It was three hours ago.

  At 8:54 am, Lu Liang arrived at Qi Jie's home on time and picked her up.

  After all, they had known each other since childhood, and although there had been some conflicts before, they really walked together, talked a few more words, and the relationship slowly warmed up. Lu Liang finally stopped being cold-faced too.

  The two of them spent the whole morning shopping, Lu Liang bought a few clothes for Qi Jie, totaling over 2,000 yuan, with an air of triumph. It seemed that their family business had been doing well lately. Qi Jie also bought him two sets of clothes, not too many, totaling almost 2,000 yuan - this way, Lu Liang would feel like he hadn't lost much money, while still enjoying the face-saving feeling of a big man splurging on his loved one.

  They both thought it seemed pretty good.

  While shopping, Lu Liang grabbed Qijie's hand several times, and Qijie didn't refuse, allowing him to hold her hand very gently. However, each time it was for less than half a minute before Qijie would definitely find some clothes that looked good in a roadside store, and then, seemingly unintentionally, she would pull her hand out - Lu Liang didn't notice anything unusual.

  After strolling around for a morning, the two of them went to have lunch together at noon.

  Lu Liang's tone was thick with excitement, he said that this year the family business had a chance to break through 3 million, if it really happened, the pure profit would be over 800,000. As agreed by the two of them from the beginning, no matter how much they made, he would get one-fifth of it, which was at least 200,000. It didn't seem like a lot, but ordinary people, such as Qi Jie who had just started teaching and earned only 1,500 yuan per month, after deducting insurance and various taxes, she wouldn't even make 15,000 yuan in a year.

  So, 2 million yuan per year is indeed a huge income.

  Lu Liang said, the house he has looked at is in the south of the city, close to Qianfo Mountain, a new community, new house, low-rise building, three bedrooms and two living rooms, over 120 square meters, bordering on the north and south sides, with good ventilation, and a great layout. He plans to buy the 8th floor, which has a auspicious meaning of getting rich. The total price is over 360,000 yuan, but he knows the developer, so after some negotiation, it can be bought for around 300,000 yuan. His grandfather at home has already agreed to lend him the money, and they can start decorating during the summer vacation.

  Although... although Qijie felt that the two of them getting married and buying a house was something that she should be consulted about before making a decision, just like when some distant relative comes to visit and her fiancé doesn't need to entertain him... but Lü Liang said he had already looked at it, so Qijie didn't say anything, from start to finish she just listened with a smile on her face, as if listening to something that had nothing to do with her.

  Lu Liang said I'm very busy, the decoration will be done by a decoration company, but someone needs to supervise it. However, it's said that there is formaldehyde in the decoration materials. My mom is old and her body isn't good, so you go instead, you're young.

  Qijie said okay, I have nothing to do during summer vacation, so I'll go.

  Lu Liang said that the decoration style is all thought out, it should be more upscale. Have you noticed a certain TV series? The hotel in the Tang Dynasty palace style inside, I saw a similar style hotel with my dad when we went to Beihai Prefecture to discuss business. I like that feeling, it's upscale and looks high-end. Let's decorate like that, and I'll instruct the decoration company carefully later. You just need to supervise.

  Qijie continued smiling and said, "Let's go."

  It took an hour and a half to finally finish this lunch, in the afternoon Lu Liang is going to take Qi Jie to see a movie, saying that there is an American movie called "Pride and Prejudice" being shown, he has several friends who have seen it, all of whom say it's pretty good.

  But Qijie refused, saying that she had been feeling a bit unwell for the past two days and there was a particularly mischievous student in her class who might have gotten on her nerves, so she wanted to go back and rest.

  Lu Liang seems a bit unhappy, but doesn't mind, just tells Qi Jie: "A group of kids, you teach yours, whether they learn or not is none of your business. Anyway, it's just one more year to teach, and next year when we get married, you can quit your job and stay at home to cook, do laundry, etc. Women can't earn much money and still go out to show off, it's not good. Staying at home to do laundry, cook, take care of the kids is the right thing to do, taking care of your husband is better than anything else."

  Qijie smiled and said okay, with a small happy look on her face.

  In the end, she didn't let Lu Liang send her back and instead took a taxi home by herself.

  From the moment she got into the taxi, she closed her eyes, looking exhausted. When the car arrived downstairs, she paid and got out of the car, feeling limp and languid, standing in front of the building for a long time before realizing she was already home.

  Then she went upstairs, climbed several steps, and came down again.

  Her car was parked in a nearby parking space. She walked over, got in, started the engine, put it into reverse and soon she was out on the street.

  She drives very slowly, very, very slowly.

  And aimlessly, seeing an intersection and casually choosing a road with fewer cars to turn into.

  Afternoon at two o'clock on a summer day: The weather is very hot and the sun is very poisonous.

  A couple walked hand in hand towards me, the girl wearing a cream-colored short-sleeved T-shirt with smiling faces printed on it, and a short skirt with small flowers below her knees. As they walked, she smiled and said something, her expression full of joy, while the boy beside her had a smile filled with doting, looking like he was at his wit's end.

