Outside the gates of Futian Academy, Du Cheng, dressed in a white shirt and jeans, awaited Gu Sixin's arrival. To prevent Xin'er from ruining his first "date" with Gu Sixin, Du Cheng had put her on standby.
The outfit, which cost no more than two hundred yuan in total, was undoubtedly the cheapest at Futian Academy, a school known for its aristocratic reputation. However, for Du Cheng, it was his most expensive outfit.
Because he had no money, Du Cheng's clothes mostly consisted of cheap garments from street vendors. The most expensive thing he wore was a pair of Peak shoes he had bought at a 30% discount from a Peak store, which cost him less than 100 yuan.
However, Du Cheng didn't care much about his appearance. He wasn't rich, so he didn't try to pretend he was, nor did he care about the disdainful looks from others. Besides, the scorn he had received over the years was enough for most people to endure for a lifetime.
Gu Sixin didn't keep Du Cheng waiting long. Less than five minutes after Du Cheng arrived at Futian Academy, Gu Sixin's tall figure appeared before him.
Her hair was pulled up in a casual bun, and two silver crescent-shaped earrings hung from her snow-white earlobes, giving her a touch of elegance. Gu Sixin didn't usually wear makeup, but she had applied a light pink lip gloss. Her curled eyelashes fluttered, and along with her lively eyes, she was very charming.
Gu Sixin was simply wearing a white t-shirt with a Mickey Mouse print, tight jeans that showed off her long and beautiful legs, and a pair of white canvas sneakers, which somehow matched Du Cheng's outfit.
But in Du Cheng's eyes, none of this paled in comparison to the warm, soul-comforting smile on Gu Sixin's face.
Some people are born to attract attention like a spotlight, and Gu Sixin is undoubtedly one of the best.
Although it was Saturday, there were still many students coming and going from Futian Academy. The arrival of Gu Sixin, one of the three goddesses of Futian Academy, known as the "Smiling Goddess," undoubtedly attracted the attention of all the men around her.
"Du Cheng, I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Seeing Du Cheng had arrived first, Gu Sixin approached him with a hint of apology and told him that if she hadn't suddenly decided to buy lip gloss before leaving home, she would have arrived before Du Cheng.
"It's okay, I just got here too." Du Cheng smiled and said that a smile is very easy to use to bring two people closer. Seeing Gu Sixin's warm smile, Du Cheng felt his mind and body involuntarily relax.
At the same time, Du Cheng could feel at least dozens of disdainful, angry, and envious stares converging on him. In fact, with his enormously sharpened hearing, he could even hear some boys uttering insults. However, over the years, Du Cheng had become desensitized to these things, so he remained unfazed.
Hearing that, Gu Sixin's smile brightened even more, and she said, "Then let's go. We had arranged on the phone to eat first. But Du Cheng, are you really treating me to dinner?"
Du Cheng let out a soft chuckle and said, "Well, as long as you don't mind if the places I take you are low-class, it's fine."
"I'm not picky about food. I'd be happy with a two-yuan bowl of vegetarian noodles." Gu Sixin knew Du Cheng was joking and knew his situation. Of course, she wouldn't ask him to take her to a luxury restaurant. Besides, Gu Sixin wasn't a woman who sought extravagance or vanity.
"Then let's go." Of course, Du Cheng would never take Gu Sixin to eat a two-yuan bowl of vegetarian noodles. However, Du Cheng didn't specify where they were going. He simply told Gu Sixin, and then they walked together towards the busiest main street in F City.
Shortly after Du Cheng and Gu Sixin left, a red sports car parked at the corner far away came roaring to the academy gate. Inside the car, Du Yunlong watched Du Cheng and Gu Sixin with eyes full of jealousy and resentment.
"Damn it! You think you can date Sixin? Dream on!" Du Yunlong spoke vehemently, and as he spoke, he took out his phone and dialed a number.
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As they walked along the main street, Du Cheng and Gu Sixin were side by side, chatting about some interesting things that had happened at school.
Du Cheng was very eloquent, and after the further development of his intellect, his mind became even clearer. Gu Sixin was also a very talkative girl, and they both chatted and laughed as if they had known each other forever.
