MNL Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Reunion “Long time no see, classmate.”

Chapter 108: Reunion “Long time no see, classmate.”

The day after Xu Cheng’s birthday banquet, Qin Xin came out of the bedroom and quietly watched Xu Jing pack his luggage.

Xu Jing turned around and met Qin Xin’s eyes.

“You’re leaving again.” Qin Xin walked forward, Xu Jing looked away and gently hummed in agreement.

Qin Xin nodded and said, “Then, be careful, have fun.”

Xu Jing’s lips moved, wanting to say something but feeling that the words weren’t quite right. In the face of family affection, the words “I’m sorry” always felt too heavy, and mentioning anything else felt too pale. So it was better to remain silent, which is what he had been doing for years.

“Mom knows everything, go on.”

Xu Jing said in a low voice, “Take care of your health and yourself.”

Qin Xin smiled slightly, “Don’t worry.”

Some say that young people are easily impulsive, liking to pursue those crazy and reckless moments. But Xu Jing was the opposite. As he grew older and traveled to more places, his personality became less worried and hesitant than when he was a teenager. He became more and more steady, and also more decisive.

This time he was going to a small border town in Yunnan. Xu Jing had accidentally stumbled upon a promotional advertisement online, showing a golden mountain under the sun, bamboo fences and tall buildings, and bonfire parties. The moment he saw the photos, Xu Jing booked his plane ticket.

Because of traffic, Xu Jing, who was used to being on time, almost missed his flight. After boarding and finding his seat, he was about to sit down when he looked down and saw Xia Zhixing sitting next to his seat, legs crossed, and a playful tone in her voice, “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, little brother.”

Xu Jing: “…”

Perhaps because he had experience, Xu Jing’s expression wasn’t as dramatic as it had been in front of the university gate last time, but Xia Zhixing still felt a sense of satisfaction in her successful scheme.

Xu Jing stood there stiffly, his face extremely unpleasant. The flight attendant saw this and quickly came over, “Sir, is there a problem?”

“It’s nothing.” Xia Zhixing smiled wantonly, her voice even more flamboyant, “Sit down, little brother.”

Many people turned their heads to look at the situation. Xu Jing had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit down.

“Explain.”

Xu Jing’s voice was as cold as if it had been quenched in ice, but Xia Zhixing seemed to enjoy it, teasing, “As long as I have the will, I can find you anywhere.”

Xu Jing’s breathing was heavy, but he couldn’t explode in front of so many people, so he could only close his eyes and turn his head to the side to calm down.

Seeing this, Xia Zhixing immediately started coaxing, “Don’t be angry, I also want to go to that place to have fun. Just think of me as someone to travel with, okay?”

Xu Jing didn’t appreciate it at all, “I don’t need it.”

Xia Zhixing clicked her tongue and deliberately leaned close to Xu Jing’s ear, saying, “Xu Jing, are you worried about falling in love with me?”

Xu Jing was directly amused by her words.

“Since you’re not, can’t you just treat me as a normal friend? It’s just a trip, don’t worry, I won’t sneak into your room in the middle of the night and force myself on you.”

Xu Jing simply couldn’t listen anymore, opening his eyes to scold, “Have some shame.”

Immediately after, he realized that Xia Zhixing was very close, her lips almost touching his face. Xu Jing immediately pushed her away, saying in a deep voice, “Don’t get so close to me.”

Xia Zhixing said leisurely, “Why should I listen to you?”

Four years of university had taught Xu Jing that Xia Zhixing was not only skilled but also had endless energy, the kind of person who would never give up until she achieved her goal.

Two minutes later, Xu Jing opened his mouth with a tense expression, “If you want to be with me, then listen to me.”

Xia Zhixing agreed very readily, “Deal.”

Xu Jing had a problem when traveling. Whether it was by plane or high-speed rail, he easily became sleepy once he sat down, and his sleep quality was even better than in bed. Xia Zhixing propped her head up and stared straight at the sleeping person next to her, watching for four hours until the plane landed.

As a result, as soon as Xu Jing opened his eyes, he heard a sincere, “You’re so handsome.”

“…”

He was truly speechless.

As soon as they left the airport, everyone was touched by the strong Southeast Asian style. Xu Jing was no exception. Although the streets were full of coconut trees and palm trees, it was different from Bali, which he had visited before. This town not only had a heavy tropical rainforest atmosphere, but also a strong ethnic flavor, like Chinese-style ancient houses, Dai stilt houses, and gold and silver pagodas that blended Indian, Burmese and other diverse cultures, all exactly as advertised in the photos.

Not long after wandering around, the sky became dark and gloomy. Xu Jing originally planned to go to the hotel and take a nap, but Xia Zhixing said she was hungry and insisted on dragging him to the night market to eat the famous Lao hot pot.

Afterwards, they happened to come across an ancient city night show program near the hot pot restaurant. After eating, they bought tickets and watched for a while. When they came out, it was almost eleven o’clock. Xia Zhixing was still not satisfied and wanted to go somewhere else to see, but Xu Jing was too lazy to pay attention to her and turned to leave.

Xia Zhixing chased after him, asking, “What are you going back so early for?”

Xu Jing said lightly, “You can also sleep on the street.”

Xia Zhixing chuckled and said, “It’s only this late and you’re going back to sleep? Are you even a young person?”

“No, I’m eighty years old and about to be buried.”

“Eighty years old and still so handsome.”

“…”

Xu Jing looked at Xia Zhixing and asked from the bottom of his heart, “Is there something wrong with your eyes?”

“Naked eye vision 2.0, what do you think?”

