Reborn veteran, lying flat since high school

"Leilei, let's go to the square tonight. I heard there's a fountain when they play music."

Jiang Ruoxi shook Zhang Lei's arm and pleaded.

She didn't want to go home early; she was extremely bored and probably didn't have many friends to hang out with. Ever since Zhang Lei's family moved to Yongquan Hutong, it had become Jiang Ruoxi's first choice.

"Tomorrow, I can't go with you today."

Zhang Lei's troubled expression was almost palpable; she was afraid Jiang Ruoxi wouldn't notice.

"Huh? Does it have to be tomorrow?"

"I really have something to do later."

"Do your parents want to talk to you about your grades?"

"Hmm...more or less, but it could be something else, I'm not sure."

Zhang Lei gave a vague answer.

To Jiang Ruoxi, "maybe something else" meant that Zhang Lei's parents were talking to her about things other than grades.

The cleverness of Zhang Lei's language lies in confusing the subject.

She knew perfectly well that the other person wasn't her parents, but rather someone she was going to have dinner with Tang Yisheng.

Hey, Tang Yisheng.

Isn't it more important than accompanying Jiang Ruoxi to Quancheng Square?

Isn't it more important than talking to my parents about my younger brother Zhang Xu?

It should be noted that this was Tang Yisheng who organized the meeting to introduce himself to Wang Min, his deskmate from Class 6. Wang Min was definitely not Tang Yisheng's girlfriend.

Wang Min wants to transfer to the humanities class, and Tang Yisheng introduces her to him. What does that mean?

What if Wang Min and the others think that she has a very good and intimate relationship with Tang Yisheng?

Although it was just a guess in her mind, even the slightest possibility of being "misunderstood" by others made Zhang Lei's innocent little heart pound with excitement.

Jiang Ruoxi is still too inexperienced.

Zhang Lei used her parents as a shield, so even if she wanted to drag Zhang Lei along, she could only helplessly postpone it until tomorrow.

Tonight is another incredibly boring night, and I'm still quite far from Tang Shuai Ge.

Ugh.

Jiang Ruoxi was escorted out of the courtyard by Zhang Lei. She saw that the door of the east wing was tightly closed and General Tongsuo was blocking her way. She pursed her lips in resentment.

That bad guy!

He's back but doesn't stay home. What's he doing running around in this sweltering heat?

Chatting with Zhang Lei was just a temporary measure; Jiang Ruoxi actually quite enjoyed bickering and arguing with Tang Yisheng.

Jiang Ruoxi felt empty inside, having not seen a single living person since the holiday began.

If she hadn't learned yesterday that Tang Yisheng was back and eaten two steamed buns for dinner, she might have really thought that her poor appetite was because the weather was too lively.

"Leilei, aren't you going back?"

Seeing Zhang Lei see her off at the alley entrance, Jiang Ruoxi asked in surprise.

"It's almost lunchtime, I need to go to the shop to help out."

"Oh, then you should go ahead. I'll come over to visit you tomorrow afternoon."

"Don't forget to bring Jeff Chang's cassette tape; let's listen to it together tomorrow."

"I remember, don't worry."

Jiang Ruoxi waved her hand and walked north.

Zhang Lei stood there watching Jiang Ruoxi's figure disappear at the end of the alley, and finally secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn't want Jiang Ruoxi to go with her to Tang Yisheng's appointment.

The two sisters spend every day together sharing their innermost thoughts, and Jiang Ruoxi always talks more than Zhang Lei.

Given how handsome Tang Yisheng was, Zhang Lei subconsciously didn't want Jiang Ruoxi to have much contact with him.

Who knows whether Tang Yisheng prefers someone as quiet as me or someone as lively as Jiang Ruoxi?

Judging from her behavior on her way to and from school in the past, Zhang Lei also felt some pressure.

It's rare that my family is neighbors with Tang Yisheng.

Tang Yisheng is transferring schools, and Jiang Ruoxi will almost never have the chance to see him again.

Zhang Lei didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Of course.

She actually went to her parents' shop.

