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Chapter 124 New Activity Mission
Although the weather was still hot, there were still many boys sweating on the playground. In the twilight, the basketball court was going back and forth, with constant switching of offense and defense, and the battle was quite intense.
Han Zhou sat on a chair outside the basketball court, watching the battle on the court with great interest. He had quite liked playing basketball in his previous life, but in this life, due to physical reasons, he could hardly get involved in such an intense sport. Now he was not worried about strenuous exercise, but he was not very interested in such things.
In addition to points, his primary goal now is money. Without money, you can't move forward. This is a universal truth no matter where you are. With a three-level status bar and sufficient points in hand, making money is not a difficult task for him now. What he needs to consider is how to make money as quickly as possible.
While he was thinking, a short figure ran past Han Zhou. It was Xiao Xiaoxiao, who was sweating profusely.
This guy was willing to accept defeat. After the gathering, she came here to run laps. She even insisted on asking Han Zhou to come over and watch her finish the run, so that she wouldn't be held responsible later.
So Han Zhou came to the basketball court not because he wanted to relive his memories on the basketball court, but to watch Xiao Xiaoxiao run laps.
Looking at the girl who was struggling to move her short legs at the edge of the court, he couldn't help laughing in his heart, thinking that it was no wonder that this guy had rushed to propose such a bet. It turned out that in her mind, running five laps around the playground meant running around the basketball court, which was much easier than running on a 400-meter track. But he didn't care.
Xiao Xiaoxiao ran very hard until she finished five laps in one breath. Then she came to Han Zhou panting and said, "How...how is it? I have finished five laps. Now you should tell me your name, right?"
Han Zhou smiled and said, "I don't think I've ever made such an agreement with you. The reason you're running in circles is because you lost the bet."
Xiao Xiaoxiao was stunned, thinking that it seemed to be true. Her face fell instantly, but she quickly regained her composure and sat down next to him. Although her chest kept rising and falling from exhaustion, she still said disdainfully: "It doesn't matter if you don't say it. Anyway, we are classmates. There will always be a time to introduce ourselves. Then I will know your name."
Han Zhou moved aside and said casually, "You are sweating all over, stay away from me."
He treated the other party like a small guzheng, looking friendly and even a little casual in his attitude.
But he soon realized his gaffe. Xiao Xiaoxiao was not Guzheng after all, and it was indeed a bit rude to say this to a stranger. Seeing Xiao Xiaoxiao standing up with an unnatural look on her face, he took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and changed his words, "I mean, remember to wipe the sweat off your face after running."
Perhaps it was because the girl was short and looked like a child, or perhaps it was because she had a somewhat similar temperament to Guzheng, Han Zhou couldn't bear to see the girl feeling aggrieved.
How strange...why do I feel like I've seen this guy somewhere before?
Han Zhou was suspicious, but soon realized that he was overthinking. Now he has a photographic memory, and if he has really met someone, he will never forget him. What's more, this guy's height is very recognizable, and his round head and cheeks are a bit cute. He is the type that people will find hard to forget after just one look.
Unless he had seen the other person before he acquired the skill of photographic memory, and it had been a long time since then, so only a little impression remained...
While he was thinking, the tissue in Han Zhou's hand was snatched away by someone, and then something appeared in his palm -
A lollipop.
Han Zhou was stunned: "What are you doing?"
Xiao Xiaoxiao unwrapped the tissue and wiped the sweat off her forehead, then said in a muffled voice, "Your packet of tissue is only fifty cents at most, and my candy is one dollar, so you still made the profit."
The implication was obvious: she wanted to exchange the lollipop for the wrapper.
Perhaps she was hurt by Han Zhou's words just now. Not only did she not sit down again, she also walked a few steps to the side, keeping a sufficient distance from the other party.
Han Zhou wanted to ask her why she carried a lollipop with her, but he couldn't help but blame himself and said hesitantly, "Um, Xiao Xiaoxiao..."
"Call me Xiaoxiao. I don't like people calling me by my last name." Xiao Xiaoxiao said in an unhappy tone.
"Okay, Xiaoxiao, why don't you come sit over here."
"No, I think you're sweaty, and I'm not here to chat with you. I've already finished five laps, so I'm going back."
Xiao Xiaoxiao shook her ponytail and was about to leave in style, but after taking a few steps, she heard a boy passing by excitedly say, "Let's go to the playground and take a look. I heard there's a very beautiful senior girl playing the guitar over there. Her temperament is so charming."
The other person who was traveling with them brightened up when he heard this and nodded repeatedly. The two of them quickened their pace and left.
Xiao Xiaoxiao was struck by lightning and walked back stiffly.
Seeing her come back, Han Zhou, who was about to leave, wondered, "Why are you back?"
He peeled the lollipop with one hand and put it into his mouth. It had orange flavor and was quite sweet, worthy of being a high-end product that cost one dollar.
Xiao Xiaoxiao clenched her fists and looked up at him: "Isn't this a playground?"
Han Zhou said casually: "Of course not, this is the basketball court, the playground is over there."
He pointed in the direction where the two people who had just passed by left.
"Then why didn't you remind me just now?"
"Reminder of what?"
"Remind me this isn't a playground!"
Xiao Xiaoxiao was angry, "This is not a playground at all, so I just ran for nothing? Follow me!"
"Where are we going?" Han Zhou looked confused.
"Of course I'm going to the playground. We agreed to run five laps around the playground, so I'm going to run five laps. You watch me finish."
Han Zhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "There's no need for that. There's not much difference between a basketball court and a playground. Didn't you finish running?"
"No! There is a difference!" Xiao Xiaoxiao said impatiently with a firm attitude, "Stop talking nonsense, take me there quickly, I want to go back after the run, and the bed is not made yet."
