Yu Zhiyi seemed to have little interest in the outing, whether because of yesterday's incident or the person sitting opposite him. In short, if he hadn't known the purpose of today's dinner, he might not have come at all.
Seeing his reluctance to say much, Shu Dong didn't press further. "Then let's order something light."
Yu Zhiyi ordered the dishes.
The blow from Song Feng's bottle yesterday had been solid, and now there was a dull, lingering ache. Yu Zhiyi rubbed his head.
"Take these for now." Shu Dong pulled an envelope from her bag and slid it slowly across the table toward Yu Zhiyi.
"Why did you go and withdraw cash?" Yu Zhiyi asked in surprise, looking at the envelope. It had been a long time since he had seen physical paper money; he had assumed she would simply transfer the funds digitally, which was why he had previously felt this dinner was somewhat redundant.
If she hadn't withdrawn it, Aunt Lin probably would have taken it the next day. Choosing not to answer Yu Zhiyi's question, Shu Dong continued, "There are two thousand yuan inside. I'll get the rest ready as soon as possible."
"Two thousand yuan?" Yu Zhiyi glanced at the thin envelope. "I thought you had it all ready."
Shu Dong froze abruptly. She stared blankly at the trace of reproach on his face, wondering where she had gone wrong. A sudden tightness gripped her chest...
She knew he might be displeased if she didn't have enough ready, but in her impression, he was a very gentle and considerate person.
From her sluggish reaction, Yu Zhiyi realized his words had been out of line. He quickly smiled, as if nothing had just happened, and gently took Shu Dong's hand. "I'm sorry, I've had too many things on my mind lately. I'm sorry."
Before Shu Dong could speak, Yu Zhiyi picked up the envelope from the table. "If it's too much, don't force yourself. I'll figure something else out, and I'll pay this back to you as soon as possible."
Often, it is not because a guy's lies are so sophisticated, but because the girl is willing to believe them.
At that moment, Shu Dong believed him.
"I'm not in a hurry for it," Shu Dong said.
The meal ended just like that, blending dullness with hypocrisy. The only one who had invested genuine sincerity from beginning to end was Shu Dong.
"I'm not feeling very well today. Let's go see a movie next time I'm back, okay?" Emerging from the restaurant, Yu Zhiyi held Shu Dong's hand as they walked along the roadside.
"Go back and get some good rest. I'm a bit tired today, too," Shu Dong said.
Yu Zhiyi suddenly stopped in his tracks. He looked at Shu Dong, pulled her straight into his arms, and spoke in a tone tinged with teasing intimacy, "Why are you so well-behaved?"
The breath near her ear was hot. Shu Dong's heart leaped instantly, her entire body tensing up unnaturally. She pressed her lips together. "Actually... I really want to go to the movies with you."
Resting his chin on her shoulder, Yu Zhiyi froze for a split second.
In all the time they had been together, she had never made a single demand, always acting as obedient as a puppet.
"I'll go with you next time." Yu Zhiyi straightened up and ruffled her hair.
Under the dim yellow streetlights, traffic flowed endlessly at the intersection. Shu Dong lowered her head slightly, hiding her disappointment in the noisy night.
"Okay."
When a good child reaches out for candy and is rejected, she might never reach out again in her lifetime. She would tuck her feelings away and continue playing the role of that good child.
Because whether she spoke up or not, the result was the same: the candy did not belong to her.
Clutching the envelope in his pocket, Yu Zhiyi said with a smile, "Well, if nothing else, you should head home first. Call me when you get there."
Shu Dong raised her head and smiled. "Mm, I know."
At another intersection, the two of them walked away in opposite directions.
Shu Dong walked forward along the square bricks paved on the path. Lost in thought, she walked a few steps before suddenly turning around... Gazing at the figures surging across the crosswalk, his back appeared somewhat blurred as he hurried across to the opposite side.
For some reason, Shu Dong suddenly thought of that night—the boy who had ridden his bicycle behind her the entire way, the boy who had watched her enter the apartment complex under the street corner lamp...
Perhaps, was he right?
