After midnight

Wu Si woke up from his drowsiness, squinting his eyes, got up and opened the door of the bathroom next door. After he finished washing up, he walked into the living room and looked at the two people sitting on the sofa and was stunned for a moment.

"Today is Sunday, we are not working." Bai Ming explained kindly.

"Yes, I didn't call you because you were sleeping so soundly. There is breakfast in the kitchen, go and have it." Xu Xing added.

"Yeah." Wu Si nodded and walked to the kitchen to open the lid of the pot. He saw the cold rice porridge left in the pot, as well as two meat buns and a tea egg on the chopping board. Wu Si covered the pot, turned on the fire to heat it up, and suddenly felt a little shameful, shamefully happy.

After heating up the rice, he scooped up all the porridge with a bowl, then took the meat buns and tea eggs and sat at the dining table in the living room. He listened to Xu Xing and Bai Ming talking while he was eating, until the topic extended to him.

"Xiaowu, let's go out for a walk. Don't you have nothing to do today?"

"Ah?" Wu Si swallowed the last bite of meat bun.

"Yes, Bai Ming said he would treat us at noon today."

"Okay, then when are we going?"

"You just want me to treat you." Bai Ming said this, but he also looked down at his watch. "You eat first, finish your meal. It's only half past nine now, we can go out later, there's no rush."

"Okay." Wu Si slowly peeled the tea egg and scooped up a spoonful of white porridge. He still had more than half of the porridge left to drink.

"I'll go back to my room to pack up and change my clothes. Xu Xing, think carefully about what you want to buy later. I want to go to the supermarket." Bai Ming put down the game console and said.

"Going to the supermarket? There's nothing to buy at home, right?"

"Bullshit! You have to buy toilet paper, shampoo, everything. If you don't need it, then don't buy it."

"Okay, got it. Buy it. And clean up the garbage in your room while I'm at it."

Ah, I have to clean up the garbage in my room. Wu Si finished chewing the tea egg, drank the porridge in two mouthfuls, and then took the bowl into the kitchen. How about I change my clothes later? Wu Si turned on the faucet while thinking.

"Xiao Wu!"

"what happened?"

"I'm going to clean the toilet. After you wash the dishes, take out the kitchen garbage. Also, it's cold outside today, so when you go out, wear an extra piece of clothing. Make sure it's thicker." Bai Ming shouted at him from the toilet door.

"Okay!" Wu Si took a look at the garbage and tied up the garbage bag.

At about half past ten, the three men came downstairs fully armed. Each of them was holding two garbage bags, which they threw into the green trash can beside the road, and then walked forward along the path.

"Shopping first or eating first?"

"Go shopping first, then go to eat, and finally go to the supermarket."

"Okay." The three of them said as they walked past the neatly arranged hanging windows and continued to move forward in unison.

As expected, it was the weekend, and near noon, the streets were crowded with people. Wu Si followed Xu Xing and Bai Ming, and from time to time he looked at the rows of signs hanging on the door frames through the unfamiliar faces. He didn't think the crowd was crowded or noisy, he was very interested in the plaques he had never seen before.

He never paid attention to these things when he was with Qiqi.

Suddenly, he saw something and his eyes sank downwards. He subconsciously quickened his pace, trying to get past it quickly.

"Su Ziling!" Bai Ming spotted Su Ziling across the street and ran over while shouting.

"Hey, Bai Ming." Xu Xing also followed.

Wu Si stood under the electric pole, watching their backs gradually blend into another wave of people, and followed them reluctantly. In fact, he had already seen Su Ziling and a little girl standing in front of a shop called Octopus Balls across the street, waiting for the owner of the stall to make food for them.

"Zi Ling!" Bai Ming greeted.

"Hey, is that you guys? Xiao Su greets the two brothers."

"Hello, brothers!"

"Xiao Su is so good, what are you doing here? Why don't you see An Yan?"

"Dad is at home, we came out without telling him."

