Once people started remembering their past, they did not come out of it so easily.
That night, the two of them lay in bed and recounted their stories.
Xiao Wen talked about her family that favored boys over girls, while Liu Qing talked about the upheavals in his family when he was a teenager.
After that, the two of them shared stories about their relationships.
"I did have a few boyfriends and I also wanted to have a better life, but once I indicated that I want to spend the rest of my life with the other party, they backed off. I never dumped anyone. I was always the one who got dumped." Wen laughed at herself. "Maybe they really like me as a person, but they can't like a family like mine."
"It's not easy." Liu Qing sighed.
They were all at the bottom of society. No one had relaxed shoulders. Not many people could live unrestrainedly.
There were many men who would be willing to provide for a woman, but not many men who would be willing to provide for that woman's family as well.
What were feelings compared to the heavy pressures of reality? How important were the impulses caused by hormonal urges?
"It doesn't matter to me now," Xiao Wen said. "In any case, it's already like this. I changed boyfriends so quickly that in the eyes of others, I'm not a good girl. Let it be no good then. If I meet someone I don't dislike, I'll make do with him. Anyway, I'm not thinking about being together forever. It's fine as long as the two of us feel happier when we are together."
There was a hint of self-pity in her tone, but she also talked like someone who had seen through the realities of the world.
Although she was not even 20 years old yet, the hammering she received from reality gave her an outlook that she should not have at her age.
He did not know if she was considered to be clear-headed or muddle-headed.
One would know best by one's personal experiences.
Liu Qing also sighed and told his story.
He talked about the changes that happened in his family when he was young and the process of him gradually becoming a dedicated ATM slave in those few years he spent with Huo Zhenzhen.
He did not mention that he was just a spare tire for Huo Zhenzhen. He attributed the reason for the breakup to the fact that he was feeling more and more tired during the relationship. He had sacrificed so much but did not get the corresponding returns. In the end, he realized that Huo Zhenzhen did not see him as a loved one worth entrusting her life to, but a tool that was still useful at that moment.
Xiao Wen was suddenly enlightened. "Then you're quite unlucky to have met such a woman. You have wasted a few years in that relationship."
Liu Qing smiled. "A few years? I should be thankful that it's only a few years."
In that life, he had been completely broken and he never got back up again.
Xiao Wen leaned towards him and placed a hand on his waist.
"Brother Qing, we're all in the same boat and the same kind of unfortunate people. Why don't we… make do… with each other?"
"Get lost." Even at this moment, Liu Qing was still very clear-headed. "This humble monk has long seen through the mortal world. I'm calm and untainted. Don't even think about breaking my meditative heart, you demon."
"I promise I won't use your money. I'll just use your bed and your air conditioner for free," Xiao Wen said as she slid her hand down. "If you're tired of me, you can break up with me anytime. I won't cry or make a fuss, and I won't ask for money."
Then she added, "Of course It just needs to last for the rest of this summer."
Liu Qing was a little tempted.
Still, he suppressed the temptation.
What's the point of saying nice things now?
Who knows what it will be like when it actually happens?
When he first shacked up with Huo Zhenzhen, she still paid for half of the rent and utilities. Later on, did she not empty everything he had?
If a woman's words were reliable, then sows could climb trees.
"We're not suitable for each other," he said.
Suddenly, his eyes widened and he yelled, "You wretched girl, what are you doing? Stop it!"
Xiao Wen stopped what she was doing.
Liu Qing shouted again, "I told you to let go!"
When Xiao Wen saw how nervous he was, she burst out laughing and said, "What if I don't let go? What can a cripple like you do to me?"
"You still have to work the day shift tomorrow and there's also the shift rotation. You have to sleep well. Let's not get too physical," Liu Qing advised her earnestly. "A gentleman uses his mouth and not his fists. It's not good for you to do this."
"A gentleman uses his mouth and not his fists?"
Xiao Wen repeated his words and suddenly pinched him. "You're so naughty!" she said shyly.
Liu Qing was stunned. "How am I naughty?"
"You are such a rogue, you bloody hooligan!"
Xiao Wen scolded him and then giggled.
"Never mind. Since you treated me to hotpot today, I'll satisfy you."
Liu Qing suddenly understood why Xiao Wen said that. He could not help but panic and exclaim loudly.
"You misunderstood me!"
"I didn't mean that!"
"Don't come any closer!"
"Get lost, get out!"
"Xiao Wen, you female hooligan!"
"Xiao Wen, I'll say this. Even if you get my body, you won't get my money!"
He felt a great sense of shame.
If it were not for the fact that one of his legs was injured and he dared not move too vigorously, he would have kicked Xiao Wen off the bed.
Eventually, they did not get into a fierce argument. They just had a little verbal dispute.
Liu Qing was a little angry though. When Xiao Wen placed her hand on his body as she fell asleep, he slapped her hand away.
The next day, Xiao Wen brought him lunch and wanted to eat with him. Liu Qing refused to eat in a fit of pique.
Xiao Wen tried to coax him. "Don't be angry. It's all my fault. I promise you, I'll just leech off your air-conditioning for the summer. I won't take a single cent from you. After the summer, we'll go our separate ways. I'll move back to the dormitory and I'll never pester you again. Deal?"
Liu Qing said, "Sign an agreement!"
Xiao Wen rolled her eyes. "How dare you not admit that you have received a benefit. Don't be so shameless! I can't give you an agreement. Your money is in your hands. If you don't let me use it, do you think I'll be able to snatch it?"
Liu Qing had a think about it. "You have a point. That's it then. Neither of us is allowed to go back on our word in the future."
He was not particularly averse to such things. After all, he still had needs. He was just afraid of the troubles afterward.
Now that something like that had happened, and she had made such a promise, he had no choice but to let it be.
Anyway, based on what she said, if they really got too entangled in the future, she would not be able to blame him for being a scum.
So he picked up his chopsticks and ate in a relaxed mood.
Xiao Wen asked him with a grin, "How about we try something more exciting tonight?"
Liu Qing was eating when she said that and he almost choked. He looked at her in a daze.
Are girls all so aggressive these days?
Xiao Wen looked at his blank expression and could not help but laugh. "Don't be so afraid. I was just teasing you. With your leg like this, I dare not do anything."
Liu Qing thought to himself, "Women are indeed natural liars!"