Do you know Zhang Xiaoxi?

  After finishing dinner, I walked with Nuan to school.

  "Six six." Nuan Nuan turned her head and looked at me "Aren't you waiting for Qi Hao?"

  "What's he waiting for?"

  "He didn't say he was coming to find you?"

  "He's not here again now, I'm going back to the dormitory. On such a cold day, who has the energy to wait for him outside?"

  "Six six." Nuan Nuan paused for a moment before speaking up, "Listen to me, why don't you go talk to him instead? Maybe there's something else going on."

  "I'm not talking, I'm leaving." But actually, although I said that, I still had some illusions about Qi Hao. I always felt that he must have had some difficulties and was just saying that on the surface, and I was very good at saving face.

  "Listen, be good." Nuan Nuan stretched out her hand and pulled on my arm. "Okay, Liu Liu, listen to me."

  "What was that? I feel like I'm listening to something weird." I asked with a smile.

  She cast me a warm glance "Wait, wait. Or I'll get angry."

  I sighed "Just five minutes." Then I looked away, my gaze drifting unnaturally into the distance. In my heart, I even had some hope that Qi Hao would come over soon. I wanted to know what had happened.

  "Okay, okay." Warm hands were a bit chilly, the weather was also getting colder, I clenched my fists and grabbed Warm's hand "It's cold, let's go back."

  "Wait a bit longer."

  "The weather is strangely cold, you've just recovered from your illness, why don't you go back instead."

  Nuan Nuan smiled and said, "Why are your hands always so warm."

  "I'm not just warm-handed, I'm warm all over from head to toe, all year round."

  "My body is always cold, so my family gave me a nickname 'Warm Warm', but I'm still not warm."

  I reached out and grasped Nuan's hand tightly. "Don't worry, I'm here for you. From now on, I'll always be by your side and make sure you become the real Nuan."

  Nuan's body trembled slightly, and she smiled at me frankly. "Honestly, how many innocent girls have you deceived with such words?"

  "Why don't you believe me?"

  Taking a deep breath, "When did I have the spirit of viewing death as my home? Go ahead and jump into the trap you set for me. I need to prepare myself, and also see when you learn to refuse. Learn to deal with it."

  "It's really hard to find a set like yours, and the manufacturer won't produce it either. Foreigners aren't usually this big." After saying that, I stretched out my hand and made a few gestures towards Nuan Nuan.

  "Get out, you damn turtle egg! It's starting again. You can't say three sentences without bringing up your old profession, you stinky hoodlum." Nuan said while hitting me, and I followed her making a scene at the school entrance.

  After a few more minutes, a taxi stopped beside me and Nuan. Two people got out of the car.

  It's Qi Hao, and the woman who has been by his side all along. I didn't bother with Nuan Nuan anymore, just watching them.

  I smiled and said "Minister Qi, you're here." After that, I lit a cigarette with one hand.

  The woman on Zhihao's side looked at our school with disdain, pulled Zhihao hard and the two of them walked towards us.

  "It's quite cold here, let's change places and talk."

  "Let's just say it here, just say a few words, after finishing, I want to go back to the dormitory."

  Qī Hào took a deep breath. Apart from his appearance, there was not a single bit of similarity with the Qi Hao I used to know. The Qi Hao in my heart had already died.

  "Can we move somewhere else? Don't blow it on my girlfriend."

  "You can choose not to talk."

  "What's your attitude? We came here looking for you. Do you think it's for our own sake?" The woman next to Qi Hao said.

  I didn't bother with her. I smiled at Qi Hao, "That's just the kind of person I am. If you want to talk, let's start from here. If not, then forget it and we can all go our separate ways. Director Qi, anyway, we're not worthy of your attention."

  Nuan Nuan finally spoke up at this time "Liu Liu, I'm really cold, let's go to the cafeteria. This place is not working."

  I turned around and looked at Nuan Nuan.

  "What I said is true." Nuan nodded slightly, revealing a somewhat reddened nose.

  I let out a sigh, reached out and wrapped my arms around Nuan Nuan. "Let's go." I held onto Nuan Nuan in the front, while Qi Hao followed behind with that woman. As we were leaving, I still heard that woman say, "You don't know what's good for you."

  I hesitated for a moment, but Nuan Nuan just hugged my arm and pulled me forward.

  I thought for a moment and didn't say anything else.

  In the dining hall, we sat down and said "Speak up, what's going on?"

  "There's nothing to it, just that if in the future, I mean later on, someone finds you and asks you if you know Qi Hao, just say you don't know him, that's all. As a return favor, I'll take care of things on my classmate's side."

  I smiled and said "How childish, let them come. Don't worry about it, one will come, try it."

