First meeting
After regaining his composure, Zhou Ji'an rushed back to the dormitory and took the initiative to talk to Zhao Haiyan. Zhao Haiyan didn't hold a grudge against him, and the two of them went to the bathroom to wash up together as usual.
The climate in Lingnan is hot and humid, and with the hot water running through it, the stench from the sewer pipes rises in waves.
Outside the transparent plastic curtain, someone was carrying a basin containing toiletries, urging the person inside the curtain, who was holding their breath and taking a shower, to hurry up.
Zhou Ji'an washed faster than usual, and as soon as he stepped out of the cubicle, he was covered in sweat again, as if everything he had just done had been in vain.
She waited for Zhao Haiyan in the corridor outside.
There was no wind, only damp, humid air.
There were still many people in the activity area, and the lights were still on in the two small snack shops. In the cement flower bed, the fake areca palms stood tall and quiet, their tops piercing the grayish-white sky that was illuminated by artificial light.
A series of sharp, youthful laughs climbed up the stairs, floor by floor, until they reached the multi-person dormitory room filled with iron bunk beds, woven bags, and suitcases. The laughter was then chewed up, swallowed, and digested by the mold on the white walls and the cockroaches in the dark corners.
When Zhao Haiyan came out, Zhou Ji'an's body was completely soaked with sweat.
"What time is your train ticket for tomorrow?" Zhao Haiyan asked casually, smoothing her bangs.
Zhou Ji'an, who had almost adapted to the hot and humid climate, suddenly felt a little out of breath.
She adjusted the fabric at her chest, fanning herself slightly. "A little after nine in the morning."
Zhao Haiyan replied in a calm tone, "Oh."
On my way back to the dormitory, I ran into that little girl again. She also had bangs, and her originally curly and fluffy black hair had become smooth and soft.
She was holding a bunch of spicy strips, cookies, and other snacks that children like.
Zhou Ji'an wanted to greet her, but she smiled awkwardly and ran away, brushing past the shadows along the wall.
The ups and downs of his emotions prevented Zhou Ji'an from seeing himself clearly, let alone others.
She quickened her pace, stood in front of Zhao Haiyan, and asked, "Is my butt big?"
Zhao Haiyan seemed to be observing carefully in order to give an objective evaluation. Zhou Ji'an didn't hear anything for a while, and just as he was about to leave, he heard her say, "It's not that big, it's just too perky."
According to Zhou Ji'an's understanding, "da" and "qiao" mean the same thing.
She lifted the fabric of her nightgown next to her buttocks, shook it, and tried in vain to cover herself.
Zhou Ji'an couldn't remember where he had read it before, but there was an article in it that said that sitting for long periods of time is harmful to the lumbar spine, cervical spine, and knees, and that regularly practicing squats, glute bridges, and planks can alleviate the harm caused by sitting for long periods of time.
She believed it wholeheartedly at the time, and then persisted in doing these exercises every day, which resulted in her having such a butt.
Zhao Haiyan laughed out loud, "Back in junior high, boys used to talk about your butt."
Zhou Ji'an's eyes trembled; without needing to imagine or ask further, he knew what the discussion was about.
Zhou Ji'an lay down on the iron-framed bed with only a thin layer of soft padding, but he couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
After a while, the sounds of snoring, breathing, teeth grinding, and the shaking of the iron bed as people turned over in bed, mixed with the sound of time flowing by, struck Zhou Ji'an's brain and heart like hammers of different sizes.
Finally, in this environment, she couldn't help but feel fortunate, saying, "Thank goodness I'll be leaving this world tomorrow."
As the announcement of arrival came over the loudspeaker, Zhou Ji'an picked up all her luggage, exited the station, silently recited the route on her notice, searched for the subway entrance, and imitated other passengers as they bought tickets and entered the station. With each step she took, her excitement and anticipation increased.
She was convinced that she had now entered a more civilized world and that she would indeed have a different life from that of the factory workers.
The subway car was crowded. Zhou Ji'an was pulling his suitcase with one hand and carrying a backpack with the other, but he couldn't find anything to hold onto with his other hand.
While swaying, I was afraid of falling onto the people around me and causing them to feel disgusted.
When she felt something in her buttocks, she thought she had leaned against someone and quickly curled herself up as much as possible.
Strangely, the person behind her seemed to be deliberately leaning against her buttocks.
Feeling uneasy, fearful, and suspicious, she moved to the side and accidentally stepped on someone's foot.
The passenger who was stepped on, amid Zhou Ji'an's repeated apologies, cursed loudly in his local dialect.
When Zhou Ji'an bent down to apologize, he noticed that something seemed to be stuck to his buttocks.
The tears flowed at this moment, and the things that I couldn't figure out at the electronics factory, I finally understood at this moment.
When the arrival announcement sounded, Zhou Ji'an ignored everyone and squeezed through several people to get off at an unfamiliar platform that was still several stops away from the school.
A commotion suddenly broke out behind me.
As Zhou Ji'an gripped the lever tightly and turned around abruptly, he saw a tall boy with two cameras hanging around his neck dragging another man off the train by twisting his hands behind his back.
Upon seeing this, the security guards on the platform rushed over.