The pedestrian light on the other side had already turned red, and his figure was no longer visible by the roadside. Shu Dong lowered her gaze for a moment, then turned and vanished into the end of the old street.
***
On a bright and sunny afternoon, Song Feng sprawled in his chair, peering through the gaps between countless computer monitors toward that final corner in the distance. It was empty.
He hadn't seen her for several days. Not only had she not been at the internet cafe, but she hadn't been seen in the alley, nor could she be caught stealing glances from her window.
Boss Song stood by the window, gazing out with eager longing.
It wasn't for any other reason—Song Feng was simply... wracked with guilt.
That afternoon, he must have genuinely lost his mind. How could he possibly have... done that?
Song Feng raised his hand and stared at his fingers, as if the slippery sensation still lingered...
Jolting awake, Song Feng sprang straight out of his chair—or more accurately, catapulted himself up.
What on earth was he thinking?!
"What's wrong, Brother Feng?" a subordinate asked with concern.
"Nothing," Song Feng replied coldly and mercilessly.
His fair-weather friends glanced over, saw that he genuinely seemed fine, and dropped the subject.
Song Feng walked over to the air conditioner, adjusted the louvers, and stood directly in front of the breeze to cool down for a few minutes. Who would ever believe he was an innocent young man after this?
Though nobody had ever believed it to begin with, Boss Song's first-love virginity—or whatever you wanted to call it—was still genuinely intact.
Having calmed down, Song Feng stood by the window and looked down. Still no sign of her. Since she wouldn't come up, he would go down. Worst case, he could just steal a kiss or a touch back?
As he walked out the door, Song Feng suddenly wondered if going empty-handed would look bad. He turned back, opened a messy drawer, and rummaged through the clutter inside.
Cigarettes? Song Feng looked at a half-opened pack. She seemed to like smoking quite a bit...
Forget it, the kid was still growing.
Nothing else he had was presentable. In the end, Song Feng grabbed two lollipops and headed downstairs.
***
Stepping down from upstairs, Song Feng felt the weather wasn't quite as stifling. It had rained a couple of days ago; at least with such a blazing sun hanging in the sky, he didn't find it overwhelmingly oppressive.
Passing Grandpa Li's barbershop across the street, Song Feng turned along the wall toward the street corner, walked a few steps, then retreated two paces back to the window to peek inside...
He didn't see her.
Sighing, Song Feng walked forward, stepping one foot into the shop as he scanned the visible space. Last time he had been too busy bullying her to pay attention to what the interior looked like.
"Hello," Brother Lin said, rising from the sofa.
Perhaps because of a guilty conscience, Song Feng was startled by the voice. He turned his head to the right and smiled. "I thought nobody was here."
"There's always someone here." Brother Lin sat back down on the wall sofa, which was relatively hidden. He smiled, pulled his T-shirt down to cover his beer belly, and asked, "What are you getting tattooed today?"
"I'm just dropping by for a visit. From the internet cafe next door, Song Feng." Song Feng gestured vaguely upward and outward, feeling somewhat at a loss as he fingered the lollipops in his pocket.
Usually at a time like this, he would hand over a cigarette to express neighborly goodwill, but what about now?
Hand over a lollipop?
"Oh! It's you." Instead, Brother Lin tossed him a cigarette. "First time seeing you in over half a year."
"I'm pretty lazy, sometimes I don't go downstairs all day." Song Feng didn't take the cigarette, smiling as he said, "I've quit recently."
Brother Lin didn't push. He wasn't someone who beat around the bush; in that regard, he was a lot like Chen Hui, though sometimes possessing a bit more ruthlessness, and somewhat resembling Song Feng as well.
"Since you opened your internet cafe, the alley has been a lot livelier than before." Hearing that Song Feng didn't smoke, Brother Lin put out his own cigarette.
Song Feng replied, "Just a bunch of friends I know treating the place like home all day long."
Brother Lin glanced up toward the upper floor and suddenly recalled, "Xiaodong loves going over to your place to hang out, too. She used to always mope around alone, but this year she finally found a way to pass the time."
Song Feng knew he was talking about Shu Dong.
