Xu Ling is not exactly a talkative person, but the boy across from her seems to have an endless supply of things to say. It appears they are actually engaged in a lively conversation.
Zhou Xiaqing eats her toast in a leisurely manner, her hand occasionally swiping across her phone screen, which is filled with travel experience posts shared by others about the project.
Suddenly, a message box pops up at the top of the screen: “You bit my shoulder raw.”
The sender is right beside her, leaning against the sofa, silent and looking at his phone with a serious and solemn expression.
Evidence follows shortly after.
Zhou Xiaqing taps on the half-body photo of him bare-chested. She spots his wound at a single glance.
It isn’t because the wound is large or particularly noticeable; rather, the guy deliberately used a red pen to circle the barely visible area where the skin was broken—a truly moronic action.
Her fingers move, and Zhou Xiaqing sends him a red packet.
The red packet contains only a crisp 0.1 yuan.
Zhou Xiaqing: “Here is a dime, go to the hospital and get it checked. Keep the change.”
It is a double entendre.
Chen Jinshan’s mouth twitches a couple of times. In the end, he cannot hold it back and lets out a low laugh, causing his entire body, including his shoulders, to tremble like a sifter.
Zhou Xiaqing gives him a look reserved for the mentally challenged.
Her coffee is nearly finished, yet the two across from her are still talking.
Zhou Xiaqing puts down her cup, pretending to glance at the boy beside Xu Ling unintentionally.
He is animated while he speaks, which always reminds her of Chen Jinshan back in kindergarten and elementary school not only was his facial expression rich, but his tone was also varied; he was a natural-born storyteller.
Chen Jinshan had actually done that storytelling in class. For a period of time, he wouldn’t go out to play wildly during recess; instead, he would sit in the back row and tell stories with great emotion and gestures.
Every time he reached a turning point where everyone was most enthralled, he would pull out a fan—he didn’t even know where he got it and open it with a “snap,” fanning himself pretentiously while striking a pose: “If you want to know what happens next, listen to the next installment.”
He was so annoying that someone reported him, directly helping him achieve the feat of being called into the principal’s office by his elementary school teacher thirty times in one year.
“I assume everyone is finished eating. Now, focus—Chiyu—and listen to me.” A middle-aged man wearing the same training uniform stands up and claps his hands. “We return to the country tomorrow. Today you are free to explore. You are all big boys now, so be safe and don’t go running off blindly.”
It seems he must be their swim team coach.
“Check in at the hotel before nine o’clock tonight,” he adds. “If something comes up, send a text; don’t make phone calls. International roaming fees are terrifying.”
“Not bad, Coach Ma.” The boy across from Chen Jinshan gives him a thumbs-up. “Single rhyme.”
“Gao Zhiyang, you really love showing off!”
The boy turns his head, seizing the opportunity to introduce himself to the two of them: “By the way, my name is Gao Zhiyang ‘Zhi’ as in pillar of talent, ‘Yang’ as in setting sail.”
More like ‘Zhi’ as in “steer clear of,” and ‘Yang’ as in “sail away and leave,” Zhou Xiaqing thinks to herself, silently rolling her eyes.
Coach Ma mentions a few more simple precautions and finally claps his hands: “Dismissed.”
The surrounding athletes leave the room in groups of two or three. The only ones left in the coffee shop wearing training uniforms are Chen Jinshan and Gao Zhiyang.
Gao Zhiyang turns to look at Xu Ling: “What are your plans for today?”
A bad premonition rises in Zhou Xiaqing’s heart, but before she has a chance to warn Xu Ling, she has already spoken.
Sure enough, Gao Zhiyang’s next sentence is: “What a coincidence, we were planning to go there too. Let’s go together!”
Xu Ling is noncommittal, her eyes looking over and meeting hers.
Gao Zhiyang also asks for Chen Jinshan’s opinion: “Little Shanshan, what do you think?”
