Chapter 25 Chapter 25

After eating spicy hot pot, there is still a long time in the afternoon.

We'd finished exploring the park, had dinner, and Ren Li paid the bill, but couldn't figure out where to go next. There was a TV tower nearby; I could buy a ticket and take the elevator up there to see the city views.

Wen Shuo asked her, "Are you in a hurry to go back this afternoon?"

Ren Li hadn't heard from Lin Yuan all morning. She figured her mom might be working overtime again and too busy to check on her, so she replied, "Nothing else."

Wen Shuo pointed to the TV tower in the distance and said, "I bought two tickets. Let's go take a look around."

Ren Li didn't refuse this time. The elevator went up. On the top floor of the TV tower was a sightseeing corridor with a 360-degree glass facade. From there, one could see the Cangshan Mountain in the distance, covered in layers of forest.

The weather was beautiful today, and visibility was high. Ren Li took the standing telescope provided by the observation deck and looked around for a while with great interest. The space up there wasn't big, and she completed a circle quickly. After coming down, she felt it was time to return.

Later, Ren Li couldn't go back because Wen Shuo wanted to go to the movies. Since they had already been out all day and it was still early, Ren Li accepted the offer.

The cinema was some distance away from the TV tower. Wen Shuo took out his cell phone and hailed a taxi. The two of them stood by the roadside waiting. Ren Li briefly recalled everything that had happened today and felt that it was actually quite worry-free to go out with Wen Shuo. She didn't have to use her brain at all.

When they arrived at the cinema, there were no good movies at that time, and they didn't have high expectations for domestic films, so Wen Shuo just bought two popcorn tickets for a new Hollywood movie.

While watching the movie, Ren Li's IQ dropped a bit. Actually, it wasn't her fault. She had always been a bit face-blind to Europeans and Americans, and the plot was quite suspenseful, so it was normal that she couldn't understand it. Halfway through, she whispered to Wen Shuo, "So, that sheriff just now, was he on the bad guys' side?"

Wen Shuo patiently explained to Ren Li. Later, after being interrupted for the Nth time, Wen Shuo turned around and couldn't help but sigh: "Are you serious? This is obviously not the same person."

Ren Li: ...

Of course she was serious. Otherwise, why would this be called a suspense film? It should allow for some confusion, right?

But this was just a popcorn flick, after all; a thrilling plot and a dense, hearty dose of gags were all that was needed. Even though Ren Li didn't fully understand it, she still enjoyed herself. At least the tension she'd felt from the heavy pressure of senior year had vanished completely in those two and a half hours, replaced by a sense of relaxation and peace of mind.

When I came out of the cinema, the sun had already set. The scorching sunlight was replaced by gentle orange light, casting a warm color on everything.

The setting sun stretched our shadows. As we walked towards the bus stop, Ren Li asked, "Are your weekends always this exciting?"

Parks, duck boats, spicy hot pot, TV towers and Hollywood movies.

Ren Li always spent more time at home on weekends. Even when she did go out, it was usually with Lin Yuan. She didn't know how other people spent their weekends, but compared to hers, Wen Shuo's was quite exciting.

Wen Shuo didn't know why she asked that, but it was true that boys didn't like staying home during holidays, and it was common for them to go out with friends. His parents were also away from home year-round, so weekends weren't really that fun. That's why he had so many of what Ren Li called "connections" and "friends." After all, the circle of people he hung out with was limited, and he'd always run into people over time.

If it was a long vacation, Wen Shuo would not stay in the city. Jiang Lan and Wen Shi both had their own companies to run, especially Wen Shi. His father had gone abroad for Jiang Lan and opened his company there, so he never came back. Therefore, Wen Shuo would always go to the United States for a while during his vacation. In order to avoid being idle all day, he applied for summer courses at foreign universities.

He nodded: "Yeah, about the same."

"That's pretty good." Ren Li said with some envy.

As they were talking, they passed a bakery. Wen Shuo stopped and asked, "Do you want some cake?"

Ren Li was a little full from the popcorn she ate while watching the movie, and now she couldn't eat anything else. She shook her head and said, "I don't really want to."

"Please treat me to a meal. I'm hungry." Wen Shuo said, "We agreed that you'd treat today."

Since he said so, Ren Li had no choice but to do as he said.

The bell on the bakery door jingled, and the two pushed the door open and walked in. The shop wasn't big, but at least the items on the counter were made with care.

Wen Shuo bent over the glass window and looked at it for a while, then pointed at a cupcake and said to the clerk, "This is it. Please pack it for us. Thank you."

Ten minutes later, the two of them sat on the bench in front of the bus stop and shared the small piece of cake together.

Because it was the weekend, there were few buses passing through this platform, so during this period, there were no other people waiting for the bus except them.

Although she wasn't very hungry, Ren Li still ate most of the cake. As she ate, she suddenly remembered that she had to make up for the lessons tomorrow, which meant that she would see Wen Shuo again tomorrow.

Wen Shuo remained silent throughout the entire process, and it was unclear what he was thinking. After finishing the cake, he gathered the wrapping paper and threw it into the trash can nearby. The bus arrived.

The No. 57 bus they were waiting for was a double-decker bus that passed by Fuxing Street and the residential complex where Wen Shuo lived. They swiped their cards and boarded the bus. Fortunately, the bus was not crowded at the moment, so Ren Li easily got her favorite seat in the first row on the upper level. From there, she could see the scenery from a high vantage point.

