Times of Our Lives - Chapter 6

On the first day of the new school semester, there wasn’t much to do. They received their books, cleaned up, and small groups gathered to bond.

 

Zhang Ganggang’s teddy bear had been sent away the day before. Rourou even sent him a photo, showing only a huge fluffy bear lying on the bed.

 

“I sleep with the bear every night now, just like I’m hugging you.”

 

Zhang Ganggang was excited, blushing. He secretly showed Xie Meng the text message and solemnly believed it was “true love.”

 

“…,” Xie Meng was curious. “How did you reply to her?”

 

Zhang Ganggang was a bit embarrassed. “I sent her my photo.”

 

Xie Meng asked, “…Did she show you her photos?”

 

“No,” Zhang Ganggang innocently replied. “But she sent me photos of the bear, and they sleep together.”

 

“…,” Xie Meng sighed.

 

Qifei, who had been listening nearby, couldn’t hold back anymore and joked, “Come on, she’s sleeping with the bear, not you! Besides, you bought the bear… Why do you even need photos of the bear?”

 

Zhang Ganggang looked bewildered, clearly not catching on.

 

Xie Meng took a deep breath, placed his hand on Zhang Ganggang’s shoulder, and earnestly advised, “Never casually send photos to strangers. You haven’t even met her in person; at least ask for her photo first.”

 

Zhang Ganggang nodded awkwardly. Xie Meng rubbed his head, unsure if his advice had sunk in.

 

The school day ended early, and Xie Meng declined Zhang Ganggang’s invitation to go home together. He waited at the entrance of Class 6, and it took about ten minutes for the classroom door to open.

 

“Hello,” Xie Meng stopped the first girl to come out. “Could you tell me which one is Zhuo Xiaoyuan?”

 

The girl looked him over and smiled, calling into the classroom, “Zhuo Xiaoyuan! Someone’s looking for you!”

 

The tallest boy sitting at the back turned around, squinting when he saw Xie Meng.

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan stood up slowly. He was tall with roughly cut short hair and narrow, handsome eyes.

 

Approaching Xie Meng, he leaned against the door frame, looking down at him. “You’re looking for me?”

 

“I’m Xie Meng,” he started.

 

“I know,” Zhuo Xiaoyuan’s expression was cold, and someone behind him called out. He turned to acknowledge them with a quick word, “Coming.”

 

Xie Meng hesitated for a moment. “I’m looking for you to…”

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan suddenly interrupted, “I’m going to play basketball today. Let’s talk tomorrow.”

 

Xie Meng frowned, “But…”

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan cut him off again, “We have PE class tomorrow afternoon. Come find me then?”

 

“…,” Xie Meng glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and finally conceded, “Okay.”

 

Without saying more, Zhuo Xiaoyuan stared at Xie Meng’s face, then suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm. Xie Meng instinctively reacted, blocking, but Zhuo Xiaoyuan dodged the blow.

 

Xie Meng: “…”

 

“Why so tense?” Zhuo Xiaoyuan chuckled. “You think I’m going to do something to you?”

 

When Qifei arrived at the basketball court, Ji Qinyang had been playing below for half the day, and several boys from Class 6 were watching. Qifei, the tallest among them, looked somewhat familiar.

 

Ji Qinyang was playing a half-court 3-on-3, and it seemed like he was winning.

 

“Why are you so competitive today?” Qifei asked as Ji Qinyang came down. There was an unusual lack of smiles on the boy’s face, his eyes sharp, his expression stern.

 

Ji Qinyang didn’t reply. He nodded towards Class 6 and lifted his chin slightly. “Which one is Zhuo Xiaoyuan?”

 

Qifei realized, “He should be the tallest one… What are you up to?”

 

Ji Qinyang grabbed a bottle of water and headed towards Class 6. His height matched Zhuo Xiaoyuan’s, and standing in front of several boys, he exuded a commanding presence.

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan instinctively straightened his back.

 

Ji Qinyang looked at him, lazily smiling. “Want to have a match?”

