Chapter 2 Chapter 1 In that year, my bet with you

On June 15, 1990, Li Li, who was sitting in the school auditorium waiting for the grade meeting, was patted on the shoulder by someone in the back row, and she turned her head. Pei Shangxuan with thick eyebrows and big eyes asked with a smile: "Li Li, who do you think will win the Hercules Cup?" On June 8, the World Cup in Italy kicked off.Li Li was not interested in football at first, but her uncle was a football fan. Since the beginning of the World Cup, she has been in a state of inexplicable excitement. She turned on the alarm clock in the middle of the night to watch the football.

Li Li was woken up by the alarm clock, and when she woke up, she found that her arm had been bitten several times by mosquitoes, which was extremely itchy.She walked to the kitchen in a daze to get toilet water, and saw her little uncle playing with the black and white 14-inch TV. She walked over to help, yawned and tilted the antenna down, and the picture really became clear.The little uncle, who is not yet married, is usually no older than her, and when she wakes up, he drags her to watch it together.So Li Li sat down and watched the live broadcast of the first football match in her life, Argentina vs. Cameroon.

Argentina is the defending champion. The little uncle pointed to the short man on the screen who was constantly being brought down by the Cameroonians, and told Li Li in an excited tone that he was the world champion Maradona, and then angrily accused the African of brutal fouls.She glanced at the painful expression of the man who fell on the court, and remained indifferent. Anyway, she couldn't sleep anymore, so Li Li took the language books from the room, and recited the ancient prose that she was going to write silently in a few days.She glanced at the TV occasionally, not understanding how a dull game could make her little uncle so excited.

Then, the commentator Song Shixiong's sharp voice reached Li Li's ears: "Kaniggia, the son of the wind, will replace Ruggieri." Son of the Wind?The title is kind of interesting.She raised her head, and the slender and handsome man on the sidelines caught her gaze. The next day, Li Li looked through the "Weekly Radio and Television News" to find out the replay time of the football game, and turned on the color TV to watch the replay of the opening game.She saw him, with flowing blond hair, a blue and white team uniform, and a light and flexible movement... He really deserves the nickname "Son of the Wind".

From then on, I fell in love with football, fell in love with Argentina, a deep-rooted love.She is not easily tempted, but once she likes it, she will last forever. Li Li looked at Pei Shangxuan's well-featured face and spit out six words: "Of course it's Argentina." "I guess it's Germany." The boy was in high spirits, with a wide grin and a dazzling smile.Li Li turned back without saying a word, saying different ways and not conspiring with each other. Pei Shangxuan patted her on the shoulder again, and she had no choice but to turn her head away again. "Do you want to make a bet? I bet on Germany." He was full of confidence, as if he was sure of winning.

Li Li didn't quite understand what happened to Pei Shangxuan today, and why he had to argue with himself on this issue.She sits at the same table with him every three weeks, and otherwise has no interaction. Li Li's class is different from other classes. She has a head teacher who likes to be creative.In order to prevent unnecessary emotional entanglements caused by men and women sitting at the same table for too long, the head teacher came up with a way to rotate the same table every week. Li Li didn't take it seriously, but she was used to using a mask of obedience to cover up her indifferent heart.She didn't care who was sitting next to her, and no one would care about her anyway.So she felt that Pei Shangxuan's behavior was quite abnormal.

"I bet on Argentina." She said slowly, before she had time to ask him what the bet was. The grade leader's stern voice announcing the start of the meeting, accompanied by the sharp whistle of the microphone, hit the eardrums, and she covered her ears and turned around. On July 8, Argentina lost to Germany in the final, and Li Li's favorite "Zonda" was suspended.The director cut a close-up shot of Caniggia, his lonely eyes are unforgettable. Li Li also lost to Pei Shangxuan, and when he returned to school during the summer vacation, he was proud of his victory while copying her summer homework.Not to be outdone, she raised her eyebrows and said, "I don't remember us talking about bets."

