Chapter 5

"Hmm," Pan Zhi opened the suitcase, "I have other gifts for you."

Jiang Sheng glanced into the box, which was filled with various food items in different sizes and packaging, leaving no room for anything else.

What about brotherhood! Pan Zhi said, "I traveled a long way carrying a bunch of things to see you! Shouldn't you be a little moved?"

Annoying, classes, exams, assignments, "Pan Zhi frowned and said, 'I want to learn everything as effortlessly as you do, to rank in the top ten without attending classes, and I won't sigh anymore.'"

"Who says I don't put in the effort?" Jiang Sheng shot him a sidelong glance, "You know very well that I was reviewing all night."

"Are you annoying?" Jiang Cheng interrupted his words

After getting dressed and getting out of bed, he felt much more comfortable. Aside from feeling a bit sleep-deprived, the discomfort from yesterday, which made him want to grab anyone he saw and give them a beating, was already gone

"Why don't you take a guess?" Pan Zhishou reached into the box and rummaged around.

"Let's go eat something," Jiang Sheng glanced at the time, "Shall we go for barbecue?"

"... ... Is everything going up?" The person hesitated for a moment and then asked again

Isn't this statement particularly philosophical? Pan Zhi asked with a hint of pride

"Have you given him the money?" Jiang Cheng said

"Barbecue." Pan Zhi waved his hand

"How could one not know?" the driver said with a smile, "This is the best hotel here."

Then take a look outside, walk around; this will be your main area of activity in the future. Pan Zhi pressed a button on his phone towards him.

Jiang Sheng hugged him in the past and said: "I didn't have the chance to take care of it"

The person glanced at him and smiled while clasping his fists in greeting

Jiang Sheng had no interest in the new "home" and held no expectations for it, yet every day, no matter when he opened his eyes, he found himself alone in this lifeless room, which still felt rather unpleasant

The new life and new environment have caused a sense of confusion, yet Pan Zhi still brought him some comfort; amidst the unknown and unfamiliar, there is finally a familiar person by his side

He was so engrossed in watching the people on the field that he didn't notice when more people entered the court. It wasn't until several individuals on the field came to a halt, looking towards the door with expressions that were difficult to describe, that he finally snapped back to reality

Jiang Sheng retracted the expression on his face that seemed to say, "I wanted to see a good show, but it ended before it even started, how disappointing," and said, "What a coincidence."

Oh right, you just arrived

"Hmm." Jiang Cheng responded.

"I can't believe it," Pan Zhi said, dragging a large suitcase and carrying a big bag on his back. As soon as he met him, he expressed his feelings, "This place is a bit hard for me to accept!"

I believe that if one is to find a girlfriend, it is better to seek a woman; finding a man is quite challenging. The overall environment is still not favorable. Pan Zhi put away his phone and said, "Do not be deceived by the numerous fujoshi online; once these individuals are thrown into the real world, they vanish."

"Is there breakfast available? Can it be delivered now?" Pan Zhi asked him

Pan Zhi stared at him, and they exchanged glances for a moment: "Oh, those words were spoken by you."

What he and Pan Zhi are most concerned about is probably the sports fields. Originally, the school had only a few indoor basketball courts, and the soccer fields were cleared to make space for the teaching buildings. Although neither of them plays soccer, they still feel frustrated.

It is estimated that entry will not be permitted. Jiang Sheng tugged at his collar

Do you know that what you see on the bus is the most authentic essence of a city said Pan Zhi

It seems they are here to play basketball, as Gu Fei is wearing sports pants and basketball shoes, and one person is even carrying a ball in their hand

Good morning, Gu Fei said

"Yes," Jiang Sheng casually blew a couple of notes, "Thank you."

Li Yan's expression suddenly turned somewhat unpleasant, as he turned to look at the people on the court and no longer paid him any attention

"Switch styles, you are not suited for this one," Jiang Cheng said, as someone on the court made a very beautiful three-pointer. He called out softly, "Good shot."

What a coincidence

"It's still on time," Jiang Sheng sat up and said, "I will wait for you at the exit in a little while"

As long as one does not consider tomorrow, Pan Zhiyi will return to his dull life as soon as he leaves

Understood, Jiang Sheng nodded slightly, "You two."

No, it is a good bird. The one behind is the person who collects money for buying water, Gu Fei, wearing a baseball cap, walks at the end, the hat covers the stylish notes on his head

Jiang Sheng looked at him and couldn't help but laugh: "Shameless."

"Are you still unhappy or not?" Jiang Cheng glanced at him sideways, "How shameless."

Li Baoguo over there did not say anything further and directly hung up the phone

Now that the person has arrived, Li Baoguo has completely lost the desperate state he once had when he wanted to bring his son back.

