Chapter 87 - Graduation Trip
The sky was a clear blue today.
The Zheng family home was full of students from No.12 High School, with every single member of the tutoring group in attendance. Each carried a backpack, while female members like Tang WanQi brought their more eye-catching small suitcases.
Just two days ago, they all received a text message from Zheng PingQing, inviting them to take part in a three-day, two-night graduation trip.
Zheng PingQing bore all the expenses and paid a large sum of money to rent a holiday villa situated on a famous beach in the neighboring city. Under normal circ.u.mstances, everyone should be delighted to attend.
But at this moment, the Zheng family home was filled with a strange and oppressive atmosphere.
The once carefree youths suddenly understood the difficulties of life right after they finished high school.
They all had one thing their minds.
It had been a week since the incident happened, but they still hadn’t been able to recover from the impact it caused. In the next few days, they didn’t go to the internet cafe to celebrate like they planned, nor did they have a long stress-free sleep-in…n.o.body had the strength to go out and play, but they couldn’t just stay at home either…
Everyone was lost in thought.
Their dazed and haunted expressions caused their parents to think that they failed the exams. The parents tried their best to comfort their children, and some even started planning for the next college entrance exams in case their child needed to retake it.
Fortunately, a week later, their children came out of the shadows when they got an invitation from Zheng PingQing.
The text message they received was worded like an invitation, but no one dared to refuse.
Not only did they dare not refuse, but they even raced to express their enthusiasm for the trip.
The adult world is so full of hypocrisy and hardship, ah.
……
Dong MingEn felt restless and leaned towards Lou XingGuang to uneasily whisper: “Brother Xing, do you think the Boss actually wants to go on a graduation trip with us? Or do you think he just wants to take this opportunity to get back at us…”
Lou XingGuang also felt apprehensive. “I don’t think so…Boss isn’t that mean…”
Dong MingEn’s eyes flicked. “Isn’t he?”
Lou XingGuang felt weak as he replied: “….he is.”
As they talked, Xu Yao walked past them.
Dong MingEn greeted him: “Ah Yao….”
Xu Yao huffed and rolled his eyes: “Get lost.”
Lou XingGuang sighed and asked: “Is this the legendary ‘love begets hate?”
Dong MingEn: “….”
It wasn’t only them who were scared. In fact, Gou XinDou, with his extraordinarily calm demeanor, was the outlier. He was standing at the edge of the crowd, with his head bowed as he muttered to himself. n.o.body knew what he was doing.
Zhao Daota approached him, and curiously asked: “XinDou, what are you muttering about?”
Gou XinDou lifted his head, and eloquently replied: “I’m reciting some life-saving formulas.”
Zhao Daota was confused: “Life-saving formulas? What?”
Gou XinDou looked at him for a moment, then suddenly said: “Two families coming together through marriage, good karma forever, may you have a harmonious union, may numerous children and grandchildren spread like melons in the future, ‘look at the peach blossoms burning bright today,’ may you have prosperity and an ill.u.s.trious life...”
Zhou Daota: “WTF…”
Gou XinDou paused, then smoothly explained: “Ah, but the phrase ‘may numerous children and grandchildren spread like melons’ doesn’t apply. I’m still thinking of a way to modify it…”
The sentence means to wish for a lot of children, so it obviously doesn’t apply to Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing. Gou XinDou was being very careful and witty by considering such things.
Zhou Daota was shocked. “Wait, I want to ask, Dou, when did you become such an intellectual…”
Gou XinDou: “….”
Ever since he found out about Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing’s relationship, Gou XinDou had often felt out of place in Cla.s.s 8 because he wasn’t incredibly stupid like the rest of them.
The feeling still hadn’t dissipated.
After a while, the hired shuttle bus arrived, and everyone went out of the house with their luggage. When they walked out, they saw Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing standing by the bus, waiting for them.
Lin Qian greeted them all with a smile. “Good morning.”
Everyone tried to act natural as they greeted him back, but their eyes couldn’t help but wander between the two men.
Lin Qian was wearing light and breezy clothes, while Zheng PingQing had two backpacks on his shoulders.
Zheng PingQing’s young brothers: “k2026;.” Having mixed feelings, ah.
Once, they naively thought that Zheng PingQing was being threatened by Lin Qian and had to be Lin Qian’s gopherk2026;
Zheng PingQing remained cool and confident under their not-so-secret scrutiny. In fact, he even looked a little proud. He said: “Ready to go? Is everyone here?”
They all looked at each other. Tang WanQi said: “Ah, it seems Gou DangLi and Li Gao hadn’t arrived yet.”
Zheng PingQing furrowed his brows and said: “Who has their number…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Li Gao’s shout suddenly came from the distance: “Wait for us…wait!”
Everyone turned and saw Li Gao and Guo DangLi stumble towards them with a huge net-wrapped foam box in their arms.
