Fan Jun sat behind the front desk, watching the tense standoff between Lü Ze and Old Liu.

“I’ll move out after the lease with the mall expires,” Lü Ze said. “I won’t stay a single day longer, but I won’t leave a single day before it expires either.”

Old Liu pulled out a cigarette, clamped it between his lips, and felt around in his pocket for a lighter.

“Uncle,” Fan Jun called out to him.

Old Liu didn’t look in his direction. Acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing, he lit the cigarette.

Fan Jun snapped his fingers, sharp and loud.

Old Liu couldn’t help it; he frowned and turned his head. Fan Jun looked at him and pointed at the “No Smoking” sign on the wall. “Put it out, Uncle.”

Old Liu kept the cigarette in his mouth and didn’t move.

Fan Jun stood up, picked a used disposable cup out of the trash can, filled it with a little water, and stood in front of him.

“You don’t even have any students coming in for classes today, yet you’re putting on airs,” Old Liu said, clearly displeased. He took another fierce drag before dropping the cigarette into the cup.

“It’s the college entrance exams today. The roads all around are blocked off,” Lü Ze said. “It’s normal that our students can’t get in for classes. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“I’ve confirmed it with you. You’re leaving as soon as the lease is up, right?” Old Liu pointed at Lü Ze.

“Yes,” Lü Ze said.

“I’ll be bringing the new tenants over right on time then. I have several businesses waiting for my reply,” Old Liu said, turning toward the door. “It’s going to be hard for you to find another space this big.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Lü Ze replied.

Old Liu let out two loud, dry laughs, turned, and left.

Lü Ze was dead set on leaving, and he likely already had backup options for a new location. Fan Jun sat back down in his chair, feeling somewhat lost.

“I’ll have to be out running around these next few days,” Lü Ze looked at him. “You’ll have to keep an eye on things here.”

“Mm,” Fan Jun nodded.

“There are several locations I’ve got my eye on right now, but the locations and prices vary quite a bit,” Lü Ze frowned, speaking with some difficulty. “I have to compare them back and forth… I can’t handle it all by myself. My dad’s idea is… well… he also thinks…”

Fan Jun didn’t speak, but he could already tell what Lü Ze was trying to say.

Uncle Lü still wanted him to help Lü Ze out a bit, seeing it as a way to push him to try stepping out of his comfort zone.

“I… don’t know if I can,” Fan Jun spoke up. Lü Ze was struggling so much to get the words out, and Fan Jun didn’t want to just sit there listening to him stumble like he was watching a joke.

“It’s fine, no rush. In a few days,” Lü Ze said as he pushed open the glass door. “Wait until I do another round of screening and narrow it down to a few final options. Then you can… see if you’re able to run around a bit.”

“Mm,” Fan Jun answered as the door clicked shut.

In a few days.

Hearing that phrase instantly brought Fan Jun a wave of relief.

Even though he hadn’t formally agreed to Lü Ze’s request, the moment the words left his mouth, a wave of panic had washed over him. The sudden surge of fear had left his entire body frozen for a few seconds.

But the reason he had spoken up and hadn’t directly rejected Lü Ze was that he knew very well—no matter how terrifying or difficult it was, this day was bound to come eventually.

Once he opened his mouth, he had left himself no room to turn back.

After he had recovered slightly, his first reaction to the idea of having to go out and “run around a bit” was the hope that he could have someone to go with him.

And appearing almost simultaneously with that thought was Zou Yang.

He himself was stunned for several seconds.

Someone about to turn twenty-four, needing a nineteen-year-old student to keep him company.

He smiled and sighed.

Zou Yang had to take the CET-4, and right after that was finals week. Zou Yang couldn’t possibly have the time to wander around with him, even though he knew Zou Yang would probably be willing.

“Just get this one. It’s got cruise control, Bluetooth, ABS, everything,” Bighead Fish patted the front of the e-bike. “I’ve driven this model before. It’s pretty sturdy. I’ve crashed it eight hundred times and it hasn’t broken, just lost a bit of paint. The battery life is good too…”

“Don’t you know how to drive?” Fan Jun looked at the mecha-style e-bike in front of him. It was quite good-looking; not as flashy as Zou Yang’s, but the back seat could carry a passenger.

