Chapter Eleven (Part 2): Twists and Turns
After finishing a week of night shifts, he switched to daytime.
At five-thirty, Old Li arrived. Lu Qiang took off his security jacket and tossed it onto the chair behind him, standing at the doorway for a while.
Old Li parked his bicycle and went inside to pour tea. When he looked up, Lu Qiang was still standing there.
Old Li poked his head out. “Xiao Lu, why aren’t you leaving yet?”
Lu Qiang had a cigarette in his mouth, unlit. He tilted his head slightly. “Waiting a bit.”
Old Li asked curiously, “Waiting for what? Don’t even want to go home?”
He cupped his hands and lit the cigarette. “Waiting for someone.”
“Waiting for who?”
Lu Qiang glanced at him and smiled. “Mind your business.”
Old Li snorted. “Brat.” He turned back to his own work and didn’t ask further.
Lu Qiang took a drag, eyes slanted toward the entrance. It was around the time people got off work. Quite a few were returning, hurrying along.
An acquaintance passed by and greeted him. Lu Qiang lifted a hand in acknowledgment.
After about fifteen minutes, a figure appeared at the entrance. T-shirt, jeans, a pair of flats, hair loose, steps light.
Lu Qiang’s gaze locked onto her. She seemed to sense it too. She lifted her head slightly, her eyes flickering, then lowered them again after a moment.
Passing by the guard booth, Old Li happened to come out. “Oh! Xiao Lu, off work?”
Lu Yin smiled. “Mm, Master Li.”
“Bought all this food, can you finish it yourself? Or do you have guests at home?”
“Mm.” Without stopping, Lu Yin responded vaguely, “I’ll head off first, Master Li.”
Old Li nodded. “Take care.”
After she had walked more than ten meters, Lu Qiang finished his cigarette, crushed it out between two fingers, and flicked the butt into the nearby trash can.
He stepped forward and followed.
Old Li asked, “Where are you going now?”
“Taking a walk inside.”
“Not waiting anymore?”
Lu Qiang gave him only his back, not a word in reply.
His strides were long. Even walking slowly, he could keep up with her. The distance closed by several meters as his gaze measured her figure from behind.
She wore a dark green long-sleeved top, fitted at the waist, the hem slightly short, revealing a narrow strip of pale skin. Low-rise pants hugged her hips, swaying gently with each step.
Today she carried a small backpack, matching the tone of her shoes. A silver ring hung from the zipper, catching the evening light. Lu Qiang’s gaze shifted. Both her hands held bags. She had just come back from the market. Inside were a fish, eggs, and some green vegetables.
Lu Yin turned off the main path, walking along a tree-lined lane. At the end was Entrance 11. She tilted her head slightly, sensing the footsteps behind her quicken. Just as they reached the building, the weight in her hands lightened. The bags had been transferred to his.
Following behind her, Lu Qiang weighed the items in his hand. “Knew I was coming?”
Lu Yin stepped up the stairs, not hearing clearly. “What?”
“Bought quite a lot.”
“You eat so much.” She said it softly, then added as she turned the corner, “I was worried it wouldn’t be enough.”
They went inside. Lu Yin washed her face, rolled up her sleeves, and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
She first cleaned the flounder and placed it in the pot to steam. When the water boiled, she put in the celery to blanch. While waiting, the eggs had already been beaten smooth.
Lu Yin didn’t get distracted while cooking. Every step she ran through carefully in her mind.
A voice suddenly came from behind. “Need help?”
Lu Yin startled, her chopsticks almost slipping from her hand. She turned her head, froze for a moment, then quickly looked away. “No need. Just wait outside.”
Lu Qiang said, “Do the scallions need washing?”
“…Mm.” Lu Yin glanced at him again. “Can you put a shirt on first?”
Lu Qiang was bare-chested. “It’s too hot inside.”
“It’s almost autumn.”
“Still hot.”
“You can turn on the air conditioner.”
“No need for the trouble. This is fine.” Lu Qiang turned his back, twisting open the faucet to wash the scallions.
The sink was too low. He bent slightly, his shoulder blades moving powerfully with his motions, flesh firm, as if every muscle had its own purpose, alive in motion.
Lu Yin stared at his back. The more she feared it, the harder it was to look away. His entire back was covered in a winding dragon tail, the dorsal fin sharp like blades, scales densely packed. A fierce claw extended from his waist and ribs, baring its fangs as if it could tear out the throat of any intruder.
Lower down near his waist, it was cleaner, the skin a shade lighter than his back. A hollow ran along his spine, straight and deep, disappearing into his waistband.
Lu Yin bit her lip uneasily and quickly looked away.
