Chapter 262: 262

Chapter 262 Bicycle Repair

With the new year fast approaching, those yet to return to their respective hometowns each had their own worries .

Shen Xixi and Zhang Heng were just ordinary friends – although exchanging WeChat contacts since their camping trip together, they rarely talked to each other . After briefly explaining about the nonprofit organization she had joined and her daily activities, their conversation quickly switched to the finals .

This, however, was Zhang Heng’s blind spot . To him, the exams that had taken place a week ago were a thing of the past, a good ten years ago, to be exact . He couldn’t recall much of its details, and so, he merely played along, nodding at everything she said without much comment .

Shen Xixi noticed the polite obligation in his responses . Still, since they rarely interacted with each other, there weren’t many different topics they could touch on other than the final exams . It was starting to get awkward, and although Shen Xixi had only finished half of her tea, the two decided to part ways . Somehow, she looked hesitant as she turned to leave . In the end, after a short pause, she quickly blurted, “Be careful . ”

“Be careful?” Zhang Heng stopped in his tracks .

TI

Realizing how vague her statement sounded, she began to explain, “Yes, I mean, since many people will be on the move during Spring Festival, you should be careful on your way back . ”

Zhang Heng nodded . “You too,” he replied .

Zhang Heng was back in his dorm room that he left a long time ago, and Ma Wei hadn’t yet returned from his tutoring job . After turning on the lights, he set his backpack down and sat at his desk . Out of habit, he took out a piece of paper and a pen, and tried to organize the information he gathered from this round of the game .

Because of the lengthy duration of the game this time around, Zhang Heng had a lot of time to burn after completing its main task, using most of it to improve his skills (mainly language), and also to confirm some of his conjectures . Other than what he had told the bartender, Zhang Heng really wanted to know where Moresby and that wall that swallowed the old lady had come from . He was also curious if the game items with supernatural powers had anything to do with them . What secrets lurked within this mysterious game he was involved in?

Discounting Moresby’s Bones, Betty’s Shell was the sixth game item Zhang Heng found . As of now, it was also the most powerful one – able to change the weather at sea . At the same time, it was unlike the other game items he had, seeing how perilous it was to use .

Was the sailor on the carrack truly lost in greed and anger like what Seth said? Zhang Heng was still skeptical about it . However, there was one thing he was sure of – these game props were all related to ancient myths and legends . Aside from the unidentified Shadow Moment and Shadow Key, the Rabbit’s Foot was a symbol of luck in many folklores . The necklace Simon gave him was connected to the Tapio, the Finnish mythical forest god . The Moresby creature, according to the old man in the Tang suit, was the guardian of a tribe from the remote Papua New Guinean islands called the Alkiz .

The Paris Arrow he carried with him originated from a Greek legend, and when he was on the Black Sail quest, he encountered an ancient god that he suspected to be part of Celtic mythology . Unfortunately, that ancient god, Betty, was weak and drained when they met . Later on, Zhang Heng attempted to help her by expanding her pool of believers, but for some reason, she was unable to regain full strength . In the end, he was unable to communicate with her on a deeper level . But then again, during the auction, Zhang Heng saw game items that looked very much like Louis Vuitton handbags, and even iPhones . Also, the game item ‘Escape Dagger’ that sold for a hefty 2000 game points, looked, and sounded very much like a popular prop from another game . It seemed as if the conclusion he’d drawn wasn’t complete . Zhang Heng subsequently circled the words ‘folklore’ and ‘myth,’ then wrote a question mark next to them . Then on a blank space, he wrote Shen Xixi and Huang Yu’s name, noting at the end that they too might be players themselves . He put down his pen just as Ma Wei walked into the room . Ma Wei removed the gray knitted gloves from his hands and rubbed his fingers, all red from the cold, and he was surprised when he saw Zhang Heng .

“Hey, you’re back!”

Zhang Heng closed his notebook . “Yeah . How did it go today? Is the tutorship going well?” Ma Wei shook his head . “That kid is tough to manage . His father is an executive in an organization, and the mother is a branch manager of a bank . They have two houses on the third ring road and one each in the fourth and fifth . I told him that since his family is so well-to-do, he just needs to study hard . With his parents paving the way for him, he can easily succeed in whatever he wishes to do . Guess what he answered me with? He said: my family is so rich that we can never finish spending our money . Why do I need to be successful anyway?””

