Volume 1 Chapter 34: Feng Qianru's Invitation (Seeking Collection and Recommendation)

  "Coach Peng, I want to ask a favor of you, can you?" Feng Qianru said softly.

  "Oh? You say, as long as I can do it, there's definitely no problem." Peng Yuanzheng agreed very readily. He was actually a man who valued loyalty and friendship greatly. In his eyes, Feng Qianru, this cousin of his, had helped him out greatly, so if he could repay her, he would definitely do so.

  "It's like this, Saturday is the 90th anniversary of our alma mater, and there's a celebration party at night. We have a Tai Chi performance that's confirmed to go on stage. I was thinking, why don't you come to Beijing for a trip and lead us on stage together? With your deep foundation in Tai Chi, if you're leading the team, our performance will definitely be amazing!" Feng Qianru said with some excitement.

  Peng Yuanzheng hesitated for a moment, "This... I've already graduated, and going back to school to attend the anniversary gala, isn't it a bit inappropriate?"

  "There's something not quite right... anyway, will you help or not? If you agree, I'll find a car to pick you up immediately, and then we can practice together on Saturday afternoon." Feng Qianru said quickly and directly.

  Peng Yuanzheng let out a sigh of relief, "Alright, I'll go. But don't bother sending a car to pick me up, it's too far. I'll take the train myself and leave tonight. I'll catch the midnight train and arrive early tomorrow morning."

  "Alright... that's settled then. I'll pick you up at the train station tomorrow morning with my car. Okay, it's all set, I have to go out for a bit, bye for now." Feng Qianru seemed to be afraid that Peng Yuanzheng would change his mind, and hastily hung up the phone.

  After finishing the phone call with Feng Qianru, Peng Yuanzheng returned home and told his mother that he was going back to his alma mater to attend the 90th anniversary celebration of Jinghua University. Then, he called Director Gong Hanlin to ask for a two-day leave, which happened to coincide with the fact that he had just completed a series of reports on the tertiary industry and had two days off, so Gong Hanlin approved his request.

  After finishing dinner and taking a bath, I changed into new clothes and was just about to head out the door to catch a train to Beijing when the doorbell rang.

  As soon as the door opened, a man and a woman were standing at the entrance. The woman was Cao Ying, while the man was Zhao Zhibin, his high school classmate. Zhao Zhibin wore a police uniform, with a sturdy build, dark complexion, and a buzz cut, looking very heroic.

  Peng Yuanzheng was taken aback, then excitedly shouted, "Zhao Zhibin, how is it you?"

  Zhao Zhibin burst out laughing and walked forward to hug Peng Yuanzheng, "What's up, buddy? You went to a prestigious university, graduated and got into the municipal government, don't you recognize your old classmate who's fallen on hard times?"

  Two people burst out laughing.

  Zhao Zhibin was a good friend of his in high school, who was very righteous and generous, but had poor academic performance. Because he didn't study well, neither the class teacher nor his mother Meng Lin strongly opposed him playing with Zhao Zhibin. Later, Zhao Zhibin joined the army through connections when he was in the second year of high school and became a scout, and the two lost contact.

  "Zi Bin, I heard you joined the army, how come you're dressed like this now..." Peng Yuanzheng let go of Zhao Zi Bin and looked him up and down.

  Zhao Zhibin chuckled, "I retired long ago and was recruited into the Public Security Bureau after demobilization. Now I'm working in the District Bureau's Criminal Police Brigade, just an ordinary criminal police officer, not as good as you, a famous university student, a municipal committee organ cadre... If I hadn't met Cao Ying, I really wouldn't have known about your situation!"

  "Come on, let's get together with our old classmates and have a drink to reminisce about the good old days!" Zhao Zhibin smiled and greeted Meng Lin in the house politely, then dragged Peng Yuanzheng out.

  Peng Yuanzheng hesitated for a moment, then refused, "Zi Bin, I have something to do tonight. I'm going to take the train to Beijing and attend the 90th anniversary celebration of Jinghua University tomorrow. It's easy to drink, let's make an appointment after I get back from Beijing!"

  Zhao Zhibin patted Peng Yuanzheng's shoulder with some disappointment, "What bad luck! Never mind, you go ahead, and we'll get together when you come back. Do you have a pager number? What is it?"

  "126 call 3456789." Peng Yuanzheng said, then nodded apologetically to Cao Ying, "Cao Ying, sorry, I still have a train to catch!"

  Cao Ying smiled gently, "You go ahead, I'll talk to Aunt Meng."

  "Come on, buddy, I'll give you a ride on my motorcycle!" Zhao Zhibin grabbed Peng Yuanzheng's arm and headed downstairs.

  Downstairs, Zhao Zhibin glanced up at the floor above with a ambiguous look and said in a low voice, "Brother, have you hooked up with Cao Ying?"

  "It's out of the question, at least for now." Peng Yuanzheng smiled wryly. "Her father and mother see me as if they're seeing a class enemy... how can that be good?"

  ……

  ……

  The ear-piercing whistle of the train cut through the quiet dawn of Beijing.

  At 6:01, the train arrived on time. Peng Yuanzheng followed the crowd out of the station and saw Feng Qianru standing not far away, looking around eagerly.

  Feng Qianru was wearing a white sportswear today, her long black hair was tied up into a high bun, and she wore a pair of wide-framed sunglasses on her face. The whole person looked lovely with a hint of elegance.

  Feng Qianru also saw Peng Yuanzheng, she slightly excitedly waved her hand, "Peng——Yuanzheng brother, I'm over here!"

  Feng Qianru hesitated for a moment, but still firmly changed the way she addressed Peng Yuanzheng. Since childhood, she had followed family teachings and Peng Yuanzheng was after all her cousin. Occasionally jokingly calling him "Coach Peng" did no harm, but since they were often together as a family, the form of address had to be changed.

  Her calling him "Far Expedition Brother" made Peng Yuancheng feel somewhat uneasy.

  Since Feng Qianru had changed her title, he couldn't be too rude, but for a moment, Peng Yuanzheng also didn't know what to call her.

  Feng Qianru walked over with a gentle smile, "Far Chong Ge, you can call me Qianru or just shout 'little sister', both are fine."

  "Qianru..." Peng Yuanzheng smiled awkwardly and avoided calling her sister. He knew that his relationship with the Feng family was still "underground" at present, and it would be inconvenient to call her sister directly.

  "Come on, brother, the car is over there, let's go home!"

  Feng Qianru pulled Peng Yuanzheng's hand and walked in that direction, but soon felt it was not proper, so she quietly let go of his hand again.

  The two got on the car, Feng Qianru sat in the co-pilot position and turned back to smile, "Yuan Zheng Ge, grandma heard that you were coming, so she came to my house last night."

  "Grandma told my mom to go to the mall last night and buy a lot of food, and she also said that today I'll accompany you to buy several sets of clothes..."

  Peng Yuanzheng smiled silently, but his heart was filled with emotion. He could understand the old man's sincere thoughts, and he also knew that the old man wanted to pour out his feelings of missing his son onto him, making up for decades of emotional emptiness.

  The old man's concern moved him, and at the same time made him feel sad. At this moment, he thought of his father who had passed away early. When his father Peng Yuqiang left, he was just a few years old child, until now, his father's face has become quite blurred.

  Peng Yuanzheng's face was filled with sorrow and solemnity, while Feng Qianru suddenly came to her senses on horseback and also silently turned her head away, feeling quite unwell in her heart.