Chapter 36: The Adorable Hello Kitty

After dinner, Lu Mingfei accompanied Liu Miaomiao and Qiao Yiran as they strolled around the Zhushikou area.

Lu Mingfei actually wanted nothing more than to return to the hotel and collapse into bed, but girls, by their nature, cannot resist exploring when they arrive in a new and novel place. Lu Mingfei had no choice but to follow along, sacrificing his own rest for their sake.

He walked behind them, hands behind his head, listening to their conversation.

"Why is this place called Zhushikou? Was it because they sold a lot of jewelry here in the past?"

"I don't know either..."

Actually, Lu Mingfei did know. It was something Xia Mi had told him back when he first visited Beijing.

Legend had it that during the Qing Dynasty, this place was called Zhushikou—"Pig Market Entrance"—because it was a dedicated market for selling pigs. However, Zhushikou was a prime location and a major traffic artery of the imperial capital; whenever the Emperor went on an inspection tour or visited the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices, he had to pass through here.

The smell of the pig market was unbearable to the Emperor, so he issued an imperial decree forbidding the sale of pigs there and renamed the location Zhushikou, using the character for "pearl" instead of "pig." In truth, jewelry had never actually been sold here.

Back then, Lu Mingfei had thought the Emperor was quite overbearing—forbidding people from selling pigs simply because he found the smell offensive. But then he realized: if an Emperor wasn't overbearing, could he really be called an Emperor?

However, rather than dwelling on the Emperor's tyranny, Lu Mingfei was currently more struck by the stamina of Liu Miaomiao and Qiao Yiran. Could these two really walk forever?

He could understand Qiao Yiran’s endurance. After all, she was the "Tennis Princess" of Shilan High School, a rising star in the sports world, so her physical fitness was naturally formidable. But Liu Miaomiao, who looked so delicate and quiet—how could she have such stamina?

Lu Mingfei followed them east from Zhushikou, watching as the street signs changed from Bu Alley to Guozi Market, then to Jiangjia Hutong and Bingjiao Slope Street.

Occasionally, they would pass shops selling small antiques and trinkets; the two would go inside to browse, looking at all the little items before leaving without buying a thing.

If they hadn't happened upon the Zhushikou subway station, and if they didn't have a tour scheduled for the next morning, Lu Mingfei suspected these two could have kept walking for several more hours.

*Thank goodness my own physical condition is solid, otherwise I really wouldn't be able to keep up with them,* Lu Mingfei mused to himself.

"Why don't we take the subway back?" Qiao Yiran suddenly suggested, seeing that they had reached the station entrance.

In their hometown, although it was a coastal provincial capital with a booming economy, a subway system had never been built. Lu Mingfei remembered that it wasn't until he started college that plans for one were finally drafted. It was said that the southern section of Line 1 would run straight past Shilan High School and the apartment complex where his aunt and uncle lived, meaning he would never have to rush for the bus again. But by the year he left for Tokyo, that line still hadn't opened. And even if it had, he doubted he would have had many chances to ride it.

Long ago, Lu Mingfei had wondered why the ancients thought to invent the hourglass, using sand to record the passage of time. It wasn't until many years later that he understood: sand, like time, flows faster the harder you try to grip it. You can only loosen your hold, allowing it to flow at a manageable rate, to keep it from dissipating too quickly. Yet, no matter how slowly it flows, one day, it will run out between your fingers.

There will always be a girl in a white dress, sitting on a bench under the trees on campus, reading a book. There will always be a girl who takes the stage at the annual Shilan High School gala to play the piano. Every year, stories of unrequited love begin, and every year, they end. But if that girl isn't Chen Wenwen, or if she isn't Liu Miaomiao, what meaning would it hold for Lu Mingfei?

Scenery is always homogeneous, but everyone’s youth is unique. Because of this, when Lu Mingfei first realized he had been reborn to his third year of middle school, he wondered if heaven had sent him back to fulfill the regrets of his life. But what regrets were there in his youth?

...

Lu Mingfei’s thoughts were gently interrupted by Liu Miaomiao’s voice, which sounded like a spring breeze.

"It's not that far from the hotel, why take the subway?"

"I've never been on a subway before; I'm a little curious. Plus, I remember there's a station right near our hotel."

"Alright, alright, you win..."

Liu Miaomiao tilted her head, pouting slightly, blinking her eyes with a look of joyful resignation. Her eyelashes were so thick, fluttering as if coated in mascara. She was so close to Lu Mingfei that every delicate detail of her beautiful face was laid bare before him.

Youth? Regret?

Lu Mingze’s ghostly voice echoed in his mind again:

"Why don't you try starting with Liu Miaomiao, brother? See what it's like to pursue a girl. She’s pretty, comes from a good family, and is a piano prodigy. In terms of conditions, she’s better than Chen Wenwen. Being with her would definitely be a point of pride."

"Have you really never thought about what it would feel like to be with Liu Miaomiao? On the plane, when she fell asleep on your shoulder, you must have felt a heartbeat for a moment. That’s Liu Miaomiao! She’s so beautiful, her hair smells so good—you could kiss her if you just leaned down a little."

*Damn, damn, damn, damn...!*

Lu Mingfei hurriedly cut off the thought, cursing internally and shaking his head violently, trying to drive the little devil's temptation from his mind.

*What are you thinking, Lu Mingfei!*

*You’re supposed to be getting close to her to save her from the sea of misery, to keep her from being cheated by some scumbag! You're not supposed to be hitting on her!*

*Though... the two things don't seem to conflict, do they?*

"...Mingfei? Lu Mingfei?"

"Hmm... ah?"

Lu Mingfei snapped back to reality and hurried toward the source of the voice, only to find that Liu Miaomiao had moved to his side at some point, standing about fifteen centimeters away.

A breeze blew by, gently lifting the hair she wore loose, carrying that familiar fragrance toward him. Liu Miaomiao stood with her hands behind her back, leaning slightly forward, her misty eyes looking up at him.

"Yiran says she wants to take the subway back... are you coming?" She blinked.

"I-I-I..."

Lu Mingfei hurriedly looked away, pretending to adjust his bangs. "I'll take it too."

"See? Lu Mingfei is coming too." Qiao Yiran made a "V" sign at Liu Miaomiao. "Two votes to one, the minority obeys the majority."

"I really can't do anything with you two."

Liu Miaomiao gave a soft "humph," but showed no signs of displeasure. She turned back and waved at Lu Mingfei.

"Then let's take the stairs down, Lu Mingfei. Do you know how to buy a subway ticket in the capital? I’ve only ever taken the subway in Paris and London..."

"I know, I know."

Lu Mingfei stepped forward, taking a long stride to keep up with her. The "Hello Kitty" hair clip on her head swayed gently.

Lu Mingfei had never watched the "Hello Kitty" cartoons. But he suddenly thought that "Hello Kitty" was actually quite cute.