Yu Zhiyi smiled. "Did you miss me today?"
Shu Dong's gaze was somewhat dazed, surprise and sweetness intertwining. By this time, the phone call should have already ended.
On the computer screen, the safe zone was steadily shrinking. Song Feng circled around from behind the house and unleashed a flurry of gunfire toward the patch of grass not far away.
Bang, bang, bang!
Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner.
"I did."
From an angle where Shu Dong could not see, Song Feng smiled with a hint of wickedness. The moment those two words fell from her lips...
Song Feng lowered his head and lightly nipped her earlobe.
Shu Dong's pupils instantly dilated, a tremor running through her heart. She felt only a wave of damp and burning heat.
"I'm coming back to see you this week." Seeing someone approaching, Yu Zhiyi walked upstairs without changing his expression.
What should have been a delightful surprise was no longer so pure, tainted by the sudden heart-pounding tension around her: "If you're busy, you don't need to come back. I'll come see you in a few days."
After playing a brief prank, Song Feng sat back down in the adjacent chair. Some things had to be taken step by step; push a little too hard, and the little rabbit would get scared off and run away.
Shu Dong's words were clearly not the answer Yu Zhiyi wanted. "I'm not busy this weekend. I'm just idling at school anyway."
The person beside her stopped acting up, and Shu Dong let out a slight sigh of relief. She turned her back to the window. "Then it's good timing if you come back. I can give you the money."
Money?
Song Feng frowned slightly.
On the other end of the line, Yu Zhiyi wore an expression of complete fulfillment, his voice deliberately softened. "Thank you, sweetheart."
For a split second of silence, Shu Dong felt as though she hadn't heard anything at all. Yet those two words were so terribly clear, bringing with them a fluttering heartbeat and burning cheeks.
"You don't need to say thank you." Shu Dong lowered her head, concealing that trace of unnaturalness. "Get some sleep early. Good night."
"Good night."
Song Feng slouched lazily in his chair just like that, listening to the two of them sweet-talking their way through the end of their phone call, though his languid posture now carried several other layers of meaning.
The call ended. A faint smile lingered at the corner of Shu Dong's mouth, but the moment she turned around and saw Song Feng, that smile faded away bit by bit.
Was a slap across the face too merciful? Giving Song Feng a cold, piercing glare, Shu Dong picked her keys up off the desk and turned to leave.
Song Feng got up unhurriedly. "Heading home? I'll walk you."
Shu Dong stopped in her tracks, her fingers tightly clenched together as if she had reached a breaking point.
Song Feng: "How could I let a girl walk home alone—"
Shu Dong suddenly spun around, and Song Feng, carried by his momentum, almost crashed straight into her arms.
There was only a ten-centimeter distance between them. Lowering his gaze to the tip of her nose, Song Feng stepped back half a step at a leisurely pace.
Without raising her eyes, Shu Dong kept a calm gaze fixed on the square inch of his chest, radiating an innate aloofness and a clear message of "do not approach." Only after he retreated a little further did she raise her head.
"I have a boyfriend, and I like him very much."
"Mm."
It felt like punching a cotton ball—painless and ineffective. Faced with his undisguised perfunctoriness and arrogance, Shu Dong suddenly smiled.
She stepped forward and viciously stomped down on his foot. Seeing that lazy expression abruptly twist into something interesting, Shu Dong turned and left with a sense of satisfaction.
Song Feng sharply sucked in a breath.
Numb with pain.
How could someone with such a tiny frame pack so much strength?
"How well do you know your beloved boyfriend?"
As Shu Dong reached the doorway, she suddenly heard his words, the mockery in them glaringly obvious. Yet, it successfully made her stop in her tracks.
Shu Dong slowly turned around.
Song Feng smiled triumphantly.
In the game of hunting, you never quite know whether you are the hunter or the prey. You might think you've won, but he also had a way to pinch your soft spot—and make you lose.
Sauntering over to her side, Song Feng leaned against the doorframe. "I said I'd walk you, and even if you were to stab me with a knife today, I'm still walking you."
