Chapter 0001 The Coincidence of Fate

She was called over by Shi Yun and is not yet very familiar with the others

After all, they are still students, and the school dormitory closes at 11:30 PM. If they do not return soon, they will have to sleep on the streets tonight. At Lao Lei's urging, everyone gradually stood up, continuing to chat and laugh.

Jiang Yuan secretly glanced at Shi Yun, who was walking hand in hand with Jiu'er. Her every frown and smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, and her rosy face exuded an indescribable charm, causing his already slightly dizzy head to surge with a rush of blood.

Brother Lei Zhentian, how much did we spend on late-night snacks tonight? Let's split the bill! The girl named Jiu'er waited for a while, and in the gaps between everyone discussing the match and today's exciting moments, she finally seized the opportunity to interject. As she spoke softly, she took out her small purple-red wallet.

As night deepens, the number of pedestrians passing through the alley has significantly decreased, leaving only the weary, well-dressed white-collar workers returning late from overtime. Several windows in the building above have silently lit up.

However, after all, he is just a buddy, not a mortal enemy. Old Lei was merely joking and did not pressure him. Instead, he succumbed to his own craving for alcohol, set aside his words, and gulped down a large mouthful. When he wiped his mouth, he left behind a bottle that was more than half empty.

She turned and left, leaving behind the child who was still trying to wave with his soft little hand, embarking on a new life devoid of the past and its "burdens," after all, she was still young

Behind her departure, the garbage heap stirred slightly, revealing a somewhat handsome face of a drunken unfortunate soul who turned over. He rubbed his nose and then fell back into a deep sleep

"Well said, man!" Old Lei gave a thumbs up, opened another bottle of beer, and clinked it with Yang Yan, saying, "Come on, brother, let's drink together!"

Uh, no... not really, Old Lei, I... I feel a bit full... full, I'll drink later..." The scholarly-looking young man awkwardly glanced at the bottle of liquor being pushed over by a girl next to him who was giggling, first letting out a burp, then speaking with a thick tongue.

Shi Yun's beautiful hair cascaded down, and a waft of delicate fragrance enveloped the air. Drunkenly, Yang Yan showed little reaction, but the slightly plump boy nearby immediately flushed red. He shyly shrank his head back, yet his gaze could not help but linger on the tightly wrapped chest of Shi Yun's attire.

Great! Everyone began to cheer, and even the somewhat shy Jiu'er smiled and clapped her hands.

... ...

Her eyes, hidden in the shadows of the night, shimmered with glistening tears and the last traces of struggle and hesitation

Yang Yan stood up unsteadily, patted himself, pushed Jiang Yuan's hand away, supported himself on the table, and with a grin on his face, foolishly laughed: "No... no need, I, I am not drunk! I can... I can... still drink!"

A slender female figure dismounted from her bicycle, perhaps having ridden for too long and feeling exhausted. She breathed heavily, her hands trembling as she opened the bag she was carrying. Carefully, she took out a baby, who was wrapped not in a dirty blanket but in a relatively clean new towel.

"Then let's go! Jiang Yuan, keep an eye on Yan Zi a bit." Old Lei was unconcerned; he had drunk the most and felt nothing at all. Naturally, he did not think that this little bit of alcohol could bring anyone down here. He waved his hand grandly, inviting everyone to return to school together.

His alcohol tolerance has never been good, and he is certainly no match for Lao Lei, a typical northern strongman.

He is feeling a bit dazed now, amidst the joy of winning the match with a dramatic turnaround today, urged on by the cheerful voices of the girls, and under the subtle influence of hormones. Yang Yan simply cast aside his concerns about being drunk, stood up, raised the bottle, and boldly declared: "Alright, I'll drink!"

Look! In order to show that he was not drunk, he staggered and took two steps.

As Yang Yan fell, he felt the world spinning around him, the effects of the alcohol surged within him. Even though he tried to hum and get up, he could not lift his body; his foot slipped, and he fell down again.

