Chapter 142: Making Friends

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Bai Ma changed into a short pink down jacket, looking like she was wrapped up like a round, soft candy, and followed Ding Heng out.

The night wind was cold. She hunched her shoulders and climbed into the passenger seat, muttering, "Where are we going so late at night?"

Ding Heng started the car: "You'll know when we get there."

Baima glanced at him, didn't ask any more questions, and took out her phone to start scrolling.

The car drove through several blocks and finally stopped in front of a chain internet cafe. It had just opened, and the flower baskets at the entrance had not yet been removed.

Bai Ma looked up at the flashing sign, then at Ding Heng: "You brought me to an internet cafe?"

"What, Miss, you've never been to an internet cafe?"

"I went there when I was a child..."

Baima followed Ding Heng inside, and muttered to herself, "Back then, when we were still in Tibet, it would take me half an hour to ride my bike to an internet cafe. Later, my mom was worried that something might happen to me, so she got me a computer."

"Your auntie always spoils you..."

"Of course, my mom is generally open-minded."

After passing through the hall, Ding Heng pushed open the door to a private room.

"Holy crap! Watch me take on three of them!!"

Xie Baoyang's loud voice boomed in the private room. He was so excited that he jumped halfway up his chair and his fingers clattered on the keyboard.

"Don't yell! The enemy jungler is here!"

The other voice was Li Meng, wearing headphones, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"What's there to be afraid of? I'm invincible!"

As soon as Xie Baoyang finished speaking, the screen went gray, and he was instantly killed by the enemy's focused fire.

"Holy shit..."

Just as he was about to start ranting, a large hand reached out from behind and slapped him hard on the shoulder.

"ah!!!"

Xie Baoyang was so startled that he almost slipped off the chair. He looked back and then jumped up.

"Old Ding!!!"

He stood up and punched Ding Heng: "Damn it! What are you doing here!"

Ding Heng laughed and pushed him away: "I just saw in the group chat that you guys have all gone back to Xingcheng, so I came to join in the fun."

Li Meng and Zhou Zhou also took off their headphones and stood up.

"Old Ding!"

"Brother Ding!"

Several people surrounded him, throwing punches at Ding Heng.

Ding Heng laughed and slapped him back: "Alright, alright, stop being so lovey-dovey."

Xie Baoyang then noticed that there was another person standing behind Ding Heng.

The petite girl, wrapped in a pink down jacket, had her round face half-hidden by the brim of her hat, revealing only a pair of big, dark eyes that were curiously observing them.

Xie Baoyang was stunned for a moment, his gaze swept over the girl, and then looked at Ding Heng.

"Who is this?"

The other two also realized what was happening and turned to look at Ding Heng.

Ding Heng said casually, "My sister, Baima."

younger sister?

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Having known Ding Heng for so many years, I've never heard him mention having a younger sister.

Cousin? Younger cousin?

still is……

Xie Baoyang's mind worked quickly, and his expression became subtle.

Baima, on the other hand, was very generous. She stepped forward and nodded obediently to the three of them: "Hello, my name is Baima."

Zhou Zhou was the first to react, responding with a smile, "Hello, hello!"

Li Meng nodded in response, "Hello."

Xie Baoyang, however, remained unchanged. He would stutter whenever he saw a strange woman, freezing in place and unable to utter a single word.

Ding Heng added from the side, "My childhood friend, Xie Baoyang, is clumsy with words, please forgive him."

"Who, who's bad at talking!"

Xie Baoyang finally managed to utter a sentence.

Ding Heng glanced at their screens: "Want to keep playing? If not, let's go get some late-night snacks."

"I'm not playing anymore! I'm not playing anymore!"

Xie Baoyang immediately closed the game and was the first to stand up: "Let's go, it's on me!"

Li Meng and Zhou Zhou also got up and began packing their things.

Bai Ma stood beside Ding Heng, and her eyes lit up when she heard the words "late-night snack".

She quietly tugged at Ding Heng's sleeve and whispered, "Brother, can I eat it too?"

Ding Heng nodded: "Yes."

Bai Ma's lips immediately curved into a smile, and her clear eyes sparkled as if sprinkled with powdered sugar.

The group walked out of the internet cafe, with Xie Baoyang leading the way, muttering to himself, "I know this street well. There's a barbecue place that's really good. The owner used to be my dad's apprentice..."

Li Meng chimed in, "Come on, I've eaten your cooking before."

Xie Baoyang retorted irritably, "Hey Li Meng, you're like a wild boar that can't eat fine bran. If my dad's cooking skills weren't up to par, would my family's shop have been open for over twenty years?"

The two started arguing, and Zhou Zhou joined in the bickering from the sidelines.