“I crashed it while Juan’er was learning to ride,” Bighead Fish laughed. “You.”

“Did she end up learning?” Fan Jun asked again.

“Nope. Gave up. Back when we were in school, I tried teaching her how to ride a bicycle and she couldn’t get the hang of that either,” Bighead Fish chuckled as he spoke. “Some people are just born like that. Anyway, I drop her off when she needs to go out, so it doesn’t matter if she learns or not.”

Fan Jun smiled.

He didn’t know why, but occasionally, these tiny, trivial matters that wouldn’t leave a trace in most people’s lives made him feel envious.

“Are you going to be going out to help run errands?” Bighead Fish asked.

“Mm,” Fan Jun replied.

“Are you guys going to be leaving soon too?” Bighead Fish asked again, sounding a bit sentimental.

“We always… have to leave eventually,” Fan Jun said.

“Yeah,” Bighead Fish sighed. “Out of all the kids we grew up with, it’s just me, you, and Lao Si left here, right? And soon enough, it’ll just be me and Lao Si.”

Fan Jun didn’t say anything.

“Once this place gets demolished, everyone’s going to be scattered all over,” Bighead Fish patted him on the shoulder. “Keep in touch.”

“Mm,” Fan Jun nodded.

The owner of the e-bike shop was an acquaintance of Bighead Fish. The price was reasonable, and all the necessary accessories were set up in one go.

Fan Jun straddled the bike, looking at the road ahead, pondering where he should go for a spin first.

He was very familiar with Nanzhouping. Aside from the increasingly prosperous areas on the fringes, he basically knew this entire central section.

For closer places, he would walk. For places further away, he would scan a shared bike or drive Uncle Lü’s small minivan.

He didn’t have a clear destination right now. After starting the bike, he drove forward along the road by the river, not making any turns or stops, just going straight at every intersection.

He drove all the way to the outermost edge of Nanzhouping, a place he rarely visited.

Just a bit further ahead was another district. Across that district was the one where Zou Yang’s university was located. Not counting the distance he had already covered, it was still another seven or eight kilometers away.

His surroundings started to feel somewhat unfamiliar.

They sounded unfamiliar, too. It was still a mix of various noises, but different from what he usually heard. He had to exert effort to listen and distinguish them.

It no longer looked like standard Nanzhouping, either. The nearby residential complexes were quite imposing, the streets were noticeably wider, and the shops on both sides were all very new with quite distinctive decorations.

There were also signs hanging outside several shops wishing the college entrance exam candidates good luck.

The core area of Nanzhouping had never really had much of a college entrance exam atmosphere.

Back when Lü Ze took the exam, Fan Jun hadn’t felt much of anything; they had barely even seen each other a few times then.

Fan Jun parked the bike by the side of the road, strolled along the sidewalk for a bit, and went into a bakery to buy a box of egg tarts and a cup of coffee.

In front of the shop were two toolboxes pretending to be tables, along with a few outdoor chairs that were awkward to sit in no matter how you tried—if you sat up, there was no back support, and if you leaned back, you were basically half-lying down, making it incredibly easy to get crumbs all over yourself when eating.

After eating two egg tarts, Fan Jun didn’t stay seated for a second longer. He got up, placed the remaining egg tarts and half-finished coffee on the bike, turned around, and headed back toward North Small Street.

He hadn’t been out for very long on this trip, nor was it particularly tiring. Yet, while Tan Ru and her students were eating the egg tarts, Fan Jun fell asleep lying on the training mat. The student who came for class had to call his name several times before he woke up.

During the three days of the college entrance exams, Liu Wenrui constantly had his phone in hand, occasionally popping into their “Happy Family” group chat to offer advice and comfort as an “experienced senior.”

Zou Yang was technically the youngest in his family; there were no younger students taking the exam who needed his care. Plus, his own exam performance, even with his dad’s “blessings,” had been considered poor, so he didn’t exactly have any valuable experience to impart.

Right now, he only wanted to pass the CET-4. Originally, he hadn’t felt much pressure; compared to Liu Wenrui’s “My Zou,” he was still leagues ahead. But Fan Jun seemed to care a lot about his CET-4 exam.