Expecting him to continue talking about Yu Zhiyi, Shu Dong wore a blank expression, though she wasn't quite as angry as she had imagined.
Whether she had grown used to his teasing or had simply surrendered, she couldn't tell.
Leaning against the door, Song Feng lowered his head to gaze lazily at her. The skin on her face had been tanned by the sun, and the healthy complexion looked quite nice. Her eyelashes were somewhat long, casting a shadow over her eyes as she drifted in thought, her mind a mystery.
One had to admit, she was a very difficult person to read.
When you don't know what to say, silence can solve everything.
Shu Dong turned and walked away, with Song Feng following closely behind, laughing dissolutely.
At midnight in Hecheng, the streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow through the tangled, slanting tree branches. At this hour, only restaurants and small motels were still open, and the diners at the roadside food stalls had not yet dispersed.
The tranquility and lights of a summer night sketched out a slice of gritty, everyday life in an old town.
Riding an all-black mountain bike, Song Feng trailed behind Shu Dong, occasionally tossing out a remark to which no one responded. When they reached a street corner, he braced his legs against the ground and stopped moving forward.
If he remembered correctly, her home was just ahead, where she lived alone.
As Shu Dong cycled past the streetlight outside the residential complex gate, she instinctively came to a halt. She looked up at the various small advertisements pasted on the utility pole, right in the middle of which was a missing person notice.
"I have lost a Samoyed, white in color, missing on the morning of August 3rd on Changfeng Road. Urgent search ongoing. If any kind-hearted person has seen it or found it, please contact me. Generous reward offered."
Oh no, this time it was a dog.
With a calm expression, Shu Dong lowered her gaze to look at her own shadow on the ground. After a few seconds, as if suddenly remembering something, she glanced back over her shoulder...
Thirty meters away at the street corner stood another streetlight. Underneath it, a boy sat astride his bicycle with his feet braced on the pavement, looking right toward her.
The distance was somewhat far, and his silhouette was backlit, his face shrouded in dim shadows. Shu Dong wasn't actually sure if he was looking at her, only knowing that he was facing this direction.
"Thank you."
Shu Dong spoke softly. The two words were too faint, instantly dissolving into the air—a tiny sound that perhaps even she herself hadn't heard.
Yet just the night before, a thirteen-year-old girl had gone missing in Hecheng. Song Feng knew it, and Shu Dong knew it too.
Without lingering any longer, Shu Dong turned and headed inside. The moment she stepped through the gates of the compound, the figure at the street corner rode off in the opposite direction.
***
In the afternoon, Shu Dong was tattooing a client. When she finished, she packed up her equipment and saw the client out. No sooner had she returned to the shop than Brother Lin called out to her.
"Xiaodong, your uncle called just now. He said Zhengyu is back, so head home for dinner tonight." Lin Feng came down from upstairs, wiping his face with a damp towel.
Shu Dong nodded. "Alright, thanks, Brother Lin."
Brother Lin was the owner of this tattoo parlor, around twenty-7 or eight years old, wearing a white tank top that instantly showcased his heavily tattooed arms. Brother Lin had gotten married not too long ago and was immersed in the sweetness of newlyweds all day long. He had handed many of the shop's responsibilities over to Shu Dong and even given her a raise of a few hundred yuan.
"Your salary for this month has been wired to your card. Go check it when you have time." Lin Feng walked over to the air conditioner and lowered the temperature by another two degrees.
Shu Dong smiled. "No need to check."
"Oh, trusting me just like that? Scamming and swindling are my specialties, you know." Lin Feng turned around, sat down on the sofa, and lit a cigarette while looking at Shu Dong. "Do you still hand your salary over to them nowadays?"
Shu Dong sat in the chair across from the coffee table. "I stopped giving it to them starting this year."
Lin Feng crossed his legs. "Your uncle and aunt... I don't need to say much, but just keep your wits about you. If you run into any trouble, let me know."
Shu Dong kept her head down. Although she wasn't one for many words, she understood everything clearly inside—feeling all churned up inside like a cocktail of mixed emotions, even if she didn't show it on her face. "Thanks, Brother Lin."
