Everyone happily agreed to go, except Brick and Taozi, who politely declined.

Brick said, "Wang Hao, come here, I need to talk to you."

I told my dad, "Wait here, I'll talk to my friend for a bit," and then walked over with Brick and Taozi to the stone lions a few meters away. I thought to myself, if Brick wanted to beat me up, I'd let him. I needed to make things clear this time. Since Xia Xue hadn't wronged me, I couldn't wrong her. As for Taozi, I owed her even more.

"Yesterday at lunch in the cafeteria," Brick started, "I wanted to tell you that Taozi wasn't mad at you. She saw through Su Xiaobai's trap right away. She was waiting for you to explain, but you never did. I got worried and went looking for you."

I looked at Taozi in surprise. I knew she was smart, but how did she see through the trap?

Taozi explained, "That night, Su Xiaobai came to me and said he saw you with Ye Qianqian, asking me to go with him to see what was going on. I thought to myself, 'What does it matter to me if Wang Hao goes out with someone? He's not my boyfriend.'"

At this point, Brick's mouth twitched, but he stayed silent. Taozi continued, "I felt something was off. But I wanted to see you, so I went with him. Along the way, he seemed to know exactly where you were and led me straight to the secluded path by the boiler room. Ye Qianqian was leaning on you, crying. As soon as Su Xiaobai and I appeared, she immediately stopped crying and looked up, tears gone."

Thinking back to that night, it was exactly as Taozi described, so I nodded.

Taozi continued, "Then Su Xiaobai and Ye Qianqian started their act, one accusing you of seducing his girlfriend, the other tearfully claiming you lured her."

I couldn't hold back. "They were talking nonsense!"

"Exactly," Taozi said helplessly. "Honestly, their acting was good—one angry, one crying—but the whole thing was too unnatural. I immediately guessed it was a show Su Xiaobai set up for me."

I was impressed by Taozi's insight but still asked, "Then why did you walk away?"

Taozi glanced at me. "Because I knew you couldn't take it anymore and would definitely beat up Su Xiaobai. I don't like seeing violence and was worried you'd hesitate if I was there. So I left, thinking you'd come explain the next day, but you didn't, so I had my brother find you."

Brick nodded. "Yeah. I thought, since you two are practically married, any misunderstanding could be cleared up. So I went to find you in the cafeteria, but you were about to fight Mai Zi. I asked if you needed help, and you said no."

When Brick mentioned "married" again, I knew I had to set things straight this time.

But Taozi spoke first, "Brother, didn't I tell you to stop talking about that? What's all this about being married? It's nonsense!"

Brick looked at me and shook his head. "Wang Hao, you'll regret this, I promise. My sister is wonderful. Over the years, I've dealt with so many guys trying to pursue her. You're blessed and don't even know it..."

Brick's words made me feel even more guilty. Taozi quickly said, "Yesterday, when you were taken away by the police, my brother and I saw Xia Xue's actions. I realized then how deeply she loves you. Wang Hao, you shouldn't wrong her. So I decided to step back. Don't feel burdened. I've talked to my brother, and he won't trouble you anymore. Now that you're okay, just stay with Xia Xue peacefully."

I was deeply moved by Taozi. Words couldn't express my gratitude for this amazing girl.

Taozi's eyes turned red as she spoke, and she quickly lowered her head to hide it, softly saying, "Wang Hao, hug me. I just want one hug from you, and then I'll have no regrets..."

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Feeling a rush of emotion, I extended my arms and hugged Taozi. Her hair smelled sweet and soft, making my heart ache.

"Alright, Wang Hao, we're leaving now," Taozi said as she pulled away, smiling at me.

I nodded, and Brick said, "Wang Hao, I need a private word with you."

"Brother!" Taozi protested, "Didn't we agree not to say anything else to him?"

"It won't take long," Brick insisted. He led me a bit further away, ignoring Taozi's protests.

Brick put his arm around my shoulder, his back to Taozi. After walking five or six meters, he suddenly punched me hard in the stomach. Damn, that punch hurt. If I hadn't skipped breakfast, I might've thrown up. But I held back my groan.

"Wang Hao!" Brick growled. "Let me tell you, I have no intention of letting you go. You and Taozi have gone through the wedding ceremony. You're husband and wife now. I don't care about the details; I'm letting you off today for Taozi's sake. But you better break up with Xia Xue soon, or I won't let you off!"