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan squatted down defensively in front of Ji Qinyang. Initially, he thought the boy just had an overly handsome face. However, after a few consecutive collisions, he realized that some things really couldn’t be judged by appearance alone.

 

“I’ve already scored three goals,” Ji Qinyang said calmly, a smile playing on his lips. “How about a bet?”

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan didn’t say anything. His jersey was already soaked, his eyes fixed on the ball in Ji Qinyang’s hands.

 

Ji Qinyang dribbled for a moment with both hands, then suddenly said, “5-0. Give me the video of Xie Meng.”

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan looked up in surprise, and Ji Qinyang exerted sudden force, forcefully breaking through the defense zone with his shoulders, smoothly dunking the ball in one go. He let go of the still shaking rim, landing on one foot in front of Zhuo Xiaoyuan. “That makes it 4-0.”

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan squinted his narrow eyes slightly. “How do you know about Xie Meng’s matter?”

 

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Ji Qinyang lazily replied. “Just give me the stuff.”

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan sneered coldly. “Who knows what you’re up to.”

 

Ji Qinyang chuckled lightly. He leaned forward, almost pressing against Zhuo Xiaoyuan, and said coldly, “Then what do you plan to do by keeping it? Blackmail? Leverage? Not handing it over to clear Xie Meng’s name—how are you any different from that scum?”

 

Qi Fei was wondering how the two on the court got so close suddenly, and the next moment, he saw Zhuo Xiaoyuan grab Ji Qinyang’s collar and throw him sideways. However, Ji Qinyang was not someone to be trifled with either. Before anyone could intervene, his fist had already landed on Zhuo Xiaoyuan’s face.

 

“Can’t we talk it out?! Can’t we talk it out?!” Qi Fei ran up and grabbed Ji Qinyang around the waist. “Bro, what’s gotten into you again!”

 

Ji Qinyang was still struggling, while Zhuo Xiaoyuan had taken several steps back, clearly enraged. He stared at Ji Qinyang with red eyes and shouted, “What do you know?! Are you even from the same middle school as Xie Meng?! Do you think you can stand up for him? You don’t know anything!!”

 

Ji Qinyang’s sharp lips were tightly pursed. He broke free from Qi Fei’s grip and grabbed Zhuo Xiaoyuan’s collar, pulling him close. He gritted his teeth and whispered in Zhuo Xiaoyuan’s ear, “I give you three days to hand over the stuff. If I hear anything that’s not good for Xie Meng from you, I won’t spare you.”

 

Zhuo Xiaoyuan coldly retorted, “That’s exactly what I was going to say. Mind your own business.”

 

Ji Qinyang couldn’t be bothered to say more. He rudely gestured at Zhuo Xiaoyuan and walked off to put on his coat. As he buttoned it up, he realized his punch had been too harsh—his knuckles were swollen.

 

Qi Fei continued to nag beside him, “Did you eat gunpowder, boss… What’s the matter after all?”

 

Ji Qinyang was impatient. “Stop asking.”

 

Qi Fei had no choice but to shut up and followed behind Ji Qinyang. As they passed through the corridor in front of the teaching building, Ji Qinyang suddenly stopped, almost causing Qi Fei to bump into him from behind.

 

“Why did you suddenly…” Qi Fei began to complain, but then he saw Xie Meng slowly approaching from the opposite direction.

 

Xie Meng, with his head down as if lost in thought, looked particularly slender in his black coat. He raised his head when he got closer and seemed surprised when he saw Ji Qinyang, his eyes widening slightly.

 

“Ji Qinyang?” Xie Meng called out the other’s name.

 

“Hey,” Ji Qinyang greeted naturally. “Haven’t gone back yet?”

 

Xie Meng hesitated for a moment, then smiled.

 

“Neither have you?” he replied with a smile.

 

Ji Qinyang just looked at his smiling face and didn’t say anything, probably because his gaze was too direct. After a moment, Xie Meng stopped smiling, slightly embarrassed. He touched his cheeks in confusion and asked, “Is there something on my face?”

 

Ji Qinyang averted his gaze. “No.”

