Although the college entrance exam had ended, the middle school and first- and second-year high school students hadn't started their summer vacation yet, so the breakfast stalls in front of the school were still in business.
After ordering his usual rice noodle roll and devouring it, Qin Miao headed once again to the karting center with a bottle of mineral water.
Sitting on the steps of the karting center, Qin Miao pulled out his phone and opened WeChat.
The conversation still showed the message Qin Miao sent last night, with no reply from the other side.
But Qin Miao didn't mind and cautiously sent another message he thought was appropriate: [Good morning, are you up yet?]
...
The other person's attitude towards Qin Miao remained the same as always.
Maybe they're just not awake yet...
Qin Miao thought to himself.
Just as Qin Miao was comforting himself, a notification from QQ suddenly sounded.
A message popped up.
[Morning, NT desk partner, are you awake? (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧]
The note for this person in Qin Miao's phone was [Brain-dead desk partner].
This person was named Qimeng, and they had been desk partners for two and a half years throughout high school until the final semester of their senior year when they parted ways to focus on the college entrance exam.
Qimeng used to be a very gentle person, always quiet and reserved at the start of knowing Qin Miao, hardly cursing at all.
However, influenced by being desk partners with Qin Miao for years, this girl had been corrupted by him, and at some point started calling Qin Miao "brain-dead" in their conversations.
A bit despondent, Qin Miao opened the chat box with his desk partner and said: [I'm up, what's up?]
The other side didn't hold back: [Have you seen the message in the class group?]
Qin Miao was a bit puzzled: [No, what's it about? Another gathering? Didn't we just have one after graduation?]
The other side replied smugly: [I knew you didn't see it. Today the class monitor and vice monitor are taking us to the karting center near the school, and they're treating us.]
[It's free!]
[Are you coming? (*^▽^*)]
Qin Miao stared at the message from Qimeng, frozen in place.
A bit stiffly, he looked up at the sign of the Tailwind Entertainment Karting Center behind him, then glanced back at the message on his phone.
A "buzz" echoed in his mind.
Suddenly unsure, Qin Miao replied: [Is it the one near our school?]
[Yep, it's the only place nearby to play karting, and it's conveniently close to school for everyone to get there.]
[But don't worry, I've already signed you up with the class monitor! (*❦ω❦)]
Qin Miao: [...]
[Don't be late! I'm heading out now! ┏(＾0＾)┛]
After a moment of daze, Qin Miao instantly perked up.
Because in Qimeng's words, he found another message: the class monitor and vice monitor are covering the expenses at the karting center!
This meant the vice monitor would also be there!
And the one Qin Miao couldn't forget was the vice monitor, Fan Yue.
Since it's the class monitor and vice monitor treating, there was no reason for them not to be there.
Even if the vice monitor was present, given Qin Miao's shyness, he still wouldn't muster the courage to say even a word or two to Fan Yue.
Most of the time, Qin Miao would just watch from afar, and if Fan Yue came over to say anything, it would make him anxious for half a day.
[I'll go check the group]
Qin Miao opened the long unattended class group with over 99+ messages.
Since it was morning, not many classmates were awake, and no one was chatting in the class group. The last message was sent at 2 a.m.
Qin Miao scrolled up a bit and quickly found the chat records Qimeng mentioned.
[Fan Yue and I have decided to treat everyone to a day at the nearby karting center tomorrow] This was from the class monitor, Zhu Hong.
[Indeed, gathering everyone like this in the future will be difficult] This was from the vice monitor, Fan Yue.
[It's an opportunity for one last gathering, and we've prepared a small surprise for everyone!]
The first to chime in was Qimeng: [Sure! Count me in! And add Qin Miao, too!]
[Class monitor's generosity at work! Sadly, I have to go on an overseas trip with family tomorrow, can't make it.]
[Hey! I'm free tomorrow, haven't played in a while, itching to go. Thanks in advance, class monitor.]
[Awesome class monitor!]
[+1]
...
[+10086]
[Alright, we'll meet at the karting center at 9 a.m. tomorrow!]
Once assured that Qimeng wasn't joking, Qin Miao jumped up from the steps.
He jumped so hard that he almost fell down the steps in front of the karting center.
Fortunately, being young and agile, Qin Miao managed to awkwardly regain his balance.
Yet after the excitement, what remained was a mix of anxiety.
He hadn't prepared at all for a class gathering today, so he only splashed some water on his face before leaving, neglecting even his hair.
His outfit was very casual, just shorts and a T-shirt, on his feet a pair of half-year-old, somewhat dusty canvas shoes.
This look made Qin Miao feel a bit embarrassed in front of his classmates.
As Qin Miao hesitated whether to take advantage of the remaining time and rush back to change, a mature and graceful lady looked at him with a peculiar expression and approached the entrance of the karting center.