Chapter 3, not a thing

The children of our generation were so innocent. If placed in today's context, a girl of seventeen or eighteen, not to mention her first kiss, would likely no longer have her hymen intact.

This is actually quite an awkward situation. When Lanzi and I first fell in love, she also felt a bit uncomfortable, especially disliking going out with me and Shishi. In her words, she originally thought of herself as a pure and innocent girl, but as soon as she sat between the two of us, she immediately felt that she was quite promiscuous.

The Shijia family is wealthy, and not just ordinarily wealthy. At that time, students did not have mobile phones as commonly as they do now. Among university students, only the children of capitalists and some high-ranking officials carried Motorola, Ericsson, or Nokia phones in their pockets. Unlike today, where if you randomly stop a middle school student on the street, they are using a large-screen color phone with digital photography capabilities, along with forty polyphonic ringtones

I recall that Shi Shi has indeed treated me very well. If this were ancient times and I were a woman, I would have no other way to repay him for his kindness than to offer my body. However, upon further reflection, this is the modern era, and I am not a woman anyway, so I resolutely decided to continue taking advantage of Shi Shi without any guilt.

The truth of the matter remains unknown, and since we have now broken up, I believe we will no longer have the opportunity to engage in reckless behavior or discuss that issue again

Shishi and I were admitted to a well-known university in Beijing, and then Shishi solemnly bid farewell to innocent first love. On a crisp autumn day, we headed north together, embarking on our four-year mischief against the people of the capital. Upon arriving in Beijing, we connected with a group of online acquaintances, gathered together, and first found a restaurant where we indulged in a feast. Afterward, while enjoying our meal, we arranged for a few friends to take us to Nan Street in Sanlitun. Looking back now, I realize that it was from that moment that Shishi and I began to go astray.

To be frank, I have a deep disdain for their juvenile early romances. I have previously viciously criticized those boys and girls on the street holding hands, who have yet to fully develop their milk teeth. I maliciously remarked that these children, with neither their upper nor lower hair fully grown, understand nothing about love

After struggling with the * picture * book for a week, Shi Shi could no longer hold on and anxiously said to me, "Can I just buy you another one?"

In general, I usually review and go through it first, and then help Shishi correct the typos and awkward sentences on the love letters and notes. Sometimes, when Shishi's writing is truly unbearable and beyond repair, I will kindly and patiently write a new one for him.

At that time, Lanzi was still Shishi's girlfriend. It was a kind of adolescent romance typical of underage children, where the two of them were as pure and hazy as countless young boys and girls in middle schools across China who were experiencing early love. Moreover, their relationship was conducted in secrecy, hidden from teachers, parents, and classmates. Because my seat occupied the best geographical position, I was essentially the intermediary for all the notes Shishi passed to Lanzi during class.

The love between Lanzi and me blossomed brilliantly in the autumn of 2002, a season full of charm. At that time, I had just graduated from a university in Beijing and returned to Nanjing. I had a decent job, dressing smartly every day as I entered and exited the office building, often carrying a sleek laptop in my bag to pose as a white-collar worker

In fact, what I said about Lan is quite unfair to Zai. Shi Shi also swore to the heavens that he absolutely had no intimate relationship with Lan back in the day—they were solely focused on a spiritual romance at that time. Reflecting on it, our generation of children was like that; writing a love letter could make one blush for half a day, and holding hands could excite one for an entire night. So later, when Lan and I first engaged in a casual relationship, she told me that I was the first man to hold her, the first to kiss her, and the first to be with her intimately. I immediately believed all of this.

However, I never admitted that I had feelings for Lanzi back then. Later, during the nearly three years that I was in love with her, she often asked me to clarify what had happened in the past, but I managed to evade her questions using my skills in Tai Chi and the Eight Trigrams. Sometimes, when I couldn't dodge the issue any longer, she would force me to resort to seduction, throwing her onto the bed and then starting to fool around. As a result, whenever Lanzi brought up this question again, I always had this doubt in my mind: I wondered whether she truly wanted to know the answer to this question, or if she was using the opportunity to entice me into an affair with her.

Indeed, compared to those young lovebirds who are merely engaged in innocent romances, my middle school years were remarkably pure to an unusual extent. During the three years of high school, I was all alone; the one I liked had someone else, while those who liked me were utterly unappealing.

Although Lanzi and Shishi were once a couple, I have never believed that there was any love between them. In my view, it was merely a game of house among children. Now, I must take the time and effort to properly educate her and help her establish a correct understanding of love and values.

Lan Zi and I were in the same high school, and she was universally recognized as the most beautiful girl in the school. Back in those days, I often bullied her, teasing her with jokes and playful remarks for no particular reason. At that time, Lan Zi was particularly shy, and every time I teased her, her face would turn red. She would then pretend to be calm and indifferent, turning her gaze towards Shi Shi.

In fact, the relationship between Shishi and me is incredibly close. We have shared many things together; we take turns wearing the same pair of pants, copying the same paper, using the same phone, using the same computer, and dating the same girl. This girl is Lanzi

Every time I launch such malicious attacks, Lanzi says that I am like someone who cannot reach the grapes yet claims they are sour, a typical mindset of an ordinary Chinese citizen. Although I feel unconvinced, I cannot find a strong basis to refute her.

Of course, Tian Hong is a person, not an object. What I mean by this is to tell you that this woman, Tian Hong, is truly not worth anything!

Others say that my luck has brought misfortune to a beautiful woman, but I personally feel that I have picked up a great deal of trouble

On the second day, Shi Shi bought a phone, and on the third day, I shamelessly declared it to be jointly owned property for both of us. He would use it on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while I would use it on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. If I wanted to monopolize it for an extra day on Sunday, I would have to do laundry for the other party.

Shishi shares everything with me, except for one thing, and that is Tian Hong

I thought about it and realized that taking someone else's belongings is unwise, as it would hinder future exploitation of them. From a long-term perspective, it is not worth the cost, so I resolutely refused. To soothe Shishi's wounded heart, I generously agreed to let him monopolize my phone for an extra day on Sunday. Of course, in exchange, he must wash my dirty clothes.

It is often said that beautiful women have many troubles, but I have never encountered anyone as troublesome as Lan Zi. When I was pursuing her, had I known that it would become this complicated, I would never have fallen into the gentle trap.