Chapter 18 The Gentleman's "Good Ball"

  He Xiang Da Pai Dang, the only big stall on San Bu Guan Street, simple facilities, a huge awning to block out the sun and rain, a roasting rack and boiling pot in front, a middle-aged man standing there busily turning things over. Suddenly, the middle-aged man and a few scattered customers looked up, because they had no choice but to look up, as a clear and menacing roar came from afar, causing the ground to tremble slightly!

  Whoa! Squeak......! A beautiful drift, a long black mark appeared in the middle of the street, and an ordinary yet extraordinary taxi stopped there. The door opened, and a pale young man got out. This person was Ling Fei. Ling Fei looked at the taxi and the driver with a faint smile, his heart still racing from the previous event. He then opened the rear door to find Mu Rong Shi Mei's small face flushed red with excitement, constantly patting her chest. The thing jumping up and down on her chest made Ling Fei's eyes widen in surprise. Coughing once, Ling Fei smiled and said: "Teacher Mu Rong, we're here." Mu Rong Shi Mei suppressed the wildness deep within her, smoothed out her hair, and got out of the car like a lady. However, her face was still flushed red from excitement, betraying her emotions. Ling Fei took a deep breath, looking at the smiling driver: "Thanks... thanks..."

  The car god slowly pulled out a cigarette, lit it and took a puff. "You know, I'm not driving a car... I'm driving loneliness..."

  Ling Fei's mouth twitched slightly, and he forced a smile as he nodded, watching the taxi drive away until it disappeared from view. Only then did he slowly utter a few words under the strange gaze of Mu Rong Shu Mei, the calm eyes of Boss Xiang, and the curious stares of the diners and passersby: "Dude, actually your cigarette wasn't lit..."

  Ling Fei shook his head regretfully, then casually pulled up Murong Shimei's hand and walked towards the food stall. The middle-aged man immediately came forward, "Little Fei, you're here, this is..."

  Murong Shimei's face was flushed, deliberately avoiding the middle-aged man's gaze, her small hands constantly struggling in Ling Fei's palm. Ling Fei smiled and said: "Gang Shu, this is my girlfriend." The man called Gang Shu's eyes changed, looking at Murong Shimei with a gaze that had turned into an old father-in-law looking at his daughter-in-law. Murong Shimei's body became somewhat stiff, clearly not liking Gang Shu's gaze, but she didn't refute it, allowing Ling Fei to treat her as a cheap "boyfriend" for the time being.

  Gang Shu's mouth was full of praise, saying that Ling Fei's eyes were good and that he had found a great girlfriend. After listening to Gang Shu ramble on for a while, Ling Fei finally interrupted: "Uncle Gang, Xiaomei and I are both hungry, let's just follow the usual routine, hurry up!"

  Gang Shu nodded slightly, "You little stinker, just you wait and see!" As he spoke, Gang Shu took the greasy towel that was draped over his shoulder and wiped his neck with it before getting busy...

  Ling Fei said in a low voice, "Don't expose me, I'll explain later," and then pulled Mu Rong's small hand to find a spot near the TV to sit down. The TV was live broadcasting a snooker match, O'Sullivan was intently aiming at a red ball, while Ding Junhui was leaning back in his seat waiting for him.

  Ling Fei gazed at the billiard ball while sneaking glances at Murong Shimei's face. He couldn't help but think that Murong Shimei was the type of person who would leave a lasting impression - stunning at first glance, calm and collected at second glance, and utterly captivating by the third. Her features were perfectly proportioned, with a collection of beautiful traits all in one place. Her pale skin seemed almost translucent, like alabaster that could be pinched to produce water. Her large, watery eyes always managed to stir up a man's protective instincts. Her small mouth was pursed tightly, her lips pressed together as she looked at Ling Fei with an uncomprehending expression...

  Ling Fei quietly glanced at Geng Shu and then said in a low voice, "Do you know why I agreed to go to school to teach..."

  As soon as Ling Fei mentioned the thing she had been concerned about, her spirits lifted and she looked into his eyes, hoping to read some of the information she wanted in those clear eyes. Ling Fei fearlessly stared back at Murong Shimei's eyes, seemingly wanting her to believe him. The two held each other's gaze for a while, and Jian Shu secretly thought to himself, "These two are really sweet, just look at that gaze... Ah, I'm getting old..."

