Chapter Twenty-Two

  Yu Zai Liu was forced to appear at 6:55 sharp in front of the dormitory door, and Ji Shiye had just arrived. The two walked silently to the school gate, where everyone else was already waiting for her. Several people got on the car and headed straight to XX City.

  Qiao Jia bought a big pile of breakfast and distributed it to everyone. Yu Cai, who never picked at breakfast, took some and ate it, but found that Qi Xizhe hadn't touched his. So she stopped the car in front of the shop where she usually bought breakfast for Qi Xizhe and got out to buy him a package of breakfast.

  Qiao Jia felt a bit embarrassed, Yu Cai comforted her with a smile, "Don't mind him, he's very picky about food, I've always secretly despised him".

  Qiao Jia smiled and started asking about today's schedule. It was actually quite simple, they would go ice-skating first when they arrived at the destination, then have dinner after everyone had their fill of fun, and finally head to the amusement park in xx city.

  Qiao Jia and He Qi walked all the way, chatting and laughing, Yu Cai occasionally chimed in with a few words, Ji Shi could be ignored directly, Fei Yuanfan rarely spoke, probably not used to such gatherings either. Yu Cai handed him a piece of chewing gum, grinning at him, Fei Yuanfan smiled and took it, putting it into his mouth.

  He Qi's eyes flashed, and Mo Fei and Qi Shi exchanged a look, Qi Shi's expressionless face turned to the window.

  Just after the game, Mo Fei did a beautiful backspin, and Yu Cai exclaimed, "Mo Fei, didn't I say that you're the most handsome when ice-skating? You have a very masculine power and beauty."

  "Now you've said it," Mo Fei lazily smiled and reached out to pull Qiao Jia up, the two of them hand in hand slid away.

  Yu Cai gazed at his back, a smile floating on the corner of her mouth. Mo Fei was still as lovely as he had been in high school. Afterwards, Yu Cai always felt that there was something about him that had been left behind in past years.

  "Will it work?"

  Yu Cai nodded and smiled, Fei Yuanfan returned a smile, and slid away. Yu Cai stood up, slowly getting used to the feeling, and soon was able to slide smoothly again.

  He Qi had been following Yu Cai at a distance, and before he knew it, she was smiling and inviting an unfamiliar boy to take her away. He couldn't help but feel shocked - would she hold hands with another boy in front of the one she liked?

  Qī shì zhī yě bù yuǎn bù jìn de gēnzhe Yù Cǎi, cǐ shí jiàn Yù Cǎi gù jì chóng shī, bù yóu zhòu qǐ míng tóu, kě yòu méi yǒu jiè kǒu shàng qián zǔ zhì, běn shì kàn tā zuì xǐ huān de hǎo xiàng jiù shì zhè ge, dàn xiàn zài……

  Alright, Qi Shi Zhi classmate, have you also gotten too into character and really taken Yu Xuan as your own cousin?

  Fei Yuanfan saw it again and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Yu Cai responded with a brilliant smile, waving his hand as he slid away.

  Perhaps nature also saw it and was even more surprised. Qiao Jia said in a low voice, "I didn't expect Yu Cai to be like this."

  "You go first," Mo Fei let go of Qiao Jia's hand and slid to He Qi's side, "This Yu Cai—"

  "She was like that last time, I think you must have misseen it. Even if she was like that last time, she shouldn't be in front of Fei Yuanfan..."

  "Is she only with strangers?"

  "I wanted to take her last time but she refused."

  Mo Fei nodded slightly and slid over to Yu Cai's side, "Yu Cai, why didn't you look for me to take you there?"

  "Uh, I'm afraid of being drowned in vinegar."

  "Hey, isn't this nothing much, would Qiao Jia be so petty?"

  "As long as she's a girl, she'll be petty, Mo Da Shuai Ge, you have an obligation to make your girlfriend happy"

  Yu Xiao smiled and said, "Yu Cai, I find that your words are always very hard for people to refute."

  "That's because I always speak with facts and reason."

  "Alright, I've got nothing more to say. Um, let me ask again, if I didn't have a girlfriend, would you then allow me to bring her?"

  "Mr. Mo, what you said is too ambiguous and may lead to very bad associations if others hear it. I hope you will be more careful with your words next time."

