We spent four days at the beach, and Tang Shi ended up a shade darker. My mom thought it was a bit of a shame since she preferred fair-skinned boys, saying she believed boys looked best with fair skin.
Aunt Tang, however, laughed as she patted Tang Shi’s arm, saying that a few days of rest would fix it, and besides, a bit of a tan made him look more energetic.
On the way back, it was just Tang Shi and me in the backseat. While he slept, I sneakily compared our skin tones by placing my hand next to his arm.
Serves you right for always being outside! I looked at Tang Shi’s tanned skin with smug satisfaction, thinking he now resembled a lump of coal!
But Tang Shi didn’t care much about his appearance. As soon as we got home, he grabbed his basketball and went out to play. I stayed home practicing the piano, not forgetting that in a couple of days, I had to accompany Yuan Ziyi to some talent show.
In the eyes of adults, this was considered nonsense, so Yuan Ziyi and I kept it a secret from everyone. We met at my house, searched for the registration process on our phones, and clumsily managed to sign up.
The online registration required a fee of 120 yuan, which made me grumble, wondering if it was a scam.
“No way,” Yuan Ziyi said, sitting on the sofa eating cantaloupe. “If it were a scam, why would they only scam 120 yuan? Who would bother with that?”
She had a point. I scratched the back of my head, feeling a bit troubled. “But how do we pay this registration fee? If it were cash, it’d be fine, but we don’t have a bank card for online payment.”
“Oh, right.” Yuan Ziyi realized, staring blankly while holding the melon rind.
We couldn’t possibly ask the adults for help. I figured they’d not only refuse to help us register but also scold us both.
After all, in their eyes, the most important thing for kids our age was studying, and thinking about anything else was seen as neglecting our duties.
“What should we do? Is my dream of becoming a star going to be defeated by this 120 yuan?” Yuan Ziyi lamented, her fluffy eyebrows furrowing. My mom had once praised her eyebrows, saying they’d look great if she shaped them.
I tried to think of a solution with her. “Not necessarily. I’ll go next door and ask Aunt Tang.”
Aunt Tang was so good-natured that if we asked her to keep it a secret, she probably would.
I told Yuan Ziyi to wait at home, then slipped on my slippers and ran next door to ring the doorbell.
It was Tang Shi who opened the door. Surprisingly, he hadn’t gone out to play and had invited several upperclassmen over to play games at his place.
The living room floor was littered with beer, drinks, and snacks, and there was a strong smell of smoke. I peered inside from the doorway and asked Tang Shi, “Where’s your mom?”
Tang Shi leaned against the doorframe, looking at me. “She went to my grandma’s house. Do you need something?”
I thought for a moment and asked if he had any money.
I knew it was a silly question. Of course, Tang Shi had money. Aunt Tang’s parenting style was different from my mom’s, and Tang Shi had always had plenty of pocket money, practically a walking cash cow.
Sure enough, as soon as I asked, Tang Shi raised an eyebrow and asked why I needed money.
I hesitated for a moment and then asked him to come outside with me.
Tang Shi left his friends and followed me out. I took him to my house and explained the plan Yuan Ziyi and I had.
“Ha,” Tang Shi chuckled, looking at Yuan Ziyi. “You’re going to a talent show?”
Yuan Ziyi nodded a bit shyly, then looked at Tang Shi expectantly. “So, can you help me? I’ll pay you back soon.”
“I have money!” I ran upstairs to get my piggy bank, a white cat-shaped one filled with my New Year’s money.
I fished out a few bills and stuffed them into Tang Shi’s hand. “I’ll pay you on her behalf.”
With things said this far, it would be too heartless for Tang Shi not to help. Fortunately, he didn’t refuse. He gave me a light tap on the head and said he’d go get his phone to help Yuan Ziyi pay the fee.
He returned the few bills I had given him back into my pocket. “Keep it. I don’t need your money.”
With Tang Shi’s help, Yuan Ziyi successfully registered online. Next up was the rehearsal.
She signed up for the selection happening the day after tomorrow, leaving us a day and a half to practice.
We had a piano at my house, so I took her to the music room to practice singing and asked what song she planned to sing.
Yuan Ziyi idolized Mao Buyi and wanted to sing his song “Eliminate Worries.” After she said that, she tried singing a couple of lines, and I covered my ears in horror.
Mao Buyi sang to eliminate worries, but she sang as if to eliminate souls.
Mao Buyi wanted money, she wanted lives.
“By the way, you need to wear something nice for the selection.” I propped my chin on the piano. “Yuan Ziyi, do you have a pretty dress?”
Yuan Ziyi sat cross-legged on the floor. “No, can’t I wear pants?”
“No way!”
I got up from the chair and circled around her twice.
Yuan Ziyi was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, looking even more boyish than I did. This wouldn’t do. I feared she’d be eliminated before even getting on stage.
But she was too tall, and my mom’s clothes wouldn’t fit her.
“Here’s the plan,” I said, having come up with an idea. “Come over early tomorrow, and I’ll go with you to a photo studio or something to rent a dress!”
Yuan Ziyi looked puzzled. “Rent? Why rent?”
I confidently told her, “Because we can’t afford to buy one!”
Having made plans with Yuan Ziyi, I got up early the next morning, dressed, and went downstairs to find my dad still having breakfast.
“Wow, son, you’re up early.” He glanced at his watch. “You don’t have school today. Go back and sleep a bit more.”
“No.”
I squeezed in beside my dad, picked up a slice of bread, and spread condensed milk on it. While eating, I casually asked him, “Dad, what kind of dress do you think looks best on a girl?”
My dad patiently replied, “That depends on the girl and the occasion.”
