Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Entering the main building, Zhou Yao caught sight of Luo Yi busy behind the bar and asked everyone, "Shall we go sit in the Common Area?"
Lin Jinyan replied, "We have plenty of time ahead. The three of us will head back to check the instruments." They did not live in the same building and returned the way they came.
The four girls found a sofa to sit on. Zhou Yao flipped through the drink menu and asked, "What do you want to drink? It's on me."
Summer Melody said, "I don't need anything; I just finished eating and I'm full."
Sulianlin and Tang Shangri-La Duo ordered grapefruit hot tea. Zhou Yao called over a waiter to place the order but didn't rush to order something for herself.
Nearby, at a wooden table area, two groups were chatting, sharing stories from their travels. As they talked, they ended up at one table, and the men and women began clinking their glasses, playing games and singing. Halfway through their fun, noticing the girls watching, they invited them to join.
Tang Shangri-La Duo felt a bit shy and just smiled; Sulianlin was caught up in the joyful atmosphere and was eager to join. In the end, Summer Melody stood up first, and the three went over to join them.
Zhou Yao said, "You all have fun; I'm going to send a postcard."
She moved to the bar side, sat on a bar stool, and greeted Luo Yi with a "Hi!"
Luo Yi was busy with his tasks but turned to glance at her.
Zhou Yao smiled and said, "I'd like a cup of hot milk, thank you."
Luo Yi turned around, took a box of milk from the edge of the liquor cabinet, cut open the paper box, poured the milk into a small milk pot, and placed it on an alcohol lamp stove to heat it slowly.
The bar area was narrow; he worked at a leisurely pace while a milky white pendant light hung above him, casting a halo of light down onto his head.
Zhou Yao swung her legs while resting her chin on her hand, admiring his handsome profile without blinking until he turned his head and their eyes met.
Zhou Yao grinned and asked, "How much is it?"
"Fifteen." He still appeared indifferent.
Zhou Yao took out her wallet, pointed to the postcard box on the bar, and, ignoring the label that read "Three yuan each, five yuan for two," asked, "How much is a postcard?"
"Three yuan."
"What about the stamps?"
"One yuan."
"I want nine postcards and stamps." Zhou Yao handed him the money, and he gave her change.
The milk in the pot slowly bubbled, gradually filling the air with a rich aroma. He poured the milk into a glass cup and placed it on the bar. Zhou Yao touched it; it was warm but not hot.
She took a big sip, deliberately leaving a bit of milk on her lips, then began to select postcards. After taking her time to choose eight, she hesitated over the last one and held up two cards, asking Luo Yi, "Which one looks better?"
Luo Yi glanced at them and pointed to the right one: "This one."
Zhou Yao flipped it over and smiled, "I like this one too."
However, he did not remind her that she had milk on her lips.
Zhou Yao was undeterred and asked, "Do you have a pen?"
He handed her a pen.
"Thank you." She happily wrote on the postcard. After a while, she looked up and noticed there was no one left at the bar; she glanced around but couldn't see Luo Yi.
Meanwhile, Sulianlin and his friends were deeply engaged in their conversation, laughter ringing out. Snippets of their talk reached her; someone mentioned encountering a poor traveler on the road who offered to trade favors for a ride; another boasted about how his company had gone public last year and made quite a bit of money; someone else shared experiences from overseas...
As Zhou Yao wrote on her fourth postcard, Luo Yi placed nine stamps on her postcards.
Zhou Yao looked up, and Luo Yi was staring at the handwriting on her postcard. He quickly averted his gaze, appearing uninterested.
Zhou Yao asked again, "Do you have a stamp?"
He handed her the stamp.
"What about water? I need to stick the postage stamp."
He brought her a small dish with some clean water.
The postcard was finally finished. Zhou Yao stamped it with a loud thud, affixed the postage stamp, and handed him the nine postcards together, saying, "All done."
Luo Yi took the postcards and turned to toss them into a nearby woven basket. When he turned back, he saw Zhou Yao looking at him with wide eyes, shocked. "Is that where you're throwing them?"
"Yeah. When I go to town, I'll take them to the post office."
