Chapter 7 chapter Five

One late night, the girl met the boy again in a 24-hour comic shop. "Which manga are you reading?" the girl asked. The boy said, "The Seal of the Gods." "The drawing skills are brilliant." "Well. What about you? Which one are you reading?" The girl waved the book in her hand and said, "It's "Xiazi's Wine"." "Does it look good?" "I haven't started watching yet." "Well. Do you come here often?" the boy asked. "This store has only been open for a few days, how come you come here often? It's my first time here. What about you?"

"Me too," said the boy. "I've seen the manga you draw, it's very good." The girl said. "I'm not the main writer, I'm just an assistant." "It's also very rare. When I read the newspaper a while ago, your comic book club dropped bombs on people, didn't it?" "Yeah." The boy nodded, "That bomb was placed next to me. Fortunately, it was discovered early, otherwise, what you meet now may be a ghost, if we meet again." "Your eye bags seem to be getting bigger." "Yes, like a bubble-eyed goldfish."

The boy stood shyly.Finally, the girl said: "I'm leaving." "Oh." The boy nodded desolately. Before leaving, the girl turned her head and said: "If you want to call me, my phone number is still the same as before, 25280364." Then, she repeated: "25280364." Xu Yunxin sat on the side of the bed in astonishment, the day of the reunion was not like this.Her home phone number has changed.One night four days ago, Xu Yunxin turned on the radio and overheard Xia Xinju's program playing this skit.She listened, how similar was this story to hers?At first, she thought it was just a coincidence, but after listening to it for five days, the details of the two stories might be a little different, the ending was also revised, but the outline was the same.

Xu Yunxin picked up the phone and dialed the phone number mentioned by the girl in the play.The bell rang for a long time, and it was a girl who answered the phone.She heard the phone calls over there one after another, the girl who answered the phone was busy answering other calls, Xu Yunxin hung up the phone. For a moment, she thought it would be He Zukang who answered the phone. That year, Xu Yunxin participated in a comic competition and won fifth place.The award presentation ceremony was held at Planet Holly Wood, Tsim Sha Tsui.Zhong Yongqi took the first place, and He Zukang took the second place. The three of them were about the same age.Hammer Yongqi wore a pair of myopia glasses and was neatly dressed.He Zukang wore a pair of ripped jeans and a pair of dirty sneakers, looking a bit lonely.He has big bags under the eyes and is pale and childish.

There was a buffet after the awards ceremony, where she was picking food by herself, Zhong Yongqi walked up to her and struck up a conversation with her. "Your paintings are beautiful." Zhong Yongqi said. "Where is it? It can't compare with you at all." "Have you ever learned to draw?" "I learned to draw when I was a child. What about you?" "I started learning Western painting from my teacher when I was four years old." "It's amazing!" "Drawing comics is just for fun." Zhong Yongqi said. When chatting with Zhong Yongqi, Xu Yunxin's eyes were fixed on He Zukang.He Zukang picked food beside her.He was so strange, he just picked what people used to accompany the dishes.For example, the tomatoes and mangoes next to the lobster, the green peppers next to the roast chicken, and the rose carved from carrots next to the roast duck.

He Zukang sat down alone and ate the rose with great relish.Xu Yunxin couldn't help secretly laughing. He Zukang looked over here, Xu Yunxin pretended to be very enthusiastic chatting with Zhong Yongqi, she was deliberately attracting his attention. "Why don't we exchange phone calls and make an appointment to meet another day." Zhong Yongqi said. "Okay, I'll write to you." She wrote down the phone number in Zhong Yongqi's notebook. Xu Yunxin glanced at He Zukang secretly, but he still gnawed on his roses nonchalantly. At some point, He Zukang came over.

"I want your number." He blushed. "Where is it written?" she asked. There was nothing on him, only one hand was stretched out. "Write it here?" Xu Yunxin asked. He Zukang nodded. Xu Yunxin wrote the phone number in his palm. "Do you like playing badminton?" Zhong Yongqi next to him asked Xu Yunxin. "I like it." Xu Yunxin said. "Then let's play badminton another day." Zhong Yongqi said. He Zukang stood beside him, with his hands in his trouser pockets, looking at his own feet, looking a little lonely. "Which cartoonist do you like the most?" Xu Yunxin asked Zhong Yongqi. In fact, she wanted to ask He Zukang.

"Chishang Liaoyi." Zhong Shuiqi said. "Anda Chong." He Zukang said. "I also like Anda Chong." Xu Yunxin said. He Zukang smiled, looking very proud. When Xu Yunxin left Planet Hollywood, it was raining heavily outside. "Shall we take the car together?" Zhong Yongqi suggested. They boarded a bus, and Xu Yunxin was crowded on the lower deck.When the bus left the station, she saw He Zukang standing on the street without an umbrella, and he also saw her and Zhong Yongqi.She thought, if the rain is so heavy, will it wash away the phone number she wrote in his palm?