  Otherwise, he would have completely lost his voice and slipped back beside Qiao Jia.

  The boy next to Yu Cai asked, "Is he your classmate?"

  Yes.

  "Are you high school students?"

  "Yes," Yu Cai said with a tone of helplessness, "to be honest, high school students are really not free at all. I'm looking forward to the day when I can go to college."

  The boy burst out laughing, "I guess all high school students think this way".

  "Yes, just like that guy from earlier, he's going on a date with his girlfriend and still needs to bring so many people as cover, I'm exhausted just thinking about it."

  "What's your view on puppy love?"

  "Hmm, I guess it's nothing much, if it were me, it definitely wouldn't affect my studies, but if it affects the university entrance exam, that would be bad. In my opinion, going to university is a very important step in life."

  He Qi had already lost interest in observing Yu Cai and was about to leave her, but just heard this sentence and couldn't help but ask, "You don't object to early love?"

  "Do you object?"

  "It doesn't count."

  "That's it."

  He thought for a while, then suddenly realized there was nothing worth thinking about, and his boredom caught up with him.

  About an hour later, Yucai felt tired and thanked the young man to go rest on a recliner, twisting open a bottle of mineral water and drinking slowly.

  "What's so funny?"

  Yu Cai looked at Jie Xi with a mixture of surprise and curiosity, and honestly said, "I remembered that last time was also here, your dad got angry and told me to stop, old antique!"

  Qī shì zhī is a habitual silence, Yù Cǎi also didn't expect him to answer, and continued, "I was always very curious why your dad liked taking a group of half-grown children out to play. Later, after thinking carefully, I understood," raising an eyebrow at Qī Shì Zhī, "Do you lock yourself in the house as soon as you get home?"

  Nod of relief.

  Yu Cai smiled softly, "That's it, I suppose your dad wants to spend more time with you, but you're not willing to give him the chance, so he has no choice but to invite your classmates over to play, and he can also keep you company." She glanced sideways at Jiexi, whose expression was stiff. "I don't mean to lecture you, every family has its own unsolvable problems, you have your own issues, your difficulties, as an outsider, I really have no right to intervene, even if I say something, it's just like scratching someone else's itch. But I'm the kind of person who likes to indulge in sentimental thoughts when there's nothing better to do, like in 'Dream of Red Mansions' where they talk about shedding tears in the wind, or sighing at the moon, sometimes even I myself find it cheesy." Yu Cai shook her shoulders, as if shaking off a chill. "So, you must forgive me for occasionally being a bit neurotic."

  Ji Xizhe remained silent, Yu Cai opened another bottle of mineral water and handed it to him. The two silently drank the water for a while, just as Yu Cai was about to continue with the next scene, Ji Xizhe suddenly spoke up, "Why didn't you let me take you?"

  Yu Cai pouted, "I'm afraid others will think I have designs on you. After all, a handsome young man like you is bound to be surrounded by rumors and trouble, and I don't want to stir up any more."

  Qí shì zhī jǔ qǐ mí tou, yù cǎi jiàn miàn tān jiàng rán yǒu le biǎo qíng, yì shí dào zì jǐ de wán xiào kě néng kāi dà le, qiàn yì cháo tā xiào xiào, "nǐ bié jiè yì, wǒ kāi wán xiào de, yǐ hòu bù huì le".

  Translation:

  Qí's eyebrows furrowed, Yù's face suddenly had an expression, realizing his joke might have gone too far, apologetically smiling at him, "Don't mind me, I was just joking, won't do it again".

  Ji Shi's eyebrows furrowed even tighter, he stood up and without a word grabbed Yu Cai's hand and pulled her up. Yu Cai saw the iceberg getting angry and naturally didn't dare to make a sound, obediently following his footsteps.

  It should be said that Ji Xie was quite meticulous and quickly grasped Yu Cai's speed, sliding with her at a moderate pace. Yu Cai smiled wryly, wondering what Ji Shu Fan would think if he saw this scene.

  After everyone had a good time, they casually ate something at a nearby restaurant and then took a taxi straight to the amusement park.

