Chapter Twenty: The Heart of Youth

  Many things happened that day, the wonderful encounter with Zuo Yu Xi, Gu Wen Yuan's despicable and hateful cold smile, his own fist flying across two time and space, separated by decades, Mu Shan Shan's unwilling gaze, the humble and lowly appearance of the little rascal, scene after scene flashing in his mind like lightning, but in the end, it all turned into Zuo Yu Xi's smiling face, full of charm.

  The direct consequence was that after reincarnating back for almost two months, Wen Rong finally welcomed his first nocturnal emission.

  Wen Xiang woke up early, and his parents were nowhere to be found. He smiled wryly as he washed his underwear while humming the old tune "Wake Up Early to Wash Your Pants". He conducted an in-depth analysis and self-criticism of his own YY behavior - losing control for a beauty was nothing, but what was unacceptable was that in his dream, Zuo Yu Xi had taken control. In the end, Wen Xiang came to a conclusion: Zuo Yu Xi would have to take primary responsibility for this incident of nocturnal emission, with the deadline pending!

  When Wen Ze received Xiu Yao's phone call, he was just about to go out to solve the lunch problem. The little girl mentioned a restaurant name and asked Wen Ze to arrive within half an hour, or else he would have to bear the consequences. By the time Wen Ze arrived at this hotel called Yandu, it had already been an hour. Xiu Yao glared at the detestable man who sauntered in slowly from the entrance, slammed her hand on the table and shouted: "You foolish boy, you're late for so long, get down on your knees and bark like a dog!"

  As soon as Wen Ze entered the door, he saw three people sitting at the dining table by the window: Xu Yao, the beautiful girl he had rescued, Tan Xue, and a long-haired boy who looked extremely familiar. Just as he was about to take a closer look, he heard Xu Yao's humiliating punishment.

  "Ah!" Wen Cen's face turned red with anger, he walked over and slapped the table. Xu Yao remained unmoved, her arms crossed, a cold smile on her face. Tan Xue remembered how they used to constantly argue when they first met, so she quickly stood up to mediate. But then Wen Cen said another sentence: "Only learning dog barks, can't even kneel?"

  Pfft!

  The boy sitting next to him couldn't help but burst out laughing, and when Wen Qing's warm eyes looked over, he gave a thumbs up in approval. Wen Qing, that cheap person, nodded at him with great satisfaction, as if they shared a deep understanding.

  Xu Yaoyao's bright black eyes rolled a few times, pretending to think, and smiled: "Your shameless appearance, sister still appreciates it as always, you're lucky! Here, the soy milk I just ordered, drink some to fill your stomach, I knew you definitely didn't eat breakfast..."

  Only after hearing the snow did she realize that the two were joking, looking at Wen Chen sitting down and tilting her head to say something to Xu Yao, suddenly feeling a faint melancholy in her heart. Such intimate men and women, such unbridled friendships, I don't know if I can meet them in this life...

  "Hi, Sister Tan. I'm used to joking around with Xu Yao, hope I didn't scare you." Wen Cheng smiled and nodded at Tan Xue, knowing from the moment he saw her there why Xu Yao had called him out.

  As expected, Tan Xue stared at Wen Jian's dark face, and before he even opened his mouth, his eyes were already red-rimmed. "Last time you saved me, it's been so long and I haven't had the chance to thank you in person. Luckily, Xu Yao went to the store to play, or else I wouldn't have been able to get in touch with you..."

  Tan Xue got up, kneeled down and was about to kowtow, Wen Qiang was startled, hurriedly held her arm and pressed her back into the seat, "Sister Tan, don't do this, I've accepted your thanks, we're all young people, are you trying to embarrass me?"

  "No, I didn't mean it," Tan Xue said with tears streaming down her face.

  "Alright, alright... I know, I know... Never mind, who is this? Tan Jie, you're not introducing him?"

  Tan Xue successfully diverted attention, busily pulling the boy up and saying: "This is my younger brother Tan Yu, I heard that today I came to see the benefactor who saved my life, he insisted on coming together. Xiao Yu, this is Wen Cang, who saved his sister that day..."

  What's up?

