do it, change them..."
"My wife is clothes, and my brother is my sibling."
Xing Cheng almost poured a glass of wine on his forehead, licked the corner of his mouth and said, "I choose to run naked."
Suddenly, a boy next to him, holding chopsticks in his hand, shouted to Xing Cheng: "Xing Cheng! It's your turn!"
Xing Cheng put down his wine glass, nonchalantly raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Why, drinking again?"
The boy put his arm around Xing Cheng's shoulders and said quickly, "It's your turn. Choose a punishment, quickly!"
Xing Cheng realized what was going on in an instant and forgot he was still playing the game. He nodded and started drawing. As a result, he drew a number that required him to call the nth contact in his address book to confess his love.
Xing Cheng directly put the phone on the table and said very seriously, "Now I have someone I like, so don't play it this way. You can use any other punishment you want."
As soon as Xing Cheng said "I have someone I like", everyone at the table exclaimed. Several boys stood up and almost stepped on the table, chasing after him and asking who he was.
Xing Cheng himself didn't care, but with so many people here, it would be bad to tell them. He didn't say anything, but put the wine glass in the middle of the table with a wicked smile, "Guess for yourself."
Xingcheng drank a little more and asked Boss Guan for a glass of boiled water to moisten his throat. He also settled the bill. After all, there was a celebratory banquet in the evening and Xingcheng's father even took out more than 400 yuan and asked Xingcheng to treat them.
The night breeze blew over a little, and Xing Cheng became much more awake. As soon as he stood up, he heard some noise beside his ear.
There were four men sitting at the next table. They looked to be in their early twenties. Their hair wasn't dyed, but their collars were open and their waists were tied with belts. They had tattoos on their arms. They looked like thugs. They were holding beer bottles in their hands. They opened their mouths, bit off the lid, and threw it at the student's table.
Two of them had already walked over to their table.
The incandescent lights in the barbecue restaurant were on brightly, and Xing Cheng saw at a glance the cards in their hands, which were put into the pockets of the sophomore girls at the table, and one card was directly stuck on the back of Cheng Xiyu's collar.
Ren Mei and Xing Cheng stood up almost at the same time, and all the boys at the table stood up as well!
Ren Mei tilted her head and spit out the cigarette, then reached out to grab a girl and hid her behind her. Cheng Xiyu and another girl were blocked in their seats by the two men and couldn't move.
A man reached out and grabbed Cheng Xiyu's phone. Xing Cheng frowned and growled, "What are you doing!"
The man held the phone, touched Cheng Xiyu's shoulder inconspicuously, and whistled: "Add WeChat."
Xing Cheng moved sideways and protected the girl behind him. He estimated the people around the table and found that there were ten people left on his side besides the girl, and four on the opposite side. He was fully capable of taking action.
The security here has always been good. Who would have thought that I would encounter something like this here tonight?
"We are students, but that doesn't mean we dare not fight." Xing Cheng was tall to begin with, and he looked down at the man by half a head. "Take your people away within a minute."
As soon as the man in front of him picked up the stool, the boss rushed out of the kitchen. The shop owners next door stopped to watch, and didn't even dare to pull him away.
Xing Cheng called out to two boys and three girls to run first, while he took the rest and carried them here.
The fight lasted only five or six minutes. Xing Cheng felt pain in his hands, probably from the glass fragments. He slowly stood up, panting and wiping his face.
Only then did the boss dare to come forward and pull it.
To put it bluntly, most of the people who can run night market stalls in this area have some vision. They called the police and took out a calculator to calculate the financial losses. Xing Cheng didn't feel any pain and said in a deep voice, "Boss, let's settle it privately."
The boss was stunned. He saw the school uniforms tied around their waists. He frowned and said, "We have called the police."
Xing Cheng stood up and stared at the chefs standing in the kitchen watching the fun. He took out five hundred yuan from his wallet and put it on the table. He said to the boss, "Uncle, keep it first."
The night wind gradually grew stronger.
Ning Xi always received the message in the middle of the night. At around 2 a.m., the WeChat group was shaking violently, which woke Ning Xi up directly.
Before Ning Xi could come to his senses, the phone rang again. When he picked up the phone, the other end howled, "Ning Xi, your brother is in trouble!"
Ning Xi lifted the quilt and sat up, still a little confused: "Xing Cheng? What's wrong?"
Ying Yuchen didn't know where the gossip came from, so he shouted at the top of his voice: "He's in police station! Someone was hacked at Jiuyan Bridge?"
Ning Xi’s face turned pale. Did he hack someone?
