Chapter 21

Three days.

Jiang Jiang sat on the sofa, staring at the TV in a daze.

Xiaobai has been away from home for three days and there has been no news of him.

Jiang Jiang went from being happy and joyful at the beginning, to having vague worries in the middle, and finally to being in a state of panic and anxiety now.

She was really afraid that Xiaobai would encounter an accident, and then she would never forgive herself in her life.

Jiang Jiang silently prayed in his heart, hoping that Xiaobai had just found his family and returned home.

She never figured out why Xiaobai wanted to leave.

Even though Xiaobai caused her a lot of trouble during that time, she never said a word to let Xiaobai leave. She just bought some talismans and crosses to try to trap Xiaobai to prevent her from causing trouble again.

Jiang Jiang's face was reflected on the TV, revealing a hint of sadness.

Habits are really scary things. They seep into people without them noticing, subtly changing the original environment and eventually becoming deeply rooted.

Jiang Jiang had to admit that she was used to living with Xiaobai, used to Xiaobai's noises, used to Xiaobai's occasional little frights, and used to Xiaobai's dependence on her...

These two days, when she came back and opened the door, Xiaobai was not there to greet her. Jiang Jiang felt that the house was terribly empty.

Jiang Jiang couldn't sleep at all. She sat on the sofa, staring at the TV, recalling the scene of Xiaobai sitting here in her mind.

At first, she thought Xiaobai was special and would not be dangerous, so she didn't worry too much.

Or maybe at first, she just forced herself to ignore her inner worries.

The night, like a thick cloud, shrouded the window, and the bright lights seemed to form an independent space, lonely and deserted.

In the quiet night, the loneliness and fear that are deliberately ignored grow and are infinitely magnified, making people feel depressed and uneasy.

Jiang Jiang wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

She wondered, was Xiaobai sitting here every day, enduring loneliness and waiting for her to come back?

The silence of the night is like a mirror, reflecting the inner fragility and anxiety. In this silence, imagination gradually begins to lose control.

Is there a murderer with a butcher knife hiding in the corner of the dark street outside?

In that bright shadow, is there a twisted pervert watching every move of passersby?

No matter how many terrifying things Jiang Jiang thought about, she was always worried about whether Xiaobai was safe.

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Jiang Jiang simply got up, changed his clothes, and went straight to the nearest police station.

The police on duty took Jiang Jiang's statement of her sister missing for three days seriously.

"Give me a photo of your sister." The police said while taking notes.

Jiang Jiang stood there in a daze.

The silent atmosphere made the police raise their heads in surprise.

Meeting the police's gaze, Jiang Jiang pulled the corners of his lips awkwardly.

She doesn't have any photos of Xiaobai.

She had no habit of taking photos at all, and even after living with Xiaobai for several months, she had never taken a photo of him.

Faced with the increasingly suspicious gaze of the police, Jiang Jiang had no choice but to bite the bullet and say no.

The police glanced at Jiang Jiang several times, and found out on the computer that Xiaobai had come to the police station to report missing. He looked at Jiang Jiang with a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

The police suspected that Jiang Jiang had abandoned the special person, and now he is looking for him out of guilt.

But the police rely on evidence when handling cases, so he didn't say anything. He made a record and asked Jiang Jiang and others to notify him.

Walking out of the police station, Jiang Jiang looked up at the street lights, smiled bitterly and sighed.

*

Xiaobai actually didn't go very far away. She was only separated from Jiang Jiang by a wall.

That night, Jiang Jiang's casual remark after getting drunk caused Xiaobai to think too much.

She was already suspicious of why Jiang Jiang bought these strange things, but her trust in Jiang Jiang suppressed all her doubts.

But Jiang Jiang's drunken remark shocked Xiaobai both physically and mentally.

She sat on the sofa for a long time, so long that she didn't even know how long it had been, before she turned on the TV to look up the functions of talismans and the Bagua plate.

When Xiaobai learned that talismans and Bagua plates were used to drive away demons and evil spirits, and that crosses and garlic were used to drive away alien creatures, he felt like he was bolt from the blue.

It turns out that Jiang Jiang has been secretly trying to drive her away!

She likes Jiang Jiang very much and wants to stay with Jiang Jiang forever.

But if his presence makes Jiang Jiang unhappy, Xiaobai would rather leave.

She left a few words, opened the door and left.

The hot wind blowing from outside made Xiaobai feel chilled to the bone.

She brought nothing when she came, and she brought nothing when she left.

She still clearly remembered that rainy night when Jiang Jiang half bent over and stretched out his hand to her, asking if she wanted to go home with him.

At that time, she felt that the world was bright and the colors were vivid, and that sense of happiness came like a flood.

How happy she was then, how lost she is now.

Sitting beside the community flower bed, Xiaobai hung his head in confusion, looking at his toes.