“That seems right in some kind of way . ”

Ma Wei sighed . “The kid’s parents are very busy . They constantly entertain their clients and are only home very late . It was always just him and his nanny . The nanny, on the other hand, wouldn’t discipline him, and he’s always eating imported junk and snacks . He’s only thirteen, and he’s already 120kg! I also heard his schoolmates calling him the devil incarnate . His mom hired me to help him with his homework for one hundred and fifty yuan per hour . If he shows any improvement in his mid-term and final exams, she will pay me a hundred for each subject . ”

“So, how were his results?”

“It’s the same as before . No progress at all,” Ma Wei sighed, looking very glum . After all, when he was discussing his employer’s pay, the particular topic motivated him a lot . It was evident that the little fatso had a weak foundation, meaning that there was lots of room for improvement . For this, Ma Wei had put in a lot of effort, even filling up a notebook with various learning strategies . Alas, the plump little boy sneered at the notes he was given, saying, “What’s the use of learning? Look at you . You’re so good at it, yet, instead of getting somewhere, here you are tutoring

me . ”

Those words hurt Ma Wei deeply, but he never mentioned it openly . In fact, if it wasn’t for the handsome salary, he would have chosen to tutor someone else . This was especially true after the little plump thing recently grew fond of a girl, and his mind was completely distracted, constantly thinking of ways to win her over . Ma Wei could already tell that the boy’s results would only worsen come the next semester .

Ma Wei picked up a thermos next to his bed and poured himself a cup of warm water . Then after a moment’s deliberation, he turned to Zhang Heng . “Oh, by the way, do you know how to repair bicycles?”

“Why?”

“The chain felt a little loose when I was riding back yesterday,” said Ma Wei . “It felt like I was peddling air . ” “I’ll take a look at it with you,” Zhang Heng replied . Back when he was in Tokyo Drift, he had learned how to modify cars, and considering how much simpler the transmission of a bicycle was, repairing it shouldn’t be much of a problem for him .

Zhang Heng took out a flashlight from his drawer before grabbing a screwdriver that had been left by someone . Then, he went downstairs with Ma Wei to where the bicycle was parked .

Chapter 262 Bicycle Repair

With the new year fast approaching, those yet to return to their respective hometowns each had their own worries .

Shen Xixi and Zhang Heng were just ordinary friends – although exchanging WeChat contacts since their camping trip together, they rarely talked to each other . After briefly explaining about the nonprofit organization she had joined and her daily activities, their conversation quickly switched to the finals .

This, however, was Zhang Heng’s blind spot . To him, the exams that had taken place a week ago were a thing of the past, a good ten years ago, to be exact . He couldn’t recall much of its details, and so, he merely played along, nodding at everything she said without much comment .

Shen Xixi noticed the polite obligation in his responses . Still, since they rarely interacted with each other, there weren’t many different topics they could touch on other than the final exams . It was starting to get awkward, and although Shen Xixi had only finished half of her tea, the two decided to part ways . Somehow, she looked hesitant as she turned to leave . In the end, after a short pause, she quickly blurted, “Be careful . ”

“Be careful?” Zhang Heng stopped in his tracks .

TI

Realizing how vague her statement sounded, she began to explain, “Yes, I mean, since many people will be on the move during Spring Festival, you should be careful on your way back . ”

Zhang Heng nodded . “You too,” he replied .

Zhang Heng was back in his dorm room that he left a long time ago, and Ma Wei hadn’t yet returned from his tutoring job . After turning on the lights, he set his backpack down and sat at his desk . Out of habit, he took out a piece of paper and a pen, and tried to organize the information he gathered from this round of the game .

Because of the lengthy duration of the game this time around, Zhang Heng had a lot of time to burn after completing its main task, using most of it to improve his skills (mainly language), and also to confirm some of his conjectures . Other than what he had told the bartender, Zhang Heng really wanted to know where Moresby and that wall that swallowed the old lady had come from . He was also curious if the game items with supernatural powers had anything to do with them . What secrets lurked within this mysterious game he was involved in?

Discounting Moresby’s Bones, Betty’s Shell was the sixth game item Zhang Heng found . As of now, it was also the most powerful one – able to change the weather at sea . At the same time, it was unlike the other game items he had, seeing how perilous it was to use .

