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墨書 Inktalez
The car was parked in a relatively secluded and quiet area. With such isolation, I wondered if it was safe for a girl to be here alone. As I thought about this, I made my way upstairs to the fourth floor. It wasn't high, but the stairwell was dark, and it was the last unit at the end of the corridor. Both sides had residents who had installed security doors that were tightly shut, not a glimmer of light seeping through, making it difficult to navigate.
After feeling my way to the door, I knocked lightly. It took a while before the door opened just a crack. How cautious, I thought. When I saw Yumeili's delicate face, my heart began to race again. Upon recognizing me, she smiled sweetly and said, "Right on time! You really are punctual for a soldier." Then she opened the door wider and let me in.
This was my second time entering a girl's room, and I took a deep breath as I stepped inside. The apartment had two bedrooms and a living room that was quite simple: a Changsha sofa, two chairs, and a small table with a television on it, next to a water dispenser—everything laid out plainly. Both bedroom doors were closed, one of which had a lock on it, which struck me as odd. Suddenly, a waft of fragrance hit me from the side; turning around, I saw Yume had closed the door and walked past me, saying as she went, "You sit down; I'll boil some water for us to chat."
I quickly replied, "No need to be polite; it's fine." Then I turned and sat on the sofa by the door, observing Yume. Tonight she seemed different from usual; every time I'd seen her before, she dressed in sexy and fashionable outfits. But tonight, she looked like a homebody—wearing an oversized shirt paired with an elegant long skirt and her straight long hair flowing down. She appeared very pure, as if she hadn't put on any makeup. Beautiful girls really look good in anything; I couldn't help but sigh.
After turning on the water dispenser, Yume turned back to me with a smile. Afraid she might notice me staring at her, I quickly shifted my gaze to examine the room instead. As I tilted my head to the right, I noticed an old rusty axe standing in the corner behind the door. I was somewhat surprised but figured it might be for self-defense since she lived alone; I didn't pay much attention to it until another wave of fragrance filled my nostrils—Yume had sat down beside me.
Unsure how to start a conversation, I turned my head and quietly looked at her. Yume spoke softly, "Actually, every weekend I don't want to stay at home; I'm scared." Scared? Scared of what? Loneliness? Unsure how to respond, I decided to listen further. "I have to go somewhere lively every weekend so that I'm not afraid." What about this weekend? I wondered. As if reading my thoughts, Yume glanced at me again and said, "Today I wanted you to come over and keep me company for the night; can we talk? I'm really tired."
Talk all night? I thought… Well, maybe I've been overthinking things. Chuckling lightly, I replied to Yume, "Sure! Whatever you want to do; I'm here for you."
"Really?" Yume looked at me with sudden excitement. Seeing her eager expression made my heart soften inexplicably as I nodded. Yume then turned her face toward the television and began daydreaming. Watching her nearly perfect profile—the delicate eyelashes and well-defined nose—I couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if Yume could be my girlfriend.
Lost in thought, Yume suddenly tilted her head and giggled at me. "Aren't you supposed to be good at chatting? You can talk about anything over the phone; why are you so quiet now?" What could I say? All I could do was respond awkwardly with a cliché line: "That's because you're so beautiful that I'm at a loss for words."
"Is that so? Am I really that great?"
"Of course! To an ordinary person like me, you look like a fairy!" Once we opened up the topic, our conversation gradually became lively. Before we knew it, we had been talking for quite some time—I shared stories about my university days, my ex-girlfriend, and life in the military while she curled up on the sofa with her legs hugged close to her body, listening intently. The trustful and expectant look in her eyes reminded me of a cat needing affection; I felt an overwhelming urge to hold her close. That night felt like one of the warmest moments of my life.
I lost track of time until suddenly she exclaimed and jumped off the sofa. Startled by her sudden movement, I watched as Yume rushed toward the water dispenser in a flurry of activity as she grabbed a disposable cup. "I forgot to pour you some water!" As she bent down to hand me the cup, I inadvertently caught sight of something white beneath her loose shirt…
"Pervert!" Yume realized what had caught my attention immediately; she shoved the cup into my hands and covered her chest before darting away.
"Heh heh… umm… cough cough… I didn't see anything," I stammered slightly embarrassed as I quickly lifted the cup as if it were some sort of shield. Just then, my phone buzzed loudly in my pocket—it was set to vibrate mode before coming here so that it wouldn't disturb us. It had vibrated several times during our conversation earlier without me paying attention; now it provided an excellent distraction.
"Hello? Who is this?" I deliberately avoided looking at Yume.
"Stop pretending! What do you mean by this? What time is it? Are you planning on staying over tonight?" The voice on the other end was aggressive—Old Bi.
“Old Bi!” I had no choice but to put down my drink. “Old Bi, listen to me, this…”
“Stop talking nonsense! I warn you not to make any mistakes. Just wait a bit and hurry over here.”
“Old Bi, you really need to change your attitude!” I shouted, disregarding Yu who was standing nearby. The call ended with a beep.
