Chapter 12: The Countdown to Freedom
When Jian Zhen came again, Xu Weisheng had already forgotten his unanswered question. His attention was completely and utterly drawn to Jian Zhen's tangerine-colored curly hair.
“You actually went and dyed it…” Xu Weisheng lowered his gaze by two centimeters and landed on Jian Zhen’s eyes.
"Or should I wait until I'm sixty to go?" Jian Zhen tossed her head, tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear, and picked up the menu to seriously select items.
The movie they watched today was "Penguins of Madagascar," which shows that the theatrical market is lackluster, and Jane really had no other choice but to resort to this tactic.
On a weekend, the cinema was packed with children aged 5 to 15. It was hard to tell whether the penguins had more lines or the audience was talking the most.
As soon as the movie ended, Jian Zhen couldn't wait to drag Xu Weisheng away.
Xu Weisheng suppressed a laugh behind her, but was glared at by her when she turned around. Xu Weisheng then suppressed her smile and asked, "What are we eating today?"
Jane Zhen solemnly announced that, in order to match the theme of the American blockbuster she was watching today, she had decided to eat hamburgers. So the two of them sat in a hamburger shop choosing sauce for fried chicken.
"I'll just have salad dressing," Xu Weisheng said, seeing that she was hesitant to make a decision.
"Since we're already here, why do you want salad dressing? Why didn't you ask for ketchup?" Jian Zhen scanned the fancy sauce names on the menu one by one. The price was the same no matter what sauce Xu Weisheng chose. Wouldn't it be a waste for him to order a plain salad dressing?
"How about the black garlic and onion flavor?" she made up her mind.
Xu Weisheng's pupils dilated, and he quickly jumped out to refuse: "No, no, no, honey mustard is better..."
"Salted cheese and seaweed—"
"Thai sweet and spicy!" This was the last concession Xu Weisheng could make.
"Who's in charge, you or me?" Jian Zhen put down the plastic-sealed menu and slammed it on the table. She feigned anger but couldn't quite pull it off. Her lips were taut and her eyes didn't move much, but even with all her features covered, you could tell she was smiling just by looking at her eyes.
“I’ll pay today.” Xu Weisheng really didn’t want to eat fried chicken with black garlic, onions, and salted cheese and seaweed flavors.
"Forget it," Jian Zhen said, with a mix of disdain and sympathy. "How much do you earn a day standing at the ticket gate?"
Xu Weisheng poured himself a glass of water and said without changing his expression, "I am a second-generation rich kid."
The waiter waiting to take orders couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Jian Zhen was so embarrassed she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, but there was no way to escape, so she could only roll her eyes. Finally, she pouted and thought to herself—whether it was her, who was unemployed, or Xu Weisheng, who was doing odd jobs, they were both practically destitute. The waiter in this hamburger shop earned more money than the two of them combined, but he was making money while the two of them were trying to act like big shots.
“Well then, we’re people who make a living with our skills, so let’s compete in something more authentic. How about sketching?” Jian Zhen put down her crossed legs, sat up straight, and looked at Xu Weisheng.
It's just that she wasn't hungry. Why make such a fuss over eating fried chicken? Xu Weisheng doesn't have the same competitive spirit as young people. In these trivial matters, he always fights if he can, and if he can't, well, forget it. Black garlic, onions, and salted cheese and seaweed won't kill him.
He was about to refuse when he saw Jian Zhen raise her hand, snap her fingers, and ask the counter for paper and pen. The excitement and anticipation on her face were something she couldn't fake. Was I like this before? Xu Weisheng frowned and then fell into a daze.
Well, it's fine to play along with her. Besides, once you get into a painting contest, it really gets your blood pumping.
Jian Zhen specified that the fruit slices on the table should be the subject of her painting, and requested that the waiter act as a judge and have the final say in the selection.
There was no official timer for the competition, but it was clear that both of them were fully aware of their own drawing rhythm, skill level, and time requirements. They glanced at each other, then lowered their heads and became engrossed in their own work.
Ten minutes later, Jian Zhen looked up and flicked the A4 paper in her hand. She had drawn an apple from a three-dimensional perspective, and her technique for handling light and shadow was superb. Through the paper, the apple looked so real that it seemed almost within reach.
The waiter initially thought the two were just joking, but he was surprised to learn that Jian Zhen actually had some talent. He asked in astonishment, "Are you studying painting?"
Jian Zhen studied animation, not painting. The two are as different as the Great Rift Valley in art academies, but explaining the difference to a stranger was too much trouble, so she simply asked instead of answering, avoiding the question: "Could you give me a score?"
"Amazing!" The waiter examined the drawing closely and from afar, finding it incredibly satisfying. He shook his head and exclaimed, "Ten out of ten!"
"Wow, that's amazing!" Xu Weisheng craned his neck as if to peek, but the waiter quickly covered his eyes.
“Hey—” Jian Zhen warned him.
"Okay, okay, I won't look." Xu Weisheng waved his hand, held his folded drawing paper between two fingers and handed it to the waiter. The waiter had seen Jian Zhen's painting and was prepared to be impressed, but when he unfolded Xu Weisheng's drawing, he was immediately at a loss for words because of what was on the picture.
He looked at the painting, then glanced at Jian Zhen, meeting her bewildered gaze. He immediately looked down to check the draft again, his honest face showing several changes in expression, making Jian Zhen feel insecure: "What's wrong?"
"You win." The waiter quickly put away the drawing and tucked it behind his back, looking at Jian Zhen with determination.
Jian Zhen frowned and turned her head to suspiciously observe Xu Weisheng's expression, only to see that the other party looked calm: "Let's have black garlic and onions, it just so happens that I haven't tried them before."
