Chapter 24: What Do You Think of Zhou Jiani?

"Later, the security guards showed up. Some said the guys who started the fight ran off, while others claimed three were still there, so it seems those three were eventually kicked out too."

They chatted while they ate, feeling a bit exhilarated, as if they had just won a battle. And in a way, they had; for top students at the City No. 1 High School, such "thrilling" incidents involving fights were rare.

Through the subsequent conversation and getting to know one another, they managed to piece a few things together. Wang Yajing was no street thug; it seemed her family background was quite impressive—wealthy or influential—which was why she hadn't been afraid of those boys.

However, girls are still inherently more vulnerable than boys. Even with a proud spirit, one couldn't just clash with others at will. Without protection, there was no guarantee she wouldn't be bullied. And even if she could retaliate later, it would be of little use.

Afterward, Song Hairong asked for their QQ numbers. Out of politeness, all the girls shared theirs. Those who had mobile phones added them on the spot, though whether they would actually chat or even bother to reply later was another matter entirely.

"'Beauty Chases Me for Ten Blocks'? Is that your screen name?"

Wang Yajing and the others were shocked, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, what a narcissistic name," Wang Yajing said.

"More like shameless, right?" Song Hairong added.

"Exactly, exactly, way too shameless," Wang Yajing agreed.

After exchanging QQ numbers, the talk turned to phones.

"Your phone is so big, it’s not good-looking at all," Wang Yajing remarked. She held a Samsung flip phone, which was significantly more expensive than Li Jingkun's.

"It's fine. Big has its advantages," Li Jingkun replied. "The screen is large, but it's much cheaper than yours, and more durable. The value for money is much higher."

"Really?" Wang Yajing still thought his phone was ugly.

"What brand is it?" Zhou Jiani didn't have a phone yet, and she was interested after hearing his explanation. "Can I take a look?"

"Sure." Li Jingkun handed her the phone.

Wang Yajing, knowing Zhou Jiani intended to buy one, asked, "How much was it?"

"A little over a thousand."

"That is indeed much cheaper than mine," Wang Yajing said to Zhou Jiani. "Try it out. Log in to your QQ, log Li Jingkun out, and while you're at it, accept those friend requests."

Zhou Jiani hadn't planned on logging in at first, but under Wang Yajing's "enthusiastic" prodding, she went ahead. As it turned out, besides the friend requests, there were several other messages popping up—likely private messages for her.

"Oh, who's that? Let's have a look," Wang Yajing teased.

"Get away from me." Zhou Jiani shielded the phone and pushed Wang Yajing’s face aside.

Li Jingkun didn't think much of it. Pretty girls always had admirers. There were simply too many boys leaving her messages or trying to chat with her.

However, Song Hairong and the other boys didn't quite have that perspective yet, so they felt a little disgruntled.

Zhou Jiani finished reading the messages quickly without typing any replies. Then, she clicked into her QQ Zone.

Heh, unsurprisingly, there were "sycophants" leaving messages on her guestbook. Otherwise, they would just leave a large "Stamp" icon, hoping for a return visit.

"I'll go 'stamp' your spaces for you," Zhou Jiani said.

"Oh, right," Wang Yajing said to Li Jingkun. "You can return the favor on my space later. I'm going to browse yours now."

...

This was the last weekend of the semester. After one more week of classes, they would have final exams, followed by summer break. And with that, their first year of high school would officially come to an end.

One day, while Song Hairong was playing with Li Jingkun's phone, he suddenly asked, "What do you think of Zhou Jiani?"

It had been three or four days since they had met the girls, but that day's events were still being brought up repeatedly in their dorm. The other boys who hadn't gone to the skating rink were full of regrets.

Even if the chances of future contact were slim, one couldn't just give up every opportunity, could they? Who knew, maybe they would end up in the same class when they split into arts and sciences in their second year.

"She's great," Li Jingkun said. "Pretty, good personality."

"She and Wang Yajing are both choosing History, right?" Song Hairong asked.

"Yeah, didn't they say so that day?"

"Why do girls all like choosing liberal arts? And History requires so much memorization," Song Hairong complained. "Choosing Biology would be so much better, no need to memorize so much."

Li Jingkun reminded him, "Actually, Zhu Miaotong chose Biology, didn't she?"

Song Hairong had forgotten. "Really? I don't really remember."

After that, there was another bout of awkward conversation. Song Hairong asked if he had been in touch with them.

Li Jingkun and Wang Yajing both had phones, and they had chatted sporadically at first. But now, with finals approaching, Li Jingkun barely had time to practice guitar or work with his band, let alone engage in idle chatter.

And Wang Yajing, being a girl—a pretty one at that—naturally wouldn't keep initiating conversations with someone as aloof as Li Jingkun.

In truth, Li Jingkun understood Song Hairong's little thoughts; it was just the restlessness of youth and the budding interest in the opposite sex.

But there was no need to go after such high-maintenance girls every time, was there? It felt like the difficulty and competition were both quite high.

Still, if Song Hairong truly had the courage to be a... well, if he had the courage to pursue her, Li Jingkun would certainly support him. It wasn't about not doing something just because the success rate seemed low. After all, no matter how pretty a girl was, she was still just a normal person.

When boys pursue pretty girls, they must strategically "despise" the difficulty and not show fear. If it's time to act, one must act. Many things seem impossible until you start, and once you do, you realize it’s far easier than imagined. Young people shouldn't lack the drive to strive and make an effort.

But with summer break around the corner, the best they could do was look for opportunities to chat online. And that depended on her being online—she didn't have a phone, so she couldn't stay logged into QQ waiting for him. Besides, even if she were logged in, she still had to be willing to reply.

So, everything would have to wait until the second year.

...

In his previous life, Li Jingkun had visited the United States a few times, but they were hurried trips to few places. This trip to the U.S. had several benefits. First, he spoke English, and since he was often asked if he had ever lived abroad, he could finally say "yes" after this trip.

Second, the breadth of one's experience truly affects the height of one's life. He wanted to stand tall and see far in this life, so taking the time to travel and see the world was highly beneficial.

However, he was not yet eighteen, and getting a U.S. visa to travel alone was difficult (even booking hotels was hard, requiring advance contact and documentation). He had found a workaround: he could apply for the visa with his father. It cost an extra thousand yuan, but the chances of getting the visa were much higher. And once the visa was issued, no one would care how many people Li Jingkun was traveling with.