  He picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks, opened them and played with them lightly in his hand, saying softly: "Gang Shu is the best friend of my deceased parents. Before they died, they asked Gang Shu to take care of me. At that time, Gang Shu's career was failing, his wife had left him with their child, and he was at the lowest point in his life. How could he have time to take care of me? I was also very mischievous, going out early and returning late every day. Finally, one day, I was kidnapped by human traffickers and sold as a laborer. I developed good physical strength from that experience. After escaping, I met Gang Shu again, and he felt extremely guilty. He insisted on taking care of me for the rest of my life. Ha ha, I have hands and feet, why should I let Gang Shu take care of me? I refused his offer and started rolling around at the bottom of society. That's how I spent three years."

  These are certainly Ling Fei's lies, and of course there is a part that is true. Otherwise, Ling Fei wouldn't know how to explain the blank space in time at that place. Murong Shimei listened quietly to Ling Fei finish speaking, her face still calm, but with an added hint of something in her eyes that even she didn't understand...

  Ling Fei glanced at Murong Shimei's expression and continued: "When I was young, my mom often told me to study. Who didn't have a rebellious phase in their childhood? I resisted, dropped out of school, and even ran away from home to show my power..."

  Murong Shimei was also moved, it seemed that she had an unusual childhood too. Ling Fei smiled faintly and looked at Gang Shu who was busy, "That day, I ran away from home and didn't come back for half a month. Finally, I couldn't bear it anymore and returned home to take a look. Who knew that my parents had died suddenly at home, with unknown reasons... It wasn't until then that I realized how good my mother's nagging sounded..."

  Murong Shimei suddenly grabbed Ling Fei's hand, which scared him a lot. Murong Shimei said softly: "Forget it, unhappy things are over, we should cherish the present, shouldn't we?"

  Ling Fei nodded slightly, "Don't look at Uncle Gang being so young, he's actually almost sixty years old. He keeps saying that he won't live long and wants me to find a girlfriend. The reason I brought you here today is to ask for your help in putting on an act..."

  Murong Shimei nodded understandingly and smiled mischievously: "Then this New Year's, you have to accompany me back home and pretend to be my boyfriend!"

  Ling Fei wasn't stupid, and he naturally picked up on the underlying tone of the sentence, which meant that if things went well this year, he would bring Ling Fei back home to meet his parents... Ling Fei's heart skipped a beat, although he was looking forward to it, but he couldn't help thinking about his own unbearable abilities and identity, and smiled bitterly, "Alright, I'll definitely help..."

  Gang Shu walked over, bringing a plate of stir-fried beef noodles, a dozen charcoal-grilled oysters, some small cold dishes, and two bottles of beer. Ling Fei laughed and said: "Gang Shu, I only asked for one bottle, why did you bring me two? Are they on the house?"

  "Ahah, you little scoundrel! You don't even offer your girlfriend a drink? You can down a whole bottle by yourself, I'm sure she can handle it too. Don't be polite, take it!"

  Ling Fei reluctantly said thanks and took the beer, placing both bottles in front of himself. Murong Shimei looked dissatisfied, pouting her mouth, "What? You look down on me? I'll tell you, I can drink a lot too!"

  Ling Fei smiled and said, "Forget it, don't show off. Look at me inviting you to dinner and you're getting drunk, that's not good..." Mu Rong Shi Mei didn't listen to Ling Fei, directly grabbed a bottle of Qingdao beer, and before Ling Fei could stop her, she stood up and started chugging it down. Ling Fei was secretly shocked, thinking "What if Teacher Mu gets drunk here? I don't even know where she lives..." In his mind, he couldn't help but imagine Mu Rong Shi Mei getting drunk and leaning on him, refusing to leave, and then he would take her home...

  She shook her head, shaking off the unpleasant thoughts, and found that more than half of the Qingdao in Murong Shimei's hand was gone. Ling Fei hastily stopped her, "Shimei, stop it, don't drink anymore..."

  Murong Shimei's whole body trembled, and she put down her beer. "Y...you called me what?" Ling Fei didn't feel anything strange and still replied foolishly, "Shimei, what's wrong?"

  Murong Shimei's face turned somewhat unsightly, and she slowly sat down. Ling Fei seemed to have noticed something and immediately said: "Shimei, this is the Guan Guan Ju Que, in the river's continent, a beautiful and virtuous girl, a gentleman! Ah, what a great ball!" Just as Ling Fei was saying this, he pointed at Ding Junhui's elegant appearance on TV and shouted...