The Growth Story of Chenxi Boy

The leaves swayed gently outside the window. In the old alleyway of early morning, three tabby cats cornered a mouse, not rushing to bite it, but merely patting it playfully with their paws. Just as the little mouse tried to slip into a crack, the cats deftly snatched it back, repeating this process over and over...

The squeaking noises downstairs woke Ah Dong, who was fast asleep upstairs. He rolled over irritably, muttering, "That stinky rat, so noisy!"

As my mind gradually cleared, yesterday's events began to surface.

He eventually went to find Xiaobai. Xiaobai didn't ask any questions or make things difficult for him, and simply handed him the money as usual, only gently reminding him not to hang out with those people anymore. But as soon as he got the money, Adong's anxiety vanished instantly. The matter was settled, and now he could be happy again.

Ah Dong has a short memory; he forgets pain quickly but remembers pleasure vividly.

Xiao Bai's money filled the hole left by Shang Hongyu, and also eased his own anxiety. Within two days, he completely ignored the warnings of "don't mess around" and "don't cause trouble."

That afternoon, he strolled to the strategist's doorstep, hooked his arm around the strategist's neck, and grinned slyly.

"Come on, bro, I'll get you a 'mode of transportation'."

The strategist's eyelids twitched: "What tool? Are you up to something again?"

"Don't worry, it's fine. It's just... a temporary loan."

The two went around to the club behind the school, where students from the neighborhood parked their electric bikes on their way to school. A-Dong glanced around and spotted a relatively new, light green electric bike. He looked it over, squatted down, and discovered the key was still in the ignition. A-Dong was overjoyed.

The strategist, watching from the side, was terrified: "You...you're stealing?"

"What are you talking about? What do you mean by stealing?" Ah Dong patted the car seat, looking completely self-righteous. "Can you call something a gangster does stealing? This is called borrowing, understand? I'll return it to him when I have money."

The strategist was hesitant, but he couldn't resist A-Dong's persuasive words and reluctantly followed him off on his bike. Back home, A-Dong immediately bought a charger, thinking smugly: "I'll never have to walk again, how cool!"

For the first two days, he was a little nervous and only dared to ride on secluded paths, hiding as soon as the sun went down.

A person's courage only grows fatter the longer they are nurtured.

Once the novelty wore off, all his reservations were thrown to the winds.

A few days later, A-Dong simply rode his bike alone and swaggered to the vicinity of the school.

He stopped in front of the bubble tea shop, pushed the door open, ordered an iced drink, slumped into a chair, and scrolled through his phone, as relaxed as if he were at home.

What's even more outrageous is that the car keys were placed conspicuously in the middle of the table, as if afraid that others wouldn't see them.

He was also happily planning:

I'll ride this bike for a spin later, and everyone who sees it will shout "Dong-ge is so cool!"

He was completely unaware that a gaze from outside the window had been fixed on him for a long time.

The car owner had only come out to look for his car, but the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. He walked to the entrance of the milk tea shop and peeked inside:

The car was parked at the entrance.

The key was on the table.

Is someone leisurely scrolling through their phone?

The car owner took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and got in. The sound was not loud, but very steady.

"Is this your car? Is it easy to drive?"

A-Dong didn't even look up: "Otherwise what?"

"Okay," the driver smiled, took out his phone, "Let's talk, and call the police while we're at it."

Ah Dong then looked up, and upon seeing the other person's expression, he froze instantly.

The blood suddenly turned half cold.

His mind was racing; he was genuinely panicked, and his thoughts were certainly full of wicked ideas.

Before the other party could ask any more questions, A-Dong blurted out, sounding quite aggrieved:

"Brother, it's really not my fault! It was the strategist! Wu Zhengjing told me to steal it; I was just helping out by riding it. I didn't know anything!"

He's always been adept at shifting blame.

Many people in the store witnessed this farce, which also added some "fame" to my reputation in the area.

The Xiyuan Milk Tea Shop remained filled with a cheerful atmosphere every day, and the people sitting there still loved to ask A-Dong with smiles:

"Are you involved in organized crime?"

What happened next was simple yet chaotic.

The car owner didn't waste any more words with him and contacted the parents directly.

Grandma Adong rushed over, her face turning green. She berated him in front of everyone, making him unable to lift his head. Only after much pleading, an apology, compensation, and a written guarantee were the matter barely brought to a close.

Ah Dong was dragged home the whole way, his ears were practically calloused from being lectured, but he was secretly relieved:

Fortunately, by pushing the strategist out, my own punishment was lessened.

He never imagined that his crisp and clear "The strategist told me to steal it" would cause such a huge uproar on the other side.

Meanwhile, the strategist was leisurely strolling around at home, snacking and watching TV.

He had a vague feeling that things were a bit unsettled lately, but he never expected that his good friend would pour dirty water on his head.

The doorbell rang suddenly.

The strategist, snacking as he went, happily ran to open the door.

"Who is it?!"

Standing outside the door were the parents, their faces ashen. The strategist's smile gradually froze.

The snacks in my hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

He knew nothing at all.

But they were already standing right in the middle of the storm.

The leaves outside the window swayed gently again, the night was deep.

Lying in bed at night, A-Dong's ears were still burning, but he didn't take a word of his grandmother's words to heart. Instead, he sorted them out clearly for himself:

It's not like I actually went to jail or got a criminal record. It's just a scolding and some money I have to pay. It's no big deal.

Ah Dong closed his eyes and quickly fell into a peaceful sleep, as if the embarrassment, panic, blame-shifting, and scolding of the day were all as light as a breeze, easily blown away. He was naturally good at comforting himself; no matter how bad the situation, he could always find some reason in his mind, smooth over the embarrassment, push away the blame, and settle himself comfortably.

That ability to comfort oneself is very similar to that little character in Lu Xun's writing who was good at the art of spiritual victory.

The "spiritual victory method" is both poison for the weak to fight against the world and oxygen to prevent their personality from collapsing. It may save you in the moment, but it will also permanently banish you from reality. Everyone laughs at Ah Dong, but... everyone is Ah Dong.