Jiang Sheng's feelings of frustration over the past few days have been significantly alleviated by this campus of No. 4 Middle School. Compared to Li Baoguo's home and the street where Li Baoguo lives, this spacious area makes him feel as if he can finally breathe easily and joyfully.

I am so touched, "Jiang Sheng said

"Why don't you sit on a stool beside me and watch while I take a nap later?" Jiang Cheng said

Pan Zhi stared at him for a while, then with both arms crossed, said: "I really miss you a bit."

There are not many people on the vehicle, and traveling in a small city is clearly much easier. There is no crowding, no hair stuck to the face, no situation of being unable to board the vehicle, and no instances of being pushed off the vehicle.

"It doesn't matter," said Pan Zhi

You have actually been holding back from speaking for quite a while, haven't you said Jiang Cheng

"Ha," Pan Zhi laughed, taking out a long black leather case from the bottom, "Is it too easy to guess, or are we just too in sync?"

Jiang Sheng hardly slept at all that night, chatting with Pan Zhi, but he couldn't remember what they talked about. In any case, it was just like the times they used to sit by the playground and chat, talking about this and that. What they discussed was not important; what mattered was having someone to talk to like that.

The school gate was open, and as they walked in, the guard glanced at the two of them but said nothing

Although he did not play, sitting on the sidelines with Pan Zhi provided him with a brief moment of tranquility, cutting away all the feelings of annoyance and agitation.

"A classmate came to see me. I won't be going back tonight, I'm at the hotel," Jiang Cheng said

"... ... really cool," Jiang Sheng put the lighter into his pocket, "How many days will you stay?"

"Please stop smashing it, this is a gift from me," said Pan Zhi

"Whistle," he said

"In two days," Pan Zhi sighed, "school is starting again"

The people on the field watched them for a while before continuing to play ball

"Now?" Jiang Cheng tugged at his collar. "Not going."

Is it because she is a woman that it's not interesting? Pan Zhi continued to hold his phone towards him as if interviewing.

"Take a photo," Pan Zhi said, "Yu Xinzhi knew I was coming and begged me on her knees with tears to take a recent photo of you for her. I think it's quite difficult to refuse a girl..."

Jiang Cheng felt so surprised that he almost chipped his back molar.

Come and play basketball. Gu Fei said, with a very calm tone, without any hint of anger.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and patted Pan Zhi's shoulder after exhaling: "Take a look."

Since the holiday, I haven't spoken much since I haven't seen you. Pan Zhi scratched his chest and said, "I've been holding back from A to B."

Where is your new school? Pan Zhi suddenly said, "Shall we go take a look?"

"What are you here for?" the person asked.

"Here we are," Pan Zhi pointed ahead, "at the Fourth Middle School... The entrance is quite spacious, larger than our school."

On both basketball courts, people looked over when they saw someone coming in.

Before you go back, let me give you a set of underwear. Said Jiang Cheng.

"It's meaningless," said Jiang Cheng.

Well, let's go tomorrow since we have a day off anyway. There won't be anyone around, so let's go take a look at the school, shall we? Pan Zhi rested his arm on his shoulder and asked, "Didn't you go check it out when we were doing the paperwork before?"

The indoor stadium is not too big, but it has volleyball, badminton, and basketball courts, although they need to be used simultaneously.

No problem, I am a person who values spiritual enjoyment," Pan Zhi said, "I came to see you, just seeing you is enough."

After coming to this small broken city, the only thing he missed was Pan Zhi.

Jiang Cheng glanced at him without saying a word.

The people behind probably didn't feel the atmosphere between them. Someone said, "Da Fei is in his second year of high school."

Well. Jiang Cheng continued to look at him.

"Ah." Gu Fei responded.

Actually, even if he didn't come to stay at home, just the appearance of Dong Station would probably make Pan Zhi howl for a while.

Is it the school team's training for humans? Pan Zhi asked sitting next to him.

"... ... Then I'll hang up," said Jiang Cheng.

Two other people behind him burst into laughter, perhaps unintentionally, but their voices were filled with habitual mockery. Li Yan turned around and glanced at them, saying, "Do we look like students?"

Last time I smashed the whistle just because I had nowhere to vent my anger. I couldn't possibly fight with my father.

"Damn it, I knew it," Pan Zhi said, "Open your dog eyes and see what time it is."

It is truly a miracle to be in a strange city, at a strange school, and at the same time encounter six strangers he has met before.

Quite the picky one, huh. Jiang Cheng gave him a glance.

"Whatever," said Jiang Cheng, "Are you asleep?"

When Pan Zhi's call came in, Jiang Cheng was still sleeping as if he were about to hibernate. After the phone rang for quite a while, he groggily answered the call: "... ... Hmm?"

