Qin Yu waited in line for half an hour. When his number was called, the waiter asked him how many people he was.
Qin Yu stood up, "It's just me."
The waiter led him to a table for two and gave him the menu.
Qin Yu ordered two dishes and a soup for himself, and then told the waiter, "Please pack me a portion of shrimp and a fruit plate."
He heard from Peng Jingyang that this restaurant was the only one in the alley that had the best tasting shrimp, so he came straight here to queue up after the exam, thinking he came early enough, but he still ended up waiting in line for so long.
Qin Yu propped up his chin and looked out the window. From his angle, he could just see Pu Chen's auto repair shop. Under the dim street lights, her father's tall and thin figure was still busy.
While he was concentrating, the waiter brought the dishes he ordered.
In such a big restaurant, his table was the only one where only one person was dining.
Halfway through the meal, the phone on the table vibrated.
Qin Yu picked up the phone and read the message. His mother asked him: When is your final exam
Qin Yu: The exam is over.
Qin Mingyi: I was so busy these days that I forgot about it. OK, I got it.
This inexplicable conversation ended without further development.
Qin Yu was too lazy to ask more questions. He ate his meal leisurely, walked out of the store with the packed food, and walked deep into the alley. He planned to bring Pu Chen a midnight snack, and sent a message to Pu Chen while walking: Are you at home
Pu Chen: Well, my aunt is back today and we are making egg tarts. What can I do for you
Qin Yu just passed by the car repair shop, Pu Wanli was still in the shop, he didn't expect that there were other people in her family, he stopped and said, "Nothing." I didn't attend the class meeting today, did Teacher Lu say anything important
Pu Chen: No, it’s similar to what was emphasized before the exam.
Qin Yu: Yeah.
He put his phone in his pocket and turned to walk towards his home.
The next day, the first day of the holiday, Qin Yu was awakened by the alarm clock at six o'clock. He forgot to turn off the alarm clock before going to bed last night.
He didn't have the habit of taking a nap, so he leaned against the head of the bed with a pillow and played games.
Games were the best way to kill time, and before I knew it, the clock had reached seven o'clock.
Lu Bosheng went to him and said: If you are bored today, go to school to help mark the papers.
Qin Yu: I am very interesting. He must be crazy to go to school on the first day of the holiday.
After being interrupted by Lu Baisheng, he lost interest in playing games and got up to wash up.
There was no one at home as my mother had already gone to the law firm.
Qin Yu sat in the empty living room for a while, feeling bored. He took his coat and went out to the gym on the first floor of the apartment building.
To meet customer needs, the gym opens at 6:30 in winter and half an hour earlier in summer.
When Qin Yu arrived, many people had started their morning exercises. There was no one in the constant temperature swimming pool, so he swam alone.
He spent the first morning of his vacation in the pool.
Qin Yu came out of the swimming pool and took a quick shower, then leisurely went to the cabinet to get his cell phone. Qin Mingyi sent him several messages: Mom is on a business trip to Boston on a flight tonight, and your dad will pick you up and take you back to Beijing on your day off.
If you really have nothing to do, go and play with Lu Bosheng.
Do you have any classmates you get along well with? Why don't you invite your classmates out to play
Two text messages came in on the phone, reminding me of changes in the card balance. A total of two sums of money were transferred, one for 100,000 yuan and one for 200,000 yuan.
I don’t know whether it was his mother or his father who gave him pocket money, but usually they would transfer the money to him when they remembered to prove that they had never forgotten that they had a child.
Qin Yu didn't reply to his mother's message. He took his coat from the closet and put it on.
Seeing that his hair was half dry, the staff kindly reminded him: "It's minus six degrees outside, you'd better blow dry your hair, otherwise you will catch a cold easily."
Qin Yu said thank you. The kindness and concern from strangers are always easy to accept. He blew his hair dry before leaving.
After standing in the hall for a few minutes, he thought about how to spend the next few days. This city was extremely unfamiliar to him, and he had never been here before transferring to another school.
He asked Peng Jingyang: What are your plans for today
Peng Jingyang hasn't gotten up yet. He has no plans, so he'll just sleep till he's done. How about we go to the arcade this afternoon
Qin Yu: You don’t have classes all day
The top students will naturally not be idle during the holidays.
Peng Jingyang: I have online classes, I will come back in the evening to take them.
The two agreed to meet at a shopping mall at 1pm, where the largest video game arcade was located. The mall was not far from Qin Yu's apartment building, in the busiest neighborhood, and it was only a ten-minute walk along the road.
Not knowing what Pu Chen would do during the holidays, this idea suddenly popped into Qin Yu's mind.