The journey was quite long, and the two sat side by side. The bus swayed slowly into the city, and traffic jams set in again. Ren Li sat by the window, looking at the scenery for a while, and before she knew it, she felt sleepy.

She began to nod and kowtow as the bus stopped and started. Later, Wen Shuo's neck hurt from seeing her, so he took the initiative to hold her head and gently placed it on his shoulder.

Can he really sleep? He glanced at Ren Li who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder and thought, she really can refresh his cognition every time.

The phone in my pocket continued to vibrate several times.

Wen Shuo knew that what was coming would eventually come. He subconsciously glanced at Ren Li. She was sleeping peacefully, fortunately she was not awake.

He took out his cell phone, and the two words "Grandpa" on the incoming call were frightening. Wen Shuo suppressed the waves in his heart, and then reached for the hang-up button.

Sure enough, the call didn't go through, but the old man's message came immediately.

Grandpa [Let’s go, when will we arrive?]

Wen Shuo typed a reply:

W【On the way, Grandpa, the road is congested, why don’t you tell them to start first, I’ll need a while】

The old man continued to send intermittent messages, and Wen Shuo replied carefully to each one. After assuring himself that he would be there "soon", the messages finally died down a bit.

He returned to the homepage of the chat software. He hadn't looked at his phone all afternoon, but there were already many unread messages on it. They were blessings from some close friends or elders who knew it was his birthday. Most of them were wishing him a "Happy Birthday". There were also a few close friends who sent messages saying that he was not thoughtful enough and didn't book the whole place to hold a birthday party so that everyone could get together.

Wen Shuo read the entire article quickly and put away his phone.

For him, today is indeed a special day.

The eighteenth birthday comes only once in a lifetime.

After tonight, he will become an adult in the true sense of the word, with full civil capacity and will be responsible for all his actions.

He didn't know what kind of mood he should have when facing his eighteenth birthday. When he finally reached the "other shore" he had dreamed of, he was not as happy as he had imagined.

The eighteen-year-old me is not much different from my past self.

But today, his mood was indeed a little different, but it was not because he was eighteen years old.

Wen Shuo looked at the fleeting city scenery, thinking about some inexplicable things intermittently, and his shoulders suddenly relaxed.

The person next to me opened his sleepy eyes, looking drowsy, with his cheeks a little pink from being pressed.

"Hmm?" Ren Li glanced out the window, then glanced at Wen Shuo, finally coming back to her senses. "How long have I slept? Is our destination almost here?"

The station announcement indicates that the next stop is Fuxing Street.

Time always passes too fast. For the first time, Wen Shuo hoped that the distance of more than twenty stops, which seemed so long, would never end.

"You really sleep well." Wen Shuo said, "But being able to eat and sleep is also a blessing."

Ren Li: "You..."

She was too lazy to argue with Wen Shuo. The surrounding scenery was becoming more and more familiar. The bus was about to arrive at the station and it was time to get off.

"Did you miss your stop?" she asked.

Wen Shuo hummed: "I have something else to do nearby, you should go back first."

"Oh." Ren Li knew that Wen Shuo had always had a rich nightlife, so she didn't think much about it at this moment.

The two swiped their cards and got off the bus at the next stop. Ren Li waved to Wen Shuo, turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

Only when she disappeared from his sight did Wen Shuo take out his cell phone and call a car.

In fact, the destination he was going to today was in the completely opposite direction of Fuxing Street. The agreed time was 6 o'clock in the evening, the location was the Wen family's ancestral home, and the theme was his birthday.

As the lights came on, the entire city gradually faded into the darkness. Wen Shuo successfully got a taxi. He silently calculated the distance and time, and finally came to the obvious conclusion that there was no way he could arrive on time. In desperation, he had no choice but to call Jiang Lan.

As the head of the family, Wen Yusheng, perhaps accustomed to his influential career in officialdom during his youth, has always been strict in educating his children. Although his zeal was later dampened by the falling out between him and Wen Shi in their youth, he still carries himself with a powerful presence.

Fortunately, after retirement, due to health reasons, after being repeatedly warned by doctors not to get angry or his blood pressure would go out of control, the old man finally came to his senses and became more relaxed. He no longer interfered with the affairs of young people, and spent his days at home admiring flowers and walking birds, and going out fishing and playing cards. Therefore, for his only grandson, Wen Shuo, he was actually doting on him from childhood to adulthood.

Although it was his eighteenth birthday party, Wen Shuo knew that whether he was there or not wouldn't really make much difference. It had been the same on his birthdays in previous years; everyone was just using it as a pretext to build relationships. Although Wen Yusheng had retired, at least those connections were still there. They just wanted to find an opportunity to get together for a drink and chat, and they didn't care who was the main character.

Despite this, Wen Shuo still thought it would be a good idea to call Jiang Lan. If the old man asked about it, he could at least help him out for a while.

The phone rang several times before Jiang Lan picked up. The first thing he asked was, "How is it? Did your grandpa say anything?"

Her tone sounded even more anxious than Wen Shuo's, and Wen Shuo suddenly realized: "So you are not at the old house now."

Jiang Lan: "I came to the airport to pick up your dad this afternoon. We're on the way now. If your grandpa asks, just say we'll be there soon."

Wen Shuo: ...

He hung up the phone silently, hoping that the old man was busy with socializing and wouldn't bring up the matter.