Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Long time no see old classmates

*

"Gu Mengran, what are you doing back in the room? We agreed that each person would cook for a day, and today is your turn! Come out quickly, your grandpa is hungry."

Through the door, the old man's voice was like thunder in his ears, but Gu Mengran had no time to pay attention. He lowered his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar phone number on the screen, his thumb trembling, struggling over whether to press the dial button.

Liang Zhao, the Liang Zhao of this life...do you remember him?

The sound of footsteps outside the door gradually faded away, and the old man went to cook while cursing.

The bedroom became quiet again. Gu Mengran sat back at the desk, pressed the dial button and hung up, pressed the dial button and hung up again. The unlit room flickered with the light from the screen.

After repeating this for more than ten times, Gu Mengran finally made up his mind and pressed the dial button again. This time, he did not hang up, but subconsciously held his breath and waited for the call to go through.

"--beep."

A muffled sound came from the receiver, and Gu Mengran stood up suddenly. He began to hesitate again, his index finger hovering above the red hang-up button, and then moved down inch by inch.

"Beep, beep, beep... Hello, who is this?"

He didn't have a chance to regret. The phone rang three times and then connected. A deep and cold male voice passed by his ears, spreading out layer by layer.

"Hello, hello, Liang...Liang Zhao?"

In fact, he had already recognized the voice, which sounded a little green, but it was undoubtedly Liang Zhao. Gu Mengran's mind went blank, he hesitated for a long time, and barely squeezed out a stiff opening statement.

The person on the other end of the line answered quickly: "Yes, who are you?"

"I, I'm your junior high school classmate," Gu Mengran's heart stopped, and he spoke his name carefully: "Gu Mengran, I was your deskmate for a period of time in the second year of junior high school, do you still remember?"

One second, two seconds, three seconds...the other party was silent.

This was expected. We had no connection to begin with, and it had been five years, so it was normal that he didn't remember anything.

Gu Mengran suppressed the sour feeling rising in his nose and brainwashed himself madly.

There was silence for a moment and the atmosphere was slightly awkward.

Seeing that the phone was still on, Gu Mengran took a deep breath and pretended to be relaxed to break the silence: "It's normal that you don't remember. I haven't been in touch for these years--"

"Remember." Liang Zhao interrupted him.

Gu Mengran: "Do you remember me?"

"Yeah. Gu Mengran, the talkative Gu Mengran."

Gu Mengran's breath hitched, and his hands, which were resting on the table, trembled slightly.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that Liang Zhao's voice was a little hoarse than before. He didn't have time to care about these details. Liang Zhao's short words were like a spring breeze blowing on his face, and Gu Mengran's half-chilled body gradually warmed up.

Five years had passed, yet Liang Zhao still remembered this old classmate with whom he had barely spoken. And he, the him in the past...had completely forgotten Liang Zhao.

"Are you still there, Gu Mengran?"

His thoughts were drifting uncontrollably, and Liang Zhao's deep voice woke Gu Mengran up. He nodded hurriedly, surprised that the other party couldn't see him, and responded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I'm here."

The other party seemed to not care about his loss of composure and said calmly, "You called me, what's the matter?"

"have!"

Once reminded, Gu Mengran finally remembered the important matter.

He stopped stuttering and said directly: "Liang Zhao, are you in Yuntian? I have something important to discuss with you. Can we meet as soon as possible?"

"Yuntian?" Liang Zhao dragged out the question, "I'm here."

"Great! How about tomorrow, tomorrow at noon? I'll treat you to dinner."

Liang Zhao hesitated for a moment, "Maybe in the evening."

A long time after hanging up the phone, Gu Mengran was still dazed and his brain was in a state of shutdown.

After washing his face with cold water to restart his brain, he gave squad leader Zheng Yifei a big red envelope, reminding him openly and secretly to stock up on supplies and try to go to the plateau when it rains.

Then he saved Liang Zhao's phone number, searched for the number and added WeChat. It was not until Liang Zhao accepted his friend request that Gu Mengran gradually felt the reality of his upcoming reunion with Liang Zhao.

Liang Zhao, Liang Zhao... From now on, it's my turn to protect you.

To his shame, before he met Liang Zhao in his previous life, Gu Mengran had no impression of this person at all. Later, he racked his brains to recall, but only found a vague memory.

He has good grades but doesn't fit in with the group. He is a gloomy, silent and non-existent boy.

In the year of natural disaster, supplies were scarce, and Gu Mengran was sold out for ten dried cakes. He was transferred from a chaotic island to another seemingly glamorous giant cruise ship.

Without any ties or worries, he could settle down anywhere. At that time, Gu Mengran had completely given up on Gu Decheng, but he still wanted to live, so he stayed on the cruise ship.

