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墨書 Inktalez
Peng Jun was Bai Tang's second desk mate, and he left the deepest impression among her six desk mates in middle school, mainly because they were "enemies" before becoming desk mates. At that time, a certain student known as the "Death God" had entered Huaxia, and Bai Tang and her classmates became obsessed with detective stories. Besides watching television, students often secretly read comic books during class. There were few comic book stores in City D, which meant only a small number of students could buy "Detective Conan." Those who managed to get their hands on the books enjoyed the envy of their classmates and would share the books with everyone. Due to the high demand, this led to a scene of competition for the books. Compared to girls who preferred shoujo manga, most of those buying "Detective Conan" were boys. As a result, girls who wanted to read "Detective Conan" had to wait until the boys finished reading before they could get their hands on the books. Every time they heard others discussing the plot, it felt like there were cat claws scratching at their hearts, making them extremely anxious. Bai Tang was the only girl who didn't have to wait for the boys to finish reading before she could read the new books; her desk mate was an honest boy who was always pressured by her. When new books arrived, they were immediately snatched away by Bai Tang, and she would only return them after reading. Peng Jun couldn't stand Bai Tang's behavior and stood up for her desk mate, leading to a confrontation between them. They were called to the teacher's office together for a scolding, thus establishing their rivalry. As a result, one semester later, they became desk mates. One can imagine how they managed to get through that half semester together. In any case, their classmates in front and behind them changed repeatedly, and it was always initiated by them wanting to switch seats.
"At that time, I had injuries on me; my mom thought I had gone out to fight with delinquents," Peng Jun said with a smile. In middle school, Bai Tang kept long nails that left several bloody scratches when she scratched someone.
Bai Tang laughed, "You still have the face to say that! If you hadn't caught some Tin Frogs, snakes, or chameleons to scare me, would I have scratched you?"
"But you weren't scared at all; I was the one who ended up unlucky." Peng Jun admired Bai Tang back then; what girl had such courage? She actually cut off the head of a chameleon and made a steel lock out of it with clay—a dinosaur transformation from Transformers' Autobots.
"Who told you to hide my chemistry textbook? I ended up without a book in class and got punished by the chemistry teacher," Bai Tang began to seek justice for herself.
"You also threw my homework notebook from the fourth floor down to the first floor; it landed in a puddle and got ruined, forcing me to rewrite it all over again and almost getting punished by the teacher."
"You..."
"..."
The two exchanged stories about what they did to each other when they were young. Back then, they were like fighting roosters; now looking back at it felt both funny and nostalgic.
"You've gone home; what about your boyfriend? Still in the south?" Peng Jun asked.
"Nope! Where would I get a boyfriend?" Bai Tang chuckled. "What about you? After so many years with your girlfriend, when are you treating us?"
Peng Jun tugged at his lips: "We broke up long ago. A rich second-generation guy pursued her; she held out for three months but ultimately fell under his sweet talk and said goodbye to me."
"Sorry," Bai Tang apologized.
"It's fine, if we break up, we break up. I don't really love her; it's just a habit after so many years together," Peng Jun said nonchalantly. "How about we grab a coffee and then catch a movie? I heard the new release 'The Taking of Tiger Mountain' is good."
"Are you trying to pursue me?" Bai Tang raised an eyebrow and asked directly.
"Is that not allowed? We're both single, so it's perfectly normal for me to pursue you," Peng Jun replied, raising his eyebrow as well.
"But I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now, so don't waste your time on me." For the sake of keeping the system's existence a secret, Bai Tang had long planned to stay single for life. Even Bai Ma, while wanting to find a man who could take care of her daughter, was no longer in a hurry to arrange blind dates for her.
"You blocked my path just as I was about to make my move. Do you really think so little of me? You’re not still holding a grudge from back then, are you?" Peng Jun felt a bit unhappy after being rejected, but he took it in stride. He had feelings for Bai Tang but not to the extent that he couldn't live without her. There are plenty of fish in the sea; since she wasn't interested, he would look for another target. His desire to pursue Bai Tang also stemmed from nostalgia for their middle school days.
"Do we have a grudge? I don't remember," Bai Tang feigned surprise before breaking into a smile.
Peng Jun laughed as well. "Do you have any single girlfriends? Introduce a few to me."
"Not a single one, let alone several!"
They both laughed, naturally steering the conversation away from pursuing each other.
"By the way, who was that young person with you at the hospital? He seems to have a good relationship with Director Chen?" Peng Jun asked casually.
Bai Tang smiled knowingly. "His name is Yuan Mingyi; he's a friend of mine. He’s not close with Director Chen; they just know each other through family connections."
"Oh really? What does he do?" Peng Jun continued to inquire. He didn't believe that Yuan Mingyi and Chen Ping had a casual relationship; judging by Chen Ping's attitude towards Yuan Mingyi, it seemed like he treated him as someone needing care. "When can we invite him out to hang out?"