"Nothing much going on this afternoon, so head back early. I'll mind the shop today." Quenching his cigarette and tossing it into the ashtray, Lin Feng picked up an opened bottle of cola from the table.
"Alright, I have an appointment coming in at four-30," Shu Dong said.
"I'll handle it. I haven't worked in ages, my hands are getting rusty." Glancing at the wall clock, Lin Feng saw the time was drawing near and went upstairs to prepare his gear.
There were some water droplets on the table, likely from a beverage just taken out of the refrigerator that had condensed into water on the coffee table. Shu Dong picked up a paper towel and wiped it clean.
***
Leaving the shop in the afternoon, Shu Dong didn't go straight back. Instead, she lay down for a while in her rented apartment, finally riding her bicycle over around seven o'clock.
Pushing the door open, she placed the fruit she had bought on the coffee table.
"Why'd you only just get here? Work run late?" A woman emerged from the kitchen carrying a soup tureen, smiling warmly as she saw Shu Dong.
"A little late." Shu Dong was not very good at lying.
"Why'd you buy so much fruit coming to your own home? The bunch you bought last time isn't even finished yet." A man was sitting on the sofa.
Shu Dong smiled and said nothing. She had lived in this place for ten years, yet she had never quite managed to feel at home. She washed her hands and prepared to go help in the kitchen.
"Don't get your hands dirty, it's just about ready." Zhang Yueling smiled and headed back into the kitchen.
"Sit down, Xiaodong. Let your aunt handle it. Feels like I haven't seen you in forever." Shu Jianzhou shifted a bit over on the sofa.
Shu Dong sat down. "When I came over last week, Auntie said you were away on a business trip."
Shu Jianzhou said, "Mm, things were a bit busy last week."
The conversation between the two of them felt rather dry. At that moment, the bedroom door facing the living room opened, and a tall yet still boyish young man walked out.
"Sis is back." Shu Zhengyu looked delighted to see Shu Dong.
"Mm. How come you're back from school?" If she remembered correctly, today was Monday.
"I've got a bit of a fever, and my mental state hasn't been great lately." Shu Zhengyu sat down next to Shu Dong, leaning weakly against the sofa.
Shu Dong turned her head, noticing his face looked somewhat flushed. She reached out and touched his forehead; it was a bit hot. "Did you take any medicine?"
Shu Zhengyu grabbed Shu Dong's hand and smiled. "Yeah, I took some and slept all afternoon."
"Hurry up and get your health back so you can go back to school. Third year of junior high is too crucial to let slide." Shu Jianzhou's tone was somewhat stern.
"Dinner's ready! Clear the table, everyone." Zhang Yueling emerged from the kitchen carrying the final dish, unhooking her apron and setting it aside.
"Eat up, Doudou. It's only been a few days, how come you look even thinner?" Zhang Yueling placed a piece of food into Shu Dong's bowl.
"Thank you, Auntie." Shu Dong kept her head down as she ate, yet she felt today was somehow different from usual.
Meanwhile, Shu Jianzhou added a little more food to Shu Dong's bowl. "Try this and see if your aunt's culinary skills have improved."
Shu Dong paused slightly, then smiled anyway. "It's delicious, thank you, Uncle."
"If it's delicious, eat more. Seeing you looking this skinny all the time makes your uncle and me heartache. How's work been lately?" Zhang Yueling looked at Shu Dong with concern.
She was a woman of forty, and a casual, slick worldly-wise attitude had melted deep into her bones. Lacking the mindset and means for regular skincare, the passage of time had already left clear marks at the corners of her eyes.
"It's pretty good," Shu Dong said.
Zhang Yueling smiled. "I heard from little Lin that he gave you a raise?"
Shu Dong: "..."
Mid-way through picking up food, Shu Dong suddenly froze. Then, acting as though nothing were amiss, she withdrew her chopsticks and mechanically chewed, though she could no longer taste any flavor at all.
"Mm, a few hundred yuan more."
"That's fantastic! Congratulations, Sis!" Shu Zhengyu patted Shu Dong's head. "You should go buy yourself some nice clothes in a few days!"
