Watching Qin Rui leave, Lou Cheng retracted his gaze and looked at the frozen pond in front of him.
Faint sounds of mahjong tiles colliding, indistinct singing, the sound of a basketball hitting the ground, and the cheerful laughter of his classmates could be heard. In front of him was his reflection on the ice, as if he had traveled back in time from high school.
At that time, his face was not well-defined enough …
At that time, his body was thin and he often felt tired …
At that time, he was not generous enough and was timid in his words and actions. It was not because he was introverted and did not like to deal with unfamiliar people, but because when facing others, unless he had a very good relationship with them, he would always think too much. He would worry about whether his words would be ambiguous, whether it would be inappropriate, or whether his words would leave a bad impression on others. He had too many scruples and thought too much, so he became more and more anxious, and the more anxious he was, the worse his performance was …
But now, through the example of Little Ming, the high spirit brought by the training of martial arts, and the confidence accumulated by the victories in the Challenge Tournament, he finally understood that many times, there was no need to think too much or care too much about other people's opinions. Just like in a martial arts competition, being overcautious and hesitant would only lead to failure. Similarly, many times, what one said was secondary. As long as the words conveyed the idea, it was enough. The most important thing was to use this to show confidence and sincerity. Of course, it was not wrong to be a little humorous.
Thoughts fluctuated and Lou Cheng's mind gradually settled down. His classmates were still singing, playing basketball, playing chess, and climbing. It seemed that he was the only one, looking for peace in the bustle and reminiscing about the past in the cold wind.
Familiar voices came into his ears one by one. In a trance, he seemed to be back in high school.
It was hard and depressing, but at that time, it was really hard and depressing. When the sun had just risen, he had already sat in the classroom and started the morning self-study. It was already late at night, and he hadn't returned home yet. Taking advantage of the time when the evening class was over, he hurried to do his homework and discuss with the students who lived on campus. His time was occupied by one class after another, and one exam after another, and his youth seemed to have become pale because of it.
However, now that he thought about it, there were also some happy bits and pieces in the midst of all this hardship and depression. It was the joy of finally getting a satisfactory score and a satisfactory ranking in the exam. It was the joy of finally finishing homework ahead of time and being able to go home and relax. It was the beauty of taking a break from the busy class and telling all sorts of interesting stories to his deskmate, the one in front of him, and the one behind him.
It was the wanton display of playing and chatting during the break, the satisfaction of secretly watching Yan Zheke during the radio exercises, and the different jokes and care brought by different teachers.
It was when Jiang Fei, Cheng Qili, and Jiang Fei would occasionally go out of school to play games and surf the net to vent their feelings. It was when they fervently chased after martial arts masters and collected their posters. It was when they crazily slept until noon on holidays. It was when they read novels intermittently in their free time.
Bit by bit, yesterday repeated itself.
This was his flowering season and rainy season. This was his high school life. This was his youth that he could never go back to.
The cold wind blew in his face. Lou Cheng suddenly laughed because he thought of a saying: "Man is a vulgar animal. In the present, which is full of variables and unknowns, he is like a hungry beast. He will only wolf down his food and taste it. When everything is over and he recalls the past, the little bit of beauty will ferment and be able to taste it. However, it can no longer be reproduced."
No wonder there was such a thing as the rebirth novel. Sometimes, it was not about changing history, but about savoring the past.
After sighing with emotion for a long time, he suppressed these thoughts and returned to the KTV box. He sang while chatting with Yan Zheke. At four o 'clock, they felt it was too stuffy here, so they went out for a walk. Looking at the beautiful mountain scenery, breathing in the cold and fresh air, they talked and laughed about their embarrassing past.
At half past five, the tour bus came again and took Lou Cheng and the others back to Xiushan. Dinner was a whole roasted lamb. After that, there was no more activity. Everyone went back to their own homes.
During the meal, some people talked with assurance, some laughed, some listened quietly, and some whispered. Lou Cheng made a fortune in silence and ate to his heart's content.
At the end of the meal, Qiu Hailin, who was sitting at the same table as Old Wu, stood up and held a glass with a thin layer of red wine in it.
She looked around and suddenly burst into laughter when she saw Lou Cheng's table.
"Fatty Jiang, you really eat a lot. You finished so much roasted lamb. There is still a lot left at other tables. No wonder you are so fat!"
Fatty Jiang looked aggrieved and glanced at Lou Cheng with hidden bitterness. "I didn't eat much. I was just chatting, drinking, and bragging!"
"Brothers are used as scapegoats …" Lou Cheng patted him on the shoulder silently.
