Chapter 1
City B.
Zhang Xiaotian dragged his luggage out of the train station and breathed a sigh of relief in the chaotic crowd.
In this city, thousands of miles from where he currently resides, the setting sun blazed like a fire, making even the shadows of people passing by seem blurry. Yet, inexplicably, it gave him a sense of homecoming, a sense of solidity. This utter unfamiliarity sometimes signified a fresh start. Zhang Xiaotian felt that abandoning the past was like shaving the hair that had grown back from a holiday break and was prickling his neck. The subtle difference might not be noticeable to others, but it made him feel clean and at ease.
The station in City B looked cleaner, with numerous taxis waiting to fill up at the exit. Zhang Xiaotian, unwilling to share a car with strangers, ignored the soliciting drivers and walked two blocks further before hailing a taxi.
As you get further away from the train station, you'll see more metered taxis. Zhang Xiaotian hailed one and swiftly got in.
"Go to this hotel." He handed the navigation to the driver.
"Okay," the driver glanced at the navigation and started the car. "Young man, are you the student who will be reporting tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Zhang Xiaotian responded with his eyes closed.
"I see you still know how to find a metered car. Didn't those carpoolers at the door stop you from leaving?" The driver rolled up the window and talked to Zhang Xiaotian in a nagging manner:
"I just look down on those people. They should just pay the meter and go. You say that they are taking advantage of you new students. They charge ten yuan per person and insist on filling up the car before leaving. Don't you think it's too much trouble? Are you going to earn a few less dollars?"
Zhang Xiaotian listened, swiped his phone twice, and nodded.
"When I saw you, I remembered the year my son went to college," the driver kept talking. "My son was just as quiet as you. You guys have a great time now. You have so much time on your hands. You can do whatever you want!"
The car was filled with the lingering smell of cigarette smoke. Zhang Xiaotian closed his eyes, his mind, a rare absence of random thoughts. He recalled the taxi driver who had just solicited business at the train station entrance. The taxi was packed with students, strangers, sitting side by side, some chatting, others sitting silently looking at their phones.
Perhaps because they all had plenty of time, they all looked relaxed and at ease, which was very unlike me.
He thought that he had to find a part-time job as soon as he finished the enrollment procedures tomorrow.
The driver drove very fast and arrived at the hotel in a short while. After a quick wash, Zhang Xiaotian lay on the bed, thinking about tomorrow's itinerary.
The overly soft and slightly damp mattress beneath him was not comfortable. As Zhang Xiaotian thought about it, his consciousness became a little fuzzy. He simply stopped thinking about it, turned over and buried his face in the quilt.
"My deskmate, it's so nice to have you..."
"What do you want to eat tonight, Tian'er? Master will take you there..."
"I don't understand what you mean. Do you mean..."
Lu Bai's question came to an abrupt end. Zhang Xiaotian woke up from his dream and stared at the ceiling for a long time, unable to recover until the alarm clock rang.
In his dream, Lu Bai was still as noisy as ever, full of boundless energy, always beside him. But when he finally mustered the courage to say those words, Lu Bai remained silent for a long time.
He had never seen Lu Bai so silent before, and he didn't have the courage to continue looking at Lu Bai in silence. So he ran away.
He hadn't had this dream for a long time. Lu Bai's face was a little blurry in the dream. Zhang Xiaotian thought, it was only a year since they last met.
The alarm clock was still ringing. Zhang Xiaotian looked at the time, reached out to turn off the alarm clock, got out of bed and started packing.
The campus was filled with students and parents, all carrying bags and bags. Their faces shared a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Zhang Xiaotian, with little luggage, followed the crowds and completed the paperwork without much trouble. When he arrived at the dorm, the only empty bed was the one with his name on it.
"Hello, classmate. My name is Xu Yan." A man with a clean-cut crew cut was the first to introduce himself. He pointed to the person next to him who was on the phone and said, "His name is Zhou Bin. We'll be roommates from now on." Zhang Xiaotian nodded and said his own name.
"Our other roommate, the one who sleeps across from you, just went out with his family and said he wouldn't be back until later. Zhou Bin and I just met him once and didn't even have time to ask his name." Although Xu Yan's name was Xu Yan, he spoke without a second thought, speaking rapidly and knowingly. "I'm a local. If you have anything you want to know, you can ask me. Where are you from? Is your home far from here?"
"It's a bit far." Zhang Xiaotian put down his luggage and began to make the bed. "It takes more than ten hours by train."
"That's really not close! Then who from your family came with you?"
Zhang Xiaotian didn't even look up. "I came here by myself."
"I wanted to come by myself, but my family wouldn't let me. I insisted on coming to see the school environment. You said there's nothing to see here, and I can't change schools." Xu Yan smiled, "Brother, you take care of it first. I have to take my family out for a walk. Come to me if you need anything."
Zhang Xiaotian nodded at him, watched him leave the dormitory like a whirlwind, and then opened his suitcase.
