This name, both familiar and unfamiliar, awakened memories that had been in my dust for many years, and made the existence of this old classmate standing in front of me real and concrete. I sincerely experienced the surprise and emotion of meeting my old acquaintance in another country, even if this person is Fang Zheng.

After walking along the alleys of the ancient city for more than ten minutes, we came to a small restaurant with an inconspicuous façade. As soon as we sat down, the waiter brought us a pot of mushroom porridge and a plate of roasted pork ribs.

"Let's see if there's anything else you want to eat, just order it." Fang Zheng easily found the menu, and greeted him courtetally while making tea and pouring water.

"Eat first, it's not enough." Hungry and thirsty, I poured two glasses of water in a row, and unceremoniously grabbed the largest rib with one hand and stuffed it straight into my mouth.

To my surprise, Fang Zheng not only did not sneer at my rude eating, but also kindly served me a large bowl of porridge. "Eat slowly, be careful of the burn."

"Suddenly being so nice to me, can't it be some conspiracy?" I looked at him suspiciously, and I felt more and more that everything in front of me was so incredible. You need to know that I have never had a good impression of Fang Zheng, and I always feel uncomfortable every time I meet him, but I am afraid to avoid him. Therefore, I could not have imagined that I would one day gladly accept his invitation, let alone talk to him so casually as I do now. It turns out that maturity gives us not only a strong heart, but also an open-minded state of mind.

Fang Zheng smiled indifferently, and didn't seem to take my teasing to heart at all. "People grow. For example, you used to always follow behind others, but now you have become independent and confident? ”

After listening to Fang Zheng's words, it dawned on me that the reason why he checked my documents so carefully was because he had no idea that I would travel to such a distant city alone. The thought of being despised by him as a matter of course made my heart burst into flames.

"How can someone like you understand the situation of those who follow others and follow the crowd? Have you never thought that maybe they are not without opinions, but because they know in their hearts that they have no position or opportunity to express their opinions? And even if they were willing to try to muster up the courage to speak their minds, who would take their words seriously? The more I talked, the more excited I became, and I couldn't wait to sprinkle all the grievances and indignation accumulated in my heart on Fang Zheng's body, as if all this injustice was caused by him.

In the face of my repeated questions, Fang Zheng never said a word, only his eyes gradually clouded with haze. "I was really self-righteous before...... I'm sorry......" After a long time, Fang Zheng sighed and gently pushed the paper to my hand. Only then did I realize that my clothes were stained with speckled porridge water. It turned out that I was patronizing the generous speech, but I didn't realize that the ribs in my hand had already fallen into the porridge, causing the porridge water to splash everywhere.

Looking at Fang Zheng's tired face, I couldn't help but feel a little unbearable. After all, today he not only helped me, but also invited me to dinner, and I should not have accused him so mercilessly in any case. "It's me who went too far......" I hung my head weakly, slowly stirring the ribs in the porridge with a spoon, avoiding Fang Zheng's gaze.

"No...... You're right......" Fang Zheng said sincerely.

"Forget it, don't talk about these unhappy ones." I barely managed to squeeze out a smile and changed the subject stiffly, "Say that...... How are you and the Piano Princess? ”

Hearing this, Fang Zheng's face sank, and his eyes instantly became sharp. "How did you know about this?"

"That's it...... Heard some gossip...... I forgot who said it......" I glanced at him secretly, and added hesitantly: "I don't know if it's true or not...... "I had to be vague so as not to mention my experience after transferring schools, but fortunately, Fang Zheng didn't plan to delve into it.

"That's it......" Somehow, Fang Zheng seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. I did have a relationship with her, but it didn't take long for us to break up. ”

Fang Zheng's openness really surprised me, and at the same time made me forget my sense of proportion. "What a pity! Why? ”

Fang Zheng frowned and replied coldly: "It's been so long since the matter happened, I don't think there's any point in discussing. ”

"Uh...... Reasonable...... That's what I thought too......" I hurriedly put down my spoon and agreed in unison. To ease the awkward atmosphere, I tried again to change the subject. "Forget it, don't talk about these unhappy ones...... By the way, why did you end up working as a traffic police officer here? I remember your dad......"

"I don't think I need to rely on my dad, do I?" Fang Zheng interrupted me angrily.

I looked at Fang Zheng in a daze, and then I remembered that he not only had the best grades in the class, but also had basketball expertise. It is undeniable that he can easily be admitted to any university in the city with his strength alone, and there is really no need to rely on his father's help. Thinking of this, I felt so ashamed that I couldn't even speak for a while.

"Actually, the reason why I chose to be a traffic police officer has something to do with you." After a moment of silence, Fang Zheng said this astonishing fact in a calm voice.

"Huh?" I looked at him dumbfounded, panicked.

"Don't think about it, I don't mean that to you." After speaking, a wicked smile appeared on the corner of Fang Zheng's mouth.

"You're thinking too much!" I glared at him angrily.

"Haha...... It's not too early, I'm not kidding......"

"It's not funny at all!" I snorted disapprietously.

"You may not know it, but your sudden change of school has attracted the attention of many people, many of whom are shocked and feel guilty for it......"

"Oh? Is it? Are you one of them? I squinted, deliberately skeptical.

"I'm not so callous as to be indifferent knowing that you're leaving unhappily." Fang Zheng smiled helplessly and continued: "I was depressed for a while, and then I finally figured out that instead of wasting time on introspection and self-blame, it is better to take practical actions to make up for my mistakes. After all, my remorse is worthless to you......"

"But what does this have to do with you becoming a traffic policeman?" I couldn't help but interrupt in the fog.

Fang Zheng looked directly at me with a deep gaze and said solemnly, "I'm not sure if you will agree with my decision, but this is the only thing I can think of that can be done for you...... Other than that, I really don't know how to compensate you......"

"I don't want your compensation......" Before I finished speaking, I felt my nose sour, and tears slipped uncontrollably.

Facing my gloomy tears, Fang Zheng was obviously a little overwhelmed. "Or ...... That's all for today, and I'll find time to talk to you again when I get home from vacation next week......"

"I don't have much to talk to you about......" I replied flatly.

"Don't talk too much, maybe you'll change your mind after hearing what I'm going to say...... Anyway, have a good time these days, and feel free to find me if you need help. After speaking, Fang Zheng respectfully showed his QR code and asked me to add his friend on his face.

"Why wait until next week? Is there anything you can't say right now? I glanced at him and reluctantly sent a friend request.

"Now...... Not the most opportune time...... And I don't want to affect your mood. After speaking, Fang Zheng showed a bitter smile.

Although Fang Zheng refused to reveal even half a word, from his attitude of wanting to speak and stopping, I could faintly feel the seriousness of the matter. That night, I lay in bed tossing and turning, all kinds of conjectures kept popping up in my head, and I couldn't fall asleep until dawn......