Ying Yuchen seemed to be hiding in his bed, afraid that his brother would hear anything. He sniffed and said, "They are having a celebration party for the second year of high school tonight. They are a bunch of little bastards..."
"It seems to be because of a girl. That's amazing. What happened? Let me check the records..."
Ying Yuchen had forgotten the follow-up to his conversation halfway through, and then he checked WeChat while on the phone. Halfway through, he saw Ning Xi hung up the phone.
Ning Xi got up quickly, put on a coat and changed his shoes and went out. He put on a mask and looked like he was still sleepy. There were not many people on the streets at 2:30, and there were few taxis.
He turned on the navigation on his phone, thought for a while, and estimated that it was nearby. He ran two intersections and hailed a taxi, then went to the Qingyang District Police Station first.
When I arrived at the police station, I saw that there were not many people around. I thought about the nearest police station and walked towards the Wuhou District Police Station.
Sure enough, before Ning Xi got out of the car, he saw Xing Cheng's father's black Hummer H2 parked at the door. There were several cars parked next to it. Several high school boys in school uniforms were coming in and out, and they were all standing at the door. It was estimated that Xing Cheng, who started the fight first, was taken inside.
As soon as Ning Xi got out of the car, Ren Mei looked at him, covered her face with her hands, and cried out, "Ouch."
The journey is over.
Ning Xi is not short, well-behaved and cool, and he is quite eye-catching when he walks from a distance.
Although he was wearing a mask, Ren Mei had seen that face seven or eight hundred times on Xingcheng's phone. Just the pair of exposed eyes made her recognize him at once.
Ning Xi's eyes were sparkling, with thin and narrow eyelids and deep inner corners of the eyes. When he lowered his eyes, he could clearly see the mist on his eyelashes.
It was too cold on a winter night. Ning Xi wore little and ran over with his hands in his pockets. When he took off his mask, his face flushed and he nodded to Ren Mei. Several other boys came over and shouted, "Brother Xi..."
Ning Xi nodded and said calmly: "Tell me, what's going on?"
Ning Xi almost forgot what his childhood was like.
When he was a child, a bunch of kids in the yard played ball together. Little Ningxi was older and found the chattering of the little boys annoying, so he often ran to the edge of the court with the ball to practice dribbling.
Little Xingcheng always ran after him with a basketball in his arms, falling down every few steps, wanting to play basketball with his brother.
Of course his brother refused.
Xiao Xingcheng took the ball and smashed it towards the basket. Whether it went in or not was another matter. Just his aura of "I'm the boss in this court" was enough to make Xiao Ningxi tremble, but after that he still looked at him coldly.
Go back to where you came from.
After all, he is three years older and his aura is very intimidating.
A few days later, little Xingcheng came running over with a basketball in his arms to chase his brother. He squatted quietly on the sidelines, calling out "Brother" softly from time to time.
Little Ningxi was also wondering, has this little brat changed his personality?
He threw the ball into the net and it went in empty. He turned around and said to Xiao Xingcheng, "Why are you so well behaved today?"
Xiao Xingcheng wiped his nose and said in a baby voice: "My mother said that you are soft-hearted and don't take hardship!"
Little Ningxi was stunned and thought for a while. He guessed that his aunt wanted him to help take care of Xingcheng, the naughty pig, so she wanted to teach Xingcheng how to follow her accurately.
It turned out to be Auntie's idea. Little Ningxi didn't care. He tapped Little Xingcheng's forehead lightly and said coldly: "Together."
Later on, we really got together often.
Ning Xi knew that Xing Cheng studied hard and wanted to get into the same key high school as him. He wanted to play a good game of ball with him and even chased him for hundreds of meters before the district game just to throw him a bottle of drink.
Ning Xi even knew Xing Cheng's rapid heartbeat and his shining eyes when he looked at her after resting on the court after each exercise.
Xing Cheng knows how to act like a spoiled brat, how to act cool, and how to do all kinds of tricks to show off in front of Ning Xi. He is also very aggressive and protective, and will not allow others to bully Ning Xi in the slightest.
Even one extra glare or one extra elbow on the court is not allowed.
That's asking for a beating.
Ning Xi thought about what happened that night many times and figured out the whole story before he could resist the urge to sigh in front of Ren Mei and a bunch of little boys.
Ren Mei rubbed his hands together and said seriously, "Brother Xi, there is a super social hooligan at the next table! He came to tease the girls at our table..."
Ning Xi's intimidating look made a bunch of older boys stunned.
Ning Xi raised his eyes and had an idea in his mind. It was okay to protect the girl bravely.
He still couldn't help but catch the point, and asked coldly: "Where is the girl from?"
