CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 71 [FRIENDS]

Chapter Seventy-One: Friends

Brother Haonan was thoroughly fed up!

He, the famously brisk Brother Haonan of No. 8 Middle School, had fallen to the point where his parents were forcing him into tutoring classes! And wasn’t it all because of that son of a bitch?

Who the hell had ever seen Brother Haonan, the top dog of Tongluo Bay, attending a cram school?!

To be frank, Brother Haonan’s academic performance could be summed up in one word: terrible!

He usually spent all his energy messing around. Leading his knockoff Tongluo Bay crew on their escapades, he had no mind for studying properly.

But recently, he’d found himself alone.

For reasons everyone understood.

Once he was left on his own with no one to hang out with, and Brother Haonan wasn’t the type to read novels during class. So, with nothing else to do, there were a few times during class...

Brother Haonan, bored to tears, actually started paying attention!

And then what?

In the recent mid-term exams, he’d shockingly jumped from forty-eighth in the class to thirty-seventh!

His parents had originally given up on this brat, planning to find him some manual labor job after high school graduation.

But when they saw his results, yo!

It seems like there might be some hope for him after all?

And so, tutoring became a thing.

If he could get into a vocational college, no matter how bad, it was still better than just having a high school diploma, right? It would make finding a job a bit easier too.

This was a matter concerning his entire life.

Pity the hearts of parents everywhere.

Zhang Linsheng had kept his head down in silence ever since he sat down.

Chen Nuo, in contrast, was acting extremely friendly towards Brother Haonan.

"Brother Haonan, you’re here for tutoring too?"

"Brother Haonan, have you had dinner yet?"

"Brother Haonan, this question is asking for definitions."

"Brother Haonan, want me to teach you how to draw Lu Xun to look like Du Fu?"

Zhang Haonan’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably. "..............."

Even Teacher Jiang couldn’t stand it anymore. He coughed and said sternly, "Chen Nuo, focus! Stop distracting the other students with your chatter."

Chen Nuo nodded with a cheeky grin.

Nearby, Sun Keke, the class president, and Du Xiaoyan could only stifle their laughter.

The tutoring session ended around nine o’clock at night. The five students packed their things and bid Teacher Jiang farewell.

Teacher Jiang stood at the door with a teacup, seeing everyone off and giving individual reminders.

"Du Xiaoyan, you need to memorize more definitions."

"Keke, make sure you do the reading comprehension exercises when you get home."

"Zhang Linsheng, your foundation is weak. Put more effort into memorizing classical poems and literary Chinese texts; that can pull up your score quite a bit."

Then, when he looked at Chen Nuo...

I’d really rather you didn’t come tomorrow...

Teacher Jiang thought.

But, after all, there was still an envelope in his pocket.

Old Jiang patted Chen Nuo’s shoulder. "Chen Nuo..."

"Yes! Teacher Jiang, what should I pay attention to?"

"...Be careful on your way home."

"..."

The ignored class president, standing to the side, wept silently in his heart. So, the nameless gofer just gets ignored like this...

The kids left together. Since their classmates were present, Sun Keke, being naturally shy, went straight upstairs to her home; she didn’t dare say much more to Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo and the other three students walked downstairs, where the other two retrieved their bicycles.

The class president left with Du Xiaoyan.

Chen Nuo looked at Zhang Linsheng. "Brother Haonan, which way are you going? Are we headed the same way?"

"...No!"

"Hey, you say we’re not going the same way before I even say where I’m headed. Brother Haonan, do you have a problem with me or something?"

What do you think?! Zhang Linsheng thought.

"That’s not good, you know. Last time you pulled your groin doing the splits, I was the one who carried you to the infirmary."

My heartfelt thanks to you for that! Zhang Linsheng fumed internally.

Zhang Linsheng sullenly walked toward the curb, head down, while Chen Nuo cheerfully kept pace.

