“It was probably around one or two o’clock in the afternoon, someone heard crying at the orphanage’s entrance and picked me up. That’s why I was named ‘Weishi.’”
When Zhong Weishi said this, his face was expressionless, and his tone was as calm as if he were recounting an unrelated piece of news.
But to an outsider’s ears, it was rather shocking.
Gu Lizhou stared at the little brat before him, who was probably about 12 years younger than him, with a complicated expression.
He had mixed feelings inside, but mostly disbelief.
There had never been a situation like this around him.
Wasn’t throwing away children something that only happened in the news or TV dramas?
“So how did you grow up?” Gu Lizhou looked at him. “Adopted?”
“Sort of.” A wisp of white smoke blew from Zhong Weishi’s lips.
It was the first time Gu Lizhou saw the boy with his eyes downcast.
There was an indescribable feeling.
Sadness?
Not really. In his opinion, Zhong Weishi wasn’t the kind of weak person who needed others’ pity.
He still remembered the scene at Qingfeng Garden when Zhong Weishi had pinned him against the wall and warned him.
It was the recklessness unique to youth.
Like a plant growing wild.
The crowd in the square grew larger, and the sound of people was so loud that it was almost like a swarm of demons.
But at this moment, in Gu Lizhou’s eyes, there was only the reflection of a slender, lean boy.
Gu Lizhou could tell he didn’t want to talk much about his childhood, so he tactfully changed the subject. “My name is Gu Lizhou—‘Li’ as in gift, and ‘Zhou’ as in oasis.”
“I thought it was the ‘Zhou’ for a small boat.”1His Zhou was from “洲” which came from ‘绿洲’ meaning Oasis. ZW thought it was ‘舟’ from ‘小船’ which means small boat. Zhong Weishi laughed.
Gu Lizhou furrowed his brows briefly, then relaxed. “I heard it was originally that ‘Zhou,’ but later, my aunt asked someone to read my fortune. They said I lacked water in my fate, so they changed it to the ‘Zhou’ with the water radical.”2The water radical in the 洲 ‘zhou’ in his name here is ‘氵’ this one.
Zhong Weishi nodded thoughtfully. “They’re both nice. They suit you.”
The two had been at odds for several weeks, so hearing a compliment out of the blue, Gu Lizhou almost felt flattered.
Out of politeness, he returned the compliment. “Well, you cried at just the right time. If you had cried at one or two in the morning, your name would’ve been Zhong Choushi.”3The ‘丑’ chou in Choushi can also mean shameful, ugly, disgraceful or clown, other than in 1-2am.
Zhong Weishi burst out laughing and couldn’t hold back a curse. “fvck you.”
After a while, he rubbed his nose and moved closer. “So, what, I just cursed out of habit.”
Gu Lizhou wanted to say, “I know ah,” but for some reason, the words twisted on their way out. “Apologize.”
Zhong Weishi had never apologized to anyone in his life. He hadn’t even apologized for mistaking Gu Lizhou for Er’Gou and pinning him against the wall last time, let alone for cursing at him.
Seeing Zhong Weishi hesitate for a while without responding, Gu Lizhou cleared his throat. “If you don’t apologize, give me back the chicken wrap.”
“fvck,” Zhong Weishi’s eyes widened. “Weren’t you the one who forced me to eat it! You didn’t say anything about paying ah!”
“But you still ate it.” Gu Lizhou shrugged. “So, either apologize or pay up.”
“If you’d told me you wanted money, I’d have thrown it up.” Zhong Weishi slapped his palm. “Wait till I get rich, and I’ll treat you to a big meal.”
“Will that day ever come?” Gu Lizhou shot him a sidelong glance.
“Don’t look down on people,” Zhong Weishi flicked away his cigarette butt. “One day, I’ll bury you alive with coins.”
The rhythm of the square dance was so strong that even while Gu Lizhou crossed his legs, he couldn’t help but tap his foot to the beat. In the end, he forced himself to put it back down.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gu Lizhou noticed Zhong Weishi’s leg shaking like he was working a sewing machine.
Da Fei had somehow crossed over from the south square, carrying a plastic bag in his hand.
Gu Lizhou saw Zhong Weishi pull out a cup of milk tea, pierce it with a straw, and start drinking it in big gulps without even saying thank you.
