Make friends
This scenario had once appeared in Zhou Lexing's imagination. It didn't require strong liquor or delicious food; it only required two people sitting together to recount their experiences during their separation. There might be difficult parts, but he would definitely choose to talk about the happy ones.
If Jian Sheng smiles because of this, then it means he's been doing quite well lately.
Those sad and gloomy moments will surely soon fade away with the happy ones.
So when Gu Jiansheng sat down next to him with his head down, his feet shuffling on the ground, and softly asked that question that was beyond his comprehension, Zhou Lexing briefly snapped out of his dreamlike daze.
"What?" Zhou Lexing asked in surprise.
Gu Jiansheng: "I heard you, you're going on a blind date..."
Zhou Lexing was even more confused: "When?"
Gu Jiansheng finally raised his eyes, his eyes filled with a mixture of grievance and accusation, forcing Zhou Lexing to focus all his attention on recalling the events of yesterday, apart from that comforting embrace.
"Ah." Zhou Lexing let out a very soft sigh, "That was Uncle Baoshan playing matchmaker. Sister Yutong never even looked at me. It's all nonsense."
Gu Jiansheng pursed his lips to suppress the question that almost slipped out.
If she takes a liking to you, does that mean you should go on a date with her?
no.
Such a question is meaningless, because he would never allow such a thing to happen. But if such a question is raised so soon after the two have reunited, it will only make Zhou Lexing overthink things.
“I think,” Gu Jiansheng casually picked up a cookie from the table and started unwrapping it, “if you don’t like it, you should just say so. If rumors spread, it might hurt, um, Sister Yutong.”
Zhou Lexing opened his mouth and took the cookie Gu Jiansheng offered. He nodded in response, but then Gu Jiansheng looked at him seriously and asked, "?"
Zhou Lexing chewed and swallowed, thought for a moment, and commented, "Not bad, the raisins on top are quite delicious."
Gu Jiansheng: "..."
Seeing Gu Jiansheng's speechless expression, Zhou Lexing realized that this was not what he wanted to hear, and his five fingers on the table curled up slightly: "Ahem, I know. I'll say it again when I see Uncle Baoshan later."
Gu Jiansheng then smiled.
Zhou Lexing scratched his face, feeling that something was off, yet everything seemed perfectly reasonable. He couldn't figure it out for a moment, so he casually put it aside.
"Why Zhou Bo and Li Dagang?" Gu Jiansheng asked, subtly probing for another answer that piqued his curiosity. "Did you live together at the beginning?"
Zhou Lexing nodded: "Yes, we didn't have much money at the beginning, so we saved every penny we could."
After Zhou Lexing finished speaking, he saw that the biscuits that were supposed to be fed to him were taken back, as if the owner of that slender finger had simply raised his arm and changed the way he rested it on the table.
"?" Why does it feel like the temperature has dropped again?
"So you two must have a very good relationship?" Gu Jiansheng's gentle smile remained unchanged. "When I was at the Gu family, I always thought, 'If only you were by my side...'"
Zhou Lexing's attention was immediately diverted by these words.
Gu Jiansheng clearly didn't want to delve into the Gu family's past. It was hard to imagine how difficult their lives must have been for Gu Jiansheng to choose to escape. Therefore, even though his heart was filled with curiosity and worry, Zhou Lexing still chose to start from his own perspective.
“I’ve been looking for you too.” Zhou Lexing propped his head up and looked at him. “At first I thought you might be in Guangzhou, but unfortunately I couldn’t find the Gu family where you are.”
Gu Jiansheng's heart skipped a beat: "Why do you think I'm in Guangzhou?"
Zhou Lexing: "The Gu family is very rich, isn't they? Guangzhou has developed quite rapidly in recent years."
"Perhaps my thinking is too limited? So where exactly is the Gu family?" I think that would be a tactful way of putting it.
Zhou Lexing didn't insist that Gu Jiansheng completely erase the past, but he should at least give him an address, a destination that he could find if Gu Jiansheng disappeared again.
When Zhou Lexing thought about the years of aimless wandering he had experienced, he felt a growing unease stirring within him.
Gu Jiansheng hesitated for a moment: "...Yes, the Gu family is in Guangzhou." Establishing a Gu family in Guangzhou is not a difficult task, not to mention that He Huaizhi is still hiding in Guangzhou, and Zhou Lexing's main area of activity in recent years has also been Guangzhou.
Zhou Lexing frowned, wanting to say something more, but Gu Jiansheng fed him another biscuit.
“I didn’t get along very well with Zhou Bo and the others before. Do you think they would like me?”
Poor little thing.
Zhou Lexing, without any hesitation, ruffled Gu Jiansheng's hair and said, "What's wrong with that? You're my best brother, and they'll definitely like you too. You just lack opportunities to spend time together."
Having said that, Zhou Lexing turned to look at the sky outside.
Today is a cloudy day, but for those men in their early twenties who still can't sit still, it should be considered a good day to go out and meet friends.
"Come on. I'll take you to them."
Do it as soon as you think of it.
This is just too Zhou Lexing.
Gu Jiansheng felt a little like laughing for some reason, but that feeling of joy completely disappeared when he saw Zhou Bobo excitedly running towards Zhou Lexing, hugging him, patting his back, and touching his shoulders.
