The music was then replaced by a slow, lyrical song, someone was singing "The Most Romantic Thing", but because I've just been lectured by Xue Jing regarding 'computers' so when the line, 'The most romantic thing that I can think of, is to grow old with you.' was sung, I heard it as, 'The most romantic thing that I can think of, is to sell computers with you.' Woe is me………
The beef noodles soon arrived. The table was so low that I might as well squat on the floor. So I was eating while chatting about some trivial matters with Xue Jing. Xue Jing said that she didn't work as a doctor after they've graduated, but instead became a medical representative, and had just resigned recently. When the topic regarding doing some small business came up, she asked me, "What can I sell that doesn't need much funding and can reap huge profits in just a short term? You think such a business exists?"
I sucked a mouthful of noodles, "There is."
"What is it?" Her eyes sparkled.
"Selling the flesh."
Right as I was done speaking, Jiang Chen pushed my head, almost planting it inside the bowl of noodles. I rubbed my head feeling aggrieved and said, "Yi Shu said, if I don't sell my youthfulness, it will just pass by anyway." (T/N: Yi Shu is a popular Hong Kong writer.)
Xue Jing was panting with rage, "Then you sell!"
I looked down to gauge myself, "My youthfulness is left with just its tail, if I were to sell it, I can only sell it at a large discount in a clearance sale, really low in price, it's no good."
Xue Jing followed suit, gauging herself up as well. In the end, she lamented, "In any case, you've used your tail to roll up a strip of long-term meal stub, my tail can only go to clearance sales." (T/N: In Chinese, 'long-term meal stub' means being guaranteed of financial support for the rest of one's life, literally not worrying about not having food. Jiang Chen is her long-term meal stub lol.)
Just when we were endlessly being sentimental about the loss of our youth, Jiang Chen kicked me on the back with his toes, "Eat quickly, your noodles have turned into mush."
I swallowed a few more mouthful of noodles then pleaded, "I'm full."
Sitting next to Xue Jing, Big Fatty Li moved over closely then said, "It's a pity there's so much left so I came over to eat."
Jiang Chen grabbed the bowl of noodles, "I didn't have dinner."
Big Fatty Li heaved a big sigh of disappointment, "If you haven't eaten dinner, why didn't you order for yourself?"
Xue Jing backed him up, "If you wanted to eat, why didn't you order for yourself?"
"I'm on a diet."
Jiang Chen downed the noodles in two, three mouthfuls, right when he placed the bowl on the table, I suddenly remembered, "Don't you hate coriander?"
He pulled me back to sit on the couch, "Have you gotten into a habit of squatting?"
I laughed mischievously, "When you asked that, my legs felt really numb."
In the middle of our conversation, Big Senior came out from the washroom. He was practically beaming, like he was treading on a flowery path towards us. He was probably mingling with high school students these past few years, his face is truly both beautiful and youthful.
His long legs passed by, then stopped between Xue Jing and I. He demanded, pointing his chin at us, "You two, move some space out for this big uncle."
Xue Jing and I both inwardly agreed to just ignore him.
"You two damn yatou, watch me use my butt to flatten you both into specimen samples!" He yelled, turning his back on us then jumping to sit down. (T/N: In ancient times, yatou means a slave girl, but in modern times it's used to refer to girls but can either be used affectionately or derogatively depending on context.)
Jiang Chen, with sharp eyes and deft hands, pulled me away with half of my body already sitting on him. From the side came Xue Jing's roar, "Why are you squeezing?! Are you courting death?!"
While I helped her push away Big Senior, Jiang Chen gripped my waist with both of his hands to lift me, making me sit completely on his lap. As soon as my butt left the couch, naturally, there was a seat empty for Big Senior to take. In other words, Big Senior snatched my seat away from me with the assistance of Jiang Chen. Just like that, my seat was taken away so effortlessly. This makes me feel indignant.
I struggled, wanting to jump down on him like what Big Senior did. But Jiang Chen held unto my waist, not giving me any leeway, "Sit properly."
I was thinking of protesting, hence I turned my head to look at him but was met with furrowed brows and a grave expression on his face. Even though I had no idea why, but I just behaved well and sat properly, putting on an appearance of rigidly sitting upright.
Big Senior poured himself a glass of beer on the table, raised it in a toast at us, downed it one go, then swayed the now empty glass holding its bottom with a provocative smile on his face.
I raised my finger at him saying, "Big Senior, you shouldn't be doing that. When you're done drinking, you must put your glass down, if you keep on swaying it like that, you'll most likely break it."
He made a move of wanting to throw the glass at me, then opened up his arms, saying "Xiaoxi, how many years has it been since we've seen each other. Come, give Big Senior a hug."
Even though such an action of his was extremely unlike Big Senior Apprentice Brother, and was very Second Senior Apprentice Brother-like*, I still twisted my butt and put on a nasally-sounding high pitched voice to cooperate, "No no, I just won't."