"Okay." The waiter nodded quickly, turned around, and slipped away.
Something's not right, something's very wrong.
Jian Zhen acted decisively, taking advantage of the waiter turning around to launch a surprise attack, snatching Xu Weisheng's drawing back from his hands, and unfolding it in the aisle.
"Hey—" The waiter turned around in a panic, trying to take it back, but it was too late.
The painting depicts a squirrel with its neck tilted back, talking boastfully. Xu Weisheng is quite accomplished in anthropomorphism, preserving the simplicity of the lines in the drawing while fully portraying the animal's expression and the human-like features of the character. In other words, although the squirrel in the drawing is a squirrel, its face immediately reminds one of Jian Zhen. No wonder the waiter confirmed it several times.
Jian Zhen froze for two seconds before slowly raising her eyes to look at Xu Weisheng, who was turning his head to the window, trying not to laugh. He was probably about to burst out laughing, as his shoulders were twitching.
“Heh…” Jian Zhen grinded her back teeth and forced a vicious smile, looking at him slowly and said, “What kind of bird drawing is this? It’s completely off-topic.”
Xu Weisheng received a glare, and Jian Zhen turned her head away, arrogantly announcing to the waiter, "Salted cheese and seaweed, thank you."
"Alright, I'll go get you two some sparkling water." The waiter at the table was sweating profusely and seized the opportunity to slip away.
The two faced the empty dining table, one turning his head to the left and the other to the right, locked in a stalemate. Jian Zhen couldn't stand it any longer and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, only to meet his gaze as he secretly looked at her. They quickly looked away.
Jian Zhen mentally cursed.
Then she heard Xu Weisheng start to chuckle softly. She wasn't sure what he was laughing at, but the suppressed laughter was infectious, and after a few seconds, she couldn't help but laugh too.
The unfortunate waiter shuffled back to the table and served the two people sparkling water. Suddenly, he noticed that the atmosphere at the table had completely changed. The young couple were chatting happily, as if the tense atmosphere just moments before had been nothing but his imagination.
"Your basic skills are so good, when did you start learning them?" Jian Zhen asked, biting on the straw of her sparkling water.
"Eight or nine years old? That was a long time ago, I can't remember clearly." Xu Weisheng picked up a chicken nugget from the side without sauce and took a bite. The skin was crispy, the inside was juicy, and the salty and savory flavor was just right.
Jian Zhen counted on her fingers, puzzled, "It must have been...twenty years?"
"Don't try to find out my age indirectly. I refuse to answer this part."
“Okay.” Jian Zhen smiled and turned to look out the window. Dusk was falling, and their reflections were clearly visible on the glass. She suddenly sighed.
"What's wrong?" Xu Weisheng asked sensitively.
"I wish you a speedy return to where you belong and to do what you're supposed to do." Jian Zhen turned to look at him, raised her glass, and the two glasses clinked together. Jian Zhen swallowed the rest of her words.
"If we don't paint now, we'll get old," she thought.
Outside the glass window, the lush sycamore tree stretched out all its abundant leaves, casting shadows over several people beneath it. The light from the streetlights brushed against the brim of their black baseball caps, concealing their rugged facial features in the gloom.
One of the men, who seemed to be in charge, spoke up: "Have you gotten the documents yet?"
One of the figures in the shadows replied, "We didn't get the ID card, but we got everything else. I guess he carries the ID card with him at all times."
Another person chimed in: "Brother Qiang, are we getting started today? It's almost the end of the month."
The end of the month was the deadline Xu Lijun had set for them. If they couldn't bring Xu Weisheng home by then, there was no point in going back.
"Nonsense, do you think I don't know it's almost the end of the month? But you have to see how many people are around him. If we make too much noise, neither President Xu nor Young President Xu will let us off the hook in the future."
"If you ask me, we should just knock him out, so he won't have to keep yelling and screaming."
"Are you crazy? President Xu told me personally that we must bring him back safe and sound."
"How long do we have to wait? I'm about to be bitten to death by these mosquitoes."
"Be patient, let's continue after he breaks up with that girl."
"That girl is quite attractive. This guy is lucky with the ladies."
Jian Zhen was unaware that people were talking about her appearance. She told Xu Weisheng that she had to catch the bus back before 7:30.
“Last time I was too late, and I missed the last subway train. I had to walk back,” she complained.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Xu Weisheng said readily.
Jian Zhen moved her lips, wanting to curse, but she couldn't tell which of the person's words were serious and which were sarcastic, so she had to give up in frustration.
At 7:15, the two pushed open the glass door and came out of the hamburger shop one after the other. This time, they walked towards their usual spot with ease.
Last time, Jian Zhen didn't realize that this bus stop was so close, so close that it was only a few steps away, and she wasn't even mentally prepared to say "Let's add each other on WeChat".
She had her hands in her pockets, biting her lower lip, looking preoccupied. Xu Weisheng couldn't help but remind her, "The car is here."
"Hmm." Jian Zhen looked up and glanced at him. There were more passengers waiting at the bus stop than usual today, making it even harder to say what was on the tip of her tongue.
"Then I'm leaving." Jian Zhen let out a heavy sigh.
"Bye-bye." Xu Weisheng watched her board the bus.
Why say goodbye instead of farewell? Jian Zhen suddenly became incredibly sentimental about such trivial details. As she sat down by the window, Xu Weisheng on the platform was still waving at her. Jian Zhen became even more annoyed and politely gave a perfunctory twitch of her lips.
The bus drove away, and Jian Zhen inside didn't look back even once.
Therefore, she did not notice that the extra passengers at the bus stop stood up and formed a tight circle around Xu Weisheng.
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