"Brother Le! What brings you here?!" Zhou Bobo said, then jumped up as if he had just remembered something. "I have something to tell you! Chen Wu said that batch of goods..."
Gu Jiansheng stared at the two of them in silence, his gaze intense.
Even Zhou Bobo, with his thick skin, felt a strange, pricking sensation. After his initial excitement at seeing Zhou Lexing subsided, he noticed Gu Jiansheng, who was a step behind Zhou Lexing.
"You..." Zhou Bobo's mouth gaped open, her finger trembling as she pointed at Gu Jiansheng, as if she had seen a rare animal. "What are you doing here?!"
"Hey! Brother Le! You really found him?!" Zhou Bobo's loud voice attracted the attention of passersby, but he himself didn't seem to care. He just touched his forehead, as if he couldn't quite accept this shocking news.
Zhou Lexing patted him on the shoulder: "Jian Sheng went back to Zhoujia Village by himself. What about Xiao Xiao?"
Zhou Bobo couldn't help but look Gu Jiansheng up and down: "Xiaoxiao went to buy mud firecrackers. Gu boy, where have you been all these years?"
Zhou Bobo always felt that Gu Jiansheng had changed, but his outstanding appearance was still as striking as ever. However, he couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed.
Zhou Lexing slapped him on the back of the head without any politeness: "Speak more politely. I'll drive you guys to the county for dinner in my tractor. Go and call everyone out. Let's all get to know each other today."
Although Zhou Bobo and the others knew Gu Jiansheng, their knowledge of him was limited to the rumors that he was cowardly and afraid of trouble.
As for sitting down and having a proper talk, that's absolutely impossible.
Zhou Bobo and Li Dagang seemed to have digested the news well.
Over the past three years, they have followed Zhou Lexing around and have come to a new understanding of how much Zhou Lexing values Gu Jiansheng.
Li Cheng curled his lip: "That kid disappeared for so long without a word, and now he suddenly appears and expects Brother Le to entertain him. What a big mouth he has."
Because Li Cheng couldn't go out and see the world with Zhou Lexing, he had already gone through the process of crying, making a scene, and getting beaten. Over the years, he had harbored unspeakable resentment in his heart. Unfortunately, he didn't know where to vent this anger, so he was always in a state of awkward indignation, and he would kick even a passing dog.
Li Dagang and Zhou Bobo exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes. After following Zhou Lexing for three years, they were no longer the group of young people who thought they had mastered the laws of the world just by applying hair oil and riding bicycles.
“Ah Cheng, Brother Le always has his reasons,” Li Dagang tried to say.
Zhou Bobo immediately chimed in, "Yes. I remember everyone in the village saying that my dad is doing quite well now. If Brother Le can get in touch with him, it might help our business outside."
Li Cheng gave him a sinister look: "Business, business, we know you're capable, but don't you have anything else to say?"
Zhou Bobo was speechless for a long time after hearing his words. It was Zhou Xiaoxiao who finally spoke up, dissatisfied: "Brother Cheng, if you're not satisfied with Gu Jiansheng, then go find him! Why are you taking your anger out on my brother?!"
Li Cheng was provoked by these words, his fists clenched: "What did you say?!"
The others immediately stepped forward and separated the two.
Li Dagang: "We're all brothers, let's talk things out."
Zhou Xiaoxiao: "I'm not wrong! If he's so capable, he should go find Gu Jiansheng! Let's see if Brother Le will side with him or Gu Jiansheng!"
Zhou Bobo quickly covered his mouth: "Say less!"
Zhou Xiaobing was already frightened by this sudden change. He looked around nervously, not daring to offer any advice.
Li Cheng stood there panting like an enraged bull, then waved his hand and quickened his pace toward the tractor: "Let's find it!"
He didn't believe that Brother Le could keep that kid Gu around!
Does that guy think he's some important person?!
He disappears and reappears at will, and now he needs Brother Le to create hype for him!
What the hell!
Beside the tractor, Zhou Lexing was leading Gu Jiansheng and Lao Yang in a chat.
Gu Jiansheng was still not very talkative when talking to others.
Zhou Lexing didn't press him, and gently shook his head at Old Yang, who kept asking about the situation over the past few years.
Old Yang has a fiery temper, but he's a kind old man when it comes to Zhou Lexing.
Although Zhou Lexing spends most of his time away from home, whenever he returns to the village, he helps out whenever the tractor has a problem. Old Yang considers their friendship to be quite deep and has no objection to Zhou Lexing renting out the tractor.
"I'll treat you to dinner later."
Today is a gathering of brothers, so we won't be including Old Yang, who drinks like a cow.
Old Yang waved his hand dismissively: "What's the point of eating! I'm just glad you came!"
As the two were talking, they saw Li Cheng and the others walking briskly towards them. The five-person team stretched out into a long, thin line, making it look like they were in a race to anyone who didn't know better.
Zhou Lexing looked at them, about to greet them, when he sensed something was wrong. Before he could even sort out his thoughts, his body had already shielded Gu Jiansheng behind him.
"Brother Le!" Li Cheng's face flushed red, whether from anger or exhaustion, he called out to Zhou Lexing, but his body, unable to stop in time, headed towards Gu Jiansheng.
"Don't be impulsive!" Li Dagang, who was right behind Li Cheng, immediately ran two steps and grabbed Li Cheng's shoulder.
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