However, as they walked, Du Cheng deliberately kept a safe distance of two body lengths from Gu Sixin. It wasn't because Du Cheng was ashamed and didn't dare get too close to her, but because he didn't want such a charming girl like Gu Sixin to attract strange looks for getting too close to him, a known outcast.
Even so, Du Cheng was already very satisfied. Moreover, gazing so closely at Gu Sixin's smooth and beautiful profile, as white as jade, Du Cheng felt as if he were dreaming.
"Du Cheng, what are you looking for?" Gu Sixin didn't notice Du Cheng's intention; instead, she asked him with some curiosity. Gu Sixin noticed that Du Cheng seemed to be looking for something as he spoke, which made her quite curious.
"I'm looking for a place, it seems to be nearby." Du Cheng looked around and soon his gaze fell on a small stir-fry stall, simply decorated and somewhat old-fashioned. He thought to himself with a sigh, "It's been more than three years. I didn't expect the stir-fry stall to still be here."
After thinking for a moment, Du Cheng said to Gu Sixin, "Gu Sixin, come on, this is the place."
"Mhm." Gu Sixin nodded, showing no dissatisfaction or hesitation despite the simplicity and old-fashioned nature of the small stir-fry stall.
However, Gu Sixin was somewhat curious, as Du Cheng wasn't just looking for any small stir-fry stall; it seemed this place had some meaning for him. After entering, Gu Sixin asked Du Cheng, "Du Cheng, were you looking for Ah Pang's Stir-Fry Shop?" The name of this stir-fry restaurant is Ah Pang's Stir-Fry Shop.
"Yes, my mother specially brought me here for a good meal when I turned sixteen." Du Cheng remembered that back then, his mother worked overtime at a paper mill at night and earned more than 200 yuan. She bought him new clothes, and they came here for a big meal.
This was also the last time Du Cheng remembered it. His mother's health was already delicate, and the extra work and sleepless nights exhausted her physically. One day, she fell down the stairs on her way home from work and never woke up again.
Thinking of this, Du Cheng's eyes reddened, but he quickly regained his composure. He then led Gu Sixin to a table for two in the corner of the food stall and said softly, "My mother and I used to sit here, hehe."
Although Du Cheng tried to suppress his emotions, Gu Sixin noticed the sadness in his eyes. Gu Sixin thought it was her fault and immediately told Du Cheng apologetically, "I'm sorry, Du Cheng, I shouldn't have brought it up."
"It's okay, it's been so many years, after all," Du Cheng said with a faint smile, dispelling the sadness he felt in his heart. He then pulled out a chair for Gu Sixin and said, "Sit down, although this place is a bit simple, the food is good."
"Mm," Gu Sixin nodded, placed her bag in front of her chest, and sat down.
Du Cheng sat down opposite Gu Sixin, but he didn't just sit idly. He took several cheap paper napkins from the box next to him and began to wipe the table in front of Gu Sixin.
Watching Du Cheng's movements, Gu Sixin suddenly felt a wave of warmth in her heart. However, there seemed to be something else hidden in her eyes, and she hesitated to speak. Du Cheng, who was wiping the table, did not notice.
Meanwhile, an auntie from the small food stall saw Du Cheng and Gu Sixin sit down and walked over to them with the menu. However, the auntie's gaze was somewhat strange. She looked at Du Cheng, then at Gu Sixin, and shook her head slightly.
Du Cheng clearly witnessed that small gesture. He knew why the auntie had shaken her head; it was undoubtedly because of his famous limp and Gu Sixin's beauty. However, Du Cheng didn't care. Instead, he took the menu and said to Gu Sixin, "Gu Sixin, you order."
"Ehm." Gu Sixin took the menu, glanced through it, and then simply ordered some simple side dishes, a bowl of oyster and tofu soup, and two bowls of white rice.
Between laughter and chatter, the food arrived quickly. Although Gu Sixin came from a wealthy family, she enjoyed the simple meal. However, just as Du Cheng had said, the dishes at Ah Pang's Stir-Fry restaurant were indeed very good, except they used too much monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Just as Du Cheng and Gu Sixin were enjoying their lunch, several special guests entered the stir-fry restaurant. Six young men, dressed somewhat suspiciously, were clearly gangsters. After entering, one of them, who seemed to be the leader, glanced around the stir-fry shop, then walked towards Du Cheng and Gu Sixin with a malicious smile and sat down at a large table next to them.