After getting off the car, Ethan Ling lagged behind Lucas Qi half a step and let him lead the way.
The city is beautiful at night. The high-rise buildings fade into the distance, and the old buildings are illuminated by street lights. The streets are still bustling, with young people standing on the roadside, hailing cars and playing around.
Adrian Ling had never been out at this time of the year, and everything she saw was new to her. She followed behind Lucas Qi, looking sideways at the street scene as she walked, and asked Lucas Qi: "Did you study here before?"
"Yes, Saint Anwar." Seeing that he was not paying attention when crossing the road, Lucas Qi grabbed his wrist, let him go inside, and walked on the side closer to the lane.
Ethan Ling immediately turned to look at him, eyes slightly widened: "Are you studying at St. Ann's?" The best public school in the city is St. Ann's. Forgive his shortsightedness, he did not realize that Lucas Qi would be an outstanding student.
Lucas Qi smiled sullenly, trying to reveal his identity, but heard Adrian Ling sigh: "I thought you only needed to be good-looking, but it turns out that the competition in your industry is so fierce."
... Lucas Qi was speechless, rubbing his forehead, and was blocked by the interest in his heart. He lowered his head slightly and put his face close to Adrian Ling: "Do you think I am good-looking?"
He had a gentle and handsome appearance, with light brown eyes. When he looked at people intently, he would give people the illusion of deep affection. Even though Ethan Ling was used to being teased by him, she couldn't help but feel a numbness behind her ears when he looked at her. She could only look away to look at the diamond on his ear bone, a tiny piece of diamond that flickered in the light of the street lights.
Just as he walked to the front of the store, he pursed his lips, turned around, took two quick steps, pushed the door open and went in, leaving Lucas Qi behind him, still laughing to himself.
-
Ethan Ling was not very hungry at first, but when he smelled the fragrance of the bone soup at the next table, he thought he could eat a lot. When he ordered, he wanted to try everything and wrote down the dishes in rows with a pen. Lucas Qi did not stop him and let him scribble on the paper, patiently answering him what parts of the cow each name meant.
Soon, plates of raw meat were served. Ethan Ling looked at the table covered with scarlet and milky white, and realized belatedly that she could not finish it. She pursed her lips and looked at Lucas Qi for help. The latter smiled, called the waiter, paid the price, and returned some of the dishes, asking them to sell them to other tables at a discount.
"Damn capitalism." Adrian Ling was in a delicate mood because someone had to take care of the wrong things she did. She raised her lips and whispered, "They must be cursing you in their hearts."
Before the pot was even boiled, Lucas Qi shrugged and helped Adrian Ling prepare the dipping sauce: "They are so happy that they can earn twice as much money."
Soy sauce, garlic, chili rings, and coriander, in black, white, red, and green, all looked very appetizing. He remembered that children like spicy food, so he sprinkled some more chili powder on it before handing it to Adrian Ling: "This restaurant gets fresh beef every night at 11 o'clock, so now is the perfect time to eat it."
Ethan Ling nodded and took it. He dipped the tip of his chopsticks in the soup to taste it. It was fresh, salty and spicy, which suited his taste. As the bone soup started to boil, he watched Lucas Qi blanch the meat in seconds with his skillful movements, and asked him, "Have you been here often before?"
"Only a few times," Lucas Qi put the meat slices into Adrian Ling's bowl, "It's hard to sneak out after the lights go out at school, and if I can't eat the freshest ones, I just don't eat them."
The meat was very tender, rolling across his lips and teeth. Adrian Ling pouted: "You still say I'm spoiled." She looked at him curiously, "Did you often skip school when you were in school?"
Lucas Qi smiled silently at first, but after being glared at by Adrian Ling, he raised his hands in surrender and said truthfully: "Okay, twice a week on average, don't copy me."
Ethan Ling certainly had no interest in learning from him, he was just curious about him, so he asked, "Why do you skip school?"
"You look like the discipline committee member," Lucas Qi laughed at him, flicking a can of beer with his index finger, then remembered that he had driven a car, so he pushed the can to Adrian Ling, "There are many reasons, hanging out with classmates, racing, singing karaoke, eating, drinking, watching plays, watching concerts... and so on."
Lin Ruiyi was involved in most of his youthful memories, and most of his memories of truancy were also related to him, so it was better not to mention them.
Adrian Ling never skipped school, nor did he participate in his classmates' extracurricular activities. Listening to his words was like cracking an unripe walnut, glimpsing a hint of the astringent smell of youth, which tempted him to yearn and hope that he would say more: "Whose concert is it?"
"A lot..." Lucas Qi thought for a moment, listed some familiar names, and then asked: "You've never been to a concert?"