There were many young people on the ship, and Gu Mengran initially naively thought that they were bought to do coolies and become slaves, using their labor to exchange for food.

It was not until later that unbearable noises were heard from the captain's room every night: some people escaped, some committed suicide, and some volunteered to sleep with him. Only then did Gu Mengran realize that they were not only slaves, but also the "harem" of the wretched and greasy middle-aged captain.

Without any hesitation, Gu Mengran fled.

Unfortunately, he fell off the ship while escaping. The sharp propeller of the huge ship cut off his right leg and half of his face was ruthlessly torn and shredded.

The bright red blood dyed a large area of ​​the sea red. The group of people thought he was dead, and as a price, Gu Mengran escaped.

Soaking in the cold sea water, he felt like a corpse. Gu Mengran gave up. He vaguely saw his grandparents smiling and waving at him, but just as he took a step forward, a pair of warm hands held him tightly.

"Hold on, Gu Mengran! Don't, don't give up."

The person who saved him was Liang Zhao, the Liang Zhao he had forgotten.

*

"Isn't a T-shirt too casual? A suit? Tsk, a suit won't do either. It's too deliberate and formal. Hey, what should I wear?"

In the twilight of the evening, the bedroom light was turned on to the maximum, the suitcase was placed across the aisle, and the messy clothes on the bed were piled up into a small hill.

The owner of the room was standing in front of a life-size mirror, putting on and taking off clothes, changing no less than ten sets of clothes, just like a host selling clothes.

Meng Gaoyang, who had come to join in the fun after hearing the commotion, said:

The palm-leaf fan stopped waving, and the smile disappeared. The old man stared at Gu Mengran, who was as beautiful as a peacock spreading its tail, with his brows wrinkled so much that they could kill a mosquito.

Gu Mengran was unaware, and he shook out a shirt from the bed, turned his head and looked at his grandfather, "Grandpa? Grandpa, why are you standing there? Give me some constructive advice."

The old man's eyes darkened, "I don't give a shit about you! Gu Mengran, tell me the truth, who did you go to dinner with tonight?"

"I've already told you," Gu Mengran unbuttoned his shirt and put it over his T-shirt. He looked at himself in the mirror and said without turning his head, "My junior high school classmate, a boy. Don't worry, I didn't harm any other girl."

Meng Gaoyang's mouth twitched, "Don't worry? Gu Mengran, I raised you, I don't know what kind of person you are? You never care about your image, you always wear slippers when you go out, why are you dressing up to have dinner with a male classmate?"

The flip-flops on his feet were particularly eye-catching. After saying this, Mr. Meng silently moved half an inch behind the door.

Gu Mengran didn't have time to care. He was stunned by the old man's question. It took him a long time to come back to his senses. He muttered softly: "I'm not dressed up, but... it's just that I haven't seen my old classmates for a long time. I can't be too sloppy, right?"

He lost all confidence and his voice became smaller and smaller.

The old man gave him a meaningful look and snorted, "I don't care about you. Didn't you make an appointment with someone at seven o'clock? You just packed up without even checking the time."

Gu Mengran took out his phone and slapped his forehead, "Oh no!"

The days are long in summer, and it is not dark at seven o'clock. The yellow mist in the air seems to fast-forward the city, and the people rushing around do not stop, and the once bustling shopping malls seem a little bleak.

“——Ding, we’ve reached the fourth floor.”

At exactly seven o'clock, Gu Mengran rushed out of the elevator breathlessly, jogging all the way, and walked into a popular Internet restaurant on time.

The influence of the yellow fog was too great. It was dinner time, and the old internet celebrity restaurant that used to require waiting in line only had a few tables. Therefore, when Gu Mengran entered the door, he saw the tall boy sitting in the right front corner without looking for it.

Liang Zhao, the nineteen-year-old Liang Zhao whom he had never seen before.

Liang Zhao has a tough look, a high nose bridge, sharp eyebrows, starry eyes, and deep and three-dimensional facial features. He has a very sharp and aggressive look, and the first impression he gives people is that he is not easy to mess with and difficult to approach.

But he doesn't like to talk or laugh. He just sits there with a sullen face, giving off an oppressive vibe. The temperature around him seems to drop by a few degrees.

Unlike the 22-year-old, he has not experienced the destruction of disasters, and there is still some pure youthfulness between his eyebrows. Wearing a simple Japanese heavyweight T-shirt with brown work shorts, he looks like a cool gym student.

Soothing music echoed in the restaurant. Perhaps it was because the sight was too hot and its presence was too strong, Liang Zhao, who was looking down at the menu, noticed something and raised his eyes nonchalantly.

