6

Someone knocked at my door one morning. I opened it and found a girl standing before me with a plastic bag in her hand.

I thought to myself, “When does a prost.i.tute start practicing her business with high school students?”

She asked, “You haven’t eaten your breakfast, have you?”

I said, “I don’t eat. Get out.”

She said, “Why are you so rude?”

I said, “I’m that rude.”

She said, “The other person asks me to bring breakfast for you.”

I asked, “Who is the other person?”

She replied, “The other person doesn’t want to tell you. It’s OK if you don’t take it.”

I asked, “Won’t tell me? So I don’t need to return the favor, do I?”

She said, “Why do you need to return the favor?”

I said, “Hahaha, how nice the other person is!”

She left. I thought to myself while enjoying my breakfast that the other person was so poor that she could only send this as my breakfast.

There was a Campus Belle in my cla.s.s, who was so pretty, so intelligent, and always got the first place in all exams.

I wished to punish her with the law by either shooting her or asking her to attend the exams on behalf of me.

My deskmate wished to punish the doorkeeper with the law so that he could sneak into the video hall to watch movies at midnight and asked the owner to change it in the halfway.

My deskmate was charged with taxes evasion and wage arrears years later while he worked as a contractor in Chengdu and was sentenced to three years.

I knew that he would break the law the other year. He invited me to play a game in downtown. To my surprise, he came here together with a Pighead girl.

At midnight, he wanted to borrow my keys, because he wanted to have a sleepover at mine.

Since I still wanted to play the game, I utilized my keys to swap a dozen coppers of his.

Something bad happened the next morning. When they stepped out of my house, the retired princ.i.p.al caught them.

Luckily, the weather was bad, so the princ.i.p.al didn’t recognize the pighead girl. Otherwise, I would feel ashamed if I was considered to cohabit with a pighead girl.

Unfortunately, he didn’t recognize the boy also because of the bad weather. In his eyes, it had to be me who got out of my house, which made me feel wronged.

My cla.s.s adviser started talking to me with a grave look.

The teaching director started talking to me with a grave look.

The deputy princ.i.p.al started talking to me with a grave look.

I was desperately waiting for the princ.i.p.al to talk to me. I would then wind up in jail as a scoundrel who hadn’t touch the hand of any girls. How could I not cry!

Suddenly, the princ.i.p.al didn’t look for me, and the teachers stopped mentioning it like everything disappeared in a flash.

However, I was so curious that I couldn’t sleep for three days.

A well-informed resource said to me privately, “Do you want to know why?”

I said, “Yes, I do.”

The resource said, “Ten coppers.”

I said, “Deal.”

The resource said, “Do you know Campus Belle?”

I replied, “c.r.a.p!”

The resource said, “She ran to the princ.i.p.al and told him that she stayed at yours that night.”

I said with surprise, “Didn’t she just tarnish my reputation?”

The resource said, “Get out! She is the only one in our school who can be the top scorer and get into a key university, so none of the teachers will disturb her. Now that she said so, you’re free, and nothing will happen.”

Campus Belle was not only charming and intelligent but also great.

In front of the greatness, the cohabitation of minors was no big deal.

7

It turned out later that the Campus Belle requested me to return her kindness in some ways.

Since then, under the coercion of her, I showed up in the morning exercise, morning reading, and morning cla.s.s.

However, it never occurred to her what she would reap after what she sowed.

Campus Belle said, “Zhang Jiajia, let’s go to Nanpu University together, shall we?”

I asked with an astounding face, “Nanpu University? Do you really think I’m the Campus Beau? How can I be admitted to a prestigious university?”

“Clap!” My left face was slapped swollen.

Campus Belle asked again, “let’s go to Nanpu University together, shall we?”

I replied, “I’ll apply for it if you give me 100RMB.”

Campus Belle said, “I give you one RMB.”

I asked, “One? Why are you as poor as Little Bai?”

Campus Belle asked, “Who is Little Bai?”

I said, “It’s a rural dog raised by my family. I hang one coin around its neck.”

“Clap!” My right face was slapped swollen, too.

As a result, we all applied for Nanpu University.

Consequentially, I was admitted, but she wasn’t.

By abiding by her second wish, she went to Tianjin.

8

Why was Tianjin not a city of Jiangsu Province? Why were all the calls long-distance? I had a dozen IP cards piled up in my drawer within just a semester.

During the period, Jiang Wei appeared.

I seldom answered her phones. Even if I was in the dormitory, I would ask my roommates to say the otherwise.

That was because I was waiting for Campus Belle’s call. If she called me, but the line was busy, I had to spend a lot of time explaining to her.

However, she suddenly stopped calling me.

When I called back, she wasn’t there.

I awaited a whole week. Did she die? d.a.m.n it! At the thought of her dying, I felt so sad that I could eat nothing. What a kind person I was!

I then awaited a month. Would she get a reincarnation even if she died? At the thought of her reincarnation, I felt so lonely that I couldn’t sleep. How naive I was!

When I waited for three months, I wanted to go to Tianjin.

At this moment, Jiang Wei came to see me from another place.

She first gave me a bar of WRIGLEY’S DOUBLEMINT chewing gum.

I asked, “What is this?”

