For the Rest of My Life (有生之年） by Twentine ~ Chapter 1

Night 08:30 p.m.

He Li Zhen gets off the bus and takes a look at her watch. She knows that she arrives on time.

Now it’s August, the weather is a bit hot. He Li Zhen is holding her backpack and standing near the intersection on Xi Jing road. She is waiting for someone.

She stands there for a while and she slowly be dumbfounded. Her gaze is on the crowded area.

The time she is staring blankly, she suddenly hears a car horn and someone is calling her ——

“Li Zhen!”

He Li Zhen just regains herself and looks over. A red sedan car stops near by. The window of the car is lowered down and shows Shang Jie’s face.

“Come over quickly, I couldn’t stop here for a long time.”

He Li Zhen hears it and runs over. She gets on the front passenger seat. Shang Jie starts to drive again.

“I’m sorry I’m late, I’d matter that I need to handle before.”

“It’s okay.” He Li Zhen: “I was just arrived there too.”

Shang Jie drives and examines He Li Zhen from the corner of her eyes, He Li Zhen notices and feels uncomfortable “Drive safely ah, why are you keep on looking at me?”

“I want to see how is your condition.” Shang Jie says and nods: “You are okay, you don’t look like that you have received a great provocation.”

He Li Zhen laughs and says: “What else could happen to me.”

Shang Jie holds the steering wheel with one of her hand and takes out her cigarette box. She take one and smokes it. She opens up the window too.

He Li Zhen looks at her and reminds her about her smoking habit though she knows that it’s useless. “Smoke lesser.”

Shang Jie laughs and says: “I couldn’t, I’m addicted to it.”

He Li Zhen also knows that she couldn’t persuade her, she looks at the window.

“I don’t really know what you are scared of.” Shang Jie looks at the rear-viewed mirror. He Li Zhen is a skinny woman. She doesn’t reply so Shang Jie continues: “He is the one that cheats on his wife and someone saw it. Yet you are much more diffident than him. How could you not use this good chance.”

He Li Zhen doesn’t say anything, she looks at the scenery around her.

Shang Jie keeps on talking and talking, her tone feels cold.

“He just wanted to intimidate you for a while, he wanted to see your response. Who knows that you even couldn’t pass the first round. Oh that’s wrong, you even didn’t try to pass. I really have enough of it.” Shang Jie frowns.

“If I was the one that is in this situation, in three days I would let that “dog” leader to kneel down in front of me. At least fI would find someone that could move you to a key school. But now he would move to the good-for-nothing school. Yang Cheng is a county- level city right, you —-“

“Okay, that’s enough.” He Li Zhen cuts her off.

“That’s enough?” Shang Jie’s voice is a bit eye-piercing. “Okay if you like to go to that school to be a teacher, then just go! I just feel outraged by an justice, which is done to you, but you just say to me to forget it!”

He Li Zhen looks that Shang Jie is really furious, she coos her: “Okay, alright, don’t be angry anymore. You also know that I’m timid, I’m not like you.”

Shang Jie frowns and says fiercely. “If you keep on acting like this, in the future you would be bullied!”

He Li Zhen is patient, she calms her friend down. She is used too Shang Jie’s bad temper. They have been friends since they were senior high school students. It’s just Shang Jie didn’t finish her high school, she discontinued her studies. She didn’t go to school and started to work. These ten years she fought desperately till she could open up a garment factory. She is a successful person.

This matter is caused by a simple matter.

Recently He Li Zhen accidentally met the principal of the school another teaching research female student were having an affair. At first she wanted to act like nothing happens but the principal keeps on looking at her. They didn’t talk about it. Till yesterday, He Li Zhen got a notice that she is promoted to go to be a teacher at the third-rate high school of the county-level city.”

“Don’t go. Look for another job.” Shang Jie says.

“I have no background or connection. It’s hard to find a teaching position.” He LI Zhen says. “No matter what other say about that place. It’s still a regular school, I really need a job…..”

He Li Zhen’s voice is getting smaller. Shang Jie couldn’t help but to roll her eyes. He Li Zhen doesn’t want to talk about that matter anymore. She shifts the topic: “Oh right, you asked me out, where are we going?”

Hearing this, Shang Jie turns happy. She looks at He Li Zhen and says: “Of course we are going to find pleasure, I’m going to dispel worries for you.”

He Li Zhen says: “I’m not that worry too.”

Shang Jie says: “Then let’s dispel my worries.”

“What are you worrying about?”

Shang Jie sigh and says with hidden bitterness: “My youth’s splendor has faded, no one wants me.”

He Li Zhen laughs and says: “You are just a year older than me. This year you are just twenty seven years old.”

“Not ‘just’, but I ‘am’!” Shang Jie stresses and she smiles: “It’ll be too late if I don’t do it now.”