  "I don't know who's childish, but all you have in your mind is violence," the woman said disdainfully. "You were the one who hit a student with a bottle at our school gate, causing him to suffer from mild concussion. His family was furious and wanted to report it to the police, but it was Qi Hao who intervened on your behalf. Now that this matter has been smoothed over, it's given many people the opportunity to have opinions about Qi Hao."

  "Oh, then I should thank Minister Qi."

  "Sixth, can't we just calm down and have a good talk about these things?"

  "Go ahead, you speak," I gestured with my hand.

  "Sixth brother, I admit that what I did was wrong, but I don't have the chance to turn back now. We're both grown up, and you still think that violence can solve problems. This approach might have worked in high school or middle school, but it's useless now. Do you know what kind of society we live in? Is violence useful? I hope that from now on, when you encounter things, you'll calm down and think them through. We've all grown up and matured, and violence is never the solution to problems. When will you understand this? With your personality, you'll definitely suffer big losses in the future. Let me advise you: when you encounter things, think them through, and handle them calmly, don't be so impulsive. Okay?"

  I was just about to speak when Nuan pulled me from the side and continued, "Yeah, what you said is quite right, he's indeed that kind of person, it's really time for him to change."

  "It's not, is it? Now is a society ruled by law." The woman continued to speak, "Now many people in school are saying that Qi Hao is together with the hoodlums from outside. Rumors can be scary, and the teacher has already talked to Qi Hao about this. This time Qi Hao still strongly defended your interests, not letting our classmate go report to the police, which has made many people have opinions about Qi Hao. Hopefully such things won't happen again in the future. Originally being a department head as a freshman already made many people jealous, I was thinking of just letting it go, but after thinking about it some more, for safety's sake, I still came to tell you, don't do the same thing again in the future, even if someone asks, just say you don't know Qi Hao, okay?"

  "Qī Hào, what's good?" Wǎn Wǎn said with a silly smile on the side. "And, how old are you? With a face like a princess, what makes you use this tone to talk to Liù ér."

  "This girl heard that 'we, the students of Qi Hao University, can become ministers in our first year, student union presidents in our second year, and have the opportunity to pursue a master's degree or even a PhD later on. With this advantage, what do you have to compare with?"

  Nuan Nuan somewhat disdainfully said "You say you can go up, then just go up."

  The woman also smiled, "As long as she is with me, these are all easy things. I have the ability to make sure her future is guaranteed. In today's society, if you get a master's or doctoral degree, your life will be bright afterwards, have you thought about it?"

  Nuan Nuan nodded after listening, "Indeed, a bright future is ahead, all is well."

  "So I won't let anyone interfere with Qi Hao's future, especially someone like him."

  I took a look at this woman, and before I could say anything, Nuan pulled me again. "Who is he?"

  "This kind of scum, I've hated since I was a kid, deeply and thoroughly. It's not just me, my whole family hates them." The woman spoke with gritted teeth. "So, no matter what the reason is, I hope you won't contact Qi Hao again in the future. Last time when you called Qi Hao, the teacher was right next to us, I promised to let Qi Hao tell you himself, and he did."

  "I was drunk last time, otherwise I wouldn't have contacted him."

  "Drinking too much is no excuse, the result is that you contacted him. But we don't want you to be in contact with him."

  I smiled at Qi Hao and said "Is this what you mean?"

  Zhi Hao took a glance at the woman and sighed "It's better not to contact her again."

  "I'm telling you, I really was drunk last time, believe me." I laughed. "Alcohol numbness. Temporary brain hypoxia." For some reason, I felt so lowly about myself.

  "Alright, Liu Er, that's all. In the future, be more mature and less violent. Only the lowest people in society use such methods." Qihao said his last few words in a still small voice, and I saw that his eyes were slightly red.

  I smiled and remembered the last time I had a drink with Qi Hao, Qi Hao's words at that time, I slowly said "Brothers must study hard, brothers promised their mothers, their wives, to take an exam like their wives, then go to university together, attend a famous university. A man who says it out loud must be able to do it, brothers must stand up and take responsibility. So, all of you, don't blame me, brother, in the future when I'm successful, I will never forget today's gathering, one day as brothers, lifelong brothers.

  "Brothers, I, Qi Hao, apologize to everyone here. I haven't forgotten about all of you. It's not that I didn't want to come find you guys. I haven't forgotten the bond between us. Wherever I go, whoever I meet, I'll say: 'I have an older brother named Lin Yifei, and I have a few sworn brothers.' From now on, no matter how much time passes, as long as it's just one sentence from you guys, even if it means killing someone or starting a fire, I won't hesitate. I swear to heaven, if there's even half a word of falsehood, I'll die a terrible death. Thunder will strike me five times."

  I stood up, stretched my waist and said "Wife, let's go." I pulled Nuan Nuan along, brushing past Qi Hao's new girlfriend. "By the way, do you know a woman named Zhang Xiaoxi? The one before her."