Chapter 22
Whether it was Yan Yuheng's injury that united their team like never before, and their high-spirited attack that threw No. 8 Middle School into disarray, or whether Jiang Jiawei's prayers had an effect, on the day of the match, the players of No. 8 Middle School seemed to be collectively possessed, playing like sleepwalkers on the field, even their most basic defense was a mess. It wasn't until the last part of the second half that they managed to reorganize a few effective attacks, but it was too late to turn the tide.
The long whistle blew, ending the match. Mu Zhengxi immediately looked at Yan Yuheng, who was sitting in a wheelchair on the sidelines, and saw him let out a heavy sigh of relief. Then he also breathed a sigh of relief.
The players from both sides high-fived and hugged goodbye.
Ten years of hard work offstage for one minute on stage. There's no way to hold on for that one minute; if you can't hold on for that minute, all those ten years of hard work offstage will be for naught.
Although they won the game, they didn't seem very happy.
It feels like I can't sneeze, which is unpleasant.
After the game ended, Mu Zhengxi sat by the field for a while, when his cell phone rang in his backpack.
Did we win?
He chuckled softly. "Oh, yes."
"Are you alright?"
"No."
The dejected tone sounded as if they had suffered a crushing defeat.
"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
"A little bit."
"Why?"
"I don't know, maybe it's just a shame... They played terribly today, not at their usual level at all, I think... it was pointless."
Winning feels meaningless; it seems like an unfair victory.
"You didn't win by luck."
Jiang Jiawei immediately dismissed his thoughts, but it was strange, since he hadn't said anything.
Jiang Jiawei said, "You were prepared to win, but they weren't."
Mu Zhengxi asked blankly, "Is that so?" It was as if he wanted to be sure, but didn't dare to be so certain.
Jiang Jiawei remained steadfast: "That's right."
The sunset can sometimes be so intense it's like a volcanic eruption. The extremely hot air crashes through the clouds, and crimson lava spills out from the cracks, spreading across the entire sky. Just looking at it makes your eyes feel like they're burning hot.
Is that the heartbeat of the Earth or my own?
Mu Zhengxi didn't understand.
Mu Shaoqing didn't give him a chance to figure it out immediately.
Mu Shaoqing was forced to take his friend's child to the wedding, resulting in another painful loss of a weekend. He also unexpectedly saw his mother at the hotel.
"Jung-hee has grown so much? It's been such a long time."
Mu Shaoqing: "This is my classmate Cheng Limin. Do you remember him? When we went to California before, I took you to his house."
Mu Zhengxi nodded and greeted him politely.
"You look just like Zeng Yuan, like two peas in a pod."
"Yeah?"
Mu Shaoqing leaned forward, covered his mouth with his hand, and said in a low voice, "Their personalities are similar too, exactly the same."
The person, feigning anger, glared at him and patted his arm, saying, "Just like you."
"Okay, okay, all the bad things are like me, alright?"
Mu Zhengxi stood with his hands in his pockets, a forced smile on his face, silently applauding his parents' performance. The Oscars might not have given his parents a Best Couple Award, but he was no slouch either, winning Best Son Award.
How have you been lately?
"It's still the same as always."
"Wasn't he promoted?"
"What promotion? We're not getting any of this stuff."
"When my son goes to California, you'd better keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't go astray."
"It's not like I'm here to spread rumors. I can remotely monitor California."
"After being in this business for so long, how could you not have some kind of informant?"
“I can’t even control my own son, but this guy is a grown man, he needs your help, right, Jung-hee?”
Mu Zhengxi smiled.
Cheng Limin joked with his old friend, "Your dad was used to being controlled by your grandfather since he was a child, and he still holds onto those old ideas."
The lights went out.
Social activities are suspended.
The wedding ceremony begins.
Mu Zhengxi was not in the mood, and his mind involuntarily began to recall what his wedding with Jiang Jiawei was like.
Where was the location again? I forgot. Who were the guests? I forgot.
