Chapter Nine (Part 1): The Kiss
The question left Lu Yin momentarily stunned. She blinked. “What?”
Lu Qiang lifted his chin. “Your bra.”
Lu Yin’s head went blank with a buzz. She quickly lowered her head. Wearing this camisole was basically the same as wearing nothing at all. Once soaked through, the color of the underwear beneath showed clearly, royal blue, lace-trimmed, a half-cup, pushing up the part that was full and rounded.
Heat rushed furiously into her face. Lu Yin covered her chest and turned toward the bedroom.
Lu Qiang watched her figure disappear, remained composed for a few seconds, then turned back, concentrating on the work at hand.
Two minutes later, Lu Yin came out, dragging her feet. He had thought she would change into something dry, but unexpectedly, she had only thrown on a jacket over it, black, with the zipper pulled all the way up to just below her neck.
He saw through this little trick at a glance. She was guarding against him as though he were a wolf.
Lu Qiang gave a quiet snort of laughter, turned his back, and did not look at her again.
Lu Yin could not help with anything. She stood stupidly by the doorway for a while, then went back to wait in the living room, but after thinking about it, that did not seem right either.
The floor was covered in water, marked with the footprints of two people. The smaller ones were hers, while the larger ones were a full size forty-three. Big and small, several overlapped, spreading into a blotch of grime. In the cramped space, with a large man crouching there, the usually quiet kitchen seemed crowded again.
Lu Yin withdrew her gaze, went to the bathroom to get a bucket and rag, then crouched behind him, slowly moving the dirty water into the bucket bit by bit.
He finished wrapping the tape and stood up to replace the water valve. Lu Yin wiped the floor around his feet. When she looked up, she saw that his trouser legs and cloth shoes were wet too.
Lu Qiang shifted half a step away and said, looking down, “Wipe it later. Your feet aren’t clean. You’ll track dirt over it again.”
Lu Yin brushed away a stray lock of hair with the back of her hand. “I’ll soak up the water first.”
Lu Qiang did not bother with her anymore. He glanced to the side. “Did you burn this dish?”
“Mm.”
“What dish?”
Lu Yin said, “Tomato-sauce shrimp balls.”
“You know quite a lot.”
Lu Yin wrung out the rag. “I didn’t know how at first either. I learned little by little later on.”
“How does it taste?”
“…It’s okay.”
Lu Qiang’s hands did not stop moving, but he could not help lowering his head to glance at her.
The light above was hazy, spilling down in a warm glow. She was only of ordinary height, and when she crouched down, she became a small little bundle, squeezed beside his feet. She wore the most ordinary clothes, her hair was disheveled, and she wiped the floor, like a docile little animal.
In the not-so-large kitchen, pots, bowls, and utensils were piled to the brim. The smells at the tip of his nose were complicated, the fragrance of food, the smell of something burnt, the smell of gas, and the faint scent of shampoo all mingling together. It was the ordinary, everyday warmth of domestic life, yet he found it strangely difficult to smell.
Lu Qiang rubbed the bridge of his nose. The faintest hint of a smile touched the corners of his lips, without him even noticing.
Replacing the water valve was a small matter. He finished it in a few moves, then tapped the pot beside him. “The handle of your pot is loose too.”
Lu Yin stood up. “I couldn’t find any screws at home. I thought I’d go buy some, then I forgot.”
Lu Qiang rummaged through his toolbox. There were no screws, but he found a piece of iron wire about half a foot long.
He bent it straight with his hands, threaded it through the small hole in the pot handle, bent the upper half, crossed it underneath, then twisted it tightly together with a pair of pliers and fastened it to the very bottom of the handle, cutting off the excess.
The pot had been broken for half a month, and he repaired it in a minute.
Lu Qiang tossed the pliers back into the toolbox, then picked up the pot and gave it a shake. It was even more secure than if it had been fastened with a screw. Those stiff, unwieldy tools moved flexibly in his hands, as though these skills were something men were born with.
Lu Yin’s expression was a little dazed. She felt something very strange inside, as though there were a little person holding a tube, puffing out his cheeks, glaring with wide eyes, and desperately blowing air into her.
He put his things away. “Finished wiping?”