"Xiao Su!" Su Ziling said in panic.

"Oh? Why?" Now, Xu Xing became interested.

"Because Dad's birthday is coming soon, we came out to pick out gifts!" Xiao Su looked proud.

"Birthday?" Xu Xing and Bai Ming said almost at the same time.

"Yes, it's my eighteenth birthday. I have no idea what to give her." Su Ziling said.

"Eighteen years old, what a good age." Xu Xing sighed and said, "Where are you going to celebrate your birthday?"

"I don't know, probably at home."

"Why don't we just hang out at the bar?"

Su Ziling was stunned for a moment when he heard Xu Xing's suggestion. He was still considering it, but the shopkeeper suddenly told him that the food was ready. Su Ziling turned around, took the octopus balls and handed them to Xiao Su, then said, "Then I'll go back and discuss it with An Yan?"

The octopus balls were just out of the pot, round and hot, sprinkled with ketchup and dried bonito flakes. Wu Si took a curious look and said nothing. Xu Xing seemed not very satisfied with Su Ziling's answer, and he said, "If you and Xiao Su have no objection, I will be responsible for dealing with An Yan."

"Of course we have no objection. It depends on An Yan's opinion."

"Okay, leave it to me then."

"Okay, let's go first."

"Yes." After watching Su Ziling and Xiao Su merge into the crowded crowd, Xu Xing stepped forward and said to the store owner, "Boss, give me a serving of octopus balls, too."

"Okay." Three minutes later, the freshly baked octopus balls were handed from Xu Xing to Wu Si. Wu Si held the small box of food and continued to walk forward with Xu Xing and Bai Ming.

Night fell, and An Yan came out of the kitchen and stretched. He had not sat in the empty living room for a while when he heard the door lock turn. It was Su Ziling who came back, so he stood up and shouted to the third floor: "Xiao Su, come down to eat!"

An Xiaosu ran down from the third floor, swallowed his saliva at the pickled fish and stir-fried pork on the table, and then exchanged a tacit look with Su Ziling who had just come out of the toilet after washing his hands. The two smiled secretly and ran happily to the kitchen.

"Xiao Su, what did you and your classmates do during your break today?" An Yan suddenly called out his name while they were eating.

"Nothing, I'm going to the movies." Xiao Su glanced at Su Ziling unconsciously.

"what movie?"

"Cartoons are so childish."

"As soon as you came back today, you locked yourself in your bedroom. I thought you had a quarrel with your classmates." An Yan couldn't help laughing.

"No!" Xiao Su was sweating profusely. After she came back, she took great pains to hide the gift from An Yan in her bedroom. Thinking about it now, she was still a little scared.

"An Yan, Master taught me another trick today. I want to try it later." Su Ziling was also frightened and quickly helped to change the subject.

"Oh, sure. By the way, I want to tell you something." An Yan looked at the two of them and said, "Xu Xing contacted me today. I don't know where he got the news from. He said he wanted to help me hold a birthday party at the bar. You guys..."

"Agree!" Su Ziling and Xiao Su answered at the same time.

An Yan was stunned for a moment, then gave the two of them a meaningful look and said, "Okay, then Su Ziling, please help me communicate with Xu Xing. After all, it's a birthday party, so why should the birthday person himself worry about it, right?"

"You are right, absolutely right. Leave it to me." Su Ziling was overjoyed.

They were indeed two little kids. An Yan smiled and shook his head, letting them do whatever they wanted.

After finishing his meal, Su Ziling ran out without stopping. What should he do for a birthday party? He had never organized one for anyone before. But he wanted to organize a most unique and impressive birthday party, one that An Yan would never forget even when he was eighty years old. He ran to the Black and White Bar.

Today is the weekend, and there are many people hanging around in the bar. Su Ziling opened the door and went straight to the bar. Coincidentally, Xu Xing and Bai Ming were there.

"You are here with good news to tell us." Xu Xing rested his hands on the bar, feeling confident.

