Chapter Ten: Old Debts
The relationship between the two had become somewhat delicate. After that thin layer of window paper between them had been pierced, Lu Qiang grew even more brazen. Whenever he had nothing to do, he bombarded her with calls and messages. Somehow, he had learned the trick of sending flowers to her office, doing it twice, though he did not keep it up for long. Perhaps he realized that all those flashy gestures were useless, and that a simpler, more direct approach worked better.
He had followed Lu Yin home several times, lingering at her place for dinner. Lu Yin made no clear statement, treating him neither warmly nor coldly. Once the meal was over, she would promptly ask him to leave, leaving no room for anything further. Her temperament was mild, her thoughts winding and circuitous. She liked to turn things over again and again in her mind. Lu Qiang had already grasped her disposition. Forcing things now might backfire, so he settled for appearing often, aggressively making his presence known.
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
Lu Yin was out running errands. Near the end of the workday, she decided not to return to the factory. She happened to be near Keji City, and Ye Fan’s office was in Building A upstairs. Lu Yin stopped by a pastry shop, bought two boxes of egg tarts and some milk tea, and went up to see her.
Ye Fan’s company had taken on a new project, and with new staff training added on, she had been busy day and night. The two had not seen each other for quite some time.
She had her own workspace. When Lu Yin arrived, Ye Fan was bent over compiling reports. It was not until a rich, sweet fragrance spread through the room that Ye Fan’s nose twitched a few times and she lifted her head.
Lu Yin sat in the chair opposite, smiling at her.
Ye Fan exclaimed in delight, “When did you get here?”
“Just now.”
Ye Fan put down her pen. “Are you a ghost? You make no sound when you walk.”
“You were too focused.” Lu Yin slipped the strap of her bag off her shoulder and leaned back comfortably in the chair. “I’m not disturbing your work, am I? You seem pretty busy. I was even thinking of asking you out for dinner tonight.”
Without ceremony, she picked up an egg tart, took a bite, and said, “Sure.” She flipped through the papers at hand. “You’re not in a hurry, right? You might have to wait for me a bit.”
Lu Yin’s thoughts drifted for a few seconds. “I’ve got nothing on tonight.”
At that moment, someone knocked twice on the partition of the workspace. Just as Lu Yin turned to look, her phone vibrated in her bag. She lowered her head to fish it out while a young woman’s voice spoke to Ye Fan nearby, reporting on work.
She lit up the screen. Lu Qiang had sent a message asking what she was eating tonight.
Lu Yin pressed her lips together and replied: I’m eating out today.
Almost immediately came the reply: With who?
Lu Yin typed: A friend.
After sending it, she stared at the screen for a while. A faint, almost imperceptible expectation stirred in her chest. Her finger slid upward a few times, but no further message came.
She let out a soft sigh and put her phone away. By then, the discussion on the other side had concluded, and the visitor turned to leave.
“Xiao Wu,” Ye Fan called out, stopping her. She handed over the unopened box of egg tarts. “My friend bought two boxes. We can’t finish them. Share them with the others.”
The girl hesitated for a moment, standing there without taking it.
Her skin was very pale. Her short hair, cut to ear length, fell forward and obscured her face. She was slight and thin. When Lu Yin turned her head, she could only see a blurred profile and a sharp, upturned chin.
“No need to be shy,” Lu Yin added.
Only then did she slowly take the box, without looking at Lu Yin. “Thanks.”
Ye Fan did not finish work until seven. When they walked out of the office building, the sky was dim and heavy, night about to fall.
After some discussion, they decided on Thai food. During the meal, Lu Yin seemed distracted, glancing sideways at her phone several times.
Ye Fan lifted a spoonful of soup to her mouth, observing her for the third time. “Do you have something later?”
Lu Yin gave a noncommittal hum, then immediately denied it. “No.”
“Then are you waiting for a call?”
“No.”
Ye Fan sucked lightly on the tip of her spoon and nodded. “What have you been busy with lately? I ran into Liu Zecheng last time. He hasn’t been harassing you again, has he?”
Lu Yin stirred her sticky rice. “How would he? His child is probably about to be born.”
Ye Fan studied her expression carefully. Her brows were relaxed, showing not a trace of aversion or resistance. “You’ve let it go?”