He suddenly felt the pressure of carrying someone else’s expectations.

He even felt that if he didn’t pass the CET-4, he wouldn’t have the face to go see Fan Jun.

He didn’t even have this kind of obsession with his mom’s expectations.

…It was slightly bizarre.

Customer Service 003 hadn’t completely gone offline this time. Whenever Zou Yang casually sent a message talking nonsense, he would reply and they would chat for a bit.

[Zou yang]: How’s my mom doing these days? I haven’t seen her post on Moments.

[Fan]: She’s doing well. She and Uncle Lü just went out to ask around about the demolition.

[Fan]: They’re worried.

…

[Zou yang]: Isn’t the student you posted today the champion? Did you poach him?

[Fan]: The champion has been running around every day looking for a new location. No time for classes.

…

[Fan]: New bike.jpg

[Zou yang]: Oh, did you just buy it?

[Fan]: Bought it yesterday.

[Zou yang]: Pretty cool.

[Zou yang]: Why did you buy a bike?

[Fan]: For commuting.

[Zou yang]: That answer is so obvious it’s like I didn’t even ask.

…

So Zou Yang knew that his mom and Uncle Lü were worrying about things after the demolition, that Lü Ze was out running around every day looking at new locations, and that Fan Jun had bought a pretty cool e-bike, used it to take Xiao Bai out running, and even tried taking Da Hei out, though Da Hei had a bit of a stress reaction so he had to quickly take him back home…

[Fan]: He kept digging his claws into my flesh.

…

[Fan]: How’s the reviewing going?

…

[Fan]: Good luck on your exam!

[Zou yang]: We’ll come find you after the exam. Let’s get lunch together.

“Xiao Yang,” his mom’s voice rang out from the phone. “Getting ready for the exam?”

“Having breakfast with my roommates,” Zou Yang said. His mom had already called him last night. He didn’t know why she was calling again so early in the morning. “What’s up?”

“I just forgot to remind you to eat breakfast, otherwise your brain won’t work properly,” his mom said. “Don’t drink milk, it’s easy to get an upset stomach.”

“Mm, I didn’t,” Zou Yang glanced at the carton of milk in his hand.

“That’s good. Do well on your exam,” his mom said.

“Mm, don’t worry,” Zou Yang smiled.

His mom didn’t usually remember things well. Zou Yang would tell her many things, and she’d forget them right after. It wasn’t that she had a bad memory; she just didn’t care. His dad used to say she was selfish and only remembered things concerning herself.

It would be a lie to say Zou Yang had absolutely no feelings about it; when he was little, he definitely felt somewhat disappointed.

But his mom never forgot the crucial things, like his exams, his birthday, or the injuries he had sustained growing up.

Compared to that, his dad, whose chat history still ended with the 16,000 yuan transfer on Children’s Day, really had no leg to stand on criticizing his ex-wife.

Zou Yang sighed softly.

“Don’t sigh!” Liu Wenrui slapped him on the back. “Why are you sighing right before entering the exam room!”

“Wow,” Zou Yang changed his tone. “I’m so amazing! We’re so amazing!”

“That’s right.” The few of them nodded together.

“The College English Test Band 4 will now begin. First is the writing section. The essay prompt is on the back of the test booklet… The writing section is 30 minutes long… Do not open the test booklet… Candidates, please begin the writing section now.”

As the voice broadcast ended, Zou Yang grabbed his test booklet and peeled the barcode off the back. Before he could even finish sticking it on, someone next to him had already leaned over their desk, looking like they had already started writing.

Are they really that fast?

To fit in, Zou Yang leaned over his desk, stuck the barcode on, filled in his exam number and name, spun his pen, and stared at the prompt…

“The exam is over. We’re turning the page on this, moving on,” the moment the group met up after the exam, Zhang Chuanlong started shouting. “At the very least, nobody is allowed to bring it up again today.”

“Are we heading to Nanzhouping?” Li Zhiyue asked.

“Are you changing the subject that abruptly?” Zhang Chuanlong looked at him.

“The exam just now…” Li Zhiyue looked right back.

“Nanzhouping,” Zhang Chuanlong immediately said.

