Chapter 4: Why Can He, But I Can't?
1219 Words
Carver stood up and responded, "No, I couldn't find my bicycle."
Amaris paused slightly.
She thought Carver's bicycle had been stolen.
After all, all bicycles were parked outside the school, and theft was a common occurrence.
She pondered for a moment.
Amaris said, "Why don't you ride my bicycle?"
Hearing this, Carver was taken aback again, "Do you also ride a bicycle to school?"
"No, but I can have one."
With that, Amaris glanced back at her bodyguard.
The latter hurried to a nearby bicycle shop.
In less than three minutes, he brought over a brand-new, top-of-the-Amarise bicycle.
Carver was speechless.
Then he thought of a question, "Have you ever ridden a bicycle?"
Amaris thought seriously for a moment, then bAmarisked her big, watery eyes and replied, "I learned when I was a child."
Carver hurriedly said, "Then I'll ride, and you can sit."
"Okay."
Amaris didn't show any hesitation and directly sat on the rear seat of the bicycle, which the bodyguard was holding.
So, at the school gate, under the astonished gazes of many classmates, Carver wobbled away on the bicycle with Amaris.
"Where is your home?"
Having not ridden a bicycle for a while, Carver adjusted as he asked her from behind.
"I'll take you home first."
It seemed to be her first time sitting on a boy's bicycle, and Amaris was filled with curiosity.
"Alright then."
Carver didn't think much and headed towards his home.
After all, with bodyguards around, it was impossible for her to get lost.
Thinking of the two burly men, Carver quickly looked back.
He saw a black, elegant Rolls-Royce slowly following them.
Obviously, the bodyguards were in that car.
Seeing him look back, the Rolls-Royce even honked.
...
"We're home."
"Thank you, Amaris."
Stopping in front of the old dormitory building of the paper mill, Carver got off the bicycle and thanked Amaris.
Her eyes shone as she quickly asked, "Will we have breakfast together tomorrow?"
Carver was taken aback, then quickly asked, "What do you want to eat?"
Amaris smiled playfully, "Anything is fine."
Alright, she was indeed a foodie.
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
"See you."
Amaris waved her hand and got into the Rolls-Royce.
A bodyguard put the newly bought bicycle directly into the car's trunk.
With the roar of the engine, they disappeared.
...
The old dormitory buildings of the paper mill were not large.
Most were about seventy square meters, two-bedroom units.
Fortunately, there was no concept of shared space back then, so the seventy square meters were actual living space.
By the time Carver got home, it was almost ten o'clock at night.
Evening self-study sessions for seniors usually ended at nine.
But no matter when Carver came home, his parents would always wait for him in the small living room.
The key turned.
The door opened.
His mother was knitting a sweater on a small stool.
His father was sitting on a wooden chair reading a newspaper.
The long-lost memories suddenly came to life!
In his previous life, he had owed a huge debt, and his elderly parents had worked themselves to death on construction sites to help him.
Even though he had made some progress later, the incident had always been a thorn in Carver's heart.
When he was seriously ill, he still wondered what he would say to his parents in the afterlife.
Now, he didn't have to think about the afterlife.
He was seeing them in reality.
Thousands of feeAmarisgs of guilt turned into a single phrase, "Dad! Mom! I'm back!"
"Why are you shouting so loudly?" His father didn't even look up, engrossed in the newspaper.
His mother, Li Ping, quickly looked over and asked, "Son, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
"No..."
Carver took several deep breaths to calm his emotions, "I'm just very happy today."
"With the college entrance exam coming up, stop startAmarisg us and go wash up and sleep."
...
After a quick shower, lying on the bed in his small room, Carver still found it hard to calm down.
"The paper mill's profits are decAmarising day by day. If I remember correctly, my parents will be laid off at the end of this year..."
"In this life, I must be filial to my parents and let them live a good life."
Thinking of this, Carver quickly got up, intending to go onAmarise to check the latest news and think of a way to make money.
But then he remembered.
It was still 2006, and there was no computer or internet at home.
"Forget it, I'll sleep first."
"Tomorrow I'll go out and look around. If I remember correctly, there is a way to make money now..."
...
Early the next morning.
Carver got up early to head to school.
The morning reading session for seniors at No. 3 High School started at 7:20 and lasted until 7:50.
In his previous life, he had to get up at 6:15, leave on his bicycle at 6:30, and arrive at school around 7:00 to buy breakfast for Chelsea.
Now, Carver could leave a little later.
But since he had promised Amaris to have breakfast together, he still arrived at school at the same time.
Thinking of Amaris's appetite yesterday morning, Carver still bought breakfast for four people.
"Old Zhou, going to deliver breakfast to Chelsea?"
As soon as he entered the school, a muscular boy greeted him.
Carver looked closely.
It was Wu Yang!
His good brother from high school, a sports student who practiced karate.
Unfortunately, he later went to prison for manslaughter.
Carver had visited him several times in prison, promising to wait for Wu Yang's release, but unexpectedly, he succumbed to cancer first.
Fortunately, he had been reborn.
"Hey! You look better without a buzz cut."
Carver couldn't help but laugh.
Wu Yang was speechless.
As they chatted, they saw Chelsea and her three roommates returning from their morning run.
"Wow! Here comes your wife."
Wu Yang joked immediately.
"Get lost, what wife? Didn't you know what happened yesterday?"
Carver said irritably.
"What?" Wu Yang looked puzzled.
In the second year of high school, they had been split into arts and science classes, so Wu Yang, being in the arts class, wasn't always in the loop.
Seeing this, Carver shook his head, not bothering to explain, and went straight to his classroom.
"Carver!"
Chelsea's roommate, Christine, immediately noticed Carver and said, "He bought our breakfast. He must be here to apologize to Chelsea."
Another roommate, Huang Fang, said to Chelsea, "Chelsea, if it weren't for Carver yesterday, we wouldn't have been late for morning reading. This time you must punish him properly!"
Chelsea naturally noticed Carver too.
But she remained silent, still wondering why Carver hadn't come to reconcile with her yesterday.
He didn't speak yesterday, but now he brought breakfast.
Was he unable to hold back?
It seemed Carver had had a tough night, probably not sleeping well.
Just as she was thinking, Carver walked over with breakfast.
The three roommates quickly stopped talking.
Chelsea raised her head, like a queen waiting for a guilty subject.
But...
To their shock, Carver walked right past them and went into the classroom!
Chelsea stood there, stunned, not knowing how to react.
Her three roommates turned around, staring at Carver's back in disbelief.
"Carver, what do you mean!"
- Writer