  Wen Cheng only felt a flash in front of his eyes, and the scenes of the past, present, and future gradually gathered before him. He thought of that weird, lustful, despicable, and shameless brother from many years ago, and couldn't help but feel sentimental: it's still better to be young, time is hastening old age, and Tan Yu is becoming more and more decadent.

  She smoothed out her long hair by her ear and grasped his warm right hand, shaking it vigorously: "Thank you, really!"

  Looking at Tan Yu's sincere eyes, Wen Qing seemed to feel the fear deep in his heart. In the previous life, on countless nights, watching Tan Yu cry and torture himself repeatedly while holding a photo, Wen Qing felt the same pain. This life can let this only good brother escape from such a bitter whirlpool, thinking about it is a very happy thing!

  Tan Xue suddenly remembered something important, took out two large envelopes from the small bag on her back and handed them to Wen Chen and Xu Yao. Wen Chen opened one in confusion and exclaimed: "So much money?"

  There were two thousand yuan in cash in the envelope, and Xiu Yao had the same amount as him.

  Tan Xue explained: "This is a token of our boss's appreciation. If it weren't for you, the reputation of our jewelry store would have been greatly affected. Our boss is from Hong Kong and heard that there was no reward for heroic deeds here, so he took out his own money as a thank you to you!"

  Xu Yao threw the money onto the table and laughed: "Is that so..."

  The boss of the Phoenix Jewelry Store, a Hong Kong businessman, visited Xu Yao's home last night accompanied by Gu Shi Tong. The Hong Kong businessman expressed his sincere gratitude to Xu Yao, and it seemed that without Xu Yao's bravery in fighting off the thugs, the jewelry store would have gone bankrupt. In the end, he even voluntarily presented a large red envelope, which Xu Yao didn't know how much money was inside, but was pushed back by her father. The Hong Kong businessman and Gu Shi Tong are both shrewd people, naturally knowing that Xu Yao wouldn't accept the money, but whether to accept or not is up to them. Their precious daughter almost lost her life there, so not visiting would be a matter of attitude.

  Xu Yao thought this matter was over, and even resented her old dad for cutting off her own financial path. Unexpectedly, today Tan Xue was sent to do PR, these businessmen are indeed thorough in their dealings, leaving no room for error.

  Of course, there was no need for her to tell Wen Qian about these things, she just smiled and watched how Wen Qian would handle it. When Wen Qian heard Tan Xue's words, he laughed loudly: "A fool who doesn't make money when they can, the wealthy landlord's money is not to be refused." But in his heart, he was a bit puzzled - it was understandable that the Hong Kong businessman wanted to express gratitude, but handing over 2,000 yuan right away was indeed too much! However, no matter how he looked at it, there was nothing on him that the other party could take advantage of, so he let it go.

  Xu Yaobai gave him a glance: "He's a Hong Kong businessman!"

  "That is the bourgeois comprador class, and it cannot be dispensed with!"

  Xu Yao couldn't help but glare at him, about to refuse, when Wen Chen kicked her under the table and subtly shook his head. Tan Xue saw the two of them calm down, patted his chest and let out a sigh of relief: "Good thing, our boss said that if you guys didn't accept, I wouldn't have to go back either."

  Xu Yao finally understood that Wen Qing was afraid of knowing about Tan Xue's difficulties, and didn't want this delicate woman to be troubled. She thought for a moment, it was only 2,000 yuan, taking it wouldn't make a difference. Seeing Wen Qing scratching his ears and cheeks with a silly expression on the side, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him again, that appearance was so cute and lovely, very moving.

  The dinner party went on in a friendly atmosphere until the end, when Xǔ Yáo quietly got up to pay the bill first, which made Tán Xuě somewhat anxious. Wēn Chén had to persuade him repeatedly before sending off Tán's siblings. He then turned to the little beauty beside him and said with a smile: "Well, well, well! You've become a big shot after just a few days, huh?"

  Xu Yao cried with a sad face, turned over the back pocket of her jeans and said pitifully: "I don't have two months' worth of pocket money... You silly boy, you have to take responsibility..."