I rested my head on his shoulder, leaning softly against him, and thought for a moment before saying, “Well, it’s for a tall girl, for a selection or something… you could think of it as a selection for a school event.”
The aroma of coffee wafted from the table. My dad took a sip and offered his advice. “Then it should be something eye-catching, something that stands out immediately.”
Eye-catching, attention-grabbing.
I took note of that.
After thanking my dad, I grabbed two cartons of milk from the fridge and headed out.
The night before, I had arranged to meet Yuan Ziyi at the pedestrian street near our school. I jogged over and spotted her from afar.
She was too tall, wearing a light green puff-sleeve top, craning her neck and looking around, probably searching for me.
“I’m here!” I waved at her and quickly walked over.
Handing her one of the milk cartons, we drank as we walked down the street together.
There were plenty of shops where we could rent clothes, and we chose one that looked decent. After finishing our milk at the entrance, we went inside.
A sister with blue-dyed hair greeted us and asked what we needed.
“Are you here for a photo shoot, with makeup, or…?”
Yuan Ziyi and I exchanged a glance. She seemed a bit nervous and nudged me lightly with her arm, signaling for me to speak.
Alright then, I looked at the blue-haired sister. “We’re here to rent clothes.”
The sister gestured for us to follow. “Okay, please come this way.”
Remembering my dad’s keywords, I took charge and picked out a silver sequin mermaid dress for Yuan Ziyi.
Since a mermaid dress required high heels, we asked the sister to help us choose a pair. She mentioned that since we were young, the shoes wouldn’t be charged, as long as we didn’t ruin them.
After paying the rental fee for the dress and a deposit, Yuan Ziyi and I carried the packaged outfit back to my house.
“You’ll need to wear makeup too,” I said, picturing my mom applying lipstick in front of the mirror. “Come to my house, my mom has lots of makeup.”
Yuan Ziyi was deeply touched, stopping to look at me. “Cheng Yueguang, you’re so nice.”
“It’s nothing,” I said, pulling her along as we continued walking. “You’re my friend, after all.”
Tang Shi didn’t go out to play today. Instead, he came over to watch me and Yuan Ziyi mess around.
My music room had a large bay window, and Tang Shi sat by it with his arms crossed, his long legs stretched out on the floor.
With someone else around, Yuan Ziyi seemed very nervous. She was already off-key when singing, and now she couldn’t even make a sound.
I placed my hand on the piano to encourage her, telling her to relax. “Bring out the energy you have when fighting boys. It doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong, just keep singing.”
“Okay.” Yuan Ziyi took a deep breath, stood up straight in the middle of the music room, and puffed out her chest.
I gave her a slight smile. “I’m starting now.”
The music’s prelude began, and I focused on playing the piano according to the sheet music, automatically tuning out Yuan Ziyi’s disastrously off-key singing.
When the song ended, Yuan Ziyi shyly glanced at Tang Shi and asked how he thought she did.
“……”
Tang Shi’s expression seemed like he wanted to laugh but held it in. He said, “Well, your voice is quite unique.”
What a way to put it, Tang Shi really knew how to talk. I wanted to laugh too, but I had to hold it in.
Our attitude gave Yuan Ziyi a huge boost of confidence. She felt she could do it and practiced the song with me twice more.
In the evening, we said our goodbyes at my house’s entrance. I reminded her to come early tomorrow to change and do her makeup.
“Got it,” Yuan Ziyi said gratefully, giving me a look. “If I get selected, I won’t forget your kindness.”
Watching her leave, Tang Shi lit a cigarette and chuckled. “Do you think she’ll get selected?”
I looked at Yuan Ziyi’s sturdy figure and silently mourned for her for three minutes. Honestly, her chances of making it in a talent show were slim.
It’s not that she wasn’t good, but these days, the trend was for delicate, gentle girls.
Tang Shi smoked by the fence in front of my house, looking quite dashing. I watched with envy and asked him to let me have a puff.
He glanced at me, holding the cigarette between his fingers, and turned it towards my mouth.
It was my first time smoking, and I nervously glanced at him, grabbing his hand holding the cigarette, and slowly put the cigarette to my lips.
Tang Shi instructed me, “Don’t lick it, take a drag, a strong one, and inhale the smoke into your lungs.”
I followed his instructions once, and as the cigarette tip glowed, I was overwhelmed by a coughing fit, clutching Tang Shi’s arm for support.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Tang Shi’s arm shook with my grip, and he laughed at me. “A little kid trying to smoke, will you dare to do it again?”
Unwilling to give up, I pulled his hand over. “Let me have another puff.”
Tang Shi refused, raising his hand high, the cigarette burning at his fingertips, a thin stream of smoke rising.
“Your mom’s about to get off work. What if she smells the smoke on you?”
He had a point. If my mom found out I was sneaking a smoke, my ears would be in for it. It seemed today wasn’t the day for me to be cool.
I gave up on trying the cigarette and asked Tang Shi if he wanted to come over and play games with me.
It’s not that I insisted on playing games with Tang Shi, but without his help, I was so bad at them that I couldn’t manage on my own. How could I tolerate him breathing next to me otherwise?
Tang Shi followed me back to my room, where he noticed a bag propped against the wall by the desk.
“What’s this?”
I followed his gaze and told him it was the dress I rented with Yuan Ziyi for the selection tomorrow.
Tang Shi walked over and opened the bag, pulling out the dress.
The moment the shimmering dress peeked out of the bag, Tang Shi’s expression turned indescribable.
He thrust the dress in front of my face. “You’re wearing this?”
“Yeah,” I said, pulling the sleeve aside to look at Tang Shi through the fabric. “What do you think, isn’t it beautiful?”
“……”
“Never mind,” Tang Shi folded the dress back into the bag and patted my head. “As long as you’re happy.”