A boy next to him slapped his thigh and said, "Those girls in our school team who are responsible for the daily miscellaneous tasks..."
Ning Xi raised his hand: "Okay, I understand."
Ning Xi felt a sharp pain in his heart when he heard Mei say that Xing Cheng's face and arms were covered in blood.
Ning Xi had not fought on the streets for a long time, and he had heard some rumors about the night stalls in Yulin, but he didn't expect them to be so arrogant.
However, this time, compensation is inevitable, and the school is probably also in a difficult position, and I don’t know how many tricks they will have to use.
Ren Mei was still worrying when suddenly a boy holding a mobile phone waved towards the distance. An Audi A6 stopped on the side of the road, and the driver and a young man got out. A girl got out from the back seat, and then a middle-aged man got out.
He nodded to Ren Mei and the other boys and went in.
Ren Mei clapped her hands: "Now that Xiyu's father is here, it will be easier to deal with Xingcheng..."
A large group of boys were squatting at the entrance of the police station at around three o'clock. They were all dizzy and waited in the night wind for Xing Cheng to come out.
I guess those hooligans who came to tease the girls didn't expect that Xing Cheng, who looked over 1.80 meters tall, was actually just 17 years old.
He is a true minor, and he won't suffer any loss in a fight, let alone dealing with someone who deserves a beating.
At four o'clock, several parents came to take their children away, and before leaving they went to the police station to make a record.
Ren Mei's family also came. When Ren Mei came out, she whispered to Ning Xi: "Hey, Brother Xi, Xing Cheng is fine. He's not seriously injured."
Ning Xi nodded, exhaled, and his lips turned pale: "You go back first."
Ren Mei's eyes widened: "You have to go to morning self-study in two hours..."
Ning Xi narrowed his eyes: "Two and a half."
Ren Mei was full of admiration. It would probably be dawning soon, but Ning Xi was able to hold his own.
Besides, after two and a half hours, it is still unknown whether Xingcheng can come out tonight.
While his mother was driving, Ren Mei looked at Ning Xi, who looked particularly beautiful under the street lights in front of the police station, and blinked.
Ning Xi had a high nose bridge and thin lips, and looked like she was drawn. He suddenly understood Xing Cheng because of her well-behaved yet cold demeanor.
Ren Mei cleared her throat and decided to gossip for once, saying seriously: "Brother Xi, Xing Cheng paid for you before..."
"Ren Mei! Let's go!"
The family car stopped by the roadside, and the mother inside rolled down the window and shouted. Ren Mei didn't know whether to say anything or not. She felt that she was a bit too talkative, and she was afraid that Xing Cheng would catch her and scold her one day!
Ren Mei quickly jumped into the car and made a "bye" gesture to Ning Xi.
Ning Xi was a little stunned and nodded.
What happened to Xing Cheng for him?
Before he could think about it carefully, a familiar voice came from behind him: "Brother!"
Ning Xi didn't dare to look back, for fear of seeing his brother's blood.
There was still gauze on Xingcheng's face, his hands were hanging, and when he grinned, it hurt. He hissed and felt something was wrong. Why was his brother here?
Xing Cheng's father had a gloomy face, but he was not too angry. He patted his son's back, holding a cotton swab to stop the bleeding in his hand. He forced a smile at Ning Xi and greeted him, "Ning Xi."
Ning Xi nodded quickly and said politely, "Okay, uncle."
Xingcheng's father didn't understand why Ning Xi came over so late. Was this kid also at the fight just now?
He handed the cotton swab to Xingcheng, took out the car keys and unlocked the car, saying, "Press it yourself, you guys chat, I'll go drive."
Ning Xi looked at Xing Cheng carefully from top to bottom, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He adjusted his mood and slowly uttered, "I'm glad you're okay."
When he was a child, Ning Xi also fought to protect his younger brother.
Xingcheng was young at that time, and his tears were as loud as turning on a faucet. He kept telling himself not to cry, but when he saw his brother's wound, tears suddenly came out.
Little Ning Xi glanced at him coldly: "Fool!"
When they grow up, Xing Cheng fights for him. Ning Xi calmly applies medicine and bandages his brother, but can't help but scold him, "Idiot."
Xing Cheng is always very capable and says that minor injuries are nothing to worry about.
When Ning Xi reached out and touched it, he cried out in pain, hugged his brother's arm and said it hurt.
Ning Xi felt a little uneasy as soon as he got into Xingcheng’s father’s car.
Xing Cheng pulled Ning Xi to sit in the back seat. The lights were off. The two of them sat on either side. Both felt guilty and turned their heads away tacitly to look at the scenery outside the window that was constantly receding.