And the legendary eldest brother and eldest sister, it's been two days and they still haven't shown up.

If this house wasn't a building, he would have thought it was a century-old house. Inside and outside the house, everywhere exudes a sense of despair that cannot go on.

"Still...," Jiang Cheng looked around, "It's quite big."

Pan Zhi paused for a moment, while Jiang Cheng ignored the gazes around him, casually slipped his hand into his pocket, and leisurely walked over to sit down on a few chairs beside the venue

One, two, three, four, five, six, six people came in

Ah," Pan Zhicao leaned over and stared at him for a while, "Have you not spoken much these past few days?"

In the future, Jiang Sheng did not want to explain too much, "Are you all from No. 4 High School?"

"Are you two really done for? I still think she is quite good." Pan Zhi took out his phone and took two more pictures of him.

Is a classmate here? Li Baoguo coughed a few times, "Then play with your classmate, why are you still making a phone call? I thought something was wrong."

Jiang Cheng shook hands with him.

In comparison, the venue in this fourth location is much more comfortable

Only Pan Zhi, although we only met in the third year of junior high and have been in the same class in high school for less than three years, is reliable.

The person collecting the money sat down next to Jiang Cheng and extended his hand to him: "My name is Li Yan"

Do you want to go up and play?Pan Zhi smiled and said, "Let's cooperate."

Do you know why you only have me as a friend?

J, C, the initials of your name, said Pan Zhi, "Cool, right"

I don't know. Jiang Cheng had his eyes closed.

What's wrong? Jiang Cheng yawned.

After checking the route, Pan Zhicha took him to take the bus.

Jiang Sheng found this "home" quite remarkable. When his mother wanted to retire from her job, Li Baoguo made several trips over, even though he was reluctant to meet him.

Well. Jiang Cheng glanced at him.

Jiang Cheng somewhat admires his own facial memory ability. Even when he was dizzy and disoriented, he could still remember these faces.

Ah," Pan Zhi leaned back, resting his head on his arm, "I don't know when we can play basketball together again."

They only dozed off for a while just before dawn, but were awakened by the honking of a large truck downstairs at around eight o'clock.

That's because our school is located in the prime area of the city center, and it's impossible to expand," Pan Zhi said, "This school is great, and the playground must be huge... Shall we go take a look at the football field?"

"What's there to sigh about at the beginning of the school year," said Jiang Cheng.

Calculating the time, I have been sleeping since yesterday afternoon until now, it has been a whole day, and I feel a bit unsteady when walking.

It's been a while since he played basketball, and he plans to watch others play and enjoy it.

"No way," said Jiang Cheng, "amateur level."

Translating... Transferred from high school is very troublesome. Since the time when my mother and father were persevering in handling the procedures, he has lost interest in almost everything, and he can't even get excited about going to fight.

"There is an indoor area, shall we go in and take a look?" Pan Zhiyong nudged him with his arm

"Then you should go back," Jiang Cheng pointed to the ticket office at the station, "Hurry up, go buy a ticket."

Hmm. Jiang Cheng put away the whistle.

Among the six of them, Gu Fei and the others left three to prepare for the game, while the other three came over to sit beside Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi

"Let's go to the school for a look in a while," Jiang Cheng said, "and then check if there is anything fun to do here. However, considering it's the middle of winter, I suppose there isn't much we can do even if there is."

It was as if something had been drawn out of his body; he resembled a puddle of mud, simply lying down in a suitable depression and finishing it off

"Withdraw from school," Jiang Sheng said

He actually does not have the habit of getting angry and smashing things, after all, he has been educated for more than ten years to be "restrained," so he can fight and hit people, but he rarely breaks things

Who knows, "Jiang Sheng is a bit displeased, "I also don't have the habit of staring at someone without catching them first"

Hmm? Jiang Sheng replied while sitting on the edge of the bed

It is already 3:30! Pan Zhi said, "I knew you would definitely do this, so I called you in advance."

He decided not to go back tonight. He hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether to send a text message to Li Baoguo or to call him. In the end, he chose to make the call. On the other end, Li Baoguo took a long time to answer the phone: "Hello!"

"Which mouth is speaking?" Pan Zhi asked

"No," Jiang Cheng replied

Jiang Sheng looked at the lighter; he liked its style, completely smooth with no decorations, only the two letters engraved at the bottom. He leaned in closer to take a look: "What is this thing engraved? Police?"

"Why does it feel like there's a show to watch?" Pan Zhi said excitedly in a low voice from the side

From the sounds, it was clear they were playing cards. Jiang Sheng felt somewhat speechless, unsure if his mother was aware of Li Baoguo's habit. However, perhaps this was not such a significant issue compared to the family atmosphere that could be ruined because of his own presence

The school to which he is transferring is not too far from Li Baoguo on the map. As for what kind of school it is, Jiang Cheng has not looked into it and has no interest in inquiring.