  Yu Cai wasn't interested in these, played a few simple ones, and then stood aside to watch several boys play. Qiao Jia was slightly better than Yu Cai, but she also didn't dare to try the truly thrilling ones, so she stood together with Yu Cai to watch them play.

  "I heard there's a nice pedestrian street around here, want to go take a look later?"

  "Uh, guys shouldn't like shopping, right?"

  "Some boys also like it, why don't we ask them?"

  "Suit yourself," Yu Cai said without objection.

  When the boys came down, Qiao Jia rushed to Mo Fei's side and asked if he wanted to go shopping. Mo Fei naturally inquired about the opinions of several other boys.

  Qī Shì and Hé Fēi Yúán both remained silent, but He Qí had originally intended to refuse, however under the pressure of Mò Fēi's gaze, he agreed.

  Because they set off early in the morning, after several boys played enough, it was only two o'clock in the afternoon, so several people went to stroll around the nearby pedestrian street.

  This street is mostly girls' accessories, clothes and toys. Qiao Jia strolled with relish, Yu Cai didn't want to buy much but still looked at them with a pleasant mood. Mo Fei naturally had the demeanor of a gentleman, patiently accompanying Qiao Jia. Ji Shi still had no expression, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking. He Qi deserved his reputation as an eight trigrams master, looking even happier than Qiao Jia and occasionally suggesting that she try on this or look at that. As for Fei Yuan Fan, although he didn't show much on the surface, Yu Cai still keenly discovered that his expression seemed to be growing more distant.

  "Fei Yuanfan, does your family have any younger sisters or cousins? You can pick a gift to bring back for them."

  Fei Yuan Fan shook his head, and Yu Cai couldn't tell if he was saying that there were no younger sisters at home or if he just didn't want to bring them. So, plucking up her courage, she said another sentence: "Actually, take a look at this, your mom should like it."

  Fei Yuanfan picked up the hairpin in her hand and took a look. "My mom doesn't seem to have worn anything like this before."

  "So you should buy it for her. Last time I bought a scarf for my mom, she wears it every day, no matter if it matches with her clothes or not, and my dad teases her about it every day."

  Fei Yuanfan's heart was moved by Yu Cai's words, and Yu Cai continued to persuade him, "People all say that sons are not as close to their parents as daughters, but if a son can be close to his parents, they will be even more touched."

  Fei Yuanfan smiled and said, "You should go sell things."

  "I sold it last year and in fact I proved to be very suitable for this industry".

  Fei Yuanfan's smile deepened, and he lowered his head again to look at the flowers. "My mom seems to like green ones, can you help me pick one?"

  Yu Cai immediately happily helped her pick it up, and while picking it up, she raised her head with a smile and asked Fei Yuanfan for his opinion.

  Always keeping an eye on the eight directions, Mo Fei poked He Qi and pointed at Yu Cai and Fei Yuan Fan. At this time, Yu Cai was holding a light green thing and comparing it to her own head, asking for Fei Yuan Fan's opinion.

  How come you're so outdated, "you don't fit in here, too old-fashioned".

  "The dress was chosen by Fang's mother for him, I think it's quite good, quite elegant."

  "What about me? Shouldn't I also choose one for my mom?"

  "If you want to show your filial piety, just choose one, it's also idle if you don't."

  "What should I choose?"

  "Weren't you quite experienced when you chose Qiao Jia just now?"

  "My mom is different from Qiao Jia!"

  Yu Cai nodded, "Or you wait a bit, I'll pick some for Fei Yuanfan to take a look. Or let Qiao Jia help, she should understand better than me."

  He nodded, watching her continue to pick out accessories for Fei Yuanfan. After a while, Fei Yuanfan made his selection, and Yu Cai thought back to He Mu's appearance. "I think your mom is the type of strong career woman, these cheaper decorations would actually affect her temperament. Why don't you choose a hairpin that holds up your hair? It's not visible when it's tied up, but it looks great with your hair up, and it gives off a more mature vibe."

  What he saw was that she spoke with great reason and logic, so he couldn't help but nod his head in agreement. "Then can you take a look for me?"

  Qiao Jia heard the noise and asked "He Qi, what are you going to buy?"

  "Yu Cai suggested I buy a hair clip for my mom."

  "Let me help you take a look, my mom also likes to bun her hair, it looks more neat and tidy, and it's also good-looking when bunned up."