Bai Ma followed Ding Heng with her neck hunched, her small figure stretched long by the streetlights.

She watched the boys in front of her making a ruckus, occasionally stealing glances at them.

Xie Baoyang – loudest voice, most impulsive, but gets angry after being rebuked by Li Meng, like a child who hasn't grown up.

Li Meng—he looks calm and collected, but he's also a chatterbox, always finding a way to hit Xie Baoyang's sore spots.

Zhou Zhou – He doesn’t talk much, but every time he opens his mouth, he leaves the two of them speechless.

The group walked in a row, jostling each other, none of them giving way.

As Baima looked at them, she suddenly thought of her former "friends" and always felt that there was something between them.

Unlike these boys in front of me, who argue so realistically and make such a fuss so naturally.

The barbecue restaurant isn't far; it's just a few minutes' walk away.

The shop is small, with a few plastic tables and chairs placed at the entrance, and smoke billowing from the charcoal stove.

Xie Baoyang found a seat familiar to him and started ordering.

"Brother Lu! Forty skewers of lamb, forty skewers of beef, ten skewers of chicken wings, twenty skewers of pork belly, two plates of chives, a serving of braised shrimp, a dozen beers, and a bottle of soy milk!"

Li Meng added from the side, "And roasted eggplant, with minced garlic."

Zhou Zhou added, "Two servings of toasted bread slices, please."

Xie Baoyang turned to Ding Heng and asked, "Old Ding, what else do you want?"

Ding Heng looked at Bai Ma: "What would you like to eat?"

Baima was staring at the pictures of grilled skewers on the menu, swallowing hard. Hearing this, she looked up and whispered, "Anything is fine, I want to eat them all..."

"That'll do for now, we'll add more if needed."

Xie Baoyang handed the menu to the owner, then turned back and looked at Baima.

He probably wanted to act like a warm adult, but after a long pause, he could only manage to stammer, "Um... Baima, right? How old are you?"

Pema obediently replied, "Seventeen."

"Oh... Seventeen...that's good..."

Xie Baoyang stopped talking as soon as he finished speaking, completely unsure how to continue the conversation.

Li Meng chuckled to himself, while Zhou Zhou looked down at his phone, his shoulders twitching.

Bai Ma blinked and steered the conversation towards a topic familiar to boys: "Brother Baoyang, what games do you play?"

"Huh? Me?"

Xie Baoyang paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "LOL, WOW, CS... I play them all!"

"What rank?"

"LOL Diamond, Varian Platinum..."

Xie Baoyang finished speaking a little embarrassedly: "I played so-so..."

Baima nodded: "That's pretty impressive."

Xie Baoyang's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he started talking non-stop: "Not bad, not bad, mainly thanks to your brother's guidance. You don't know, Lao Ding is incredibly good at games. Last time we..."

He began to recount his and Ding Heng's glorious achievements in a long and enthusiastic manner, becoming more and more animated as he spoke, completely forgetting his earlier stutter.

Li Meng and Zhou Zhou would occasionally chime in, keeping the atmosphere lively and engaging.

While listening, Baima sipped her soy milk, not at all shy.

The skewers were served quickly, steaming hot, and the aroma filled the air.

Baima stared wide-eyed at the plates of bright red, glistening meat skewers.

But she didn't touch her chopsticks; she just looked at Ding Heng.

Ding Heng secretly added some ingredients to her soy milk, then picked up a skewer of mutton and handed it to her: "Eat up."

Baima took the skewer and gently took a bite.

The next second, her eyes narrowed, her little mouth bulged, and she mumbled indistinctly, "Mmm... delicious..."

Xie Baoyang stared in disbelief, wondering to himself, "Where did Ding Heng find such a cute 'little sister'? What happened to his summer girlfriend? Did they break up?"

After confirming that Baima was alright, Ding Heng picked up a skewer of beef and slowly chewed it.

The group ate and chatted, their conversation ranging from games to university, and then to winter break.

Xie Baoyang started complaining: "You guys don't know, the food in our school cafeteria is absolutely awful! It's even worse than our high school cafeteria! And I just can't get used to the local food..."

Li Meng chimed in, "Come on, at least your school is in the city, our school is in the suburbs, going out is like going from the countryside to the city."

Zhou Zhou spoke quietly: "My military academy is under closed management, who can I complain to?"

Xie Baoyang gloated: "It's alright, being a soldier is an honor. Don't forget your brothers when you become a commander!"

Zhou Zhou rolled her eyes at him: "Chief? I'd better graduate first..."

Baima listened while eating skewers, occasionally bursting into laughter.

After finishing the meal, it was almost midnight. Baima got up to pay the bill, but Ding Heng stopped her, and in the end, everyone split the bill as usual.

