MTLNOVEL Chapter 12: 12:Toy
Su Xiaoqiang, Lin Nian's classmate, and also the organizer of tonight's hot pot gathering, was an unexpected presence for Lin Nian. "Why didn't you take a car with this weather? The hot pot place is still quite a distance away, hurry up and get in!" Su Xiaoqiang quickly recovered from her momentary surprise, immediately opened the door of the business-class Mercedes, and made room on the leather seat.
"It's quite a coincidence, are you going to charge me for the ride?" Lin Nian appeared a little surprised.
"Stop talking nonsense and get in," Su Xiaoqiang gave him a quick look.
Lin Nian smiled and climbed into the car, with the little "celestial girl" sitting beside him. The door closed, and a warm feeling surrounded them, mixed with the scent of coffee tree flowers beside him.
The air conditioning in the car wasn't too strong, and the window on Su Xiaoqiang's side was slightly cracked, letting in a chilly breeze. Lin Nian then noticed Su Xiaoqiang's outfit today: light makeup, a red woolen coat, a white thin wool sweater underneath, and light blue jeans that showed a bit of her fair ankle, paired with white sneakers.
Her outfit was eye-catching but slightly warm, so Lin Nian also opened his side of the window a bit. Though it was only halfway into spring, the air conditioning might still cause discomfort with the humidity.
With the window open, the car fell into silence. The driver, a dedicated chauffeur from Su Xiaoqiang's family, naturally didn't start any conversation. In the back seat, Su Xiaoqiang and Lin Nian sat with a small gap between them. Neither of them spoke, and the only sound was the howling wind outside the window.
Lin Nian turned to look at the fleeting scenery outside, like walking through a city at night, catching glimpses.
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Meng Jiao who wrote a poem, "The spring breeze lifts the horse's hooves with great speed, and in a day, one can see all the flowers of Chang'an." The situation Lin Nian found himself in felt quite similar: driving a Mercedes felt like riding a fine horse from ancient times. Su Xiaoqiang, with her faint makeup, was like a flower in full bloom, just like the vibrant spring.
If it were another boy sitting there, he'd probably be tempted by the girl's scent, but Lin Nian didn't feel that way. Instead, he felt somewhat awkward.
It wasn't that he disliked Su Xiaoqiang—she was a good person, and there was no reason to be bothered by her—but the nature of their relationship had been strange ever since the incident at the start of the school year.
"Thanks," Lin Nian suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"For what?" Su Xiaoqiang responded quickly.
"You treated Lu Mingfei to a meal, I'm thanking you for him," Lin Nian said, rubbing his fingers.
"And you, I mentioned in the group that I'll cover the cost of your and his meal tonight," Su Xiaoqiang added.
"I'm fine, I've earned some money from working part-time, I can afford a meal," Lin Nian patted his coat pocket.
"It's nothing, I already said I'm treating. Don't make me look bad if you pay for yourself later," Su Xiaoqiang said grandly.
Lin Nian fell silent for a moment, then looked up at the rearview mirror and found his eyes meeting Su Xiaoqiang's gaze. Their eyes met briefly, but quickly averted. Lin Nian smiled and said, "Sometimes I feel like calling you 'big brother'."
"What?" Su Xiaoqiang didn't catch it at first and turned to look at Lin Nian in confusion. "You think I'm a tomboy?"
"No, have you read Water Margin? The heroes there always called righteous people 'big brother.' You're the most righteous person in our class," Lin Nian laughed as he explained.
Su Xiaoqiang paused for a moment and then laughed. She instinctively raised her hand as if to pat Lin Nian's arm but stopped midway and lowered it, just sitting there smiling.
The brief joke eased the tension in the car, and Su Xiaoqiang began chatting with Lin Nian. The conversation wasn't limited to high school topics—one moment they were talking seriously about national affairs, and the next, they were gossiping about a teacher being nosy and overly strict about correcting winter break homework.
Su Xiaoqiang liked to talk about her family. Due to her family's background, she always had endless little stories to share. She spoke about an incident where a worker from a mine came to her house, holding a knife after an accident, only to be stopped halfway by her father's bodyguards and taken to the police. She also talked about the property market, how her father had a temper when the coal mine's value dropped, but because of international affairs, the value of manganese and iron ore went up, covering the coal mine losses and even making a profit.
In their school, not many girls liked to talk with Su Xiaoqiang. The girls were usually discussing Burberry coats, Dior perfumes, and La Prairie cosmetics, but Su Xiaoqiang would start talking about her family's business, mines, and her father's company, making the conversation hard to continue.
That's why she was often referred to as the "little celestial girl" — some people privately criticized her as being out of touch, as if someone who grew up surrounded by wealth couldn't possibly understand their reality.
In the car, Su Xiaoqiang continued talking about her life, while Lin Nian listened quietly with a calm and patient smile. He noticed that she seemed a bit worried he'd find her annoying, but she did a good job of hiding any emotional signs.
Usually, a girl like Su Xiaoqiang wouldn't have such emotions—she wasn't like Chen Wenwen, who would quietly ask if she was bothering someone. Lin Nian didn't mind her; he understood what it meant when a girl shared her personal world, perhaps wanting someone to listen and connect. Unlike others, Lin Nian couldn't just agree casually. He didn't know why, but he felt that they weren't quite right for each other.
In the business-class Mercedes, Lin Nian thought about a lot of things. He was always the kind of person who spoke less than he thought. He realized that people around Su Xiaoqiang probably thought she was just showing off, keeping their distance from her. However, Lin Nian could see through her, understanding that she needed someone to truly listen.
Su Xiaoqiang was one of the few memories Lin Nian had of this city. She was the only one who would hang around him, talking about everything. Thinking back, the high school years seemed to be filled with her face, running from one place to another, calling his name.
Suddenly, Lin Nian remembered something Mandy had said this morning: once he accepted the offer from Cassell College, he would be saying goodbye to his past life forever.
Isn't life made up of people and events we encounter? Does saying goodbye forever mean he has to leave behind Su Xiaoqiang and his classmates from Shilan forever? But his ticket to Cassell College was for Chicago, not a final destination. How could it be about "forever" goodbye?
"Do I have something on my face?" Su Xiaoqiang noticed Lin Nian staring at her face and, subconsciously, turned sideways to pull out a small mirror from her bag.
"No, sorry, I was just lost in thought," Lin Nian quickly apologized. It wasn't polite to space out while someone was talking.
The business-class Mercedes suddenly stopped. The driver turned and quietly said, "We've arrived."
Su Xiaoqiang opened the car door and got out. Lin Nian followed behind, and the car was parked in front of a hot pot restaurant called "Jianghu Flavors." The scent of spicy food mixed with the night air, waking everyone up.
A few classmates were standing outside the restaurant chatting, waiting for others. When they saw Lin Nian and Su Xiaoqiang get out of the car, they started teasing. Su Xiaoqiang, always poised, went over and gave a few of the loudest boys a playful smack on the back of their heads, then quickly joined the girls. They surrounded her like flowers, but now and then, she glanced back at Lin Nian, shining like a sunflower facing the sun.
Lin Nian stood there, looking up at the "Jianghu Flavors" LED sign, the red light bright and glaring. He couldn't shake the feeling that the smell of chili carried a dangerous aura. When they went in to eat, would someone suddenly stand up, smashing a cup and signaling three hundred assassins to attack him?
Before he could think too much, a group of boys rushed over, excitedly squeezing into the restaurant. If this was a trap, he had no choice but to fall into it.
(End of Chapter）