Jiang Wei replied, “Chewing gum.”

I asked, “Can it make me full?”

Jiang Wei said, “Can you call me when you have nothing to eat?”

I said, “I don’t have money to eat, so how can I call you?”

Jiang Wei said, “Then you can get this IP card.”

I said, “Since I can’t eat anything, why do I still need the IP card?”

Jiang Wei replied, “If so, you can use this bank card.”

I thought to myself that Jiang Wei was much richer than Campus Belle.

Hence, I borrowed 1,500 RMB from her.

I put the money under my pillow.

Neither did I use it when I didn’t have money to eat nor did I use it when I didn’t afford to go to the Internet Cafe.

I didn’t return the money even when she had to use it to pay for her tuition fee.

Eventually, Jiang Wei turned a cold shoulder to me. She was into one of my friends. In my eyes, they were meant to each other, for they were rich.

I never went to Tianjin, because if one of us had to meet the other one, it should be Campus Belle who came to Nanjing.

9

The familiar voice appeared by the end of the semester.

Campus Belle asked, “How have you been?”

I said, “You haven’t called me for a long time.”

Campus Belle replied, “Hehe, I can’t afford the IP cards.”

I said, “You’re too poor. Since I have money, I can give you some.”

Campus Belle said, “Don’t give me your money. Zhang Jiajia, let’s break up.”

I said, “...It’s better I give you some money.”

Campus Belle said, “I mean it. Zhang Jiajia, let’s break up.”

I said, “...I’ll give you some money.”

Campus Belle said, “Zhang Jiajia, please remember to take care of you.”

I said, “...give you some money...”

Campus Belle said, “If you’re free, please call my mom as much as you can. She absolutely misses you.”

I said, “I want you to have my money.”

Campus Belle said, “Zhang Jiajia, will you miss me?”

I said, “I want you to share my money.”

Campus Belle said, “Don’t cry. I remembered asking someone to bring you breakfast one day, but I still don’t know if you have eaten it?”

I replied, “..I ate.”

Campus Belle said, “Zhang Jiajia, remember to eat your breakfast. By the way, if you’re allowed to apply for your university again, which one will you choose?”

I thought to myself, “I will choose nowhere. I’ll find a village girl and live in the earth-house, thus, spending the rest of my life without using the IP cards.

“Zhang Jiajia, you don’t need to call me anymore after the breakup.”

Then, the phone was hung up.

I forgot to cry at that time, but I seemed to hear her crying.

10

Five years later when I heard Jiang Wei marry to my friend, I sent them a red packet of 1,500 RMB that was pressed flat by the pillow without any wrinkle.

I finally returned the money, only leaving me a green wrapping paper of the chewing gum that was also pressed flat by the pillow without any wrinkle.

During the five years, I had been Campus Belle’s three times. Her photo was set on the left table of the living room with a notebook, flowers, and some fruit besides.

In front of her photo were several burning incenses. I smoked but she smoked several incenses at a time.

I felt so sad upon seeing her so magnificent.

To my knowledge, she wrote on the notebook about who she sent the breakfast to, who she took the fall for and how she tricked a fool to break up with. What a calculating girl!

There was also a medical card in the notebook.

I thought that I should thank it for not letting me use so many IP cards.

I thought that I should hate it for leading me to be so sorrowful.

Each time I had dinner with her mother, I would talk a lot to her with big and bright smiles.

Each time I was at her home, I wouldn’t let any tear trickle down my face. However, as soon as I stepped out of hers, I would immediately squat down and cry for a long time.

If I acted so, her mother wouldn’t cry until I was out of her house.

11

I hadn’t had breakfast for a long time. During the period, I would think of one girl.

She said, “The other person asks me to bring breakfast for you.”

I asked, “Who is the other person?”

She replied, “The other person doesn’t want to tell you. It’s OK if you don’t eat it.”

I asked, “Won’t tell me? So I don’t need to return the favor, do I?”

She said, “Why do you need to return the favor?”

I said, “Hahaha, how nice the other person is!”

I thought to myself while enjoying my breakfast that the other person was so poor that she could only send this as my breakfast.

When the breakfast was sent to me, Campus Belle was as poor as the other person.

When we applied for universities, she was as poor as Little Bai.

When we called each other, she was as poor as me.

I heard that a song named Love of My Life was played by radio.

I didn’t smoke the cigarette, but all of its ashes dropped on my pants.

I didn’t cry, but all of my teardrops dropped on my clothes.

Someone on TV said that how strange! That person was like a dog.

f.u.c.k the dog! When did you see a dog eat breakfast?

My drawer was fraught with IP cards, and my tears dropped on them. f.u.c.k the dog! When did you see a dog use so many IP cards?

“Zhang Jiajia, will you miss me?”

“I want you to share my money.”

“Don’t cry. I remembered asking someone to bring you breakfast one day, but I still don’t know if you have eaten it?”

“I ate.”

“Zhang Jiajia, remember to eat your breakfast. By the way, if you’re allowed to apply for your university again, which one will you pick up?”

I thought to myself, “I’ll choose nowhere. I’ll find a village girl and live in the two-story earth-house, thus, spending the rest of my life without using the IP cards.