  Wen Cheng patted her head, this girl looked careless, but actually had a kind heart. Knowing that Tan Xue's financial situation was bad, she paid the bill first. "Alright, wait for brother to earn enough money to support you! See you later!"

  As soon as the words were spoken, a kick was given to the buttocks. "Support you for nothing, see you for nothing, find a place to play in the afternoon, if it's not fun, go around Qingzhou City and learn to bark like a dog!"

  The beauty's punishment method is always so enchanting!

  After laughing for a while, Xu Yao looked at the large envelope with worry and said: "What to do with this money? If I take it back, my dad will definitely scold me, and I'll have to return the money. Will that make it difficult for Tan Xue?"

  "Huh, who's your dad? You're making a fortune and you're still not happy?"

  Xu Yao's eyes rolled around and she giggled, saying: "My dad is just a shoeshiner, seeing so much money would drive him crazy..."

  "Pfft," Wen Jian lazily responded to her, there are still many honest people in this era, and it's not uncommon for someone who has done a good deed to refuse a thank-you gift. He thought for a moment and said: "In that case, you can give me the money to take care of, I just so happen to have something going on..." Just as he was about to explain the details, Xu Yao threw the envelope over without hesitation, clasped her hands together and smiled: "Amitabha, finally got rid of this hot potato."

  Her face was smiling, but she was also moved by Xu Yao's absolute trust that was inadvertently revealed. Two thousand yuan is a huge sum of money for an ordinary family, let alone a child. Xu Yao handed it over to her without hesitation, not even asking what it was for. A friend who can do this much doesn't need to be said.

  In the afternoon, Qingzhou was no longer as sultry as it used to be. On the winding mountain road leading to Linzhuang Water Dam in the suburbs, two bicycles were moving forward at a slow pace, one after the other. If not for Wen Qian's presence in front of her, Xu Yao, wearing a white dress, would have been the embodiment of all boys' fantasies about their goddess at this age. At the age of sixteen or seventeen, facing the gentle summer breeze, the girl rode her bicycle from the other end of the road, her long hair flying and her skirt fluttering, occasionally turning back to glance, which was enough to make a boy toss and turn for a night, and be infatuated for months.

  This is the youthful time of flower season and rainy season, this is the past and future that will never have a green memory again. Any boy with normal intelligence would carefully protect this rare scenery. If they saw Wen's impatient and vicious tone at this moment, I'm afraid Uncle Wen won't see tomorrow's sun again.

  "Hurry up, won't you? If you dawdle any longer, your brother won't wait for you!"

  Xu Yao bit her lower lip, one foot on the ground, stopping the car. Her big, watery eyes looked at Wen Chen with a wronged expression, not saying a word. Wen Chen was initially furious, scolding her harshly, but eventually lost in their staring contest, helplessly raising his hands in defeat: "Alright, alright, I didn't consider your physical limits, it's my fault. How about we head back the way we came? You're also tired, and we can get some rest early?"

  Xu Yao shook her head.

  "Then let's not take this car, and ride in mine?"

  Shake head again.

  "Alright," Wen said calmly, having left his anger behind.

  Xu Yao saw that the situation was not in her favor, so she immediately stopped the car obediently. With a smile on her delicate and beautiful face, she held onto Wen Cang's hand and shook it, saying: "Brother Wen Cang, you're the most amazing! You must have a way to fix this, right? Please help me..."

  Wen Cheng shuddered, goosebumps all over his body, and he hastily retreated to the side, no matter in his past life or now, he was always so powerless against this strange and cunning little girl.

  Looking at Wen Qian who was rubbing her hands together as if she had caught a virus, Xu Yao held onto her slender waist and burst out laughing: "Dare to bully me? I'll beat you to death!"

  "Alright, you win!"

  Wen Cheng took out a rope from his backpack, and in the midst of Xu Yao's stunned expression, he tied the two cars together. Then, he patted his hands and said: "OK!"

  "You had already guessed that I would run out of energy halfway through, didn't you? You also knew that I would make a fuss with you like this, didn't you?"

  Facing Xu Yao's questioning, Wen Cheng gave a very pretentious smile: "Everything is under control!"

  “FOLLOWME!GO！”

  "Wow, great, come on, silly boy!"