“Then there’s something wrong with your brain.”

After these words, Xia Zhixing suddenly became quiet. After a long while, she said casually, “When I was born, I almost suffocated because the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck. If my mother hadn’t tried her best, I might have really become mentally disabled. But I’d rather she hadn’t done that, otherwise I might still have a mother now.”

Xu Jing was stunned for a moment. He knew that Xia Zhixing’s mother had passed away early, but he didn’t expect the reason to be this.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s been so many years, I’ve let it go long ago.”

Xu Jing turned his head and saw that Xia Zhixing’s eyes were a little wet, but over the years, his ability to comfort people hadn’t improved at all, so he could only listen quietly at this moment.

“Xu Jing.”

“Mm.”

“Let me hug you.”

Xu Jing was taken aback. The words of refusal reached his lips, but after meeting Xia Zhixing’s eyes, they were suppressed by those red eyes. While he was hesitating, Xia Zhixing had already reached out her hand.

Xia Zhixing bent down, and the person who was half a head taller than him leaned her head on his shoulder for comfort like a child. Her flamboyant red hair was surprisingly soft, but the hand that was originally on his back was restless, moving little by little. Just as it was about to touch his waist, Xia Zhixing was pushed away.

Xu Jing looked at the person in front of him, saying word by word, “You’re crossing the line.”

“Mm, sorry.”

Although she said that, Xia Zhixing’s tone didn’t sound like she regretted it at all, but rather like she hadn’t had enough. She walked forward and was about to take the next step when she heard rustling sounds from the corner of the street.

Recently, this small town had become a trending topic because a few days ago, a tourist went out alone for supper late at night and then disappeared. They still hadn’t found him, and the location of the disappearance was nearby.

The two of them obviously knew about this. The corner was extremely gloomy, and at first glance, it looked like someone was squatting there. Xu Jing withdrew his gaze and said, “Let’s go.”

This place was close to the border, and even they couldn’t avoid danger. Xia Zhixing nodded.

The street quickly became silent. At this moment, a tall man slowly walked out of the corner. Half of his face was hidden in the darkness, and he stared straight ahead, with extremely restrained emotions hidden in his eyes.

That night, Xia Zhixing woke up in bed at three in the morning and still couldn’t fall asleep. She had been chasing a person for more than five years, both openly and secretly, and just one hug could make her so excited. The person who had been tossing and turning finally sat up from the bed.

“You’re so fucking useless.”

After Xia Zhixing scolded in a low voice, she went into the bathroom.

The next day, listening to the constant yawns during breakfast, Xu Jing looked up at Xia Zhixing.

“A little jet-lagged, it’s okay, it won’t affect going out to play with you later.” After speaking, Xia Zhixing yawned again.

Looking at Xia Zhixing’s dark circles that were bigger than her eyes, Xu Jing said directly, “I don’t want to have to find a hospital later, and based on your usual physical condition, your risk of sudden death is very high.”

Xia Zhixing picked out the meaning that made him feel good from Xu Jing’s cold words, “Are you worried about me?”

“You’re thinking too much.” Xu Jing said, “Also, is that the point?”

Xia Zhixing smiled, “Of course that’s the point, you’re just worried about me, I understand.”

Xu Jing snorted coldly and decisively chose to shut up.

Between staying up all night and feeling faint after the meal, Xia Zhixing also felt a little overwhelmed. In the end, she decided to go back to her room to catch up on some sleep. Xu Jing couldn’t ask for anything more, and the two separated at the crossroads.

Xu Jing often chose to travel to cities simply because something in the area particularly attracted him. Like before, he went to Mohe just because he wanted to see the aurora. This small town had an ancient and primitive village, with eight hundred years of history and many unsolved mysteries and legends. He had heard that many horror films had been filmed there.

Xu Jing took a taxi, originally wanting to inquire about the situation, but unfortunately the driver was a local and spoke Mandarin poorly. He could vaguely make out that he wanted to express that it was best not to go. Xu Jing asked why, and the reply was a bunch of jibber-jabber dialect.

The driver refused to go any further three hundred meters away from the village, so Xu Jing had no choice but to get out of the car.

Looking around, there were a few scattered shops by the roadside, but only one grocery store was still open. Several red lanterns hung in front of the store, and there were two mottled signs with the words “See All Things” and “Peace” written on them. Xu Jing walked in.

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged woman wearing traditional local clothes, sitting expressionlessly behind the counter, breastfeeding the child in her arms. She was very petite, with a pair of empty eyes hanging on her sallow face, looking like she was trapped here by invisible chains. The overall picture made people feel very depressed.

“Excuse me, I’d like to ask–”

The woman raised her eyes and glanced at Xu Jing, said nothing, and took a yellow talisman from the shelf behind her and placed it on the counter, then held up five fingers.

“I don’t need this.”

After hearing this, the woman made a few more gestures, looking a little anxious.

Seeing that Xu Jing still didn’t react, the woman finally said something, but the speed was very fast, and it sounded like neither Mandarin nor the local dialect.

He had only wanted to come in and ask about the situation in the village inside, but it seemed that communication was impossible. Xu Jing was a little helpless and was about to turn around and leave when a tall figure in a black trench coat suddenly appeared in front of him, catching him off guard and occupying his entire field of vision.

“Long time no see, classmate.”

The familiar voice seemed to come from the horizon. Xu Jing’s pupils shrank suddenly, and his whole body froze as if struck by a heavy blow.

In an instant, the walls he had painstakingly built up over the years suddenly collapsed.

All his dormant thoughts and reason were stirred up at this moment, turning the world upside down.