Chapter 126 N - Youth
The two strolled along the coastline in the direction of the setting sun.
Chu Beiling recalled what had just happened and asked, "Did you already know about Sheng Xia and Li Dong's affair when you stopped me?"
Xing Yu: "All I know is that they had a huge fight and then broke up."
He and Xu Tunan didn't know exactly what was sent, nor did they ask. As long as the other party was unwilling to say, their group wouldn't pry.
Xing Yu never expected things to end this way. If he had known—
He wasn't actually sure if he would still do it, and if he would team up with Ke Jincheng to get everyone in the class to attend his wedding.
“Old Ke really has a lot of influence; he managed to get everyone from all over the country to come to his wedding,” Chu Beiling said. “They all agreed to come back, don’t they…”
They haven't forgotten each other.
Even if it was a question, Chu Beiling couldn't bring himself to speak.
"Maybe so." Xing Yu wasn't sure either.
But the fact that he managed to get everyone in the class to come this time wasn't just a testament to Ke Jincheng's reputation.
To ensure that everyone was invited, Xing Yu personally contacted each student and even covered the entire class's return travel expenses, including train tickets, plane tickets, and accommodation.
And, as long as they heard about Xing Yu's ideas.
Everyone in Class 13 was willing to come back and take that graduation photo with Chu Beiling, the one without him.
Without any one of these elements, the adults who are busy with work and life cannot be brought together.
After Ke Jincheng's wedding ceremony, there was an outdoor street scene photo session in the afternoon.
The deputy class monitor calmly spoke up: "Let the bride and groom take photos first. The idiots and girls of Class 13, we'll go change into our West High School uniforms and Class 13 class banners, and come back to be their supporting cast."
"Jing'er, you can't take advantage of me like this."
"That's called a monkey?"
"Never mind, '250' sounds better."
"Time is a cruel mistress. When I found out I was going to have a photoshoot to relive my youth, I rummaged through my closet looking for my school uniform, and guess what?"
"He's got a beer belly, he can't fit into those clothes anymore," someone joked.
The group burst into laughter.
"You're the one with a beer belly. I'll always be a young man, full of youthful energy and handsome!"
A group of people scoffed and made a disdainful gesture;
"shameless."
"His face is thicker than this sand."
"Neither Prince Fanfan nor Brother Xing have said anything, so who do you think you are? Stop trying to make yourself look good."
"Then, of course, it's the Shandong scallion, standing two meters tall with five stripes of flowers on its head. You are all lowly villains."
Seeing how shameless he was, a group of people chased after him, pinned him down, and beat him.
"I really miss the days when I was joking around with you bunch of idiots, drawing day and night. I used to just want to escape, but now I can't go back. I really miss it."
"Today we're eighteen again! What are you all standing there for? Clap, wave the flags, and cheer!"
After someone started making a fuss, others chimed in.
Lin Tingdao laughed and said, "Since you all miss your student days so much, everyone draw me a few pictures today. I'll make you feel like you're there. If you don't draw well, I'll give you a full glass set. How about that? Excited? Happy?"
Even after a long time, the destructive power of Lin Ting Island remained, and cries of agony immediately rose and fell from the crowd.
"Seriously, Teacher Lin! We graduated so many years ago, and you're still pulling this stunt?"
Xu Tunan said, "My drawing skills have never been surpassed. I have maintained the level of an abstract kindergarten class for ten years. Teacher, just don't be so angry that you faint."
The deputy class monitor quietly raised his index finger and mimicked Lin Tingdao's tone from back then: "Teacher Lin, we're not afraid of you anymore, and we won't be threatened by the all-glass package."
Someone nearby immediately chimed in, "That's right, and you still haven't returned the comic books you took from me back then!"
"And there's the Safeguard soap that I've collected, which has turned into jade-like material."
One sentence caused everyone to burst into laughter, and they began to reminisce about old times, as if they had suddenly returned to their high school days when they were dominated by Lin Tingdao, daring to speak their minds and going crazy with boundless magic.
When Chu Beiling moved away from Zhalongkou, he took all his belongings to Singapore. He is now wearing Xing Yu's school uniform, which was a bit too big back then but now fits him perfectly.
It was a little small for Xing Yu, but it looked better and was more flattering.
Chu Beiling and Xing Yu pinned their class badges to each other's left chests.
When Chu Beiling learned that he had to wear his school uniform for the photoshoot, he was actually quite annoyed because he genuinely didn't remember if the little gadget was still around.
He was just about to contact his Filipino maid to look for it in the storage room at home.
Xing Yu said he had it there and there was no need to look elsewhere.
Chu Beiling blinked, somewhat surprised: "You have it?"
He followed Xing Yu to the storage room and found a huge stack of class signs there, just like a wholesale store.
Chu Beiling flipped through them; they were all his.
"You..." Chu Beiling was shocked.
Xing Yu picked one out and placed it in his hand: "Back then, your class sign kept getting lost. Every academic year, the Political Education Office would make more than a dozen of them. They were in your house, my house, the dormitory, the classroom, wherever you were."
Chu Beiling felt embarrassed when she remembered this incident and defended herself, saying, "The class sign is so small, it's indeed not easy to keep safe. It's not my fault."
Xing Yu nodded: "Yes, it runs on its own legs."
Chu Beiling patted him on the shoulder: "Go away."
Of course, Chu Beiling didn't know that he had picked up all the class signs that Chu Beiling had carelessly thrown away.
