Under the moonlight

After a busy morning, Zhao Meng offered to treat everyone to lunch to celebrate the successful signing of the order. Although Huang Meng wasn't very familiar with them, she had personally participated in the event and fulfilled her responsibilities in helping the company complete the translation work smoothly, so she was still a little excited.

Zhao Meng took one car, while Liang Yuanyuan called several other cars, and they took the group to a farmhouse restaurant.

"We'll have a buffet lunch here today, everyone please don't be shy!" Zhao Meng said loudly to everyone after getting out of the car.

This must have been their first time here. Several boys greeted the waiters warmly. There were no fixed tables and chairs, so everyone took their food and scattered around the courtyard. The scenery was nice, and there was a stream in the courtyard. Camping chairs and small tables were placed along the stream. Many people had already taken their food, chosen their spots, and started chatting and eating in twos and threes.

Huang Meng looked up and around. The courtyard was indeed nice. She was really hungry, so she picked up a plate and went to get food, completely unaware that Zhao Meng was watching her from behind.

Huang Meng's plate was soon filled with her favorite dishes. The food here was very well prepared, and she felt she could eat two plates of it.

"Taking so much? It seems being a translator is quite tiring."

Hearing Zhao Meng speak, Huang Meng turned around and saw him busy putting food on his plate. "Aren't you the same? Being a driver must be tiring!" Huang Meng replied bluntly, then carried the plate to the small dining table by the stream.

Zhao Meng watched her retreating figure. Hmm, compared to before, she was still as quick-witted as ever, but she wouldn't easily show it. In his memory, she was always quiet and reserved. If it weren't for that time... Zhao Meng looked at the food on the plate, but his thoughts were on the past.

"Zhao Meng, this phone is the latest model, a touchscreen phone." Chen Jiahao showed off the touchscreen phone his dad had bought for him.

"Tch~ What's with the arrogance!" Zhao Meng said with disdain, glancing at the so-called touchscreen phone in his hand. Indeed, just from the casing, it was clear that it was much cooler than the ubiquitous PHS phones on the street.

"Hehe, how about I sell it to you? I don't need this phone. I just want to turn it into cash to play games. How about I sell it to you?" Chen Jiahao saw the fleeting look of interest in his eyes.

"Your dad bought it for you, so you can just sell it?" Zhao Meng asked, looking at his chubby, round head.

"It's nothing, I'll just say I lost it, oh, it's okay!" Chen Jiahao said anxiously when he saw that his words were softening.

Zhao Meng glanced at the phone in his hand, dangled his leg over the horizontal bar and swayed it a few times. He squinted and thought for a moment before saying, "Okay, but I'll give you the money in a few days."

"No problem, haha, it's settled!" Chen Jiahao happily tossed his phone into Zhao Meng's hand so he could see it.

Zhao Meng held the phone in his hand, swiped his finger across it, and the screen lit up. The phone fit perfectly in his hand, and it was definitely different from the ubiquitous PHS phones. It was so cool!

At that time, Zhao Meng was a fourteen-year-old boy who loved anything related to coolness and style. He had actually taken a liking to this phone the first time he saw it, but given his arrogant personality, he wouldn't ask about it first.

However, he knew Chen Jiahao, who had been his classmate since elementary school. They were also in the same class in middle school. Zhao Meng was flamboyant and unruly. He had helped Chen Jiahao before. Chen Jiahao was a rich man's son who had been extorted for protection money by the so-called seniors in the second year of junior high. Zhao Meng happened to run into them once and got into a fight with them. From then on, his reputation spread throughout the second year of junior high.

So Chen Jiahao was quite grateful to him. Knowing that he liked all things new and cool, he brought it out like a treasure. He didn't like these things at all, he just wanted to play games. Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to exchange it for several hundred dollars to play games?

Zhao Mengyuan planned to exchange the phone for the money in three days, but something went wrong.

"Is this yours?" During break, Jing Hong, a second-year junior high student, pointed at the cell phone in Chen Jiahao's pocket and said casually.

