Little Nemo

After the accident, Naruto promised Ruoxi that he would think about it first because he needed time to prepare everything. Ruoxi didn't say anything except showing an agreement. Then they went back to each other home, although Ruoxi offered to drive him back, Naruto refused and just told her the distance wasn't that far. It's already evening by the time he arrived home. After taking a shower, Naruto once again opened his wooden chest, scanned it and took a pale blue white-striped shirt and a pair of classic white shorts. He stood in front of the mirror while fixing his hair with his hand, then he stared at his own reflexion. To think that so many things happened today, from beating up a bunch of children till saving up a falling woman. Naruto thought maybe the peaceful and calm day he now had already over starting from today. He looked at his own palm and couldn't help but remember what happened after he saved Ruoxi.

*Smack!*

"Augh!"

In the small alley not far from the coffee house, a man and woman sat leaning against the wall, actually, the man was the one who's sitting against the wall, while the woman... well you could say that she laid on her stomach on this man's lap, while the woman's ass was sticking out in the air.

*Smack!*

"Hyaa!"

Another weird sound could be heard from this small alley, the sound of flesh got hit by something and the sound of a woman who groaned in pain.

"Humph, now you know what mistakes you made? Simply unbelievable, jumping off from the second-floor balcony like that, did you thought that the ground around here is a bungee jump attraction, that will simply bounced you back back when you reach the ground?!"

"I-I know my mistakes."

*Smack!*

"Aurgh!"

"What is your mistakes?"

"I wouldn't jump again?"

*Smack!*

"Ouch!"

In this small alley, Naruto thoroughly disciplined Ruoxi after her rashed behavior at the Coffee house.

When Naruto saw Lin Ruoxi stood on that rail, he already rushes with his fastest speed toward her, although it was just two a story building, the height between the floor was simply too great, so it's the same as small three-story building. If Lin Ruoxi was really falling from that high, only God knew how she would survive. Luckily he wasn't late as when she jumps, he already only a few meters from her, leaping into the air, Naruto grabs her and turn her around so she can be on top while Naruto using his back as they landed.

After seeing she's alright, Naruto started reprimanding about what she just did but instead looked apologetic and guilty, she just smile at him while nodding her head. This made the smokes out of the blonde's ears, even some vein started visible on his temple. He grabbed Lin Ruoxi's hand, he dragged her toward the alley in the area then started spanking her. This action startled Lin Ruoxi, of course, because she's not a masochist, she would not happy about this, in her shame, Naruto kept spanking her until she admitted guilty and won't repeat any suicidal attempt again.

(***)

Old Lee's house was not that far, but without any transport, Naruto had to walk for half an hour before arriving in the area. This was an old residential area in the West region, surrounded by civilians who were too poor to rent an apartment. Generations who lived here have protected the archaic southern flavors of the area. After passing by several small houses, he could already see smokes from the kitchen coming out of the chimney. Naruto then knocked on a very old red wooden door.

Very soon after knocking, the wooden door opened. Behind the door was a cheery young face, "Big Brother Naruto! You're here!"

"Jingjing, long time no see." Naruto smiles. The girl in front of him had changed a lot even only two months, this somewhat surprising him.

Lee Jingjing's face still elegant and refined like usual, with curly eyelashes, a delicate little nose and a petite mouth, typical of the classic southern girl. She wore a white short-sleeved T-shirt, and tight-fitting blue jean shorts, revealing a pair of beautiful white legs. Seeing Naruto's eyes swept up and down with a naughty smile, Lee Jingjing feels embarrassed, yet at the same time, she secretly felt delighted. She coquettishly said: "Big brother Naruto, stop staring and come in..."

Naruto laughed and said: "Aw, do Jingjing know how to be embarrassed now? oh, you simply grow up cause this brother feels old now. Do you have any boyfriend yet? "

"What do you mean! I don't have a boyfriend." Lee Jingjing immediately denied it while furrowing her brows and looking a little angry.

"Alright, I'm just kidding..." Naruto felt little helpless since he obviously couldn't tell what this girl thinking. Inside Old Lee's living room, Old Lee happily welcomed him, "Aiya Naruto, my child Jingjing was helping her mother cook earlier, but the moment she heard you knock ed on the door she rushed out like a rabbit."

"Dad! Stop speaking nonsense!" Li Jingjing acted bashfully while clinging to Old Lee's arm and not letting him say anything more.

Naruto laughed and sat with Old Lee. All of the furniture in the house were decades old, with their somewhat withered red paint, yet it also expresses a classic preference.

Under the dim light, the summer flies flew around in the house, a breeze blows through the corridor, everything appeared to be very peaceful. Drinking the tea that Lee Jingjing had brought out for him, Naruto suddenly felt a sense of fulfillment that he never experienced before. As he looked out at the night sky, the moon was somehow a little more dazzling.

"Young man, stop displaying such a disillusioned look, a great future awaits you." Old Lee gently joked while drinking his cup of green tea.

Naruto returned to his senses, smiled and said, "You old man, all ladies prefer profound men. Am I doing a good job pretending to look deep?"

