Chapter 7.3 — Teacher, Why Am I Here?
Life is so interesting because you will never know what will happen tomorrow or who will be by your side to accompany you at a certain moment in time.
They ate a big seafood dinner at night. It was the same restaurant that they ate last time. The lady boss of the restaurant can still recognize her and He Zhi Zhou. When He Zhi Zhou went to pay the bill, the lady boss laughingly and teasingly said: “Last time, when you came with a group of people, I thought you and another boy with the spectacles are a couple. I did not expect you and this handsome guy are a couple instead.”
The boy with the spectacles whom the lady boss was referring to was Lin Yu Tang. He was slightly near-sighted, so he nearly always wore spectacles when he went out. The handsome guy she was talking about should be He Zhi Zhou, but now, it was actually Shen Xi’s spirit who was inside.
Shen Xi was standing beside He Zhi Zhou, so she felt a little ashamed when teased by the lady boss, as if she was caught having an illicit lover. On the contrary, He Zhi Zhou continued to pay the bill in a calm and collected manner and took the change given by the lady boss.
“Come again next time.” The lady boss smiled very warmly. “Regarding this matter, I even have a bet with the waiters in the shop who I’ve to pay them their winnings later.”
Shen Xi was even more embarrassed. Standing next to He Zhi Zhou, she was like a big shy boy. She did not expect the lady boss and her staff in this shop to be so silly.
When He Zhi Zhou and her came out from the shop, He Zhi Zhou was even more silly to ask her: “When we came over last time, why would someone bet we are a pair?”
This question was really thought – provoking, Shen Xi thought for a while before saying: “Because when compared to Monkey and Brawny, you and I look a more probably pair.”
He Zhi Zhou: “……”
In S city, the innocent Monkey and Brawny, who were in a bar experiencing the nightclub culture, were randomly pulled into this, and began sneezing one after another. A gloomy looking Lin Yu Tang also sat beside them. The three were all lying on the counter of the bar. Monkey had lost in the game they were playing, so he was to be punished. Brawny took out a dollar from the pocket and handed it to Monkey: “Go and buy me a packet of cigarettes.”
[email protected]#%!
Monkey broke out into curses. Lin Yu Tang who was drinking wine, laughed until he couldn’t stop. He also choked out half mouthful of wine. He was a little drunk, basically half-leaning on Brawny on the way home: “I’ll tell you a secret ……”
“What?”
“Shen Xi and He Zhi Zhou ……” Lin Yu Tang had just spoken, the stomach started churning, so he ran to the rubbish bin at the roadside and vomited. After finished vomiting, he became sober.
“The Leader and Beautiful Maiden Shen how?” Monkey continued to ask.
Lin Yu Tang: “Nothing.”
The night grew darker. The beach in Qingdao was decorated with lights, as if the whole sea was bathed in light, unimaginable beauty. Shen Xi followed He Zhi Zhou on to a yacht. This was the best yacht of the Qingdao sailing club. She followed He Zhi Zhou’s instruction and identified herself to the person in charge of the club. He immediately called to confirm. She and He Zhi Zhou not only have the best yacht, but also the best captain.
“Whose yacht is this?” When they were out on the sea, she asked He Zhi Zhou.
He Zhi Zhou was standing on the deck, enjoying the blowing wind: “My grandfather’s one.”
Shen Xi grinned: “I didn’t expect that you are the rich third generation.”
He Zhi Zhou laughed, his back leaning on the railing and asked quite seriously: “Shen Xi, are you afraid that we’ll remain like this forever?”
Shen Xi was stunned by the question, and immediately became helpless like a bunny rabbit: “In this era, there is a lot of pressure to be a man. If not careful, may end up marrying a bitch ……”
He Zhi Zhou pursed up his lips, and then patted Shen Xi’s back: “Don’t worry.”
Shen Xi nodded, it was false to say that she was not worried in the heart.
Late at night, she was lying on the deck, thinking of the worst outcome. If they still cannot change back a month later, she intended to confess everything to her parents. Just that she was unsure whether they will believe her …… she did not know how to get her point across, such as saying —— “Shen Jian Guo, didn’t you always want to have a son? Haha, congratulations, your dream finally comes true!”
Thinking about Shen Jian Guo’s jaw dropping look, the corner of her mouth curved up.
“Why are you smiling?” He Zhi Zhou who was lying next to her, asked.
Shen Xi shook her head: “Nothing.”
With both of his hands behind his head, He Zhi Zhou looked straight up at the starry sky. After a while, he sat up, picked up the tablet computer and continued to study the simulation plan prepared in the past two weeks.
What is “magnetic field theory”, what is “astrology theory”, what is “” …… recently, he had read all the books that he has time to read and kept thinking of how to have a breakthrough, but like the person beside him said: “Chance is the most important.”
