Julia Bennett turned her head to take a look—Chris Brooks was deep in sleep, and it probably didn’t matter to him whether Brian Foster or Julia Bennett was sitting next to him.

　　With the bus swaying as it drove along, Julia Bennett also started to feel drowsy. After her chin bobbed a few times, her head tilted and she drifted off to sleep as well.

　　In a daze, Chris Brooks heard the ticket collector shouting at the top of her lungs.

　　“The bus has arrived at the Hongze gas station, everyone please take your valuables with you if you’re going to the restroom. Be back in exactly 10 minutes.”

　　The journey from Port City to Jianye was quite long, but in 2002, buses rarely had toilets, so the driver would always stop at a gas station midway to let passengers rest.

　　“Time to get off and take a leak.”

　　Chris Brooks was about to get off the bus when he suddenly felt something heavy on his shoulder. It turned out Julia Bennett was comfortably using it as a pillow, fast asleep.

　　Actually, Julia Bennett was really beautiful—even when she slept, her face had a healthy blush and her lips were soft and glossy.

　　“Hey, do you need to use the restroom?”

　　After admiring her for a moment, Chris Brooks directly pushed Julia Bennett awake—he had no intention of being gentle.

　　Julia Bennett rubbed her eyes, and when she realized she’d been woken up, she seemed a bit annoyed.

　　“I’m not going.”

　　“Then move over, I’m getting off to have a smoke.”

　　Chris Brooks said bluntly.

　　“Ah, Chris Brooks, you’re not allowed to smoke!”

　　Julia Bennett hurriedly shouted after him, but Chris Brooks pretended not to hear.

　　After getting off with the crowd, Brian Foster was already waiting below. As soon as they met, he cursed, “You bastard, how does it feel sitting with Julia Bennett?”

　　“What do you think? Very good. I leaned on her, she leaned on me, and we had a lovely nap.”

　　Chris Brooks shamelessly replied.

　　A look of envy appeared on Brian Foster’s face. The two of them bragged for a while, and just before getting back on the bus, Brian Foster was still puzzled: “I thought you’d be smoking.”

　　“Not today. I don’t want Julia Bennett to dislike me when I kiss her later.”

　　“Bullshit.”

　　Brian Foster didn’t believe a word of it.

　　After getting back on the bus, Chris Brooks noticed Julia Bennett drinking yogurt while talking on her phone. Judging by her tone, she was probably speaking with her dad.

　　In the middle of the call, Julia Bennett glanced at Chris Brooks, probably because Old Xiao was worried Chris Brooks might take advantage of his daughter.

　　After hanging up, Chris Brooks gestured for her to hand over the phone so he could take a look, but Julia Bennett turned her head away and ignored him, still annoyed that Chris Brooks insisted on getting off to smoke earlier.

　　“I didn’t smoke. If you don’t believe me, smell for yourself.”

　　Chris Brooks leaned in close—openly teasing her. Julia Bennett ducked her head to avoid him, but Chris Brooks wouldn’t give up, and the two started messing around in their seats.

　　Hearing the commotion, Brian Foster turned around to look. Thinking about how he was sitting at the very front, enduring the blazing sun, he suddenly felt a bit bitter and spat, cursing, “Shameless couple!”

　　“Stop, stop, stop! If you keep this up, I’ll get mad.”

　　Julia Bennett couldn’t fend him off—her face was almost kissed several times. Their actions were just too intimate, so she took the initiative to hand her phone to Chris Brooks: “I thought you bought a phone too.”

　　Julia Bennett’s phone was a Nokia 7650 that had just come out in April, selling for over 6,000 RMB. Chris Brooks’s family could afford it, but he never brought it up, and Mark Brooks and Linda Parker were happy to save the money.

　　As Chris Brooks fiddled with the phone, he replied, “I didn’t ask for a laptop or a phone. I want to earn the money myself in college.”

　　“Earn it yourself?”

　　Julia Bennett was taken aback. She gently swept her hair back, revealing her crystal-clear earlobe. “How do you plan to do that?”

　　“Of course, by finding a pretty and rich girlfriend. I’ve had a weak stomach since I was a kid—the doctor recommends I live off a woman.”

　　Chris Brooks said seriously.

　　“Tch.”

　　Julia Bennett showed her disdain.

　　With something interesting to play with, Chris Brooks spent the whole trip tinkering with the Nokia 7650, shamelessly using “lightening your load” as an excuse to mooch snacks and drinks from Julia Bennett.

　　Julia Bennett wasn’t stingy either—aside from rolling her eyes, she didn’t say much.

　　The Nokia 7650 was not only the brand’s first color screen phone, but also its first flip phone and the first to use the Symbian system. In the 2002 mobile market, it had almost no rivals and was considered Nokia’s first-generation “flagship” product.

　　Of course, from Chris Brooks’s perspective, compared to smartphones 17 years later, the Nokia 7650’s functions were still too limited. He checked out every page and examined the exterior—he didn’t miss a single detail.

　　Julia Bennett was curious: “The way you’re acting, it’s like you want to take the phone apart.”

　　“If I had a screwdriver, I really would try.”

　　Chris Brooks nodded.

　　“Crazy.”

　　Julia Bennett quickly snatched the phone back. At that moment, the bus was crossing the Yangtze River Bridge, and many people stood up to look.

　　This magnificent bridge was completed in 1960 and had become one of Jianye’s city landmarks over the decades. There were even armed police standing guard on it, which drew cheers from the passengers. The Yangtze River below was a vast stretch of white, and ten-thousand-ton ferries were docked at the wharf.

　　“Why aren’t you surprised?”

　　Chris Brooks just watched calmly, when suddenly Julia Bennett’s voice sounded in his ear.