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Watching the old woman prepare the tofu pudding, Deng Haijun asked thoughtlessly, “Grandma, it’s almost dark. Aren’t your family worried about you being out here?”
Zhuang Zi’ang frowned; the priest who had interpreted their fortune had already mentioned that she was a lonely elder. Asking such a question was like rubbing salt in a wound.
Sure enough, the old lady’s expression turned sorrowful. “I have no family left.”
“I’m sorry, Grandma; he doesn’t know how to choose his words,” Zhuang Zi’ang said as he placed ten yuan on the stall.
The tofu pudding was five yuan a bowl, and after costs, there wasn’t much profit. If it weren’t for the need to make a living, who would want to be out in the cold at such an old age?
The old woman moved quickly, soon handing them two bowls of tofu pudding.
Zhuang Zi’ang’s savory tofu pudding was topped with soy sauce, chili oil, scallions, and diced pickled vegetables.
He scooped a piece up with his spoon and tasted it.
The tofu pudding was exceptionally smooth, melting in his mouth.
The unique aroma of the chili oil was unforgettable after just one bite.
“This is delicious. Thank you, Grandma!” Zhuang Zi’ang smiled and nodded.
“Thank you both,” the old lady said, carefully putting the money away.
Her gaze lingered on the red string around Zhuang Zi’ang’s wrist for a moment.
Her already dim eyes seemed to grow even darker.
“Haijun, you really spoke without thinking. Why bring up her sad past?”
Once they had walked away, Zhuang Zi’ang complained about Deng Haijun’s rudeness.
Deng Haijun chuckled awkwardly. “I thought she was in cahoots with that priest, spinning tales to scam tourists. But it seems that’s not the case.”
“With such a lack of social awareness, you’ll likely be lonely for life,” Zhuang Zi’ang quipped.
“Not at all! As long as I’m swimming in the seas of math and physics, I’ll never feel lonely!” Deng Haijun laughed heartily.
He slid his bowl toward Zhuang Zi’ang. “It’s really sweet; want to give it a try?”
Zhuang Zi’ang wrinkled his nose in disdain. “Sweet tofu pudding? Even dogs wouldn’t eat that. Get it away from me.”
Looking back at the old woman who was still selling her wares in the night, Zhuang Zi’ang felt a pang of sadness.
The mysterious words from the priest only added to his growing agitation.
Why did he even bother to draw a bad fortune?
It was really a case of unnecessary troubles.
As night fully descended, the city’s neon lights illuminated the sky.
Deng Haijun took a taxi home, and before parting, he declared with ambition, “Zhuang Zi’ang, if you keep indulging in romantic distractions, even if you don’t back out at the last minute, you won’t be my match for long.”
Zhuang Zi’ang scoffed, “Please, as long as I’m at this school, you’ll never be first.”
“Good, you’re a worthy opponent.”
“To surpass me? You’ll need to work hard for another hundred years!”
With their banter exchanged, they each headed home.
Back at his rental room, after feeding the fish, Zhuang Zi’ang lay on his bed, tossing and turning.
He picked up his phone and typed a message to Xiao Butterfly.
“I had a really delicious bowl of tofu pudding today. Should we go together next time?”
After hesitating for a long time, he steeled himself and hit send.
Once it was sent, he regretted it; what a lame excuse for an invitation.
As usual, he received no reply.
The next day, Zhuang Zi’ang opened his eyes to the morning light and immediately grabbed his phone, only to feel disappointed once again.
Xiao Butterfly still hadn’t responded.
In the past, she would never leave him hanging like this; she always replied before he even woke up.
She had said that as long as she saw his message, she would definitely reply.
So she must not have seen it yet.
Maybe her phone was dead, or perhaps she had run out of credit!
With examinations in the morning and afternoon, Zhuang Zi’ang still completed them effortlessly.
In the designated area on the exam paper, he had written Su Yudie’s name.
He thought to himself that if he scored first in the grade using Xiao Butterfly’s name, he should be able to find out what class she was in.
In such a large campus, someone was bound to know her.
After the exams, the next two days proceeded with regular classes.
