Some of the more courageous boys in the class were finally inspired by their innate masculine courage and violence. They rushed forward, punching and kicking, roaring and cursing, venting the hatred that had accumulated over the past three years—hatred that they had never dared to express before but now seemed to have long forgotten or become numb to.
Xu Zhengyang was tired. He walked out of the crowd that was beating him, his face calm, and fastened his belt back around his waist.
"You're bleeding."
In the crowd, Li Bingjie, who always exuded a cold and aloof aura, making her instantly noticeable from afar, gently stepped forward. She took out a snow-white handkerchief, lightly wiped the bruise and bleeding wound near Xu Zhengyang's eye, and then placed the handkerchief in his hand. Li Bingjie withdrew her hand, a soft smile curving her lips, revealing a rare, melting smile on her otherwise unchanging iceberg.
The fleeting beauty of youth, like a brilliant star that never fades, is deeply embedded in the heart of young Xu Zhengyang, forever indelible.
Several people rode bicycles out of the school gate.
Xu Zhengyang felt a pang of heartache, sorrow, and reluctance. He knew that they might never have the chance to meet again. Three years had passed in the blink of an eye, slipping through his fingers just as he tried to grasp them. Looking back, he saw the girl standing beside a silver-gray sedan—a car Xu Zhengyang didn't even recognize at the time—a girl who remained forever as aloof and indifferent as an unmelting iceberg.
She was also watching Xu Zhengyang leave.
Xu Zhengyang gave the other person a bitter smile, turned his head away, and dared not look back again. He then rode his bicycle away at breakneck speed.
Suddenly I felt my eyes getting wet, and before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face, salty and sour.
He knew that he would never again have the chance to carry a schoolbag, step through the school gates, and experience student life. His youthful days had passed, leaving only an icy exterior and a deep, unyielding heart. He no longer wanted to lift the veil of secrecy within, to touch it, to even glance at it.
During my three years of junior high school, no one in my class knew that there was a disease in this world—autism.
It is certain that even Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie, the parties involved, were unaware that:
A sliver of a crack has appeared in Li Bingjie's completely withdrawn inner world.
However, Xu Zhengyang, whose inner world was completely normal, forcibly closed off a forbidden area he didn't want to open—his innocent memories—the moment he graduated and left the campus.
Volume 1, Land, Chapter 19: I Will Come to Find You
Silence—a silence so bland and easily becomes tiresome.
Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie stood there in the summer morning sun, around eight o'clock, quietly looking at each other.
Perhaps Xu Zhengyang's forbidden zone has been opened, and he is recalling the bits and pieces of the past; while Li Bingjie, for no apparent reason, stands there blankly, seemingly watching Xu Zhengyang, but in reality, she may not care who he is or what he means. What she sees and thinks seems to be never questioned or pondered by anyone.
Yao Chushun couldn't understand why these two, who looked like long-lost acquaintances, were just standing there in the blazing sun, staring at each other. Someone finally spoke up, and Yao Chushun realized what was going on. He quickly moved aside from the entrance and walked to a trash can near the wall, observing the couple with a bored expression.
He suddenly thought of a metaphor that he considered very apt: the story of the toad and the swan.
"How have you been all these years?" Xu Zhengyang finally broke the silence and asked softly, his voice tinged with bitterness.
Li Bingjie blinked, remained silent, and a rare look flashed across her ethereal eyes.
“Actually, um, I'm sorry, because my family's financial situation isn't good, so I didn't go to No. 1 High School. Yes, I didn't go to school anymore…” Xu Zhengyang wasn't embarrassed by Li Bingjie's indifferent silence. After all, Li Bingjie could only manage a few words a day, so Xu Zhengyang explained with a slight sense of guilt, “I was thinking of coming to see you, but I didn't have your address, um…”
Silence fell again. Li Bingjie remained aloof and indifferent, while Xu Zhengyang didn't know what to say next.
Yao Chushun was getting a little anxious, rubbing his hands together and shouting, "Zhengyang, give me a cigarette."
Xu Zhengyang took out the pack of cigarettes and tossed it to Yao Chushun by instinct. His gaze didn't even waver; he just looked at Li Bingjie calmly, with a hint of bitterness.
The driver of the Audi A8 had already gotten out of the car. A burly man stood a few meters away, calmly watching them, though a hint of surprise flickered in his piercing eyes.
The train station is bustling with people, and every now and then someone can't help but stop and glance in this direction.
