"Sorry!"
Tianlang apologized to Xing and got off the bike as quick as he could. He knew he had started eating more than five meals a day and was growing fast in height. He almost went down on his knees to beg Xing to blame it on his growth spurt and not him, but changed his mind and just stood next to the girl with the bike on the road side. Xing laughed.
"I just noticed how tall you have become. Is our young master going through puberty now?"
Tianlang's face turned red because of the hearty laugh he heard from Xing. He couldn't care less about what she just said. What had his full attention now was the face of a girl who was sparkling under the lamp post light along the riverside road. The sound of her laughter was pleasing to his ears. He felt like he had gone to heaven just by the sight in front of him.
"Okay, sorry, you don't have to stare at me like that. Let's go home."
Xing stopped laughing and Tianlang also came back from the heaven. It was a short trip but it was beautiful. He wished he could go there again sometimes.
"Should I ride?"
Tianlang asked to take the front seat because he did not want to burden the smaller with his weight but was rejected because he would take at least two hours for them to arrive at her house, was what Xing said.
The boy was sitting on the back seat of the bike while the girl was riding slowly to get to their destination. His hands reached hesitantly to hold the hems of her shirt and he tried to have a few peeks at the side of her face.
He had never been interested and cared so much for someone beside his family before, but Xing managed to snatch his attention since the first few seconds they met.
He couldn't help blaming himself for wanting more. At first, he just wanted to meet her again to thank for her kind gestures and advices she offered to a stranger like him but after seeing her for the second time, he told himself that this girl had to be his friend. Now, he wished for something even more than that. A best friend, or whatever as long as she could stay with him for his whole lifetime, would be a wish come true.
Transferring school to study in the same classroom as her was the biggest decision he had made in his life so far. He wanted to get to know more about her, to be closer to her, and now that he had seen different sides of her in just one day made him even more curious. How much more adorable and kinder could she be? How much warmer her light touch could get? He wanted to know about those things. He felt like the unknown hole in his heart was finally filled after meeting her, but he was not sure why there was suddenly another hole and he wanted it to be only her to fill it in.
Tianlang smirked to himself, 'Lai Tianlang, you are really greedy, aren't you?"
On the alley road in a village which he had never been to, Tianlang encountered some old ladies calling out to Xing and some teased her for going home late. They seemed fond of her and he wasn't surprised. He smiled proudly while sitting on the back seat. Yes everyone, he was the popular Li Xing's friend.
Xing stopped the bike in front of a small house which looked warm and cozy. The lights showed that there were people inside. Tianlang could see a dog wagging its tail on the other side of the gate. He suddenly jumped off from the bike and took a few steps back to distant himself. He was never good with dogs and he did not have good memories with them either. A dog of his neighbor bit his leg when he was five and he still remembered the pain.
Li Xing laughed out loud again. Young Master Lai was like a kid in her eyes. She asked him while still giggling.
"Tianlang, are you afraid of our Tofu? Haha he is a good boy so you don't have to be scared."
The young master shook his head and replied, "No, I'm not scared. It's just that dogs and I don't match."
"Okay, I will believe you. Also, thank you for taking me home but how are you going to go back?"
Xing asked out of concern. She just realized that she had totally forgotten that he couldn't pedal the bike more than two cycles. She was going to ask her father to help drive the young master home using his small truck but her thought was interrupted when she saw a shadow hovering behind her friend. She almost screamed but the shadow suddenly stepped into the light, and he was actually Uncle Wu.
"Please don't worry, Miss Li. I will take Young Master home safely."
The older man then asked his young master for permission to wheel the bike to the car first and bowed goodbye to Xing. The girl was still surprised at how he crept up behind Tianlang and the boy didn't even flinch. It was like he already knew Uncle Wu would show up there. Was there telepathy between them?
"Hurry and go inside."
Tianlang's voice woke Xing from her thought. He was still standing at the same spot. She opened the gate and closed it quickly to prevent Tofu from running out. She then looked at Tianlang who was also looking back at her, wearing his famous ear-to-ear grin and waving his hands. She was going to thank him again but her so-called good boy was probably annoyed for having to wait too long to get her attention, so he barked loudly. She tried to shush him and then turned to where Tianlang was but he was not there anymore. All that was left was the sound of his scream echoing from the other side of the alley. Xing almost died laughing after that.