Was the sailor on the carrack truly lost in greed and anger like what Seth said? Zhang Heng was still skeptical about it . However, there was one thing he was sure of – these game props were all related to ancient myths and legends . Aside from the unidentified Shadow Moment and Shadow Key, the Rabbit’s Foot was a symbol of luck in many folklores . The necklace Simon gave him was connected to the Tapio, the Finnish mythical forest god . The Moresby creature, according to the old man in the Tang suit, was the guardian of a tribe from the remote Papua New Guinean islands called the Alkiz .

The Paris Arrow he carried with him originated from a Greek legend, and when he was on the Black Sail quest, he encountered an ancient god that he suspected to be part of Celtic mythology . Unfortunately, that ancient god, Betty, was weak and drained when they met . Later on, Zhang Heng attempted to help her by expanding her pool of believers, but for some reason, she was unable to regain full strength . In the end, he was unable to communicate with her on a deeper level . But then again, during the auction, Zhang Heng saw game items that looked very much like Louis Vuitton handbags, and even iPhones . Also, the game item ‘Escape Dagger’ that sold for a hefty 2000 game points, looked, and sounded very much like a popular prop from another game . It seemed as if the conclusion he’d drawn wasn’t complete . Zhang Heng subsequently circled the words ‘folklore’ and ‘myth,’ then wrote a question mark next to them . Then on a blank space, he wrote Shen Xixi and Huang Yu’s name, noting at the end that they too might be players themselves . He put down his pen just as Ma Wei walked into the room . Ma Wei removed the gray knitted gloves from his hands and rubbed his fingers, all red from the cold, and he was surprised when he saw Zhang Heng .

“Hey, you’re back!”

Zhang Heng closed his notebook . “Yeah . How did it go today? Is the tutorship going well?” Ma Wei shook his head . “That kid is tough to manage . His father is an executive in an organization, and the mother is a branch manager of a bank . They have two houses on the third ring road and one each in the fourth and fifth . I told him that since his family is so well-to-do, he just needs to study hard . With his parents paving the way for him, he can easily succeed in whatever he wishes to do . Guess what he answered me with? He said: my family is so rich that we can never finish spending our money . Why do I need to be successful anyway?””

“That seems right in some kind of way . ”

Ma Wei sighed . “The kid’s parents are very busy . They constantly entertain their clients and are only home very late . It was always just him and his nanny . The nanny, on the other hand, wouldn’t discipline him, and he’s always eating imported junk and snacks . He’s only thirteen, and he’s already 120kg! I also heard his schoolmates calling him the devil incarnate . His mom hired me to help him with his homework for one hundred and fifty yuan per hour . If he shows any improvement in his mid-term and final exams, she will pay me a hundred for each subject . ”

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“So, how were his results?”

“It’s the same as before . No progress at all,” Ma Wei sighed, looking very glum . After all, when he was discussing his employer’s pay, the particular topic motivated him a lot . It was evident that the little fatso had a weak foundation, meaning that there was lots of room for improvement . For this, Ma Wei had put in a lot of effort, even filling up a notebook with various learning strategies . Alas, the plump little boy sneered at the notes he was given, saying, “What’s the use of learning? Look at you . You’re so good at it, yet, instead of getting somewhere, here you are tutoring

me . ”

Those words hurt Ma Wei deeply, but he never mentioned it openly . In fact, if it wasn’t for the handsome salary, he would have chosen to tutor someone else . This was especially true after the little plump thing recently grew fond of a girl, and his mind was completely distracted, constantly thinking of ways to win her over . Ma Wei could already tell that the boy’s results would only worsen come the next semester .

Ma Wei picked up a thermos next to his bed and poured himself a cup of warm water . Then after a moment’s deliberation, he turned to Zhang Heng . “Oh, by the way, do you know how to repair bicycles?”

“Why?”

“The chain felt a little loose when I was riding back yesterday,” said Ma Wei . “It felt like I was peddling air . ” “I’ll take a look at it with you,” Zhang Heng replied . Back when he was in Tokyo Drift, he had learned how to modify cars, and considering how much simpler the transmission of a bicycle was, repairing it shouldn’t be much of a problem for him .

Zhang Heng took out a flashlight from his drawer before grabbing a screwdriver that had been left by someone . Then, he went downstairs with Ma Wei to where the bicycle was parked .