Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

20 minute later.

Bai Li pushed open the glass door of the bathroom and stepped out.

He held a dry towel in his hand, casually wiping his still dripping short hair, and sighed:

"As the rumors say, before washing one's face one looks like a demon, and after washing one looks like a saint!"

"Cold showers are truly a magic weapon for cooling down."

After taking a cold shower, Bai Li's anger, which had been stirred up by Li Mengmeng over the internet, had completely dissipated.

He is now refreshed and free of distractions.

Bai Li walked to the window and glanced at the street scene outside.

It was a little past five in the afternoon, and the sun was beginning to set.

It's not as hot as it was at noon now, and the sun is shining brightly.

A gentle breeze rustled the fallen leaves along the roadside, exuding a touch of the unique languor of a small county town.

"Such beautiful weather..."

"It's such a waste to just stay in your room and waste time."

Bai Li murmured to himself. Thinking of this, he picked up his phone, which was lying on the bed, opened WeChat, and found Jiang Ruyue's chat box.

"Ruyue, would you like to have dinner together later?"

Within two seconds of the message being sent, the top of the chat window immediately displayed "The other party is typing."

That girl is probably rolling around on the bed next door, glued to her phone.

"Waaaah. I was just about to tell you..."

"My parents just said they were taking me out to eat, so I can't come with you..."

"Big stallion, aren't you unhappy...?"

The text was followed by an emoji of a kitten rolling on the ground and crying.

The helplessness and resentment between the lines are palpable even through the screen.

Bai Li looked at the reply and could only reply helplessly:

"I'm not a child, don't worry, I won't get emotional over something like this."

"Go ahead and eat, but remember to eat something light so you don't get an upset stomach."

Bai Li is not the type of person who will sulk if she is rejected.

Because he knew that as long as he went to knock on their door and confessed that he was there, he could eat at the same table with them.

but.

In order not to tarnish the little reputation he still had in the hearts of Jiang's parents.

Bai Li decided to forget about it.

At this critical juncture, hanging around in front of your future in-laws is just asking for trouble.

"Go take a stroll by yourself."

Having made up her mind, Bai Li decided to go out now.

If it had been a few minutes later, and the family of three next door had gone out to find food, and they had bumped into each other in the hallway, an awkward situation that would have been hard to explain would have been inevitable.

Thinking of this, Bai Li changed into a change of clothes, quietly opened the door, and peeked out.

The corridor was deserted.

Safety.

He closed the door, walked to the elevator, and went straight downstairs.

Stepping out of the hotel lobby, Panamera quietly lay down under a thick banyan tree by the roadside.

Bai Li felt a wave of fear wash over him.

"Fortunately, after lunch I thought I might need the car in the afternoon, and since the little car is afraid of the heat, I drove it from the hotel entrance to the roadside under the trees."

"Otherwise... we would have been exposed right from the start."

Unlock and open the car door.

Bai Li got into the driver's seat, pressed the start button, turned the steering wheel, and the car merged into the main road.

"We'll have to park further away on the way back..."

He kept reminding himself as he rolled down the car window.

Wenxian County is different from Pingxian County, which is surrounded by mountains on all sides and has undulating terrain.

Wenxian County, on the other hand, has a flatter terrain, making for a much better driving experience than Pingxian County.

The wind from the small town blew in through the window, dispelling the stuffiness in the carriage.

Bai Li casually switched to a soothing piece of music.

He held the steering wheel with one hand, watching the street scenes slowly receding on both sides of the road.

Feeling the long-lost joy of driving alone, with the wind blowing and my favorite music:

"It's quite pleasant to be alone like this sometimes."

Bai Li didn't turn on the navigation, but instead chose to wander aimlessly through the streets of Wen County.

After passing through several traffic lights, and driving a short distance, a vast expanse of greenery came into view.

Wenxian Wetland Park.

This is an open park that doesn't require tickets. It's lush and green, with large areas of reeds and vegetation swaying in the wind, and several wooden boardwalks spanning the water.

The scenery is beautiful, and most importantly, there are few people.

In places like this, older women complain that the ground isn't flat enough for square dancing, while younger people complain that it's not fun.

It suited Bai Li's taste perfectly.

"This is it."

Bai Li parked the car in a marked parking space on the side of the road, got out of the car, and began to stroll along the stone path in the park.

Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, it's so quiet here that you can hear your own footsteps.

Birds sing and flowers bloom; the air is filled with the freshness of grass and trees.

Occasionally, rustling sounds would come from the bushes beside the boardwalk, and a wild cat would run out, unafraid of people, and swagger past Bai Li.

Just as Bai Li was leisurely enjoying the cultural scenery.

A burst of arguing caught his attention.

"An Yaoyao, you have to do OD today!"

Immediately afterwards, someone nearby loudly echoed.

"That's right! If it's not OOD, then it's not a true landmine type!"

Bai Li stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.

A group of girls were gathered around a few weeping willows.

The girls were dressed in basically the same way: all wearing tacky little skirts with exaggerated lace trims, cross accessories, and platform shoes.

Their makeup also featured droopy eyeliner, creating a fragile and broken look.

On some of the girls' exposed fair arms, there were crisscrossing red marks, old and new.

Within this subculture, this behavior has a specific term:

Modify the decorative cutter.

Bai Li's gaze shifted downwards, sweeping across the ground, which was a complete mess.

Empty pink Monster cans were everywhere, and several deflated lighters had been disassembled.

Even more outrageous, there was a portable small gas cylinder lying on its side in the corner.

Several red and white cardboard boxes were scattered nearby.

Upon closer inspection, it was the packaging of a common prescription cough medicine.

These girls are using mutual harm and drug ingestion to flaunt their uniqueness.

Bai Li stood under the shade of the tree, quietly watching all of this.

At that moment, the group of girls were surrounding a person in the center.

It was a girl wearing a black and pink dress.

Bai Li's gaze lingered on her for a couple more seconds.

This girl is extremely beautiful.

Her facial features are delicate and three-dimensional, and her skin is fair and radiant.

Unlike her companions, her two slender arms, which were exposed, were smooth and fair, with delicate skin and not a single scratch.

She didn't follow the trend of getting those so-called "decoration knives".

A girl with a princess-cut hairstyle stepped forward, holding a clear plastic bottle in her hand, inside which sloshed a viscous brown liquid.

Completely disregarding the other person's wishes, she forcibly shoved the half-empty bottle of cough syrup into An Yaoyao's hand:

"Hurry up, Yao Yao. Our landmine system finally has a chance to meet up in Wen County, and you're the only one who doesn't cooperate. You're such a loner."

The girl with the princess cut frowned, her tone assertive.

Another girl standing to the side also stepped forward to join in the fun, kicking the scattered empty plastic shells at her feet with the tip of her shoe.

She pointed to the scraps on the ground, pouting as she urged:

"Yes, you see, our OD uses the gas from lighters, and we even have to inhale coal gas."

"Everyone specially saved half a bottle of this stuff for you, so it's easy to drink and doesn't taste unpleasant."

The girl crossed her arms over her chest, exerting pressure from above:

"Stop dawdling and eat quickly."

......

...