I looked at Brick, half-amused, half-exasperated. I really thought he'd changed, but it was just a delay tactic.

"That's it," Brick said, shaking his fist at me. "Don't tell Taozi I threatened you, got it?"

Then he let me go and walked back to take Taozi away.

My mind was a mess, not because I was worried about Brick beating me up later. The real issue was between Taozi and Xia Xue. I spent the whole night at the police station unable to figure out who I really liked, and I still didn't know.

After Brick and Taozi left, my parents took everyone to a nearby restaurant. They ordered a dozen dishes, and we had a hearty meal. Despite my mom's strong objections, my dad insisted on having some alcohol. He said, "They're all grown up now, how can they not drink? Don't worry, these kids probably sneak drinks all the time."

Mom kept scolding Dad for setting a bad example, but Dad just laughed it off. In my memory, Dad was always like this: open-minded, steady, never flustered. Obviously, Dad's style was popular with Ye Zhan and the others; they all took turns toasting him. We ate and drank heartily. Xia Xue and Zhang Ling drank soft drinks, smiling as they watched our raucous antics. Later, Liu Zihong got drunk and said something he shouldn't have: "Auntie, did you know Xia Xue is Wang Hao's girlfriend?"

The table fell silent. While Dad allowed us to drink, he never said anything about early relationships. In our parents' eyes, dating early was a grave offense. Mom had repeatedly warned me not to date. I used to tell her, "Come on, Mom, with how wimpy I am, what girl would be interested in me?"

My parents were stunned by Liu Zihong's words, then they simultaneously looked at Xia Xue. Her face turned as red as a tomato, and she looked like she wanted to disappear. Ye Zhan glared at Liu Zihong, who sobered up immediately and stammered, "No, Auntie, I was talking nonsense. Don't believe me. Wang Hao and Xia Xue aren't dating, I was just making stuff up. Actually, Wang Hao wanted to chase Xia Xue, but he didn't succeed. Uh, no, that's not it either..." The more he tried to explain, the more flustered he got, turning bright red.

But it was clear to everyone what was going on. I didn't know how to face my parents. I went to high school and not only got into fights and drank, but also started dating—clearly, I'd gone astray!

The table was silent. No one spoke or touched their food. Dad scratched his nose, seeming to want to say something but not knowing what. Suddenly, Mom stood up, pulled out a chair next to her, and said, "Come here, my girl, sit here."

Xia Xue looked up in surprise, her face still red like a tomato. Mom smiled warmly, "Come on over."

Xia Xue seemed frozen, not moving an inch. Zhang Ling gave her a push, "Go on!"

Only then did Xia Xue stand up and shyly sit next to Mom. Mom took her hand affectionately, her face beaming with joy.

"Where are you from, my girl?"

"From Beiyuan City."

"What do your parents do?"

"My dad works at the Land Bureau, and my mom is at the Industry and Commerce Bureau. They're both civil servants."

I could see Mom's face light up with excitement. "Do you have any siblings?"

"I'm an only child," Xia Xue answered honestly.

"Mom, what are you doing!" I couldn't hold back.

It was clear Mom was growing fonder of Xia Xue by the minute, but her questions were getting more intrusive.

Even Dad couldn't take it anymore and said, "They're just kids playing around, why are you asking all these questions?"

"I'm just making conversation, it's not like I'm doing anything," Mom said happily. "Look how pretty this girl is, she matches our Haohao well." She was getting more and more outrageous, and she hadn't even been drinking!

Everyone laughed, and Zhang Ling started the teasing, "Why don't we get Wang Hao and Xia Xue engaged early!"

Gong Ning chimed in, "Yeah, let's make sure this good match doesn't slip away!"

Mom beamed, "I think that's a great idea."

Everyone laughed again, and the atmosphere became lively. Only Xia Xue and I were so embarrassed we wanted to disappear. Ye Zhan put his arm around Liu Zihong's neck, "Nice job, brother, haha."

Dad said, "Alright, alright, enough of that. The kids are too embarrassed to speak."

Mom held Xia Xue's hand affectionately and said to Dad, "What's wrong? You let the kids drink, but I can't find a wife for our son? You keep drinking, don't mind us." Then she pulled Xia Xue closer and started whispering to her.