Rebirth in a Shura Field, but in an Abstract Version

088 Girl's Little Bites of Sorrow

On the evening before the National Day holiday, a restless atmosphere permeated the campus of Shanghai University of Hong Kong.

Room 404 was also a scene of bustling activity.

Fang Gang was stuffing clothes into his suitcase, Wei Jing was fixing his hair one last time in front of the mirror, and Luo Yueshi was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the remaining train tickets on his phone.

"Hey, what are your plans for the holiday?" Fang Gang asked casually as he tried to close the suitcase that was packed full.

Luo Yueshi sighed and put his phone back in his pocket: "I'm not going back. The round trip to Guangdong is too expensive, and a lot of time is spent on the road. I plan to stay in my dorm for the next seven days, read some books, or go to the library."

"Tsk, you must be so lonely," Fang Gang shook his head. "I need to go back and check. I've already bought the tickets for tomorrow morning."

Wei Jing also threw the comb on the table, picked up an extremely flashy backpack, and said, "I'm going home too. I'll have dinner later and then leave."

Fang Gang asked instinctively, "Airplane or train?"

Wei Jing paused for a moment, then revealed a smug smile: "The subway."

Fang Gang: "Grass."

After their bickering ended, the two of them turned their gazes to Wang Zhe, who was slowly and methodically packing a few changes of clothes.

"Old Wang, what about you? Are you going back to Chengdu?" Fang Gang asked.

Wang Zhe folded a T-shirt and put it in his backpack, then shook his head: "No, I'm going out for team building with my company."

"Company? Oh, you mean that game company?" Fang Gang realized. "Where are we going for team building?"

Wang Zhe zipped up his backpack and said casually, "My senior is treating us to a trip to Hangzhou to visit West Lake."

The dormitory was silent for two seconds.

Immediately afterwards, three unanimous "Holy shit!"s rang out.

Although everyone used the same words of exclamation, the reasons for their envy were completely different.

Luo Yueshi pushed up his glasses, his eyes full of longing: "Someone is paying for the trip, and it's even to Hangzhou... How wonderful! I've never been to West Lake before."

Fang Gang sighed, "That senior is so capable! She's buying you computers and treating you to trips. Old Wang, even if your business with her fails in the end, you'll definitely make a fortune just from all the free food and drinks you've gotten along with her."

Wei Jing's focus was clearly not on the scenery or the money.

"Hey, Su Xiaocheng will definitely be there too, right?"

Wang Zhe nodded: "Besides Senior Zhu Qi, myself, Su Xiaocheng, and two senior students from the Computer Science Department, we also came together."

"Third wheels don't matter!" Wei Jing automatically ignored the two senior students. "The important thing is having beautiful girls with you on the trip! Think about it, Zhu Qi, that tomboy, may be a bit arrogant, but she's really good-looking. And Su Xiaocheng, the legal loli, goes without saying. Two top-tier beauties traveling around West Lake together, Lao Wang, what kind of heavenly life are you living?!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next morning, a black Audi pulled up smoothly in front of the boys' dormitory.

As Wang Zhe came downstairs with his bag, the car window rolled down. Zhu Qi, wearing sunglasses, sat in the driver's seat and gestured with her chin towards him: "Get in."

Wang Zhe walked over, opened the car door, and saw that his colleagues were already in place.

Su Xiaocheng was sitting in the passenger seat. She was wearing a light yellow sweatshirt, had her hair in a bun, and was holding a bag of potato chips. She really looked like a middle school student going on an autumn outing.

Two boys were already sitting in the back row; they were Zhang Hao and Li Wenjie.

Seeing this, Wang Zhe knew where he should sit.

He opened the left rear door and sat behind Zhu Qi.

"Good morning, everyone," Wang Zhe greeted.

"Good morning! Planner Wang!" Zhang Hao moved aside to give Wang Zhe some space.

Although there were three boys sitting in the back, including a fat guy in the middle, the Audi was spacious enough, and since Wang Zhe and Li Wenjie were both on the thinner side, it didn't feel too crowded.