Pei Shangxuan was taken aback, annoyed by this mistake.He tilted his head to look at Li Li, and then smiled: "Well, just remember that you owe me a bet." She owed this bet for fifteen long years. Thirteen and a half-year-old Li Li is a girl with low self-esteem.She was not good-looking, and her family also said that she was "ugly". As time passed, Li Li's sadness about her appearance turned into complete indifference, which seemed to be a bit of a mess.In the past, she didn't understand why the aunts in the kindergarten always played with the latest toys for other children, and the boys in elementary school always helped other girls with manual labor. It was only after she entered junior high school that she realized that everyone has a heart for beauty.

She no longer hid and cried aggrievedly, but grinned widely and forcefully, even though it was pouring rain in a corner of her heart. Li Li's academic performance is very good, and the throne of the first grade has never fallen into the hands of others.Before the first exam in the first grade of elementary school, the little uncle helped her review math, patted her head and said, "Xiao Li, if a girl is not pretty, she must find a way to become smarter, otherwise no one will really want her in the future. " She half understood, since her uncle wanted her to be a smart girl, she did it seriously.

Li Li came from her mother's surname, and her father divorced her mother before she had a clear memory.Her mother, Li Meiqing, took her back to her natal family and changed her surname.Once, Li Li got out of her uncle's mouth that her biological father's surname was Liu, and her original name was Liu Li. She couldn't find any traces of her father at home, Li Meiqing erased all traces, but Li Li was still in front of her eyes.After entering middle school, Li Li often thought that she might be the thorn in her mother's heart, reminding her of her failed marriage all the time, but she couldn't get rid of this burden.From this she deduced another possibility: Does that father who has no memory hate her more than Li Meiqing?