"Yuan Mingyi is in the military and can't go out freely," Bai Tang provided a legitimate reason for refusal. There were stationed troops on Dongshan, and Chu Wenchong used his connections to give Yuan Mingyi a nominal position in the military, allowing him to accompany Chu Wenchong on missions occasionally. This served as a ready excuse.
"That's too bad," Peng Jun said without much else.
The two of them had coffee and parted ways without going to the movie. Bai Tang sighed; as one grows older, it's inevitable to become a bit utilitarian, but having it used against her was frustrating. Why were all the old classmates she encountered during this time so lacking in character?
The following days were calm, and before she knew it, it was time for Wen Xin and Shaoliang's wedding. Shaoliang's family was wealthy, and they had booked a banquet at a grand hotel in City D, which made many attendees chuckle.
"Congratulations on your hundred years of harmony!" Bai Tang saw the newlyweds receiving guests at the hotel entrance. Wen Xin wore an off-shoulder wedding dress, and goosebumps stood out clearly on her pale shoulders and arms; it was definitely cold.
"You two really are a match made in heaven. I wonder if we’ll be drinking to celebrate your child's first month next year?" Bai Tang deliberately lingered in the wind to say a few more words, wanting to see how Wen Xin would shiver from the cold yet stubbornly hold her ground without losing face.
Shaoliang wasn't dressed warmly either; both of them were freezing and inwardly cursing Bai Tang for being so talkative. They wished she would hurry up and go inside so they could find a place to warm up.
After enjoying their discomfort enough, Bai Tang felt pleased and took out a red envelope as a gift for the couple. They looked down on her for being a "poor person" running an online store, so she decided not to give too much—two hundred dollars would suffice. She could always make up for it with a big meal later.
"Bai Tang!" A woman walked over, her eyes lighting up as she greeted her loudly.
"Cao Xue!" Bai Tang recognized the woman as the vice class monitor from high school, who had a lively personality and got along well with most of the girls in class.
"You actually came! Aren't you working in the south? When did you return to City D? Why didn't you contact me when you got back? Are you still living in the same place? What's your phone number? We should grab coffee sometime." A series of questions poured out, leaving Bai Tang unsure of how to respond.
"What about you? Aren't you working in Magic City? When did you come back to City D?" Cao Xue had attended a key university in Magic City and stayed there after graduation, so it was surprising that she had returned to City D as well.
"Last year, but I didn't come back to City D. Due to work reasons, I transferred to Provincial Capital. I can go back to City D every weekend to visit my parents," Cao Xue replied cheerfully. City D was only about sixty kilometers from Provincial Capital, and with express trains, it could be reached in half an hour.
The two walked into the banquet hall while exchanging phone numbers. Shaoliang had specifically set up two tables for classmates; Bai Tang saw many familiar faces. However, most of these people were close to Wen Xin and Shaoliang, and their attitude towards Bai Tang wasn't very friendly.
"I heard you opened an Online Store?" Qian Qian, who had a falling out with Wen Xin and later improved her relationship with her, had heard many bad things about Bai Tang from Wen Xin. As a result, she had a very poor impression of Bai Tang and often seized opportunities to mock her.
Bai Tang nodded, scanning the table for something to eat. There was nothing appetizing; compared to the banquet in Dream of the Red Chamber, it was far inferior.
"What are you selling?" Qian Qian continued to ask.
"Some handicrafts," Bai Tang replied lightly. She didn't like Qian Qian; this woman was a sycophant of Wen Xin. Wen Xin came from a good family, while Qian Qian's family was relatively poor. Wen Xin often donated clothes and snacks she no longer needed to Qian Qian, which made her ingratiate herself. Now that Wen Xin had married the wealthier Shaoliang, whose business partners were all rich people, Qian Qian wanted to use her connection with Wen Xin and Shaoliang to marry into wealth herself. This thought only made Bai Tang find her laughable.
"Handicrafts? We don't have any distinctive handicrafts in City D; you probably won't make much money, right?"
"It's okay; enough for living expenses."
"Just enough for living expenses? Isn't that less than what I earn working in a factory?" Qian Qian feigned surprise. "Aren't you a college student? How come you're doing worse than me, someone who didn't get into college?"
Bai Tang glanced at her indifferently. "Oh? You work in a factory? Must be tiring, right? Aren't you close with Wen Xin? Why don't you ask her to help you find a job at Shaoliang's company? It would be less tiring and you could earn more money."
Qian Qian felt a lump in her throat; Bai Tang's words hit right at her sore spot. She had long asked Wen Xin to help her switch jobs, but Wen Xin always made excuses. Hmph, if she wouldn't help with such a simple matter, did she really consider herself a friend?
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