Chapter 38 38 The confusion of the scattered light. He realized it later

There is someone else who can't help himself.

Inside the health club, Tang Ke wailed incoherently. Those who knew her sympathized with her lumbar strain, while those who didn't thought she was experiencing a resurgence of Qing Dynasty torture. In contrast, her colleague Jing Yi appeared remarkably calm and composed, even finding the time to reassure her that the removal would be enough. But therein lay the problem. Tang Ke couldn't move. Every time she lifted her arm, the cupping jars on her shoulders, back, and waist jingled and tightened, unable to extricate herself. One couldn't imagine how Sun Wukong survived five hundred years beneath Five Finger Mountain; she couldn't even last five minutes.

"Jingyi, I feel like someone is tightening a screw in me." Tang Ke said with despair, his head stuck in the hole.

Jingyi laughed at her and said she was too funny. Who could make a whistling sound when cupping?

"Don't laugh. You won't make it past the second level either." Tang Ke's nose itched, but he couldn't scratch it, so he said something else to distract himself: "Is it your turn to be on duty next Sunday?"

The industry has a duty system, requiring someone to be on duty even on weekends and holidays. The roster is created by a dedicated staff member, and most companies issue monthly or quarterly roster changes in advance. Their position has seen a reduction in hiring this year, resulting in fewer new hires. Last year, the rotations were every three months, but this year, they're just every two months. Day shifts are fine; unless there are emergencies, they can be used as study rooms. Night shifts are more demanding, and the accommodations provided by the company are less than satisfactory, practically equivalent to sleeping on folding beds.

Tang Ke and Jing Yi always have consecutive numbers in the duty roster. No matter it is day shift or night shift, Tang Ke follows Jing Yi, so she never pays attention to whose turn it is in the duty roster, but only pays attention to when Jing Yi is on duty, so it will be her turn next week.

"Not yet. It's my turn next week. I just wanted to discuss this with you. Can I switch with you?" Jingyi asked.

"What's wrong with you?"

"The National Day holiday is almost over the week after next, so I want to take advantage of the holiday to go back to my boyfriend's hometown with him and use up the extra leave I got this year. Including the weekend, I'll have more than ten days left. If I'm on duty, I'll have to come back right after the National Day holiday."

"Hmm..." Tang Ke sorted out the timeline in his mind, "Am I on the day shift or the night shift?"

"Night shift. It's okay. If you're not free, I can ask XX to take over."

This guy is notoriously annoying. Don't ask him for help unless necessary. Tang Ke chose to be a hero and save the damsel in distress. "Why don't you trade with me? If you do, I don't know how he'll rip you off. I'm free. It's worth it sooner or later. Let's face it sooner rather than later."

Jing Yi was extremely grateful, "You can also slaughter me, I am willing to be slaughtered by you."

In fact, the one who was slaughtered was someone else.

It hurt when the cupping jar was applied, and it hurt when it was removed. Tang Ke screamed in agony, as if he had been slaughtered.

Looking in the mirror, I saw round circles. The circles on my back were pink, and the circles on my waist were dark red. Cupping should be renamed "poison removal machine". Just apply the poison wherever it is.

The shift change was settled, with Jingyi briefing her superiors. Tang Ke could simply report to her shift. She hesitated because she and Fu Yu had just returned from a comic convention during the final days of National Day. Going to a comic convention is like running a marathon, and working the night shift would only make things worse.

But then I think about it, if I can endure for one night and contribute to the beauty of life, it doesn't seem so tiring. I can just consider it as accumulating merit for getting the tickets.

Yes, right up until the day tickets went on sale at the comic book exhibition, Tang Ke had been thinking about it day and night, determined to be at her best. She bought some props, a few slip dresses, and some simple craft materials online, and after work, she would sit in the living room, watching variety shows while she crafted. It wasn't that she was being prepared, but tickets went on sale three days before the exhibition, and if she waited until she had her tickets, she'd definitely be too late to prepare.

As her shopping increased, she needed to pick up packages more frequently. Almost every day on her way home, she had to pass by the Cainiao Express Station. Sometimes, if she forgot, she would just wander downstairs after dinner to pick it up. In just a few days, she became a familiar face to the deliverymen.

One night, Tang Ke picked up a package and chatted with the courier for a while. Unexpectedly, he ran into Fu Yu, who had just finished work and was also there to pick up a package. She was quicker than the courier and greeted him fluently: "Which building are you from? What's the pickup code? What's your name?"

Deliveryman: "You used my words."

Tang Ke: "Don't worry, this is my husband."

Courier: "Oh, then you can help him get it."

"......" Fu Yu saw that she was more familiar with the place than he, who had lived here for three years, and walked away silently with a sense of inferiority.

Tang Ke walked up to him and said, "Why didn't you tell me you had a package? I come here every day and I can pick it up for you."

Fu Yu was operating the self-service locker. He took out a small express box the size of a palm and stacked it on top of the pile of bags and boxes in her arms. He looked down at her and asked, "Can you take it?"

"I can get it!" Tang Ke had a well-developed cerebellum and walked very fast. After taking two steps, he dropped two pieces of equipment...

"Just pretend I didn't say anything." Tang Ke retreated with a quick step.

Fu Yu picked up the box and shared some of the weight with her, then asked, "No material again?"

"No, these two are new dresses. Please help me see which one looks good. And this is a stamp collecting prop, this is a pair of cosmetic contact lenses, and this is a Polaroid card." Tang Ke introduced his subjects one by one. "What about you? What did you buy?"