“…Mm!” Her movements stopped for a moment, and she bent down to lift the bucket.
Lu Qiang reached it first. “Give it to me.”
A presence seemed to press down over her head. Lu Yin’s hand closed on empty air. She raised her head, and the light before her was blocked by black, leaving her unable to see anything else. He was soaked through, a thin layer of fabric wrapping his powerful muscles, his chest unusually solid. Her eyes shifted, following the line upward, and the scar on the top of his head was clear and deep, bearing witness to this man’s past.
Lu Yin stepped back, making way for him.
Lu Qiang also withdrew his gaze. A few seconds later, he carried the bucket to the bathroom. When he came out, he asked, “Anything else broken?” Then he teased her, “I’ll charge you a service fee next time.”
Lu Yin said, “No.”
“Really nothing?”
“Mm.”
He glanced at her. “Did you fix the light by the door?”
“No.”
Lu Qiang gave a quiet chuckle and walked out, muttering under his breath, “Dog brain.”
The light in the hallway had only a broken wire. He unscrewed the light bulb, took the wire apart, connected the broken ends, and had it fixed in no time.
Lu Qiang washed his hands in the bathroom. When he came out and passed the dining table, there were two dishes laid out on it, sweet-and-sour pork ribs and stir-fried broccoli, with a bottle of Zhuyeqing beside them. It had already been opened, with more than half the bottle left.
Lu Qiang glanced over. “You haven’t eaten yet?”
Lu Yin said, “Not yet.” The two of them walked to the doorway. “Thank you for today.”
Lu Qiang stepped outside, then glanced once more toward the dining table. “Go eat.”
Lu Yin said politely, “Why don’t you eat before you go?”
Lu Qiang paused. “All right.”
Lu Yin: “…”
He really did step past her and go back inside.
Lu Yin stared in disbelief, standing dumbfounded at the doorway for quite a while. She had only said it out of courtesy, just a polite gesture for appearances. Who would actually take her seriously? She had never imagined he would be shameless enough to accept.
Lu Yin pressed her lips together. After standing there for several seconds, she reluctantly followed him inside.
He took a seat at the dining table. She added another set of bowls and chopsticks. “Is it okay that no one is at the guard booth?”
Lu Qiang did not stand on ceremony, tossing a piece of rib into his mouth. “I locked the door.”
“What if someone comes looking for you?”
“It’s the middle of the night. What could possibly happen?”
“Won’t someone from property management come down to check?”
“Everyone’s gone home. Who’s going to check?” Lu Qiang glanced at her. “No need to chase me out. I’ll leave after I finish eating. I’ve been helping you for half the day, and you, this…” He stopped himself in time. “I’ll leave after I eat.”
“…” She said quietly, “That’s not what I meant.”
After saying that, she glanced at him, picked up a piece of broccoli with her chopsticks, and put it into her mouth, chewing for a long time without being able to taste anything.
Lu Qiang acted as though nothing had happened. Holding his chopsticks, he tried both dishes, his gaze falling on the Zhuyeqing beside him. “Is there another glass?”
“…” Lu Yin said, “There is.”
She fetched one and handed it over. Lu Qiang filled it for himself, took a small sip, and smacked his lips. The flavor was light and bland, and its kick could not compare with erguotou.
The dining table was quiet for a while, each eating their own food, no one speaking. Lu Qiang drank for a while and noticed that the white liquor in front of her had not been touched.
Lu Qiang said, “This liquor is low-proof.”
Lu Yin’s chopsticks lingered sluggishly at her lips for a moment before she put the food into her mouth and gave a quiet hum.
Lu Qiang looked at her. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he asked, “Do you have anything to go with the liquor?”
Lu Yin did not understand. “What counts as something to go with liquor?”
“Chicken feet, dried tofu, peanuts.”
Lu Yin thought for a moment. “Only peanuts. Raw ones.”
Lu Qiang asked, “Where?”
“…In the refrigerator.”
He got up and went into the kitchen. Before long, there was a commotion from inside. He first poured a little oil into the pan. Once it was hot, he tossed in the peanuts and stir-fried them quickly, then sprinkled a little salt over them at the end, turned off the heat, and plated them.