Having been sitting at the same table with Pu Chen for more than a month, every time she spoke to him, it was all about Peng Jingyang without exception. She almost asked him if Peng Jingyang had a girl he liked.
Qin Yu didn't think of himself as a nosy good man, but thinking that he had been copying Pu Chen's homework, it was a courtesy, so he decided to do him a favor and thought about how to take Pu Chen to the video game arcade.
Qin Yu asked Lu Bosheng for Zhao Shu's WeChat ID. He heard that there was a class group, but he never joined it.
Ten minutes later, Zhao Shu agreed to his friend request and asked, "Are you here to thank me?"
Qin Yu was confused: Thank you for what
Zhao Shu briefly told him why she had helped him out in class yesterday and why he didn't go to the class meeting: I thought you knew I lied for you and came to thank me. What do you want from me
In order to take Pu Chen out to play, Qin Yu resigned himself to lying: Teacher Lu said Pu Chen was a bit self-contained, and asked me to chat with her more by copying her homework. I don't have much to talk to her, but isn't she on good terms with you? I'll invite you to go out to play, and you'll be responsible for talking to her.
When she heard it was related to Pu Chen, Zhao Shu readily agreed.
In fact, her relationship with Pu Chen was average, but Pu Chen didn't talk to anyone and would occasionally chat with her, so she became a special one in Pu Chen's eyes.
She was too lazy to type, so she spoke directly: Just the three of us going out to play? Where to go
Qin Yu: And Peng Jingyang, let’s go to the video game arcade.
Zhao Shu had no resistance to video game arcades, but when she saw the three words "Peng Jingyang", every pore of her body exuded resistance. He went there too.
Qin Yu could tell from her unpleasant tone: Do you have a grudge against him
Zhao Shu did not hide her dislike for Peng Jingyang at all: It's more than that, it's a deep hatred!
Qin Yu: Have you two talked about it
He added an explanation: I am not interested in your private affairs. If this is the case, I may have to change my plans of going out. I can't make you feel upset.
Zhao Shu snorted coldly: I don’t like people like him!
She told Qin Yu about old stories: He and I were neighbors and classmates in kindergarten. When we were in kindergarten, he was always restless during naps. He was either talking or scaring girls. That day he came to annoy me again, and I kicked him under the bed. He cried for the whole afternoon, and then we had a grudge against each other.
Qin Yu: "..."
As long as it's not an ex-relationship, everything will be fine.
He asked Zhao Shu: Are you going or not
Zhao Shu: For Chenchen's sake, I will forgive the villain's mistakes.
Qin Yu discussed the time with Zhao Shu and asked her to send the address of her residential community. I will ask my driver to pick you up and meet you at Pu Chen's auto repair shop.
He zipped up his down jacket to the top and walked into the alley.
Qin Yu walked around the alley and bought a box of milk, which was Pu Chen’s favorite brand. The taste was no different from other milks.
He sent a message to Pu Chen: Are you up? I'll take you out to play.
He added: There are also Peng Jingyang and Zhao Shu.
If she saw Peng Jingyang coming over, she might be so happy that she would jump out of the bed.
Pu Chen never sleeps late, and is now reading the books that Director Sun lent her. Her aunt returned to Shanghai at 6:30 in the morning, so she got up and had breakfast with her aunt, and then curled up on the sofa to read.
She didn't expect Qin Yu to take the initiative to ask her out to play. Where are you going
Qin Yu told her about today's arrangements. Do you want me to tell your father
Pu Chen:
Qin Yu: Don’t you, such a good kid, need your parents’ permission to go out and play
Pu Chen: “…”
No, my dad is very easy to talk to. Thank you.
Qin Yu stood by the road, sipping the milk that was no longer warm, wondering how to spend this boring morning. Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and saw a familiar figure in his sight.
Pu Chen was wearing a white down jacket today and walking hurriedly.
He glanced at the chat time with her on the phone. Only two minutes had passed, but she was already impatient to go downstairs. She was usually not so proactive and would take a long time to even go to the cafeteria to eat.
I really want to meet Peng Jingyang.
Pu Chen also saw Qin Yu. She walked over quickly and typed on her phone when she got to him: It's a holiday today, why did you get up so early
Qin Yu casually said, "I'm too hungry to sleep."
Pu Chen: “…”
This fits with his image of putting eating first.
She saw that he had milk in his hand and thought that he had already had breakfast.
There was a silence of more than ten seconds.
She had to find something to say: Peng Jingyang is going too
Qin Yu raised his eyelids to look at her and said lightly: "Yeah."
Pu Chen didn’t know if he was in a bad mood because he didn’t like the breakfast, so she didn’t ask any more questions and pointed to her auto repair shop: Are you cold? Come to my shop, there is air conditioning inside.
