October 19th, Saturday.
In the morning, Lin Li was riding his bicycle to school. While waiting at the red light, he contacted Bai Bufan on his phone.
"Lin Li: I’m almost at the school gate. Are you up yet? Get ready to come out."
——The two had agreed to meet and go to Nansang Railway Station together.
Chen Yu Ying and Ding Sihan also confirmed they would join the live ammunition experience, but they would be dropped off directly at the station by their families, so they’d see each other at the train station, not at school.
"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!"
"Come on, Bai Bufan, tell your family, what the hell is your ’OK’?"
After waiting for twenty minutes without seeing anyone or getting a response, Lin Li furiously banged on Bai Bufan’s dorm door.
The dorm door was opened, and though Bai Bufan was fully dressed, his hair was still messy. Facing the furious Lin Li, he could only apologize and say:
"This time there’s really a reason, my eyes seemed to have a problem."
"What happened?" Lin Li frowned upon hearing this.
"It’s nothing, it’s fine now. I managed to open them. Man, when I couldn’t open them this morning, it scared me to death. It was really thrilling," Bai Bufan said with a face full of lingering fear.
So not being able to open your eyes is a problem, huh?
"Great! Mountain! Meteorite! Fist!"
Fortunately, the dorm was nearly empty over the weekend, otherwise, Bai Bufan couldn’t believe how many people would hear his screams.
"Wait a bit, just need to dry my hair and we’re good to go."
Bai Bufan grabbed a hairdryer, with wet hair, and left the dorm, leading Lin Li to the first floor of the dormitory.
There were a few rows of outlets that students could use here.
——Inside the Nansang Middle School student dormitory, you couldn’t find a single outlet with power, even the ones meant for air conditioner power were sealed.
Currently being charged, besides the two public hairdryers constantly stationed there, were several desk lamps and power banks.
"Strictly check these power banks, they must be hiding phones," Lin Li immediately deduced the truth.
There were even some two-in-one desk lamp power banks. All students, doesn’t Lin Li know why they would buy such a thing?
"I suspect you only said that because you saw one of those power banks is mine," Bai Bufan said, flipping him off, before starting to dry his hair.
"There are public hairdryers here, why bring your own?"
Lin Li, with nothing to do while waiting, asked.
"Watch the VCR." Bai Bufan nodded his chin, pointing to a notice posted on the wall.
"Prohibited to use hairdryer below the neck! Offenders will have their photos posted!"
Remember, every seemingly absurd rule hides a strange story behind it.
This "again" in the notice contains many stories.
"Lin Li, do you know how horrifying it is when you’re drying your hair and suddenly a curly hair flies out of the hairdryer?" Bai Bufan said calmly.
"Maybe it’s just naturally curly."
"But the hair was quite coarse."
"Everyone’s hair texture is different."
"Lin Li, do I have to say it was pubic hair for you to understand?"
"Hahaha—" That sent Lin Li into fits of laughter.
"Someone actually used the public hairdryer to roast chicken? There’s surveillance in this corridor, right? That person must be quite the character..." Lin Li was relieved he didn’t have to live in the dorm.
Even in the best of schools, there will always be people with low manners; there’s no doubting that.
After Bai Bufan finished drying his hair, he put his power bank and hairdryer back in the dorm, and then they left school, heading for a bus stop half a block away from the school gate.
They took their time, no need to rush. It was both Lin Li and Bai Bufan’s first time taking a high-speed train, so they left plenty of time, otherwise Lin Li wouldn’t have waited twenty minutes without getting a response from Bai Bufan and not killed him.
On Saturday morning, even the station wasn’t crowded.
Bai Bufan glanced at the timetable posted nearby, turned back and said, "The next one is in about five minutes."
"OK, why not take a taxi instead of the bus?" Lin Li nodded, stretched, and then asked. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel(ꜰ)ire.net
"Because I think since you’re treating me to an outing, I should treat you to something in return.
After all, maintaining a relationship requires give and take, so I thought, if you handle the outing part, I’ll handle the transportation.
But when I checked last night, a taxi from the school to the station was fifty, compared to the bus, which is four for two people, much more cost-effective, so the bus is more appropriate.
When we get on, don’t be polite with me, pick any seat you like, as if it’s your own car."
Bai Bufan had his reasons, his voice booming.
"Oh, so this is the ’give and take’ you’re talking about?"
However, Lin Li glanced at his phone, puzzled:
"Fifty? How could it be such a ridiculous price? Did you check this in the middle of the night? Prices are definitely higher then. I just checked, and at this time, it’s only eighteen."
Upon hearing this, Bai Bufan looked at Lin Li, scratching his head awkwardly:
"Hehe, you caught me. Actually, it was only twenty when I checked last night. I just felt if I said I was unwilling to spend even twenty on you, it would make me seem stingy. Right? But saying fifty sounds like a lot more, doesn’t it?"
Bai Bufan is going farther and farther down Bai Bufan’s path.
But the bus goes directly to Nansang Station, so it’s not inconvenient, and it won’t take much longer.
The usual choice is to take a taxi because the bus can’t reach directly and requires some walking at the end.