"Mm, I've seen her in the shop a few times. Is she here today?" Song Feng asked, feigning casualness.
Before Brother Lin could answer, however, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Shu Dong descended from above.
She froze upon seeing Song Feng.
"Finished with your work?" Brother Lin looked at Shu Dong, then gestured toward Song Feng. "From the internet cafe next door. You two should know each other, right?"
Shu Dong had no idea what they had been discussing. Though she desperately wished to deny knowing him, she still offered a faint, flat acknowledgment.
Song Feng watched her step down the stairs, one tier at a time. As expected, he caught her momentary freeze, followed instantly by her reversion to a cold, distant demeanor.
"Alright, you two chat. I'm going to go prepare the design draft for the next client." You have to hand it to Brother Lin—he and Chen Hui shared a nerve as thick as a telephone pole, completely oblivious to the undercurrents swirling between the two of them.
Brother Lin headed upstairs, leaving only Shu Dong and Song Feng on the first floor. Shu Dong walked over to the counter to update today's client records, treating Song Feng entirely like air.
From the moment she came downstairs, Song Feng's eyes never left Shu Dong, yet she stubbornly refused to look at him.
After a few minutes, Song Feng rose from the sofa, walked over to the counter directly facing the door, dragged a chair over from the side, and sat down at Shu Dong's left hand. "Sorry."
Shu Dong's fingers paused imperceptibly before she turned a deaf ear and continued writing in the ledger.
"I'm sorry," Song Feng persisted shamelessly, his tone softening.
Shu Dong remained unmoved.
"My bad," Song Feng pressed on.
Shu Dong remained unmoved.
"Well, to show my apology, big brother will treat you to some internet time," Song Feng cajoled.
Shu Dong remained silent.
"A whole year of free internet," Song Feng declared imperiously.
Shu Dong still didn't say a word.
"For a lifetime." Song Feng suddenly softened his voice.
With her pen-tip hovering three millimeters above the paper, Shu Dong stared at the ledger, suddenly unable to remember what she was supposed to write next.
Assuming she was still angry, Song Feng pulled a lollipop from his pocket and extended it toward Shu Dong. "Have a piece of candy."
Shu Dong moved. She slowly turned her head and looked at Song Feng.
Author's Note: Any little ones out there who like Palace Museum cultural merchandise?
Weibo is holding a giveaway—one Palace Museum lipstick and two Starbucks cups, feel free to enter for fun!
***
His eyes were dark and bright; he was smiling, but not with that annoying kind of smile from before.
Shu Dong slowly took the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.
What a silly girl, so easily bribed by a single piece of candy. Still, Song Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He unwrapped the other lollipop from his pocket and ate it himself.
From that moment on, the two of them became good friends who ate candy together.
Little did Song Feng know, Shu Dong hadn't forgiven him because he offered her free internet time. Perhaps by the second or third time he apologized, Shu Dong hadn't been all that angry anymore. Contrary to her appearance, she was never a cold-hearted person.
Just a few minutes later, Song Feng grew languid again. Propping his head up with one hand, he watched with keen interest as Shu Dong ate her candy...
So cute.
Song Feng said, "Since you've eaten my candy, you aren't allowed to stay mad."
Shu Dong paused, then swept a cold gaze across him. "Stop doing stupid things."
Song Feng: "..."
So cute?
The two of them sat like that—one writing, the other watching the one write—without speaking, creating an unexpectedly peaceful scene. Suddenly, Boss Song's phone buzzed.
It was Chen Hui.
"Which brothel are you holed up in? You haven't been back for ages." Song Feng answered, and before he could speak, Chen Hui hollered through the line.
Song Feng glanced at Shu Dong. If this were a brothel, he'd buy her freedom right now and make her warm his bed for this young master...
Suppressing a cough, Song Feng averted his gaze defensively and hastily reined in the chaotic thoughts in his mind. Things like that couldn't be dwelled upon; after all, as a hot-blooded twenty-year-old lad, his body was all too prone to acting on impulse.