“Let’s go,” Zou Yang slung his bag over his shoulder and started walking briskly, messaging Fan Jun as he went.

The group had to go to four different spots before they finally managed to find four shared bikes, hopping on and riding toward Nanzhouping.

At this time of day, a lot of people were heading toward the city center; they were the only ones heading in the opposite direction.

“Should we ask Fan Jun to come out?” Li Zhiyue suggested. “It’s going to take us half an hour to race over there. Meeting up halfway would be faster, right?”

Zou Yang didn’t say anything. Actually, anyone’s first reaction would be the same, but he still remembered what his mom had said.

He stays around here; he doesn’t really leave Nanzhouping.

Before, he hadn’t fully understood what “doesn’t really leave Nanzhouping” meant. Now, even though he had never explicitly asked, he could already guess the possible reason.

“Let’s go over there first,” Zou Yang said. “He has a class.”

“Alright then,” Liu Wenrui twisted the throttle and shot to the front. “Let’s speed up, classmates…”

It was currently noon, the time when traffic was heaviest. Jammed in a swarm of electric scooters, they couldn’t pick up any speed at all.

“Let’s turn left at the intersection ahead and take the small road,” Zou Yang said.

“Okay,” Liu Wenrui acknowledged.

Just as the light ahead turned green, Zou Yang twisted the throttle and turned out of the intersection.

Before he even reached the center of the intersection, he heard the roar of an engine, and out of the corner of his left eye, he saw something hurtling toward him.

At the same time, he heard Liu Wenrui’s shout from behind.

He didn’t catch what he yelled.

But the sensation of being knocked flying that immediately followed was crystal clear.

It was quite different from Fan Jun kicking him… The impact was vastly greater, and the sensation of his body parts sequentially smashing into the ground was far more intense.

…His leg hurt a lot.

This was bad.

It was one o’clock.

Tie Bang had gone to eat. Fan Jun sat on the training mat, holding his phone.

Zou Yang still hadn’t called. His last message was sent an hour and a half ago, saying they were on their way. Logically, they should have arrived ages ago.

But Fan Jun had just sent several messages, and Zou Yang hadn’t replied to any of them.

Fan Jun checked the time again and dialed Zou Yang’s number.

It rang all the way until it automatically hung up, but nobody answered.

He felt uneasy. He found the name “Respect” in his contact list. Just as he was about to send him a message to ask, Liu Wenrui’s voice call request popped up.

Fan Jun froze for a second, then immediately tapped accept.

“Fan-ge!” Liu Wenrui’s voice was frantic, his words spilling out fast. “Don’t tell Zou Yang’s mom!”

The hand Fan Jun was using to hold the phone trembled slightly. Hearing that, he knew instantly that something had happened.

“Mm,” he acknowledged first, then asked, “What happened?”

“Zou Yang got into a car accident…” Liu Wenrui said.

“What?” Fan Jun stood up.

“Let me explain, you make it sound like he died,” Li Zhiyue’s voice came through. “Fan-ge, it’s Li Zhiyue.”

“Mm, what’s wrong?” Fan Jun changed his shoes and headed for the door.

“Zou Yang got hit by a car that ran a red light. He injured his leg,” Li Zhiyue said. “He’s at the hospital right now. We just wanted to let you know. He doesn’t want his mom to find out. Did you tell her we were coming to find you for lunch today?”

“No,” Fan Jun said. “Which hospital is he at? I’m coming over now.”

“We took him to the nearest one, the First Affiliated Hospital,” Li Zhiyue said. “It’s not super serious. You don’t have to come. He’s going to head over there anyway after he gets his cast on…”

“Is he crazy?” Fan Jun said. “I’m coming over.”

There were no students in the gym during the noon hour. Fan Jun directly locked the door. Passing by the dance studio, he leaned halfway in and tossed the keys to Rongrong. “Tell Tie Bang I’m heading out for a bit.”

“Oh,” Rongrong caught the keys. “Where are you going?”

Fan Jun didn’t answer. He turned and ran down the escalator.

It was only when Rongrong asked him that it suddenly hit him.

Panic set in.

The First Affiliated Hospital. He had no idea where that was.

But it definitely wasn’t in Nanzhouping.