If their farce was an intentional prank from God, surely there will be an end one day.
Shen Xi was lying with her hands and legs stretched out on the deck. The sea breeze at night has started to turn a little cold. She closed her eyes and can hear the distant sound of the lapping of the sea wave against the rock. She picked up the phone, looked at the time and touched He Zhi Zhou who was next to her: “Big brother He, I’ll jump into the sea, then you’ll save me once again, okay?”
He Zhi Zhou turned around and looked at her.
Shen Xi pointed towards the bottom of the sea: “The secret could be in the sea.” After saying that, she quickly got up.
“Shen Xi!” He Zhi Zhou held her hand, “It is useless.”
“But if you don’t try, how do you know it is useless?” Shen Xi blinked and said. In fact, she was also very frightened as she vaguely remembered the ice cold water and the desperate feeling after falling into the sea last time. But she did not want her cowardice and indecisiveness to rob He Zhi Zhou of an opportunity to try even once.
She faced the sea and took a deep breath. Carefully putting her left leg on the railings, she even bravely shook it twice, to prove her “courage.”
“Big brother He, you must come down to save me ah.” Shen Xi’s left leg was shaking violently in the wind, but she still turned around to ask the person behind.
He Zhi Zhou looked at Shen Xi: “…… you jump la, but you better depend on yourself to swim up because I’ll not save you.”
“What?” Shen Xi stretched out her leg a little further, very puzzled and asked, “Why?”
He Zhi Zhou looked calm, but the eyes looked worried: “You come down first, then I’ll tell you why?”
“Okay.” Shen Xi moved back her left leg little by little with great difficulty. She carelessly lost her balance. When she was going backward, He Zhi Zhou pulled her back.
Shen Xi practically lay paralyzed at the corner of the railings, grasping for breathe and looking a little pale.
He Zhi Zhou looked at her: “Learn from this lesson, don’t act recklessly anymore.”
Shen Xi sat on the deck, a little humiliated, but said honestly: “I am too useless.”
Hearing such honest words, He Zhi Zhou also said some nice words: “Shen Xi, you are a lot capable now than when I first knew you.”
Shen Xi tilted her head, emphasized that: “I also used to be very capable.”
He Zhi Zhou laughed, and then took the tablet computer over. He opened the star chart he prepared, enlarged it slowly for Shen Xi to see. Last time, in order to let him feel at ease, Shen Xi weaved a dream for him; Currently, he was trying to use the so-called scientific knowledge to analyze this bizarre happening, similarly to let her feel at ease.
Shen Xi heard but understood little, after a while she said: “Big brother He, we’ll give a name to the phenomenon of the densely dark clouds which suddenly appeared on that night, just like tsunami was given a name.
He Zhi Zhou agreed, then said: “You choose one.”
Shen Xi has always been simple minded. Since this was about He Zhi Zhou and her, she immediately thought of using a combination of their names and creating a homophone from them. She suggested, “How about the thin rice porridge (稀粥 means “thin rice porridge” or “thin congee” but in Mandarin, is pronounced “xi zhou”) phenomenon?”
He Zhi Zhou curled his lips and nodded his head: “Then we’ll call it the thin rice porridge phenomenon.”
Shen Xi and He Zhi Zhou spent a day at sea. He hated the sound of the lapping of the waves so decided to return to the hotel on the final night. Shen Xi has no objection. On the way back to the hotel, she brought back four pounds of crayfish and two bottles of Tsingtao Beer.
“Wish we can return to our respective body soon.” Shen Xi opened the beer and proposed a toast.
He Zhi Zhou picked up the beer and clinked glasses: “I hope so.”
I hope so …… Shen Xi can clearly feel that He Zhi Zhou was not happy. But besides inviting him to drink alcohol and eat lobster, she also cannot think of a better way.
Although, she invited He Zhi Zhou to have a drink, she fell asleep earlier than him. When she woke up again, she was lying on the bed near the balcony, the body covered with a quilt; the air conditioner in the room was once again adjusted by He Zhi Zhou to a temperature most suitable for sleeping.
But where was He Zhi Zhou? Even the quilt on the bed opposite hers was neat and smooth.
“Big brother He ……” Shen Xi called out.
No one answered her.
“He Zhi Zhou!” She went out to the balcony to look for him, the whole seaside city awash in bright lights, like setting off fireworks.
She returned to the room, immediately picked up the phone to call He Zhi Zhou but his mobile phone was ringing in the hotel room, which meant that he did not bring his phone. Shen Xi crouched down, anxious and upset.
At 11 o’clock at night, Shen Xi came rushing into the hotel lobby. She was so anxious until almost cried out. She asked the lobby manager on duty and was given direction: “I remember it is over there.”
Shen Xi wiped away the uncontrollable flow of tears and ran out of the hotel.
