By the time Chen Zhu and Yu Xian came out of the police station, it was past seven in the evening. Giving statements and having his injuries examined had taken quite a while.
The high-rises, so cold and austere during the day, seemed to awaken to a livelier side beneath the lights. Flashing neon and surging crowds painted Yuecheng's most bustling nighttime scene.
She was clearly in a good mood, but she wasn't paying Chen Zhu any attention. She walked ahead, humming to herself, seemingly lost in thought.
Whenever she realized she was walking too fast, though, Yu Xian deliberately slowed down a little, as if waiting for Chen Zhu.
What's that supposed to mean? She's waiting for me but won't talk to me?
Chen Zhu thought these seventeen- and eighteen-year-old girls were harder to read than officials in their fifties.
They returned to the convenience store one behind the other. To their surprise, neither Huang Bohan nor Zhao Yuanyuan had left. They had probably both asked to miss evening study hall. The store manager had returned, too.
"Sorry, Sister Lu. Something came up this afternoon, and I went out."
Yu Xian hurried over to apologize.
She now felt that leaving the shop to Huang Bohan and Zhao Yuanyuan had been irresponsible. But in the heat of the moment, all she could think was that Chen Zhu had helped her, so she couldn't let him go to the police station alone.
"It's fine, it's fine."
The manager was a woman of about thirty, with a slight Sichuan accent to her Mandarin. She was quite happy to see Yu Xian back. After giving Chen Zhu a curious glance, she went off to attend to her own work.
But after taking two steps, she turned back. "Those two students told me you'd gone to the police station. I was a little worried, so I called your dad."
"Oh."
Yu Xian had been perfectly cheerful, but the moment she heard that the manager had contacted her father, her expression turned distant, as though she didn't want to see him.
Chen Zhu found that a little strange. In fact, seeing Yu Xian working at the convenience store that afternoon had already surprised him.
Although arts-track students didn't receive much recognition from mainstream society, choosing that path was undeniably a luxury.
Whether it was music, dance, fine art, or broadcasting, the preparatory training cost a great deal. Ordinary families couldn't afford it, let alone cover it with the little Yu Xian earned working part-time at a convenience store.
Chen Zhu guessed something must have happened along the way.
Surely she wasn't really living out that cliché: a gambling dad, a mahjong-playing mom, a sick little brother, and her working to support them all.
"How did it go? Did you get things sorted out?"
Huang Bohan, who had been worrying all this time, ran over and asked eagerly.
Chen Zhu waved the written pledge in his hand. Huang Bohan took it and skimmed it. "Whoa! He really owned up to everything. How did you get Zhang Chao to sit down and write this?"
"I got on my knees and begged him."
Chen Zhu rolled his eyes. Bohan really had asked a pointless question. Obviously, he had found a way to leave Zhang Chao no choice.
Huang Bohan gave a sheepish laugh. He could actually sense the changes in his friend lately, and not just through something as obvious as his monthly exam results. There were also his manner of speaking, his bearing, and his energy.
After what had happened that afternoon, Huang Bohan felt that Chen Zhu possessed a kind of "ability" he hadn't had before.
He didn't know how to describe it. Sometimes he could catch a hint of it; other times, it seemed to leave no trace for him to follow.
"Bohan."
Chen Zhu added, "You and Yuanyuan each need to write a witness statement. I've drafted them already. Just copy them out and sign them. I'm going to get the security footage burned onto a disc."
With that, Chen Zhu took the surveillance recording and went out.
When he returned, he had not only a disc but also a brown paper envelope.
Chen Zhu put the disc, the injury examination report, the written pledge, the witness statements, and the police response receipt into the envelope. Then he sealed it, handed it to Yu Xian, and joked:
"With this, you could make Zhang Chao get down and kowtow on the spot if you ran into him at school."
"Organization!"
Watching Chen Zhu methodically gather all the evidence together for future use, Huang Bohan suddenly found the word to describe that ability.
Ever since Chen Zhu had first changed "student on cleaning duty" to "chairman of the sanitation committee," he had handled everything in an organized way, resolving each matter in turn without a hitch.
Huang Bohan didn't know why his friend had suddenly become so capable, but there was one thing he was certain of:
Their friendship would never sour because of these changes!
At that thought, emotion swelled in Huang Bohan's chest. He looked at Chen Zhu and silently recited, We'll always be-
"Bohan."