  Yu Cai was also a bit reserved, originally ready to let the salesperson recommend, but seeing Qiao Jia speak up, she happily retreated to the side. Seeing Fei Yuanfan seriously looking at the section for adult women, she didn't bother to chat with him either, and retreated to Ji Shizhen's side. Suddenly remembering that Ji Shizhen must be uncomfortable seeing them all choose accessories for their mothers, she hastily said, "Ji Shizhen, do you have any sisters or cousins? Do you want me to help pick out a gift for them?"

  He shook his head like a sail in the distance, and Yu Cai still couldn't judge, so he continued to ask, "Nothing?"

  Qī shì zhī diǎn tóu, yù cǎi xīn yī héng, hòu zhe liǎn pí dào, "zhè yàng, wǒ zhè ge biǎo jiě miǎn qiáng jiè nǐ shǐ shǐ, lái bāng wǒ xuǎn yī gè".

  Translation:

  She nodded slightly, her eyes scanning horizontally, and with a thick face said, "Like this, I'll reluctantly lend you my cousin to help me pick one."

  Yu Cai finally understood Qi Shu Fan's suffering and followed a group of children out, her heart was almost broken into pieces.

  Qī shì zhī diǎn tóu, yù cǎi shuài xiān xiàng shǒu liàn fāngxiàng zǒu qù, "wǒ zhèng xiǎng zhe xià tiān yào dào le, yào mǎi gè shǒu liàn dài dài, nǐ bāng wǒ kàn kan".

  Translation:

  Qī nodded and Yù Cǎi led the way in the direction of the hand chain store. "I was just thinking that summer is coming, I want to buy a hand chain to wear, can you help me take a look?"

  Yu Cai tried one by one, and Qi Shi shook her head in unison. Finally, Yu Cai couldn't help but doubt, "Qi Shi, with so many, you really can't find one that you like? I think this one is pretty good."

  Cheap

  Cheap? Yu Cai has collapsed, please note that it's only 2002 now, a bracelet is over sixty dollars cheap? If in the past, her clothes didn't even cost over sixty dollars.

  "Uh, let me think about it, this is already quite expensive, just a wrist chain, how much do you think it's worth?"

  Qíshì silently looked at her and said, "You said so yourself."

  Yu Cai Zheng was about to refute, but suddenly found himself saying something similar, weakly, "But I was referring to He Auntie, can I compare with her? Alright, just choose one of these for me".

  Qī shì zhī mò rán, yù cǎi ná qǐ yī chuàn qiān lán sè de tào dào shǒu wàn shàng, cháo tā yáng zhe liǎn xiào, "nǐ kàn zhè gè, zhēn de hěn bù cuò la!"

  Translation:

  Qish released a silent sigh, Yucai picked up a string of pale blue beads and put them on her wrist, turned to him with a smile, "Look at this, it's really not bad!"

  Qī shì zhī shēn shǒu qù mō nà chuàn shǒu liàn shàng de jīng shí, sì hū xiǎng yán jiū nà dào dǐ shì bù rú nà me lí jiàn.

  "What's wrong?"

  Yu Cai followed the sound and looked over, only to see that the ones who had just entered the store were her aunt and a younger version of her uncle, "Auntie, what brings you here?"

  Luckily Yu Cai reacted quickly, so that voice of Little Uncle didn't get called out, at this time she should still not recognize him.

  Xiao Yi's expression changed from surprise to gloom, and Yu Cai suddenly realized that her attitude towards Qi Shi just now seemed a bit too intimate, so she hastily took off her bracelet and walked past Qi Shi towards the entrance of the store.

  Ji Shi reacted and nodded slightly, politely calling out "Auntie".

  Little aunt nodded and looked at Yu Cai with an unpleasant expression.

  Yu Cai Chao's future uncle nodded with a smile, "Little aunt, who is this?"

  "Ah, I see, your little aunt often mentions you, I'm a classmate of your little aunt."

  Yu Cai smiled and said, "No need to be polite, (White Horse Prince)".

  Uncle smiled and said, "You're overpraising me, Cinderella."

  "Uh." (Actually, I'm Snow White.)