When their eyes met, Gu Mengran's breathing became disordered.

But in just a short moment, he quickly adjusted himself, suppressed his rapid breathing, forced out a smile that he thought was perfect, and walked quickly towards Liang Zhao, "Sorry, sorry, I'm late. Long time no see, Liang Zhao, it feels like you haven't changed much in all these years."

I haven’t seen my old classmates for many years. This universal opening line should be correct, right?

Gu Mengran sat opposite Liang Zhao, his hands hanging under the table, lightly clenched into fists.

Compared to Gu Mengran's enthusiasm, Liang Zhao was much colder. He glanced at Gu Mengran, nodded slightly, handed the menu over, and then withdrew his gaze indifferently.

Gu Mengran opened his lips slightly, as if he was about to say something, and finally lowered his head to look at the menu.

"Do you like spicy food?"

"Eat beef?"

"What about seafood?"

"eat."

The conversation was dull and an awkward atmosphere lingered between the two of them.

At least there was some talk before ordering. After the dishes were served, the four-grid pot was bubbling with steam. The two people sat opposite each other, each holding a tea cup, like blind date partners meeting for the first time, and there was an unfamiliar aura from head to toe.

This won't work! Business, business is important.

Gu Mengran finally took a sip of tea, gently put down the cup, no longer dodging his gaze, looking directly into Liang Zhao's eyes, and smiled to break the silence: "Liang Zhao, I heard from the squad leader that you are sailing in Huangjiang now?"

Liang Zhao's eyebrows moved slightly, and he uttered a low "hmm".

Same age but different fates. 19-year-old Gu Mengran had just entered college, while 19-year-old Liang Zhao had already dropped out of school and worked for several years.

Liang Zhao was abandoned by his parents when he was young and was adopted by Grandma Liang, who raised him up. He was very competitive and although he was not good at speaking, his academic performance was always among the best.

To make matters worse, in his second year of high school, Liang's grandmother was hospitalized and diagnosed with liver cancer. The sky-high medical expenses did not overwhelm Liang Zhao. He sold his house and belongings, dropped out of school without telling his grandmother, and went out to work to earn money.

After a year and a half of treatment, Grandma Liang passed away. Liang Zhao never returned to school. He was alone, without any support or home, so he simply stayed in Huangjiang as an ordinary crew member.

Liang Zhao rarely mentioned the past himself, and these things were still in his previous life. Gu Mengran asked him about it indirectly. He felt sorry for Liang Zhao, but the moment he was reborn, the occupation of crew became a good reason.

The shrimps in the tomato pot floated up, the fatty beef in the red soup shrank into a small lump, and a thin mist filled the air with the heat. No one picked up their chopsticks.

Gu Mengran touched his nose, raised his eyes slightly, and looked at Liang Zhao with a serious look, "I asked you out today because I wanted to ask you, Liang Zhao, do you plan to work on a different ship?"

"Some time ago, my grandfather bought a transport boat on a whim, imitating others to open a floating supermarket, but he is over 60 years old, how can he run a boat again?"

Sorry grandpa!

Gu Mengran silently apologized to his grandfather in his heart and continued to make up: "Hey, no matter how much I persuade him, he won't listen. The old man has been sailing all his life and can't leave the water. Even if he is recruiting crew members, he wants to follow the ship as a ship owner and participate in the operation and management of the ship."

Having said this, Gu Mengran deliberately paused for a moment, but Liang Zhao just looked at him calmly without giving any response.

Gu Mengran was not discouraged, and said to himself: "I am worried about him, an old man. It is summer vacation, and I have a crew certificate, so I thought we could go together. But I am a half-baked person with only theory but no practical experience, so I want to find another person.

I was chatting with the squad leader a few days ago, and he mentioned that you were working on a ship. I thought this was perfect, we are old classmates, we know each other well, and we are familiar with each other. If you are willing to come to our ship, we can be companions and talk. "

Liang Zhao raised his eyebrows and looked at him quietly without saying a word. His eyes seemed to say: Do you think we are familiar with each other? Do you look like you have something to say?

Gu Mengran felt guilty when he looked at him, and his head lowered a little unconsciously, "Liang Zhao, I know we haven't been in touch for so many years, and it would be strange for me to suddenly invite you, but can you think about it carefully? I'm serious."

"Sure." Liang Zhao let out a chuckle.

"The salary and benefits are easy to discuss, the main thing is that with strangers -" Gu Mengran raised his head suddenly, his pupils shrank, "What did you say?"

Liang Zhao looked lazy and carefree, his calm eyes tinged with a hint of smile, "I agreed, let's go to your boat."