Chapter 148: Nighttime Neon

(1)

“Why are you buying a waxed leather cord?”

“Because it’s easy for it to fall off if I wear it on my wrist, so I’d rather use a cord and wear it around my neck~”

“So now it’s a necklace….”

“If you want to wear it on your wrist, you totally can! So, what do you think? How does it feel to wear it on your neck?”

“It’s nice. It’s the first time I realized you actually suit purple so well.”

“Right~”

“Usually the things you use are black. You don’t use purple that often.”

“It’s only prettiest when it’s an accent color. Too much purple just gets boring. Don’t you think a bit of purple on black is like the Galaxy you see in winter?”

“I guess it does feel like that.”

“Right?!”

The evening glow was slowly fading, and the Neon on the streets began to flicker, lighting up the entire night.

This was when the canopy-covered shopping street was at its liveliest, and An Jing loved the different colored lights at every store’s entrance during this hour.

Some of the lights were old, but they still gave people a dreamy feeling, as if surrounded by colorful bubbles.

Just as they walked out, An Jing saw a black Jetta sedan parked by the roadside.

Not only was the model the same, even the interior was identical, and it had the same Ping’an Charm hanging from the mirror.

Except—the license plate wasn’t the one she was familiar with.

Actually, An Jing didn’t really like her father’s black Jetta.

She always felt stuffy sitting inside, and there was a mix of gasoline and tobacco lingering in the air.

Unlike those old cars with sharp edges, her father’s Jetta looked a bit rounded, but not completely round—giving off a kind of fake smoothness.

But seeing such a similar car in front of the canopy shopping street now, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic.

“Dad’s probably still busy right now.”

An Jing let out a long sigh.

“What’s Xiao Jing muttering to herself about?”

Zhu Ying tilted her head slightly, the purple ring hanging from her soft neck swinging gently along.

“Ah? It’s nothing. By the way, what car does your dad drive?”

“My dad? Buick.”

“That’s actually a pretty expensive car.”

“It’s second-hand. I think he only spent a few tens of thousands on it.”

“What color?”

“White.”

“Simple and clean color. Way better than my dad’s black Jetta.”

“Sounds like you really don’t like it?”

“I just think black sedans look too dreary.”

“Yeah, white ones are better.”

“When I grow up, I want to buy my own car too.”

An Jing started daydreaming.

“How about a sports car?”

“If you can afford it! But isn’t it kind of impractical?”

“True…”

“I think the car Teacher Wen Ye drove today was pretty nice.”

“Looks like a van though. Not good, not good—”

“Then what kind does Xiao Jing like?”

“—It’s gotta be a sports car after all, right?”

***

(2)

After bidding Zhu Ying goodbye, An Jing stepped on the last traces of evening glow, heading home.

Once she reached the highway with no shops around, only the last bit of red glow remained at the horizon.

There weren’t even streetlights here; only the headlights of passing cars lit up the road.

Some cars had their stereos turned up loud, blasting short bursts of deafening music as they sped by.

Some cars drove so fast, they whooshed past in a flash, leaving only a burst of restless wind behind.

And of course, there were the ones that drove slowly, the drivers leisurely resting their left hand on the window, usually with a lit cigarette between their fingers, listening to the local dialect broadcast, pressing the accelerator unhurriedly.

For An Jing, walking home, every car passing her on the road was like a moving home.

Almost home.

Maybe it’s because… there’s a kind of warmth in that.

She’d done this sometimes in elementary school, but not often.

Most of the time, she still walked home alone.

—That’s right, those students who get picked up by private cars right after school, from the moment they step into the car, actually already…

An Jing pursed her lips, remembering the time her father said he’d pick her up in the afternoon, but didn’t show up even after eight o’clock.

Even Wang Xinru had left because she was worried her parents would get anxious…

In the end, the teacher got a call and told her to walk home by herself.

When she left the school, it suddenly started pouring.

But the rain didn’t make her mood worse—instead, it actually made her feel pretty free.

Of course, it would have been even better if someone had come to pick her up that day.

—She probably cried.

She didn’t remember.

Feeling free and crying don’t seem to contradict each other.

“Whoosh–!! Screech—-!!”

Lost in thought, An Jing was startled when a white Fukang suddenly stopped beside her, and Minghui Yu’s face appeared in the lowered window—along with Yu Mingfei sitting in the passenger seat.

“Xiao Jing, why are you getting home so late?!”

“Eh? Huihui-jie?”

“Get in!”

“No, it’s fine. I’m almost there.”

“Come on~! We’re not eating at home tonight. We’re going out!”

“Huh?”

“Your cousin Ye Ronghua is back today to get his car registered, so he’s treating us to hotpot! We were on our way to pick you up!”

Yu Mingfei laughed out loud, “Didn’t you get my text?”

“Ah? Ah… I didn’t check my phone…”

At school, An Jing always set her phone to silent—didn’t even use vibrate. As for why—

That’s Nokia’s fault for making the vibration so strong.

