MNL Chapter 107

Chapter 107: Scenery Changes – Perhaps He Still Hasn’t Gone Far Enough

Chapter 107: Scenery Changes – Perhaps He Still Hasn’t Gone Far Enough

The crabapple blossoms on Qing’an Street bloomed and withered again. Rows of low-rise tiled houses were replaced by towering skyscrapers. The Qingcheng Apartments, once known as “Scholar’s Building,” became a pile of bricks and tiles, and then a shopping center lined with shops sprung up. Waves of geese flew across the sky of Linhe City to the south, only to hurriedly return before the spring rain arrived.

Outside the airport, a tall, burly man wearing sunglasses was leaning lazily against a G-Wagon, playing with his phone. It wasn’t until the plane landed for a while that he looked up, his eyes instantly locking onto the figure in the crowd, dragging a black suitcase and walking out of the airport at a leisurely pace.

“Xu Jing, over here!”

The loud and familiar voice immediately attracted Xu Jing’s attention. Xu Jing squinted his eyes, not recognizing him at first. He saw the man take off his sunglasses, run forward, and hug him tightly.

Xu Jing, whose back had been bitten by an unknown tropical creature in Borneo yesterday, almost cried out in pain.

Yan Zhe, unaware of the situation, said with a smile, “Xu Jing, why do you look like that? Don’t be so excited, we’ve only been apart for five and a half years.”

Seeing that Xu Jing didn’t respond for a long time, Yan Zhe sighed deliberately, “Xu Jing, do you know how terrifying the crowds are outside now? If I hadn’t come to pick you up, you’d still be waiting for a taxi.”

After speaking, Xu Jing pushed the suitcase towards Yan Zhe and turned to get into the car.

“Thank you, Butler Yan.”

Yan Zhe: “…”

Linhe City’s tourism industry has been booming in recent years. Coupled with the Spring Festival, he was stuck in traffic for more than ten minutes as soon as he got off the plane. The streets are even more crowded now. Moreover, Qin Xin and Xu Huaiyang are busy taking care of his two-year-old sister and have no time or inclination to pay attention to him. If it weren’t for Yan Zhe, he would probably still be waiting for a car now.

“How’s the company?”

Yan Zhe perked up instantly upon hearing this question, “It must be thriving! I’ve worked hard for so many years, and I’ve finally realized my dream. Now everyone has to call me CEO Yan when they see me.”

Xu Jing nodded and twitched the corner of his mouth under an expectant gaze.

“CEO Yan.”

Yan Zhe laughed heartily, very pleased.

The traffic flowed like sludge, and the scenery outside the window flowed slowly in Xu Jing’s eyes, as if in slow motion. He didn’t know when it started, but he was starting to feel like a stranger in this city where he had lived for eighteen years.

After he filled out his college application and received his acceptance letter, everyone around him was shocked by Xu Jing’s decision. In their opinion, with Xu Jing’s grades and family background, he should either go to the top universities in the country or study abroad for further education. But he stubbornly went to a vast desert more than three thousand kilometers away from home.

No one knew why Xu Jing did this. This matter was passed down from one class to another by the students of Linhe No.1 High School and is still a legendary story of the school.

The wind in the Northwest completely washed away the boyishness from Xu Jing’s body. His personality was more stable than before, and his skin tone had changed from pale to a very healthy wheat color. Coupled with exercise and fitness, he looked tall, straight, lean, and strong. But his face was still so handsome and aloof. During his college years, countless people pursued Xu Jing, and some were even crazy enough to camp in the teaching building for half a month just to see him.

But Xu Jing didn’t care about these things at all. He rented a house off-campus as soon as he entered college. Within a year, he completed all the professional courses related to industrial design. Later, he taught himself more than a dozen courses such as applied psychology, historical geography, and operations research and cybernetics. He was like an emotionless robot, with all aspects of his life controlled by boring code.