At the exit not far away, a young man wearing sunglasses, with a short buzz cut, a black T-shirt, black and white striped shorts, and white sneakers, casually walked out, smoking a cigarette and carrying a black travel bag.
As soon as he stepped out of the station, he spotted the car, the driver, and Li Bingjie, who was as pure and beautiful as an iceberg.
Then, he saw Xu Zhengyang.
The young man paused for a moment, then took off his sunglasses. At twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he had sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and a rugged face. He rubbed his eyes, confirming he wasn't mistaken. Li Bingjie and the unfamiliar boy were indeed looking at each other, their gazes seemingly normal yet strangely intense.
The young man hurried over.
The driver saw the young man, his expression serious as he stepped forward to greet him, and said softly, "Young Master, it seems...it seems to be Miss's classmate from junior high school..."
"Oh." The young man continued walking.
"Just now, the young lady spoke to him..." the driver reminded her.
"What?" The young man stopped and stared at the driver in disbelief, asking, "Are you sure?"
The driver nodded very seriously.
"I understand." The young man quickly regained his composure, said calmly, and then slowly walked towards the two who were still staring at each other.
"Bingjie," the young man stepped forward and called softly.
Li Bingjie turned her head, glanced at the young man, her expression unchanged, and nodded slightly in a way that was difficult for anyone to notice.
"Hello, I'm Li Bingjie's brother, Li Binghe." The young man extended his right hand to Xu Zhengyang and politely asked, "May I ask who you are...?"
Xu Zhengyang snapped out of his daze, smiled, and extended his hand to shake hands with the other person: "Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie were junior high school classmates and old deskmates."
"Oh, hello, hello." Li Binghe's face showed a look of sudden realization, and he said with a smile, "I've heard of you. You and Bingjie were deskmates for three years."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and nodded.
"Come visit my home sometime," the young man said politely, already indicating that he was about to take his leave.
“Okay, no problem.” Xu Zhengyang, of course, could tell what was going on, and nodded in agreement.
Although he felt a pang of reluctance, he was also helpless. After all, anyone could see that Li Bingjie's family background was far from ordinary. She drove an Audi A8, had a personal chauffeur, and was driven to and from school every day during junior high—enough to demonstrate her family's wealth. Putting all that aside, given Li Bingjie's personality, a deeper relationship between the two was impossible. Besides, it was obvious that her brother didn't take him seriously.
But given Li Bingjie's personality, why would she talk to her family about her junior high school days?
How did her brother find out that he and Li Bingjie had been deskmates for three years?
Goodbye then.
"Goodbye." Xu Zhengyang nodded with a smile, then took another deep look at Li Bingjie.
Li Binghe took his sister's hand and said gently, "Bingjie, let's go."
Li Bingjie remained silent, her expression unchanged. Her beautiful eyes were still empty and lifeless. After hearing her brother's words, she turned and walked towards the car.
Xu Zhengyang felt a pang in his heart, as if he had been pricked by a needle, and silently gazed at the dreamlike figure.
Suddenly, Li Bingjie stopped, turned around, and looked at Xu Zhengyang with surprise, asking, "Where do you live?"
The sound was ethereal and otherworldly, like heavenly music, or like a thunderclap from a clear sky, deeply moving.
Li Binghe's body trembled violently. He turned his head and looked at his younger sister's stunningly beautiful face with disbelief. She, she was actually asking for the other person's home address.
Xu Zhengyang was also stunned.
Silence followed again, a bland silence that annoyed Yao Chushun.
A comfortable feeling flowed through his mind, and he felt a coolness in his right palm. The Jade Record appeared in his right hand. Xu Zhengyang, who was lost in thought, forgot to quickly take back the record.
Li Bingjie saw the pure and flawless jade stone, her ethereal eyes flickered, and she reached out her hand, saying, "Let me see it."
"Oh." Xu Zhengyang's mind went blank. He walked down the steps and handed the local recorder to Li Bingjie. The moment he let go, Xu Zhengyang found that the images and text that had been displayed on the local recorder disappeared instantly, as if they had never been displayed at all.
The driver and Li Binghe stared wide-eyed, utterly astonished. Li Bingjie was actually talking to this young man?!
Li Bingjie took the recorder, looked at it curiously for a while, then handed it back to Xu Zhengyang, saying, "This is very good."
"If you like it, I'll give it to you," Xu Zhengyang said without any hesitation.
He immediately regretted it after saying it. This thing couldn't be given away so easily! He was the local earth god, and this was an essential item for him, much like an official seal in ancient times. What if, in the future, a potential high-ranking official came to inspect and discovered that the local record was missing? What kind of punishment would he face?