Qin Yu didn't know what to talk about with the elders, so he sat there awkwardly and rejected her invitation: "I have something else to do at home. Zhao Shu will pick you up at 12:30, don't forget."
Having said that, he turned and left.
Pu Chen watched him walk for a while, but it was too cold outside, so she hurried back to the store.
It was still early and no one came to repair the car. Pu Wanli stayed in the house and didn't come out. He was very happy to learn that his daughter was going out to play with her classmates.
Without saying a word, he directly transferred 500 yuan to his daughter: If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more. It’s a rare opportunity to go out for fun, so you should have fun.
There was quite a bit of money in Pu Chen's purse, which was more than enough for her. Her father was very frugal with himself but generous with her. No matter whether it was food, drink or clothes, he gave her the best he could.
Dad, I have enough money.
Pu Wanli: Put more of them on you. Didn’t you say that the video game arcade is in the shopping mall? If you see something you like, just buy it.
Pu Chen: My aunt bought me a lot, I have everything I need.
She spent the whole morning with her father in the store. Her father was working most of the time, and she sat next to him reading a book.
Zhao Shu was very punctual and appeared at the store door just after half past twelve.
Pu Wanli only recognized a few of his daughter's classmates, and Zhao Shu was one of them. Previously, a friend of Zhao Shu's electric car broke down and was repaired in the store. Zhao Shu had a cheerful personality and was nice to Pu Chen.
He wrote on the whiteboard: Thank you kids, please take care of Chenchen.
Zhao Shu: Uncle, you are welcome. We are classmates, so it is natural. Actually, it is Chenchen who takes care of me. I am not good at studying, and Chenchen often helps me. By the way, uncle, Peng Jingyang is also going. Peng Jingyang is the nephew of Director Sun, the top student in the grade, and also my former classmate.
Pu Wanli didn't know who Peng Jingyang was, but he knew Director Sun. Last month, Director Sun specially found a few books for his daughter to read.
Zhao Shu held Pu Chen's arm and waved to Pu Wanli.
Qin Yu's car was parked at the entrance of the alley. He saw two people coming and got out to open the car door.
Zhao Shu waved her hand and said, "No need to bother you. I want to open and close this expensive car door a few more times myself."
Qin Yu was speechless.
Along the way, Zhao Shu kept talking. As long as she was there, the atmosphere was never dull.
Pu Chen likes being with Zhao Shu very much. She speaks in a humorous and witty manner, and even when joking, she can always know when to stop and not embarrass anyone.
"Chenchen, what game do you want to play later? I'll play with you."
Pu Chen shook her head. There was heater in the car, so her hands were no longer cold. She started typing: This is my first time going to an arcade, and I haven’t played anything before.
Zhao Shu: "It doesn't matter if you haven't played before. Those games are very simple and you can learn them after just a few glances. If you really don't know how to play, let Qin Yu teach you. He is an advanced player."
Pu Chen glanced at Qin Yu who was sitting in the passenger seat and felt that Qin Yu might not have the patience today.
It would only take ten minutes to walk from the alley entrance to the shopping mall, but it took twenty minutes to drive. Zhao Shu just complained in the car, saying that this is the most congested area and driving here is a real torture.
However, Qin Yu didn't care about the trouble. He would rather sit in the car and be stuck in traffic than get out and walk for ten minutes.
When they arrived at the mall, Peng Jingyang waited at the entrance of the video game arcade for nearly ten minutes. He knew that Zhao Shu and Pu Chen were coming, and Qin Yu had informed him in the morning.
The old grudge between him and Zhao Shu was not worth mentioning at all. He had no problem with Zhao Shu, but when he thought about how he had once howled at the top of his lungs for a whole afternoon when he was young and ignorant, he particularly didn't want to see Zhao Shu. But every time Zhao Shu saw him at school, she would have a proud and complacent expression on her face.
It causes heart attack.
Zhao Shu, for the sake of Pu Chen and Qin Yu, didn't argue with Peng Jingyang. She smiled with a fake smile, "Hi, my classmate from kindergarten."
Peng Jingyang didn't know how to respond for a moment. She kept reminding him that he and she were classmates in kindergarten. He would not bother with such a petty person.
As he approached, Pu Chen smiled at Peng Jingyang.
Peng Jingyang was not familiar with Pu Chen. The only thing they had in common was the books his uncle asked him to give to him. He asked, "Did you read any books at home during the holidays?"
Pu Chen nodded and almost finished reading the book.
Qin Yu looked at Pu Chen and saw that Peng Jingyang seemed like a different person. When he went to the alley entrance to pick her and Zhao Shu up, she didn't smile and greet him.