The boy glanced at the bewildered Zhou Ji'an and said to the two security guards, "He harassed that girl."
Without waiting for the security guards to react, he immediately dialed the police.
One of the security guards looked Zhou Ji'an up and down, and said in a local accented Mandarin with suspicion, "Is it really true? Don't wrong an innocent person."
Zhou Ji'an felt guilty when asked this question.
Upon hearing this, the arrested man struggled to defend himself, saying, "There were so many people, and everyone was touching each other. How could I say she harassed me?"
Zhou Ji'an didn't want to stay here any longer; she felt incredibly ashamed.
Perhaps seeing that she didn't speak or point fingers, the man, sweating profusely, continued, "It was definitely them who deliberately set me up and framed me."
Zhou Ji'an tried hard to control her trembling body, and dared not look directly at the security guard who was scrutinizing or looking down on her.
It turns out that the world she had always dreamed of was not civilized. During her time in the electronics factory, she thought she belonged to the big city and thus viewed the big city through a filter.
A sense of superiority can really cloud one's judgment.
Zhou Ji'an just wanted to ask himself, when he was cursed at in dialect by passengers, questioned by security guards, and accused of being groped, why did he lose his confidence and start to feel afraid and guilty?
When you think you're better than the workers in an electronics factory, you should expect that there will be times when your dignity will be trampled on and you will be looked down upon.
Because you categorized people into different classes from the very beginning.
Zhou Ji'an cursed himself inwardly, thinking he deserved it.
The boy, who was fiddling with his camera with his head down, turned to Zhou Ji'an and calmly comforted him, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. I have evidence."
Upon hearing this, the lecherous man exaggeratedly argued, "You all heard it, they're in cahoots."
Later, when Zhou Ji'an encountered difficulties in Jishi, he always remembered Deng Yi's words, "Don't be afraid, I'm here for you."
Even though he was no longer by her side at that time, she always managed to get through difficult times with those words.
Because Zhou Ji'an knew that although Deng Yi was not there, she herself was there, and "I" was there.
The police arrived quickly, asked for various information, arrested the groper, and asked Zhou Ji'an and Deng Yi to go to the police station to give statements.
Deng Yi's ease and composure in handling such matters led Zhou Ji'an to conclude that he was a local.
She kept bowing and thanking him as he helped her with her suitcase, reminded her to change her pants, and took her to a nearby shopping mall to find a restroom.
After purchasing their tickets, amidst the curious glances of some passersby, Zhou Ji'an and Deng Yi arrived at the platform and successfully entered the subway car.
Fortunately, there weren't many people on the subway.
Deng Yi easily grabbed the top horizontal bar with one hand, and pulled her into his arms with the other.
Zhou Ji'an buried her face loosely in his chest, accurately recalling how he smiled at her and teased her when he told her not to bow to him anymore.
"Stop bowing to me, or I'll have no choice but to bow back to you."
Now they have truly bowed to each other.
"Jian." Deng Yi called out, looking down. When she looked up at him, he hugged her even tighter. "I noticed you've been taking the subway all these years, so I decided not to drive anymore. Are you alright?"
He probably saw it on her WeChat Moments again.
Zhou Ji'an nodded to him, but as his chin rested on his chest, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
It turns out he always remembered their first meeting.
After confirming this fact, Zhou Ji'an recalled that when she worked part-time at Deng Yi's studio, Deng Yi would always give her a taxi fare. Sometimes when the studio wasn't busy, he would even drive her back to school.
He seemed afraid that she was traumatized by the subway incident, so he never mentioned that they had ever met.
Zhou Ji'an felt a lump in her throat and buried herself firmly in his arms, immediately feeling his large hand gently stroking her head.
There will never be another Deng Yi in this world, absolutely never.
Upon arriving near the stand-up comedy performance venue, Zhou Ji'an glanced around at the surrounding buildings to confirm that he had been there before.
At first, Zhou Ji'an let Deng Yi hold his hand tightly and lead him around the street.
Later, the urge to create memories took over, and she grabbed him and ran forward, saying, "I'll take you to buy the best teriyaki chicken rice ball in the whole city."
Zhou Ji'an, carrying two teriyaki chicken rice balls and two bottles of mineral water, hurried to the dining area by the window and sat down next to Deng Yi. "Try it and see if you like it. If you don't like it, I'll buy you other flavors or other food."
Deng Yi, who had been forced to wait in the dining area, finally felt like he was getting married. He took the rice ball she had peeled and smiled, "Are you sure it's the best in the whole of Ji City?"
Zhou Ji'an hadn't visited every convenience store in Ji City, so she wasn't sure if this teriyaki chicken rice ball was the best in the city. Feeling guilty, she said, "You try it first."
Anyway, he's never eaten it before, so whether it's the best in the whole city is up to her to decide. She can just emphasize it to him a few more times.
Deng Yi bit off the pointed top of the rice ball, savored it carefully for a while, then turned his head and met someone's expectant gaze. The ordinary rice ball in his mouth suddenly tasted rich and unique.
"It's not the best in the whole of Ji City," Deng Yiwei said, shaking his head slightly.
Zhou Ji'an said dejectedly, "Then I'll buy you a different flavor."
Deng Yi took another big bite and said with a smile, "It's the best in the world."
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