“Whew-” They ran towards the group, and put down the box with heavy breaths. Li Gao gasped: “Finally arrived….”
Guo DangLi was also very out of breath. “I’m so tired…”
Xu Yao looked at the two and asked: “What’s this?”
Li Gao, who had left home very early today, wiped the sweat on his brow and explained: “My mom heard that we’re all going on a trip together and asked me to bring a box of seafood from home. She said that we should barbecue it. She put it on ice, sigh, it’s c.u.mbersome.”
Xu Yao was silent for a moment, then exclaimed: “This is the first time I visit the beach while bringing my own seafood. So amazing, ah!”
Li Gao: “….” d.a.m.n it, he didn’t think of that!
Seeing Li Gao’s sour expression, Lin Qian smiled and said: “If auntie wants to give us food, then, of course, we’ll happily eat it, ah.”
Li Gao breathed out a sigh of relief, then straightened. He greeted Lin Qian: “Good morning, Boss.”
Guo DangLi immediately parroted: “Good morning, Boss.”
Lin Qian nodded, while Zheng PingQing glanced at the foam box. Zheng PingQing said: “Well, the crabs from Li Gao’s family were delicious last time, so it should be good this time too.”
Li Gao: “…” Before, the crabs Li Gao had offered to Lin Qian as an act of filial piety had been robbed by Zheng PingQing. Back then, he had naively thought that it was due to ‘second boss’ privileges. Now, in retrospect, it was…
Li Gao couldn’t help blurting out: “Yes, that’s right, sister-in-law…”
Guo DangLi had been in a state of high tension all morning. So when he heard Li Gao’s words, he didn’t think about it and subconsciously shouted: “h.e.l.lo, sister-in-law!”
As soon as the words came out, he realized that it was wrong.
The others: “….” We are about to witness a tragedy.
Xu Yao’s spirit immediately sank, and he tried to calm things down: “Zheng PingQing, be calm, be calm.”
Zheng PingQing light-heartedly waved at Guo DangLi and said: “Yes, h.e.l.lo.”
Guo DangLi: “….”
Li Gao: “….”
The others: “….”
With this, everyone finally realized that Zheng PingQing was a lot more open-minded than they initially thought. He probably wouldn’t try to get back at them, ah. The heavy atmosphere lifted, and everyone became a little more enthusiastic.
“Let’s get on the bus.” Xu Yao hurriedly ushered everyone onto the shuttle bus and helped Li Gao carry the box of seafood in.
Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing followed the crowd and also got on the bus. As soon as they entered, Zheng PingQing pulled Lin Qian all the way to the back and sat on the last row of seats, a place people usually despised.
The former Cla.s.s 8 people felt moved by this. In the end, their Boss still deserved to be called Boss. He still cared about his younger brothers and willingly gave up the best seats and chose the worst position.
Dong MingEn said: “Boss, sitting at the end is uncomfortable, ah. Do you want to go sit at the front with Ah Qian?”
Zheng PingQing gave him the stink-eye and said: “No. Lin Qian and I are sitting here. You’re not allowed to come over, alright?”
Dong MingEn: “….?”
Then, Zheng PingQing smiled and gave him a meaningful stare. “Also, during the trip, you’d better not turn around w.i.l.l.y-nilly.”
Dong MingEn: “….!”
The others: “….”
And they felt so moved just a few seconds ago. Ah, they really were so naive.
Everyone quietly squeezed together on the front rows, trying to be as far away as possible from the back while vowing to never look back.
Lin Qian was speechless. He looked at Zheng PingQing and asked: “Why are you trying to scare everyone, ah? Even if n.o.body looked towards the back, do you actually dare to try something here?”
Zheng PingQing replied: “I don’t dare.”
Then, he smiled and said: “But as long as their brain conjures up some images, I’ll still be able to successfully show off.”
Lin Qian thought for a moment, then asked: “Is this where the idiom ‘quenching one"s thirst by thinking of plums‘ actually comes from?”
Zheng PingQing also seriously thought about it. “Then my nonsense is now justified, ah, since there’s an idiom that perfectly describes it.”
Lin Qian: “….”
Everyone settled into their seats during their conversation, and the bus was ready to depart. This was their first-ever group trip, so everyone was excited and chattered amongst each other. The bus soon became very busy and noisy.
“I brought some snacks, who wants some?” TangWanQi called out.
“I do!” Several people rushed towards her.
“Hey, hey! Sit down, ah! We’re about to get into the highway, pay attention!” Xu Yao’s heart was distraught.
“Tsk, tsk, Ah Yao is so wise and kind.”
“Don’t be so reserved, Dong MingEn. Isn’t Ah Yao worth changing your s.e.xual orientation over?”
Dong MingEn hesitantly said: “I can’t, ah.”