The group said goodbye at the store entrance.

Xie Baoyang waved to Ding Heng: "Old Ding, let's make another appointment in a couple of days!"

"OK."

"Take your sister with you!"

Baima, standing beside Ding Heng, swallowed hard upon hearing this.

Does that mean there's another meal?

The fortune teller my mom consulted was right after all! This Changsha is great! I can eat and drink whatever I want without getting a stomachache!

Li Meng chimed in from the side, "Come on, with your meager abilities, would you dare say a word with his sister around?"

"roll!"

The group walked away laughing and joking, their figures gradually disappearing into the night.

A cool night breeze was blowing.

Ding Heng said, "Let's go."

Baima snapped out of her daze and obediently followed him toward the car.

Get in the car and fasten your seatbelt.

The car started and slowly drove away.

Pema leaned back in her chair, gazing at the streetlights rushing past the window, and remained silent for a long time.

"Brother."

She suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

"Do you...have many friends?"

"It's alright, I only keep in touch with a few people regularly."

"..."

Baima didn't speak, her fingers gently fiddling with the seatbelt.

After a while, she asked in a low voice, "How do you know them?"

"Xie Baoyang has known me since elementary school, and Li Meng and Zhou Zhou were high school classmates."

"Oh……"

Baima lowered her head, her voice muffled: "It seems like you two have a pretty good relationship."

Ding Heng didn't reply, but just continued driving.

The car turned a corner and drove onto the elevated road.

The city lights flowed across the car windows, displaying a kaleidoscope of colors.

Baima stared at the points of light, recalling the scene at the barbecue restaurant just now.

Xie Baoyang was drunk and started bragging, while Li Meng stood by and sneered at him, and Zhou Zhou lowered her head and chuckled to herself.

Several people were arguing and bickering, none of them willing to give in, but that feeling...

Pema asked again, "Brother, how do you make friends?"

Ding Heng countered, "Bai Ma, did you see how much that barbecue cost?"

"Over four hundred?"

Is it expensive?

"well enough……"

For Baima, four hundred yuan wasn't even enough for her to pay for two hours of companionship.

"Do you know why I didn't let you pay the bill, but instead we split it equally?"

"have no idea……"

Baima shook her head.

Ding Heng calmly explained, "Because we are all students now, under the identity of students, our attributes are the same, there is no difference. If you take the initiative to pay the bill once or twice, it's fine, but once it happens a lot, our identity attributes will naturally start to differ..."

You're a wealthy student, and they're ordinary students. Because of mutual benefit and human nature, people will start actively building a circle around you. Isn't that how you acquire your so-called friends?

Bai Ma pursed her lips; her silence signified confirmation.

Ding Heng continued, "Of course, that's not wrong, but the problem is that once the circle is established, you must demonstrate enough personal charisma or leadership skills to consolidate it."

If you keep giving money away, over time, your so-called friends will see you as a sucker and use your friendship to blackmail you!

Suddenly, Baima recalled her experiences of transferring schools and making friends each time.

At each school she went to, she would try to make friends by being outgoing.

At first, everyone was attracted to her, but over time, she found herself needing to spend more and more money to maintain her so-called circle, while those so-called friends became increasingly disrespectful to her, even mocking her behind her back...

The truth is always hard to hear, especially for a rebellious teenager.

Baima couldn't help but feel indignant: "Are you saying I lack personal charisma and leadership skills like my mother?"

Ding Heng gave a wry smile: "At least for now, yes!"

"But online, people generally respect me..."

Baima tried to refute, but her voice grew softer and softer, lacking any real conviction.

Ding Heng sighed and said nothing more.

The reason why Baima is becoming increasingly addicted to online social circles is that, as long as she spends money online, she can at least enjoy enough respect.

But she didn't understand that the "respect" she bought online was essentially just a commodity, which had no value other than satisfying her vain and empty heart.

However, ultimately, Baima herself has to figure this out; excessive lecturing might only provoke her rebellion.

The car drove off the elevated road and turned into the villa area.

Ding Heng turned off the engine and called out softly.

"Pema".

Bai Ma looked up, and Ding Heng met her gaze, speaking earnestly.

Making friends isn't difficult at all.

Perhaps it was because he was imagining Bai Ma as Wen Jing, but Ding Heng reached out and gently patted Bai Ma's head for the first time.

"After the Lunar New Year holiday and the start of the new school term, I will first try to adjust my mindset and then see how it goes."

Bai Ma's hair was messed up by Ding Heng's rubbing, but she neither dodged nor argued back.

"Brother."

"Um?"

"So, am I your friend now?"

Ding Heng was suddenly taken aback, clearly not expecting Baima to ask such a question.

He grinned and responded loudly.

"Calculate!"