  "I'm sorry, Miss Bai, nice to meet you."

  At this time, He Qi and several others also heard the noise and came over to greet them. After exchanging pleasantries, they continued to select goods while secretly paying attention to the commotion here.

  Auntie's face turned even uglier, and she said in a low voice, "Azai, come out with me first."

  Yu Cai had no choice but to follow her out, and as soon as they left the store, Auntie said sternly, "I just called your mom yesterday, she said you're busy studying and don't have time to go home. Is this what you call being busy with studies?"

  "Uh, Little Auntie, listen to me..."

  "Look at the state you're in, not coming home on Sunday, going out with a big group of people and even playing all the way to xx city. What's going on with that boy just now? You two seem to have a very unusual relationship."

  "No, you misunderstood..."

  "It's better to be misunderstood. Normal communication with classmates is fine, but don't get too close. Girls who are too flirtatious will be looked down upon. Be more mindful of your words and actions in the future!"

  Auntie's words were quite serious, and Yu Cai immediately blushed, "Little Aunt..."

  "Does your mom know you're like this in school? The chain on your hand earlier wasn't worth a hundred, but at least eighty. Was it given to you by someone or did you buy it yourself? Your mom didn't work hard for her money so you could spend it like that!"

  Yu Cai saw that her aunt's words were getting heavier and heavier, and her eyes began to feel sour. She didn't give herself a chance to speak, and she couldn't argue with her either...

  "And these clothes of yours, are they from a specialty store? Where did you get the money? Does your mom know about it? Never mind, just go for now. Next week I'll have time to visit your school and understand the situation." Seeing Yu Cai's red eyes, her aunt seemed to be somewhat reluctant, beckoned her uncle who was not far away to come over, patted Yu Cai's shoulder, and the two of them walked together. Her uncle turned back to comfort her with a smile, and Yu Cai nodded slightly in response with a weak smile.

  In the distance, Zixuan and others pointed to a McDonald's. Yucai quickly ran to the restroom at McDonald's, washed her face, looked in the mirror for a long time, and made sure that no one else could see anything unusual about herself before slowly walking out. As soon as she entered the hall, she saw Zixuan and others sitting around a table with a large pile of food on it.

  Qiao Jia got up first, "Yu Cai, are you okay?"

  Yu Caila sat down in the chair she had left for herself, smiled and said, "It's nothing, but the good girl image I've been working hard to build for 15 years is ruined."

  Qiao Jia didn't know how to react to such an answer, so she sat down and smiled slightly. Yu Cai shrugged her shoulders, "Actually, it's nothing much, after being a good girl for so long, I'm really tired of it, it's time to transform into a rebellious beauty in her youth".

  He Qiming burst out laughing, "Still a beautiful girl? You're flattering yourself too much!"

  Yu Cai Hu made a random gesture with her hands and smiled, "I'll represent the moon and eliminate you all!"

  The few people below laughed even harder, and Fei Yu Fan also curled up the corners of his mouth.

  After laughing, He Qi said with a smirk, "What's the big deal about classmates going out to play together? Besides, A Shi is still with you, your family is too strict."

  "No choice, girls' families always have to be stricter, He Qi, this time I'm really being taken advantage of by you, emotional distress fee!"

  "What's it got to do with me? Don't they all go together?"

  "I was doing fine in school, but you guys kept shouting one after another and got me scolded. Don't think I don't know it's all your doing, probably because you're not happy seeing me having a good time?"

  "What's so natural that you don't dare to take it out, just bear this not-so-unfair black pot. 'Alright, I'm wrong, how do you want me to compensate?'"

  Yu Cai thought for a moment, "Next Monday before early reading, run three laps around the statue in the square, shouting 'I'm a fool' while running, and Mo Fei is responsible for supervision".

  He was stunned, and subconsciously wanted to refuse. Yu Zaiyou opened his mouth, "I just want this as compensation. If you can't do it, then forget it. Let my fragile heart be disappointed!"

  Qiao Jia started teasing, Mo Fei couldn't help but join in, and even Fei Yuanfan began to chime in. The atmosphere suddenly became lively and noisy. Yu Cai secretly let out a sigh of relief, thinking that it was indeed exhausting to go out with these kids... and she would have to take the blame too.