"Yes, An Yan agreed to hold his eighteen-year-old coming-of-age ceremony here."

"I knew it!" Xu Xing said proudly, and Bai Ming also smiled happily.

"Hurry up, think about any good ideas. I've never done this before." Su Ziling wanted to slam the table excitedly.

"Is there any need to think about this? There will be unlimited wine supply, we can have fun as much as we want, and it would be best if we can play a good trick on him!"

"tease?"

"Yeah, don't you want to see An Yan's face covered with cake?" Xu Xing looked narrow-minded and malicious.

"I want to!" Su Ziling and Bai Ming looked at each other and nodded at the same time.

"Hahaha, it turns out that An Yan is a person who usually harbors too much resentment. But who could throw a cake at him and make him unprepared?"

"Xiao Su!" Su Ziling suggested.

"No, she's too young." Xu Xing rejected it outright.

"I have an idea." Bai Ming said and looked at Xiao Wu who was busy at the other end of the bar.

"Are you crazy?" Su Ziling asked with wide eyes.

"I think Xiaowu is a good fit. An Yan would never have thought that Wu Si would do this." Xu Xing said. But after he finished speaking, he looked at Su Ziling again. "But there is one more thing to consider. Su Ziling, do you think An Yan will be angry if you do this?"

"Absolutely not."

"That's what we'll do. I'll go call Xiaowu over." Xu Xing said confidently and walked towards Wusi.

Seeing Xu Xing striding forward happily, Su Ziling suddenly shouted, "Fuck, Bai Ming, was I tricked by Xu Xing? No, I was tricked by you two."

After saying this, Bai Ming patted Su Ziling's shoulder and laughed. After laughing, he said seriously: "No, An Yan will definitely not be angry. He has been standing too high for too long. That day, let him be like a child. We all understand your thoughts."

Su Ziling nodded gratefully. He didn't expect Xu Xing and Bai Ming to be so smart.

"Are you crazy?" Wu Si's eyes widened in horror, looking at them as if they were monsters. He was dumbfounded, puzzled, were the three people in front of him normal? Not long ago, they were clearly, clearly enemies!

"Xiao Wu, please!"

"please!"

Bai Ming and Xu Xing acted coquettishly towards him, and Wu Si's face turned red with embarrassment, but he still didn't give in.

"Xiao Wu, can you come out with me?" Su Ziling said at this time.

Wu Si followed Su Zi Ling out. He passed through the crowd of strangers and was sensitive to the return of the uneasiness. He pinched his fingers to keep himself silent and followed Su Zi Ling to the innermost corner of the sixth floor of Xishui International. There was only a whitewashed wall and a narrow window.

"Xiaowu, how have you been lately?" Su Ziling said.

Wu Si looked up at him, and he didn't expect that Su Zi Ling's first words would be a greeting.

"Not bad." he said.

"Then Qiqi will be relieved. Qiqi and I haven't been together for a long time, but I know she is a good girl. What she means to you is just like what Anyan means to me. We also have a deep bond, but I... I'm sorry, it's so sudden, I don't know what to say. I just hope you can help me. On Anyan's eighteenth birthday, just treat him as a person who is celebrating his birthday, just as a group of friends who are going to play a prank... I don't want him to be an outsider on that day even though he is standing among us..."

"I understand. I promise you." He didn't expect that he would stand face to face with Su Ziling like this and hear Su Ziling say such sincere words.

"Thank you. Sorry, I don't think I'm qualified to judge you and Qiqi just now."

"It's okay. Qiqi likes you guys very much."

"Then Xiaowu, please tell them that I will be leaving today and will come back tomorrow night."

"Okay, goodbye." Wu Si said and turned away.

After watching Wu Si walk away, Su Zi Ling opened the window to let the cold wind blow through the window to dissipate the heat on his face. This was the first time he talked to Wu Si alone, and even asked him to do something he didn't want to do. But fortunately, Wu Si, like Qi Qi, was a good person.