Chen Jinshan is a man of few words: “Whatever.”
Gao Zhiyang’s mouth acts like a machine gun, rattling off non-stop: “You haven’t said much since you got up. That’s not like you. You aren’t actually angry, are you? It was you who made me play with you when you were in a bad mood early this morning. I accompanied you through three straight losses even though I could barely keep my eyes open; I’ve been loyal enough, haven’t I? What was up with you AFK-ing and running off later? I just said you weren’t being a good bro; it’s a small matter, no need to get worked up about it.”
“I’m really not angry,” Chen Jinshan says. “I just don’t want to talk because I slept too late yesterday.”
After a pause, he adds in an unhurried manner: “Not enough sleep.”
He puts the emphasis on the word “sleep,” which is somewhat strange.
Zhou Xiaqing is startled.
Especially since he looks at her intentionally or unintentionally in his peripheral vision, making her even more certain of her thoughts.
…He even got back at her.
This guy really is petty.
She gives Xu Ling a look, signaling her to find an excuse to refuse their company.
Xu Ling seems to be daydreaming or something; her gaze lingers on the three of them. Suddenly, she raises her eyebrows and reveals an inscrutable smile: “Let’s go together.”
“Great!” Gao Zhiyang reacts, grinning from ear to ear. “We’ll buy the tickets right now.”
Taking advantage of them fiddling with their phones, Zhou Xiaqing stretches her neck toward Xu Ling and hisses a complaint through clenched teeth: “Why do you want to go with them?”
Xu Ling plays dumb: “Huh? Wasn’t it you who wanted to go with them?”
“I was clearly as silent as a gold statue just now.”
“You were clearly giving me eyes, insisting on going with them, Goldie.”
“That was a refusal!”
In the end, they still get on the subway together.
The subway is packed with people, and tourists speaking different languages make up sixty percent of the crowd.
Zhou Xiaqing guesses that most of the tourists have the same destination and likely won’t get off halfway. She scans the area and successfully locks onto two salarymen who look like locals.
She pulls Xu Ling over, and sure enough, they get off after two stops, allowing them to finally sit down and rest.
Xu Ling puts on her headphones to catch up on sleep. Zhou Xiaqing hasn’t slept for more than a few hours last night, and her body is sending signals of fatigue, but she doesn’t have the slightest bit of sleepiness.
Finding the material she didn’t finish reading yesterday on her phone, she lowers her head and reads it carefully, line by line.
The announcements in the carriage ring out repeatedly, and passengers get on and off in waves. When she looks up again, Chen Jinshan and Gao Zhiyang, who were standing by the carriage door, are nowhere to be seen.
They must have found empty seats.
Standing in front of them now are two Chinese girls, who look to be about their age. One of the girls is holding her stomach, and her complexion is not looking good.
“Do you feel any better after taking the medicine?” the other girl asks.
“It still hurts. I really didn’t expect my period to come early. If the tickets weren’t non-refundable, I would definitely be lying comfortably in the hotel.”
“What are we going to do about the queue later? Can you stand?”
“Even if I can’t stand, I have to. I can’t waste the money. I want to be an indomitable Chinese woman.”
Seeing the sweat beads on the girl’s forehead, Zhou Xiaqing picks up her bag and stands up: “You sit here and get some rest.”
The girl hurriedly shakes her head: “No, no need.”
Zhou Xiaqing smiles: “It’s fine, I actually wanted to stand for a while.”
Hearing her say this, the girl stops declining: “You are so beautiful and kind-hearted, miss!”
Walking to the carriage door, Zhou Xiaqing holds the handrail with one hand and opens her phone with the other.
The bold English text on the screen is as small and dense as ants. After looking at it for a while, it feels like it’s floating. She blinks hard, trying to calm herself down and continue memorizing.
A new message suddenly appears at the top of the screen.
It’s from Chen Jinshan, and the content consists of only two short words: “Come here.”