  Not far away, a young couple holding their child walked out of the store. The child was about two or three years old and was crying loudly in his mother's arms as he was carried out the door, still stubbornly looking back at the big stuffed doll inside the store...

  Qijie suddenly stepped on the brakes.

  Hiss!

  The car behind was startled, subconsciously honking the horn while making an emergency turn to overtake the front car. As the two cars passed each other, a man in his thirties with a bare arm stretched out of the window and gave the middle finger, "Damn you, do you know how to drive!"

  Qijie's face was expressionless as she watched the car disappear into the distance amidst the curses.

  Maybe it was because the air conditioner in the car was turned up too high, she suddenly felt a bit cold and subconsciously hugged her shoulders.

  After a moment, she released the brake, identified the direction, turned the steering wheel sharply and turned the car around.

  Head straight for school.

  She stopped the car outside the school gate, locked it up and walked into the campus under the scorching sun.

  …………

  I used to ask incessantly

  When will you go with me?

  But you always laugh at me

  Having nothing at all.

  I want to give you my pursuit

  And also my freedom

  But you always laugh at me

  Having nothing at all.

  Oh, when are you going with me?

  Oh, when are you going with me?

  The ground beneath is moving.

  The water beside is flowing

  But you always laugh at me

  Nothing at all!

  Why do you always laugh so much?

  Why must I always pursue?

  Is it in front of you?

  I still have nothing.

  ……”

  It's really hot today.

  Li Qian's heart was indeed somewhat stifled.

  There are some things that he clearly knows can't be rushed, can't be impatient, and must be done slowly. But at this moment, his heart is actually anxious to the point of wanting to shout loudly at the sky and let out a long howl.

  It was past two in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day.

  He was already sweating all over just by riding his bike to school.

  He came to the rooftop and took off his T-shirt, going shirtless.

  He sang several new songs he had been practicing recently, but somehow felt that the fire in his heart was burning more and more fiercely. So, for the first time since his rebirth, he suddenly burst into rock 'n' roll.

  From "Nothing to My Name" to "Private Running", then from "The Phoenix" to "Existence".

  The fire in his heart was burning brighter and stronger.

  After singing for more than half an hour, he stopped, picked up the water cup and gulped down a few big mouthfuls, then put the lid back on and put it back, gasping for a moment, before picking up the guitar again.

  Either because of the scorching weather or because of the fire in his heart, his face was flushed and he was drenched in sweat.

  The guitar sounded, and after a somewhat ordinary prelude, he suddenly started singing.

  …………

  The teaching building seems... quiet?

  Qijie climbed all the way up to the fifth floor in one breath, got a bit out of breath, and stopped to look upwards.

  There was no movement on the rooftop at all.

  Suddenly, she felt an urge to cry in her heart.

  Taking a deep breath and suppressing that sour feeling, she wanted to turn around and go downstairs, back home, but for some reason, she finally decided to go to the rooftop to take a look.

  From the fifth floor to the rooftop, there is a two-section staircase with a total of thirty-six steps.

  She walked more cautiously, one step at a time.

  Suddenly, the guitar sounds moved.

  Zijie stood there immediately.

  At that moment, she suddenly felt an uncontrollable joy in her heart.

  It was as if suddenly she had transformed from someone's fiancée back into a Chinese literature teacher at National Thirteenth Middle School.

  Then, there was an even stronger urge to cry...

  …………

  The guitar sounded, and after a somewhat ordinary prelude, the person upstairs suddenly started singing.

  Then, the bright but hiddenly vicissitudinous voice, the intense and indignant lyrics, and the straightforward melody quickly made her feel a numbness all over her body - as if a cold light radiating sharp sword suddenly came from outside the sky, lightly and easily piercing through her!

  The voice of the person singing upstairs is still clear, but it also carries a certain unspoken randomness and unruliness, as well as a complex emotion that cannot be clearly expressed but can be understood.

  "Ideals are always fleeting and elusive;"

  Reality is still solid and cannot be hidden."

  These two sentences suddenly grasped Qi Jie's heart.

  She almost unconsciously held her breath.

  But at this moment, in stark contrast to the carefree and uninhibited atmosphere earlier, the guitar upstairs suddenly became fierce, the sound surging up like a scream, or a roar - between each word and sentence, there seemed to be an impulse to tear everything apart!

  A clean heart suddenly tightened up——

  "My heart is full of desire, but my body has no strength."

  Don't want to feel sad, so pretend to be promiscuous.

  Flying back and forth, I fly back and forth, full of hope.

  I'm like a little bird!

  The guitar sound suddenly became soft again, the rhythm was a bit dazed, and the singer also retracted the violent scream from just now, and suddenly restored that kind of casual but unbridled flavor.

  I don't feel tired, but I have nowhere to go.

  Emptiness threw me onto the streets, like a patient fleeing from death."

  Then, a fierce sweep started again, and a violent howl rose again——

  "It's suitable for wandering around here, eyes can't be closed."

