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Zhao Wanqiu listened intently for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yi, what song are you whistling? It sounds really nice!"
The light and melodious whistle prelude of "Whistle" carried a fresh, innocent vibe. However, in reality, it was a somewhat suggestive song. In his previous life, when Fang Yi saw the music video for "Whistle," he instantly felt uncomfortable.
"Want to learn?"
"Mhm, mhm!" Zhao Wanqiu nodded like a pecking chick.
Soon, the whistling turned into two people. Shen Hao looked at the two with envy; he also wanted to whistle, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't learn.
Fang Yi's family lived in the Anchor Chain Factory residential complex. Most of the residents in the complex were workers at the Anchor Chain Factory. Although during last year's Spring Festival Gala, Huang Hong loudly proclaimed in a skit, "Workers should think for the country, if I don't get laid off, who will?", in reality, workers were still the mainstream group in many towns. Especially the Anchor Chain Factory, which was quite famous in Jiangzhen City, a fourth-tier small city at the time.
Half an hour later, the three rode their bicycles into the complex. Returning to the complex, Fang Yi felt no particular emotion, because the complex looked the same now as it would more than ten years later. News of this complex being demolished had circulated for a long time, but there had been no movement until Fang Yi's rebirth.
After bidding farewell to his two childhood friends, Fang Yi effortlessly walked into his own unit building. Third floor, unit 302!
"I'm back!" He had barely knocked twice when the main door was pulled open from inside.
"Back, so what? Do I need to give you an award? Go take a shower, you reek of sweat!" Zhuang Shufen frowned, glancing disapprovingly at her son.
Yep, biological mom, no doubt about it! Old Zhuang and Old Fang's thinking was very trendy back then; while others wanted a son, they wanted a daughter. Especially Zhuang Shufen – she supposedly had a long face in the delivery room when the nurse told her it was a boy. Who was Fang Yi to reason with that?
Casually tossing his school bag onto the sofa, Fang Yi picked up the teapot from the table and gulped down some herbal tea. Seeing him drink directly from the teapot, Zhuang Shufen, annoyed, slapped him on the shoulder. "Are you trying to die? There's a cup right there, and you don't even know to use it!"
"Alright, alright, next time for sure!" Fang Yi casually brushed her off with a smile, picked up his change of clothes, and walked into the bathroom.
After a refreshing cold shower, Fang Yi came out to the living room, wiping his hair. The apartments in the Anchor Chain Factory complex were small, with an actual usable area of only about sixty square meters: two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom. The sofa, coffee table, and dining table already firmly occupied the living room space.
Just as he was about to sit on the sofa and enjoy the electric fan for a bit, Zhuang Shufen came out of the kitchen with half a chilled watermelon. Fang Yi's eyes lit up. He quickly took the watermelon, and just as he was about to find a spoon to try a bite, Zhuang Shufen said, "Eat it when you get back. Take this half of the watermelon to Wanqiu's house!"
Hearing this, Fang Yi pouted, "Mom, were Wanqiu and I swapped at the hospital? Is she your real daughter?"
"Heh, if only that were true, I'd wake up laughing in my dreams." Zhuang Shufen rolled her eyes at him, waving her hand, "Hurry up and go!"
Tsk! Fang Yi walked out the door, bare-chested, carrying the watermelon.
Zhao Wanqiu came from a single-parent family; her father died in a work accident not long after she was born. Her mother, Wang Juan, showed the resilience of a Sichuan-Chongqing woman. She never remarried, choosing instead to raise Zhao Wanqiu alone. Many times, Wang Juan couldn't take care of Zhao Wanqiu due to overtime work and would entrust Zhuang Shufen to look after her. It's no exaggeration to say that Zhao Wanqiu spent half of her childhood at Fang Yi's house. Zhuang Shufen herself liked daughters and sympathized with Wang Juan's predicament. Coupled with Zhao Wanqiu's petite and adorable appearance, her treatment was directly on par with her own son.
Zhao Wanqiu's house was on the fifth floor of the opposite unit building. By the time Fang Yi arrived at her door, he was once again covered in sweat. Well, that shower was for nothing!
He knocked on the door, and after a while, Zhao Wanqiu finally opened it. She seemed to have just showered; her short, wet hair was a bit messy, and she wore a sleeveless t-shirt. Her skin was naturally very good, fair and delicate, and after a shower, she looked even more radiant.
Fang Yi sniffed the fresh scent and handed over the watermelon. "My mom asked me to bring this for you to eat!"
"Oh, thank you, Aunt Zhuang!" Zhao Wanqiu took the watermelon and thanked him.
"I'll head back now!"
"Wait a moment!" Zhao Wanqiu said, then turned and scurried back into the house in her small slippers. Soon, she came back to the door, carrying a plastic bag. "These are sausages my mom brought back from her hometown last time, spicy ones. Take them back for Aunt Zhuang to try."
"See ya!" Taking the bag, Fang Yi waved and turned to leave.
"Brother Yi!" After only two steps, Zhao Wanqiu's voice rang out again from behind him.
Fang Yi stopped and turned, asking, "Is there anything else?"
"Which university are you planning to apply to?" Zhao Wanqiu asked casually.
"I…" Fang Yi smiled, just about to speak, when a sudden thought flashed through his mind. Looking at her natural expression, Fang Yi changed his answer: "I feel like my recent review has been pretty good. I have hope of making a push for Jinda University."
"Oh, I see!" Hearing this, Zhao Wanqiu nodded.
This silly girl, in his previous life, did she end up in a second-tier university because of him? Fang Yi remembered that in his previous life, Zhao Wanqiu had asked him this question before the college entrance exam, but at that time, he wasn't confident in himself, so he replied that at best he could only get into a second-tier university. The result was that he performed exceptionally well on the exam and got into a first-tier university, while Zhao Wanqiu surprisingly ended up in a second-tier one.
He hadn't thought much of it before, as there were many cases of people failing the college entrance exam. But now, upon careful consideration, Fang Yi sensed a different underlying meaning.
Hiss! Brother Qiu, don't cause trouble! I seriously treat you as a brother!