He Jin's fingers trembled, and he quickly replied, "Don't."
Even though his state of mind had changed since he started playing the game, he was still not ready to meet with Shang Huo in the real world. "Meeting" was like a different beginning. He would be nervous, afraid, and even flinching away from it …
Qin Yang's words were, of course, based on their initial agreement. Just like He Jin, they'd broken the line in many ways, but they'd both tacitly maintained the bottom line. Otherwise, given his personality, he would've rushed over without a care in the world.
He Jin understood He Jin's resolute refusal. After a moment of silence, he thought about his next strategy.
He Jin was afraid that Shang Huo would change his mind, so he accepted the money for the time being. But then again, it was only a loan.
He Jin returned to City A. It was much cooler here than in his hometown. That made sense. There weren't many locals in the big cities, and most of them were foreigners. They'd all gone home for the New Year and hadn't returned yet.
He Jin didn't fall asleep in the car because he had something on his mind. He dragged his tired body back to school first. Sure enough, all the staff were on vacation, and the dormitories of students needed approval from their superiors. He Jin had no choice but to go outside.
On his way to find a place to stay, He Jin was lucky enough to find a Costa cafe with a recruitment notice. By the time he saw it, the cafe was already closed. There were only a few dim lights in the shop. He Jin saw a waitress staying behind to clean the place. He knocked lightly on the glass door.
It was a girl about his age. She waved at him from afar, indicating that the cafe was closed.
He Jin pointed at the recruitment notice, and the waitress came over to open the door.
"Are you still hiring?" He Jin asked.
The girl sized him up. "Yes. There's no one here for the New Year, so we're looking for people. But the foreman has already left. Come back tomorrow morning."
He Jin took the name card and found a nearby hostel to stay in.
He only had one tea egg for the whole day. By ten o 'clock at night, He Jin was so hungry that he had no strength left in him. He didn't have any appetite, either. He just wanted to take a shower and sleep.
After a hot shower, He Jin sat back on his bed. His bracelet vibrated. It was from Shang Huo. "Where are you? Has the car arrived yet? "
Just as he was about to reply, his wristband vibrated again. He actually received a message from Qin Yang. "What are you busy with? I haven't heard from you recently."
He Jin was stunned and thought to himself, 'What a coincidence …'
He replied to Shang Huo, "We're here. We're at a hostel near the school."
Returning to the message interface, He Jin was a little hesitant about whether or not to tell Qin Yang that he had run away from home … Perhaps it was because he still had a bit of pride left in his heart that he didn't want to rely on anyone, especially someone he once had a good impression of. Qin Yang was very enthusiastic, but He Jin couldn't use him.
He thought about it and replied to Qin Yang, "Yes, I'll be at home during the New Year to visit my relatives and friends."
Qin Yang: "…" (= _ =)
If he did not understand He Jin's character, Qin Yang would have suspected that he, the flame of death, had been deceived. But after some thought, he knew that He Jin's second sentence was a lie … But why did he trust the flame of death but lie to him?
Qin Yang's heart ached, and he immediately felt a little uncomfortable.
He persistently sent another message: "When are you returning to City A?"
This time, it was He Jin's turn to be stunned. His lying skills were already bad, and he was a little nervous when he was questioned like this. He stumbled and lied. "After the Lantern Festival."
Qin Yang: "Oh, which part of City Q are you from? In the city? I've been idle at home for the past few days, and I happened to see the attractions of City Q on TV today. I suddenly wanted to come and take a look. "
At the same time, the flame of death asked, "Have you eaten? Is the hostel safe? "
He Jin was flustered by Qin Yang's words and first replied to the flame of death, "I ate a little. It's safe, don't worry."
He then racked his brains to think of how to reply to Qin Yang. "I've been quite busy recently, so I might not have time to accompany you. Can you wait for the summer break? I'll take you out to play then." The summer break was just a delaying tactic. He had no idea if he would still be able to return at that time.
Qin Yang: "There's no need to take me or accompany me. I'm fine by myself. I just wanted to come over to meet you and have a meal together. Don't tell me you don't even have time. That's not giving me face."
He Jin was completely embarrassed. He hadn't expected Qin Yang to do this. Now, he couldn't make up for his lie anymore …
After struggling for a while, He Jin finally chose to confess helplessly. "I'm sorry, Qin Yang. I lied to you just now. Actually, I'm not at home. I've returned to City A."
Qin Yang: "…"
Qin Yang: "When did you come back?"
He Jin: "Just today. I just arrived at night."
Qin Yang: "Where do you live now?"
He Jin: "At my classmate's house …"
The next second, his wristband buzzed and vibrated. Qin Yang was calling!
He Jin was so frightened that his hands trembled. He didn't even adjust the answering mode and directly received the video call. Qin Yang's face appeared on the projection, and the image of him sitting cross-legged on the small bed in the hostel in his pajamas was also transmitted over …
His lie was exposed once again … Orz …
Qin Yang didn't bother with him and directly asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were back?"
He Jin: "I … was afraid to trouble you."
Qin Yang raised an eyebrow. "Trouble? You don't treat me as a friend? "
He Jin: "No …"
Qin Yang: "What happened? Why are you back so early?"
He Jin said awkwardly, "Something at home. Uh … I quarreled with my mom."
Qin Yang glared at him and asked, "Give me your address. I'll come over to find you."
He Jin said anxiously, "Don't. It's too late now. I'm fine …"
Qin Yang looked a little angry, but He Jin shook his head firmly. "I'm a little tired today. Tomorrow, I'll contact you again tomorrow."
Qin Yang was silent for a while before finally nodding and compromising. "Then you sleep first. Good night."
After hanging up, He Jin felt conflicted. He collapsed on the bed and asked in his heart, "Qin Yang, what do you treat me as? If we're just friends, why do you care so much about me?"
Before going to bed, He Jin didn't give up. He took out the helmet from his bag and opened it again, but it still didn't work. He didn't know the relevant technology and didn't know what to do. He used his bracelet to check if anyone had broken a helmet and wanted to see how to solve it. It was said that if it was self-purchased, it would be repaired for free within a year. If it was man-made, it would need to be repaired at one's own expense, but the repair time was up to three months, and the price was not cheap. Another method was to depreciate the helmet and replace it with a new one. If there were any problems within half a year, they could replace it with a new one at half the original price.
The last method was more reliable, but He Jin checked again. All the major specialty stores would only open after the third day of the year.
He Jin put the helmet back into his bag. The zipper slipped, and a can of 7-Up suddenly fell out. He Jin picked up the can and rolled it in his palm. It was cold. He chuckled and opened the can with a click.
The clear carbonated drink slid down his throat, flowed through his esophagus, and entered his stomach. "Burp ~" He Jin burped. His whole body quivered, and he seemed to be a little more awake. He looked at the green can in his hand and suddenly thought of the scene of Qin Yang running to him after buying things at the train station …
… Don't be so nice to me, Qin Yang. You have someone you like, and I have someone I like too.
He Jin didn't reply. Instead, he sent a message to Shang Huo. "I'm going to bed. Good night."
The author has something to say:
— — —
[Flower arrangement]
I saw some little angels in the comments saying that it's good that He Jin ran away from home. Here, I want to remind everyone not to imitate him in real life, especially those who haven't become financially independent. No matter how difficult or torturous your family situation is, you must be strong and study hard.
In addition, everyone's evaluation of his mother is one-sided, but there are two sides to everything. The characters in the story will also grow up and change their views. I'm only the narrator of the story, so it's not convenient for me to make a subjective evaluation of them. But I will continue to write well and present everyone with a relatively happy and sweet ending.
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