It was Sunday morning, and today Xu Lan and Cheng Feiyang both got up late. They looked inside through the open bedroom door and saw that Cheng Ran's room was empty.
"Where did Cheng Ran go so early in the morning?" Xu Lan was surprised.
Cheng Feiyang just smiled and said, "It's impossible that he is looking for a female classmate!"
Xu Lan glared at him. "That's good to have! This kid has liked Yang Xia since he was a kid. Do you think Yang Xia likes him?"
"Why do you care so much about a child's affairs..." Cheng Feiyang curled his lips and smiled, "Isn't it normal that I don't like him..."
There was the sound of a key turning in the door, and the door creaked open, and Cheng Ran, wearing a vest, shorts and sneakers, came back sweating profusely.
"Are you going for a run?" Xu Lan asked.
"Well, is there any food?"
“Yes, yes, yes, what are you talking about… It’s ready. Come and eat!”
Cheng Ran went to the basin, wet a towel and wiped his face and neck, then sat back at the table to eat the hot rice. The rice was clearly grainy and mixed with shredded pork, which he ate with fermented black bean paste in big mouthfuls, enjoying the delicious taste.
Xu Lan and Cheng Feiyang looked at each other and didn't say anything. Cheng Feiyang went to the living room to read the newspaper, occasionally glancing at Cheng Ran with the corner of his eyes. He was so abnormal recently. Not only did he study, he even got up early to exercise... Was he changing his nature or was he possessed by evil spirits
Soon, a phone call came in. It was Liu Ying looking for Cheng Ran. Cheng Ran answered the phone and said, "… Yeah, Yu Xiao told me yesterday."
Liu Ying on the other side said shyly, "Well, I still need to tell you something. Sun Jichao heard about my treat and called me to say he was coming over... You know, it's hard for me to refuse..."
Cheng Ran thought about it carefully and had some impression. He was a person from the government institute and was in the same class as Liu Ying. His family seemed to be the director of some bureau and was quite arrogant. It was because he was very domineering when they were playing together. Cheng Ran stood up for a friend and ended up fighting with him. Since then, there has been a conflict between them. Afterwards, Cheng Ran was heartless and didn't care, but Sun Jichao seemed to hold a grudge against him. There were often reports of his many grievances against Cheng Ran from the government institute circle.
"So, what I want to say is, is everything okay on your end..." Liu Ying said hesitantly and softly on the other end of the phone.
"Oh, it's him... No problem." Cheng Ran responded, "Just a little conflict, nothing serious."
This made Liu Ying a little confused. She had informed Yu Xiao and others about the dinner yesterday, but she missed Cheng Ran. She called him at the last minute today. After all, she still had to do her part. In fact, if Cheng Ran said in embarrassment, "Forget it, I won't come...", she would immediately say, "Okay, I'll treat you to a meal another day. I'm so sorry..."
But who knew that Cheng Ran didn't mind at all, and didn't give her any chance to express her feelings. Liu Ying's father Liu Jun actually looked down on Cheng Ran's father Cheng Feiyang, because after the company's performance was not good, most of the people found their own way out, and Liu Jun started a small company by himself, and he was really proud of it in the company compound. Of course, he looked down on Cheng Feiyang, who was not as good as him at the time and still "didn't want to make progress", and his words were inevitably contemptuous. Liu Ying heard a lot, but she didn't remember the rest, but she remembered that her father said that Cheng Feiyang's family belonged to the class that was eliminated.
After that, she also became a little arrogant when looking at Cheng Ran. Moreover, Sun Jichao clearly showed his hatred for Cheng Ran. The most important thing was that she had finally invited Jiang Hongshao this time. Jiang Hongshao had not come many times before, but this time she finally agreed to let her come. She attached great importance to the atmosphere of this party. In order to avoid an awkward atmosphere, Liu Ying actually hoped to make a breakthrough from Cheng Ran. Sun Jichao's father was the director, and he was in the same class with her. Although Cheng Ran grew up in a compound, she was not on Cheng Ran's side in terms of inclination.
"Okay then... Then come here according to the time!"
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Ran shook his head again. How could he hide the reluctance in Liu Ying's words? Normally, he would have gone with the flow, but he had encountered many friends who disappeared out of thin air. Now, he just wanted to take this opportunity to see those who were still familiar to him.
I just want to relive that feeling. As for the rest, I don't really care.
Liu Ying's home was spacious and clean, and she even bought some small flowers and balloons in advance as decoration. It was considered a well-decorated home. Yu Xiao came over first and saw a warm atmosphere. Yao Beibei, Zhang Xin, Xie Dong and so on, the kids in the compound arrived before him. Yu Xiao saw Yang Xia, the center of attention, and everyone just greeted him casually. Yu Xiao was not surprised because everyone's attention was not on him.
Soon, people from the government office next door also came, Wang Yuran, Zhou Bin, and of course Sun Jichao. These people were all good friends with Sun Jichao, and of course they didn't get along with Yu Xiao and the others. But at this time, it was already clear that their families were well-off. The three of them were well-dressed and spoke with an attitude of having seen the world. For example, Wang Yuran wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses and looked like a top student. Zhou Bin was tall and wore a basketball uniform, looking very athletic and very eye-catching. In terms of appearance, Sun Jichao was indeed the best of the three, but his eyes occasionally revealed an arrogant look.
