Rick said "No, I will go by walk. It just takes some twenty to twenty five minutes."
Mrs. Wu; "Ning, how did you think you will leave him?"
Ning: "It's already late right. Maybe his parents will be worried, so I thought I could drop him in father's scooter."
Mrs. Wu: "He is a boy, he can take care of himself. If it was girl, we must worry that something might happen to her."
Ning: "Mom, leave this boy, girl sayings. Even you will be worried when Siqi isn't at home."
Ning: "Dad, can I take your scooter?"
Mr. Wu: "Yeah, but be careful while driving."
Mrs. Wu: "Nice, you will agree for whatever she asks and she will give whatever her brother asks. Such a great family."
Ning went near her mom, she hugged her while saying "Mom, sorry, there's nothing wrong in dropping right. It won't take more than fifteen minutes and after dropping I have some work I will complete that and come. I will be back, maybe in less than an hour."
Mrs. Wu broke the hug "See, she has some work not only dropping."
Ning: "I will come soon Mom and thanks dad bye. By the way, he's my friend."
She went inside the room, took money from wardrobe and put in her wallet and left.
By every passing second beside Ning, Rick's love towards her is increasing. He wanted to tell her right there.
Ning: "Rick come let's go, bye dad mom, I will be back within an hour don't be worried."
They went outside the house, Ning went towards the scooter. Rick said "I will open the gate."
When Rick went outside the gate after opening, Huo Yiqin who was standing there saw him "You are back, You couldn't do it right that's why you came out just in ten minutes. At least I tried for fifteen minutes, but you are back so soon. I should have not brought you here, you poor rascal." he scolded him.
Rick was seeing Ning and said "Shhshh, slowly if she hears she will again shout at you. Go from here before she comes out."
"You are acting as if she is your very close friend."
"Please talk slowly, I am telling you for your own good."
Then they heard Ning "Yes he is my friend, What's your problem with it?"
"How come you became friends with this poor person who has a small shop and does repairs."
"Watch your words, we are classmates. Think before you speak. Rick, don't speak to this person. Come let's go."
"What? You are dropping him? I never saw you drive with anyone sitting behind you except your brother, not even your father."
"Now I will, I am the one driving it's my wish what's the problem with you?" Ning was losing patience "Rick sit soon."
Rick sat and she drove off. Rick was busy watching Ning that he did not hear Ning when she asked which side to go. So she turned to right so that she goes out of sight to Huo Yiqin and stopped.
"Rick, where are you? Where to go?"
He came back to this world "What? Sorry I did not hear?"
Ning turned towards him and chuckled "Which world are you in?"
Rick couldn't help but admire her cuteness and smiled "Sorry, I .."
"It's okay. Want to go somewhere?"
He was surprised at this "What? Where?"
"Never mind, I will take you there."
He was shocked at her behavior "Where?"
She started the engine and drove "Some place, just to celebrate.."
He did not understand "Celebrate? But what for?"
"I will tell you after going there."
"Is this real or am I imagining?"
After hearing this, she stooped when she found some bench below a tree.
"Come there, let's sit and speak. Ask what you want to ask, okay? And this is real, not your imagination."
He felt embarrassed and got down, she parked and sat on that bench.
"You had some work right?"
"Nothing, this was the work I spoke about."
"Oh" Rick didn't know what to speak, he was shocked.
Ning suddenly remembered something "Why did you tell we are classmates? Didn't you treat me as a friend."
"No" He wanted to treat her as more than a friend. So he truthfully said no but couldn't tell anything more than that.
She was shocked by his answer "Oh, if you are not comfortable, come, I will drop you and leave."
"No, no, I didn't mean that. Like I was shocked when you said we are friends. I didn't think that."
"You know, if it was someone else speaking to Yixi, I would have not stayed there but I stayed there when it was you because I thought you as my friend. Even I don't know how but I just wanted you.. to be my friend. And even now I asked you sit with me on this bench. This is the place where I sit alone and speak to myself during night time when I feel lonely. There are no houses nearby so none comes at this late night. For the first time I sat with someone. I don't know what happened but when I saw this I wanted you to sit with me."
When Rick did not speak, Ning said "I just felt like sharing that's it. Sorry."
"No, it's okay, you don't have to be sorry."
Both were silently sitting there. After some two minutes, silence broke.
"You remember me right, that day in Four L School."
Ning nodded her head "Yixi told you?"
He did not answer that "You can be free with me, I won't .."
She cut him "I know, I trust you. And don't ask me how and when I started trusting you because I don't know."
He chuckled "Thank You.. for .. "
"What is there to thank? And don't ever tell that.. we are just classmates."
He nodded, she turned towards him "Come let's have dinner."
She got up, showed him keys "You ride, I will tell where to go."
He took keys, both sat and he started the engine "Which side to go?"
"Hmm, first go right out of west street then left and go straight till I tell."
"Oh, It will be outskirts of the city right?"
"Yeah, but there is beautiful sight of nature. GO."
He was very happy, he never thought that this day comes so soon. He just wanted to drive and never stop. He saw her from the mirror, she was looking very cute in her pajamas and shirt. His happiness cannot be measured.
It's been ten minutes when Ning said "Yeah, stop, this one."
"Wow, nice, it's really beautiful from here."
It looked like some small restaurant kind. There were so many trees, on the other side, there was moon visible. Below five trees, there was a table each, Ning took him to one of those.
"It's really beautiful, and you did not tell the reason to celebrate?"
"Yeah, it's beautiful and the reason is nothing. Just our first day of friendship, or something like that."
He smiled looking around "Nice, I don't know that this hotel existed."
"Yeah it's in the outskirts right. Rarely, when people come this side they might have seen."
"When did you see or come here?"
"When I was about to enter high school, maybe when I was thirteen years old."
He was surprised "Oh, how did you come here?"
"You know right I won't speak to anyone much and I think they even hate me, I just don't know why."
"Don't think in that way, they don't know what you are.. you are very special, there are very very few people like you."
She smiled "Sometimes I just stress myself out, for relaxation I will start walking and turn towards any roads I find. In that way once, I was at this place. I liked it very much, so sometimes I will just come here to spend time."
"Next time, call me if you want to just walk on roads or else someone might kidnap you when you are alone."
She laughed but stopped when he looked serious and said "It's not a joke. I am serious."
She nodded and said "Hmm okay, I will see."
"What you will see, you must do it"
"Mm leave that, tell what you want to have."
She found some waiter nearby and called "Hey, Where is Yi Fin?"
"Today, he took leave mam."
"Oh okay, do you know why?"
"No mam, you can order to me."
"Yeah, come in five minutes till we decide."
After the waiter left, Rick asked "Who is that?"
"Who? Yi Fin? He is my friend here."