After graduation, he gave up the opportunity to be recommended for postgraduate studies and chose to travel far away. From the Karuola Glacier in Tibet to the Hulunbuir Grassland, from the Five Color Sea in Yading, Daocheng to the Crescent Spring in the Singing Sand Mountains of Dunhuang, from Norway in the far north to Ushuaia at the end of the world, in just a year and a half, he traveled to more than thirty cities alone.

Xu Jing has rarely been home since he went to college, and Yan Zhe and Lin Jiayu have been busy starting businesses in other places in recent years. By accident, it has indeed been five and a half years since they last met.

“Hello, baby, what do you want to eat tonight, hot pot? Okay, I’ll pick you up later.”

The person next to him started making a phone call at some point, and the cloying voice made Xu Jing’s goosebumps rise.

Five minutes later.

“Then I’ll hang up first, love you, muah.”

Xu Jing: “…”

The atmosphere in the car became a little awkward, and Yan Zhe was also a little embarrassed. He explained, “That’s my girlfriend. She looks small, but she’s as stubborn as a donkey and can really make a fuss. Annoying.”

Seeing the worthless smile on his face, he knew it was the opposite of what he meant. Xu Jing didn’t call him out, but just asked, “When are you getting married?”

Yan Zhe replied quickly, “Next year. Come to my wedding then. Anyone else can not come, but you have to come.”

Xu Jing hummed and said, “Let me know in advance.”

“Of course. We know that our Xu Jing’s schedule is full.” After teasing him, Yan Zhe added, “That kid Lin Jiayu has also been dating for four years. I guess it will be soon too.”

Xu Jing knew that Yan Zhe’s words had a hidden meaning. He was too lazy to beat around the bush and said directly, “If you have something to say, say it.”

“Xu Jing, so many years have passed. I think you should meet new people too. At least start dating. What if you really meet someone suitable?”

“What, is your e-sports company expanding into matchmaking services?”

“Hey, I’m serious. It’s not good for you to always be alone. Your aunt and uncle definitely hope that you can settle down soon. Oh, there’s a girl in our company. Her personality, appearance, and family background are all good. I’ll introduce you two later. No, this weekend. How about this weekend?”

“It’s New Year’s this week.”

“Right, right. Then next week?”

“It’s my sister’s birthday.”

“Okay, sister’s birthday is important. Then the week after next. You’ll be free the week after next, right!”

“I’m going to Yunnan.”

“…You could have just rejected me directly.”

“Yeah.” Xu Jing said slowly, “Just teasing you.”

Yan Zhe was directly amused.

Because of the traffic jam, the half-hour journey took more than an hour.

“Want to come in and sit for a while?”

“No, I still have to accompany my girlfriend later.”

Xu Jing got out of the car neatly. Yan Zhe shouted at the back of the figure who was about to enter the door, “Xu Jing, remember to consider what I just said!”

Xu Jing didn’t turn his head and waved to signal him to get lost.

“He’s really changed. He’s even learned to be polite. Time really flies.” Yan Zhe touched his chin and sighed.

Before he even entered the house, the sharp cry inside had already come out. Xu Jing gently pushed the door open and saw Xu Huaiyang standing in the middle of the living room, holding a baby bottle in one hand and a Barbie doll in the other, trying his best to coax the crying Xu Cheng in the crib.

“Little Chengcheng, don’t cry, okay? Daddy will take you out to play, okay?”

The next second, the crying from the crib became even louder. Xu Huaiyang, who had been coaxing for two hours, completely collapsed. Xu Jing couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He threw the suitcase aside, stepped forward, and picked up Xu Cheng.

Xu Huaiyang was stunned in place. “Little Jing? Why are you back? Didn’t you say next week?”

“I changed my ticket.” Xu Jing skillfully adjusted his posture for holding a child and said, “Give me the bottle.”

Xu Cheng has been stubborn since she was a child. When she gets angry, she can make a fuss for several hours. Except for Qin Xin, no one else’s arms work. Although Xu Jing only comes back two or three times a year, Xu Cheng is inexplicably close to him. Xu Huaiyang seemed to see a savior. While handing over the bottle, he also handed over the heavy responsibility of coaxing the child to Xu Jing.