The teachers were busy grading papers, and the scores were likely to be released the following Monday.
Even after finishing the tests, Zhuang Zi’ang had not removed the red string from his wrist.
The peach blossoms on the trees had all been blown away by the spring breeze overnight.
Only the fragrance of flowers lingered on the red string.
Over the past few days, Zhuang Zi’ang had read that message hundreds of times, but he still hadn’t received a reply from Xiao Butterfly.
It was as if she had evaporated from the world, suddenly withdrawing from his life.
During the math class on Friday morning, Zhuang Zi’ang unexpectedly started to bleed from his nose.
Bright red droplets fell, staining the pages of his math book.
Li Huang Xuan was taken aback and quickly helped him to the restroom, insisting on taking him to the infirmary.
“Son, what on earth is going on? Don’t scare your dad!”
Zhuang Zi’ang forced out a smile. “It’s nothing. The food has been too good these days; I think I’m a bit overheated.”
Li Huang Xuan lightly punched him on the chest. “We’re family; if you’re in trouble, don’t hold it in. No matter how big the issue, I’ll face it with you.”
“Yeah, with all this nosebleed, I’m not dying, am I?” Zhuang Zi’ang continued to joke.
“Then you’d better die early. I’d be sending a white-haired man to a black-haired one. Do you prefer a coffin that flips or one that slides?” Li Huang Xuan laughed as well.
He would never have guessed that sometimes, truth is often told through jest.
“By the way, where’s your Xiao Butterfly? I haven’t seen that pretty girl around for a few days,” Li Huangxuan suddenly remembered.
“It seems she has some matters to attend to and is on leave,” Zhuang Zi’ang said, his expression turning dejected.
“Well, you two are quite the match, always taking leave every few days,” Li Huang Xuan joked.
Zhuang Zi’ang stuffed a tissue in his nostrils, finally stopping the bleeding.
There were still twenty minutes left until class ended.
After finally escaping from the strict math teacher, he didn’t want to return too early.
Li Huang Xuan raised an eyebrow. “Want to play a game?”
Zhuang Zi’ang grinned, “Sure, but no banning Zhou Zhou.”
Li Huang Xuan had only said that casually, expecting Zhuang Zi’ang to refuse and obediently return to class.
He didn’t expect that this typically studious, good-looking student had fallen to such depths.
The two logged into the game and started a duo queue.
Time is truly a strange thing; a 45-minute math class felt like torture.
Yet that amount of time might not even be enough for two ranked matches.
The two boys hid in the corner of the restroom, engrossed in their game.
Zhuang Zi’ang was playing poorly, and Li Huang Xuan criticized him mercilessly.
“Why is your butterfly flying all over the place? You messed up your first skill!”
“I was hitting the red buff; why did you come over? You automatically stole it with your second skill!”
“I got hit by a bird! Quick, use your ultimate!”
…
Zhuang Zi’ang’s eyes were glued to the screen as he focused on controlling Zhou Zhou, the character riding a fish.
Even though he was playing badly, he was enjoying himself.
Opportunities to play games with Li Huangxuan were becoming rare.
“We’re about to team fight; follow my orders! When I tell you to use your ultimate, you better do it,” Li Huang Xuan said, his expression tense as if facing a formidable foe.
Seeing the enemy Guguzi initiate the fight, he immediately shouted, “Ultimate!”
Just as those words left his mouth, there was a loud bang.
The restroom door was pushed open forcefully, revealing Zhang Zhiyuan’s furious face.
Li Huang Xuan recoiled against the wall, trembling. “Zhang… Teacher Zhang, were you in here the whole time?”
Zhang Zhiyuan snatched the phone from his hands. “Playing games during class? Your phone is confiscated, and you’ll have to write a reflection.”
After saying that, he walked away, adjusting his belt.
“Hey, we were both playing together! Why didn’t he confiscate your phone?” Li Huang Xuan grumbled in indignation.
Zhuang Zi’ang shook his head in confusion.
On the screen, Zhou Zhou, left without control, was quickly defeated, announcing his death with the standard lines.
“Uh, time to wake up!”