RACING;HUALIAN

Chapter 12

Xie Lian always tended to do the total opposite of what others expected from him. This was a fact everyone around him knew. Even his parents.

Despite knowing that, they still tried to set an entire life plan.

13 years ago

Xie Lian ran across the field with all his might as he desperately tried to score a goal. As he finally did, people in the stands cheered and he smiled brightly. Soccer wasn't his favorite sport but he did it regardless. Maybe boredom or maybe because his friend dragged him to do it.

He was confident and his face was young and handsome so naturally, he would draw attention. His friend hardly hit his back as another person picked him up and threw him up and down.

"Yes!! We won bitches!" Xie Lian laughed but tapped the boy's shoulder softly. "Feng Xin put me down please."

"Oh, my bad." He sat him down and they wiped the sweat off their faces as they walked to the locker room.

"How are we gonna celebrate?" A random boy on the team ran behind the two and Xie Lian turned to him.

"I don't know. What should we do, Feng Xin?"

"Party, of fucking course!" He has a foul mouth but Xie Lian didn't mind since it was a time for celebration.

He was only 15 and had his whole life ahead of him. He wanted to have fun while he could.

•••

A group of boys sat around a huge fire surrounded by trees. It looked lively and it felt like it. Xie Lian sat by himself with a cup of juice as he watched his friend get hammered.

He didn't support underage drinking but he wasn't in the mood to stop him and everyone else at the party. He took a long sip of his drink as he felt someone sit next to him.

"Hi...why are you sitting by yourself?"

It was a dark-haired girl with a low cut sweater dress and knee-high boots. Xie Lian wondered if she was cold. "You're not answering. Am I that pretty?"

"I was just wondering if you're cold. Do you want my jacket?" The girl laughed and her eyes turned into crescents almost forcefully.

"You're sweet. But I'm not cold. I'm Li Ya by the way."

"Xie Lian."

"I know, everyone knows you. You're a star athlete and an honor student. You're definitely like a celebrity."

"I am?" His head tilted slightly and the girl blushed a little. "You are. Anyway, this party is boring. Wanna leave together?"

"I would but I can't. My friend is here and he would be upset if I left."

The girl looked over Feng Xin who looked like he was on the verge of throw up and grimaced. "I'll have my friend take care of him. We can leave."

"Who's your friend?" She pointed to a brown-haired boy with glasses sitting by himself with a disgusted look.

"That's him. His name is Mu Qing, he has a bad attitude but I'm sure he'll help your friend if something happens."

"Why do you think that?"

"No reason just intuition. Let's go!" The girl grabbed his hand and they walked to her car. Xie Lian then realized she was older than him and he shouldn't call her by her name. But she reassured him that it was fine.

She drove for a while until they stopped in front of a diner and went inside. They sat at a booth as a lady walked up and took their order.

"What can I get for you?" The lady chewed her gum obnoxiously and Xie Lian almost covered his ears. Li Ya didn't care and ordered two milkshakes both strawberry.

The lady walked away with her notepad as Li Ya turned to Xie Lian with a smile.

"So, why'd you choose soccer? You seem more like a football guy to me."

"I played when I was younger but I chose soccer to support my friend and because.."

"Because what?"

"Well, I've always looked up to the professional player Jun Wu."

"Wow, he is cool." As she talked Xie Lian happened to look behind her and caught a glimpse of a young boy sitting on a stool.

The boy swung his legs back and forth as his black hair bounced up and down. He held a teddy bear tightly in his little arms. The boy's eyes were bright and his smile was contagious.

Xie Lian snapped out of it when he saw a hand move in front of his face.

"Were you listening?"

"Huh?" As he said this, the waitress came back with two large milkshakes and sat them down. She then walked to the young boy Xie Lian saw and grabbed the bear from him.

"You shouldn't play with stuff like this, you're nearly ten years old. Not five." Xie Lian was surprised as the woman walked away from the child with a mean look. He didn't look as old as she said.

"What a mean old hag. Anyway, I was saying that..." She paused as Xie Lian got up and walked toward the boy.

The boy had his head down so he didn't notice as someone approached him. "Hi there."

His bright eyes raised and he felt as if he'd seen an angel. The older boy in front of him was so beautiful, he'd almost mistaken him for a girl.

"Do you like teddy bears?" The boy vigorously nodded his head. Xie Lian laughed at the young one and the boy blushed softly.

"But your mom doesn't let you play with teddy bears?"

"She isn't my mom." The boy's voice was timid but Xie Lian reached out a hand and patted his head. "Okay, tell you what. How about next time I come here, I bring you a new teddy bear and that lady can't take it from you."

The boy's ears perked up and he smiled widely revealing a missing front tooth. "Really? You will?"

"Sure, just tell me your name."

"I'm Hua Hua. That's what my Da-ge calls me." Xie Lian smiled and nodded.

"I'm Xie Lian. It's nice to meet you, Hua Hua."

The boy blushed even harder and put his head back down. The older boy completely forgot about the one behind him so he turned around but saw that she was gone.

Xie Lian didn't ponder on it. All he knew was, he'd have to find a little boy a new teddy bear.