Children with low self-esteem are generally more sensitive and precocious than their peers, Li Li is like this.At school she danced rubber bands with the other girls, arguing about which one of the Little Tigers was more handsome, whispering that a certain boy likes a certain girl, laughing the loudest, and looking as innocent as a silly girl her age two.However, Li Li never smiled when she was out of everyone's sight. The class (4) she is in is the class of the famous beauties in the grade. Some good people have secretly selected "the flower of the grade", and several of them are in Li Li's class.The attractiveness of the beautiful girl is astonishing. In the election of class cadres, she was elected by a high number of votes without exception, and she took on such bright and easy positions as class leader, organization committee member, and literary and art committee member. The position of the study committee member was also easily taken away by the weak Qiu Yuerong who said "I don't want to be a labor committee member". Li Li smiled generously and worked hard as a labor committee member.This is a hard job. Every day, I have to watch the students on duty clean the classroom before going home.It's okay to meet girls who are on duty, but boys always try to sneak away as soon as get out of class is over, and she chased and blocked her more than once or twice.During the school cleaning, she, the labor committee member, spent a long time mobilizing the boys on the podium with eloquence, which was not as good as the beautiful class monitor's words. Before making a bet with Pei Shangxuan in mid-June, Li Li wrote a letter of resignation, resigning from the position of the class labor committee member, causing quite a stir in this school that has only been built for 30 years.Her class teacher Tao Haijuan, who likes to be unconventional, was very excited when she saw the words "resignation letter", and immediately circulated it in the office, even the principal was alarmed. The labor committee official said that it was not big, that is, he wore the two bars of the squadron leader on his left arm; It's true, and the school has records.So this matter got into a lot of discussion at the end, and Li Li was invited into the principal's office. The benevolent principal Shen smiled like the Maitreya Buddha that grandma took Li Li to worship in the temple. She sat upright on the sofa in the principal's office with her hands clasped on her knees. Principal Shen took her resignation letter and first praised her for her beautiful handwriting.Li Li raised her head and grinned, saying that it was the credit of her little uncle for urging her to practice calligraphy. Before talking to Li Li, Principal Shen asked Tao Haijuan to find out about Li Li's situation.For a girl under the age of fourteen, resignation is a term belonging to the adult world. Looking at the ugly girl who smiled unscrupulously, it was hard for the gentle principal not to be shocked by the coldness in those eyes.He kindly asks her why she is determined to resign. "Make the best use of everything, someone is more appealing than me." Li Li said lightly, "And, it's boring." "Then, what's the most interesting thing to do?" Children in the rebellious stage don't like anything. The index fingers of her left and right hands are circling around each other. She lowered her head and played happily, and answered calmly: "Principal, this is a matter of self-confidence. At this stage, my self-personality has not been fully finalized. I don't want my future life I lived without self-confidence. Continuing to be a class cadre will only make me more and more frustrated, and then form an inferiority complex.” Principal Shen was really dumbfounded. Is this what a first-year junior high school student would say? Li Li walked out of the principal's office and found Pei Shangxuan standing at the end of the corridor, drawing something on the concrete floor with his toes.She hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the same table who only sat together once a month. With Pei Shangxuan's height, sitting in the third row of the classroom is actually very awkward, and his vision in both eyes is 1.5.Every time Li Li changed to sit at the same table with him, she would always slander him for being such a person who doesn't love learning. Sitting in the front row of the classroom is simply an insult to the teacher. Pei Shangxuan is considered an outlier, his studies are so-so, but he can win the favor of every teacher.It's useless for Li Li to be unconvinced, because this boy belongs to the good-looking type. More than once, she heard girls discussing in private which boy was the most handsome in the grade, and every time she heard someone nominate Pei Shangxuan.She was not very impressed with this tablemate who only took turns every three weeks, but after listening to other people's comments and looking at him again, she actually became more and more pleasing to the eye. "Pei Shangxuan, what are you doing here?" Li Li walked up to him, raised her face slightly and spoke. "That, that, is it because of me that you resigned?" the boy stammered, his eyes flickering. Li Li was startled, and couldn't help but wonder where he came to the conclusion. "Hey, you think too much of yourself." Resign for him?Stop laughing! Pei Shangxuan seemed to be relieved, but he was still muttering: "Last time you caught me as a student on duty, but I escaped. I thought you were angry because of this." If he didn't mention it, Li Li completely