“Is something wrong?” Yu asked as she walked over obediently.
“It’s nothing, nothing at all. Let’s continue our conversation,” I quickly explained. I never expected Old Bi to be so malicious; he knew I wouldn’t dare turn off my phone and vibrated it every three minutes, the buzzing loud enough for Yu to hear. “If there’s really something going on, you should go. Doesn’t your unit have a mission?” Yu’s expression darkened, and I could tell she was disappointed.
I had two choices: to leave or to stay. Anyone else would have firmly chosen to stay, but unfortunately, I couldn’t. If my phone vibrated too long, it would run out of battery; if it died, it would mean that if the unit really needed me, they wouldn’t be able to find me. I couldn’t take that risk because I couldn’t afford to lose.
I sighed. Old Bi, you’re in big trouble; I swear it. Putting on an expression of helplessness, I said, “Well, you know… there’s nothing I can do.” Yu paused for a moment and then said, “Okay then, can you promise me that after I go into the inner room and close the door, you’ll leave? Can you help me turn off the lights and lock the door?” It was such a strange request; she trusted me so much. Fine, I nodded vigorously. Watching her walk into the bedroom and turn on the light, at the moment she closed the door, it felt like she gave me one last deep glance. Who would have thought that glance would be our final farewell? Who knew that behind that door were eyes watching the entire process?
I gently closed the door and stood silently in front of it for a while before quickly leaving. Where to? Of course, I was going to settle accounts with Old Bi! I took a taxi straight to the bar. When I found Old Bi, he was still there with his head down constantly pressing his phone. The vibrations just wouldn’t stop! I didn’t answer; seeing him made me even angrier. I casually stopped a passing waiter and pointed at Old Bi. “Do you see that guy? Bring him a dozen beers—the most expensive ones—and charge it to him!” The waiter wasn’t stupid and asked me back, “Do you know him?” I casually replied, “When you bring the beers over and see us drinking, add another dozen!”
Ignoring the dazed waiter, I quickly walked over and slapped Old Bi on the shoulder. “Good brother! Here I am!” Old Bi turned around with a smile when he saw me. “Old Wang, I'm doing this for your own good; developing too fast isn’t good for you!”
“Cut it out! You’re just jealous of me.”
“Brothers genuinely care about each other; look at this—I'm not trying to bring you down, but your height doesn’t match up! She’s 1.7 meters tall; you’re only 1.68 meters! You’re not Andy Lau; what girl would notice you? I'm just helping you out—don’t get too deep into this!”
I fell silent; Old Bi had a point. I did feel a bit one-sided about things; she hadn’t said anything more meaningful to me yet. I knew my own conditions well enough—if it were an ordinary girl, maybe I'd be more confident; but someone nearly perfect… well, using today’s terms, it felt like I couldn’t hold on.
Sometimes when people see reality clearly, they experience an icy hot sensation; my expression instantly darkened. At that moment, the waiter struggled over with a box containing two dozen beers. “Sir, here are the beers you ordered; enjoy!” Old Bi looked surprised at him and then at the beer brand before glancing back at me. I could clearly see his face also darkening in an instant.
If it were any other time and seeing Old Bi like this would have made me happy, but unfortunately, I was already in no mood for joy. I quickly opened two bottles of beer and handed one to Old Bi. “Old Bi, let’s drink to your honesty.” In an instant, both bottles were empty. Just like that, the beer slowly disappeared along with my frustration and Old Bi’s frustration as well—though our frustrations were quite different…
When I woke up, the bar had already closed. Fortunately, Boss was used to such scenes, so we were able to lie there peacefully all night. Old Bi had emptied his pockets and swiped his card before we both got on the bus back home.
To be honest, Old Bi's words hit me hard. For the next week, I didn't take the initiative to call Yu, and she didn't call me either. This only confirmed my worries, and my mood during that week was as gloomy as the weather outside, with continuous rain.
On Saturday morning, after finishing breakfast, I lay listlessly in bed. Suddenly, I thought of Old Bao. I figured I was probably in a similar situation to what Old Bao had been in back then. I grabbed a few newspapers and flipped through them aimlessly, but my mind was in turmoil, making it hard to focus. I tossed them over to He Baisha. Just as I was contemplating whether to go find her, I heard He Baisha loudly reading in Chongqing Dialect, "The police have important leads; the Serial Dismemberment Case is about to be cracked!" That guy always brought humor with his Chongqing Dialect!
Looking out at the weather, I sighed, realizing another weekend was slipping away. Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. I searched through my thoughts—right! It was Yu. She always seemed afraid to stay home at night and spent most of her time outside. Where was she now? At the bar again? My worry resurfaced as I recalled how obedient she had been that night, curled up on the sofa looking pitiful. I realized that guessing wildly wasn't going to help; it would be better to go find her and ask directly. Even if we couldn't be romantic partners, we could at least be friends. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered to me!
With that thought in mind, I steeled my resolve. "He Baisha, tidy up the newspapers! I'm heading out!" With that, I dashed out of the room.
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