(T/N: In Journey to the West, Big Senior Apprentice Brother refers to Sun Wukong, while Second Senior Apprentice Brother refers to Zhu Bajie, a half-pig half-human character. Nowadays, people often use the term Second Senior Apprentice Brother to teasingly describe others with Zhu Bajie-like characteristics – namely people who are gluttons/like to eat a lot, who are simple and amusing to the point where it's amusing to the people around them (kind of like a simpleton))
A bunch of them has showed a disgusted expression on their face at the same time which made me feel a sense of accomplishment. Occasionally, I get quite lively when I'm surrounded with people I'm familiar with. I would actively hype up the atmosphere. The scientific name for this would be 'selective hype up'.
Jiang Chen's hold on my waist suddenly tightened, so tight that it made me wonder if he was trying to make my stomach come out from my mouth.
The expression on my face was one of shock after turning my head again to look at him. This serves as an important reminder to all the girls who loves to tie their hair into a ponytail and would often sit on the lap of their boyfriend — don't randomly turn your head around. But if you really have to turn your head, don't turn too fast, because in my experience, the person behind you would be slapped hard by your ponytail, then he'd get angry.
Classmate Jiang Chen was very angry, but no one in the room knew except for me, because his face still looked calm, however the hands that were firmly holding me down had successfully cinched my old woman's waist into a young woman's waist.
I tapped his hands, whispering, "I already said that my hair should be cut short."
"Haircut?" Big Senior butted in when he heard it, "You looked so fresh and pure when you had short hair before, really a tsk tsk tsk……"
The three 'tsk' at the end sounded ambiguous, but judging from his facial expression, I could tell that it was a compliment, so I rubbed my hair, smiling bashfully.
Big Senior suddenly reached out his hands, wanting to pinch my face. I think his act of pinching his juniors' faces over those past few years has developed into a habit.
It was too late for me to dodge him, when suddenly, Jiang Chen's hold on my waist loosened, and Big Senior's hand was flung away, "Keep your grubby paws to yourself."
The atmosphere got a bit awkward for a moment, I forced out a hahaha and said, "Exactly, this famous flower has already been spoken for."
Big Senior rubbed both of his hands, displaying a wretched expression on his face, "Even though the famous flower has already been spoken for, I came to loosen the soil."
(T/N: 'The famed flower is already spoken for/ already has a master' means she's already in a relationship, while Big Senior's reply of loosening the soil means he's going to snatch her from her boyfriend.)
"Hey! That's not funny." Xue Jing grabbed a melon seed from the table and have thrown it at him.
The two of them were squabbling, I took the chance to lean on Jiang Chen's side to whisper an admonishment on his ear, "What's wrong with you today? Big Senior was just joking around."
Jiang Chen put on a cold face and did not say anything, I didn't quite understand what he was angry for, but I could roughly guess that it has something to do with Big Senior. Perhaps, he's jealous? Although based on past experience, Jiang Chen is a man who hardly gets jealous, but also somehow, he has strangely gorge himself on Wu Bosong's vinegar lately. Hence I can't rule out the possibility that he suddenly wanted to set off on the road of becoming a jealous person, and is hot on his heels, trying hard to catch up in order to surpass* his master. (T/N: Idiom used is 'The blue extracted from the indigo plant is deeper in colour than the plant itself', which is used to describe disciples who has overtaken and surpassed their masters.)
This bunch seems to get together often so everyone was singing, drinking, and screaming for a good few hours without anyone feeling isolated. Finally, someone reached out to Jiang Chen, then Jiang Chen picked out a credit card from his wallet and flung it at that guy. This seems to be a habit he developed back in university. Those days, he was used to settling the bills during class dinners for being the person-in-charge of the class fees. In a year, he'd often lose a lot of his own money to cover for the class fees.
When signing up the bill, Jiang Chen didn't even aim a look on the amount. I took a few fleeting glances and saw that it summed up to more than 4,000 RMB.
After going out of the KTV everyone said they wanted to grab some late-night supper. Big Senior puffed out his chest and said, "The late-night supper is on me."
There was a burst of cheers.
Jiang Chen and I were at the back, following the crowd. I whispered to him, asking, "Hey, I checked your payroll card today, how much worth of salary was there inside?"
He wasn't in a good mood, "Don't remember, about half a year?"
I estimated, his salary is indeed very high, but not maddening high. So, it was a little hard for me to understand the matter with him not even blinking his eyes when he signed away almost half a month's worth of his salary. In our home, my dad must discuss it over with my mom when he's about to buy something exceeding 500 RMB. I think this should be the attitude my partner must have towards money.
I tugged the corner of his clothes, "Just now, you signed away more than 4,000 RMB."
He said, "Not okay?"