Liu Ying came out of the kitchen and said, "Sun Jichao, thank you for helping me fix my computer last time. You fixed it very easily. You must have reinstalled the system. I watched you operate it, and it was like a mystery to me!"
At that time, a computer cost tens of thousands of yuan, and there were only a handful of families who could afford a computer. It was also very enviable at that time. Computers were very expensive, and people who mastered the technology seemed much more prestigious, at least the sense of mystery was beyond people's reach. In Liu Ying's words, Sun Jichao could actually repair computers. Everyone knows that the Dos system's large number of mysterious commands are enough to dazzle laymen, and it is no wonder that Liu Ying admired him.
Sun Jichao said lightly, "My family has replaced two computers. Installing systems, repairing and replacing hardware are just daily tasks for me!"
Not only does he have a computer at home, he has two of them, and he also understands computer technology. Some girls also look at him differently.
The three of them arrived, and the atmosphere changed again. In fact, there were some pretty girls in the Huatong Company compound, such as Liu Ying, and some heroic girls, such as Yao Beibei. They were all very good, especially Yang Xia, who was the flower of Class 4. Sun Jichao and the others were like fish in water. In addition, they were good at talking, and when they told stories about their travel experiences, their jokes could make the girls laugh.
This inevitably led the girls in the company yard to subconsciously compare themselves. In comparison, the boys in their own unit, whether in terms of dress or vision, could not compare with Sun Jichao and others in the government community. They seemed to feel a certain level of difference for the first time.
In such an environment, Yu Xiao, Zhang Xin, Xie Dong and other boys in the yard became even more silent.
The door of Liu Ying's house was open, and a red figure then appeared there.
Everyone became excited when they saw Jiang Hongshao poking her head out of the door, her two curly hair falling over her shoulders jumping, then confirming the location and walking in.
"It's here..." Jiang Hongshao blinked her bright eyes, and then she saw Liu Ying from the crowd in the room, and then Yang Xia, Yu Xiao and other familiar people. She put her hands together in front of her red skirt to apologize, and looked at the clock hanging in the hall, "Am I late?"
In fact, Jiang Hongshao arrived five minutes earlier than Liu Ying said at six o'clock. She just didn't know that so many people came so early, mostly because of her.
"No, no, it's just right!" Liu Ying greeted her with a smile.
At this time, Liu Ying's parents came out from the kitchen after preparing a large table of food. Liu Jun didn't say anything, but Liu Ying's mother Zhang Lin smiled and said, "I've prepared the food for you... Oh! It's Xiao Jiang... Oh, Aunt Zhang, I haven't seen you for a long time. You've become more beautiful. Others say that girls change a lot when they grow up, but in fact, you haven't changed at all. You've always been so beautiful!"
A group of children from the compound who were familiar with Zhang Lin were all stunned. You know, Zhang Lin is not an ordinary person. She used to be a Chinese teacher at the No. 5 Middle School in the city. Later, she joined the Education Bureau's Institute of Education and served as the director of the primary school teaching and research department. She has profound attainments in liberal arts and is a member of the Provincial Writers Association. She has short curly hair, glasses with thick bottoms like beer bottles and small, narrow eyes behind them. In addition, as a former teacher, she is intimidating without anger. She is also very stylish in the unit, and Liu Jun left the unit to open a company, and he also had her connections, otherwise he would not be so smooth. The children in the unit, if you want to say among these aunts, the one they fear the most is Zhang Lin.
But Zhang Lin was no longer as arrogant as usual, she was so amiable. Sun Jichao even said to Liu Ying, "Your mother is so gentle..." Only then did he realize that a group of people in the compound next to him were staring at him like an alien.
Sun Jichao shrugged and stammered, "I'm not wrong!"
Liu Jun had already gone to get his coat, and Liu Ying had finished chatting with Jiang Hongshao. Then she smiled and said to everyone, "Let's go out for a walk. Have fun today!"
Jiang Hongshao glanced at the food on the table that was not freshly cooked and said, "Aren't uncle and aunt going to join us?"
"No, no! You guys are having a party, and we've also made an appointment with some friends. Hongshao, you have to have a good time with our Liuying today. You haven't been to our house for a long time!"
Jiang Hongshao smiled and said, "Okay."
Liu Jun and Zhang Lin went out of the door. In the corridor, Liu Jun, who had not spoken a word from beginning to end, said to Zhang Lin, "I didn't say a word or say hello just now. Is that not good..." If someone saw it, they would never believe that Liu Jun, who had become the boss of dozens of people and was usually very proud of himself, was so timid.
Zhang Lin tugged at Liu Jun's sleeve and said, "It's best not to say a word! Do you think that girl is stupid? She is of a certain status and has seen more than you and me! If you reveal even a little bit, she will know that we did it on purpose! Your performance just now was the best! Honest... harmless!"
Liu Jun's smug look reappeared, "That's right! Don't you even look at who I am!"
Zhang Lin smiled, "Your acting is very good..."
Then there was some compliments between the couple.