Gu Lizhou thought the two brothers were going to sit down and chat, so he shifted to the side. Unexpectedly, Da Fei handed him another cup of milk tea. “Want some? It’s on me.”
Although Gu Lizhou had seen all kinds of shameful performances from this group, knew their twisted taste, had seen Da Fei cross-dressed, and even conspired with them on the “catch Er’Gou plan,” he still didn’t consider them familiar.
Just as he was hesitating whether to take the milk tea, the person next to him nudged his arm. “Try it. The boba milk tea here is really chewy.”
Gu Li Zhou took the milk tea.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had this kind of milk tea. The only time he ever ordered milk tea was at a tea restaurant, where he’d get the plain kind without any add-ins.
“What’s a boba milk tea?”
Da Fei looked at him in shock. “Is this your first time drinking milk tea?”
Zhong Weishi almost choked on his own milk tea, thinking, are these rich people really like the ones on TV who don’t eat or drink junk food? What’s the point of life if that’s the case!
“Boba is just pearls, those round balls,” He explained, making a circle with his slender fingers. “Made from tapioca, I think. Anyway, they’re chewy.”
“Then why call them boba instead of pearls?” Gu Lizhou pierced the milk tea and took a sip.
“Doesn’t boba sound bigger!” Zhong Weishi puffed out his chest.
Gu Lizhou choked on the milk tea he had just sipped. “Oh.”
The legendary boba was indeed quite chewy.
Gu Lizhou felt that this cup of milk tea tasted different from what he remembered.
The milk flavor was a bit stronger than the black tea, and the aftertaste was a bit cloying.
When he lifted it up to look, he noticed that the toppings had almost piled up to the middle of the cup.
Nata de coco, red beans, pudding… He tasted all sorts of things.
“Are all these ingredients free?” Gu Lizhou couldn’t help but complain.
“Yes! How did you know!” Da Fei pointed to a direction. “There’s a ‘7 O’Clock’ milk tea shop over there. The owner is really nice—toppings are all free. Guaranteed to fill you up with just one cup!”
“…” He had no intention of going there.
Da Fei sat between the two of them, opened a bag of snacks, and handed some to Zhong Weishi, pointing at the dancing aunties. “Honestly, I could dance better than that.”
Zhong Weishi replied, “Then hurry up and open my eyes.”
Da Fei said, “Let me finish this bag of spicy strips first.”
Gu Lizhou was initially texting when he suddenly caught a whiff of spice and turned to look.
Zhong Weishi and Da Fei were each holding a bag of spicy strips, watching and eating, laughing as they enjoyed themselves.
Since Da Fei was currently dressed as a “woman,” he delicately nibbled on one strip, even sucking his fingers afterward. The person next to him, however, grabbed the bag and shoved a handful into his mouth at once.
He ate the spicy strips with the vigor of a tug-of-war.
Gu Lizhou struggled to hold back his laughter, turning on the recording function and pretending to scratch his nose as he aimed the camera at Zhong Weishi.
The gang was practically a fountain of joy for him!
Da Fei suddenly leaned closer to Zhong Weishi and whispered, “He was just looking at me. Should I offer him some?”
“Give ah.” Zhong Weishi mumbled, “Give him yours. I’ve already bitten into mine.”
“But he doesn’t look like the kind of person who eats spicy strips.” Da Fei looked around sneakily, whispering as if he was afraid Gu Lizhou might overhear.
“Just in case he likes them.” Zhong Weishi smiled and nudged Da Fei. “Try it.”
Gu Lizhou thought his secret filming had been discovered, so he calmly put away his phone and ran a hand through his hair.
He stared seriously at the lead dancer auntie in the square.
“Um…” Da Fei, acting as if he were meeting a blind date for the first time, shyly extended the spicy strips. “Want some?”
“Ah…” Gu Lizhou was still caught up in his thoughts—’Did they catch me filming? How awkward. How should I explain?’—and didn’t react immediately.
Zhong Weishi tilted his head, recommending the spicy strips just like he had recommended the milk tea. “Try it. Weilong, an old brand. It’s really good, trust me.”
Gu Lizhou: “…”
Author’s Note:
Key takeaway: The easiest way to compliment a person’s good temperament?
You don’t look like the kind of person who eats spicy strips.
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