 

“Oh…” Xie Meng was puzzled. He stood there for a while, unsure, then hesitantly said, “Um, I’ll go back first?”

 

“Let’s go together,” Ji Qinyang suddenly said. “Qi Fei has homework to ask you about.”

 

“Huh?!” Qi Fei looked completely clueless…

 

Xie Meng smiled again, seeming somewhat helpless.

 

“Then let’s go together,” he said.

 

The three of them were not heading the same way at all. Qi Fei pretended to ask a few questions, then dashed off faster than anyone when the bus arrived, leaving Ji Qinyang standing with his hands in his pockets beside Xie Meng, keeping him company as they waited for the bus.

 

The bus arrived at the station amidst a crowd, packed to the brim with hardly any space to stand. Xie Meng went with the flow of people, squeezed near the door, with Ji Qinyang following behind, using his hands to shield and encircle him in the middle.

 

People continued pushing from behind, and Ji Qinyang struggled to carve out some space. An elderly person with a child squeezed past, and just as the bus started moving, Xie Meng reached out and pulled Ji Qinyang close, face-to-face.

 

The elderly person steadied themselves and smiled at Xie Meng, holding the child’s hand. “Say thank you, sweetheart.”

 

The child shyly hid behind the adult, then peeked out when Xie Meng looked at him and immediately buried his face again.

 

“No need to thank me,” Xie Meng said. He leaned against Ji Qinyang’s neck. “It’s a bit crowded. Hang in there.”

 

Ji Qinyang adjusted his stance, propping one hand against the bus and gripping the rail with the other, forming a triangle. He was very close to Xie Meng, able to see his forehead with just a slight downward glance.

 

Xie Meng’s hand still rested on Ji Qinyang’s waist, simply to help him stay steady.

 

“I forgot my scarf,” Ji Qinyang suddenly remarked, his gaze falling on Xie Meng’s fair and clean neck.

 

“Huh?” Xie Meng hesitated for a moment before realizing and smiled. “Oh… it’s okay.”

 

As the bus swayed, more people crowded around. Xie Meng leaned against the wall and gestured, “Come closer.”

 

Ji Qinyang hesitated for a moment, then reached out and put his arm around Xie Meng’s shoulder.

 

Xie Meng: “…”

 

Ji Qinyang explained indifferently, “There’s more space here, and it’s more stable.”

 

Xie Meng glanced at the spot behind the boy that was immediately occupied and said nothing more.

 

Shantang Street was the terminal, and most people got off here. The two maintained their posture of hugging each other all the way, which was not particularly strange. The early spring evening was still quite cold, with long streets and narrow alleys, the platform noisy and crowded.

 

“Where do you live?” Ji Qinyang asked casually.

 

Xie Meng pointed, “In the innermost alley on Shantang Street.” Then he asked Ji Qinyang, “And you?”

 

“I don’t live around here. I came to see my grandfather.”

 

This statement wasn’t entirely false; Mo Zhao did live near Shantang Street, and Mo Suyuan occasionally went to see him after leaving the shop.

 

“I’ll accompany you to the mouth of the alley,” Ji Qinyang said, lifting his chin. “Let’s go.”

 

Mo Suyuan had just come out of the tea room when she received her son’s call and was somewhat surprised. “You’re at your grandfather’s? What made you decide to go there?”

 

“I didn’t go in. Just wandering around near Shantang,” Ji Qinyang sat lazily on the arch bridge, waiting for the vendor frying stinky tofu beside him. He moved his phone a bit and instructed, “Add some spice and cilantro… Hmm, how much?”

 

Mo Suyuan laughed, “Then wait, Mom will come pick you up.”

 

Ji Qinyang hung up the phone, holding a plastic bowl, sitting alone on the pier. Below his feet were clear green waves, distant fishing boats, and at the stern, a cormorant stopped, squinting its eyes under the setting sun, flapping its wings. The rower threw a fish, and the long and heavy wooden oar gently knocked against the boat rail. The cormorant stretched its long neck straight and dived into the water with a sudden plunge.

 

Winter was not over, but Suzhou City was already full of spring.