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墨書 Inktalez
Sun Meng fidgeted with the USB drive in her bag, wondering if it was just a prank as someone had suggested, nothing to make a fuss about. The overcast sky suddenly drizzled with fine rain. She had taken a taxi here, but now there were no cabs in sight. With no other option, she kicked a small stone by the roadside and walked toward the bus stop sign. This was a newly constructed road, and the municipal police department had relocated their offices here. It was Sun Meng's first visit, and she was completely unfamiliar with the area.
Since leaving the alley that led to the police station, she hadn’t encountered anyone else. As she crossed the pedestrian crossing at the traffic lights, the surroundings felt eerily quiet. On either side of the road were upscale residential areas, most of which were newly built and unoccupied. At the entrance of one such area, lush green trees stood tall, and a massive Banyan Tree obscured her view of the community entrance. The only thing visible was a security guard in uniform standing neatly under an umbrella.
The rain seemed to intensify, and Sun Meng could feel the coldness of the damp fabric against her skin. She tried to shield herself from the rain with her hand, but droplets still managed to seep down her neck, sending a chill down her spine.
She quickened her pace; this road was indeed serene, and with the sudden drizzle, it felt even more deserted. Glancing back casually, she noticed an electric scooter trailing slowly behind her. She continued to hurry toward the bus stop, which appeared empty several hundred meters ahead, save for a luxurious advertisement board standing lonely in the rain.
Strangely enough, Sun Meng felt as if the scooter was following her. When she sped up, it sped up; when she slowed down, it slowed down too. The rider wore a red raincoat, obscuring his face. Every time she turned to look back, that scooter maintained its distance behind her. If it wasn’t following her, why hadn’t it passed her by now?
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became; her heart raced faster as tension replaced the chill of the rain. Ignoring the water soaking her clothes, she hurriedly pulled her bag closer and dashed to the bus stop sign, focusing intently on the direction from which the bus would come. She stood on the roadside side of the sign while behind it lay an area that was completely out of sight.
Just as Sun Meng strained her eyes looking for the bus, she felt a tug on her shoulder bag—a force pulling at it as if no one else was around. Her heart tightened; without needing to look, she knew it had to be that man who had been following her.
“What do you want?” Sun Meng refused to give up her bag easily. Furious, she struggled against the man in the raincoat hood. Now that they were close up, she could see he not only wore a hood but also had a large mask covering his face. It seemed he was after her bag all along; no wonder he had been tailing her.
The man didn’t respond to Sun Meng’s question but pulled harder on her bag and placed a hand on her shoulder as if trying to intimidate her into submission.
“Help! Someone help me…” Sun Meng didn’t know if it was instinctive courage or sheer unwillingness to let this jerk take her bag that made her scream at the security guard across the street. Whether it was because her voice was too soft or drowned out by the sound of falling rain, those guards remained indifferent as if they didn’t see what was happening.
As Sun Meng struggled with the man, a silver-gray Santana sedan glided silently to a stop in front of them. The door opened and a tall man stepped out, fixing his gaze directly on the assailant without flinching.
Seeing someone approach made the man panic; he abruptly released Sun Meng and fled.
"Hey! Are you out of your mind? You should know that those who dare to rob in broad daylight are the kind of people who risk their lives. If he had stabbed you, that would have been terrifying. There are plenty of people who have lost their lives over a bag; it's a bloody lesson," the man said, his expression one of astonishment. He ignored the fleeing robber and turned to Sun Meng, whose face was pale from shock.
Sun Meng tried to calm her racing heart, letting out a bitter laugh as she replied, "Thank you, I... didn't think that much about it. I just couldn't stand losing my bag." Yet, as she reflected on it, a wave of fear washed over her.
A sly smile flickered at the corners of the man's mouth as he brushed back a few strands of his slightly long hair with his slender fingers. "You don't recognize me anymore?"
At first, Sun Meng thought his tone suggested familiarity. She scrutinized the man before her—he had an unruly demeanor, with a small, inconspicuous scar beneath his brow bone and a silver ring that looked like a finger cap on his right hand. After staring for what felt like a minute, she still couldn't place him.
"Cough, cough. How have Ziya and Zhi Qing been lately?" he asked, noticing her lack of recognition and quickly reminding her that not only did he know her but also Ziya and Zhi Qing.
"Uh... they're both doing well. Can you... tell me who you are?" Sun Meng admitted helplessly. During her treatment, she had taken many medications, and post-treatment symptoms had caused some cognitive decline; her memory was clearly fading.
"You really can't remember me, tomboy?" the man feigned annoyance.
"It's you, senior... Liang Bo," Sun Meng exclaimed suddenly, slapping her forehead in realization and feeling embarrassed. Looking at this guy who had once been Zhi Qing's nemesis, she couldn't help but think: a weasel wishing a chicken well—something was off. But remembering how he had genuinely saved her from danger made her uneasy. The last thing Sun Meng wanted was to owe someone a favor. Besides, given the huge incident involving the three of them at school, how could he not hold a grudge? After that incident, he hadn't shown up at school again, and later she heard he had transferred. She never expected to run into him here and found herself at a loss for words to break the awkward silence between them.
"About your injury? With us..." Sun Meng attempted to probe whether he still held resentment towards her; after all, she had kicked him hard back then, causing him to hop around in pain for quite some time.
"Haha, enemies crossing paths... Haha, that's all history now; no need to bring it up," Liang Bo waved dismissively. He then briefly asked about Sun Meng's purpose for being there before informing her that the road wasn't open yet and wouldn't be operational until next month.
"So, do you want to go home? Hop on my ride!" Liang Bo said as he walked over to his car and turned back to look at Sun Meng, flashing that enticing smile again.
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