He originally thought that it was rare for Ethan Ling, as a new generation, not to go racing or partying, but he didn't expect that he was just living a retired life.
"No." Adrian Ling thought of the CDs scattered on the bay window, curled her lips, and gulped down the cold draft beer. She was a little envious of Lucas Qi, "Why are your seventeen years so interesting, but I only study."
Lucas Qi laughed, reached out to rub his head, thought for a moment, and did not say to take him to the concert, but said: "It's okay, I'll take you to St. Anwar later to experience life."
The store was a little stuffy. Adrian Ling unbuttoned her collar, and her porcelain-white collarbone faced Lucas Qi. He bit the edge of the wine can, raised his eyes and looked at him, and his heart was ready to move: "... What if I'm caught by the school police for illegal intrusion?"
His eyes were so alluring that Lucas Qi felt a little uncomfortable. He lowered his eyes and took a sip of Coke before he regained his composure and made some jokes: "Then run. Don't eat too much, or you won't be able to run later."
Ethan Ling rolled her eyes at him, knowing that he was joking, but for some reason she felt only excitement and anticipation, not worry.
-
The shop had many customers, and the tables were empty and full. Lucas Qi was not hungry, so he ate half a plate of meat with Adrian Ling symbolically, then put down his chopsticks and looked at the child. He was right, Adrian Ling was indeed full after eating little, and was embarrassed to waste more, so he pretended to rest, sipped beer, and watched the people at the next table drinking and playing finger-guessing games.
The two of them were outstanding and could easily stand out in a crowd. A waiter who was free was leaning against the counter and noticed where their eyes were going. He then quietly speculated about their relationship with his colleagues.
They were chatting excitedly, making wild guesses. One of their sentences happened to be stuck in the gap between the songs in the store, and it passed through the lively voices and reached Lucas Qi's ears---"They are so doting on each other, maybe they are lovers..."
Lucas Qi looked over in the direction of the sound and saw the waiters gathered in a group and immediately shoved each other around and scattered like birds and beasts, while he went to the kitchen to urge the food to be served in an apparent attempt to hide his mistake.
He found it funny and turned his gaze back to the child, looking at Adrian Ling's smooth neck. He thought that if he heard this, he would definitely catch him and make fun of him again. Thinking of the child's angry and domineering look, Lucas Qi couldn't help but laughed softly a few times.
Ethan Ling heard his laughter and looked at him in confusion: "What's wrong?"
When he met his eyes, Lucas Qi was speechless for a moment.
It was just an ordinary night. The store was noisy, the bone soup was rich in aroma, the white light from the ceiling was cold, and there was nothing but a plastic chair underneath. It was not poetic enough nor beautiful enough, but Ethan Ling had a puzzled expression on her face. She blinked, and her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, stirring up the air flow, rushing into his heart with overwhelming force, causing a chaotic hurricane.
The image of the child snuggling in his arms and sleeping peacefully that night flooded into his mind, mixed with Qi Xiao's words and the waiter's speculations - he loosened his tie, he sat in the passenger seat, he sneered, he lowered his eyes obediently - frame by frame, all mixed together, and finally fixed on the child's profile as he stared blankly at the sea.
"...Nothing." Lucas Qi stood up and avoided Adrian Ling's sight. "Are you full and going to St. Anhua?"
Ethan Ling was still worried about the few plates of meat she hadn't finished eating. When she heard his words, she put down her chopsticks as if relieved, and nodded with a smile on her face.
---
St. Ann's is an old European-style building that doesn't cover a large area. Verdant creepers and morning glories cover large brick walls, and rhododendrons grow between iron fences. There is a tall clock tower on the side of the main building, with a huge copper bell that has become a decoration. Under the copper bell is a clock face, and the heart-shaped hour hand points between the cursive numbers two and three.
Lucas Qi sat on the high wall, holding the sharp iron guardrail on the top with one hand, and smiled at Adrian Ling below: "Can you turn over?"
Adrian Ling was not as agile as him. She tried several times to imitate him, but she couldn't grasp the key points. She missed every time and almost scratched her palm. She looked at Lucas Qi complainingly: "You are playing tricks on me."
Holding back his laughter, Lucas Qi deliberately sighed: "It's really hard to lead you astray."
He motioned Ethan Ling to try again, and when he almost fell into the air again, he grabbed his hand and used his arm to force himself to climb up.
Without waiting for Ethan Ling to breathe a sigh of relief, Lucas Qi jumped into the garden, landed steadily on the ground, pushed aside the bushes and flowers around him, turned around and looked at Ethan Ling who was still sitting on the brick wall: "Jump down."
Adrian Ling looked at the person in the flower and raised her eyebrows slightly: "Are you going to say that you will catch me?"