This was the first time the lobby manager saw a man crying so sadly, thus making people feel sorry for him. He picked up the walkie – talkie and said to the people in the security room: “Something happened to the occupants in room 893. The boy’s girlfriend had run away, come over to help to find her.”
It was very late at night, but the streets were still lively. Shen Xi rushed through heavy traffic, came to the beach once again. The whole surrounding has quieted down, only the sound of the tide, one moment near, the next far, one moment high, the next low.
“He Zhi Zhou, where are you?!”
“Big brother He, come out quickly …..”
“He Zhi Zhou! He Zhi Zhou! He Zhi Zhou!!!”
Shen Xi was about to collapse, tears flowing down her face. She thought of the despair she felt in her childhood, when she woke up late at night and cannot find her father and mother, as if the sky may fall down.
“Shen Xi, I am here.” Suddenly, a voice came through from behind.
Shen Xi turned her head and looked at the person behind. A big stride forward, she hugged He Zhi Zhou: “Sob sob sob …… He Zhi Zhou …… where did you go ……”
He Zhi Zhou also hugged Shen Xi: “Feeling troubled, so came out to ease my mind.”
“…… can’t you inform me ……”
“You were sleeping soundly so I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“Then you should at least leave me a note!” Shen Xi could not stop crying.
“I am sorry.”
The apology made Shen Xi cried her heart out loudly. She held He Zhi Zhou, crying sorrowfully and in grievance. A long time later, she somewhat stopped crying and said in a sobbing voice: “I’m afraid you’ll take things too hard ……”
“Silly girl ——” He Zhi Zhou was smiling while scolding, and then he wiped away some of Shen Xi’s tears, “Don’t cry, it is my fault.”
Shen Xi wrinkled her nose: “…… cannot be like this in the future.”
He Zhi Zhou nodded, and then holding Shen Xi’s hand, walked forward: “I’ll take you to see something.”
“What…….thing?”
He Zhi Zhou brought Shen Xi to see a house built with sand. Actually this was the thing Shen Xi built half way during daytime. Unfortunately she was impatient, so the house was only half completed, part of the “unfinished project.”
He Zhi Zhou switched on the portable flashlight. From the faint light of the flashlight, before Shen Xi’s eyes was a lovely and uniquely crafted sand house.
There were a garden, a window, and also a large balcony that she wanted.
“Big brother He, how did you do it?” Shen Xi squatted down, then looked up to ask He Zhi Zhou.
He Zhi Zhou sat cross-legged: “I just discovered today, I may also have building talent.”
“You’re narcissist!” Shen Xi gave He Zhi Zhou a punch.
He Zhi Zhou lay down on the beach. He thought through and understood a lot of things tonight. As the sea breeze blew over his body, he spoke: “Leave everything to fate la.”
Shen Xi propped up both hands on the beach, she looked up at the multitude of stars. Suddenly she turned to say to He Zhi Zhou: “Big brother He, if we cannot swap back, are you willing to marry me?”
“Crazy.” He Zhi Zhou did not answer.
Shen Xi tickled He Zhi Zhou in protest
He Zhi Zhou got up and walked to the direction of the sea wave.
Shen Xi chased after him, the nearby waves crashed around her ankles, icy cold and very comfortable. She gripped the hem of He Zhi Zhou’s white shirt: “Big brother He, don’t tell me that you think you are not handsome enough?”
The waves were receding, He Zhi Zhou was sitting on the wet beach, answering Shen Xi’s hypothetical question: “If really so pathetic, I may consider marrying you.”
“Haha.” Shen Xi laughed at He Zhi Zhou, still wanting to be a man in such a situation.
She also sat down on the beach, and then acting like a man, she planned a future for He Zhi Zhou: “Big brother He, after we got married, I’ll be responsible for earning money to support the family, whereas you’ll be responsible for looking beautiful.”
He Zhi Zhou glanced at Shen Xi, faintly voiced out a fact: “You cannot afford to support me!”
“Why can’t I afford to support you?!” Shen Xi looked seriously at He Zhi Zhou, “In the future, I can open a dancing school. Even if you eat bird’s nest every day, I can also provide for you!”
Shen Xi pledged in all sincerity and seriousness. After hearing that, He Zhi Zhou was a little stunned.
With a roar, a new wave drew closer, about to surge over. Both of their feet were already submerged in sea water. The wave was on the verge of drenching their bodies. Shen Xi covered her ears and let out a loud shout.. Then caught off guard momentarily, she felt a coolness on the mouth. He Zhi Zhou had already turned over and was kissing her.
He Zhi Zhou closed his eyes and also covered her eyes —— not allowed to see.
The night sea wave kept surging over. From head to toe, the sea water was salty, the kiss was warm, the heartbeat was accelerating, the mood was inconceivable and the arrival of the feeling was crazy.
Can even kiss oneself, if they were not a little crazy, who can do it?