RongRong

"Chocolate? Do you want to get away with just chocolate? Humph! No way! I want pizza!"

RongRong humphed angrily with folded hands.

"..."

Jay was speechless; he thought she would request something outrageous.

"What?! you don't want to?"

RongRong glared at him threateningly.

"Of course! Of course! then pizza it is!"

Jay answered hastily with a smile seeing that glare.

"Rong'er, let Jay alone, he must have had a tough week."

Mrs. Wang came out of the kitchen.

She is a traditional Chinese woman.

She was wearing a white Chang'ao. It is rough but beautiful.

"Little Jay, take a seat, I will make you a delicious breakfast."

Mrs. Wang did not even wait for RongRong to answer; she looked at Jay with a kind smile.

"Thanks, Grandma. I, actually, want to talk to RongRong about something."

Jay thanked Mrs. Wang.

"Ooh? is that about being young and all?"

Mrs. Wang teased Jay with a knowing smile.

"Grandma!! what are you saying?!"

RongRong reacted before Jay did; her face was red; she was embarrassed.

"Haha, ah being youth is nice. Go and take a table, you two. Jay, try to convince this idiot girl to return to school on your way."

"What? you told him?"

"What do you mean by that? he will know somehow anyway."

"evens-"

"ok, ok, go and accompany Jay. don't waste time."

"Grandma!"

RongRong stomped the ground. She felt wronged, but more than that, she did not know how to approach the issue with Jay.

Jay treats her like his sister. He cares about her, as he can see the dreams she wants to accomplish in her eyes.

Whenever she talks about how she wants to go to the center ring, her eyes would twinkle like stars.

She did not dare to tell him that she dropped out of school.

As he will question her, he is a persistent guy, so this is not in her favor at all.

Jay was silent; he walked to a table.

And RongRong followed him.

She knew she could not escape, so she decided to be over with this.

Jay took his seat, and so did RongRong on the opposite seat.

Jay looked silently at her waiting for her to speak.

RongRong did not how to start, so ten seconds of silence fell upon the scene.

"I, I dropped out of school."

RongRong said hesitantly.

but Jay did not speak after hearing her.

RongRong found this awkward.

"I, I want to hel-"

"Stop this nonsense."

Jay said with a low voice.

Jay looked at her in the eyes and said:

"What is the matter? are your dreams, not that important anymore?"

RongRong fell silent for a moment.

"They matter, but priorities change."

"RongRong, tell me. What is the issue? tell me!"

Jay said with a resolute voice.

"as you heard, I want to help in the restaurant. I don't want them to be tired all day to raise me. Tuition fees are not small. I want to help them get through their lives easier."

RongRong said with lowering her head.

Her voice quivering at first, but then it became forcefully confident.

Jay could see that she has a lot of hidden words, but for some reason, she can't speak.

"Someone bothering you?"

Jay asked with a firm tone.

"Jay, please! .... make this easier for me!"

RongRong begged with a low voice after the silence. She did not want to lie to her grandparents or him. But she can't speak.

Jay wanted to say more, but after seeing her about to cry, he stopped himself.

He was pissed off, angry, and wanted to get to the bottom of this.

"Ok. But I will get to the bottom of this."

Jay said, looking at her in the eyes.

"No! Jay, promise me not to ask about this or speak about it! Promise me!"

RongRong panicked and asked him with a hushed voice. She did not want her grandparents to hear anything.

"Why should I?"

Jay asked with a natural smile.

"If you think of me as your friend then please do as I ask of you this time."

"But you are not treating me as a friend right now, RongRong. You hide that your future depends on it. So why do you expect me to be this selfless? Do you want to tell me? Or not? because my appetite is not good for food anymore."

Jay said.

After a minute of silence.

"Ok. I will tell you. But promise me, after I tell you, you will not do anything reckless. Do you?"

RongRong looked him in the eye and said.

She hesitated, of course, but she wants to speak about it, too.

RongRong knew Jay is a reasonable good young man even in his age, that is why her family is treating him nicely.

"I promise I will not do anything reckless."

"Aaah. it all started a month ago ...."

-----------

"Grandma Wang, your breakfast was dop as always. thanks for the meal."

Jay thanked the grandma and paid with a few dollars.

But before he put the dollars on the table, Mrs. Wang looked at him with a sharp gaze

"Oh? so we are strangers all of a sudden?"

"What? of course not!"

Jay felt chill seeing that gaze.

"Then put your money in your pockets. You gonna pay for RongRong's pizza anyway. You will need more money than that. I would like to help you with the pizza thing, but you how she is. She will never let you away without pizza. hahaha, really I miss the good old days of youth."

"Hahaha, Really, the good old days were beautiful. Do you remember? I used to buy you flowers every week just to get a kiss."

Mr. Wang, who was silent, laughed, and remembered.

"Hahaha, and you never got that kiss before we got married. You needed to get better with your poetry then, your poems were nonsense."

Mrs. Wang said with a laugh.

Jay was laughing at this scene.

But RongRong's face was red as an apple for an unknown reason.

"Ok, I will take my leave then. RongRong, I will buy you pizza tomorrow at five."

"Come and spend more time here, little jay."

"Aaah. I might not be able to for a while, because, ... I am going to Central Ring the day after tomorrow."

Jay knew this news will make them sad, as they treated him nicely from day one.

For three months, when he started living in this neighborhood, he came and ate many times.

He got to know this little warm family.

For some reason, he did not want to tell them, as he was going to finish a job and return.

But after all that happened, he knew that this is far more than 7 days of work.

He gonna start his plan early.

This is the best opportunity for him, and he gonna take it.

"What?!"

The wang family was shocked; especially RongRong. her eyes were wide.

"Jay, why are you joking like that?"

"Aaah, am not joking. but don't worry, I will return of course. and I am gonna buy you a lot of gifts. Hahahaha"

"Hahaha, little jay is grown-up after all. is it a new job?"

Mr. Wang was happy for Jay. To go to the central ring is a good thing. Opportunities are way more and better than this backwater of the city. But inside, he was worried a little, its not easy to go there.

"Yes! its a job for a few months. don't worry, I will be fine. What bad could happen?"

"Aaah, little Jay. I hope you the best, son."

"Thanks, grandma wang. see you tomorrow everyone."

Jay said goodbye and took his leave.

RongRong, who was silent, was feeling the loss in her heart. She wanted to go to the central ring. But she could not.

She wanted to spend time with her friend, but she could not.

suddenly, her future darkened in her eyes.

Small tears began to flow down.