The bride walked in, arm in arm with her father.
I remember now, it was an afternoon at the turn of summer and autumn. Jiang Jiawei was wearing a light purple dress, her hair was styled in an updo adorned with a wisteria blossom ornament, and her long earrings shimmered in the warm sunlight, reflecting on her face.
She wore high heels, but wasn't very skilled at it. She shyly raised her white lily of the valley to cover the lower half of her face, which she couldn't help but laugh about, leaving only her crescent-shaped eyes visible.
His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily as he swallowed. Mu Zhengxi reached up and unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt, grabbed a cup from the table, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. Unfortunately, he choked on the water because he drank too quickly. He quickly turned his head to cover his mouth, desperately trying to suppress the discomfort in his throat.
Zeng Yuan noticed that, in the dim light, she made no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction with his outburst.
Mu Zhengxi and she looked at each other.
"I'm merely informing you; I'm not asking for your opinions or inviting you to participate."
"Cough cough cough."
My God...
That's even more dangerous.
Mu Zhengxi's face turned even redder. He took the tissue Zeng Yuan handed him to seal his mouth, quietly stood up, bent over and walked outside. With the help of the waiter, he found the restroom.
The skewers of grilled meat sizzled and dripped with oil under the heat of the charcoal fire, sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, and the passing wind carried their aroma.
On weekend nights, most of the shops across from the school close around 9 p.m., but the rooftop terrace is just starting to open.
"Jiawei."
"Thanks, Brother Chao!"
"You even thanked me! Be careful, it's hot, pinch me here."
Jiang Jiawei reached out and took the kebab Lin Chao handed her. She took a bite, and it was hot and spicy. She then walked over and handed the other kebab to Sister Zhenzhen, who was pouring drinks.
"Thank you, Jiajia~" Sister Zhenzhen said, then called out to her boyfriend, "Not bad, Brother Chao, you've improved."
Jiang Jiayi immediately raised her hand, "I baked it!"
Lin Chao: "Yes, haha, I was just helping out Chef Jiang."
Jiang Weichao, who was chatting with his neighbor, turned around when he heard this and said, "Jiang Jiayi, then next summer vacation, let Brother Lin Chao take you to set up a stall."
Jiang Jiayi couldn't be happier, "Okay, okay!"
Everyone laughed.
Zhenzhen asked Jiang Jiawei, "What would you like to drink?"
"I, I, I drink Fanta."
The night breeze tousled her hair, sending stray strands flying to her lips. Zhenzhen reached out and tucked them behind her ear. "Haha, is it too hot?"
"No, it's too hot."
"Haha, hurry up and have a drink."
Adults sit at one table, and children sit at another.
However, the only real children in this row of shops on Xinhua Road were Jiang Jiawei and Jiang Jiayi, so they were assigned to the table for the younger people.
Lin Chao teased Jiang Jiayi with a beer, "You try it."
Jiang Jiayi turned her face away and covered her mouth, "No, this beer tastes awful."
"Then let me give it a try."
Zhenzhen patted his arm, "Don't set a bad example for the children."
"High school students are no longer children. When we were this age, we would have already started working."
That's you.
Zhenzhen put her arm around Jiang Jiawei's shoulder and they rested their heads together.
Jiang Jiawei smelled the perfume on her body, a fragrance that belonged exclusively to young girls, a gentle and alluring scent that made her yearn for older sisters, and reached out to hug her waist back.
"You two are best friends, right?"
"Of course not."
Friend: "You two really do look alike."
"Haha, right?"
A sarcastic friend said, "That girl's younger sister is much prettier than you."
Zhenzhen tilted her head and pinched Jiang Jiawei's cheek, not annoyed at all, "The student surpasses the master, isn't that right?"
"Little sister, tell me secretly, have you had a boyfriend at school?"
Zhenzhen: "What are you doing? He's a good student, studying hard, don't you understand? Unlike you."
"Haha, what's the point of a high school student just studying and not dating, right, little sister?"