Outside the window, the sunset had sunk behind the buildings, leaving only a sliver of afterglow. The sky was still bright, but everything else had dimmed into a gray blur, the meeting point of light and dark.
Her movements slowed. Suddenly, everything before her seemed to lack a sense of reality. The person beside her felt both familiar and strange. Her feelings toward him shifted between intimacy and resistance.
In the end, she still lacked a sense of security.
It had been nearly a month since the bungee jump. Since then, they had stayed in a state neither close nor distant. Lu Yin only felt that perhaps she needed a man by her side, someone to give her warmth, to offer care and affection, someone they could rely on in life. And at that moment, he had appeared. She did not reject him, did not dislike him, even felt a faint trace of liking.
Only sometimes, in a daze, it all felt too unreal. Whether it was him, or the act of accepting a relationship again.
Everything felt like a dream…
Lu Qiang finished washing up, turned back, and asked, “How should I cut it?”
She drifted too far in her thoughts. Lu Qiang tapped the back of her head. “I’m asking you something.”
“What?” She came back to herself.
Lu Qiang glanced at her, holding the scallions. “How should I cut these?”
“…You know how?”
He raised a brow. “Shouldn’t I?”
“No.” Lu Yin said, “It’s just that someone like you doesn’t seem like the type who would do this.”
Lu Qiang picked up the knife. “Chop them into scallions?” Only after Lu Yin nodded did he ask again, “What kind of person am I?”
“Fierce and very chauvanistic.”
Lu Qiang let out a short huff, smiling indifferently. “Even being fierce depends on the person.” His hands moved deftly as he spoke slowly. “My hometown’s in the countryside. I learned to chop firewood at five. By seven I could stand on a stool and cook for the whole family. At fifteen I was already out making my way. In prison, what isn’t done by yourself. Lose a button, you still have to stick it back with spit.”
“…Where is your hometown?” Lu Yin asked.
“Qian Shulin Village, Wuqing County.”
“Is there anyone else in your family?”
After a while, he finished cutting. “Still got my old mother.”
Lu Yin didn’t speak. She put the blanched celery into cold water. From beside her came his question, “What about you?”
“Me?” Lu Yin said, “My family’s not in this city either. My hometown is Qianyuan.”
“Your parents are there?”
Lu Yin handed him a bowl. “My parents passed away when I was very young. I grew up with my uncle, but their situation wasn’t good. After high school I boarded at school. Later, when I went to university, I relied on scholarships and part-time work.”
Lu Qiang couldn’t help but look at her.
Lu Yin met his gaze and smiled lightly. “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve been independent since I was little. I don’t think I’m pitiful, and my mindset is pretty healthy. I’m just a bit timid. Actually, I’ve always accepted my fate. Although my aunt…” She paused, not finishing the thought, then looked at him and smiled. “But my uncle treated me very well.”
A flicker passed through Lu Qiang’s eyes, then he returned to normal, giving a soft scoff. “Not just timid. You like playing little tricks too.”
“…I don’t.”
Lu Qiang changed the subject. “So, just because of some jerk, you stayed here with him for five years?”
Lu Yin’s movement stalled. She lowered her eyes. Lu Qiang looked at her. “Alright. Forget it.”
He hooked an arm around her slender waist and kissed her temple. Lu Yin pushed him, rubbing the spot he had kissed, muttering softly, “So annoying.”
The corner of his lips lifted. “What else needs cutting?”
They cooked while chatting. Three dishes and a soup were soon set on the table.
There was still some baijiu left from last time. Lu Qiang urged her to drink a little. This time she was cautious and refused no matter what.
He didn’t press her, pouring for himself instead. Before long, he had finished two small cups.
After the meal, Lu Yin went to wash the dishes. He was tired and didn’t move from the sofa, watching television for a while. Lu Yin hadn’t even changed clothes after returning. After tidying up and drying her hands, she walked around the room, wiped the table a few times, washed fruit, then went to the balcony to collect the laundry.
Lu Qiang followed her with his eyes for a while. “Sit down and rest.”
Lu Yin glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s getting late. While it’s not completely dark yet, you should head back.”
“What’s there to be afraid of in the dark. I’m not blind.” He patted the space beside him. “Come here.”
“I still have a bit of work—”
“This place is tiny. What work could there be.” He cut her off. “I don’t eat people. Come here.”
Lu Yin paused, then walked toward him. His arm was still resting along the back of the sofa. Before she could properly sit, that arm hooked around her, and half her body fell into his lap.
She braced against his leg, letting out a small cry.
Lu Qiang laughed. “That waist of yours is really thin. I could snap it with one hand.” As he spoke, he deliberately wrapped his arm around and gave it a squeeze.
