(Three years later 2)

 

Pan Zhi said he would come, and he really did. When Jiang Cheng picked him up at the station, he carefully inspected his face, which was intact, indicating that he hadn't been scolded by his mother during his time at home.

"You said your mom watches you every day, right?" Jiang Cheng took a bag from him.

"I couldn't bear it and had to go play cards," Pan Zhi said. "I actually feel bad for my mom. She's always watching over me, so I can't play cards, and I can't have people over every day to play at my place."

"She should have found out by now, right?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"Yeah, but I blocked her number, so she can't call me for now," Pan Zhi leaned his arm on Jiang Cheng's shoulder. "Come on, is Gu Fei off work? Let's invite him and go for barbecue at noon."

"At noon?" Jiang Cheng was taken aback.

"We'll have hotpot in the evening," Pan Zhi explained. "I've planned it all out."

"Where are your belongings..." Jiang Cheng glanced at Pan Zhi while taking out his phone, noticing that he only had a small bag with him. "You didn't bring anything?"

"I brought something. How could I run if I brought everything?" Pan Zhi pointed to the bag in his hand. "I brought that, for Miao Miao."

"You bought something for Er Miao?" Jiang Cheng was surprised. "Why are you so polite? What did you buy?"

"A big pair of headphones and an MP3 player," Pan Zhi mentioned. "Think about it, she'll skate around with it, wearing headphones, so cool."

"It's dangerous if she can't hear anything," Jiang Cheng noted.

"Who wears headphones on their ears?" Pan Zhi said. "This thing hangs around the neck."

"...Oh," Jiang Cheng nodded. "Then why did you buy an MP3 player along with the headphones?"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore. Do you think that's okay?" Pan Zhi looked at him. "She can listen to music when she's not playing. Usually, doesn't Gu Fei play music at home for her? This sound quality is good."

"Did you just say you don't want to talk to me?" Jiang Cheng asked.

Pan Zhi turned his head and walked out briskly.

At noon, Gu Miao was playing at the club's venue and didn't come back for lunch. Gu Fei drove and took Pan Zhi and Jiang Cheng to eat barbecue.

"This car is well maintained," Pan Zhi squeezed into the back seat with Jiang Cheng, lifting his arms. If he put them down, they wouldn't fit anymore. "Is it going to be a family heirloom?"

"I have no family to pass it on to," Jiang Cheng remarked.

"Not necessarily," Gu Fei smiled. "My mom is thinking of having another child."

"With Liu Li?" Pan Zhi asked.

"Who else?" Gu Fei replied.

"They don't even have a marriage certificate. Are they really thinking of having a child?" Pan Zhi reacted. "And she's in her forties. Isn't that dangerous?"

"They said they'd get married during the Chinese New Year, but Liu Li disagrees with having a child. He's worried about her health. Let them deal with it themselves," Gu Fei said. "They're adults now."

"Don't have a child," Pan Zhi sighed. "Not to speak ill, but just look at how she takes care of you two siblings. I don't think your mom is suitable to be a mother; being a daughter-in-law is enough." (NT: basically meaning being a wife)

Gu Fei nodded with a smile. "I also feel the same way."

*

At the barbecue restaurant, as usual, Gu Fei was in charge of grilling while Jiang Cheng handled serving.

Pan Zhi also loved meat. He grabbed a plate and followed Jiang Cheng to get some. "This place is cost-effective. The variety isn't that great, but we always eat the same few things."

"Yes," Jiang Cheng nodded with a smile.

"Are you still planning to take Gu Miao over there during the summer vacation?" Pan Zhi asked.

"Yeah," Jiang Cheng picked up some chicken wings.

"When are you guys going to live together? It's been four years," Pan Zhi continued.

"After he finishes with this year's students. It'll be the third year of high school next year," Jiang Cheng explained. "He was supposed to come over immediately, but we haven't made up our mind yet. He'll start working first; their leaders value him a lot."

"Isn't that school of theirs pretty bad? I always feel like if he can't handle his position as the Tyrant of the Steel Factory,' he might end up hitting the students," Pan Zhi said. "He'd be better off being a freelance photographer or something. Wasn't there a photography editor who liked him before?"

"Yeah, they've been in touch. That person has always been asking him to contribute," Jiang Cheng piled up a stack of pork belly on his plate. "Gu Fei is more stable than me and considers things more. Once he leaves, he probably won't come back except for holidays. Being more stable is necessary, and besides, when we take Gu Miao over there, it's not just a trip; it's life, and we need to plan it well."