Maybe it really got washed away by the rain.He Zukang - never called her.She and Zhong Yongqi went out several times.Zhong Yongqi's grades in reading are very good, and his paintings are beautiful. He is also the school's badminton team, silver band and leader student. He is always confident, Xu Yunxin can ask him for any homework problems.He is always so enthusiastic to help his friends.He is very talkative, with him, there are endless topics to talk about. One day, Zhong Yongqi gave her an oil painting. "It was the first picture I drew when I was four years old." Zhong Yongqi said.

The painting is a beautiful starry sky.She couldn't believe it was drawn by a four-year-old.When she was four years old, she was still scribbling on the walls of her home. "Why did you give me such a precious thing?" Zhong Yongqi said shyly: "Because it is precious, I gave it to you." Xu Yunxin put the oil painting on the bedside.Gradually, she liked Zhong Yongqi a little bit. One night, she received a call from He Zukang. "I want to ask you to play badminton, do you want to go?" His tone sounded like an order. "Go." She seemed unable to refuse.

She didn't know how bad his skills were until the day he played badminton.He almost misses his serve and always fails to catch the ball. It was already dark when we left the gym.She asked: "Since you don't know how to play badminton, why did you ask me to play badminton?" He said in embarrassment: "Because he also asked you to play badminton." At that moment, Xu Yunxin's heart softened.The two of them walked with their heads down all the time, and neither of them spoke.Coming to a construction site surrounded by wooden boards, He Zukang took out a can of spray paint from his backpack. He asked Xu Yunxin: "Do you want to draw pictures?" "If the police see us, they will take us to the police station." Xu Yunxin said. He Zukang ignored her, took a look at the spray paint and graffiti on the wooden board. "No!" Xu Yunxin said anxiously beside her. He Zukang smiled and took out another can of spray paint from his backpack, stuffed it in Xu Yunxin's hand, and said, "I just beautify the environment." He Zukang sprayed out an abstract painting on the wooden board. He looked at Xu Yunxin and said, "Don't you dare?" "Who said that?" Xu Yunxin also imitated He Zukang to paint on wooden boards with spray paint. "Why did you only eat the side dishes on the day of the award ceremony?" Xu Yunxin asked. "I am a vegetarian." He Zukang said. "Why are you a vegetarian?" Xu Yunxin was surprised. "Because my family is vegetarian, I have been vegetarian since childhood." "No wonder you're so skinny." He Zukang raised his arms and said, "Although I am a vegetarian, I am also very strong. We are egg and milk vegetarians." "That is, you can eat eggs and drink milk?" "So, cake is my favorite." He sprayed a round cake on a wooden board with spray paint. When they were ecstatically graffiti, Xu Yunxin caught a glimpse of a policeman standing behind them at some point.He patted He Zukang on the shoulder quickly.He Zukang turned his head, startled. The policeman smiled and said: "You two draw well, maybe you will become painters in the future." Then, he turned and left. "What a strange policeman." Xu Yunxin muttered. "He may be an artist," He Zukang said. "I'm sorry, I'd better return this painting to you." In the park, Xu Yunxin returned the painting Zhong Yongqi had given him. "Why?" a trembling voice. "You should give it to another girl." "why?" "I'm not for you." "Why?" Zhong Yongqi pretended to be calm. "I'm happier with him." "Is it He Zukang?" Xu Yunxin nodded and said, "I am the same kind as him." "He just wanted to be brave." Zhong Yongqi said bitterly. Xu Yunxin defended He Zukang: "He is not this kind of person." She knew that He Zukang was not this kind of person.On the day they failed the exam, they hugged each other in the park and wept bitterly.She knew that they were the same kind.He Zukang joined the manga club as an assistant, and Xu Yunxin was forced by her family to repeat Form 5. It was a boarding school in Clear Water Bay, where she could only go out during holidays.She refused to go, preferring to work in a bakery.Working there, she can bring cakes to He Zukang every day. However, his favorite is the honey cake from Japan's "Minmingdo", which can only be bought at Mitsukoshi Department Store in Causeway Bay.Every time a salary is paid, she will buy it for him. "What do you want to do in the future?" In the autumn park, she snuggled up to him. "Become a cartoonist," he said. "Will you give me your first comic book? People's books are like this. The first page says: Dedicated to so-and-so." "Well, okay, dedicated to my dear Xu Yunxin." He Zukang said. She fell into his arms, fascinated by happiness for a moment. She thought this boy was going to extradite her to eternal bliss.Later, he began to dislike her, always finding fault with her.That day, there was a heavy thunderstorm outside, and she was reading comics at his house.He said: "I want to rush the draft, you go back." "Can I stay here with you?" she said pitifully. "You'd better go home." "I won't get in your way. By the way, I'll go buy honey cake and come back and eat together?" "whatever." She went out to buy cakes under an umbrella.When she came back with the cake, all soaked, he was gone. At midnight, He Zukang came back with a