Jiang Sheng gave a light pat on his hand and then pointed to Pan Zhi, saying, "This is my buddy Pan Zhi"

Jiang Sheng stretched his foot in front of him and shook it; today he was wearing a pair of casual shoes

"The key is that it doesn't help even if I stay up for ten nights," Pan Zhi said, elongating his voice and sighing. "Damn it, I know why I've been thinking about you so much. Once you leave, there's no one to show me the answers during the exam!"

He has quite a few friends, but they are all of the kind that are dispensable, hanging out aimlessly together, wandering about, gathering for trivial matters, but scattering like birds and beasts when it comes to significant issues

Jiang Sheng felt that he was probably infected by Pan Zhi, watching the few of them slowly approach with a sense of anticipation as if waiting for a grand performance to begin

No," Jiang Cheng said, after a moment of thought, he added, "I don't know"

... perhaps. Jiang Sheng thought for a moment, and indeed, there was nothing to say and no one to say it to

"Let's go." Pan Zhi stretched his arm and yawned.

"The old, weak, sick, and disabled are not allowed." After Gu Fei finished speaking, he took off his coat and turned to throw it towards the chair, when he caught sight of Jiang Cheng sitting on the chair. He was immediately choked by his own saliva and stared at him, coughing for quite a while.

Jiang Sheng smiled but did not speak

"You smoke too, cough... who hasn't coughed before..." Pan Zhi attempted to analyze, "Huh..."

Someone is speaking on the field

Sussak, D, said, "I didn't buy the wrong one, did I? Is it the same as the one you had before?"

It was 4 o'clock? Jiang Cheng woke up, brought his phone to his face to check the time, but his eyes had not yet fully awakened, everything was still blurry

Barbecue is actually nothing special, but Pan Zhi enjoyed it very much. Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, could not eat as much as yesterday, after all, he is a delicate flower just recovering from a serious illness

This vehicle is much more comfortable than the one we had over there, " Pan Zhi expressed his satisfaction as he got out of the car, glancing at his phone map, " Fourth Middle School, just walk another 500 meters and turn at the intersection to get there.

"Yes." Pan Zhi nodded solemnly

What about human nature?" Pan Zhi stared at him

Pan Zhi was not satisfied with this small city, but he was pleased with the hotel. He checked the bed, the area under the bed, the toilet, and the bathroom: "It's acceptable"

Oh," Jiang Cheng replied

I don't know, smoking, coughing, snoring, playing cards. Jiang Sheng summarized.

Li Baoguo is not at home, and it is unknown where he has gone

It is too easy to guess, "Jiang Sheng took the case, pulled out the black whistle and looked at it, "It's quite good."

"What the hell, isn't this the city center?" Pan Zhi said while holding the blanket, "How can a big truck drive right down to the hotel?"

"Use this, their room is the most expensive," Pan Zhi took a long time to pull a lighter out of his pocket and placed it in his hand, "See if you like it"

What are you doing?" Jiang Sheng glanced at him

This is also the reason why he is unwilling to let Pan Zhi stay here; compared to the original room that was exquisite, clean, and had a piano, Pan Zhi would have to howl for two or three days.

"Are you from the Fourth Middle School?" Li Yan scrutinized the two of them, "I haven't seen you before."

"Good eye." Jiang Cheng nodded. Although he was not in such a bad mood that he couldn't eat, he did not want Pan Zhi to know that he had a fever and vomited again yesterday

What ... ... '' Jiang Sheng turned his head to look over, momentarily stunned, `` A play? ''

However, when he came out of the barbecue restaurant, he still felt that he was stuffed

On the football field, surprisingly, there are still a group of people playing in such cold weather

"Perhaps I fell asleep," Pan Zhi said with a smile, "What are the plans for today?"

There are two outdoor basketball courts nearby, and there are also volleyball courts

"You seem to be more talkative than before this time. Have you been holding back?" Pan Zhi asked

"Master, do you know the place?" Pan Zhi asked as he got into the taxi

"You are in a bad mood," Pan Zhi said, "This pork belly is quite good today, yet you only ate so little..."

"What kind of person is your father?" Pan Zhi looked at him

"Let's take a stroll for a while," Pan Zhi said, patting his belly. "Are there any interesting places around here?"

There is only one exit in total, "Jiang Cheng glanced out the window. Through the dirty glass that had a frosted effect, he could see that the weather today was quite nice, a golden expanse, "It’s closed."

Are we together? asked the person on the field

"Don't you know whether I went to see you or not?" Jiang Cheng said irritably