Lu Yin was restless in her seat. Several times she wanted to go over, hesitating for a long while. Just as her butt had barely left the chair, she saw that he was already coming out with the plate.
She immediately sat back down.
Lu Qiang said, “Try some.”
She craned her neck to look. The little red beans were plump and glistening, a few grains of white salt clinging to them, piled up like a small hill.
She shook her head and did not reach for her chopsticks.
Lu Qiang lifted his chin. “You haven’t drunk the liquor you poured yourself.”
“I don’t really feel like drinking anymore.”
Lu Qiang smiled but did not press her. He tossed two peanuts into his mouth, chewing them with a crisp crunch, then took a sip of liquor, drinking with evident enjoyment.
After half a cup had gone down, the person across from him swallowed hard.
Lu Qiang picked up several peanuts with his fingers and tossed them directly into his mouth. Across from him, she secretly watched his movements.
When he poured himself a second cup, he saw that the woman finally could not resist. She copied him, eating peanuts and taking small sips of liquor.
He did not look up, but secretly curled the corner of his lips.
Lu Yin had not been drinking white liquor for very long. At first, it had been to vent her feelings. Later, it was to improve her sleep. After doing it for a while, she felt there was nothing wrong with having a little. Each time, she stopped after only a taste, able to drink half a small cup.
Once the liquor went down, the atmosphere became considerably more relaxed. Lu Yin’s cheeks flushed, and the collar of her clothes had loosened a little, revealing her slender neck.
Lu Qiang knew the answer perfectly well, but still looked for something to talk about. “How many years have you lived here?”
She calculated. “About five years.”
“That’s quite a long time.” He said, “This place is convenient. You can buy anything here. It’s just a little run-down.”
Lu Yin said, “I’m used to it, so I don’t feel like it’s run-down.” She chewed another peanut. “What about you? Do you live around here too?”
Lu Qiang poured more liquor into her glass. “Just across from the complex. I’d just gotten out and was staying at a friend’s place, but it wasn’t convenient, so I rented a room nearby.”
Lu Yin took a sip of liquor, looked up at him, then hesitated for a moment. “You… what did you go in for?”
Lu Qiang had his glass raised to his lips. His movement stopped, and he suddenly looked up at her. It was as though someone had given him a hard jab, and his reaction was intense.
Lu Yin was startled, her heart trembling slightly. For that instant, there was something cold and severe in his gaze, his eyes dark and bright, sharp enough to bear down on her.
“…Can’t you say?”
He composed himself, then joked, “Can’t say.”
Having received that answer, she did not ask again and changed the subject, talking about other things instead.
Before she knew it, Lu Yin had been coaxed into drinking an entire cup. That was already beyond her limit. Her eyes gradually grew unfocused, her cheeks flushed crimson, even her lips becoming strikingly vivid.
Lu Qiang got up and sat beside her. With the distance between them narrowed, he could smell the faint fragrance on her.
Lu Yin struggled to gather a thread of reason. Her arm lightly pressed against him. “Sit farther away…”
“How far?”
She could not push him away. “Farther…”
Lu Qiang caught the hand that was misbehaving against his chest, rubbed it, and instead leaned his head toward her. “Far enough?”
Lu Yin stared into his eyes for several seconds, her gaze unable to focus. She pulled her hand away and raised her wrist to check the time. “It’s getting late… You should go home…”
Lu Qiang glanced at her bare wrist and smiled. “Let’s talk a little longer.”
“…Talk about what?”
“Let’s talk about the man you were with before.”
Lu Yin paused, frowning slightly, as though she were trying hard to think of that person. “He… What is there to talk about?”
“Why didn’t you two get married?”
“…He took a liking to someone else, I guess.” Lu Yin’s gaze fell into the distance. “So there was no wedding.”
Lu Qiang’s eyes darkened slightly. He could not say what he felt. “How many years were you together?”
“Five? Six?” She counted on her fingers. “He was my first boyfriend!”