"No." I let go of his clothes, I couldn't point my finger on it but the mood suddenly dropped a little.
Someone ahead suddenly turned around to call us, "Class monitor, stop walking so slowly."
Jiang Chen seized my waist then followed them.
We had barbecue and claypot congee for late-night supper. I just ate two sticks of grilled squid when Big Senior shook a bottle of beer in his hand, saying that we're going to play truth or dare. No matter how many years has already passed by, truth or dare still plays a vital role in our society's social gatherings. The extent of the longevity of this game is truly frightening.
The beer bottle spun three times till it stopped, with its mouth pointed at Xue Jing, Big Senior said, "Truth or dare."
"Dare." Xue Jing replied.
Big Senior was mumbling to himself, hesitating, then said, "See that guy crying by himself, go over to him and tell him, 'Sir, did you get into a break up? May I offer my chest for you to lean on?"
I already said that everyone studying medicine are scoundrels.
Xue Jing tousled her hair teasingly then said, "Watch me."
Our group watched silently as she sashayed amorously towards that broken-hearted man who was crying while drinking beer. Two minutes later, that man with tears and snot all over his face, skeptically leaned on Xue Jing. Afterwards, Xue Jing pushed him away, airing all grievances, "Dirty, rotten scoundrel!" Then sashayed amorously back to us.
Startled? Embarrassed? Life is such a trip for that intoxicated man.
The bottle spun one and a half time on the table, then stopped at Big Senior. Xue Jing let out a sinister smile saying, "Truth or dare?"
Big Senior rubbed his chin thoughtfully then replied, "Truth."
Xue Jing raised an eyebrow and began to look like she was deep in thought.
The interaction between the two of them has caused a concern among the crowd, acting as an honorary representative of the masses, I bit on a grilled chicken, then said, "Fellows from the medical faculty, I am from the pure and honest arts faculty, please take note of the limits."
Hey, what's with everyone's facial expression of one like I've crowed like a rooster and fetch things like a dog?
Xue Jing drank a mouthful of beer, and said calmly, "Then, let's do a warm-up first."
The crowd eagerly awaited.
She said, "Which do you think is important, love or money?"
The fury of the crowd was hard to appease, being at the receiving end of the crowd's attack consisting of bamboo sticks and bones, Xue Jing was forced to change the question, "Talk about one of your spring dreams." (T/N: spring dreams is the chinese equivalent of wet dreams.)
Now this one's right. In this chaotic world, pretending to be pure is for whom to look at?
Hence, everyone was tapping on their plates, heckling, "Say it quickly, say it quickly, say it quickly……….."
As one who expresses the human soul — a representative of the arts faculty, I did not find it appropriate to follow this group of ordinary folks in their heckling, hence I just bowed my head gracefully and used my tongue to scrape the remaining meat on the wings of this grilled chicken.
"I actually had a dream last night." Big Senior said.
"Who did you dream of?"
"Xiaoxi."
"Eh?" There was a huge bang on the table, I looked at the chicken bones that have jumped up on the plate.
Jiang Chen actually slammed his chopsticks on the table, I thought if this was a wuxia novel, those chopsticks would have already crumbled into dust with the wind blowing it away to a far distance. Unfortunately, his action only rattled the chicken bones in front of me, hence this novel is truly just about romance. (T/N: wuxia = martial arts)
It's only natural that Jiang Chen and I were more than livid about it, Xue Jing slammed her hands on the table and began her tirade of curses, "Haven't you f*cking heard that you're welcome to (do) your friend's wife?"
"Uhm, I mean……stop fooling around, stop fooling around." Xue Jing scratched her head, saying, "It's just a slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue." (T/N: bu ke qi = you're welcome, bu ke xi = stop fooling around/teasing.)
Big Senior's face has a look of innocence, "I only called up Xiaoxi's name to get her attention so she won't miss my wonderful speech."
After a bunch of used tissues were thrown at his head with him laughing merrily, he began to talk about a music teacher in school whom he dreamed of. He said that in his dreams, she was wearing garter stockings, playing her violin, bathing under the moonlight.
I could vividly follow his fantasy with the words he used to depict it, a perfect combination of vulgar and virtuous, truly spectacular. I nudged Jiang Chen using my elbow, then whispered, "Who did you dream of?"
The scenario in my mind was: Jiang Chen uttering the word 'you' in his breathy voice, then when this word reaches my ear, I'll be twisting and fidgeting on my seat, my cheeks turning a million shades of red, then we'll secretly have fun in our own little world.
But the reality was, Jiang Chen suddenly stood up, downed the bottle of beer in front of him in one go, then said, "I have an operation scheduled tomorrow morning, I'll go back first. Enjoy yourselves." As soon as he was done speaking, he pulled me up to leave, not giving everyone who were seated around the table an opportunity to urge him to stay.