Although it is not very clear, that small package is moving, seemingly engaged in a final struggle against fate

Meanwhile, in another corner of Yangcheng, on the dilapidated dormitory building of Xinfeng Garment Factory, several female workers were leaning against the railing, laughing and pointing at a few male workers from the nearby electronics factory as they passed by

However, the woman showed no reaction at all; she was immersed in her own sorrow. Occasionally, when she lifted her head, a flicker of struggle passed across her pale face

He had long forgotten the task that Lei Zhentian had assigned to him. In order to get closer to Shi Yun, he took a couple of steps forward, puffed out his slightly plump chest, and while stealing glances at Shi Yun, he said loudly: "Yes, even if it's going Dutch, it should be us guys going Dutch, the girls can't do that!"

Shi Yun leaned over with a smile, bending down to get close to Yang Yan's head, and said loudly: "Brother Yan, we are going back!"

But in the same building, in a tightly closed dormitory, a thin and haggard woman is sobbing while clutching a crumpled photograph. The photograph depicts a pair of modestly dressed working-class individuals; the man's image has been scratched and marred, while the woman still retains a hint of purity and beauty visible through the creases.

At this moment, Yang Yan truly could not get up; his mind had already descended into a state of confusion, continuously sending out signals of "lying down for a while, resting a bit before getting up"

"Lunchbox, you are letting your teammates down!" Yang Yan said with a bitter smile as he reached out and pointed at the tall, thin boy.

Everyone was laughing, but no one noticed that at this moment, Yang Yan, who had been swaying, dizzy, and walking slowly at the back, suddenly tripped over a brick by the roadside. His legs went weak, he lost his balance, and he stumbled sideways.

"What is A not allowed? Ah Yuan, your words are quite suggestive!" Another boy from the neighboring dormitory, who was also part of their team, caught the flaw in Jiang Yuan's confused statement and began to tease him.

Fortunately, everyone was a bit tipsy, and his flushed face went unnoticed

Certainly, the late-night snack stall at the front of the alley is quite lively. In addition to some migrant workers from the nearby urban village enjoying skewers, drinking, and boasting, there is also a table of university students who are already flushed and excited from drinking.

Yang Yan swayed slightly, and at the moment his head slipped from his palm, he regained a bit of awareness through the reflex of losing balance, forcing himself to straighten up. His eyes looked somewhat dazed as he stared ahead, and he spoke with a thick tongue, saying: "What, what..."

Two girls accompanying to the internet cafe competition, having had a bit to drink, were in a rather overly excited state, especially the one sitting next to Yang Yan, named Shi Yun. She clapped her hands and giggled while cheering: "Brother Yan, drink, drink, drink!"

"Brother Yan is mighty and imposing!" Shi Yun looked at Yang Yan, her eyes sparkling with wonderful light. As she cheered, she excitedly raised both arms, causing two magnificent peaks to gently sway, which made the other boys at the table unable to help but stare in awe.

Yet she still steeled herself and placed the baby, who was gently kicking its little feet and making "mm-mm" sounds, into that pile of garbage. At the moment she turned away, she choked up and cried hoarsely, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I, I can't take care of you. No, it's not my fault. If you must blame someone, then blame... blame that bastard..."

Yang Yan still had a somewhat dazed consciousness. He forced himself to shake his head to become a bit more alert, his eyes, resembling those of a cross-eyed chicken, straining to focus as he glanced at the round face of Jiang Yuan beside him

"Beautiful lady, the bill please!" Old Lei exclaimed in a stylish manner in Cantonese, as he pulled out his thick wallet and waved to the busy waiter walking back and forth.

Gradually, his last remnants of consciousness also ceased to struggle, resting his head against the soft garbage bag, and he fell asleep...

The slightly plump Jiang Yuan quickly nodded, extending his hand to support Yang Yan, saying: "Yan Zi, let me help you!"

Ah? This... I didn't mean it that way..." Jiang Yuan said, blushing as he began to explain himself.

Hehe, Brother Jiang Yuan, I didn't expect you to be so risqué too!" Shi Yun playfully stuck out her tongue and turned to tease Jiang Yuan.