Not only do they not help out in the evening, but they also don't eat dinner at home; they always have to let them know.

As for his younger brother Zhang Xu, he's got a mouth and legs, so he definitely won't go hungry.

……

Tang Yisheng went to the Galaxy Securities lobby in the afternoon.

I got back to the courtyard half an hour before the agreed time for our barbecue.

Zhang Lei was carrying a tin kettle and scooping water from the spring.

The spring water is drinkable, and when boiled, it also makes a unique tea.

"Let me help you."

Tang Yisheng leaned over and reached out to take the pot, inevitably making direct contact with Zhang Lei's elbow, forearm, and the back of her hand.

"I can do it myself."

"Girls shouldn't try to be strong blindly, especially in front of boys."

"ha?"

Zhang Lei was stunned.

"Not giving me a chance to shine makes it seem like we're too distant."

Does it look familiar?

When did this happen?

Have we gotten to the point where we have to fetch and boil water for the family?

Zhang Lei suddenly realized that this sounded like the everyday life of a married couple, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"You're quite the talker."

"That's because you don't understand yet. We can do more than just talk."

"Besides talking, what else can you do?"

"Still got some energy?"

Tang Yisheng scooped two ladles of water, filled the tin kettle, and lifted it with one hand.

To be honest, his small frame and arms still need some exercise; they're quite thin.

If you don't look closely, you can't even see the bulge in your biceps.

Tang Yisheng's arm trembled slightly. Just a second before he was about to lose control and lift the arm, he stood up and changed the way he was holding it.

I definitely need to pick up my fitness routine again.

Let's start by buying a set of dumbbells.

Zhang Lei's makeshift kitchen for boiling water and heating food was located at the entrance of the storage room in the northeast corner.

Tang Yisheng helped carry it over and placed it on the coal stove.

"Just call me when you're boiling water, and I'll ride my bike and take you there."

"Are you really going?"

"We agreed on this yesterday, how can you change your mind? You can't back out now, it would make me lose face."

"Oh, then, let's wait until the water boils before we leave."

A girl's feigned modesty.

He clearly sent Jiang Ruoxi away beforehand just to wait for Tang Yisheng.

She was worried that Tang Yisheng was just talking nonsense and forgot to come and call her.

Now it's been 'installed' again.

It can only be said that girls' minds are complex and changeable. Zhang Lei, in her anxiety and fear of loss, was perhaps overthinking things.

Muslim Quarter, also known as Barbecue Street, is packed with people every summer night.

Among them, there are three famous barbecue shops in total, located in the front, middle and back. The one at the north entrance is called "Lao Ma's Barbecue", which is the place where the three little ones made their appointment.

When Tang Yisheng arrived at the shop with Zhang Lei on his bicycle, most of the white plastic tables and chairs outside were already occupied.

The fat man stood at the door, gazing into the distance and waiting.

Seeing Tang Yisheng and Zhang Lei walking side by side, a look of disappointment slowly flashed across his chubby face.

Zhang Lei and Tang Yisheng turned their heads to look at each other in tacit understanding and smiled at one another.

"Old Tang, table number 14 inside, why are you so late? It's been over fifteen minutes."

The fat man looked down, twisted the pager at his waist halfway around its casing, and showed Tang Yisheng the digital time displayed on the screen.

He was probably hoping Jiang Ruoxi would come, because he even tucked his pager, which he doesn't usually carry, into his waistband.

She was wearing white socks over her open-toed sandals.

It's clear the fat guy dressed up carefully, but he'd better not dress up anymore.

If your aesthetic sense is lacking, the more serious you are, the more disharmonious it looks.

It was incredibly awkward.

"Where's Wang Min? Has she arrived yet?"

"Hey Tang, you're ordering some skewers inside. Did you bring enough money today? Don't end up like you did last night..."

"Fatty."

"Um?"

"If you can't speak properly, then shut up and save your energy to eat a few more skewers."

Fatty: ...

Zhang Lei pursed her lips and stood gracefully beside Tang Yisheng, like a well-behaved and sensible appendage, or a dutiful and sensible wife.