"Contact lenses." Fu Yu said.

Tang Ke was surprised, "I don't think I've ever seen you wear contact lenses."

"Well, I haven't worn it."

Tang Ke turned to look at him. He made the habit of adjusting his glasses. She teased him, "What gave you the idea to try it?"

"To look good," he said bluntly.

Tang Ke was even more surprised: "Good-looking? Why are you suddenly concerned about your image?"

Fu Yu glanced at her and said shockingly: "For women's clothing."

"Wow." Tang Ke couldn't say anything else.

The silent corridor, the silent elevator, the silent living room. Tang Ke imagined Fu Yu dressed in women's clothing all the way. It took him only a minute to go from questioning to understanding, and the rest of the time was spent on fantasizing.

Fu Yu had finished unpacking the express delivery, but she was still standing there in a daze.

"Still thinking?" He called her back to her senses.

Tang Ke blinked, "Sorry."

"It's okay, it's human nature."

Fu Yu opened a plate of contact lenses and read the instructions provided by the seller. Tang Ke pretended to sit beside him casually and asked, "Hey, you don't really want to dress like a woman, do you?"

"No, but I know you like it, so I brought you some food." Fu Yu said generously.

"Tsk—" Tang Ke was disappointed, but she was indeed fed.

"It's inconvenient to play basketball with glasses on."

"I know, I know."

Tang Ke quickly unpacked the package, admiring each item one by one. The cat-ear headband, artificial roses, and abstract handheld banners—all props—revealed the inner whims of this seemingly conventional office worker. Meanwhile, Fu Yu struggled alone in the bathroom with his contact lenses. After four or five attempts, he still couldn't successfully insert a single film into his eye.

Tang Ke was about to go into the bedroom to try on clothes. He passed by the bathroom, peeked in, and asked, "Do you need help?"

Fu Yu had never thought that wearing contact lenses would be more tiring than exercising. His eye sockets became moist and red from the irritation. He supported himself on the sink with one hand, looked at Tang Ke through the reflection in the mirror, and said, "Yes."

"I'm coming." Tang Ke put down his clothes and took care of his urgent matter first. "Come to the living room. You're too tall. I can't reach you."

Fu Yu sat on the sofa, raised his head obediently, and placed the window of his soul in Tang Ke's hands.

Fitting someone with contact lenses was a delicate task, and Tang Ke was extremely careful. She stood between Fu Yu's legs, very close to him, and carefully pried open his eyelids. Just as she was about to put them in, his upper and lower eyelids suddenly twitched, becoming extremely sensitive to foreign objects.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Tang Ke scolded, "You closed your eyes before I even touched you."

"One more time." Fu Yu said.

"Just bear with it for a moment."

"Um."

However, the second time he failed, the film had only half a foot in the door when he blinked and it was squeezed out again. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye, and his eyelashes trembled, looking as if he had been bullied by someone.

"..." Tang Ke said with feeling, "You look pretty even when you cry, so it's okay if you don't wear it."

Fu Yu frowned slightly in confusion.

The beauty was angry. Damn, she looked even better. Tang Ke increasingly thought that he was a type that was worth looking at. He looked good at first sight, but the more he looked at him, the more he found him interesting.

"Try again." Fu Yu insisted.

"All right."

Tang Ke re-wetted her contact lenses, ensuring they wouldn't feel uncomfortable when fully hydrated. She once again held his eyelids in check, speaking non-stop to ease his tension:

"It's okay, it's okay, just hold on, it will be fine soon, don't move, you can only blink when I tell you to, don't move, don't move! Even if it's uncomfortable, just bear with it! It will be put on soon, don't blink!"

The unbearable foreign body sensation made Fu Yu resist instinctively, but his eyelids could not be freed from her shackles. Impatience gradually surged in his heart. He raised his hand uncontrollably and suddenly pinched her waist. With a synchronous tremor, the contact lens was miraculously put on.

He lowered his head and blinked frequently, trying to adjust to one side, but the difference in degree between his left and right eyes still made him feel dizzy, and he forgot that his hands were still on her waist.

Tang Ke's whole body was tense. Although she knew that he held her hands out of fear, the place where he held her was also her most sensitive part. The electric current flowed from her lower back to the top of her head and to her heels, and all the pores in her body trembled.

Damn it, pinch her waist, remember to give her your life, okay?

"There's another side, hurry up, strike while the iron is hot," she urged.

Fu Yu raised his head. One eye was clear, the other blurry. The result was a loss of focus and a feeling of weightlessness. Thinking she was far away, he subconsciously pulled her closer. Veins bulged on the back of his hand, and he exerted force on his fingertips.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Seeing that he was dizzy, Tang Ke manually covered the eye that he had already had the mask on, pulled up the other eyelid, and poked his index finger through the gap and successfully poked it in.

It was as if all the foam in front of his eyes was wiped away, and Fu Yu gradually regained focus. The words of thanks lingered on his lips, but were interrupted by his racing heartbeat.

When he looked up, he saw her slightly rising and falling chest, her rosy cheeks, and a strand of hair hanging down, which was like a fire burning on her. His helplessness was reflected in her bright pupils.

He felt a sinking force.

"Can you see clearly?" Tang Ke asked.

Fu Yu hurriedly let go of his hand, fell back, propped up on the sofa, turned his face away, and spoke incoherently: "Can...can't...I can, but it's a little uncomfortable. Let me get used to it."

He realized the confusion of astigmatism only later.