Miao Jing thought for a moment, then silently accepted it.
Chen Yi had friends from all walks of life, and he always had a group of rowdy companions to eat, drink, and have fun with. There were plenty of places they could go, and they had encountered all sorts of filth and excitement. As teenagers of seventeen or eighteen, they were full of energy, with even the blood in their veins itching for action.
At that age, it was easiest to go astray, but Chen Yi was shrewd as a fox. Since childhood, he had been as slippery as a loach, wild and untamable. He was no stranger to mischief, but he never crossed the line into serious trouble. When the group of delinquents gathered, aside from gaming, gambling, and fighting, they dabbled in pornography—countless adult films and magazines. Most of his buddies had girlfriends or other dubious ideas, and there were plenty of girls who fancied Chen Yi or actively pursued him. But initially, Chen Yi hadn’t fully awakened to such matters. Playing pool, racing cars, gaming, or other activities were enough to hold his interest—far more fun than getting cozy with girls. By the time he slowly caught on, and beautiful girls were batting their eyes right under his nose, he became evasive and unwilling—he had no money to date.
Unlike others, he had no parents and no steady income. The little money he earned had to cover his tuition, support himself, fund outings with his buddies, and pay for car modifications and gear upgrades. Recently, he’d also taken on the burden of supporting a Provincial Key High School student, leaving almost nothing for dining out, shopping, or booking rooms with girls. Chen Yi also had some pride—he wasn’t one to live off others. Besides, seeing how Da Tou Yuan struggled in his relationship with his rebellious girlfriend, being single seemed much more carefree.
Life drifted along in this hazy manner for over half a year, mostly happily. During the National Day holiday, Miao Jing worked part-time with him at an Internet cafe. For the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chen Yi brought home two large crabs. During the winter break and Spring Festival, they dabbled in small business ventures to earn extra cash. When school started again, Miao Jing wanted to move back home, but Chen Yi found it troublesome—the commute was too long, and he’d have to check on her frequently. So, they settled for sharing simple homemade meals on weekends, which was still quite nice.
Less than two months into the school term, Miao Jing unexpectedly received a phone call—Chen Yi was in the hospital.
He had been in a racing accident on the mountain at night. Several groups had arranged a showdown, and Chen Yi, always arrogant and flashy, had long-standing grudges and friction with others. That night, someone deliberately sabotaged the race, blocking the track. In the end, the motorcycles collided in a chain reaction. Chen Yi, thrown to the front, was lucky—he braked in time and didn’t tumble down the mountain. But he was battered and bloodied from hitting the rocks, with a fractured shinbone, lying blood-soaked in the hospital.
When Miao Jing rushed to the hospital, she saw Bo Zai, Dai Mao, and the others crowded around the bed. She looked at Chen Yi—his eyes wide and clear, face pale, staring blankly without a word.
Chen Yi’s face was a mess of colors, but he was still breathing and cracking jokes from his hospital bed. Someone who didn’t know Miao Jing, seeing her in her high school uniform, asked Yi Ge, "Is this your hidden beauty or are you corrupting an innocent girl?" Chen Yi grinned cheekily.
"Get lost, she’s my sister."
"Which ‘dear sister’? Yi Ge, how many ‘dear sisters’ do you actually have?"
"A relative from home!"
He shooed away the pests around him, lounging lazily on the bed, and teased, "I’m not dead yet, why the long face?"
"If you died..." Miao Jing’s lips trembled, her eyes reddening, "What would I do?""What should I do, what should I do? Go find your mom. If you can't find your mom, find your dad. If you can't find your dad, look for your relatives. Worst case, there's always the orphanage." His tone was casual. "We don't have much connection anyway."
Besides, he wouldn't die. The injuries weren't severe either—the blood on him was just from superficial wounds. Only the fracture was somewhat troublesome, requiring a few months of rest to heal.
"Not dying? What if you become paralyzed? Or lose a limb? Or get disfigured? Then what?"
Her clear pupils stared at him.
"Hey, why do you have to say such unpleasant things? Cursing me or what?" Chen Yi thought for a moment. "If it comes to that, I'd rather die. I'd kill myself."
Otherwise, who would care whether he lived or died?
Miao Jing took a few days off, shuttling back and forth between the hospital and home. Chen Yi's hospitalization required treatment, X-rays, hospital fees, medication, and nutritional supplements, which nearly emptied both their pockets. Bo Zai and the others pooled some money for Miao Jing, barely covering their meals.
"Go to class. Aren't you busy?" Chen Yi lay on the hospital bed, shooing her away. "Why come to the hospital every day? Bo Zai and the others bring food here. You don't need to worry about it."
Miao Jing had stewed chicken soup. She ladled it from the thermal container and handed it to him. "I'm at school during the day. I asked the teacher for permission to skip evening self-study. I'm staying at home these days, and the bus happens to pass by, so I can bring you food. It doesn't interfere with my classes."
"Don't come at night. It's not safe." He held the bowl, lowering his head to take a sip of the savory chicken soup.
Miao Jing sat by the hospital bed, lost in thought for a long time. Finally, she turned to look at him. "I ran into Dai Mao. He said your motorcycle has been repaired and is at the auto repair shop... How about... selling the motorcycle?"
Chen Yi frowned. That motorcycle was his treasure—he had spent a fortune modifying it.
"We're out of money." Miao Jing's hand slipped into her pocket. "I just went downstairs to pay another bill. In a few days, we won't even have money for food."
His arrogant demeanor deflated. Chen Yi's face tightened, and he pressed his lips together. "Fine, sell it then."
He added resentfully, "Damn it."
Just like that, calmly and amicably, Chen Yi sold off that cool, eye-catching motorcycle that had once elicited countless screams for a pittance.
After half a month in the hospital, Chen Yi was discharged with a cast and crutches to recuperate at home. Limited in mobility, he couldn't go anywhere and had to stay home. Even after the cast was removed, his leg injury hadn't healed enough for him to walk normally, and he didn't want to go out and embarrass himself. What frustrated him most wasn't the injury itself but the blow to his spirit. Chen Yi had always been bold and reckless since childhood—when had he ever been so battered, hobbling around on a injured leg, looking so pathetic?
Miao Jing moved back home from school to take care of him. She asked Dai Mao to help her buy a second-hand bicycle, which she rode to school every day.
One was attending school, the other restricted in movement—meaning the two of them would be living off their savings for months, without even the most basic means of support.
By the time they started eating boiled noodles at home, Chen Yi grew irritable without cigarettes to smoke. Miao Jing watched him lying despondently on the sofa, his T-shirt wrinkled like dried pickles, stubble covering his chin, looking disheveled and lethargic.
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