Lu Yin put a few grains of rice into her mouth, glanced at her, then simply set down her chopsticks. “If I say I’ve let it go, will you think I’m not loyal enough to my feelings?”
Ye Fan did not answer the question. Instead, she asked, “You’ve got a boyfriend?”
Her heart skipped, and her face immediately grew hot. “Not yet. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“‘Not yet’ means you already have someone in mind. What does he do?” She also set down her utensils.
“You answer my question first.” Lu Yin paused. “We were together for six years, after all.”
Ye Fan smiled. “Young lady!” she said in an exaggerated tone. “Are you living in the last century? Give it two more years and his kid will be calling him ‘Dad,’ and you’re still clinging to the past, mourning love. What’s loyalty worth?” She propped her elbow on the table. “Besides, at our age, we don’t have the luxury to be reserved or to dwell on memories.”
Lu Yin lowered her gaze and said nothing.
Ye Fan continued, “If you meet someone suitable, you can try getting along with him.”
Lu Yin let out a soft laugh.
“What are his conditions like?” Ye Fan picked up her spoon again and continued sipping her seafood soup.
Lu Yin paused, speaking with some reservation. “Ordinary conditions.”
Ye Fan gave a small hum and did not press further. She only reminded her, “This time, keep your eyes open. Don’t run into someone like Liu Zecheng again, that kind of scum. No need for great wealth, and no need to care too much about looks.” She thought for a moment. “Good character. The person has to be reliable.”
The sense of relief that had just settled in Lu Yin’s chest rose and fell again. Those last four words struck directly at her concern.
He had been to prison. In the past, he was not a good person. As for whether he was reliable, Lu Yin did not dare to be certain.
***
That night, it was already past nine when she reached the entrance of her residential complex. The night market had just begun. Small eateries on both sides of the road were lively, street stalls set up outside, bright floodlights propped in front of barbecue grills. Smoke and heat filled the air, the smell of grilled meat and seafood everywhere.
Lu Yin walked forward with her head lowered when someone called her name.
She turned her head. Lu Qiang was sitting outside a small restaurant near the guard booth, eating barbecue. A round table, just him alone. One foot was planted on the stool beside him. He crooked a finger at her.
Lu Yin stood where she was for a moment, then moved toward him.
Lu Qiang remained seated, lifting his eyelids to look at her. “You’re back?”
Lu Yin nodded and asked casually, “This is what you’re having for dinner?”
“Mm.” He lowered his foot and wiped the stool beside him clean with his palm. “Sit.”
“Not going to,” Lu Yin said. “You eat. I’ll head back first.”
She lifted her leg to leave, but he caught her wrist. With his other hand, Lu Qiang gripped her waist and pressed her down onto the stool. “Stay and eat a bit with me.”
Lu Yin instinctively glanced around, slapped his hand away, and shifted outward slightly, but did not get up after all. Several bottles of beer were on the table, two already drained. On the tray beside them were grilled skewers, and there was also a bowl of instant noodles.
Lu Qiang asked the owner for another set of bowls and chopsticks, split them apart for her, brushing off the rough wooden splinters. “Drink?”
Lu Yin shook her head.
“Then eat something.” After saying that, Lu Qiang no longer paid her any mind. He picked up a skewer from the tray, bit down in the middle, and stripped the meat into his mouth in one motion.
He glanced at her. Lu Yin sat stiffly.
Lu Qiang swallowed, then downed the beer in his cup in one gulp. His Adam’s apple moved just once.
“Not eating?”
“I’m full.”
Lu Qiang picked up another skewer. It was unclear what it was, only two large pieces, charred black on the surface.
He bit into one. “Who’d you have dinner with tonight?”
“A friend.”
Lu Qiang chewed slowly, as if asking casually, “A man or a woman?”
This time, he did not get an answer. Lu Yin did not want to obediently tell him. She looked up awkwardly at the floodlight above, where many small insects circled the glow.
Gradually, she drifted into a daze.
After a while, Lu Qiang pinched her chin and pulled her gaze down. “Your soul’s wandered off.”
“What?”
He looked at her for two seconds, then tipped his chin. “Try it.”