"What are you coughing for? Sending secret signals?" Chen Hui rarely scolded Boss Song with such righteousness, sounding precisely like a main wife interrogating her husband who had just snuck off to a brothel.
And with Boss Song currently running hot with impulse, he completely missed the thick brotherhood in Chen Hui's tone.
"Coming back now," Song Feng said, hanging up the phone. Even through the screen, he found Chen Hui's nagging irritating.
After ending the call, Song Feng turned his head back to look at Shu Dong. "I'm leaving."
Shu Dong didn't even raise her head. "Mm."
Song Feng: "..."
It was rare to encounter someone even quieter than himself. In front of her, did *he* end up looking like Chen Hui?
"I'll treat you to some gaming tonight." Perhaps suffering from a penchant for self-abuse, Song Feng grew bolder the more he was rebuffed. Without waiting for Shu Dong's reply, he turned and left, likely fearing he would be frozen into myocardial infarction by Shu Dong.
Only after he left did Shu Dong raise her head, staring abstractedly into the alley outside. A rich, cloying sweetness filled her teeth—very sweet.
Of course, she had no intention of going. As for Song Feng, Shu Dong deliberately wanted to avoid him.
Returning to his shop, Song Feng assumed his eternal posture—slouched in his chair, his gaze landing precisely on the street corner by the tattoo parlor, his eyes half-closed in the sunlight, looking immensely languid.
Initially, teasing her had been because of Yu Zhiyi.
Now, teasing her was still because of Yu Zhiyi.
Though, there was a little more guilt mixed in.
Song Feng twitched the corner of his mouth. Still, he wasn't entirely a bad guy; helping her break away from Yu Zhiyi's shoddy, jerry-built existence, while incidentally making Yu Zhiyi cough up some blood—that was killing two birds with one stone.
***
The weekend was approaching again. Shu Dong didn't know if Yu Zhiyi would be coming back this week, but she still hadn't managed to scrape the money together, genuinely having no idea who else she could borrow from.
She hadn't yet repaid the money she borrowed from Brother Lin last time, and she didn't want to ask him again. Uncle Jianzhou and Aunt Lin had said they would pay her back, but Shu Dong had never held out much hope for that.
Who else could she borrow from? There was nobody left.
Shu Dong took out her phone and glanced at the 14,000 yuan she had secretly stashed away in another account... Should she use this money?
Looking at the digital balance, Shu Dong involuntarily recalled the scenes of frugality from childhood onward. Whenever Aunt Lin gave her a bit extra in allowance—even if it was just ten extra yuan a week—Shu Dong would secretly squirrel it away...
Her eyes gradually turned red. Shu Dong hurriedly turned off her phone, instantly cutting off the temptation to use those funds.
***
Around six or seven o'clock, Chen Hui brought some feed over from home and fed Boss Song. Yet even after the two of them finished eating, Song Feng still hadn't seen Shu Dong show up. He turned his head to look out the window...
She was leaning against the wall, smoking.
Song Feng had figured it out the moment he walked out of the tattoo parlor: she wasn't coming.
"Hand me your phone." Song Feng extended his hand toward Chen Hui.
"What for?" Chen Hui asked symbolically, his body already betraying him as he handed over the phone.
Song Feng punched in four zeros to unlock the screen, opened WeChat, and searched for Shu Dong's name.
Why did Chen Hui have Shu Dong on WeChat? Because the marketing genius Chen Hui frequently ran joint discount promotions between "Chen's Restaurant" and "Fengsu Internet Cafe," forcing anyone who came in to game to add his WeChat, regardless of whether they ate or not.
As it happened, Shu Dong was among them.
Song Feng tapped on her profile. The message box was completely blank. He had no idea why she had agreed to add Chen Hui, but based on his long-term understanding of her, although she usually acted ice-cold, she was remarkably bad at turning people down—everyone except Song Feng, that is.
Her avatar was a green steam locomotive chugging in from the distance... A green steam locomotive?
She was a pretty girl, after all, and how many of the clients visiting the tattoo parlor every day came specifically for her? Why didn't she know how to manage her own image?
Using a green steam locomotive avatar—was she planning to have an affair?