Seeing that the two children didn't speak the whole way and didn't understand what was going on, Xingcheng's father took Xingcheng to a clinic and gave their wounds a simple bandage. Fortunately, the injuries were not serious and were just minor flesh wounds.
When bandaging the wound, the alcohol was applied and Xing Cheng pinched his palm until it was swollen. Ning Xi stood aside and watched, trying hard not to glance at the wound.
Xingcheng's father couldn't bear to watch it either, but he knew his son had grown up and had to bear the consequences of his own mistakes. He took out a cigarette and said he would go to the clinic door to smoke one and get some fresh air.
As soon as his father left the inner room of the clinic and the door was closed, Xing Cheng sat up, turned his upper body, and brought his brother directly over, biting his lips and gasping for breath in pain.
Ning Xi was so heartbroken that she had no choice but to hold the back of Xing Cheng's head with her palms, rub it gently, lower her eyes, and comfort him in a low voice.
Ning Xi could feel Xing Cheng's hands tightly gripping his sweater, and it was not until he put on the gauze that Xing Cheng loosened his grip a little.
Xing Cheng thought, if he was a little bit vulnerable in front of Ning Xi, would Ning Xi be soft-hearted?
After leaving the clinic, Xingcheng's father, who was already very tired, drove the car back to the community. Then the two children got out of the car and locked it.
As soon as Xing Cheng entered the first floor, he stopped following and followed behind Ning Xi. He said to his father, "Dad, I don't want to sleep anyway. Tomorrow is the weekend, I'm going to visit my brother."
There are no classes on Saturdays in my second year of high school, it’s so great!
Xing Cheng's father checked the time. Although he estimated that Ning Xi wouldn't be able to sleep for much longer, he still scolded him: "Doesn't Ning Xi have class tomorrow? Go up!"
Ning Xi said sullenly, "Okay uncle, he may have something to talk to me about, I'll let him come up in ten minutes."
Seeing that Ning Xi had no objections, Xing Cheng's father was too tired to take care of his son. He nodded, pointed at Xing Cheng and said, "Pay attention to your time. Ning Xi still has to go to morning self-study..."
Xing Cheng nodded and waved to his father. He was so happy that he almost tore the gauze on his arm and cried out in pain. Ning Xi, who was standing next to him, frowned when he saw this.
As soon as Xingcheng's father went upstairs and closed the door of his house, Xingcheng tried to get in again by pushing Ningxi's door. Ningxi had no choice but to say, "Let's talk about it here."
Xing Cheng squeezed a little further inside and said pitifully: "Brother, it's cold outside..."
Ning Xi simply couldn't do anything about him: "Stop it!"
Guessing what his brother was hiding from, Xing Cheng raised his eyebrows and whispered, "I promise to be obedient."
Ning Xi was stunned for half a second after hearing this. Before he could lock Xing Cheng out, the brat suddenly came in and slammed the door shut, leaving him almost no time to catch his breath. He lowered his head and demanded, "Why did you come out in the middle of the night?"
Ning Xi took a step back. Facing this question, he was speechless. He stared and said, "What do you want?"
His brother was worried about him. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that. Why was he not sleeping in the middle of the night and running to the police station to get some fresh air?
Xing Cheng turned around and stood directly in front of the junction between the entrance and the living room. He leaned his arms against the wall, leaning against his brother, and said seriously, "Is it necessary to be so worried?"
Ning Xi was touched, but she still stayed there, almost pissed off by Xing Cheng: "Can't you just study hard?"
Xing Cheng still blocked his way: "I didn't say no, I'll take the exam wherever you take the exam."
Ning Xi lowered his eyes, his tone was particularly firm: "I won't be in the south."
Realistically speaking, Xing Cheng would not be able to get into the school he wanted to attend.
Xing Cheng slapped his forehead and started to compete: "I will sell mutton skewers at the gate of your school and feed you every day..."
Ning Xi turned sideways to avoid him, holding back his anger and saying, "Don't mess with me."
Xing Cheng saw that his brother was in a daze and insisted on going into the house. Ning Xi suddenly came to his senses and stretched out his arm to block him and scolded: "What did you say when you walked in?!"
Xing Cheng didn't hesitate for even a second. He exerted force with his hand and slapped himself in the face. Half of his face was hit with a "slap" sound that could be heard throughout the living room.
——I’m sorry!
Ning Xi was so shocked that he hadn't even caught his breath yet. He just watched Xing Cheng walk into the house.
Ning Xi stared at Xing Cheng's face, which had turned red after being slapped by him...
——Well, you are awesome.