Actually, Zhang Linsheng had mixed feelings about Chen Nuo. Before, it was simple dislike. But now, for some reason, he felt a deep, inexplicable wariness towards this ever-smiling guy—maybe even fear? He couldn’t figure out where this wariness came from. It was as if a voice kept reminding him: Don’t mess with this guy. You can’t afford to provoke him, you really can’t...

Brother Haonan wasn’t riding a bicycle; he was walking along the roadside.

Well... his dad had taken the bike.

Why, you ask?

His family originally had three bicycles, one for each of the three family members.

Because of a certain jerk, only one remained.

The Zhang family was frugal. For the time being, they were making do, letting whoever needed the bike that day use it.

Zhang’s father said they would manage for a while; the bike shop would get a new shipment next month, and they’d be much cheaper, so they’d buy one then.

Zhang Linsheng walked a few steps and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Chen Nuo hadn’t followed.

But suddenly, he heard the ROAR of an engine behind him, along with the staccato POPPING of an exhaust pipe...

Turning his head, he saw a ridiculously cool black Yamaha racing motorcycle slowly cruising along the curb.

The rider wore a black leather jacket and a black helmet adorned with flame decals.

For a teenager of that era, this was the absolute epitome of showing off!!

Just as a flicker of envy appeared in Zhang Linsheng’s eyes, he saw the motorcyclist take off his helmet, smiling at him.

"How about it? Hop on, I’ll give you a ride."

Brother Haonan sat on the back of the motorcycle.

The wind whistled past his ears.

Alright, for a teenager of that era, especially one like Zhang Linsheng who grew up on Hong Kong movies, the allure of a flashy racing motorcycle was irresistible.

After all, there were movies like "A Moment of Romance" and "Full Throttle"...

What boy of that era hadn’t fantasized about wearing a cool denim jacket, riding a stylish motorcycle through the streets...

Yes, and if Wu Qianlian in a wedding dress was sitting on the back, that would be the ultimate dream!

The motorcycle stopped in the open space in front of the city’s largest KTV, and the two young men dismounted.

"What are you doing here so late at night?" Chen Nuo asked, somewhat curious.

Zhang Linsheng hadn’t wanted to bother with him, but after accepting a ride on his motorcycle, he couldn’t quite bring himself to maintain a cold facade.

He hesitated for a moment. "My mom works here as a cleaner. I’m here to pick her up when she finishes her shift."

"Oh..."

Actually, Zhang Linsheng wasn’t telling the truth; his mom wasn’t working today.

"What time does your mom get off work?"

"Uh... in a little while," Zhang Linsheng hesitated.

In reality, it was still a long time.

It wasn’t even ten o’clock yet.

And the KTV hostesses wouldn’t get off until after midnight.

Chen Nuo nodded and, surprisingly, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "Come on, let’s sit on the steps. I’ll wait with you for a bit."

"...I have my own," Zhang Linsheng said, taking out a pack of Hiltons.

Chen Nuo grinned. "Smoke mine, smoke mine..."

Brother Haonan glanced at the soft-pack Zhonghua cigarettes in Chen Nuo’s hand and wisely kept quiet.

The two teenagers sat on the edge of the nightclub’s entrance steps, PUFFING away.

Chen Nuo’s attitude was excellent.

Firstly, he and Brother Haonan didn’t really have any grudges. Besides... he had tricked the guy several times into acting as a tool for saving his own Asura Field... That was a debt of gratitude he owed!!

Secondly, Brother Haonan had, in his own way, helped out when Li Qingshan kidnapped Sun Keke. Chen Nuo acknowledged this favor.

So, Chen Yanluo wanted to be a bit nicer, a bit friendlier to this young man.

Even though he had hypnotically blocked the guy’s memories, a debt owed was a debt that had to be repaid.

So he proactively chatted with Zhang Linsheng about one thing and another.

Truth be told, it was quite amusing to tease this guy who was a little afraid of him.

After a while, Chen Nuo noticed Zhang Linsheng kept stealing glances at his motorcycle and chuckled.

"Like the bike?"

"Yeah."

""A Moment of Romance"? Or "Full Throttle"?"