"Yanzi, take a look at our sister Shiyun, and also at sister Jiu'er, right? They haven't had a small amount to drink either, yet they remain unfazed. You can only handle this little bit and you say you can't go on, how will the junior sisters see you?" Old Lei teased.

Perhaps everyone was a bit dazed, or perhaps Yang Yan was walking slowly, falling a few meters behind. It could also be that everyone's laughter drowned out the sounds behind them. No one noticed Yang Yan's predicament, and no one saw his figure buried in the pile of garbage that was not illuminated by the streetlight, as they continued to walk towards the school, chatting and laughing.

"Come, come, Yan Zi, let me share another bottle with you." A robust young man with a strong northern accent boldly picked up a bottle of beer and called out to the delicate-looking, somewhat scholarly young man sitting beside him, putting his arm around his shoulder.

The tall and thin boy next to me, referred to as "Lunch Box," had a somewhat flickering gaze. He cleared his throat and said, "Sister Jiu'er, our Old Lei is a man who has a mine at home! Do we really need you to pay for a late-night snack?"

Beside her, a baby lay in a dirty blanket, softly whimpering from hunger, its little feet weakly stirring.

... ...

Old Lei returned after paying the bill and saw Yang Yan still sitting there in a daze. He smiled and asked, "Yan Zi, are you alright? If you get drunk, I will help you back with Jiang Yuan."

However, it does not matter; although everyone is a bit drunk, walking back to school together, chatting and laughing along the way, there is no need to worry about safety, and conversing is quite enjoyable.

"No... it's not that I can't, I mean let's take a break before drinking again." After all, a young man with a scholarly temperament is still young and cannot withstand provocation. He scratched his head, hesitating while holding the bottle of wine.

Jiang Yuan blushed, scratching his head, feeling shy and unsure of how to respond to Shi Yun's words

... ...

"Since it's all good, let's drink. Yang Yan, you are the MVP today, your one shot has sent the entire internet into a frenzy. Without you, we wouldn't have won!" A tall and slender boy sitting opposite laughed and cheered, "How can the MVP not drink? Drink, drink, drink!"

It is unclear how much time has passed, but at one end of the deserted street, a bicycle is being ridden unsteadily towards me. When the shadow of the bicycle merges with the shadows of the alley, the creaking sound abruptly comes to a halt

It seems that the soft "ground" is just like a big bed, very comfortable

To return to the school, one must walk a relatively secluded path at night. The reason for having a late-night snack here is that the internet café where they competed tonight is nearby. After winning the championship at the internet café, everyone was so excited that they casually found a late-night snack stall to celebrate, without waiting to go back to school.

Then, thank you, Brother Lei Zhentian! And thank you, Brother Fang Hexu as well. Jiu'er put away her wallet and said to Lei Zhentian with a hint of embarrassment, and she finally gave a gentle smile to the tall and slender Fang Hexu.

A boy with a round face and a slightly round figure shyly glanced at Shi Yun, who was stretching and laughing with another girl, along with her ample bosom. He shuffled his feet over this way, but he was not heading towards Shi Yun. While stealing glances at her from the corner of his eye, he reached out and patted Yang Yan's shoulder, who was resting his chin on the table in a daze, and said softly: "Yan Zi, we are going back"

In the narrow alleys of Yangcheng during the late summer and early autumn, the humid air seems to stagnate between the compact and dense handshake buildings, accompanied by the creaking sounds of air conditioning units, urging pedestrians to hasten their steps home

Yang Yan fell into a pile of garbage by the roadside, landing face down on the stacked bags of trash

Shi Yun held Jiu Er's hand, her delicate figure trembling as she playfully laughed, "Alright, Jiu Er, put away your wallet, Brother Lei is not short of money!"

No need, no need, it's not a big deal at all? I invited! Originally, Old Lei was called Lei Zhentian, he waved his hand and laughed, saying.

At the late-night snack stall, the students had also had quite a bit to drink. Old Lei, with a rosy complexion, raised his wrist to check the time and said, "It's getting late; let's call it a night here! If we stay out any longer, the dormitory will be locked up."