"You really will take them to the post office—right?"
He found it somewhat amusing. "What do I need these postcards for? To peel off the stamps and sell them again?"
"Can the stamps really be peeled off intact?" Zhou Yao was extremely surprised.
Luo Yi replied, "..."
He repeated, "Don't worry, I will send them out."
"Okay."
Having finished her milk and sent off the postcards, Zhou Yao still lingered, spinning around on the bar stool.
"Eh?" Zhou Yao looked at the wooden rack on the left side of the bar, filled with Tourmaline, Cat's Eye, Lapis Lazuli, and Obsidian... all in various colors. "Do you collect stones too?"
"Yeah." He raised his gaze from mixing drinks to look at her. "—Do you collect them as well?"
"This is what I do. My home is full of them. —You haven't processed these much."
"I picked them up while traveling outside and just cut them a bit when I brought them back."
"Just like me," Zhou Yao said with a smile. "Do you go out often? I see there are many things from other places in your inn."
"I spend about four to five months a year in the shop."
"Most of your time is spent outside? —It’s quite a coincidence to run into you this time."
He didn't respond.
Zhou Yao tilted her head, admiring the items on the shelf, and suddenly noticed a blue stone. "Have you been to Bolivia?"
He paused for a moment, following her gaze.
Zhou Yao didn't notice any change in his expression and continued, "If I'm not mistaken, that piece of Fluorite is from Bolivia."
"Yes." Luo Yi turned to look at her, his gaze deepening as he said, "You're impressive."
Zhou Yao smiled. "I've been dealing with stones since I was little. It seems you also like stones."
"I'm not a professional." He hurriedly ended the topic.
This person seemed unwilling to discuss anything further. Just as Zhou Yao was considering whether to change the subject, Luo Yi squinted slightly, looking out into the dark night, and abruptly said coldly, "It's late; you should go back and rest."
"Oh. Good night." Seeing him frown, Zhou Yao felt somewhat puzzled about what had suddenly changed; they had been chatting so well just moments ago. She slid down from the Bar Stool and turned to look for Sulianlin and the others, only to find that everyone was gone.
The table was a mess with cups and dishes.
Luo Yi said, "Your friend left with that group of people."
Zhou Yao returned to the dormitory, and Sulianlin looked up at her and said, "Zhou Yao, you have milk on your mouth."
Zhou Yao then remembered, wiped it off in frustration, and replied, "Sulianlin, you're so annoying."
Tang Shangri-La Duo was taking a shower, and Zhou Yao asked again, "Where's Summer Melody?"
Sulianlin took off her headphones: "Tang Shangri-La Duo and I went back first. Summer Melody said she would wait for you to come back together."
Zhou Yao was taken aback: "There was no one there when I came back."
"How could that be?"
Suddenly, the memory of Luo Yi's sudden coldness and frowning expression flashed in her mind. "It's late; go back and rest. — Your friend left with that group of people."
He said "friend," not "friends."
Zhou Yao immediately called Summer Melody, and the phone on the table vibrated as it charged. Zhou Yao broke into a cold sweat: "Sulianlin, hurry up and come with me."
Tang Shangri-La Duo, who was still in the shower, shouted in panic: "What happened?"
...
Zhou Yao remembered encountering that group of people in the stairwell; there were only three floors in the inn, so they must be staying on the third floor.
Sulianlin said, "It seems like they are mixed-gender roommates in the Seven-Person Room."
Zhou Yao knocked hard on the door of room 305.
“Summer Melody?! Summer Melody?!”
Inside, it was pitch black and silent.
“They must have gone out.” Sulianlin hurried out, only wearing a jacket, shivering from the cold. “It’s so cold, where could they have gone? There aren’t any entertainment places nearby.”
Zhou Yao immediately ran to the first floor, while Luo Yi stood behind the Bar, wiping a Glass Cup with a dry towel.
“My friend is missing!”
……
Lin Jinyan and the others split into two groups: one went outside the inn along the main road to search, while the other headed to the back mountain.