"True," Pan Zhi sighed. "In the blink of an eye, we're no longer youths."

"You still have the heart of a youth," Jiang Cheng remarked. "You just ran away from home."

"Get lost," Pan Zhi laughed, "I really will, I'll stay here for a few days and then go back to school, and then find some job in a bookstore or something."

"Have you really decided to open a bookstore?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"I have," Pan Zhi confirmed, "You know, I don't really like reading, but I like to use books to show off, I think there are a lot of people like me."

Jiang Cheng glanced at him.

"For real," Pan Zhi insisted with a smile, "I've even thought about the location, when I go back to school, I'll go see if there's a suitable storefront."

"Next to 'Unexpected'?" Jiang Cheng squinted.

Pan Zhi didn't say anything, looking up at him, it took a while before he asked, "Are you really concerned about me, Grandpa?"

"Nonsense," Jiang Cheng retorted, "I've watched you grow up."

"Oh!" Pan Zhi laughed, "Why don't you say you fed me with your own hands, from baby food to solid food!"

"It's mealtime," Jiang Cheng interrupted with a click of his tongue, "Be civilized."

Jiang Cheng felt that eating buffet barbecue for lunch was actually a bit of a loss because of the time limit, he couldn't eat freely and couldn't strive to eat back what he paid.

"At night," as they walked out of the barbecue restaurant, Pan Zhi rubbed his stomach and said, "Tonight you two treat me to hot pot, don't drive, we will have a little drink."

"Okay," Gu Fei said, "You two wait here for me, I'll go get the car."

"You're saying that as if it's true," Pan Zhi mentioned.

Gu Fei looked at him without saying anything, after a pause, the three of them burst into laughter.

"Looking down on our little electric car, huh, you've even driven it before," Gu Fei joked.

"I won't touch it again in my life, I'll keep my distance from it," Pan Zhi answered.

"Wait, I'll go..." Gu Fei turned around, paused for a moment and then firmly repeated, "I'll go get the car."

"Can we go wait on the side?" Pan Zhi said, "In a less obvious corner."

"You can go to the corner over there..." Gu Fei pointed to the corner of the intersection, but stopped halfway and looked across the street.

"What's up?" Jiang Cheng asked, when he followed Gu Fei's gaze, he saw several boys walking shoulder to shoulder, appearing to be quite young, "Your students?"

"It's not class time yet, is it, Mr. Gu, are you a little too strict?" Pan Zhi commented.

Gu Fei didn't say anything, reached into his coat pocket, took out his glasses and put them on, then looked over there for a moment: "I'll go over there."

After all, they had all been skilled fighters in the past, as Gu Fei walked over to the other side of the street, Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi also realized that among the group of boys who seemed very close, one was being pulled forward by the others.

They immediately followed suit.

"Is he his student?" Pan Zhi asked.

Jiang Cheng looked at the group of people, "At least the one in the middle is, otherwise why would Gu Fei bother with this kind of thing."

"He's not even the class teacher," Pan Zhi noted.

"Vice class teacher," Jiang Cheng corrected, "As for the class teacher... it's his teacher, he's quite good to him, he must care."

"Alright." Pan Zhi rolled up his sleeves.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Cheng looked at him, "Are you preparing for a fight?"

"Who knows," Pan Zhi rubbed his hands, "In case things get out of hand..."

"Zhang Xiaofei!" Gu Fei called out from ahead.

"Oh," Pan Zhi paused, "That's an interesting name." (NT: 晓飞, flying at dawn, same character飞 Fei as in Gu Fei)

The group of boys stopped and turned their heads together.

The one in the middle, called Zhang Xiaofei, had his entire expression changed when he saw Gu Fei. His eyes suddenly filled with anticipation. He struggled to pull his arm out of the grasp of the person next to him and responded, "Teacher Gu!"

The other boys beside him visibly hesitated.

"Where are you going?" Gu Fei walked over and stood in front of them.

"Is it any of your business?" a tall boy sneered, pulling his lips back, then looked at Zhang Xiaofei with disdain, asking, "This is your teacher?"

"...Yes," Zhang Xiaofei nodded, showing some fear. After saying this, he immediately turned his head to look at Gu Fei.

"Come here," Gu Fei said to him.

Zhang Xiaofei made a slight movement, but the people on both sides didn't let go of his arms. He glanced at the tall boy, wanting to say something but didn't, so he turned back to look at Gu Fei.

Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi, a few meters away, watched the scene. Pan Zhi muttered under his breath, "Damn, he's really fucking spineless."

"Kids," Jiang Cheng said.

Compared to what Pan Zhi was concerned about, he was more interested in seeing how Gu Fei would handle the situation at hand.

To be honest, since the incident with the hurdles, Gu Fei hadn't really fought with anyone. He had been living a very ordinary student life. For the past half year of work, even facing the worst class in the school, he still maintained the status of an ordinary vice class teacher.

Jiang Cheng didn't want him to be like before. Just the thought of him holding a steel pipe made Jiang Cheng feel a bit apprehensive. It was a life that seemed secure but was actually quite unsafe.

However, when he heard Gu Fei calmly say "Come here," he felt a slight excitement.

That authoritative, commanding Gu Fei, the one whose gaze could shut people up, the one with a mix of calmness and fierceness in his demeanour, it had been a long time since Jiang Cheng had seen that side of him.

Tsk.

Jiang Cheng felt like he was contradicting himself.

Actually, it wasn't a contradiction. Seeing Gu Fei like this now, compared to seeing him like that in the past, the feelings were completely different.

Even if Gu Fei were to fight someone now, Jiang Cheng wouldn't feel unsafe.

Many things had already changed.

And Gu Fei was no longer the Gu Fei of the past.

"Come here," Gu Fei repeated, his voice now more serious.

"I...," Zhang Xiaofei swallowed hard, struggling to speak, "Our teacher... told me to come over... I..."

"What the hell are you coming over for?" the tall boy interrupted him, "Got something to say? Let's go!"

Several people started pulling Zhang Xiaofei forward.

"I..." Zhang Xiaofei suddenly panicked, struggling for a moment, then turned to Gu Fei with a pleading look, "Teacher Gu, Gu..."

"Move!" the tall boy probably noticed Gu Fei's lack of reaction, and his momentum was quite strong.

"I'd like to see who dares to leave," Gu Fei said.

Jiang Cheng felt the hairs on his body stand up, swaying back and forth like arms waving under the stage.

With just five simple words, Gu Fei made the air feel almost solid.

And after he finished speaking, he took off his glasses, casually wiped the lenses on his clothes, and then put the glasses back in his pocket. This action made Jiang Cheng want to rush over and give him a bite.

He had bought these glasses for Gu Fei, and they were quite expensive. Although he felt like saying, "You're going to scratch the lenses if you keep showing off like this!" he couldn't help but admit that Gu Fei's pretentiousness was quite imposing.

"Let me say this one more time," Gu Fei lowered his arm and looked at Zhang Xiaofei, "Come here."

Zhang Xiaofei stood frozen, not moving. The tall boy had a hint of contempt in the corner of his mouth as he looked at him askance.

Gu Fei waited for a few seconds, then turned around and said to Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi, "Let's go."

They were about to turn and leave together when Zhang Xiaofei suddenly shouted, "Let go of me!"

Gu Fei stopped in his tracks.

Zhang Xiaofei's sudden yell startled the tall boy and his friends. His face turned red, and he fiercely shook his arms a few times, breaking free from the hands holding him, and strode towards Gu Fei.

The tall boy behind him immediately followed.

Gu Fei turned around, grabbed Zhang Xiaofei's arm, pulled him over, and then kicked the tall boy's leg as he was about to kick Zhang Xiaofei from behind. The boy's foot hit the ground, and he staggered backward.

Gu Fei flung Zhang Xiaofei in front of Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi, faced the tall boy charging towards him again, grabbed his collar, lifted him up, and pushed him fiercely towards the person coming up from behind to help. The tall boy's head leaned back, hitting the nose of the person behind him.

"Ten seconds," Gu Fei pointed at the tall boy.

The tall boy glanced behind him, and Pan Zhi's hand went into his pocket and walked over.

"Let go," the tall boy said to Gu Fei.

Gu Fei released his grip, and the tall boy glanced at them, then turned around and waved, "Let's go."

After watching them leave without looking back, Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng and said, "I'll take this kid back to school. You two... take a taxi?"

"Yeah," Jiang Cheng nodded, thinking for a moment, then chuckled, "Are you going to use Little bun to take him?"

"Ah," Gu Fei smiled, "Don't learn from Pan Zhi, always so picky."

Pan Zhi clicked his tongue beside him.

Gu Fei brought Little bun over, and Zhang Xiaofei followed him into the car. Gu Fei glanced at Jiang Cheng, "I'll go first."