Shu Dong had just lit her second cigarette when her phone suddenly buzzed. She picked it up and glanced at it. Chen Hui?
- *Hear you're short on cash lately?*
The moment she saw those words, Shu Dong's brow furrowed tightly. She looked up toward the third floor. The window was closed, reflecting the glare of the sun, making it impossible to discern the situation inside.
Yet she knew Song Feng was behind that glass.
Shu Dong guessed correctly: Song Feng stood by the window, watching her lazily. He didn't just want her to come; he wanted her to come over of her own accord, obediently.
They exchanged a silent gaze. After a moment, Shu Dong looked away, locked her shop door, and headed to the internet cafe.
Perhaps because it was a Thursday, Shu Dong pushed open the door to find only a sparse handful of patrons. Chen Hui was nowhere in sight, and Song Feng was sitting behind the counter.
She walked over slowly. What was she supposed to say?
"Big brother will treat you to a session today." Song Feng lowered his long legs from where they had been propped on the desk, swiped an ID card from the drawer at a terminal, and handed her a bottle of water.
Yet he made not a single mention of the remark that had tricked her into coming over.
The bottled water still carried the chill of the refrigerator. Shu Dong didn't really want to take it. "I'm not gaming today."
"Oh?" Song Feng furrowed his brow in mock confusion. "Then what did you come for? Could it be... you missed me?"
Shu Dong heard the sound of a fire igniting inside her own heart.
He was doing this on purpose.
"No, I'm gaming." Shu Dong sneered softly, turned on her heel, and walked toward her usual corner.
*Oh?* Angry. Song Feng watched her retreating back with a dissolute smile, feeling a bizarre sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
The moment Shu Dong logged into her game, Song Feng slid into the seat right beside her.
"Tell me what you need the money for, and I'll give it to you." Song Feng watched her play with keen interest.
Shu Dong's face turned icy as she hesitated for a single second, before fingers began clacking furiously against the keyboard. Whether she was treating the characters in the game as Song Feng or treating the keyboard as Song Feng, judging by the ferocity of her movements, she was determined to beat it to death.
Song Feng chuckled. "Shall I guess, then? Is someone in your family sick and in need of money?"
Shu Dong shook her head. "No."
Shu Dong was torn inside. She knew there was bad blood between Song Feng and Yu Zhiyi, so she didn't want to tell Song Feng. But if she didn't tell him, she genuinely had no one else to turn to for a loan.
Meanwhile, apart from this corner, the rest of the minor delinquents were frantically snapping photos with their phones, incessantly poking Chen Hui and running riot in the group chat to spread the news—
*Everyone, we've got a boss lady!*
"Did you take a fancy to some clothes or shoes?" Song Feng continued guessing blindly.
He was well aware of what she needed the money for, but that correct answer was something Song Feng refused to touch.
Feeling a bit flustered, Shu Dong shook her head again, logged out of the game, opened the nearby window, and lit a cigarette.
The moment she struck the match, however, Song Feng pinched it out.
The casual laziness slowly vanished from his face. Song Feng leaned in, staring intently at Shu Dong as his right hand played with the half-smoked cigarette, tearing it to pieces bit by bit. "I only lend money to friends."
Shu Dong didn't quite catch his drift, looking at him with bewilderment.
Song Feng said, "Friends—female friends, girlfriends. Which one do you want?"
Pondering his words, Shu Dong unwrapped a piece of chewing gum from the desk and turned to look at Song Feng. "Which one do *you* want?"
"A girlfriend."
Song Feng answered without hesitation, though he was slightly taken aback. He had expected her to sit there like a block of wood as usual, but why did she... with those little lips chewing gum, look somewhat provocative?
He wanted to kiss her.
Shu Dong said, "I have a boyfriend."
Song Feng replied, "We'll break up."
Shu Dong frowned. She tilted her head to gaze at Song Feng for one, two, three seconds. "What about the money?"
Unwrapping another piece of gum to chew, Song Feng unhurriedly fished the envelope out of his pocket. "Girlfriend?"
Shu Dong: "No."