Shu Dong smiled. "Is there anything you like?"
"You keep the money you earn for yourself. Mom gives me enough." Shu Zhengyu was thrilled about Shu Dong's salary increase.
A fourteen-year-old child was remarkably simple.
Shu Dong smiled—it was just a movement of the corners of her mouth, yet deep in her eyes, there was a trace of sorrow. For someone so inept at expressing her own emotions, sorrow had somehow surfaced in her gaze.
"Dongdong, here's the thing." Zhang Yueling set down her chopsticks and let out a sigh. "Zhengyu's grandfather was hospitalized last week. They found some issue with his thyroid—none of us really understand what it means, but the doctor said... it's best to perform surgery."
"Grandpa is sick?" Shu Zhengyu wore a look of utter shock, his voice involuntarily rising right after. "Why didn't you guys tell me!"
"You've been so busy with school, and Dongdong is busy with work too. We just didn't want you guys to worry..." Zhang Yueling wiped away a tear and glanced at Shu Dong. "Dongdong, you know what the family's financial situation is like. The money your uncle earns is only so much, and it has to cover Zhengyu's schooling and household expenses. I'm a useless person who can't earn money..."
Shu Jianzhou sat there in silence, his expression heavy. Zhang Yueling kept sobbing, and Shu Dong handed her a tissue.
With reddened eyes, Zhang Yueling stepped forward and grabbed Shu Dong's hand. "So Dongdong, Auntie wants to borrow some money from you. Once we have it later, we'll pay you back."
For a moment, the living room fell silent. Shu Jianzhou still said virtually nothing, while Shu Zhengyu could no longer bring out words telling Shu Dong to keep her money for clothes.
Everyone sat in heavy silence.
"There isn't much money on the card, and the password is still the original one. Feel free to withdraw whatever you need, Auntie." Shu Dong forced the corners of her mouth into a slight curve and gently pulled her hand out from Zhang Yueling's grasp.
"Thank you, Dongdong, Auntie thanks you!" Zhang Yueling wiped away her tears with a smile.
Shu Dong found it utterly incomprehensible: how could some people's tears be switched off just like that?
"Dongdong..." Shu Jianzhou called out to her, though he didn't follow up with anything else, his words swallowed up by a heavy sigh.
So what name or feeling was supposed to follow this name, then? Guilt? Heartache? Reluctance? Indebtedness?
Staring fixedly at a spot on the dining table, Shu Zhengyu swallowed a lump in his throat—feeling both a sense of helplessness over the family's financial strain and a silent self-contempt. Yet if they had to do it all over again, the result would probably be the same.
In truth, this meal had already come to an end right here. Not long after, Shu Dong rode her bicycle back to her rented place.
After all, that so-called home had never included a room of her own.
***
Returning home, Shu Dong took a shower and lay down on the bed. She didn't turn on the lights, nor did she look at her phone, simply staring blankly out the window.
Brother Lin wouldn't tell anyone about her raise.
She had just received her pay today.
And Auntie Zhang already knew.
In the darkness, only the sound of Shu Dong's breathing remained, at times steady and at times long. Past events flickered before her eyes like scenes from a movie.
The summer she graduated from junior high, she had thought she could smoothly move on to senior high school. Although her grades weren't top-tier, they weren't bad either. But Auntie Zhang had said the family was facing extreme hardship and couldn't afford to send two children to school—clasping her hands and crying as she told her, just like she did today.
Back then, she had really wanted to go to school.
Later, seeing that a tattoo parlor was looking for an apprentice, Shu Dong went. She couldn't say whether she liked it or not; at the time, she simply wanted something to do.
The first year, there was no salary—she just learned from Brother Lin and occasionally caused him trouble.
The second year, it was only a few hundred yuan. Auntie Zhang said she was too young and offered to save the money for her.
By the third year, it was a little over two thousand, and Shu Dong gave five hundred a month to Auntie Zhang.
Now, more than four years had passed, and last month Brother Lin had given her a raise of a few hundred yuan.
Yet as so much time slipped by, Shu Dong never saw that money again.