"Yeah," Jiang Cheng responded, "Call me after work this afternoon, let's go for hot pot."

"Okay." Gu Fei started the car and drove away.

Zhang Xiaofei remained silent in the back seat. After driving two blocks, he finally said, " Fei ge."

"Yeah?" Gu Fei responded.

"Thank you," he said.

This student was the head of their class, much more genuine than Wang Xu, the fake bully back then. But after all, he was only an eighth-grade student. Compared to those "social youths" who often appeared in the news, he was quite worthless.

"You don't need to thank me," Gu Fei said, "Think about whether you've treated your teacher well or not."

Teacher Yu was Gu Fei's master, head teacher, very responsible for the students, but had a quick temper, like a combination of Lao Xu and Lao Lu.

"Don't tell him," Zhang Xiaofei begged.

"If I hadn't bumped into it, I wouldn't have said anything," Gu Fei stated, "But since I did, I have to."

"Not very polite," Zhang Xiaofei was a little unhappy.

"Polite enough for you to appreciate it? Teacher Yu has been polite to you, right?" Gu Fei said, "Have you appreciated him? I helped you today, if you turn around and cause trouble again, are you being polite to me?"

"...I can't argue with you," Zhang Xiaofei replied.

"You can't talk, and you can't use your hands and feet," Gu Fei tilted his head, "Listen to me, with this talent, don't try to be a leader."

Zhang Xiaofei was stunned for a moment and then laughed, "Fuck."

"Watch your language," Gu Fei ordered.

"Haven't you ever cursed?" Zhang Xiaofei asked.

"Give me an example, just once," Gu Fei answered.

Zhang Xiaofei hesitated for a while, "Behind the scenes, for sure. Everyone knows you used to be the leader of the steel factory. Didn’t you curse?"

"I've never said it in front of you. Be cleaner in front of me," Gu Fei told him.

"Got it!" Zhang Xiaofei sighed.

*

Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi took a taxi to the hotel, booked a room, and then strolled over to the rental house.

When they were about one or two hundred meters away, they saw Gu Miao.

But Gu Miao wasn't alone, she was with a man, and from a distance, they couldn't see his age or appearance.

"Oh shit!" Jiang Cheng suddenly became anxious, pointing over there, "Pan! Do you see that man!"

"Yeah," Pan Zhi glanced, "What's wrong?"

"A man!" Jiang Cheng stared at him, raising his voice, "A man!"

"Oh!" Pan Zhi also raised his voice, then asked, "What's wrong?"

"It must be no good!" Jiang Cheng quickened his pace, almost running towards them.

"No, Cheng'er," Pan Zhi followed closely, "Gu Miao is in middle school now, she's so pretty and cool, what's wrong with her having a pursuer?"

"She's different!" Jiang Cheng said, "She..."

"Xu Xingzhi said, don't always make her feel different," Pan Zhi insisted, "She's just an ordinary middle school girl with a local accent, Xu Xingzhi said..."

"I won't let her feel special in front of me! But what if someone tries to deceive her!" Jiang Cheng argued.

"I don't think you need to worry about that," Pan Zhi sighed, "I think you should worry about the other person instead. With her combat power, if she gets annoyed, she'll skateboard over and knock a few down."

Jiang Cheng found his words a bit amusing, but his anxious mood also calmed down a bit. He slowed his pace, feeling like he was more worried than Gu Fei.

Slowly approaching until there was only a small road between them, Jiang Cheng could see clearly that the boy was about seventeen or eighteen years old, smiling as he looked at Gu Miao.

Gu Miao leaned against a lamppost, one foot on a skateboard, hands in pockets, expressionless as she looked at the boy.

Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi stopped on this side of the road, intending to wait for them to finish talking before crossing over, but when Gu Miao glanced up and saw them, she immediately lifted her toe, picked up the skateboard, reached out and pushed the still-talking boy with a slap, and walked over to their side.

The boy stumbled directly from the push.

"See that?" Pan Zhi noted, "That slap, it's fierce."

Jiang Cheng looked at him. "A slap that emits sword aura?"

"That's what I mean," Pan Zhi smiled at Gu Miao, "Hey! Miaomiao!"

"Gu Miao!" The boy suddenly shouted from the other side.

Gu Miao continued walking as if she hadn't heard.

"I really like you! I love you!" The boy shouted again.

"F**k your mother's big egg!" Jiang Cheng was about to explode, pointing at the boy, "Try loving someone else for me!"

 

Translator : DarNan