As expected, Xu Cheng was willing to drink the milk after being coaxed for a few minutes, and then she obediently fell asleep.

Xu Huaiyang was stunned on the side, almost shedding tears of envy.

Qin Xin’s delivery of Xu Cheng was not smooth, and she was always sick and listless afterward. Xu Jing has rarely been home these years. It would be a lie to say that he doesn’t feel guilty when he sees Qin Xin like this. These days since he came back, he has been staying at home to take care of Xu Cheng for Qin Xin.

The only time he went out was at the invitation of Cha Fei’ang to attend a high school reunion.

Cha Fei’ang’s appearance hasn’t changed much, but he’s a little fatter than before. He went to college in the north as he wished and also received the two thousand yuan he had been thinking about. He has a good personality and is good at socializing. Now he has also become a well-known programmer.

Liang Ge and Gu Qianqian applied to the same university and were both admitted. They didn’t delay their studies or their relationship. Now they are studying for their master’s degrees while preparing for their wedding.

Reuniting after a long absence and meeting old friends can be considered the top of the list of perfect things in life. However, the so-called class reunion is just a “success sharing conference” consisting of a series of behaviors such as drinking, boasting, showing off wealth, and comparing each other. Xu Jing gave Cha Fei’ang face by showing up, but he left after less than five minutes.

This reunion was held at a food stall near Linhe No.1 High School. Outside was Qing’an Street. The two rows of crabapple trees covered with snow were still the same as they were back then. He walked and stopped all the way, aimlessly walking from the beginning of the street to the end of the street, and then back through the alley from the end of the street. He found that the Qingcheng Apartments, the wasteland, the flower sea, and the hot pot restaurant he often went to, all the places that held their past memories, no longer existed.

He originally thought that after so many years, he would be able to face these things calmly. But revisiting the old place was like drawing a prison on the ground. His heart was still like a heavy stone pressed down, blocking all the outlets for emotions.

Perhaps he still hasn’t gone far enough.

“What’s so good about this tree?”

The voice that suddenly came from behind startled Xu Jing. He turned around and saw Xia Zhixing wearing a thin sweater, with one hand in his pocket, his raised eyebrows with a bit of disdain.

Xu Jing frowned. “When did you come?”

Xia Zhixing snorted, complaining dissatisfiedly, “Learning from you, sneaking home without telling me. I called you, but you didn’t answer.”

Xu Jing said indifferently, “I didn’t hear it.”

Xia Zhixing didn’t call him out, but he actually knew very well that there was no way he couldn’t have heard more than a dozen calls. He clearly just didn’t want to answer.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you home.”

Whether it was him or the people around him, they had all been smoothed out by time to varying degrees and were no longer the same as they were in the beginning. But only Xia Zhixing hadn’t changed at all. Since they separated in New York last time, Xu Jing thought that he would never see this person again, but he didn’t expect to run into Xia Zhixing at the entrance of the university on the day of registration.

Xu Jing’s mind was blank at the time. “…You’re here to?”

Xia Zhixing smiled. “What nonsense, to go to school.”

Xu Jing’s expression upon hearing these words was more wonderful than a magic trick. Xia Zhixing laughed at it for a whole half month.

He didn’t know how Xia Zhixing persuaded Xia Wenbo, nor did he know what kind of connections this person relied on to get into this university and choose the same major as him and live in the same apartment. Over the past four years, Xia Zhixing had been eating, drinking, and having fun all day long, revolving around him. All of his professional course grades were frantically hovering on the verge of failing. He even spent five thousand yuan to have someone else write his graduation thesis, and finally barely got his diploma.