There are also items that are carelessly discarded and taken by some young girls who like him.
If he finds out, he'll take it all back.
They pinned each other's class badges on, then looked at each other's badges—
Xing Yu, Class 13, Grade 11.
Chu Beiling, Class 13, Grade 11.
Chu Beiling pointed to Xing Yu's youthful photo on the class sign: "Long time no see, Xing Yu at seventeen."
Xing Yu smiled: "Long time no see, Chu Fanfan, who's seventeen now."
When everyone changed into their school uniforms, they poured out of the hotel.
Chu Beiling had the illusion that he had traveled back in time to when they went out to sketch in their school uniforms, bickering and arguing all the way, and then working together to resist Lin Tingdao.
In the end, her youthful years were shattered by a few words from her.
They wore school uniforms and took many photos with the newlyweds. Near the end, they took a late but memorable graduation photo on the beach with Chu Beiling in it.
Afterwards, Ke Jincheng said that all the photos would be developed and sent to everyone present.
Chu Beiling belatedly realized what was happening and tentatively asked, "You also helped get everyone back and to take photos in their school uniforms?"
Xing Yu chuckled lightly, neither confirming nor denying.
Chu Beiling tapped her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek: "Thank you."
Xing Yu asked, "Do you still have regrets?"
Chu Beiling shook his head, then nodded: "There's one more, but it will come true."
They were going home the next day, but instead of returning to the hotel like everyone else, they borrowed two skateboards from a convenience store on the roadside.
The sun was setting perfectly, its orange-yellow afterglow stretching infinitely along the pale blue hue.
The two skated along the coastline, occasionally holding hands before briefly separating.
As Xing Yu passed by two men who were also strolling along the coastline, he paused, but did not turn around to maintain his balance.
Chu Beiling: "What's wrong?"
Xing Yu: "I saw someone I know."
The next second, his guess was confirmed.
A familiar voice called out to them from behind: "President Xing and President Chu."
Xing Yu and Chu Beiling stopped at the same time and turned around.
The two walked towards each other at the same time and greeted him: "President Xu".
Xu Zeyi smiled and raised an eyebrow: "President Xing and President Chu, I didn't expect it to really be you. You still have the heart of a young man."
Xing Yu scratched the tip of his nose and said with a smile, "It's a class reunion, reminiscing about the past. Please excuse my rudeness, Mr. Xu."
Xu Zeyi: "No, it's very interesting."
Xing Yu then asked, "Mr. Xu, is there a film being shot here?"
“Yes, there’s a movie being filmed here, and I came to visit the set today.” Xu Zeyi glanced at Chu Beiling beside him and chuckled, “You two… as expected.”
Chu Beiling extended his hand: "I'm sorry, Mr. Xu, you must have found this amusing."
Xu Zeyi reached out and gave me a quick, perfunctory handshake before letting go: "Now that President Chu sees me, he won't run away in a panic, will he?"
Chu Beiling smiled and said, "No."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two said their goodbyes and continued skateboarding, chasing the sunset.
They sat down by the roadside at the end of the beach.
As the sun hung above the sea, in the dappled light and shadow, Xing Yu looked at Chu Beiling's cheeks, flushed red by the sunset, and his bright eyes. A thought struck him, and he cupped Chu Beiling's face in his hands.
Lips, carrying the sea breeze and sunshine, landed.
Chu Beiling was taken aback at first, then smiled and hooked her arm around his neck, deepening the kiss.
The two were deeply in love and reluctant to part when a deep male voice suddenly rang out from nearby: "Which class are you from! You think you can do whatever you want just because you're not at school?"
Seeing that they didn't react, the other party got even angrier: "I'm talking to you, the two boys with the skateboards."
Realizing they were being called, the two of them were startled and turned around.
A middle-aged man stood not far away, wearing a blue polo shirt, dark trousers, a bunch of keys on his belt, and leather sandals. His slightly balding head gleamed in the sun. He was probably the director of the political education department of a nearby middle school, and he was looking for someone on the street.
I don't know if it's because the school uniforms are similar, but when I saw them wearing school uniforms, I thought they were students from my own school.
It exploded.
He strode confidently toward them, the bunch of keys clipped to his waist swinging wildly from side to side as he walked briskly.
Xing Yu and Chu Beiling exchanged a glance, laughed at the same time, and then picked up their skateboards and ran.
Behind them came the angry shout of the director of the political education department, who couldn't catch up: "Don't let me catch you in the school, or you'll be sorry!"
They ran until they could no longer hear the director's shouts, then stopped at a street corner, panting heavily and supporting their knees.
They exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.
Chu Beiling wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and said breathlessly, "President Xing, we were never this embarrassed during our student days, were we? Now we're the ones who are embarrassed."
Xing Yu reached out and tidied his disheveled hair, his voice tinged with laughter: "Isn't it nice to reminisce about being seventeen?"
Chu Beiling seized his wrist, pressing her fingertips against his rapidly beating pulse, and raised an eyebrow: "If we were really seventeen, and they were still arresting us with sesame balls, I'd be scared to death, okay!"
Xing Yu laughed, interlocked his fingers with Xing Yu's, and pulled him forward slowly. Suddenly, he said, "Then next time, shall we go skate around in front of him?"
Chu Beiling was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter: "President Xing, what did you eat to grow up like this? You're so wicked."
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