  The building is so magnificent, and the lights are so bright.

  Flying back and forth, I fly back and forth, reality is a cage.

  I'm like a little bird!

  That fierce electric current struck her again, hitting her hard!

  Zi Jie remained there, feeling numb all over her body, and even lifting her hand was impossible.

  Reality is a cage... Reality is a cage... Reality is a cage...

  Suddenly, that sour and helpless feeling returned to her heart again. She only felt a sour nose, and instantly had an urge to cry!

  At this time, the singing of the people upstairs did not stop.

  "They gave me a pair of wings, they gave me a direction."

  They say that's happiness, so I'm full of hope.

  I am filled with electricity and soar, then see the truth.

  There is no happiness there, only a big wall.

  Flying back and forth, I fly back and forth, full of hope.

  I'm like a little bird!

  Completely out of control, Qijie's eyes quickly became blurry, and then big drops of tears fell silently, rolling down her cheeks rapidly!

  The guitar upstairs is intermittently soft or violent.

  At the same time, in sync with the rhythm of the guitar, the person upstairs softly and repeatedly hummed a tune.

  Flying back and forth

  Flying back and forth

  I fly back and forth

  Like a little bird.

  "Actually, Xiaoliang is a good kid, we've seen him grow up since he was little, and your father and I have been watching him grow up too. What's wrong with that? Besides, you've known him for many years, not just one or two years, but since childhood. You tell me, what's wrong with Xiaoliang? Moreover, his family background is good, if you marry him, your life will definitely be comfortable. Otherwise, would your father and I arrange such a marriage for you?"

  "Dad said: "Xiao Jie, I've never heard you express any dissatisfaction with this marriage before, how come now that it's time, you're saying this and that? Is it... did you have a boyfriend in college?"

  …………

  Flying back and forth

  Flying back and forth

  I fly back and forth

  Like a little bird.

  "Dad, Mom, I've told you how many times, I really don't want to go to some girls' college. The whole school is full of people walking around without even a single long beard, if I went to that kind of school, I'd go crazy sooner or later! Besides, I don't want to be a teacher in the future either, why read education? You two have made contributions to the country's education cause, why do you still need to drag me along? I won't go! Just won't go! Even if you beat me to death!"

  "Look at you, kid. Xiaoliang's words aren't unreasonable. You're a girl, studying education, and after graduation, you can come back to teach. Your parents have taught for so many years, they must have some connections. If you think No. 13 Middle School isn't good enough, I'll swallow my pride and ask around to get you into No. 1 Middle School. How about that? And what about the Women's College? That's a great option too, clean and simple, without all the trouble of other schools..."

  "Is Lü Liang planning to raise me according to the standards of a child bride? Women's college, never see any men all day, education major, come back and teach for two years just in time to be his obedient wife... He thinks he's so great, but why?! Are you guys my real parents or not?! Are you really considering what's best for me, or do you actually want to raise a qualified child bride for Lü Liang?!"

  …………

  I fly back and forth

  I fly back and forth

  I fly back and forth

  Like a little bird.

  "Xiao Jie, come and see what this is... Chocolate! Haha, Aunt He bought it for you, try some quickly! Is it delicious? Hehe, as long as it's delicious, Mom won't eat it, you eat it, this is your favorite candy! Mom wants to tell you something, today I'm going out with Dad to meet Uncle Lu and Aunt He to discuss things. We've decided on the marriage between you and Xiao Liang! How about that, are you happy? This engagement is set, when our Xiao Jie grows up, she can get married with peace of mind! And we won't have to worry about finding a suitable man for her anymore! You see, Dad and Mom have already chosen someone for you..."

  "Mom, what does 'getting married' mean? Does it mean I'll marry Xiaoliang when I grow up?"

  "Really? How is it? Is it good?"

  "But... but I don't like Xiao Liang..."

  "Why don't you like Xiaoliang? Xiaoliang is so good, willing to play with you and give you candy to eat, right?"

  "But... he has a runny nose, and what's more... he likes to get angry, when he gets angry he pushes me, then he knocks me down, it hurts so much! I cry but he ignores me, and even scares me by saying he'll hit me..."

  "Xiao Liang won't dare to do it again in the future. Now our family's Xiao Jie is already his daughter-in-law, right?"

  "But..."

  …………

  Tears streamed down her face.

  …………

  At this time, the violent sweep of the bow suddenly changed and returned to the original swaying rhythm. The person upstairs sang lazily and casually:

  I never want to be numb again, I never want to be manipulated by others;

  Never again want to in lies, let life pass in vain.

  We once wandered the streets, with the cold wind slapping our chests;

  We once clenched our fists and fought for a little bit of freedom.

  Then, the guitar suddenly sweeps up again, and he screams at the top of his lungs.

  "Let's sing together, singing out the song of freedom,"

  Let's fly together, flying towards the sky.

  Let's sing together, singing out the song of freedom.

  Let's fly together...

  Like a little bird

  Like a little bird

  Because of us

  "Born Free!"