"Hehe", Old Lee laughed, "Naruto, others might not notice, but I have spent half of this year interacting with you, so I am very clear of your character. You are not pretending, you little brat. If it wasn't because of some event in your past, why would you want to sell ramen in such small stalls for no reason?"

Naruto is unable to say anything else, as a man like Old Lee, who had experienced hardship, naturally would be able to tell that he was hiding something deep inside. Nonetheless, what Old Li was imagining of is very far from the truth. Some people are destined to be lonely because nobody can associate with them.

Dinner was very luxurious. Old Lee's family specially butchered one of their old hens and makes an exquisite chicken soup. Fish and crab were also brought out, thus to Old Li's family's financial conditions, this meal was even more luxurious than new year's, "Naruto, you should eat more, although it is a little simple, it is still our family's token of gratitude." Aunt Lee's wrinkled yet happy face affectionately looks at Naruto as if she was looking at her own son.

Naruto did not say much during the meal as he continuously gulped down another mouthful of meat. He knew very well that this was the only way to make the couple happy, Jingjing from time to time also gave Naruto more food. She would even secretly peek at Naruto eating while her parents were not paying attention. When she heard that Naruto said the dishes tasted good, she felt as if her heart was being filled with a sweet honey, since most of the dishes were made by her.

At first, Naruto didn't plan to drink alcohol, but since Old Lee insisted and this is might their last time together Naruto accepted it. The burning feeling in his stomach was very comfortable. "Naruto ah, if it wasn't for the money you lent us in this half a year, our family would be facing much worse hardship. Now that our Jingjing had find a job, next time you can come to be our guest more often, I would also cook some good food for you." Aunt Lee happily said.

Naruto smiled when he heard that and happily asked: "Oh, Jingjing had find a job? What job?"

"I've been accepted by Zhong Hai's Yizhong High School to be an English teacher there. Due to the former teacher being pregnant, I'm now a temporary formal teacher," Lee Jingjing quietly smiled.

"Ah... a teacher, very honorable! Our Jingjing really isn't simple huh." Naruto nodded satisfyingly, "the wages are also not low when the time comes please don't forget about me!"

The Old Lee couple also proudly laughed. Their late born daughter had a great future at last. This news naturally made them extremely happy, Jingjing pouted and said bashfully, "T-then when you are free, Big brother Naruto must come to the school and find me, otherwise how would I remember you?"

"Alright, I'll definitely go, although Yizhong is a well known high school, I've never been there before…" Naruto happily replied.

After the meal, Old Lee affectionately pulled Naruto to drink tea and play Chinese chess with him. Honestly speaking, Naruto didn't know how to play it so he just kept losing. In the meantime, Li Jingjing helps her mother clean up the table.

When they still in the midst of the game, Naruto with a doleful expression said to Old Lee, "Old Lee, I probably will not sell again."

Old Lee trembled when hearing that, with a shocking expression he looked at Naruto, "what do you mean Naruto? Did something happen?"

Naruto sighed then replied: "Yes, something did and I can't stay at my old place anymore."

Old Lee showed sad and concerned face, he knew Naruto wasn't a simple guy that one day he had to leave, but this was too sooner then he expected. After a long silent Old Lee finally regained his composure, after all, Old Lee was an experienced man, so it didn't take long for him to understand the situation that Naruto must face. Old Lee gave a faint smile and said, "then I hope all is well Naruto. I believe that whatever happens, you can withstand it"

Naruto nodded and appreciate Old Lee not to ask anymore. Since Old Lee knew tonight was Naruto last day, he brought out the wine again and started pouring excitedly Naruto's cup, after a while, Naruto felt the urges to go urinate so he told Old Lee to wait, and runned towards the toilet to release it. The toilet was in a different shack and to reach there, Naruto must went through the small alleyway before he reached out the alley exit, someone's voice entered his ear.

"Little Nemo, it's been a long time since I feeding you again."

Naruto stopped and peeked through the corner of the alley, near the toiled shack, there was a small pond that filled with a few goldfish and others. On the edge of the pond, Lee Jingjing crouched and feeds them some leftover from dinner. Naruto smiled and wanted to greet her, but before he did, her voice resounded again.

"Little Nemo, do you know, today Big Brother Naruto come over to our house."

Lee Jingjing kept feeding the fish while affectionately talked with one of them.

"I'm so happy that I couldn't sit still at all, dad teased me about it, he's so annoying!"

Naruto who was standing a few meter away from her, chuckled when he heard that.

"You know, when I'm in training camp, I couldn't stop missing him, every night before asleep, I always thinking how is he today? Did he manages to sell well? Did he get a good sleep?"

"You know, one of the day at training camp, I had fallen sick and had to rest on the bed for the entire day. At that time, the training session was running, so everyone's gone, I am so lonely. One day, back in the home, I also had gotten sick and rested on the bed, no one visited me so I just slept for the remaining of the day, but at the afternoon, someone knocked on my window, I'm scared because I thought it was a ghost! turned out it was big Brother Naruto who had a pick up ramen on his hand. He said that if I ate the ramen, I would get better the next day, and guess what? It's real! I had gotten better and could go to the campus again!"