toothpick in his mouth. "Where have you been?" she asked. "A friend asked me to go out for dinner." He avoided her gaze. "Is it a girl?" She asked bitterly. He didn't answer. "Girls often come to you recently!" He didn't speak. She threw the honey cake hard on the ground and cried, "Why did you do this to me!" He is silent. "You're with me to show off your strength, right?" He squatted down, trying to loosen the laces of his sneakers. "Since you don't like me, why do you want to snatch it from others!" She sat on the ground, tugging at his shoelaces. He had to go to loosen the lace of the other shoe, but she kept pulling at the lace of the other shoe with her free hand. She sobbed while pulling his shoelaces with both hands, and he was forced to sit on the ground with her as she pulled his shoelaces. "You don't love me at all!" she whimpered. "You'll find someone better than me," he said. "But I won't buy him honey cake again," she said. For many years, she has not bought honey cakes for the boys around her. Then one morning, she met Zhong Yongqi in Starbucks.He's buying takeaway coffee, and she's sipping a mango Frappuccino. She took the initiative to call him. "long time no see." Zhong Yongqi was a little surprised. "How are you?" she asked. "And you?" "I'm studying at the Academy of Fine Arts." "Really? I'm admitted to university. I study architecture." He raised his head slightly, as if to show off to her.Then, he asked, "Where's your boyfriend? That big eye bag—" "We broke up," she said. With a gloating expression, he said: "Really? What a pity." She stood there, embarrassed.Yes, he has the right to insult her, who told her to be so stupid to choose He Zukang between him and He Zukang? "I'm leaving." Zhong Yongqi said, "My girlfriend is waiting for me outside." She watched Zhong Yongqi walk out with two cups of takeaway coffee.A girl with short hair, wearing jeans, and a few books in her hand was waiting for him outside.Are they college classmates?Only a few years ago, Zhong Yongqi lived a different life. That night, she received a call at home from Zhong Yongqi. "Is your phone number still the same as before? When I called, I was worried that it had been changed." Zhong Yongqi said. "No, it hasn't changed. What do you want from me?" "Can I come out and meet?" "There is a ramen shop near my house, let's meet there." "I'm sorry today, I shouldn't have talked to you in that manner." Zhong Yongqi said while eating noodles. "Do you still hate me?" "It's just that I was very unwilling to lose to him that day. But, I have no right to blame you." "Do all men like to be brave?" "Men don't have games, only games." "Don't you think this is cruel?" He nodded apologetically: "But, this is nature." "Ri, I understand." "I hope you don't blame me." "It's a little bit. You got the upper hand this morning; I was going to come out and scold you. But since you apologize, then forget it. Are you and your girlfriend classmates?" "Not from the same university." "It looks like a good match." He smiled shyly. Looking at Zhong Yongqi, she thought, if she chose him that day, would her fate be different? Then one day, when she was leaving school, she saw the girl who was with Zhong Yongqi walking hand in hand with a boy. They were very intimate, like a couple.Isn't that boy Wang Riyu from the class next door? Zhong Yongqi's girlfriend is more than one boyfriend, right? It turned out that Zhong Yongqi was not necessarily happier than her. However, she did not gloat.If she had to choose again, she would still choose He Zukang.After making a decision, people always wonder whether another decision will be better.But, who knows? After class that day, in the corridor of the art school, the students were discussing her story; of course, they didn't know it was her story.Xu Yunxin heard that the script was written by Yu Baozheng.That night, after the last episode aired, a lot of people called the number the girl said, which was actually the manga club. Who would have thought that there are so many lonely people in this city? She walked up to Yu Baozheng and told her: "When I saw him again in the comic shop, my phone number had changed." Yu Baozheng was too surprised to speak.Xu Yunxin glanced at Wang Riyu who was standing next to Yu Baozheng, and smiled at him.Wang Riyu didn't quite understand what she meant.She didn't need him to understand at all. In the 24-hour comic shop that day, Xu Yunxin lowered her head and accidentally discovered that the sneakers on He Zukang's feet had no laces, and were made with Velcro. "Aren't you wearing sneakers with laces?" she asked. He shrugged and said, "With these sneakers, you won't get your laces pulled." After a while of silence, she finally said: "I'm leaving." When she turned around, he suddenly shouted from behind: "you--" She turned her head and waited for him to speak. "It's nothing." He said shyly. Her phone number was changed only last week.In the past four years, she has moved three times, and she has kept the old phone number. She just changed it, but reunited with him who hadn't seen him for four years. If he asked her tonight: "Is your phone number still the same as before?" She would smile and write the new number in his palm.But, he didn't ask after all. Did he expect her to speak like in the play, and even changed the original ending?In his hesitant gaze, was there any thought and regret?