âWhat did I do impulsively?â Shen Chi asked with no expression on his face, âI told her I would treat her child as if he were my own.â
âYou really think you can do that?â
âNonsense.â
The promises he made to her, there were few he couldnât keep.
âSo, you donât have any complaints in your heart? I donât believe it.â Li Beiting shook his head.
It wasnât that he didnât believe in Shen Chi, but as a normal man, it seemed impossible to be so open-hearted.
Shen Chi fell silent, lazily swaying his wine glass, leaning comfortably on the sofa without speaking.
Li Beiting understood, a man like Shen Chi had always been the pride of the heavens, getting whatever he wanted. Yetâ¦
After a long time, Shen Chi shot over a cold look.
Li Beiting shivered. What was that supposed to mean?
âMind your own business, nosy parker,â Shen Chi said in a cool and indifferent tone.
ââ¦â Li Beitingâs mouth twitched.
The room fell silent for a while, but Li Beiting couldnât help but speak up again.
He had been drinking, and naturally, he became more talkative.
âLetâs change the subject to women,â Li Beiting shamelessly said, âApart from your Xu Chaomu, what kind of woman do you like? A beautiful one? Or one with a good figure? Or a smart one?â
âLike my Mumu.â
âI said, apart from your Xu Chaomu.â
âThen forget it.â
ââ¦â
Li Beiting was at a loss for words; he felt that it had become impossible to communicate with this man.
In the past, when the guys got together, they could talk about women. Now, Shen Chi only had Xu Chaomu in his eyes.
âLi Beiting, donât just talk about me, who was your first woman?â
Li Beiting fell silent. Who else could it be?
The lighting in the room was a bit dim, and suddenly he remembered something that happened four years ago.
Four years ago in June, it was right after Yu Weiwei finished her high school exams.
That kind of summer always carried a faint restlessness. Students post-exams are always at their most frenzied.
Thus, there were shredded test papers littering the floors, as lonely as snowflakes.
In the summer, the trees were green, the cicadas noisy.
Ziwei flowers bloomed in clusters, and the petals of the oleander fell all over the ground, the lotuses in the school pond also bloomed.
Everywhere was filled with the rich scent of summer.
The last exam was biology, Yu Weiweiâs favorite subject.
After the test, it was five in the afternoon.
Yu Weiwei walked while ripping her textbooks, test papers, and study guides to shreds.
âOhahaha, Iâm finally done with exams, university, here I come!â
Yu Weiwei was brimming with confidence, especially about the last biology testâshe was sure she would score high!
Li Beiting was the one waiting outside the exam hall to pick her up. As soon as the exam-ending bell rang, all the students poured out like a swarm of bees.
Cheers were everywhere!
The papers this year were generally not very difficult, and everyone seemed very confident.
Yu Weiwei was in the crowd, tearing up textbooks.
Li Beiting approached her and said with a smile, âStop littering.â
âIâm so happy; exams are finally over, Iâm liberated!â Yu Weiwei spun around laughing.
She balled up all her test papers and kicked them around joyfully.
âTo hell with English, and damn mathematics, goodbye! I donât have to look after you anymore!â
âDonât throw them all away, just in case you have to retake the year, youâll have to buy them again,â Li Beiting said.
âGo away!â Yu Weiwei laughed as she hit Li Beiting, âNo pearls coming out of a dogâs mouth!â
That evening Yu Weiwei looked especially pretty, radiating the purity and beauty unique to nineteen-year-olds.
Her hair was tied in a simple ponytail, she carried the most student-like backpack, and did what others her age would do.
As she walked out of school alongside Li Beiting, on an impulse, she threw her arms around his neck.
âLi Beiting, Iâm so happy today. Treat me to a meal.â
âSure, what do you want to eat?â
By that time, Li Beiting had been pursuing Yu Weiwei for a year. They were somewhat boyfriend and girlfriend, except that Yu Weiwei wouldnât admit it out loud.
âThe most expensive thing!â
âThe expensive stuff isnât tasty.â
âLi Beiting, are you stingy, huh? Are you?!â
âReally, the expensive stuff isnât tasty.â
âThen take me to a bar, I want to drink. I need to celebrate, finally no more seeing that old witch of a headteacher!â
âOkay, Iâll take you to a bar just this once. But remember, you canât drink too much.â
âSo noisy, Li Beiting, youâre fussy than that old witch.â
âBut, Iâll take you there on one conditionâyou have to tell me, who am I to you, hmm?â
Li Beiting was also in an exceptional good mood that day, wrapping his arm around Yu Weiweiâs waist as they strolled along the school paths.
Even though he graduated a long time ago, that feeling seemed to return.
âYouâre my second uncle,â Yu Weiwei beamed radiantly.
âWhat second uncle, be good, or youâre going for hot and spicy skewers.â
The âsecond uncleâ was just a story they made up; he never took it seriously, nor did Yu Weiwei.
âSecond Uncleâ¦â Yu Weiwei hooked her arm around his neck, âThe hot and spicy skewers arenât tasty, I want to play at the bar.â
âThen tell me, who am I to you?â
âBoyfriend, tehee,â Yu Weiweiâs cheeks flushed, feeling a bit shy.
Li Beiting was very nice to her, and she depended on him a lot. Her family home was not far from Jinxiu Tianxia, and many times, it was Li Beiting who would pick her up and drop her off.
Under the setting sun, she hooked her arm around his neck, her watery big eyes staring into his.
The warm, orange light spilled over them, and Li Beiting couldnât resist, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.
Normally very bold and carefree, Yu Weiwei felt even more embarrassed at that moment.
She pushed him away, her cheeks burning red.
âSomeone from school might see us.â
âSo what, your classmates probably have boyfriends already.â
âLi Beiting, Iâm getting corrupted by you, is this considered puppy love?â
âIn two months youâll be in university, no such thing as puppy love.â
âThatâs true, I heard university is full of couples, itâs a loss not to date.â
âYouâre not allowed to apply to universities outside of C City, otherwise, Iâll drag you back to retake the year,â Li Beiting warned her.
âTake me to a nice bar, and Iâll listen to you; otherwise⦠Iâll flee far away and get one, two, three, four, five, six, seven boyfriends.â
âSuch a bold claim.â
Li Beiting grabbed Yu Weiweiâs hand and pulled her towards his car.
His car was parked not far from the exam hall, he walked in front, and she followed behind.
Fingers intertwined, the evening sun serene and pleasant.
Orange light cast upon the ground, the roadside camphor trees emitted a faint fragrance.
Stepping on the leaves, they left the noisy exam hall behind.
The clamor gradually faded away as the last test ended, bringing to a close a studentâs era.
âGet in the car.â Li Beiting opened the door and shoved Yu Weiwei in.
Yu Weiwei grumbled, âNot a shred of gentlemanly behavior, you should say âMiss Weiwei, pleaseâ.â
âGet lost, another word and youâre eating hot and spicy skewers.â
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