The freshmen and sophomores did not have to attend tutoring classes on Saturdays, and thus, school ended later than usual for them on Fridays.
Jiang Lingzhi and Wen Yujing were talking as they made their way out of the school gate.
Uncle Chen's car had already been repaired and was parked at the side of the gate of the school. When he saw her, he ended the call on his cellphone and said, "Zhi Zhi, I'm here."
Jiang Lingzhi was taken aback. She then turned her head to bid Wen Yujing goodbye. With her schoolbag on her back, she walked over. "Uncle Chen, has the car been repaired?"
Uncle Chen smiled kindly. "It's not a big problem. I just got them to speed up because I was worried that Madam might be eager to get it repaired."
Jiang Lingzhi nodded, pulled the door to the back seat, and got into the car. An inevitable sense of dejection settled in her heart as her life resumed its previous course.
She probably would not be able to go home by herself anymore.
The car started slowly, and Uncle Chen chatted with her distractedly every now and then.
Jiang Lingzhi leaned on the backrest of the back seat and looked out the window as the car passed by a large shopping mall in the city center.
Jiang Lingzhi immediately saw the familiar back amongst the people on the crowded street.
His slender and toned body was particularly outstanding, and he stood out from the other people in the crowd.
Jiang Lingzhi blinked her eyes and suddenly sat up straight. "Uncle Chen, please pull over."
Uncle Chen looked at the rearview mirror in puzzlement and slowly stopped the car at the side of the road. He asked, "What's wrong, Zhi Zhi?"
Keeping her eyes firmly fixed against the back of that figure, she answered, "I saw a schoolmate. Uncle Chen, don't wait for me. I'll go home by myself later."
After saying that, she pushed open the car door and alighted with her schoolbag. Her long ponytail formed a beautiful arc.
Uncle Chen followed her out of the car and called her a few times from behind.
While in a trance, Jiang Lingzhi was extremely eager to get rid of her label as a swindler.
She did not know why she had such a great obsession and why she was bent on proving something.
She was not a liar.
She subconsciously did not want to be misunderstood by others.
Jiang Lingzhi crossed the road with her schoolbag in hand and chased in the direction that the figure had left in.
She passed through a long alleyway.
It was almost dusk. The stall vendors in the alley were packing up their things and getting ready to go home.
In the noisy alley, the rays of sunlight were shining diagonally, and the walls, which were covered in moss, were glowing.
When Jiang Lingzhi arrived at the alley, the boy was already long gone. Still panting gently with sweat droplets on her forehead, she held her schoolbag tightly.
She walked through the crowds of people and began to get rather confused when she reached a crossroad.
She did not get to see clearly, the direction that he had left in.
After losing track of her target, she hesitated for a moment and thought about it. She then decided to go over to the right side of the crowded alley.
To her surprise, the further in she delved, the fewer people there were, and the quieter the alley became.
Moreover, she suddenly realized that she seemed to have gotten lost after making a detour.
Jiang Lingzhi regretted going to that place all by herself. She stopped in her tracks and was just about to go back the same way she came when two people suddenly came up to her at the end of the alley.
"Do you still have any money?"
"No, I spent all my allowance for living expenses this month on shoes. The money I have left is only enough to cover tonight's lodging..."
"Damn it, life is tough."
"…"
The two men, who were dressed in tacky clothes and were smoking cigarettes while chatting and laughing with each other, walked towards her from the front.
Having been an obedient child since she was young, Jiang Lingzhi had never seen such a scene before.
The sky had not turned completely dark yet, and it was rather quiet in the alley. She held onto her bag tightly and began to feel a little nervous.