Chapter 23: Ru Ting’s Birthday Party (1)

If she is Teng Tang Jing, then does that mean I am the invulnerable Shan Cai who keeps fighting on despite the odds?

It was just like the last chance of fixing all the multiple choice questions that had not yet been completed just one minute before handing in one’s exam. The unshakable me, decided that on the final day before I withdrew from school, in the final hour, I would work on this problem. I bought an apple and prepared to finish eating the apple. If I got an apple core with an odd number of seeds, then I would withdraw from school. If I got an even number of seeds then I would continue school. I did not anticipate that I would meet Xiao Xi when I bought the apple. To be precise, I saw him, and he didn’t see me.

It was nearing the lights out period, and there was only him and me in front of the fruit vendor’s stand. He was at the other end, I was at this end. He was currently lowering his head to make a call. Most of the time, he only quietly listened, and occasionally he would speak. He even spoke very gently, but that sentence “Return, okay?” was enough to wind past the fruit wagon on this tranquil night and bring with it the rich fragrance of fruit, gently stimulating my mental state.

My feet were glued to the ground. The apples had definitely become shy from all my staring, otherwise why would it be so red? I laughed as I waited for him to pass by me as he called. He didn’t turn, and there was only his rear view. He merely carelessly brushed past me.

I was very happy, not concerned of whether he had discovered me. He had already given me his rear view. Right now, definitely don’t give me any hopeful news. This way, I can slowly heal and slowly recover, until I faintly forget him.

I lifted my bag full of fruit and slowly walked alongside the dormitory buildings. I didn’t have much distress or any need to vent my feelings, and neither did I feel so depressed that I needed to settle down. I merely thought that my love history monument stood tall and upright. I wanted to let the sandstorm wear down those wounds until they became level, leaving only a printed impression. I wanted to look at it from a distance and see when it loudly collapsed.

When I returned to the dormitory, the light was already out. In the pitch-darkness I told these idealistic and youthful thinkings to Julie.

Julie grabbed melon seeds, cracking seeds as she said, “Are your trivial matters enough to establish an imperishable masterpiece? At the most, I see a milestone, and the kind that falls as soon as you kick it. Have you been so idle that you have nothing to do recently? If you have nothing to do then go learn how to swim. Thinking of nonsense all day long, even if there’s nothing wrong, only you could find a tiny moth within.”

As she finished, she began to let go of the melon seeds, brushing away the sticky melon seed shells on her clothes. Then, she went out to wash her face and rinse her mouth.

My face was unhappy, like the sound of a sorrowful cellist who was abruptly interrupted by a gong and the sound of a drum, making me suffer from pent-up frustrations endlessly. I picked it up, preparing to throw it into my indistinct grief and complex psychology when I found that I could no longer find that feeling. Alas, I should still crack some more melon seeds. I was just about to be joyful when Julie returned and saw that I was cracking melon seeds happily. In spite of the fact she had brushed her teeth, she began to crack seeds again. Foolishly, we faced each other, devotedly cracking melon seeds.

Suddenly I thought of today’s important mission that was still incomplete. At once, I asked Julie: “What’s the time right now? Let me borrow your laptop, I have to withdraw from class.”

Julie turned on the emergency light of her watch. She shook her head and said, “It’s about 12. Don’t think of withdrawing from class anymore.”

God was really helping me make my decision. From a little age, I hated doing multiple choice questions. Some people said having more choices was always good. As for me, I said that more choices signified more piles of dead brain cells. For someone like me, greedy yet at a loss, in front of choices, if I didn’t want both, or if I wanted to cautiously observe the Red Rose White Rose Theory [1], then I felt giving up on that choice was forever better. This time, I didn’t need to use my brain. Doing as God said, was enough!

I asked Julie: “Julie, if someone you’re very familiar with suddenly wears less and less, and his body is also super hot and he even stands in front of you, and you start salivating, is that normal?”

Julie drank a sip of water and asked me: “Are you talking about Fang Yuke?”

The hand that I was using to shove melon seeds in my mouth stopped in midair: “How did you know?”

Julie disdainfully said, “On the day that you started salivating, the swimming pool’s average depth increased by a centimeter. How can I not know about it?”

“Was it that obvious?......”

My face was a little red. Luckily, it had gotten dark and she couldn’t see.

“But, Fang Yuke’s figure is indeed very good.Ever since he took off those glasses, he looks like he’s matured a lot, and he’s become hotter. This time, he’s really drop dead handsome!”

I heard Julie swallow her saliva for a moment. Alas…

I sighed: “In the past, I used to always complain that I didn’t know any handsome guys. Before, at a boarding school in high school, I incessantly hiccuped. No matter how much water I drank, I couldn’t stop. My roommate always loved to say that there were be some handsome guys asking about me in the morning. If it was like this, I would immediately stop hiccuping. It was indeed very humiliating. Right now, there are hot guys , and they’re all friends. It’s really hard to make a move, otherwise I could just take liberties with him. After all, taking liberties with a hot guy is the bigger dream than testing into Peking University.”