Li Bingjie seemed to notice the reluctance and difficulty on Xu Zhengyang's face, so she put the jade into Xu Zhengyang's hand, turned around and walked to the car. The driver quickly stepped forward and opened the back door.
Xu Zhengyang looked embarrassed.
Li Binghe then took out paper and pen from his travel bag and said, "Xu Zhengyang, is that right? Give me your contact address."
"ah?"
Xu Zhengyang was taken aback for a moment, and Li Bingjie, who had already gotten into the car, suddenly said through the open window, "I'll look for you."
"Oh." Xu Zhengyang nodded in a daze, and the car window slowly closed.
"Tell me the address." Li Binghe sighed softly, his expression a mixture of surprise and absent-mindedness.
Xu Zhengyang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Number 96, Brigade 1, Shuanghe Village, Huaxiang."
"Where's the phone?"
"We don't have any at home."
"Phone number……"
"Sorry, I don't have a cell phone."
Li Binghe stared at Xu Zhengyang with a look of astonishment, as if he had seen an alien, then shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Oh, thank you. Let's keep in touch sometime."
After saying that, Li Binghe turned around and got into the car. The Audi A8 started up quickly and drove away from the station square.
Xu Zhengyang was lost in thought for a moment. He put away the local record in his hand, reached into his pocket for a cigarette, but found nothing. He then remembered that he had thrown it to Yao Chushun. He turned his head and saw Yao Chushun sitting on the steps against the inner wall, looking as if he were asleep. He looked like a beggar who had fallen on hard times.
Xu Zhengyang walked over, both amused and exasperated, and squatted down, asking, "Where's the cigarette?"
"Huh?" Yao Chushun opened his eyes, quickly took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Xu Zhengyang, then laughed and said, "Kid, that girl is really pretty, but her personality is too, too aloof."
"Okay, let's go, let's go to the waiting room to wait for the train." Xu Zhengyang didn't want to mention Li Bingjie anymore; he still felt a bitter feeling in his heart.
Looking back at the station square, I longed for that face, that graceful figure, to appear again.
However, the bustling crowd made Xu Zhengyang feel inexplicably that what had just happened was like a dream, and that this was the real world.
Volume One, Land, Chapter 20: Quite a Few Trivial Matters
There aren't many people traveling in the summer, and there are too many trains heading north to Beijing, so there are plenty of empty seats in the carriages of this train.
Yao Chushun didn't need to ask anyone to switch seats; he sat down opposite Xu Zhengyang.
His arrival caused the heavily made-up, gold-adorned middle-aged woman who had been sitting opposite Xu Zhengyang to leave with a mixture of helplessness and disgust, finding an empty seat some distance away. There was no way around it; Yao Chushun's appearance and attire were simply unbearable. Moreover, Xu Zhengyang strongly suspected that besides being lecherous and sleazy, Yao Chushun also had extremely avant-garde taste. Earlier, Yao Chushun had even been giving the middle-aged woman, who was no longer attractive but rather aged and somewhat frighteningly made-up, meaningful glances.
It's unclear whether Yao Chushun deliberately used this method to drive the older woman away, or if he simply had unique tastes.
Of course, Xu Zhengyang did not express any opinion on this. He was just extremely annoyed by the fact that he had run into Yao Chushun on this trip to Beijing by such a "fateful" coincidence.
The reason I had a headache was simply because sitting next to "Master Gu" was too conspicuous.
At this moment, Master Gu was enjoying a roast chicken. His hands were covered in grease, and his lips and beard were shiny with oil. Every now and then, he would pick up a beer bottle from the small table and gulp down a few mouthfuls. If it weren't for his cruel appearance, he would really have the heroic look of a Liangshan hero.
“Zhengyang, stop messing around with that junk, it’s boring! Come on, let’s drink and eat meat…” Yao Chushun said to Xu Zhengyang while gnawing on a chicken leg.
Xu Zhengyang ignored Yao Chushun's politeness, as he was focused on studying the functions of the dark blue Nokia 3310 mobile phone he had just bought.
While waiting for his train in the waiting hall of the train station, Xu Zhengyang thought it over and over. Li Binghe's look when he left made him feel quite inferior. Now that he was a rich man, how could he not get a mobile phone? So he made a decision on the spot, ran to the mobile phone store across from the train station, and spent more than 300 yuan to buy this phone.
Even Xu Zhengyang, who had never used a mobile phone before, knew that this phone was something that had been eliminated by the rapidly developing technological era.