""A Moment of Romance"! Andy Lau is so cool!" Zhang Linsheng perked up.

Chen Nuo pondered. "Can you ride?"

"...A little. I’ve ridden my uncle’s motorcycle, but I’m not very skilled."

Chen Yanluo smiled.

He directly handed over the keys and helmet. "Go give it a try!"

Holy shit?

Zhang Linsheng was stunned! So generous?

This motorcycle, a Yamaha racer! It must be worth ten to twenty thousand, right?

He’s willing to let me ride it? Isn’t he worried I’ll crash it?

"What’s there to be afraid of! Go! Take it for a spin!"

With trembling hands, Zhang Linsheng accepted. His heart was apprehensive, but ultimately, he couldn’t resist the allure of the racing bike.

Gritting his teeth, he stood up, took the helmet and keys, and strode over.

Mounting, donning the helmet, starting the engine...

He zoomed off with a ROAR.

Chen Nuo sat where he was, watching with a beaming smile.

Two minutes later, Zhang Linsheng rode back. Just as he lifted his visor, he heard Chen Nuo shout, "That was such a short ride! It’s not nearly enough to be satisfying! It’s fine, keep riding! My tank is full!"

Zhang Linsheng felt like he was about to explode with excitement!

Awesome! This is so damn awesome!

And so, he steeled his resolve!

Since Chen Nuo is being so generous, what do I have to fear!

He got back on the bike and continued his joyride!

One lap, two laps, three laps...

Brother Haonan rode the Yamaha racer, which felt like a small wild beast, around the nearby streets multiple times, each lap more exhilarating than the last!

Finally, after who knows how long, he rode back to the nightclub entrance and saw Chen Nuo standing there, stretching.

Brother Haonan was a sensible person. He got off, parked the bike properly, and walked over to return the helmet and keys to Chen Nuo.

"Thanks for letting me ride your motorcycle." Brother Haonan was a bit embarrassed. "This bike must be pretty expensive, right?"

Hmm, how should Chen Yanluo answer this? Should he say... it was actually sponsored?

Looking at Zhang Linsheng, Chen Nuo asked, "Did you like it?"

"Of course, I liked it! Holy shit, it was so exhilarating, insanely satisfying!"

Chen Nuo laughed and didn’t reach for the helmet. "If you like it, take it and ride it for a couple of days."

"...What did you just say?!"

Zhang Linsheng was dumbfounded! He... he’s actually letting me borrow it to ride?! A Yamaha racer! Something worth ten to twenty thousand! This guy, is he really that extravagant?!

Zhang Linsheng’s face flushed with excitement, his voice trembling slightly. "You... You’re not worried I’ll crash it?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "From the few laps I watched you ride, you’re pretty good, quite skilled. Hmm... But while you’re having fun, safety is still important."

Saying this, he patted Zhang Linsheng’s shoulder and smiled. "The bike, crash it if you want! As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters."

After speaking, Chen Yanluo waved his hand and started to leave. He only got a few steps away before suddenly stopping and slapping his head.

"Damn, I almost forgot! If you’re going to show off, you either don’t do it, or you go all out! Here, the full set of show-off gear, I’m leaving it all for you."

With that, Chen Nuo peeled off his leather jacket and gloves and, without allowing any argument, thrust them into Zhang Linsheng’s hands.

Zhang Linsheng was completely bewildered. "Um, Chen, Chen Nuo, why are you suddenly being so generous to me... About those misunderstandings between us before..."

"You said it yourself, they were misunderstandings," Chen Nuo replied with a grin. "Now that they’re cleared up, we’re friends from now on."

"Friends?"

"Yeah. From today on, we’re friends," Chen Nuo said with a smile, waving a hand. "I’m leaving the bike for you! Just be safe when you’re out enjoying it!"

With that, Chen Nuo swaggered off, leaving Zhang Linsheng standing there, dumbfounded.

Watching Chen Nuo’s receding figure, Zhang Linsheng felt a warmth spread through his heart.

Friends...

Damn!

It’s mutual affection...