Shang Jie keeps on chattering, finally the car stops. “We are here.” She says.

He Li Zhen looks around.

Shang Jie takes her handbag and says: “Let’s go, get off the car.”

He Li Zhen follows her. “What place is this?” He Li Zhen asks.

“Just follow me.” Shang Jie holds her handbag and puts on her high heels.

He Li Zhen looks at the store entrance, the billboard of the store is very dark. It seems that they are purposely doing this. He Li Zhen tries her best to identify the name of the store. She reads the billboard — [ Xiu Ji (Rusty season)].

The time they are about to get in, someone comes outside. He LI Zhen could smell the heavy smell of alcohol. She couldn’t help but to take a step back. She pulls Shang Jie: “What is this place, let’s just leave.”

Shang Jie is someone that loves to have fun. She holds He Li Zhen’s hand and just drags her inside. “I just come back here after few months, why don’t you accompany me?”

“But—-“

“Let’s go!”

Shang Jie doesn’t wait for He Li Zhen’s response and drags her inside .

The time they are in, He Li Zhen starts to be dizzy. It’s so noisy inside. It makes her heart beats so quick. If it’s not for Shang Jie’s hold, He Li Zhen wouldn’t be able to stand straight.

The air is full of alcohol scent, it mixes with other perfumes and makes her be so dizzy. He Li Zhen lifts up her hand and covers her nose. She yells: “Shang Jie—-! It’s too noisy—-!”

Shang Jie hears her out and answers: “It’s okay—-! I’ll take you inside the private room!”

He Li Zhen is dragged and passed that a mad group. They stop in front of revolving door, Shang Jie lets He Li Zhen’s hand go. She takes out a card and shows it to the waiter.

The waiters look young.

After looking at the card, the waiters open the door and take Shang Jie and He Li Zhen inside.

The door is closed again and makes the noise becomes bearable. He Li Zhen is absent-minded.

“Li Zhen, He Li Zhen?”

Shang Jie calls her twice and looks at her with preposterous gaze. “What happened? How could you be so stupid?”

The time He Li Zhen regains herself, they are already inside a private room. The private room isn’t that big, but there’s quite some space. The sofa is soft, the room is decorated with multicolor lights. There’s a long glass table with a plate of fruits and wine list.

On the wall, there’s a large-scale LCD screen. There’s only a wave animation on the screen with a slow relaxed music

Shang Jie leans on the sofa relaxedly and picks a Hami melon with a fork and passes it to He Li Zhen.

“Do you want to eat fruits?”

He Li Zhen isn’t fully regained herself: “Could we just eat carelessly? How much is this plate of fruits?”

“Huh, you are too bumpkin. Have you ever eaten something outside your school’s dining hall ah?”

He Li Zhen sits there helplessly. Shang Jie says: “It’s okay, it’s okay, you could eat anything you want. Today I’ve told you that it’s my treat. Chill.”

She says it.

Then the door is opened, a waiter gets inside. He asks Shang Jie politely: “Excuse me, Miss…..”

Shang Jie is impatient, she just lets the man says half of his sentence. She chews the Hami melon and asks: “Call them in, call them in.”

The waiter bows down and says: “Alright, please wait for a while.”

He Li Zhen is confused and asks Shang Jie with a low voice: “What are you doing? Who are you calling in?”

Shang Jie turns her head and laughs mysteriously. “Just choose the one you like, don’t hold back.”

He Li Zhen is confused. Before she asks further question, the door is opened again.

Around six to seven young men get into the private room and do nothing. They just in the line and face them. Then they say to Shang Jie and He Li Zhen: “Good night Ke Ren (guests)!”

Those men have different ways of dressing. There’re ones with casual style, there’re ones with suits. Even they have different hair styles.

He Li Zhen is so shocked that she couldn’t say anything, yet Shang Jie is smiling happily. She looks around. Several men don’t say anything yet they smile at her.

Shang Jie seems to forget herself. When she lowers her head to let go of her cigarette, she just notices that He Li Zhen looks in low spirit, her face is so red. She pokes on He Li Zhen’s thigh and He Li Zhen shivers.

Shang Jie says: “What are you doing? Why are you lowering your head?”

He Li Zhen glances at her and says worriedly with a low voice: “What are you planning to do? Let’s just leave!”

“Why should we leave!”Shang Jie shifts her body and sits down beside He Li Zhen. She holds her shoulder and smiles to the men. “It’s my friend’s first time coming here. She is a bit nervous. You guys should be gentler in accompanying her to talk.”

Those men are glad. A man in a middle says: “What a coincidence! We also have a newbie with us.”

Shang Jie laughs and says: “Which one is a newbie?”

“Me.”

A man comes forward.