Luo Yi stopped halfway, lit a cigarette, his brow furrowing deeper. His eyes glinted coldly in the darkness, like a wolf. He suddenly turned back toward the inn, with Zhou Yao following him.
“It seems they’ve already gone out.” The cold wind rushed through the corridor as Zhou Yao trembled while looking at him.
Luo Yi knocked on room 305’s door, thud, thud.
The window was dark, and there was no one inside.
He took the cigarette from his mouth, exhaled slowly, and said word by word, “I warn you, open the door.”
There was no response. The room was dark and silent.
In the night, he seemed to smirk coldly for a moment before suddenly exerting force and kicking the door. With a loud crash, all the iron bolts and locks behind the door shattered, and the door collapsed.
He slapped open the switch at the entrance. Inside were seven beds pushed together, with men and women huddled together in disarray, quickly scattering to find cover like caterpillars wriggling after leaves were pulled away.
Summer Melody pulled her hand away from her face and screamed as she rolled off the bed.
Zhou Yao rushed in to help Summer Melody put on her outerwear. Seeing her trembling in fear, he lost control and grabbed a belt from the ground to hit the person covering Summer Melody's face.
"You filthy bitch, where do you think you're hitting?!" The person sprang up and swung a slap at Zhou Yao's head, but was promptly stopped by Luo Yi. He grasped the person's wrist and with a gentle push, sent him tumbling onto the bed.
Another man stood up, raising his chin in provocation. "You think this place is impressive? Do you believe I can make you shut it down?!" With that, he shoved Luo Yi hard.
However, Luo Yi remained unmoved, towering over the man as if he were just a powerless child.
For a moment, neither the men nor the women spoke; perhaps they vaguely realized that an outsider running such a large inn in an underdeveloped area couldn't possibly be without connections.
As Luo Yi led Zhou Yao and Summer Melody away, a woman was pushed forward to quietly ask, "Boss Luo, what about this door—"
"The staff is off duty; it will be fixed tomorrow."
"What about tonight—"
"Figure it out yourself."
……
Summer Melody collapsed on the stairs, crying in pain and regretting her foolishness. They had invited her to play cards, and she had actually believed them. She never expected it would turn into a group frenzy that wouldn't let her leave.
"I suggest calling the police," Luo Yi said.
"Don't!" Summer Melody sharply opposed.
Zhou Yao urged, "Summer Melody, I also think we should call the police."
"I said no! Even if the police come, I won't be able to explain clearly. There are too many of them; they might turn against me. Besides, nothing really happened to me; thankfully, you arrived in time."
Zhou Yao was momentarily speechless. He looked at Luo Yi, who was smoking silently. It seemed he understood that without witnesses or evidence, even if the police came, it would likely end without resolution.
Summer Melody looked at Zhou Yao with teary eyes and said, “Zhou Yao, thank you. But don’t tell Tang Shangri-La Duo or anyone else. This is the solution I want, okay?”
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Yao finally nodded.
Luo Yi said, “I’m leaving first.”
“Are you the Boss here?” Summer Melody asked Luo Yi. “Can you drive them away?”
Luo Yi raised an eyebrow, took the cigarette from his mouth, and asked, “Why?”
Summer Melody replied fiercely, “Can’t you see they are all scum?”
Luo Yi calmly countered, “Do I need to judge the moral standards of my guests as a innkeeper?”
Zhou Yao tugged at Summer Melody, but she wouldn’t be restrained. Her emotions spiraled out of control: “But you’ve already seen how disgusting they are! Do you have any basic sense of right and wrong or morals? Are merchants only about profit without compassion?! You should drive them away; I don’t want to see them again!”
“You don’t want to see them. Fine.” Luo Yi nodded and said, “But there are over ten employees in the inn who need to eat. — Seven guests, sixty per bed, four hundred twenty a night. There are still four days left on the order. That’s one thousand six hundred eighty for the room. Are you paying?”
Summer Melody was stunned; her tears stopped flowing, and her voice became softer: “I don’t have that much money.”
Luo Yi flicked the ash from his cigarette and said, “No money? Then what are you talking about?”
Comment 0 Comment Count