Jiang Jiawei smiled.
Do you have a boy you like?
Jiang Jiawei rested her chin on her hand and shook her head slightly.
"It's okay, your dad can't hear you."
Sister #2 pushed her friend away, saying, "Ugh, aren't you annoying? Do you think she's like you? All you ever think about is romance."
"No, I was thinking, right? I could be a strategist for my sister! So she won't get fooled by those rascals."
"Get lost, you can't even figure out how to have a relationship yourself."
"Haha, that's right."
"Trying to avoid drinking, huh? Go sit over there, come here."
"Ignore them," Zhenzhen said.
Zhenzhen's friends often come to her shop. Jiang Jiawei has met them many times and is quite familiar with them. She doesn't mind such jokes.
Are you cold?
"I'm not cold."
Zhenzhen touched her hand. "It's so hot. You're definitely young."
Jiang Jiawei took the opportunity to kick her icy hand into her coat pocket.
"Hey, what happened to that handsome guy who used to come to your house all the time? I haven't seen him lately."
Zhenzhen's shop is just one shop away from their breakfast shop, and I've run into Mu Zhengxi a few times.
"He recently played football."
Zhenzhen leaned closer to Jiang Jiawei and whispered, "Do you think he's more handsome or Liu Xinze?" Her smile was intriguing.
Jiang Jiawei did not answer.
Zhenzhen was speechless for a moment, but gave her a thumbs up, "Jiang Jiawei, you're great, very devoted."
Jiang Jiawei denied it, saying, "I don't like Liu Xinze."
To Zhenzhen, this sounded like a guilty conscience, like someone trying to hide something obvious.
"No?"
"No."
"Who was it that said last time—um."
Zhenzhen removed her hand from her mouth, her eyes crinkling with laughter. Teasing children was really fun. "Still saying you don't? Don't worry, don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
Jiang Jiawei tucked her chin into her coat collar. "But I really didn't."
His eyes looked innocent and sincere.
Zhenzhen raised her hand and flicked her forehead. "It's best if there's no one. What's the point of a bookworm like Liu Xinze? Only you would be interested in him."
Chen Jingyu said the same thing.
Jiang Jiawei covered her head, her voice sounding somewhat aggrieved, "Liu Xinze is a very good person, and he's also good at studying." It seemed she was trying to defend her judgment.
Although Liu Xinze is a bit straightforward and good at killing conversations, which is commonly referred to as low emotional intelligence, he actually doesn't have any malicious intent. When they were in the same class in the first year of high school, Jiang Jiawei asked him a lot of science questions, and he would patiently answer even the most basic ones without any intention of mocking her.
Moreover, Liu Xinze is not ugly; he is fair-skinned and refined.
At least that's what Jiang Jiawei thinks.
“Anyway, you two are not a good match.” Zhenzhen took a bite of lamb skewer and nudged her arm with an air of knowing wisdom. “Mu Zhengxi is much more interesting.”
Jiang Jiawei rested her chin on her hand again, gazing into the distance without saying a word.
What does it mean to like someone...?
No one answers Jiang Jiawei's phone; I wonder what they're doing.
Mu Zhengxi stood up, stomped his numb feet, sniffed his icy nose, and glanced back at the brightly lit banquet hall.
A boring wedding.
Bored adults.
And then there's... the most boring version of myself.
The wedding is over.
The driver took him and Mu Shaoqing back to their hotel. Zeng Yuan did not go with them; she went to the airport to return directly to London.
However, Mu Shaoqing did not get out of the car when they arrived at the hotel.
"The driver will come to take you to the airport tomorrow morning."
Through the car door, his father rolled down the window and warned him, "Mu Zhengxi, don't run around unless you really want me to throw you into boarding school."
Mu Zhengxi entered the hotel without turning his head.
Jiang Wenqing is right. Many people in this world are actually mentally ill, but they are unaware of it.
Now it seems that his father was one of them.
It was the kind of illness that was terminal.
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