Countdown 17:00:00
In the morning, as the chirping of the birds came from outside the window. Qing Chen turned over in his bed as he heard the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen.
He sat up and saw that the bedroom door was closed. Jiang Xue had already started making breakfast.
Jiang Xue saw him and smiled, "Looks like you cook often at home, you’ve all kinds of seasonings here."
"Yeah, it's too expensive to eat out," replied Qing Chen.
Jiang Xue said, "Where are your parents? Leaving you here alone is so irresponsible of them. Don't worry, I'll cook for you from now on. You should just focus on school. Oh right, are you taking any tutoring classes? I can recommend you one."
What? Qing Chen thought, How did tutoring get into the conversation?
No wonder Li Tongyun wanted to "escape".
But honestly, there wasn't a need for him to attend tutoring classes.
Last year, Qing Chen got a part-time job at night, and he would always catch up on sleep during class.
At that time, if Qing Chen suddenly looked up when the math teacher Tian Hailong was lecturing, Tian Hailong would just wonder if she had just made a mistake somewhere.
Jiang Xue smiled and said to Qing Chen, "Xiao Yun said you promised to go to Laojun Mountain with us."
"Yeah," Qing Chen nodded.
"You're spoiling her too much. I didn't even agree to bring her out yet, but now that you promised, she’s become even more adamant about going." Although Jiang Xue was chastising, she still spoke with a soft voice.
Qing Chen thought about it and said, "It's nice to take a relaxing trip after what happened recently. She's still young, and this might be too much for her already."
"Yeah," nodded Jiang Xue, "We can go catch a bus after you come home from school today. It's only a two-hour ride. Tomorrow we'll go hike to see the sunrise and return home after that. I found a couple of vacation B&B with good reviews online."
Qing Chen looked up at her. She obviously had already planned everything out.
He asked, "If we're only staying for a night, would that be too quick?"
Jiang Xue said, "I want to let Xiao Yun come back in time for tutoring classes. But if you want to stay for a few more days, I can just let Xiao Yun take a longer break."
…
Qing Chen came to class earlier and found Nan Gengchen and Wang Yun chatting quietly while Bai Waner was still not there.
The four of them didn't get hurt much yesterday. They were just knocked out and packed into sacks.
After being rescued, they went to a hospital for a checkup and were sent home.
At this time, Wang Yun was telling Nan Gengchen about what happened to them yesterday, and Nan Gengchen would comfort her every once in a while.
This made it seem like… this was a date…
Qing Chen suddenly felt that he missed a lot of things while he was skipping classes.
It was just like when he had to go to the restroom during a movie. Before he left, the male and female protagonists were still planning out their warm future, and after he came back, the male protagonist somehow became the female protagonist's long-lost uncle.
A magical progression.
He would even doubt if it was the movie plot's problem or if it was his trip to the restroom that had gone wrong.
Nan Gengchen suddenly asked, "Qing Chen, have you decided if you're going to Laojun Mountain?
Before Qing Chen could even answer, Wang Yun reminded quietly, "Xiao Nan[2]{Refering to Nan Gengchen}, our group is full. Hu Xiaoniu only got a bus with 47 seats, and we have two classes of classmates. There are still four or five people that can't go."
Qing Chen smiled and said to Nan Gengchen, "It's okay. I have other plans for the break."
"Alright," Nan Gengchen nodded, "Then I'm staying as well. What are you doing during the National Day break? Count me in!"
Wang Yun's expression changed subtly, but Qing Chen patted on Nan Gengchen's shoulder and said, "You got friends paying for the trip. It would be a waste if you didn’t go. I would've gone if it weren’t for how busy I am. Right, so when is the group leaving?"
"Tomorrow," said Wang Yun. She was relieved that Nan Gengchen didn't insist on staying back. "Tomorrow at seven, we'll meet at school. Next time we'll make sure to bring everyone."
Qing Chen was unconcerned with the courtesies, but he was relieved that their schedules were still apart.
After all, there was only one place to see the sunrise on Laojun Mountain. If they all left tonight, then they might meet tomorrow at the Golden Summit observation deck the next morning…
After yesterday night's kidnapping, Liu Dezhu's status seemed to have risen yet again.
As soon as he go to class, Hu Xiaoniu, Zhang Tianzhen, and Bai Waner all gathered beside him, whispering excitedly.
However, Liu Dezhu didn't seem that enthusiastic. He looked around as if he was trying to find someone.
Hu Xiaoniu was the first to notice. He asked, curious, "Brother Liu, who are you looking for?"
This new name seemed to have brought him even closer.
It took a while for Hu Xiaoniu to think about what to call him, mainly because the name was too distinctive.
Calling him Liu Dezhu would seem too much like an average classmate.
Dezhu just felt too impolite.
Zhuzi would make them all sound like farmers.
"What?" Liu Dezhu came back to his senses, "Don't worry about it. It's nothing."
Only Liu Dezhu know that his mysterious boss was somewhere looking at him.
This feeling of being watched made him quite uncomfortable, but he did get everything he wanted, from being a school star to improved life in prison.
It looked like his boss was a dependable person.
Suddenly, as if Liu Dezhu thought about something, he told Hu Xiaoniu seriously, "There's one thing that you must be aware of. Hmmm… Never make enemies with anyone in the school!"
Hu Xiaoniu was confused, "Brother Liu, what do you bring this up?"
"Nothing," Liu Dezhu sighed. He just didn't want them to accidentally expose his boss and ruin the business.
…
Meanwhile, He Jinqiu walked slowly in Courtyard 4 on Xingshu Road.
He stopped on the sidewalk and looked up at the French parasol trees.
The parasol tree leaves, which had already started turning yellow, started swaying down in the autumn breeze.
He Jinqiu was lost in his thoughts, and he stood there for more than an hour as if nothing else mattered more than this the beauty of the scenery
After a long time, someone asked from behind, "What are you doing in a place like this?"
He Jinqiu turned around and saw Zheng Yuandong, who was dressed in a clean tunic suit, smiling, "What is the reason for this? Mr. Zheng is here as well, and we must have been thinking of the same thing."