If it went off in the desk drawer during class, everyone in class would hear it.

If it happened to be a strict teacher, the phone would definitely get confiscated.

—Small City No.2 Middle School didn’t really check phones, but in theory, they were banned.

Most teachers just turned a blind eye.

“So, where are we eating?”

“T City!”

“That’s so far—”

“But the Firepot City there is huge!”

Yu Mingfei beamed, reaching over from the passenger seat to vigorously ruffle An Jing’s hair.

“Hey, hey, don’t mess up my hair—”

An Jing slammed the door and scooted back a bit.

“Feifei, move your seat up a little. Xiao Jing has nowhere to sit.”

“It’s fine. I think it’s pretty roomy.”

An Jing gave a wry smile.

“Maybe that’s the benefit of being short?”

“Tut tut, you’re so tiny, I still haven’t gotten used to it. You used to be almost 1.7 meters tall.”

“I WAS already 1.7 meters, okay!”

An Jing retorted, annoyed.

“Now that I’m so short, everything is inconvenient!”

“Like not being able to reach the shelves?”

“…..Shut up, shut up!”

Hahaha—-

The old, yellowed yet spotlessly clean Fukang did a sharp U-turn in a wide spot ahead and headed towards the city.

To get to T City, you definitely had to pass through Small City.

Actually, Small City was a satellite city managed by T City, not far at all.

And since it was unlike a big city, traffic jams were rare, so it didn’t take much time.

If you drove fast, half an hour would do.

Of course, “fast”… that was by Small City standards.

“Tch! They just cut in front of me…”

“Huihui, slow down.”

“But Feifei, they cut in front of me without using the turn signal!”

Minghui Yu’s tone took on a petulant note—not something you’d usually hear from her.

Probably everyone has two personalities: one when driving, and one when… not driving.

“Hey, as if you use your turn signal every time.”

“I don’t care, I’m going to pass them!”

“Hey, hey, hey!!! Be careful!”

“Relax! Totally safe! I swear I won’t go over ninety!”

“The speed limit here is fifty!!”

***

(3)

Cars from Small City always drive like planes.

By the time they reached T City, An Jing realized that saying really was true.

Yu Mingfei looked pale but at least didn’t throw up.

An Jing wobbled out of the car, took a deep breath of the dusty, polluted air, and then—

“Wah—urp—-”

“You made Xiao Jing throw up, Huihui!”

“I slowed down at the corners…”

“…Slowed down?”

“I did!” Minghui Yu insisted, dead serious.

“…I didn’t feel it.” “Really?”

“Yes!!”

“Hahaha—-! What a lively bunch!”

Cousin Ye Ronghua walked over, looking fresh and cheerful, waving his hand lightly.

“What’s wrong, did Xiao Jing throw up?”

“Huihui drove like a maniac. The little rascal couldn’t handle it. Even I almost couldn’t take it!”

“It’s fine, we’re having hotpot tonight. Throw up so you can eat more.”

“What, big boss suddenly so generous today?”

“Haha, I have a Firepot City discount coupon.

Tonight, eat as much as you like, eat your fill!” Ye Ronghua laughed, hands in his pockets.

“Are you parking here?”

“Yeah.”

“My car’s over there.”

He switched topics a bit abruptly.

“That blue one.”

“Ooh, blue, that’s stylish.”

“How about it?”

“Latest model, with a spoiler—what brand? Toyota?”

“Yeah, you gotta save gas when driving in the city.”

“Kind of looks like a sports car,” An Jing commented.

“Haha, I bought it because it looked like a coupe!”

“Not impressed. It’s just chasing fashion trends. Huihui’s Fukang is still cooler!”

Minghui Yu said nothing, but smiled proudly.

“Come on, mine’s a brand-new car, and you’re comparing it to an old Fukang…”

“It’s not that old, right, Huihui?”

“Mm! It’s only three or four years old!”

“But this model’s been around for decades,” Ye Ronghua said, a bit helpless.

“If you get hometown plates, can you even drive in S City? I heard there are restrictions?”

“Just the busiest part, it’s fine, and I’m not registered in S City. Getting plates is a hassle, so I just went home to get it done and came back to visit.”

“Coming to T City doesn’t really count as coming home, does it?”

“I’ll drive back later. Came here just for hotpot. There’s no Firepot City this big in Small City.”

“True, this place is really lively.”

“S City is even livelier.”

“I know—what, you think I haven’t been there?” Yu Mingfei rolled her eyes dramatically.

An Jing looked up at the dazzling, colorful Neon lights that outshone Small City, wiping her mouth with the wet tissue Minghui Yu handed over.

“It’s much more bustling here than Small City, and more impressive, but… no matter how prosperous, it still doesn’t feel like it belongs to me.”

“The most bustling world belongs to the young.”

“Is that so…?”

Suddenly, she glanced back at the white Fukang parked by the road, a sense of security—like home was right nearby—spreading gently in her heart.

“Mm. Maybe you’re right?”