Perhaps the haze of drunkenness had made Lu Yin lower her guard. Resting her chin in her hand, she said, “We met in university. After graduation, we both stayed in Zhangzhou. Last year, we planned to get married. The money for the house came from my grandmother, and the savings I’d built up from working for several years. I saved as hard as I could and never wanted to buy myself anything.” She lowered her eyes. “Later, we really did have a house, and we put so much thought into renovating it. In the end, it was all prepared for them.”
“That little girl was just barely in her twenties. She had so, so much youth ahead of her. She was seven years younger than me, lively and sunny. If I were him, I’d like her too. But that wasn’t the most important thing. The most important thing was that I can’t have children…”
Her voice grew hoarse. She covered her face with both hands and desperately swallowed back a sob.
Lu Qiang pulled out a cigarette. The cigarette was damp, and it took him several tries to get it lit. He leaned back against the chair, crossed one leg over the other, and smoked in silence.
The two of them sat close together. Her entire back fell into his line of sight, thin and small, fragile. Lu Qiang’s fingers twitched, then clenched into a fist. He said nothing, his gaze resting idly on her.
After a while, Lu Yin recovered somewhat and murmured, “I’ve failed so badly. I’ve never really understood how to live this life. I’m afraid of what other people will say, always sensitive and suspicious, and whenever something happens, I don’t dare say anything. I just imagine all sorts of things in my head…”
“Timid and cowardly, afraid of everything. When I saw them coming out of the restaurant, instead of holding my head high and walking over, I turned around and wanted to run away.”
“I’m twenty-seven already. I’m really afraid I’ll spend my whole life living in his shadow.”
Her eyes were half-closed, her body swaying slightly. Her gaze drifted, yet her thoughts remained remarkably clear, listing her shortcomings one by one, with impeccable logic.
Lu Qiang held his cigarette and looked at her. “Are you drunk or not?”
“…Drunk.”
“You’re kidding me!” He gave her a push. Lu Yin tipped sideways, and he hurriedly caught her, his large palm supporting her waist. He did not let go again.
There was still a large mouthful of liquor left in front of her. Lu Yin raised the glass and gulped it down, but Lu Qiang snatched it away. She began coughing violently, until tears were finally forced from her eyes.
Lu Qiang’s hand moved upward and caught her beneath the arm. With a gentle lift, he settled her onto his lap.
He stubbed out the cigarette in his hand. “Still feeling bad?”
“Mm.” She did not resist, obediently leaning against him. “My chest hurts from coughing.”
Lu Qiang breathed easier and changed the way he asked. “Still thinking about him?”
Lu Yin nodded, thought for a while, then shook her head. “I saw him today. Actually, I wasn’t that sad. I just felt like such a failure. I’m this old already, and people are still treating me like a fool and playing with me.”
Lu Qiang suddenly smiled, in an unexpectedly good mood. Then he noticed that the alcohol was catching up with her. She frowned, growing drowsy, and he forcibly kept the corners of his mouth from lifting.
The room was strangely quiet. Lu Qiang did not ask anything more. He drew her closer and gently patted her a few times.
The two of them were still wearing wet clothes, pressed together, damp and clammy, which was actually rather uncomfortable. Her warm breath brushed against his chest, her hips resting on his thigh. Gradually, it seemed the temperature in the room began to rise. Even the air conditioner could no longer do anything about it. A rush of heat suddenly burst forth from within him.
At first, he had only wanted to tease her into drinking for fun, but now his intentions could no longer remain so simple. The fingers of the hand supporting beneath her legs happened to touch the crook behind her knee. Through a layer of fabric, it felt small and fragile. He rubbed against it hard, and the next second, he was already carrying her toward the bedroom.
He left her wearing only her bra and underwear, retaining the last thread of his reason. Half-kneeling beside the bed, cold sweat beaded across his forehead. The expanse of white before him made his eyes burn red. A single layer of fabric concealed his boundless desire, and he did not dare look any lower.
After a long while, he extended his index finger and touched the exposed curve. His hand went numb from the sensation.
Yet the woman was completely oblivious, sleeping more soundly than a pig.
Lu Qiang gave her waist a hard pinch and spat out, “I’ll leave you whole for now.” He stood up, yanked the quilt over, and tossed it onto her head. Grinding his teeth, he said coldly, “Just wait. I’ll eat you until not a bone is left.”
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