But it still didn’t stop him from driving a limited-edition Lamborghini. Everyone on the street stopped to watch it go by. Xia Zhixing, who was in the habit of lighting a cigarette, glanced at Xu Jing’s expressionless face next to him, threw the cigarette back, and asked, “Little brother, where do you plan to go next?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then take me with you this time. I can provide 24-hour luxury car delivery service, accompany you to eat, chat, and sleep. Traveling is not lonely, just choose Xia Zhixing.”

Xu Jing couldn’t help but smile. “Where did you learn that slogan?”

Xia Zhixing turned his head and saw Xu Jing slightly turning his body, revealing a portion of his clear and smooth neck line. The action of pursing his lips combined with that indifferent expression had a kind of ultimate sexiness and beauty. He licked his lips unconsciously.

“I wrote it specifically for you. There’s a saying that goes, you need to learn to package yourself before you can sell yourself.”

“Yeah, not bad.”

Xia Zhixing blinked his eyes. “Then you agree?”

Xu Jing replied without thinking, “I don’t agree.”

“Why?”

After waiting for a long time without getting an answer, Xia Zhixing suddenly stepped on the brakes, turned his head, and asked, “Xu Jing, do you hate me?”

Xu Jing said calmly, “I don’t hate you.”

“Then you—”

“I don’t like you either.”

His thoughts were exposed so unexpectedly, and even a character like Xia Zhixing felt very embarrassed. The knuckles of the hand holding the steering wheel turned white. He lowered his voice and said slowly, “Since you know, there’s no need for me to hide it anymore. Over the years, I’ve been thinking about when I started having those kinds of thoughts about you. Thinking about it, it might have been the first time you came to New York and I saw you. I’ve never liked anyone before, and I don’t know what it means to like someone, but before, every time I saw those idiots at school chasing after you, I would get so angry that I couldn’t sleep at night. I think I really like you.”

Xu Jing listened quietly throughout the whole time, was silent for a while, and said, “I know, but we’re really not suitable.”

“Where are we not suitable? If you don’t like me smoking, I can completely quit. Or do you not like me having my ears pierced? I can take them off too. Or is it something else? As long as you say it, I’m willing to change.”

Xu Jing just shook his head.

Xia Zhixing’s face darkened. “You haven’t forgotten that person in your heart, have you?”

“It has nothing to do with anyone else, Xia Zhixing. Let’s stop here. Go back to your original life and don’t waste time on unworthy feelings.”

Seeing that Xu Jing was about to get out of the car, Xia Zhixing reached out and pulled Xu Jing back directly. With the other hand, he unbuckled his seat belt and leaned forward.

“I’ve already wasted more than five years, what am I afraid of wasting this little bit of time?” Xia Zhixing’s gaze moved inch by inch to Xu Jing’s lips, and a burning breath came over him. His voice became a little gnashing, “Damn, I really want to kiss you. If I kiss you now, what will happen?”

Xu Jing calmly raised his eyes to meet his gaze, word by word, “You know the consequences.”

Xia Zhixing’s impulse was extinguished again by such a gaze. After a long while, he finally let go. Xu Jing turned around to get out of the car. Xia Zhixing’s tone had a bit of compromise, “Let me take you back.”

Xu Jing stopped, but in the end, he didn’t refuse.

The two of them didn’t speak again on the way. Indeed, as he himself said, Xia Zhixing didn’t know what it meant to like someone, nor did he know how to express his liking. Although they had been together for a whole four years, Xia Zhixing had a very good grasp of the boundaries within these four years. Sometimes Xu Jing even felt that this person was just bored and that’s why he did those absurd things.

But when he found out that Xia Zhixing had changed all the car music from the previous noisy rock music to the piano music he liked to listen to, he truly realized that everything this person had done was never out of boredom.

But there was no way, feelings themselves cannot be forced.

“Goodbye.”

Xu Jing still ended with this sentence, just like he left New York without hesitation back then, but this time, he added one more sentence, “Xia Zhixing.”

Xia Zhixing watched Xu Jing’s back leave again, but this time he didn’t say anything, but instead withdrew his gaze, stepped on the accelerator, and the sound of the engine resounded through the sky.