Chapter 147: Ruo'an That Year

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“Lu Yuanqiu.”

After the group returned to class, Gao Qiang went straight to the office. Zheng Yifeng stood at the classroom door without entering, seemingly hesitating over something. Suddenly, he called out to Lu Yuanqiu, who was just about to go in.

Lu Yuanqiu stopped and looked back at him. “What is it?”

Zheng Yifeng beckoned him outside. Standing in the doorway, he lightly waved the five movie tickets in his hand, forcing an awkward smile.

“I was thinking... Since Gao Qiang took the initiative to give our homeroom teacher a movie ticket, and Teacher Su also came to cheer us on, maybe we should give one to Teacher Su too?”

Lu Yuanqiu craned his neck and leaned close, eyes wide. “Do you need my permission for something like that? Is my name written on your movie tickets?”

Zheng Yifeng fell silent.

Lu Yuanqiu turned and went back into the classroom. The crew-cut boy appeared at the classroom entrance again. The girl by the window in the back row looked up for the second time, but in the next instant, Lu Yuanqiu was dragged outside once more by a hand reaching through the doorway. The girl stared blankly.

Zheng Yifeng wore a troubled expression. “I... I’m not very familiar with Teacher Su.”

“Come on, I’m not familiar with her either. Go yourself. What if Teacher Su thinks I gave it to her?”

At those words, Zheng Yifeng smiled with sudden relief. His face was devastatingly handsome when he smiled.

“It’s fine. As long as she gets it, it doesn’t matter who gives it to her... I mean, I have no ulterior motive. I just thought it would be proper to give her one.”

“Did I ask whether you had ulterior motives? Why are you explaining yourself to me?”

Lu Yuanqiu folded his arms and stared at him like a shameless scoundrel.

For the first time, Zheng Yifeng was left standing there like an idiot after being verbally cornered. He had nothing to say.

“Go yourself. I’m not into cuckolding.”

“Into what?”

As Lu Yuanqiu turned away, he hurriedly slapped a hand over his mouth.

Damn, he had nearly let the cat out of the bag. Fortunately, Zheng Yifeng still did not understand the term.

Seeing that Lu Yuanqiu refused to help, Zheng Yifeng took a deep breath and walked toward the office next door.

By coincidence, he ran into Gao Qiang coming out of the office.

Zheng Yifeng glanced at the four movie tickets in Gao Qiang’s hand, then looked away and entered the office.

The teachers were all busy with their work, heads lowered over their desks, including Su Miaomiao.

Zheng Yifeng glanced unobtrusively at Su Miaomiao. At that very moment, she happened to look up as well. She smiled at him, but Zheng Yifeng guiltily averted his eyes without responding. Su Miaomiao blinked in confusion, then, unconcerned, lowered her head again and continued annotating the English exam paper before her.

“Teacher, I’d like to give you a movie ticket.”

Zheng Yifeng stood in front of Liu Wei’s desk.

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“Oh! Zheng Yifeng! Thank you, thank you, but Gao Qiang has already given me one. I have no use for so many, and I don’t have time to watch them.”

Liu Wei pushed the ticket back with a smile after adjusting her glasses.

Zheng Yifeng withdrew his hand and turned to leave.

Liu Wei’s smile stiffened.

Honestly, child—couldn’t you insist just a little?

Only then did Zheng Yifeng walk over to Su Miaomiao’s desk. He held out a movie ticket and cleared his throat.

“Teacher, I’d like to give you a movie ticket. Please go see a movie. Thank you for coming to cheer us on.”

Su Miaomiao looked up in surprise and smiled. “You’re inviting me to a movie?”

...

“What movie?”

In 2003, outside the middle school entrance examination venue, Bai Ruo’an packed up his schoolbag while turning to ask the boy beside him with the garlic-shaped nose, “What movie are we going to see?”

The boy with the garlic nose chuckled and leaned against the railing as he looked at him.

“We’ll decide when the time comes. The entrance exams will be over the day after tomorrow. You should relax a little, shouldn’t you? By the way, when was the last time you went to the cinema?”