“Why can’t you take advantage of them? It’s easier to take advantage of them when you know them. As I see it, the way Fang Yuke looks at you is sure different. According to my keen intuition, I have already sniffed out some intimate feelings between you two. Hmph…"

I laughed: “Are you too smitten with love? Your words are sure grievous. If your New Zealand boyfriend hears of it, he’ll be broken-hearted.”

During winter break, Julie had become acquainted with a New Zealand friend. Right now, he was currently fiercely pursuing Julie, on the offensive side.

It was rare for Julie to be sad as she said, “In the past, I despised online love affairs. If I really am to court him, won’t it be slapping myself on the mouth? Plus, dating between two parties from the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere- don’t even mention the fact that there are no common subjects. We don’t even have the same time zones or the same holidays. No one knows if we’ll have a future.”

This was the first time I saw Julie so unconfident. In front of love, no matter if your IQ or EQ was high, you would always worry about personal gains and losses, prudently getting up.

The next day, I received Ru Ting’s invitation card.

When I went to my second class, I secretly took out my invitation card and carefully read it. The cover had a red maple fluttering in the breeze, like flowery red clouds. Ru Ting wore a white tiny muslim dress, standing alone with the red wood like a noble princess, like an elegant fairy.

I opened the invitation. Inside, was Ru Ting’s beautiful script:

Zhou Lin Lin,

March 5th is my 18th birthday. Fortunately, I have invited you to witness a significant turning point in my life. I hope you can bring a male companion and attend my rites of passage party together.

Your Ru Ting.

Underneath the main text, marked the party time and address. In the lower right corner there was also a row of typed little characters: The situation demands it. We ask that you wear formal dress and attend.

I touched the envelope of the invitation card and sighed to Heaven about the unfairness of life. First, why was she only 18 years old? And when I was 18 years old, I was still burning my head off due to the entrance exam the coming year. Second, why did she want to take a photo that resembled Xiaolongnu (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolongn%C3%BC) and the wuxia maidens everywhere? Based on what did all my photos look wanton like Jade from Dragon Inn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Dragon_Gate_Inn)? Third, why did her family even have a coming of age party, but I had to insist and press on for quite a while, before I only received a 9 inch little cake?!

Also, there was another point, and it was the most important point. Based on what did she celebrate her birthday while I was still pondering over which male partner to bring, distressed, and we even had to wear formal dress? I indignantly saw that on the cover of the invitation card, in tiny-like flies of small characters, as replying officially to a subordinate: You are obviously just showing off your invitation card! I looked askance at the distant Ru Ting. At that moment, she was whispering to Fang Yuke. fang Yuke pensively nodded his head, and softly said some things to her.

Alas, if I really wanted to say it, from the beginning, Ru Ting was basically an invitation card sent by heaven to provoke me. Their family financial situation was very well off, she looked pretty, she was successful in her studies, and she had a childhood sweetheart, who was her boyfriend, who loved her to death.If we really were to talk about her smallest defect, then that would be that she was surrounded by jealous girls who had never been genuine and sincere.

After computer class finished, Ru Ting even especially walked over, and acted coquettishly as she said, “Lin Lin, remember you must come~~ If you don’t come, I may be very disappointed.”

I trembled as goose bumps formed on my skin, and laughed as I pursed my mouth, not speaking. Because in my heart, I had an intense thinking battle: If I participated, I had to buy formal attire- within a budget of 500 dollars, the birthday present would have be within a budget of 200 dollars. As for cheating a guy to participate with me- I had a budget of 100 dollars to invite someone to the party. Totalling it all out, this month, all my living expenses would be squandered on a bad investment.. If I didn’t participate, what excuse could I give? I couldn’t say “My relationship with you is not sufficient enough to make me run out of food for a month” right?

Ru Ting saw that I was not responding and immediately softly said, “Xiao Xi bro will be there. You can find him to be your male partner~~”

Seeing that she had put Xiao Xi as my male partner, I happily immediately nodded my head and agreed. Of course, I still knew myself, and I would definitely not actually invite Xiao Xi to participate in this type of an occasion. First, let’s not talk about how the other party wouldn’t accept, but if he agreed, my delicate spirit would throb for a month leading to my life becoming a disaster!