Han Zhou felt helpless. It was the first time that he saw himself asking for trouble. He had no choice but to lead her.
By half past eight, dusk was deepening, but there were still many students walking on the street.
Halfway through the walk, Han Zhou suddenly wondered, "You know the difference between a playground and a basketball court, so why did you go to the wrong place in the first place?"
Xiao Xiaoxiao was silent for a moment, her expression hidden in the darkness under the light.
When there were no more people passing by, she said sullenly, "Because the playground of the school I attended before was just like that, and it wasn't that big. I thought the playgrounds of all schools were the same."
Han Zhou was startled.
There isn't even a proper playground. Could it be that this girl came from a school in a poor mountainous area?
His heart softened a little, and he cautiously asked, "Can you tell me where your hometown is?"
"do not know."
Xiao Xiaoxiao was silent again, and after a while she added, "I don't know where my hometown is."
do not know?
Han Zhou frowned slightly and continued to ask: "Where is your home now?"
"I don't have a home."
"Where do you live if you don't have a home?"
"Apartment." Xiao Xiaoxiao clenched her fists quietly, "It's quite big."
Sensing that she was in a bad mood, Han Zhou comforted her: "It's okay, it's okay to live in an apartment. Home is where your family is. You should study hard now. When you make money in the future, you can buy a big house of your own and your whole family can live in it."
He sighed in his heart, "Study hard" and "Make money in the future", but he never thought that there would be a day when he would preach to others...
Xiao Xiaoxiao looked at him with complicated eyes, and after a long silence, he said with a sullen face:
"I'm an orphan with no family."
Han Zhou was stunned.
He suddenly realized that all his questions just now seemed to be stabbing this girl in the chest...
No, this is too miserable, isn't it?
He felt heavy-hearted and a little guilty. He apologized quickly, "I'm sorry, I..."
"What's there to be embarrassed about? Do you look down on orphans?"
Xiao Xiaoxiao glanced at him unhappily and interrupted, "Don't look at me like that. It's because I hate that look that I don't like to talk about my affairs with others. It's so annoying."
She touched the silver rose earrings on her ears with disdain, as if she wanted to tell the world that she was an adult in this way.
Han Zhou hesitated for a moment and asked in confusion: "Then why did you tell me?"
The girl in front of him was obviously a very strong-willed person. She was willing to tell him her life story not to gain sympathy, so what was her reason?
Xiao Xiaoxiao hesitated for a while, but didn't want to hide it, and pouted: "Because I think you look familiar, as if I have seen you somewhere."
Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, and asked in surprise: "You have the same feeling?"
"Huh? You mean you have it too?" Xiao Xiaoxiao looked shocked.
"Yeah." Han Zhou nodded and thought, "Since we both have this feeling, it means that we may have met before, but it must have been a long time ago."
"You're right." Xiao Xiaoxiao agreed. "You have a bean sprout-like figure and your skin is whiter than many girls. You're definitely a sickly person. If I had seen you before, I would definitely not forget it. If I can't remember it, it means it happened a long time ago."
Han Zhou smiled faintly and said, "Your petite figure is also very memorable. I know a girl who is about the same height as you. She is now in the first grade of junior high school and is almost 1.5 meters tall. Maybe you were not as tall as her when you were in junior high school."
The two seemed to be analyzing something, but in fact they were being sarcastic to each other.
"You are so... so... so... so outrageous!"
Xiao Xiaoxiao was so anxious that her face turned red and she almost cursed, "You are the little kid. I was already 1.5 meters tall when I was in junior high school!"
"1.5 meters? You seem to be about the same height now, so doesn't that mean you haven't grown at all?"
"Let go... I'm 1.52 meters tall now, and I've grown two centimeters!"
"Is two centimeters as high as your insoles?"
Xiao Xiaoxiao shrank her feet so that her shoes would not be seen, and sneered, "How much taller do you think you are than me?"
Han Zhou thought about it carefully and smiled modestly: "It's really not that high, at most only fifteen and two centimeters."
As he spoke, he used his index finger and thumb to measure a length of about two centimeters. Xiao Xiaoxiao thought his smug look was really despicable.
She was so angry that her teeth itched: "I must have remembered it wrongly. I couldn't have seen you before, otherwise I would never forget someone as mean as you... such a hateful guy!"
I should be even more unforgettable for someone like you who hasn't grown since junior high school...
Han Zhou was about to speak when he suddenly saw a familiar figure appear not far away. It was Gu Zheng.
"Han Zhou!"
As if she had sensed something, Gu Zheng turned around and saw Han Zhou. She ran over excitedly and asked, "Why are you here?"
Han Zhou smiled and said, "I'm going to go to the playground to take a look. What about you? What are you doing here?"
"Our dormitory is right here. Let's go downstairs to buy some things." Gu Zheng asked in confusion, "But your hand is injured. Why don't you go back and have a good rest instead of going to the playground?"
She looked at Xiao Xiaoxiao beside Han Zhou, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she said in surprise, "This girl is so cute, do you know her?"
"This is my classmate from college. I went to the playground just to watch her run laps."
Han Zhou whispered to Gu Zheng what had happened before. When Gu Zheng learned that Han Zhou thought the girl looked like herself, she became annoyed. She thought to herself that she would definitely not be so stupid as to be forced to run laps on the playground after losing the bet.
Han Zhou continued, "I always feel that this girl looks familiar, but I can't remember when I saw her."
Gu Zheng was stunned, glanced at Xiao Xiaoxiao for a few times, and said strangely: "Now that you mention it, I seem to have seen her somewhere... But it must be an illusion."