He placed the remaining piece on her plate. “What is it?”
“You’ll know if you try.”
“Is it good?”
Lu Qiang’s expression loosened. “Fragrant.”
Half-believing, she picked it up, looked it over, unable to make anything of it. She sniffed it, but the spices masked the food’s original smell. She took a bite. For the first few seconds, she could not taste anything. Slowly, as she chewed, the flavor came through. A bit astringent, a bit gamey, and then quite fragrant toward the end. Overall, the texture was strange.
“What is this, exactly?”
Lu Qiang said, “Lamb kidney.”
Lu Yin froze instantly. Her chopsticks slipped, the piece falling back onto the plate. She braced a hand against his thigh and bent over, retching a few times, spitting out everything left in her mouth.
Lu Qiang burst into laughter, in high spirits. He picked up the half she had left and popped it into his mouth. “Don’t waste it. This stuff’s good for men.” He looked at her with a crooked grin. “Gives you strength when it’s time to put in effort.”
Lu Yin did not hear a word he said. Her face had turned red from retching. She grabbed the glass and gulped down several mouthfuls of beer. “You’re disgusting.”
He did not respond. His gaze followed her arm to the edge of the table. On the rim of the glass was a faint lipstick mark, overlapping with the foam of the beer, inexplicably intimate under the light. In her haste, Lu Yin had used his glass.
And just then, she realized it too. An ambiguous tension spread between them, until even the lively calls of vendors faded into background noise. Lu Yin wiped the corner of her mouth in a gesture of concealment, turned her head aside, and said nothing.
Lu Qiang watched her for a moment. He picked up the glass, carefully examining the faint lipstick print. Pressing his lips to that mark, he drained the rest in one go. After a whole night of beer, only this mouthful carried any taste.
He did not linger. Lu Qiang swallowed the noodles in a few quick bites, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and called the owner to settle the bill.
He tossed the napkin aside and gave the order, “Let’s go.”
Lu Yin followed behind him.
Inside the residential complex, it was much quieter. Along the long road, there were hardly any pedestrians. A distance stretched between them. Moonlight flowed like water, casting two faint silhouettes on the ground, neither close nor far, moving slowly forward.
After a few minutes, they reached her building. Lu Yin said, “No need to walk me further. I can go up myself.”
In the distance, a ring of rose bushes bordered a flowerbed. The light did not reach there. It was a dense patch of darkness. Beside it, there seemed to be a figure, furtive, craning its head to look over.
Lu Qiang stopped, staring intently in that direction.
The figure seemed to sense his gaze. It turned and slipped into the darkness.
Lu Qiang withdrew his gaze. His palm pressed against her back, as if he had not heard her. “I’ll walk you up.”
“No need.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” His voice suddenly turned cold as he spoke. His hand applied pressure, guiding her into the stairwell.
Lu Yin opened the door and went inside. As she swung it shut behind her, he blocked it.
She held onto the handle, still annoyed by his sudden shift in mood.
Lu Qiang changed his expression again, smiling. “Let me come in and sit for a bit.”
“It’s too late. Not convenient.”
“I’ll just have a drink of water.”
“There’s none boiled.”
“Then I’ll use the bathroom.”
Lu Yin shifted her body to block the gap in the door. “The water’s cut off.”
Lu Qiang looked at her silently for a few seconds. His fingers hooked onto the edge of the door. He did not seem to use much force, yet no matter what she did, she could not close it.
He asked directly, “How many more days are you going to keep me hanging?”
Lu Yin pretended not to understand, reaching out to push against his chest.
Lu Qiang did not budge, as immovable as a mountain. His gaze was dark. “You can play your little games, but don’t push it.” He threatened her. “If you make me wait too long, you’ll regret it.” His voice was soft, yet carried an undercurrent of cold menace.
The stairwell was empty. The motion-sensor light above suddenly went out. No one made a sound. Only a dark silhouette remained blocking the doorway.
Lu Yin’s breath caught. “What do you want?”
His arm suddenly tightened. With force, he wrenched the door open. Lu Yin let out a low cry, her body pulled by the momentum, stumbling straight into his chest.
Lu Qiang wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. “You’ll know if we try.”
No comments:
Post a Comment