forgot about it.She grinned, clenched her fist and punched him on the chest, and laughed and said: "I forgot, now I think about it, I have to beat you up." "I don't make up when it's outdated." Pei Shangxuan turned around and ran down the stairs, and made a "V" sign to her. A boy like Pei Shangxuan is destined to become a famous figure in the school, of course it refers to aspects other than academic performance. Most students admire two types of people: the first type is outstanding in reading, their minds are ridiculously good, making people wish they were born a year later than the other party to avoid taking the exam together; Calling brothers and sisters "bad" together.In contrast, the second type of people is more popular because of the subconscious resistance of young men and women in the rebellious period to conformity. When Pei Shangxuan entered the school, he had a fight with senior seniors.Almost every school has some bad students who like to bully and blackmail juniors.Due to the disadvantage of body, ordinary students would obediently be bullied, but Pei Shangxuan didn't care, and fought with the opponent. Although he was flattened to the point of glory, he became famous because of this fight. He is a famous figure in the first grade, and he dismisses good students who study hard, but Tao Haijuan has come up with a system of rotating deskmates, he is forced to be at the same desk with bookworm Li Li every three weeks, full of dissatisfaction. Pei Shangxuan didn't have any feelings for Li Li. Like most boys, he likes to see beautiful women. Except for occasionally borrowing Li Li's homework and plagiarizing a few words with her, the conversation is basically limited to about thirty sentences a week.Li Li didn't care about his indifference, she was a good student who listened carefully in class and never said a word of nonsense. The few days at the same table with Li Li are usually the most depressing time for Pei Shangxuan. He always thinks that she is a strange person who is difficult to get close to, although it is very normal when getting along with other girls.Until one time he forgot to take the test paper that required his parents' signature and turned back to the classroom after school, and saw Li Li crying in the twilight. He stood outside the classroom door, listening to her suppressed sobs in his throat, hesitating. Li Li came out with her schoolbag on her back and planned to lock the door, but Pei Shangxuan who was standing against the wall startled her.She wiped her cheeks calmly, wiping away the last traces of tears. "I'll come back to get the paper." He rushed into the classroom, took out the test paper from the belly of the desk, and waved his hand to her who was standing by the door. She ignored it and rolled her eyes.Pei Shangxuan scratched his head in frustration, ran back cheerfully and said, "Li Li, I saw you cry." Pressing her hand on the door latch, she said coldly, "You want me to lock you in the classroom overnight?" He hurriedly escaped from the classroom, Li Li is the kind of girl who will do what she says and will never show mercy.The boy secretly nicknamed her "Hergman". She was not good-looking and had a bad temper. This nickname seemed to exist only to describe her. "Why are you crying?" Pei Shangxuan was waiting for her to lock the door, unable to restrain his curiosity. She was walking with her schoolbag on her back, her hands in the pockets of her jacket, and said casually, "Someone says you're an idiot to your face, even if it's true, you wouldn't be happy, would you?" "Li Li!" Hearing that she scolded him for being stupid, Pei Shangxuan's face changed with anger.Isn't it just that she failed the math test, and she got the only perfect score in the whole grade, so what's there to show off! Li Li turned her head to see his angry expression and shrugged her shoulders. "Why are you so angry? Anyway, you guys only need beautiful girls to flatter you?" She hopped up and down the stairs briskly. Pei Shangxuan wanted to follow her example, but he stepped clumsily and slid down the last two steps. Li Li giggled and handed him her hand. "You say you are stupid, but you still refuse to admit it." The implication is that he is indeed a fool. Thirteen-year-old Pei Shangxuan didn't understand what kind of girl Li Li was, he just felt that she was a little different from others.The relationship between the two at the same table has improved since then. Of course, the biggest beneficiary is Pei Shangxuan. It is more convenient for him to copy homework. Pei Shangxuan and Li Li live in the same alley, an old house with Shikumen structure.They were separated by four alleys and had never met before they became classmates.Pei Shangxuan is the king of children in this area, leading a group of children pretending to be the People's Liberation Army and rushing through the long and narrow alley all day long. Once at the gate of the alley, Pei Shangxuan met Li Li who was going to school, and Pei Shangxuan asked her in surprise if she just moved here. He was pretty sure he hadn't seen her.When the whole class came to the stage to introduce themselves on the day of junior high school registration, his first impression of Li Li was——this girl is so ugly!If he had met, it was impossible for him not to remember at all. "I've lived here since I was a child." She didn't look at him, and walked straight towards the school. Pei Shangxuan followed Li Li closely, "Why haven't I seen you?" Only then did she look up at him as a reward, "Because, I