Duan Qiyan carries a mobile phone with him, but in order to save money, he did not activate the "Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan roaming function". Therefore, his mobile phone cannot connect to the Internet and cannot make calls.
He walked and stopped on the busy street, gradually drifting away from his friends.
The night was dark and boundless, just like the vast sea in the darkness, and the neon signs were isolated islands. Duan Qiyan looked around and suddenly lost his sense of direction. He stood at a crossroads with heavy traffic, like a cruise ship that had stopped sailing.
Fortunately, he had one thousand Hong Kong dollars in his pocket.
At worst, I can just take a taxi back to the hotel, he thought.
Thinking of this, Duan Qi Yan relaxed.
He walked into a small restaurant and bought an oyster omelette and a bowl of fish porridge. It was the peak dining time, and there were crowds of people everywhere. The seats in the restaurant were already full. So he carried a plastic lunch box and sat on a bench on the street. In the soft light from the street lamp, he lowered his head and picked up the food with chopsticks.
Several mainland tourists passed by him. The one walking in front was a middle-aged man who was elegant and easy-going. The man said to his young son, "Is Hong Kong fun?"
The son replied: “It’s fun.”
Dad added, "My dear son, next semester, when you are in the sixth grade and pass the test again, I will take you abroad!"
His son asked him: "Dad, I'm admitted to Tsinghua University or Peking University, where will you take me to play?"
My father smiled and encouraged me: "If you get into Peking University or Tsinghua University, you will have money and can go wherever you want. You don't need your father to take you with you..."
Duan Qiyan crossed his legs. As an outstanding graduate of Peking University, he always had a sense of pride in his heart. His university classmates were widely distributed all over the world - some were studying for a doctorate, some were starting a business, some were working, and each was heading for a very different future. However, being admitted to Peking University or Tsinghua University does not mean being "rich".
No one talked to Duan Qiyan. Duan Qiyan was just thinking about life in the noisy night market.
As a teenager, he was full of ambition.
And now, he has achieved nothing.
He squatted on the street like a pony in a Hong Kong movie, holding a pair of disposable chopsticks and eating from a plastic bag. The night wind was getting colder and colder, and the rain poured on his head. He suddenly felt a sense of sadness and desolation of "unfulfilled ambitions".
"It's raining." Lin Zhixia said.
The pedestrians on the street scattered, and dark clouds blocked the moonlight. Tang Tingting was surprised and said, "Is it really raining? The weather forecast said that there is a 30% chance of rain today."
Lin Zhixia took out her cell phone: "I'll send a text message to Jiang Yubai and the others."
"Duan Qiyan is with them." Tang Tingting guessed.
Lin Zhixia agreed: "Probably."
They were in a jewelry store, and Luo Ying was still choosing earrings. She picked up a pair of delicate red strawberry earrings and handed them to Lin Zhixia: "Do they look good? Let me help you put them on?"
Tang Tingting reminded: "Senior, she doesn't have pierced ears."
"I know," Luo Ying straightened the golden chain of the earrings, and the rosy and plump strawberries lay on her fingertips, "This is a pair of ear clips. You can wear it even if you don't have pierced ears."
Lin Zhixia stood in front of a mirror, and Luo Ying followed silently. She lifted up Lin Zhixia's long hair and put it behind her ears - the hair was soft, smooth, and shiny black, like the finest black satin.
"Your hair is well taken care of." Luo Ying commented softly.
"Maybe it's because I comb my hair every day and get enough sleep." Lin Zhixia selflessly shared her hair care experience. She looked at Luo Ying in the mirror and complimented her politely: "Senior, you are the most beautiful."
Luo Ying started to laugh. Her smile made all the flowers pale in comparison.
She did not touch Lin Zhixia's skin, but just opened the ear clip, and the metal lightly touched Lin Zhixia's earlobe.
Luo Ying's fingers were slender, long and white. Lin Zhixia's skin color was similar to hers. She was in a trance for a moment and became more careful about her movements.
The air was filled with a faint sweet fragrance, and Luo Ying was very close to Lin Zhixia, and the fragrance clearly and passionately aroused her nerves. The faster her heartbeat, the harder it was to conceal it, so she simply held her breath until she finally fastened the ear clip.
Lin Zhixia fiddled with the strawberry pendant hanging on her left ear.
"It's cute," she said.
Luo Ying happened to be standing behind Lin Zhixia. She lifted a strand of Lin Zhixia's hair, twisted it between her fingers, and slowly released it. Her fingers were almost touching Lin Zhixia's body, but when she felt the warmth of Lin Zhixia coming through her dress, she immediately gave up all contact.
She stepped back and covered her cheek.
"Senior?" Lin Zhixia turned around and looked at her.
“Let’s go back to the hotel,” she suggested.
Lin Zhixia stared into her eyes: "You look a little pale, are you feeling unwell?"
"It's stuffy here." Luo Ying made up an excuse.
The rain outside the French window was getting heavier, and the raindrops fell on the transparent glass, instantly dispersing into thousands of streams. People on the road were hurrying, but Jiang Yubai was holding a black umbrella, standing still, looking at Luo Ying and Lin Zhixia in the store through a window.
Lin Zeqiu didn't notice anything unusual in the store. He just asked Jiang Yubai, "Something's wrong with you?"
Jiang Yubai said, "Nothing."
Lin Zeqiu asked again: "Duan Qiyan is also in there, right?"
Jiang Yubai answered casually: "It's very likely."
"This kid is great," Lin Zeqiu said, "He followed them for such a long time to choose jewelry."
Lin Zeqiu put his hands in his pockets and strode into the store. After chatting for a while, they suddenly realized that Duan Qiyan was gone. Tang Tingting panicked and pulled the chain of her purse with her right hand. Her arms were tense. Lin Zhixia comforted her: "Duan Qiyan brought money. He can take a taxi back to the hotel."
Lin Zeqiu also said: "He is such a big man, not a little boy of seven or eight years old."
Tang Tingting took out an umbrella from her bag: "I feel a little guilty. He is a high school competition teacher, he doesn't have winter and summer vacations, only one week of public holiday every year... He followed us to Hong Kong, and our two teams didn't pay attention and left him behind... His mobile phone doesn't work, he only has banknotes on him, it's raining heavily now, and it's hard for him to get a taxi..."
Tang Tingting came up with a plan. This long street was a one-way street, so she decided to look for Duan Qiyan along the street alone, while the others would go back to the hotel first. If they ran into Duan Qiyan, they would call her.
Before Tang Tingting finished speaking, Jiang Yubai's phone suddenly rang. Jiang Yubai answered the WeChat call, and Duan Qiyan informed him on the other end: "I'm back to the hotel, how about you guys?"
Jiang Yubai turned on the hands-free phone. He got into a business car, and Lin Zhixia said, "We are also planning to go back. What do you want to eat tonight? I'll bring it to you."
"I had oyster omelette and fish porridge." Duan Qiyan answered in detail. He lay on the big bed in the hotel, looking at the ceiling. Jiang Yubai chatted with him for a few more words and then hung up.