Bai Ruo’an lowered his head and smiled. His face held the bright, handsome look unique to a boy of his age. He tipped his head back and thought for a moment.

“1993, I think... ten years ago. I watched Farewell My Concubine. I was only five at the time, so I didn’t understand it.”

“What? You’d already been to the cinema when you were five?”

The boy with the garlic nose stared at him in astonishment.

Bai Ruo’an sighed softly and smiled at him.

“My parents took me. They had the time and the opportunity back then. They don’t anymore.”

With that, he slung a blue cloth satchel over his shoulder. A pretty little yellow flower had been embroidered on its surface by his younger sister. She had inherited their mother’s deft hands, and the embroidery was beautifully done. Bai Ruo’an liked the bag very much and treasured it.

The boy with the garlic nose hurried after him.

“Bai Ruo’an, you still haven’t answered me. Are you going to the movies after the exams?”

“No. I’ve already arranged to work as a summer employee at a barbecue restaurant.”

“Come on, you’re no fun. You should enjoy yourself during the holidays.”

“Working will be fun too. It’s a chance to improve my social skills.”

“Hmph. You sound just like my dad.”

After the two boys left, several girls standing in the corridor outside the examination venue finally turned their heads in secret and gazed at the boy’s departing figure.

They had noticed him during the exam just now. The boy was exceptionally handsome...

Bai Ruo’an. Even his name sounded wonderful.

6 = 9 +

Back home, Bai Ruo’an took out his key and saw a notice for unpaid water and electricity bills pasted beside the door.

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He reached up and tore it down, then opened the door and went inside. His younger sister had not yet returned from school, though she should be home soon. After putting down his schoolbag, Bai Ruo’an went to the kitchen to wash the vegetables and prepare dinner, so that his sister would have a hot meal waiting when she came home.

Their father would probably be working overtime again today.

After making one meat dish and one vegetable dish, he heard the front door open.

A petite girl of about ten, with fair skin, an especially adorable face, and her hair tied into twin ponytails, walked into the living room. Her eyes were beautiful—large, bright, and limpid. Her long, straight lashes rested against her lower eyelids like little brushes.

But at that moment, the girl’s eyes were lowered. Head bowed, she walked silently toward the bedroom.

Bai Ruo’an quickly called out, “Xia Xia, wash your hands and come eat!”

“I’m not hungry. I’m tired. I’m going to sleep for a while.”

Puzzled, Bai Ruo’an came out of the kitchen and tilted his head as he watched his sister’s back.

He did not ask any further questions.

His sister was ten years old and in the fourth grade of primary school. She was no longer as lively as she used to be, and every day she seemed preoccupied and quiet.

Sometimes Bai Ruo’an wanted to chat with her or make her laugh. When she was in a good mood, she would give him a dry little laugh in response. When she was in a bad mood, she would ignore him completely.

Was this normal for a girl her age? Bai Ruo’an remembered that his classmates’ younger sisters were the same way, unwilling to pay any attention to their older brothers.

After eating dinner alone at the table, Bai Ruo’an covered the dishes with a mesh food cover.

Since he shared a bedroom with his sister, he was afraid that studying there would disturb her rest.

So he took his schoolbag to the sofa in the living room. Tomorrow was the final day of the entrance examinations. Once it was over, his middle school years would officially come to an end.

With his grades among the top three in his year, Bai Ruo’an felt he should be able to get into Reed City No. 1 High School.

But what he was looking forward to most was not which high school he would attend. It was the summer job that would begin in a few days.

Once he earned some money, Uncle Liu had promised to pay him one hundred yuan a month. It was not much, but his father would be happy when he saw it.

With that hundred yuan, he could buy Xia Xia tasty food and fun things to play with. Most importantly, he could buy her a hair clip—a pink one. All her best friends wore bright green hair clips...

Bai Ruo’an knew that Xia Xia’s friends must have shown them off to her at school.

End of Chapter.