Chapter 40.2
Editor: Jodi
Rain soaked Ning Sheng’s black hair. Xu Ling took off his school jacket, tossed it onto Ning Sheng’s head, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him toward the eaves.
The teenager’s white sneakers splashed through the puddles on the rubber track, scattering raindrops off the white lines.
The early summer rain poured relentlessly—
However the early autumn drizzle subsided gradually.
And droplets fell from the edge of the umbrella, creating tiny ripples.
The puddles reflected the clear sky after the rain as 16-year-old Xu Ling closed his umbrella.
“Finally, it stopped.” Ning Sheng leaned on the windowsill, waving at Xu Ling who was outside in the garden. “What took you so long?”
There was a row of lush green potted plants outside the window.
“We’re heading to the new school this afternoon, and you haven’t packed at all?” Xu Ling asked as he entered the bedroom and saw Ning Sheng’s empty suitcase.
“What can’t I, this young master, just buy when I get there?” Ning Sheng said in reply.
“Pajamas, underwear, toothbrush?” Xu Ling listed a few examples. “When you get to school and finish setting up the dorm, will you still have the energy to go out and buy stuff?”
Ning Sheng: “You’ll go buy them.”
Xu Ling: “…..I’ll beat you up.”
“Forget it, I’ll pack for you.” Xu Ling pulled open the wardrobe.
“I’ll help too.” Lu Peng said. “Thanks to Princess forcing hundreds of English worksheets on me, I made it! Hahaha!”
Ning Sheng sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Xu Ling picked out some close-fitting clothes for him methodically.
“Bring that blanket.” He directed. “And those headphones too.”
Lu Peng rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a huge Golden Sun.
Lu Peng: “?”
Li Haoyue: “……”
“Why do I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before?” Lu Peng asked.
“This is the logo from our kindergarten, right? You’ve been keeping this secretly?” Li Haoyue asked.
Ning Sheng who was drinking water choked, coughing so hard he almost teared up.
Xu Ling patted him on the back twice, however Ning Sheng turned to glare at him sideways.
“This is your fault.” Ning Sheng whispered.
Xu Ling: “……”
“Bring a potted plant.” Ning Sheng added.
Xu Ling: “Which one?”
Ning Sheng: “The cactus.”
“You can just buy one when we get there.” Xu Ling told him.
Ning Sheng: “This one can’t be replaced!”
Xu Ling froze for a moment, then picked the cactus up from the windowsill.
“We’re done now, right?” Lu Peng patted the suitcase.
“We’d better be done.” Xu Ling closed the suitcase. “Otherwise if we wait any longer, he’ll want to stuff Peiqi in here too.”
“Xu Dashan! You’re mocking me!” Ning Sheng threw a pillow at him, which Xu Ling caught mid-air.
“Ning Ning.” His grandmother came over. “You can get ready to leave now.”
“Okay, Grandma.” He stood up.
Ning Sheng’s family’s Maybach was parked at the slope, and besides that, Xu Ling’s stepdad had also driven up in a beat-up car. When he saw them coming out, he honked twice.
“Luggage in one car, people in the other.” He told them.
“Yay!” The group cheered.
**
In the city, Number Nine Middle School.
At the school gates, a Maybach and a beat-up car zoomed in.
Then the door of the Maybach opened, and out came four—
Suitcases.
The beat-up car’s door opened, and Ning Sheng, carrying a violin case, got out with an air of pride and aloofness.
“Want me to carry it for you?” Xu Ling asked.
Ning Sheng: “No need, it’s really light today.”
Ning Sheng: “……”
Xu Ling: “…?”
“Ning Ning.” His grandmother called. “I just saw your violin in the music room. Did you only bring the violin case with you?”