I just sat there in the dining room, silently watching their back view as they washed the dishes in the kitchen. I suddenly thought back to the times when I was a child, when I had been punished by my mother to do housework. I’d stand on a bench to wash the dishes in the kitchen, and Dongyu would come over and join me.

  Initially, I hated washing dishes to the core. It was dull and boring, but because of him, I came to enjoy it.

  Once, when we were fooling around, he accidentally splashed foam all over my face, and I accidentally ate most of it.

  The foam that the detergent had made in the water was bitter and astringent. I wrinkled my face at the taste of it.

  Dong Yu went downstairs and bought a bottle of Coke with his remaining allowance, urging me to drink it.

  Forced by him, I downed a whole can of Coke as he looked on and asked anxiously. “How is it?” he asked, looking nervous. “Still tasting the bitterness?”


  I stared at him for a long time before suddenly opening my mouth and letting out a loud burp.

  He was scared out of his wits, but when he saw me giggling like an idiot, he came up to me and took a sniff.

  “Yes! It smells like detergent!”


  I was so angry I chased him around the house and hit him.

  “It’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you, would I have eaten the foam?”


  As he dodged me, he teased, “That’s because you’re so stupid! Little fool! Little fool!”


  “I’ll teach you to call me stupid!”


  “Little fool!”


  As these scenes overlapped, I snapped out of my thoughts and saw that Dong Yu and Lin Li had already done the dishes. They walked out of the kitchen, picked up their coats, and got ready to leave.

  I stood behind him and asked cautiously, “Are you really not eating the cake?”


  Dongyu did not turn around. Instead, he said calmly, “I told you, I don’t like eating cakes.”


  With that, he held Lin Li’s hand and left.

  The door slammed shut, leaving Su Qi and me standing there.

  I felt so aggrieved that my eyes turned red. I walked to the table and looked at the cake. The words “Happy Birthday to Dongyu” were written on it! Now, it seemed somewhat ironic!

  “This cake is very expensive…”


  I burst into tears. “I cost me a year’s savings to buy this cake. Why did he say he didn’t like eating cakes? Is it because it doesn’t taste good?”


  Su Qi panicked when he saw me crying. He walked over and comforted me, “Why are you crying?… Ignore him! Even if he doesn’t like it, I do!”


  As he spoke, he sat me down at the table and sliced the cake. Then, he picked up his fork and started eating.

  “It’s yummy.”


  As he spoke, he looked at me. My hands held the cake motionlessly and tears fell onto it.

  He was suddenly at a loss. He came over and hugged my shoulders.

  “Do you know that it scares me when you cry?! Whenever you cry, it causes me to lose my mind! Tell me, what should I do with you?”


  He squatted down in front of me and coaxed me. “What can I do so that you’ll stop crying?”


  “Su Qi…”


  My mouth trembled and my voice was as light as a feather. “Take me to the karaoke!”


  Su Qi was stunned, but he nodded without hesitation.

  …


  At that time, karaoke was a very trendy thing. To us students, karaoke rooms cost a bomb. Just a private room alone was more than 200 yuan. Some of the better ones cost more than 500 yuan.

  Coupled with alcohol and beverages, this kind of expenses was not something ordinary students could afford.