A Round Trip To Love

Chapter 3

Lu Feng going for self-study could be used as an idiom, its meaning: a phenomenon that rarely or doesn't ever happen.

Most of his time was spent outside of school fighting and getting himself in trouble. (As mentioned before, this was our school's main source of dirty income.) 

Just recently, he had broken a neighboring school's gang leader's arm using a chair, giving him a notorious name among the high schoolers in the district. It was the generation where school violence was all the rage; those who watched too many gangster films imitated their actions and struck fast and hard, gang leaders were appointed if they were capable of smashing beer bottles on others' heads with no mercy and were thought to be heroic. 

Being one of the leader's favourite followers, I was envied by many. Only I, however, understood the feeling of not wishing to be dragged down by this fellow who was capable of insulting the discipline master's line of ancestors in his best voice right after exiting his office where he had just been reprimanded in. 

"Xiao Chen, let's go ice skating. I'll treat you." 

"No, I've done nothing to deserve it." 

This sort of conversation was common between us. Lu Feng was rich, naturally, he was generous towards his friends. However, I was one who would never accept any benefits from anyone without having earned them. Dad had strictly taught me and my brother from young with the help of the feather duster: "Firstly, don't ever steal. Secondly, don't ever be greedy." By greedy, he meant gaining petty advantages. So between Lu Feng and I, we draw a clear line when it comes to matters of money. Even when we go hiking and get a bottle of mineral water, I would pay him back every single cent. I saw myself as being upright by doing this, but Lu Feng often got angry because of this. 

As expected, he angrily knitted his brows as he stared at me. After staring for a while and realising I was not in the least bit shaken, he changed his tone. 

"You definitely deserve this. Let's go for two rounds and take it as a means of expressing my gratitude to you." 

"Huh?" 

"That essay you helped me complete the last time, it won the first prize in the competition. My father was generous with the reward he gave me." 

I froze, stunned. 

Seriously? How did that happen? That nonsensical essay actually got the first prize? 

Why did things turn out this way? I had never won a single prize for the essays I wrote, and for merely three chicken drumsticks, I've given the prize away to him... 

In those days, ice skating was popular amongst the high schoolers, reason being the lights and atmosphere there was suitable for some hanky-panky. Boys would bring pretty girls to skate in hopes of becoming closer, openly holding their hands or touching their waists under the guise of teaching, even planning their falls carefully such that the girl would end up in their arms when they fall. Most of the time, the relationship between two people would be brought to the next level after having skated together, and if luck's on their side, they might hit a homerun. 

When we were changing our shoes outside, many people greeted Lu Feng. "Ah Feng, you didn't bring a pretty girl here today?" "Ah Feng, you're alone?" 

Damn it, does being a man mean that I'm not human?

Having not had the experience of even touching a female's hand before, I got annoyed. "Hey, it seems like you're rather promiscuous. Exactly how many girls have you skated with?"