Chapter 109 - 84: Keep in Touch (Part 2)
"Hey, wait a second."
Wang Huashao suddenly called out.
He pulled the backpack from his shoulder to his chest, unzipped it, and rummaged around inside.
He took out a math notebook with a curled cover and fished out a ballpoint pen.
He flipped to a blank page in the middle, pinched the edge of the paper, and tore it out with a firm tug.
RRRIP.
He tore the single sheet into six strips of paper.
"Write down your contact info."
"We all went through this training camp together. You could say we’re brothers in arms now. Let’s all exchange contact info so we can keep in touch."
As he spoke, he bent his head and wrote a string of numbers on all six strips.
"This is my home landline, and below that is my WhatsApp number. Remember to add me when you’re online. My username is Wind-Chasing Boy. Don’t add the wrong person."
Zhou Kai took the pen, wrote down his home phone number on a strip, and handed it to Miao Shian.
Miao Shian took the pen.
He wrote down a cell phone number.
"This is my personal number. I might have it off during class on weekdays, but it’s always on during the weekends. If you ever come to the Provincial City, call this number to find me. I’ll treat you all to a meal."
Chen Zhuo wrote down his home landline number.
He passed the strip of paper to He Gui.
He Gui held the ballpoint pen.
The tip of the pen hovered over the paper, unmoving.
His family didn’t have a landline.
He had no idea what a WhatsApp number was. He’d only heard of internet cafes but had never been to one.
His fingers tightened around the pen. After a moment of thought, he wrote a line of text on the paper.
A six-digit postal code.
Guanlong City, Senior High, Grade 9 Class 2, Attn: He Gui.
He wrote slowly, each stroke deliberate, the pressure of the pen indenting the paper.
After he finished, He Gui handed the strips of paper to the others one by one.
He handed the last one to Chen Zhuo.
He Gui looked at Chen Zhuo, his voice soft and tinged with a bit of awkwardness.
"Captain, my family doesn’t have a phone, and long-distance calls are expensive."
"If you want, you can send letters to my school. Use this address. I’ll get them."
He Gui paused, then added, as if he’d just thought of something.
"If I go to a different high school in the fall, I’ll write to you all beforehand and give you my new address, so your letters don’t get sent to an empty address."
Chen Zhuo took the unevenly torn strip of paper.
On it was writing in blue ballpoint pen, the ink slightly smudged.
He looked at the address on the strip, held it by its top and bottom edges, and folded it in half.
He folded it in half again.
It was now a tidy square.
He unzipped the innermost compartment of his backpack, carefully placed the folded paper into an inner pocket, and zipped it shut.
"I’ve got your address."
Chen Zhuo looked up at He Gui.
He reached out and patted the faded strap of He Gui’s bookbag.
"That system at the training center, with the thirty coils of enameled wire... you were the only one there who could wind them perfectly."
Chen Zhuo’s tone was steady, filled with an undeniable certainty.
"You’re incredibly skilled, at least more skilled than I am. If you run into a tough problem or have any questions, feel free to write to me anytime."
He Gui froze for a moment. His lips moved, and his eyes reddened slightly, but he still nodded forcefully.
Chen Zhuo turned to look at Wang Huashao.
Wang Huashao was busy stuffing the slips of paper everyone had written on into his pocket.
"Wind-Chasing Boy?"
Chen Zhuo looked at him, the corner of his mouth twitching into a slight smile.
"Try not to go to the internet cafe so often. Be careful your dad doesn’t catch you."
Wang Huashao waved his hand dismissively and chuckled.
"It’s fine, I’m fast."
Chen Zhuo nodded, his gaze falling on Miao Shian.
Miao Shian still wore that gentle smile.
Chen Zhuo looked him in the eye, his voice softening.
"For the past half-month, the data you managed never had a single error. When you get home, try to relax a little. Don’t be so tense all the time. Get a good night’s sleep."
Miao Shian was taken aback for a second.
He pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, looked at Chen Zhuo, and nodded seriously.
"Okay."
It was a complete farewell.
No hugs, no long speeches.
It was Lin Yi’s turn.
Zhou Kai handed her the pen.
With a couple of quick strokes, Lin Yi jotted down a landline number on the paper.
The exchange of numbers was complete.
The brief huddle broke apart again.
Professor Wang had been standing to the side, watching them the whole time.
A black Audi A6 slowly pulled out of the flow of traffic and stopped at the curb.
The driver’s side door opened, and a middle-aged man in a short-sleeved collared shirt got out.
The man walked straight to Professor Wang.
He bowed slightly and took Professor Wang’s hand with both of his.
"Professor Wang, thank you for all your trouble on this trip. Mr. Miao has been meaning to invite you for a meal."
The man’s tone was neither servile nor overbearing, carrying a professional politeness.
"Don’t mention it. It’s all part of the job."
Professor Wang nodded.
"Shian is a good kid. He’s really exhausted himself these past couple of days. Take him home and let him get some proper rest."
Only then did the man walk over to Miao Shian and take the rolling suitcase from his hand.
"The Madam asked if the exam went smoothly this time."
Miao Shian’s expression switched back to that gentle, proper, and flawless smile.
"It went very smoothly. I didn’t make any mistakes," Miao Shian replied.
The man nodded and placed the rolling suitcase in the trunk.
He walked to the rear of the car and opened the door.
Miao Shian walked to the open door.
He didn’t get in right away.
He stood up straight, lifted his head, and his gaze traveled past the enormous roof of the airport terminal.
He looked toward the azure sky.
A plane was climbing, leaving a white contrail in its wake.
Miao Shian watched for two seconds.
Then he lowered his head, bent down, and got into the car.