don't want you to see it." Pei Shangxuan didn't understand.They were about the same age, but the brain development was clearly on two levels.Pei Shangxuan's world is a continuation of the childhood era of rough and tumble games, while Li Li observes the adult world with immature eyes. Li Li's "resignation incident" made Pei Shangxuan feel guilty.Before she handed over her resignation letter to the class teacher, she escaped from her job as a student on duty.He was in an inexplicably bad mood that day. After each class, the student on duty was responsible for wiping the blackboard in a lazy and sloppy manner, leaving scattered traces of chalk writing on it, and the next teacher had to wipe it again before writing on the blackboard. After school, Pei Shangxuan wanted to run away with his schoolbag on his back, but Li Li called his name from behind.They were not at the same table that week, separated by a row. He didn't stop walking, she chased after him and grabbed his schoolbag strap. "Pei Shangxuan, today you are a student on duty." "No." He refused and pulled her hand away. "Why are you nervous, go back and sweep the floor quickly." Li Li raised his eyebrows and raised his voice. Just after school, it was the peak time for students to leave the classroom, and the corridors were full of students of the same grade.Thinking of him, Pei Shangxuan is a hero who stands up to the heavens and the earth. It is already embarrassing to be yelled at by a weak woman to "go back and sweep the floor".He gritted his teeth, stared fiercely, and said angrily, "Men don't do sissy things like sweeping the floor." Not only class (4) was often taken back by Li Li to be the male student on duty to applaud and applaud, but the boys in other classes also whistled and booed. Li Li smiled contemptuously, "If you don't sweep a house, why sweep the world? With your virtue, a sissy who sweeps the floor is more manly than you." Pei Shangxuan couldn't hold back his face anymore, and shouted loudly: "Ugly, who wants you to take care of it!" She stared at him with strange eyes, and turned a deaf ear to the ridicule of others. "You think I really want to take care of it?" Throwing down a rhetorical question, Li Li turned and walked back to the classroom. Pei Shangxuan believed that Li Li's resignation had something to do with him, and when he heard that she was asked by the principal to talk, he felt even more uneasy.He sneaked to the door of the principal's office, the door was opened a crack, and he overheard Li Li's reply. Pei Shangxuan still couldn't understand what Li Li was talking about, but he firmly remembered the last word she said - inferiority complex.After returning home, he immediately turned to the "Modern Chinese Dictionary" and found the explanation. "Inferiority: despise yourself, think you can't catch up with others." Pei Shangxuan chewed on the meaning of the entry, but couldn't figure out why Li Li should despise herself. Li Li's resignation took effect, and she returned the squadron leader's logo with two bars, and became a commoner with ease. Pei Shangxuan asked Li Li if he regretted it. They sat on the high podium of the school, and the setting sun in the west left them the last brilliance. This was the last time she performed the duties of a labor committee member, and he made up for the job of a day student who escaped earlier. "It's useless to occupy what doesn't belong to me." She put her hands on her knees and said softly. Pei Shangxuan found that he really didn't understand what Li Li was thinking, and this cognition frustrated him for a while. On June 10th, Li Li excitedly said to Pei Shangxuan early in the morning: "I like someone." He was taken aback and asked curiously, "In our class?" Li Li shook her head, mysteriously refusing to tell Pei Shangxuan who she liked.He thought about it all morning, and caught her at lunch time and asked, "Which class are you in?" "What?" His nonsensical question made Li Li unable to react for a while. "In the morning, you told me that I have someone I like." Pei Shangxuan flexed his fingers and tapped her high forehead, what kind of memory does this girl have? "Someone you don't know." Li Li's cheeks were blushing, and she actually felt shy, which made Pei Shangxuan feel a sudden chill. He rolled his eyes angrily, "Li Li, who is he?" "Caniggia." Unable to be compelled, Li Li had no choice but to say the name of the Wind Son, not unexpectedly seeing Pei Shangxuan's blank expression.She was happy, and pouted at him with a high spirit: "You don't even know him, he is the striker of the Argentine team, nicknamed 'Son of the Wind', I have never seen such a good-looking person." Speaking of this, Li Li paused for a while, and added in her heart, "Of course you are not bad." As a boy, Pei Shangxuan will play football with his classmates on the playground when he has nothing to do, but he doesn't watch many football games.The World Cup games were broadcast in the early hours of the morning, and he was so sleepy that he couldn't even get up. Unconvinced, he went home and mobilized his non-fan dad to watch the game together.Li Li often said things that made him confused, and he didn't want to distance himself from her.Pei Shangxuan didn't understand why he was so obsessed with the distance between the two of them. On June 15th, Pei Shangxuan asked Li Li which team would win the Hercules Cup in the school auditorium.She insisted on Argentina, but he chose Germany. Years later it turned out that they were in the wrong place.