Two tall boys stood behind him. Jing Hong looked at Chen Jiahao with a teasing smile, the earring in his right ear gleaming in the sunlight. Chen Jiahao looked at the handsome Jing Hong and felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly clutched his pocket tightly. "No, no, it's not mine. Someone else just left it here with me."

"Why are you so nervous? I was just asking. Don't worry, we're at school, I won't hurt you." Jing Hong said, smiling as he patted Chen Jiahao on the head. His action drew laughter from the two people behind him, but Chen Jiahao didn't dare to make any move, hoping he could leave as soon as possible.

"Ring ring~" Chen Jiahao had never looked forward to the school bell as much as he did at this moment. He took off running, and the laughter behind him grew louder.

He returned to the classroom, panting. Just as he sat down and the teacher was giving a passionate lecture, Zhao Meng, sitting behind him, kicked the leg of his chair. Chen Jiahao quickly leaned back.

"What's wrong? Your face is deathly pale." Zhao Meng had a sharp eye.

"I just ran into Jinghong in the corridor," Chen Jiahao said to Zhao Meng, lowering his voice and turning his head slightly.

"Did he say something?" Zhao Meng's expression turned serious in an instant.

"He saw my phone."

"What?" A sense of unease crept into Zhao Meng's heart. This Jing Hong was definitely up to no good!

After school in the afternoon, Jinghong blocked Chen Jiahao in the hallway. "Hey, little fatty, is that the latest touchscreen phone you have? Your family is so rich, your dad must have bought it for you!"

Chen Jiahao nervously clutched his pocket, filled with regret. He wished he hadn't brought it to school.

"Take it out and let me see." Seeing that he was clutching his pocket tightly and not saying anything, Jing Hong pressed him closer.

"Jinghong, aren't you bored? You come here to our first-year junior high school class every day after school." Zhao Meng said, carrying his school uniform in one hand and slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder with the other.

"Hey, isn't this the top dog of the first year? Haha~ Pretty loyal!" The group next to Jing Hong laughed loudly as they looked at Zhao Meng.

"I've already ordered his phone, so don't even think about it." Zhao Meng didn't want to pay them any attention. After giving a brief explanation, he winked at Chen Jiahao.

Chen Jiahao quickly walked out of the classroom through the front door. At this time, only the students cleaning the classroom remained, including Huang Meng.

Zhao Meng glanced at Huang Meng, who was mopping the floor with her head down, seemingly oblivious to what had happened at the back door. Zhao Meng then glanced at Jing Hong, who was smiling maliciously. Zhao Meng didn't think much of it and left with Chen Jiahao.

The final exams were just a few days away. He had long forgotten about Jing Hong's matter from a few days ago. After school, he passed by Chen Zhi's seat and bumped into him somehow. The two got into an argument. Zhao Meng was always arrogant and never took anyone seriously. Moreover, Chen Zhi started cursing as he spoke.

He threw down his schoolbag, rolled up his sleeves, and looked ready to fight, which scared the class monitor, Li Xue, so she quickly went to find the homeroom teacher.

"What's all the noise about! You did well on the exam, huh!" Zhang Yixian had just finished a meeting and was already feeling annoyed after being singled out for criticism by the director. Then the class monitor came to complain.

"Zhao Meng, what are you doing!" Zhang Yixian saw him rolling up his sleeves, his eyes blazing with anger, and knew what he was going to do. The two of them were criticized, and the other students who were watching were not spared either.

As Zhao Meng picked up his schoolbag to leave, he glanced at Huang Meng, who was sitting quietly behind Chen Zhi. Her eyes held a hint of fear as she looked at him.

To everyone's surprise, the next morning, I missed the last math final exam.

He was blocked at the entrance of the residential area by Jinghong and his men.

He wasn't afraid at first, but then they took out knives from their bags. When the sharp knives pierced his body, he saw Chen Zhi looking panicked, while Jing Hong, like a demon, bared his teeth and charged at him.

Finally, all he remembered was being carried onto an ambulance and taken to the nearest hospital. In his dazed state, he seemed to hear Huang Meng saying: Hang in there, Zhao Meng, hang in there!