"Everyone's here, let's go!"

Zhu Qi stepped on the gas and drove out of the campus.

Before long, the car got onto the elevated road and headed out of the city.

Watching Zhu Qi's skillful driving, Wang Zhe suddenly asked, "Senior, taking the highway is definitely the fastest way to get to Hangzhou. But normally, new drivers who haven't had their licenses for a year aren't allowed to drive on the highway alone. You've definitely been driving for more than a year, right?"

Zhu Qi glanced at him through the rearview mirror, a confident smile playing on her lips: "Of course. I got my driver's license the summer after my college entrance exam, so I have two years of driving experience. You can rest assured and ride with me."

"Alright then." Wang Zhe nodded.

Zhu Qi continued, "Even if we take the highway, this trip will still take at least three hours. And considering it's the National Day holiday, although we set off early, there might be traffic jams on the road, which will make it even slower. It will probably take four hours."

Zhang Hao, sitting in the back, munched on some potato chips he'd been given, and laughed, "The boss not only paid for it but also put in the effort to drive. He's really worked hard."

Zhu Qi sighed and glanced at them wistfully through the rearview mirror: "If any one of you had a driver's license, it would make things a little easier for me."

Wang Zhe was somewhat surprised: "Does nobody have a driver's license?"

Li Wenjie pushed up his glasses and said matter-of-factly, "What's the use of a driver's license if I don't own a car? Learning to drive costs money and takes time."

Zhang Hao chimed in, "That's right, it's not too late to learn after we've made money and bought a car."

Su Xiaocheng turned around in front and said, "I haven't studied it either. I'm not interested in cars. Besides, being a passenger is much more comfortable than driving."

Wang Zhe smiled and said, "I have a driver's license. If you get tired, you can take turns driving with me."

Do you have a driver's license?

Zhu Qi couldn't help but laugh, "You really always manage to surprise me. Not only can you design games and know about stocks, but you can also drive. I'm starting to wonder if there's anything you can't do."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Su Xiaocheng listened to the joy in Zhu Qi's words and suddenly felt a little uneasy.

She turned her head to look at Zhu Qi's smiling profile, then turned to look at Wang Zhe in the back row.

The handsome young man was leaning back in his chair, looking relaxed with a faint smile on his lips.

For some reason, Su Xiaocheng felt that there was an inexplicable sense of compatibility between the two.

One is a wealthy and beautiful heiress, the other a talented young man. They chat so naturally, so tacitly, and even help each other out when starting their own business…

And what about myself? I'm like a child who can only draw.

Thinking of this, Su Xiaocheng couldn't help but feel a little angry.

A sour feeling spread through her chest, but she could only turn her head away angrily, staring blankly at the fleeting street scenes outside the window.

After exiting the highway, Zhu Qi, who had already started yawning, handed the steering wheel to Wang Zhe and sat in the passenger seat.

Because she had to give up her seat for Sister Qiqi, Su Xiaocheng reluctantly sat in Wang Zhe's original seat, which was directly behind the driver's seat.

The car re-entered the highway.

Wang Zhe adjusted the seat and rearview mirrors, started the car, and merged into the traffic. His movements were smooth and steady, not at all like a freshman who had just gotten his driver's license, but more like a seasoned driver with many years of experience.

"Wow, not bad at all." Zhu Qi nodded approvingly, then leaned back in her chair and tilted her head. "You understood the map just now, right? Can I rest now?"

"Sleep soundly." Wang Zhe gripped the steering wheel steadily.

After a while, Zhu Qi really fell asleep.

Wang Zhe turned the music in the car down a bit and drove more steadily.

Sitting in the back row, Su Xiaocheng watched the backs of the two people in front of her.

Zhu Qi fell asleep without any warning, and Wang Zhe considerately turned down the music and drove smoothly. This tacit understanding made Su Xiaocheng pout.

She took out her phone, intending to send a message to Song Zhiyi to complain, but after typing a few lines, she deleted it.

How can I talk to others about this kind of thing, this inexplicable little emotion?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.