The suitcase wasn't packed much; he'd left many of his belongings in his previous house and hadn't thought to bring them here. Zhang Xiaotian rummaged through it and pulled out a hideously ugly little fat dog figurine. Its head shook when he scratched it, and on its belly, Lu Bai had drawn a small, silly flower with a marker.
Zhang Xiaotian hesitated, but still placed the ornament on the corner of his desk.
After packing up his things, Zhang Xiaotian strolled out of the school.
There were various restaurants and even a decent snack street surrounding the school. Zhang Xiaotian kept an eye out for job postings while trying to buy some snacks. The steaming food stalls were crowded with people, and it felt like he was still in City C. The high school students, after school, were like hungry wolf cubs, always finding ways to snack.
Zhang Xiaotian stared at the fried mushroom stall, his thoughts flying uncontrollably.
He was like this when he was in his second year of high school, holding a portion of fried mushrooms or something else in his hand, walking side by side with Lu Bai through the steam with the smell of cumin. No matter what he had in his hand, most of it would end up in Lu Bai's stomach.
"Classmate? Do you want to buy it?" The proprietress saw him standing there motionless like a telephone pole and called him.
"If you don't want to buy, please move aside. There are people waiting to buy behind you!"
Zhang Xiaotian suddenly came to his senses: "Sorry, I'll buy one." After paying, he moved to the side and leaned against the metal sheet of the snack cart.
I don’t know how long it will take before I can stop thinking about Lu Bai.
Maybe it will take as long as a holiday? Maybe I’ll forget it tomorrow.
This was the first time Zhang Xiaotian had experienced this kind of situation, and he was a little confused for a moment.
But he is very good at being patient.
After strolling through the snack street and asking around for shops around the school, it was already getting dark when Zhang Xiaotian emerged from the last shop. The fried mushrooms in his hand were still uneaten, now limp from the bag, and Zhang Xiaotian casually carried them with him.
If his schoolwork wasn't so busy, maybe he could work a few more jobs, and with the little money his parents left him, he wouldn't be living too tight, and maybe he could even save some.
He remembered his mother slipping him a bank card before leaving. "Xiaotian, you should know how much I've done for you. I've done everything I can," she said to Zhang Xiaotian, then turned and boarded a plane to a foreign country. But he didn't feel any sadness or reluctance to leave.
As for his father, he had not been in contact with his father since the day his mother took him away in his second year of high school. Only the changing numbers in his card made him realize that he still had a father.
The future might require him to be more careful and prudent, perhaps taking one step at a time and trying his luck, leading to a harder life. But Zhang Xiaotian didn't want to think about that.
He just thought, now I am finally no longer a burden to anyone.
When Zhang Xiaotian returned to the dorm, the others hadn't returned yet. It looked like his roommate had been back, and there were some extra items on his bed and desk. Zhang Xiaotian tossed the limp bag of fried mushrooms onto his desk and went into the shower.
The moment the hot water poured down, Zhang Xiaotian realized how tired he was today. While he was washing, he heard the sound of a key opening the door.
It seems that my roommate is back.
Thinking of washing up quickly to make room for his roommate, Zhang Xiaotian quickened his pace. Rushing out, Zhang Xiaotian wiped his hair and tried to see if it was Xu Yan or Zhou Bin who came back, but he saw an unusually familiar figure.
The man heard the footsteps and didn't even turn his head.
"You're still the same as before, buying so much that you can't finish it all." He was eating the fried mushrooms left by Zhang Xiaotian and his words were unclear. "Remember not to buy so much next time. It won't taste good if it gets soft."
After finishing two or three bites, he reached out and scratched the little fat dog's head, then turned to face Zhang Xiaotian: "Why, you can't speak anymore? Are you so surprised to see me, your master?"
It’s Lu Bai.
Zhang Xiaotian suddenly wanted to turn around and run. Lu Bai had become his roommate, and he still remembered him? Why was he still so calm towards him? Did he not mind? Had he forgotten how much he had…
Lu Bai waited for a long time, but saw no response from Zhang Xiaotian, so he called out to him again: "Tian'er?"
“…Lu Bai.”
"Hey, my good disciple!" Lu Bai was delighted. He walked over and carefully looked Zhang Xiaotian over from head to toe. Suddenly, he reached out and hugged him tightly. "Oh, I miss you so much. What about you? Do you miss me?"
Zhang Xiaotian was speechless. Lu Bai held him so tightly that he felt all the blood rushing to his head. He couldn't tell if this was reality or just his fantasy.
"So cold, my dear." Lu Bai patted Zhang Xiaotian on the back, then suddenly seemed to remember something, and suddenly pulled his shoulder and asked: "You won't forget me, will you?"
How is that possible? Zhang Xiaotian savored Lu Bai's body temperature and wanted to reach out and touch him, but he only grabbed the corner of his clothes.
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