Lu Yin steadied herself and slapped his hand. “Don’t just grab like that.”
Lu Qiang stilled. His large hand rested properly at her waist as he leaned back, eyes drifting toward the television. A drama was playing, full of domestic squabbles and noisy chaos.
Lu Qiang couldn’t make sense of it. “What’s this about?”
Turning his head, he saw she was staring off somewhere, lost in thought. Her gaze was blank, lips pressed into a thin line. From his angle, a fine layer of soft fuzz lay over her pale pink skin, the tip of her nose round and slightly upturned, the line of her neck especially gentle.
Lu Qiang’s mind wandered. Stretching his neck forward, he followed those lips and kissed her.
“…” Her face flushed, then paled. Forcing herself, she said, “We haven’t known each other long, and we don’t really understand each other yet. If you’re only… for that kind of thing, I think I’m not really…”
“Alright.” He inhaled sharply and cut her off at once, pulling her upright, his voice hoarse. “Let me touch first.”
Lu Yin didn’t have time to stop him. She only felt his large hand slip in from behind, hooking the clasp and pressing inward. The front loosened, then tightened again. Her breathing caught. She didn’t know how long passed before his hand finally stilled. Before she could relax, his head lowered again…
Her bra had shifted upward, and under his teasing, her eyes grew misty.
Lu Qiang didn’t have it easy either. The brief satisfaction only made him realize it wasn’t enough. Afraid of going too far and scaring her, he helped her straighten her clothes.
“I’m going.” He kissed her forehead, muttering, “Damn, this is torture.”
***
Lu Qiang lived in a row of buildings at the far end of the market, built even earlier than Lu Yin’s place. It wasn’t a proper residential compound, just a solitary brick building. Most of the people living there were renters, making a living selling vegetables below.
Leaving Lu Yin’s place, he exited the compound and turned onto a quiet road. The roadside market had already packed up. Rotten vegetable leaves and spoiled fruit were scattered everywhere. Fishy water had been splashed across the ground, attracting mosquitoes and flies. The stench hung thick.
He seemed not to notice. Tossing his jacket over his shoulder, hands in his pockets, he didn’t look at the road, walking loosely and slowly. There were no streetlights here. Few residents. Outside of market hours, hardly anyone passed through.
It was the first day of the lunar month. No moonlight. Everything was silent. The night wind swept plastic bags from the roadside, sending them dancing around his feet.
Lu Qiang spat to the side, his steps pausing slightly. He stopped. His head still turned, eyes fixed on some empty point, his gaze sharpening in an instant.
After standing there for a few seconds, he withdrew his gaze and continued forward.
The road wasn’t wide. Walk straight to the end, turn into an alley, and he would be home.
He took the jacket off his shoulder, gripping it in his hand, straightened his shoulders, and lengthened his stride.
His ears twitched. He heard the wind, mixed with faint, uneven footsteps. Without turning back, Lu Qiang stepped directly into the alley.
The alley was narrow, barely enough for two adults side by side. After a few steps, the exit was blocked by two shadowy figures. He tilted his head. His dark eyes flicked left. Behind him, footsteps approached as well.
Lu Qiang simply stopped. “Brothers, which road are you from?”
No one answered. The shadows moved slowly, closing in from front and back, hemming him into the middle. Lu Qiang turned sideways, scanning both ends. Three on one side. On the other, a dark mass, about seven or eight.
His voice dropped, steady. “I’ve only got one worthless life. If you’re after money, you’ve got the wrong person.”
Among them, someone took the lead and shouted, “Get him! Don’t listen to his nonsense!”
In an instant, the shadows surged forward, some holding iron rods, others steel cables.
Lu Qiang was empty-handed, nothing but a jacket. As they rushed him from both sides, he leapt up, planting his foot against one wall and springing half a meter into the air.
The two sides collided into each other. Lu Qiang kicked downward, sending two of them crashing. He stepped on one man’s chest, using the jacket like a whip, lashing it across the face of an approaching figure. The man cried out, his grip loosening, the iron rod slipping from his hand.
Lu Qiang seized it. In his hands, the rod seemed to come alive. With a flick of his arm, he struck left and right. No one could get close. Most of the shadows had already fallen. Only three remained. Just as Lu Qiang was about to swing again, someone at the back clapped a few times, followed by laughter.
“Lu Qiang. Been years. Still got those moves?”
Lu Qiang’s eyes narrowed. In an instant, he recognized the voice.
Before he could speak, someone brought a rod down toward him. He raised his hand and caught it. His strength was enough to block the blow, yet after a brief pause, he let go.
The rod came crashing straight down onto his shoulder…
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