Examining myself, I was really filthy and not good for people. The other person had invited me to her birthday, so I would first drop my money and cover my eyes when it came to my financial affairs. She enthusiastically helped me pull strings and set me up yet I couldn’t be thankful. Instead, I was very jealous. Usually, when I didn’t have anything to do, I would even hope that she would hang some rules over, and let my chest be at equilibrium for a moment. Liking someone was like wading in mud and water. Even if you didn’t do it, you still weren’t clean. Since I hoped for the other person to be heartless to the end, yet I hoped that the other person would leave some memories for me. In short, I was a common person, a great common person!

Returning to the dormitory, I showed my invitation card to Julie, while letting her exert her huge potential lover database. She helped me find some clothing to wear to the party.

Julie lay on the bed, fanning herself with the invitation card as it echoed with a ‘palapala’ sound: “What do you think youth is? Youth is for you to show off. If you don’t show off, you won’t live. Even this rotten birthday requires you to rise up to the occasion like you are attending someone’s 80 year birthday, understand? Lin Lin, don’t attend in formal dress. Wear sportswear from head to toe and go out. See if they’ll kick you out. Girls think that they’re shooting Meteor Garden [3] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_Garden), even going out of their way to do this. Does she want to be like Teng Tang Jing [2]? Maybe she’ll even send you a pair of shoes and tell you that every girl needs a pair of good shoes. If she really gives it to you then stick the heel of the shoe into her forehead.”

“I cannot bear to see this type of people who pretend they are pure and kind when in reality the flirtatious behavior in their heart cannot be beat.

I laughed and asked Julie: “ Are you hating on the rich right now? Upon self reflection today, I realised that I am just a commoner, but how come you are also a commoner? From which angle did you manage to see her flirtatious heart? What if she really ends up being a dignified ladylike Tang Teng Jing!”

“ Amongst all the ladies, I hate Tang Teng Jing the most. I will quarrel with whoever says that she’s perfect. On earth, the most selfish and hypocritical people are these types of people. They always say they don’t want it when their heart wants everything.Say, do you think the wealthy daughters are easily like this? Obviously they are greedy and never satisfied, like a snake swallowing an elephant but they also want to pretend they are not placing themselves above the common populace. As for why, I feel her literary excellence, is pure. But since this is a girl's intuition, I won’t be able to communicate these types of thoughts with a tomboy like you easily.”

I filtered out the last sentence: “If she is Teng Tang Jing, then does that mean I am the invulnerable Shan Cai who keeps fighting on despite the odds?” My expression became blurred as I began to fantasize about the handsome F4 [5] behind me.

The moment Julie heard these words, she used her pillow to smash onto my infatuated face: “If you are Shan Cai then I am Dao Ming Si’s mom. Just based off of your pragmatic behavior, giving a bit of a sweet taste is called someone with no mind of their own like a grandpa. So how can you keep fighting despite the setbacks and not be destroyed? Making threats and promises, which one can you carry on your shoulders?”

TLN: Dao Ming Si is another character from Meteor Garden. Just go check out the Meteor links provided for u.

I pouted. Even though I often analyzed my self-ego quite often, allowing someone else to confirm that I was indeed a common person so obviously made me a little out of sorts.

[1] **The Red Rose White Rose Theory: Are red roses or white roses cute? A man married the white rose. The white rose became the rice tidbits before marriage while that red rose became a guy’s ideal cinnabar mole. The man married the red rose, and the red rose became a touch of mosquito blood on the wall while that white rose became the strands of moonlight in front of the bed. (https://www.douban.com/note/99312319/)

[2] Teng Tang Jing is the character from Meteor Garden. She basically rescues the MC from embarrassment when she wears something low class to a high class party, gives her a pair of expensive shoes and says" wear good shoes and they'll bring you to good places"

[3] Meteor Garden: Popular Taiwanese drama.

Synopsis: The story centers around a poor teenage girl named Shancai (Barbie Shu), who at the insistence of her parents goes to a university for rich people. The university is dominated by Dao Ming Si (Jerry Yan), Hua Ze Lei (Vic Zhou), Mei Zuo (Vanness Wu) and Xi Men (Ken Chu), four rich and handsome but arrogant students collectively known as 'F4', short for 'Flower 4'. They are heirs to four rich and influential families in Taiwan. They terrorize the school by handing out red cards to those they do not like, which allows other students to bully the victims until they leave the school.

After one of Shancai's friends receives the wrath of F4's leader, Dao Ming Si, Shancai stands up to Dao Ming Si and berates him, which in turn results in a red card of her own. However, Shancai's persistence in standing up for what is right gradually gains F4's respect and Dao Ming Si falls in love with her. (wikipedia)

[4] Shan Cai is the main character of Meteor Garden. More info -->https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_Garden

[5] F4 is a group at the school, made up of four arrogant boys who are nicknamed "Flower 4". They are heirs to four rich and influential families in Taiwan. They terrorize the school by handing out red cards to those they do not like, which allows other students to bully the victims until they leave the school.

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