  On the long road, two cars whizzed by quickly, and the sound of crisp laughter echoed in the wind, just like this crisp and refreshing season.

  Lin Zhuang Dam is a hydraulic engineering project in the 1960s. With the completion of Qinghui Reservoir and Qingli Reservoir, Lin Zhuang Dam has gradually withdrawn from the historical stage. Not long after that, this place will be developed into a tourist attraction. In the following five or six years, it has become a good summer resort for the people of Qingzhou.

  He walked shoulder to shoulder with Xu Yao on the shaded path beside the dam, listening to the cicadas' incessant chirping in the treetops, and from time to time, a flock of birds flew over the branches, making a rustling sound. Wen Qing's heart was filled with peace. He wasn't really here to have fun, but rather he recalled that half a year later this place would be transformed into a tourist area with dazzling prosperity, so he came to see if there was any opportunity for him to get a share of the pie.

  Xu Yao jumped up and down, looking around from left to right, occasionally asking Wen Chen some strange questions. At this time, Xu Yao no longer had the coldness and sarcasm she showed when they first met, and the classic disdainful expression that often appeared on her face was gone. She's a good girl, Wen Chen never doubted that, but is she the girl he wants?

  Wen Qiang didn't know either.

  After strolling for a while, they found a flat piece of grassland, spread out the plastic sheet, and poured all the food from their bags onto it. The two sat down on the ground and had an extremely comfortable meal. Afterwards, they rubbed their bellies contentedly and lay down, with one of them holding a blade of green grass in his mouth. Xu Yao sat beside him, hugging her knees with both hands, resting her chin on her kneecaps, and letting her long hair cascade down her shoulders. A few strands of sunlight filtered through the gaps, casting a faint golden glow on the white clouds above, making everything look incredibly beautiful.

  "Silly kid, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

  Are we talking about ideals? Mr. Wen's inherent slyness immediately sprouted, and he smiled: "What I want to do most is that ten years later, I'm still lying here, and you're still sitting beside me."

  Xu Yao listened to the warm and gentle teasing, unusually without bursting into anger, instead turning her head away so he couldn't see her slightly flushed profile, saying in a low voice: "Ten years, who knows what kind of person I'll become..."

  Ten years ago, I didn't know you and you didn't belong to me. We were still accompanying each other as strangers, walking through the gradually familiar streets. Ten years later, we are friends who can still greet each other, but that tenderness is gone, and there's no more reason for an embrace. Lovers inevitably become friends in the end.

  Subconsciously humming this song, Xu Yao asked in surprise: "What is this song? Why have I never heard it before?"

  It wasn't until now that I remembered there was no song called "Ten Years". I occasionally heard it somewhere, but forgot what it was. It's getting late, let's head back.

  Xu Yao didn't mind, nodded and stood up, but unexpectedly her legs had gone numb from sitting for too long, and she felt herself falling to the side. Wen Chen stretched out his hand to support her, just in time to hold Xu Yao in a warm embrace. With a mischievous heart, he quietly blew a breath into her ear and chuckled: "Be careful."

  Xu Yao's whole body trembled inexplicably, her heart racing wildly. She pushed Wen Cang away and ran off with a giggle. The sunset was like blood, her white clothes like a painting. At this moment, Xu Yao seemed like an elf who had escaped into the mortal world.

  When going downhill, Wen Xiao started playing "big release", letting go of the handlebars with both hands and raising them above his head. Xu Yao looked at it with interest but was too afraid to try. Wen Xiao tempted her: "It's okay, just be reckless for once, first let go of one hand, like this, then let go of the other..." Xu Yao followed suit, letting go of both hands, initially feeling tense and scared. However, as the bike sped down the mountain slope, she only felt the wind rushing past her ears and an endless sense of exhilaration. Her long hair and skirt flew back, and a look of reckless joy appeared on her face. She joined Wen Xiao in shouting loudly: "Ah, I am the king of the world..."

  January's thousand rivers surprise like a dream, white clothes surpass snow, young heart.

  Okay, those years when we were allowed to be reckless, we call it:

  Youth!

  (Updated 2nd time with 4600 words, today nearly 9000 words, seeking votes and collection)