Using this topic to attract the attention of all the classmates, Qiu Hailin said in a clear voice,
"For this class reunion, let's start off with a toast to Teacher Wu and Teacher Xin. Then, when we end it, let's toast to each other and ourselves. I know that everyone will go their separate ways in the future and have their own opportunities, so we might not have many chances to meet again. But I hope that we will never forget our friendship as classmates. You have to know that in these three years, yes, for some of you who came here in the second year of high school, we have spent more time together than our parents and relatives. Our memories belong to each other!"
"Let's drink to our friendship on the long journey. A smile when we meet is enough!"
"She is indeed from the school's Speech Club …" Lou Cheng smiled and raised his glass with water instead of wine.
He knew that Qiu Hailin had joined the Speech Club in Capital College.
"Cheers!"
After a shout in unison, everyone drank the drinks in their glasses, looking excited and sentimental.
After that, people left one after another. Lou Cheng and Jiang Fei fought until the end to wait for Cheng Qili, and Cheng Qili fought until the end to talk more with Qiu Hailin. In his eyes, there were several tables full of messy cups and plates, just like the mess after a feast, and also like waking up from a beautiful dream.
Lou Cheng took a deep look, exhaled, and turned to leave. He was the last one in this class reunion.
Memories end here …
The past can't be chased anymore. Now I need to know how to grasp the present!
Just like Cheng Qili chasing Qiu Hailin.
Just like me chasing Yan Zheke.
…
A few days after the reunion, it was the end of January, New Year's Eve.
Lou Cheng watched his parents pack up for the trip to grandpa's house. He thought for a while and walked to the balcony. Facing the pot of chives he planted, he took out his phone.
At night, he had to chat with his family, chat with Yan Zheke, send New Year's greetings to Cai Xiaoming and other friends, and call his master in the afternoon to express his gratitude.
After the ringtone, Lou Cheng heard a familiar hoarse voice, "Not bad, you still remember to call me."
"Yes, Happy New Year, master!" Lou Cheng said with a smile.
"Happy?" Geezer Shi said in a bad mood, "Being controlled, you have to be sneaky even when smoking and drinking!"
"Haha, who is it?" Lou Cheng asked with a smile.
Master usually looks like a lonely old man. Uh, if her thoughts were to be found out by him, she would definitely get a good beating …
Geezer Shi sighed, "My daughter and son-in-law."
"Then please send my greetings to Senior Sister and her husband." Lou Cheng said politely.
Hehe, master's tone didn't sound unhappy. As the saying goes, "Don't talk, but your body is honest."
After a few words of greeting, Geezer Shi said, "Since you called, I have something to tell you first."
"What is it?" Lou Cheng was surprised and curious.
Geezer Shi coughed a few times and said, "Next semester is the national competition, which has nothing to do with us. There are eight or nine months between the start of the semester and the next district competition. It's not enough to just practice and set moves in such a long time. I have to find some real combat practice for you guys. Otherwise, who can you beat when it comes to the district competition?"
"Real combat practice? How? "Lou Cheng was excited.
Geezer Shi said, "The other schools usually find the martial arts clubs or martial arts schools nearby to exchange training, or participate in the small Challenge Tournament not far away in batches. I think that the intensity of real combat is not enough. How can you face the top teams in Shanbei in the future? Since you almost have the strength of a quasi-professional, and with the growth of Lin Que and the others, you can form a team to participate in the preliminaries after the New Year. "
"Preliminaries?" Lou Cheng blurted out in surprise.
He was going to participate in the preliminaries?
"Why are you surprised to hear about the preliminaries? You can have more real combat practice with the strong. Anyway, you can't go too far in the preliminaries and delay the Martial Arts Competition's district competition in the second half of the year. Work hard, maybe you can get some secret manuals or share the bonus. "Geezer Shi laughed and scolded him.
For some reason, Lou Cheng suddenly felt a surge of excitement. Preliminaries! The entrance competition of the professional martial arts circle!
"But, Master, will it delay my usual study? The preliminaries have home and away games …" He asked worriedly.
Geezer Shi snorted and said, "Are you looking down on your master? When the time comes, I'll inform the chairman to arrange our away games on the weekend. Anyway, it's a division, so it's not too far away. "
Then he added, "You have to practice hard and seize this opportunity to improve. At the end of April, directly sign up for the Ranking Event of Professional Ninth Pin!"
"Directly sign up for the Ranking Event of Professional Ninth Pin …" Lou Cheng took a deep breath and was immediately filled with excitement.
The first Ranking Event of Professional Ninth Pin?
That's right. A man should have a goal!
After ending the call, he couldn't wait to share this with Yan Zheke immediately. But after thinking about it, he decided to wait until the New Year and then call her to tell her!
Then he would have an excuse to enter the New Year with Yan Zheke while listening to the sound of firecrackers and each other's breathing!
Then he could occupy her time from the old year to the new year!
I'm so smart!
Back in the living room, Lou Cheng saw that his parents were almost done with tidying up. He quietly went back to the room and took out the gifts for them.
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