Uncle Jianzhou sold insurance. Shu Dong wasn't clear on his exact income, but Auntie Zhang didn't work; she stayed home to take care of her husband and child, keeping the household running in an orderly fashion. Thus, the entire burden of family expenses rested solely on Uncle Jianzhou's shoulders.
Their home was very small, featuring a two-bedroom, one-living-room layout that Auntie Zhang and Uncle Jianzhou had purchased when they got married. Back then, the old city district was still thriving, and buying a place like that wasn't easy. However, after the new district was built, this area grew increasingly neglected.
There was a five-year age gap between Shu Dong and Shu Zhengyu. When they were little, Shu Zhengyu could share a bedroom with his aunt and uncle while Shu Dong had her own room, but that arrangement changed as they grew older.
When she entered junior high, Uncle Jianzhou placed a single folding bed in the living room, and from then on, Shu Dong slept there while Zhengyu took over her old room.
Later still, upon graduating from junior high, Shu Dong stopped going to school. Brother Lin had been very kind to her, letting her live in the tattoo parlor during her first two years there.
But as she gradually grew up, Brother Lin also got a girlfriend. Although Brother Lin didn't live at the shop, it was still inconvenient overall. Consequently, Shu Dong rented an apartment outside—a twenty-square-meter one-bedroom-and-one-living-room place costing seven or 8 hundred yuan a month.
Though she didn't earn much a month and still had to give a bit to Auntie Zhang, Shu Dong rarely bought clothes or other items, leaving her with virtually no other monthly expenses.
Back when the bank card was first made, Auntie Zhang had asked for her password, saying it would be safer if she kept the card at home. And so, for two years, Shu Dong had hardly laid eyes on that card. Aside from withdrawing five hundred yuan every month to hand directly to Auntie Zhang in person, the rest of her earnings remained entirely in her keeping, safely looked after...
Thinking of this, Shu Dong paused in a daze and hastily pulled out her phone. The screen suddenly lit up in the darkness. Narrowing her eyes, she opened her mobile banking app...
Balance: 87.3 yuan
Shu Dong's mind felt somewhat chaotic. If she remembered correctly, excluding today's salary, there should have been four thousand yuan in here.
Had they withdrawn the money even before coming to tell her? Or did they withdraw it the instant she agreed?
She stared fixedly at the phone screen for a long time, holding that posture until the screen automatically went black. The room, lacking air conditioning in the middle of summer, suddenly felt somewhat chilly.
Fortunately, she had just paid this month's rent last week.
Fortunately, Brother Lin would make sure she had meals at the shop.
It was just that she wouldn't be able to go to the internet cafe to kill time anymore.
***
In a hazy, drifting state of consciousness, Shu Dong dreamed of many fragmented scenes: a green-skinned train from a winter fifteen years ago, and Auntie Zhang holding her hands during dinner...
In the silent, gloomy night, the phone resting beside her pillow suddenly lit up, followed by the sound of a familiar ringtone.
The dream fragments abruptly shattered. Frowning, Shu Dong fumbled blindly for the phone.
"Hello?" Without checking who it was, Shu Dong swiped directly to answer.
"Asleep?" Hearing her slightly drowsy voice, Yu Zhiyi paused for a moment.
Hearing that familiar voice, Shu Dong opened her eyes amidst the dimness, her head feeling somewhat heavy and dizzy. "Mm, a bit tired today. Did you finish your report?"
Yu Zhiyi was walking along the school sports field. Small groups of people strolled past here and there, but they were all spaced far apart as he walked along the outermost edge of the running track. "I'm slacking off today and writing tomorrow's report along with it."
Shu Dong smiled, looking out the window at the stars and the moon hanging in the sky. Her sleepiness had completely vanished as she checked the time: it was only ten o'clock.
"Were you quite busy today?" Several people walked by on the other end, and Yu Zhiyi walked up onto the bleachers.
"Not too bad, not very busy." Shu Dong held the phone in one hand while resting her other arm across her eyes.
"Then how come you're so tired?" Yu Zhiyi sat down on a bench, watching the scattered, sparse figures moving across the sports field.