Xu Yao’s head throbbed, and he yelled: “Shut up! Or do you want me to give you a s.e.x change right here on this bus?!”
“Wooow, Ah Yao is exerting his dominance again!”
“Aiya, I think Ah Yao is going move me, ah. What do I do?”
“Wake up! You’re a man!”
“Well, isn’t that what Ah Yao is looking for?”
“Oh, you’re right.”
Xu Yao: “….”
This was also the first time for Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing to travel with their friends after graduation. In their last life, this time of the year had been a mess. After the college entrance exams, everybody scattered. Many people lost touch with each other, so group trips never happened.
Lin Qian looked at his friends laughing and enjoying themselves. He couldn’t help but smile too.
In contrast, Zheng PingQing had his arms crossed as he looked at the scene in front of him with displeasure. “I think Dong MingEn and his uncle robbed us of our limelight.”
Lin Qian was astounded. “…I don’t think this is a compet.i.tion they’re eager to win.”
Zheng PingQing huffed.
“And they’re not actually a couple.” Lin Qian reminded him.
Zheng PingQing clicked his tongue and said: “Straight men who try and sell their CP are so shameless.”
Lin Qian chuckled then leaned into Zheng PingQing’s arms. “I want to sleep, so hold me tight. Don’t let me slide off, alright?”
Zheng PingQing readily wrapped his arms around him and bowed his head to kiss Lin Qian’s cheek. “I’ll keep you steady.”
Meanwhile, the front of the bus was bustling.
Lou XingGuang and Jiang TingJun were busy fighting over the last bag of spicy chips.
“It’s mine!” Lou XingGuang grabbed held onto one corner of the package.
However, Jiang TingJun wasn’t willing to back down. He firmly held onto the other corner and said: “You’ve already eaten two bags, ah. This is mine.”
“Bah, you’ve eaten an entire bag all on your own!” Lou XingGuang didn’t care and continued to haggle him.
Tang WanQi couldn’t bear to watch this scene anymore. “Then how about you play rock-paper-scissors for it?”
Lou XingGuang glanced at his G.o.ddess, then nodded. “Alright, let’s rock-paper-scissors.”
Jiang TingJun raised his fist. “You think I’m afraid?”
“Wait.” Xu Yao, who had been teased this entire time, was feeling gloomy. So when he heard Jiang TingJun and Lou XingGuang’s discussion, he carelessly provoked the two by saying: “Since you guys are playing rock-paper-scissors, there has to be a punishment for the loser, ah.”
Everyone enthusiastically nodded along. “Yes, yes, the loser has to be punished!”
Lou XingGuang couldn’t back down while his G.o.ddess was watching, so he agreed. “Alright, what’s the punishment?”
Xu Yao smiled. “How about the loser looks at the back of the bus for five minutes?”
Lou XingGuang: “….”
Jiang TingJun: “….”
The others immediately agreed: “Yes, good!”
Jiang TingJun immediately let go of the spicy chips. “Forget it, ah. I’m so full…you can eat this.”
Lou XingGuang looked at the chips that were suddenly bestowed to him. “….??”
Lou XingGuang grabbed Jiang TingJun and yelled: “I don’t want to end it like this! Fight like a man, ah. Hurry up!”
The rest of the group heckled: “Jiang TingJun, don’t be a scardey-cat!”
“Believe in yourself!”
“Jiang TingJun, fighting!”
……
For some reason, Jiang TingJun felt like he was currently competing in the Olympics.
But then, he lost.
The people around him sighed and clicked their tongues.
“Oh, Ah Jun lost!”
“Don’t cry, Ah Jun, we will always support you!”
“You’ll always be the best in my eyes!”
Jiang TingJun: “…”
If only they didn’t smile while they pretended to comfort him, then maybe their words would’ve felt a little more genuine.
Xu Yao, who had finally gotten revenge, smiled and said: “Jiang TingJun, five minutes. Oh, I’ll time it for you.”
The others also took out their phones and set their timers. “We’ll help make sure you don’t go overtime.”
Jiang TingJun felt the strongest urge to jump out of the bus. “…I hate you all.”
Jiang TingJung stood up with trembling legs and slowly turned his body 180 degrees.
He quickly closed his eyes the moment he finished turning.
The people in front of Jiang TingJun didn’t notice, but the one person behind him was: “….”
“h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo! Jiang TingJun, stop cheating!”
“You’re a man, ah. Open your eyes!”
In the end, Jiang TingJun had no choice but to slowly open his eyes.
He immediately locked eyes with Zheng PingQing.
Jiang TingJun: “….”
Zheng PingQing tightened his arms around Lin Qian and smiled. “Look all you want, just take a picture for us, ah.”
Jiang TingJun choked. “…I want to get off.”
The author has something to say:
Jiang TingJun: I’m blind, blind. I don’t see anything.