"You know, Big Brother Naruto is such a womanizer, he flirt with his women customer even asked their number! Humph, simply hateful!"

"You know..."

Jingjing kept talking with her fish while Naruto listened, a curve showed on Naruto lips as he thought Jingjing was just cute and adorable talking with little fish about their relationship. But soon he frowned because what Jingjing said next.

"You know, I heard Big Brother Naruto talked with dad about leaving, looks like something happen and Big Brother Naruto cannot stay at his old place. I was sad and hurt, mom asked me what happen but I just told her that i have a stomachache and when to the toilet while pick the leftover. Little Nemo, do you think I can't never meet up with Big Brother Naruto again? Little nemo I don't want him to leave but I'm just a nobody, what can I do to make him stay? Little nemo..."

Naruto looked at her lonely figure, suddenly his urged to leak it's gone. Naruto slowly turned around and left.

After a talk with Lee's couple for a while then Naruto asked permission to go home, the couple couldn't make him stay so they unwillingly let him go.

Walking along the riverbank, Naruto purchased some drinks from a convenience store, while looking at the river, he was thinking of the time when he first came here then remembered the bits and pieces of memories of meeting Lee Jingjing and her family, who used to be a silly little girl who suddenly became a youthful pretty lady. He couldn't help but felt how the age of eighteen can blossom a girl into a woman, and then he lamented on the world's chaoticness.

He remembered on this riverside, he rescued Lee Jingjing from being mugged by scoundrels, and later acquainted himself with Old Lee's family. Perhaps every girl had a hero in their hearts, so despite he himself for being a poor guy, in Lee Jingjing's heart, he was special.

While thinking about such matters, Naruto unknowingly walked to the river's dock. Under the streetlight's pale illumination, it was exposing a hazy sense of beauty. The summer breeze blew past, bringing whizzing coolness.

On the road ahead, a big and tall SUV appeared while he was thinking. there's a tall woman in a black dress stood beside the riverside drifting waves roll, the street lamp's light disperses streaks of rosey red, as to shine on a charming pale face. A pair of watery eyes stared at an indistinct yacht far away, expressing a hard to notice sorrow. This well developed figure demonstrates a mature type of charm: ample breasts and a round plump butt, all packed in a black cotton dress yet still drawing the attention of people's eyes. Under her slender thighs wrapped inside a pair of beige colored stockings, is a pair of crystal shaded high-heel shoes, with a noble and elegant smell spreading out from her body.

Naruto only needed one glance to know that she was absolutely one of the best woman he had seen.

"Nice car, never thought that I could see a limited model of the Land Rover, which only has 40 existing models in the entire country, here at this place…" Naruto wryly complimented while he slowly leaeds on the railings.

The beautiful lady's distant looking eyes are taken aback. She gently turned her head, showing a face that displayed a little bit of confusion and surprise. But what followed suit was a nice and graceful smile, "You recognize this car?"

'More than know I had blown up no less than several hundred of these cars'… Naruto sourly laughed inside his heart, he nod and leisurely says: "yeah, I have seen it multiple times back in the day "

" I see, I really don't know about the car, I just feel like to take it out tonight " The lady stroked her fluttering hair. This was such a simple movement yet it was also very alluring and enchanting.

"You must be ladies with special taste then since most of women like small and elegant sports cars. The Porsche 911, Mercedes-Benz SLR, BMW Z4, even Audi TT," Naruto took out of his beer and offered one to the woman, the woman rejected it but seemed like didn't repel him so he wouldn't mind chatting more.

The lady shook her head, "I do not feel that way, those car cannot compare to the sense of security that driving an SUV gives, ladies should know how to proctect themselves, you know?"

"It seemed like you lack a sense of security," Naruto smiled at her

But the woman shook her head: "You're wrong, I feel very safe. The reason I said driving an SUV would give me a better sense of security, is merely to give one's own heart some more comfort."

"I think you're in the wrong here, if you really feel that way, you wouldn't spend your time chat with strangers," Naruto smiled and drink a mouthfull of beer

The woman knit her brows , her pair of eyes shining like stars stared straight at Naruto. In the end, she laughed brilliantly, "Maybe you right, but maybe you also wrong." she raised her hand "Tang Wan"

"Your name is Tang Wan?" Naruto silently said it out twice, then he laughed and said while grasped her hand: "Naruto."

"Naruto? Are you not chinese?" Tang Wan curiously asked him, Naruto shook his head, replied with a faint smile, "I just arrive here like six month ago"

"Why did you move here then?" Tang Wan seriously evaluated Naruto for a few moments, Naruto shrugging then said: "to sell a ramen" ,

Tang Wan startled , unable to hold back her laughter, a soft "pfft" sound comes out. She trembles like a flower in the wind for a moment, then says: "Mr. Handsome, are you treating me as a fool, or are you just joking around?"