"You guessed it right. You can read minds?" Lucas Qi opened his arms as he was told and urged with a smile, "Hurry up, the school police will patrol here in three minutes."
The wind blew up Adrian Ling's thin coat, and he fell straight down, throwing himself into Lucas Qi's arms, causing him to stumble back two steps, shattering the fallen flowers on the ground, and then frowned and complained: "Not romantic at all, why are you so unprofessional?"
Lucas Qi was struck by the smell of medicine and alcohol on him, and was also amused by his words: "You've watched too many TV dramas." He helped the person in his arms to stand steadily, and pulled him to a slightly secluded corner to avoid the patrolling school police.
Just as they stood still, Ethan Ling turned her head to look at him, and suddenly she tiptoed slightly to brush away the petals that fell on his hair. Lucas Qi subconsciously closed his eyes when he reached out his hand. Ethan Ling looked at his trembling eyelashes, and intoxicated by the alcohol, he actually felt the trembling at the tip of his heart, causing him to unconsciously take two steps back and crush a dead branch on the ground.
"Hush!" A beam of flashlight shone over, and Lucas Qi quickly took Adrian Ling into his arms before they were discovered, hiding behind a tree. He moved quickly, gently pressing the back of Adrian Ling's head with his hand, and their bodies were so close together that they could almost feel each other's body temperature.
The flashlight illuminated the open space at their feet. Ethan Ling dared not make a sound or move. He put his ear against Lucas Qi's chest and heard his regular and strong heartbeat. His own heartbeat was a mess, like the sound of war drums, which made his face flush. The lemon scent on Lucas Qi's body formed a dense net and trapped him inside.
Seeing the school police walking away, Lucas Qi laughed softly twice and asked Adrian Ling in his arms: "Is it romantic enough now?"
Suspension bridge effect. Adrian Ling immediately pushed him away and glared at him: "You are the one who watched too many TV dramas!"
Lucas Qi met his dark and shining eyes, but smiled without saying anything.
An evening breeze blew by, crushing the laughter of one person and taking away the blush on the tip of another person's ear.
-
After a few minutes, Lucas Qi looked at his watch, estimated the time in his mind, and told Adrian Ling: "The school police have returned to the guard room to rest. You can wander around freely without any worries."
After hearing this, Ethan Ling raised an eyebrow and looked at him: "Twice a week on average?" It's amazing that after all these years, he can still remember the patrol schedule from middle school. It shows how rampant he was in skipping school back then.
Lucas Qi cheekily answered: "Good memory."
In fact, it was because Lin Ruiyi always forgot the time and was caught by the school police several times, so he memorized the timetable for him to remind him from time to time. Now he has forgotten it, and the mood at that time has faded, but these insignificant trivialities are still remembered.
The garden is beautiful, with many flowers. Children in Africa starve to death, but the night lights here shamelessly stay on all day and all night, illuminating the shadows of people in pairs. Adrian Ling walks on the gravel road and can imagine students getting up early to recite their lessons here, saying as they walk: "The environment is good, suitable for studying."
Lucas Qi laughed and said, "Only good students would think so. It's obviously a good time to fall in love."
"Yes, snow, moon, wind and flowers." Adrian Ling looked at Lucas Qi, trying to find out what he looked like ten years ago. Maybe he had acne, maybe not. Maybe he was just like this and had never changed. "Are you also dating here?"
"Of course. You're at a good age, it's time to squander your emotions." Lucas Qi replied, and took him to stroll through the flower path and to see the mini artificial lake.
Adrian Ling let him hold her wrist while she admired the scenery one by one. She imagined a girl in her mind: "a white headband, long hair, no makeup, a school skirt that goes below the knee, holding the original book in her arms?"
It's totally wrong, far from it. Lucas Qi ignored the point without leaving any trace, and replied with a smile: "Do you think I live in the 1970s? When I was in school, all girls shortened their school skirts, wore bubble socks, bought the smallest size shirts, chased movie stars, secretly put on makeup during class, and passed around romance novels."
Ethan Ling thought of her female classmates and nodded: "It's almost the same now."
The two talked about girls for a while. Lucas Qi was still thinking about the hurricane in his heart, and asked casually, "No girls are chasing you?"
"There were many in the past. The Ling family later on -- you know." Adrian Ling deliberately skipped a name in his mind and shrugged, nonchalantly, "What about you?"
"There are so many," Lucas Qi pointed to the ground, "the line can be stretched from here to the school gate."
Ethan Ling laughed at his narcissism, but felt a little strangely uncomfortable in his heart. He attributed this to his dislike of Lucas Qi's romanticism: "So you change one every three days?"
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