Noticing his friend's strange gaze, Chen Zhu couldn't help asking, "Why do you keep staring at your daddy?"
"Get lost!"
Huang Bohan's mood instantly shattered. He now knew that Chen Zhu's "butterfly" nickname was a pun on "daddy." He had let Chen Zhu get one over on him for days.
While the two were joking around, a middle-aged man suddenly walked into the convenience store.
At first glance, Chen Zhu thought he was some Hong Kong celebrity. He stood over 178 centimeters tall, wore a suit and polished shoes, and carried himself with elegance. Most importantly, he had the same naturally alluring eyes as Yu Xian.
"Yu Xian's dad?"
Huang Bohan whispered the question, too.
"Almost certainly."
Chen Zhu nodded. Personally, he thought that eye shape only suited women. On a man, such excessive beauty made him look insufficiently masculine.
Chen Zhu had guessed right again. The moment Yu Xian's dad spoke, an air of depleted vitality came through. "Are you all right? How did you end up at the police station?"
"I went there to play hide-and-seek with my friends."
Yu Xian's reply had a peppery sting.
"Oh, you..."
Her dad probably knew his daughter's temper, or perhaps he felt guilty. Either way, he didn't take offense. After looking her over and finding nothing seriously wrong, he took an envelope from his pocket.
Chen Zhu glanced at it. The envelope looked fairly thick. If it contained cash, there was probably at least three thousand yuan.
But the envelope was also covered in creases, as though it was usually stashed away in some obscure corner where no one would find it.
Still, the fact that he could produce money meant he definitely wasn't a gambler. Gamblers never had a penny left in their pockets.
Yu Xian's dad cautiously held out the envelope and said quietly, "The Gaokao is coming up. You should stop working here. This is a little money for living expenses. It should last you until after the exam."
Yu Xian didn't take it. Instead, she said sarcastically, "What happens if your wife finds out you're giving me money?"
Huh???
Chen Zhu, Huang Bohan, and even the chubby Zhao Yuanyuan all looked stunned.
You're your dad's daughter. Shouldn't his wife be your mom?
Does a father really need to hide it from the mother when he gives their daughter money for living expenses?
Quiet. I think I'm about to grow a brain...
"I saved this up in secret myself. Your Aunt Tang doesn't know."
Her dad spoke awkwardly, still in that feeble tone.
"I don't want it. Take your money and go!"
A flicker of contempt crossed Yu Xian's eyes. She apparently thought very little of her father's cowardice. They had barely exchanged a few words before she was showing him the door. "I have work to do. And I've already saved up most of my university tuition. Don't come here again unless you need something."
"Then give it to your grandmother."
Her dad persisted, as though he had to do something for his daughter before he could feel a little better.
Yu Xian frowned and shot back, "Give it to her yourself!"
"All right, all right..."
Her dad stood there for several minutes. Seeing that his daughter neither wanted to tell him what had happened that afternoon nor intended to introduce her schoolmates, he finally picked up the envelope and slowly walked out.
Even as he crossed the road, he kept turning back to look at Yu Xian.
Chen Zhu thought this would make a perfectly good reading-comprehension question for Chinese class.
Question: As the father left, he repeatedly turned back to look at his daughter working her part-time job. What emotions did this convey? (10 points)
Answer: ______
Inside the convenience store, however, the uncomfortable family exchange had left the atmosphere rather subdued.
Yu Xian seemed upset, too. Her pretty face remained stern, and she made the shelves clatter as she arranged the goods.
Zhao Yuanyuan looked at Huang Bohan. Huang Bohan looked at Chen Zhu. Chen Zhu looked at Zhao Yuanyuan.
An idea suddenly struck him. Chen Zhu deliberately raised his voice. "I'm getting hungry after such a busy day. Yuanyuan, do you want some fish ball noodles?"
At the mention of food, Zhao Yuanyuan instantly forgot everything else. "Yes!" she said excitedly.
"Waitress."
Chen Zhu snapped his fingers at Yu Xian with a stylish flourish. "Three bowls of fish ball noodles. Hold the fish, hold the balls, and hold the noodles. Thanks!"
"Then eat the bowls!"
Yu Xian shot Chen Zhu a sideways look. Even angry, there was still something captivatingly beautiful about that glance.
But the subject of food had gradually broken the ice in the convenience store.
Chen Zhu let out a quiet breath. It seemed a proper team really couldn't do without a foodie.
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(End of chapter)
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