She had no idea where she could go.

Her memory is a blank, her identity is a blank.

“Woof woof woof!”

The barking of a dog brought her back to her senses.

A large German Shepherd dog came out of the shadows, dragging its owner with it.

It was also a coincidence that Liang Rou had a burst of inspiration today and was so immersed in her own painting that she forgot to take Mimi out for a walk.

Mimi couldn't hold it in any longer and kept humming, which woke up Liang Rou.

Liang Rou took Mimi downstairs to solve her physiological problem.

It was already dark, but the lights in the neighborhood were bright, and with the big dog Mimi by our side, there would be no danger.

It was just too late, and there was almost no one in the neighborhood.

After Mimi solved her physiological problem, she felt refreshed and wanted to take a walk for a while. While strolling, she smelled the scent of a familiar person, so she happily dragged Liang Rou over.

"Why are you here alone?" Liang Rou asked in surprise.

Xiaobai didn't know how to answer, so he could only smile awkwardly.

Although Liang Rou is a homebody and doesn't interact with people much, she still has a certain understanding of her neighbor Xiaobai. After all, she meets him every time she goes out.

In her impression, Xiaobai is a girl who loves to laugh, is lively and cute, has a sweet mouth, and has endless energy every day.

Xiaobai is now sitting listlessly beside the flower bed, looking lifeless. This reminds Liang Rou of Mimi who was scolded and looked dejected.

"Did you have a fight with your sister?" Liang Rou asked.

Xiaobai was stunned for a moment and slowly shook his head.

But Liang Rou still believed that she was right. "It's not safe for a girl to be outside. Why don't you come to my place?"

Xiaobai wanted to refuse, but Liang Rou disagreed with Xiaobai's refusal. In addition, Mimi kept rubbing against her, so she reluctantly followed Liang Rou back.

Because she really didn't know where she could go. At Liang Rou's house, at least there was a wall separating her from Jiang Jiang, and it was the place where she could be closest to Jiang Jiang.

Liang Rou asked Xiaobai to sit down and went to pour hot water for him.

Xiaobai was a little curious, so she asked Liang Rou if she could take a look around, and Liang Rou agreed.

Liang Rou's house looks bigger than Jiang Jiang's, but they are almost the same. Jiang Jiang's bedroom is slightly bigger, while Liang Rou's living room and bedroom are smaller, so she has separated out a large room as a studio.

Because Liang Rou was in a hurry to take Mimi for a walk, she did not close the door of the studio.

Xiaobai always felt that something was attracting her, and she unconsciously walked into the studio step by step.

This room looks messy, but it exudes the atmosphere of ink and wash painting everywhere.

There is a huge bookshelf against the wall of the room, with many books placed on it, some tilted and some upside down. In the corner of the wall are some unrolled rolls of rice paper, which are lightly tied with thin ropes, appearing neat and orderly. Next to the rolls are several small brush washers.

There is a table on the left, with rice paper and inkstone placed on the small table top, and brushes of various colors hanging on the pen holder.

On the right is a computer with a scanner next to it.

Next to the window, there is an easel with new rice paper on it, but the palette next to it is colorful and not dry, which must have been put down by the author not long ago.

Xiaobai's eyes were attracted by the rice paper on the easel, and she picked up the paintbrush beside her as if uncontrollably.

Just a few strokes of ink were enough to create the outline of a young girl.

Xiaobai seemed to be immersed in the ink painting, his body was out of control, and a girl in ancient costume was drawn in front of his hand.

Liang Rou poured the water but didn't see Xiaobai. She heard some noise and ran to the room where she worked.

She did not stop Xiaobai's behavior, nor did she get angry because Xiaobai used her paintbrush at will. Instead, she looked intently at the painting under Xiaobai's brush.

Every stroke of the pen expresses the author's soul and emotion.

As time passed, the girl on the paper appeared vividly before people's eyes, but her face was missing.

When it came to the facial features, Xiaobai abruptly stopped drawing and looked at the painting blankly, with a momentary look of sadness on his face.

Seeing Xiaobai stop writing, Liang Rou ran over excitedly to look at the painting, sighing constantly.

"The painting is so good. This skill must have been practiced for at least ten years!"

Xiaobai was stunned and then shook his head.

She didn't know when she learned to paint, but she knew that as soon as she touched the brush, she naturally wanted to paint.

The joyful mood she felt while painting made her feel relaxed both physically and mentally, as if she was born to be a painter.

She likes painting.

"I'm in need of an assistant, why don't you come and help me!" Liang Rou said excitedly, pulling Xiaobai.

Liang Rou has been learning Chinese painting since she was a child, and she especially likes ink painting. However, she knows that she cannot make money by painting these, so she became a Chinese painting cartoonist, drawing some comics and then scanning them into the computer and uploading them to the website.

Her painting style is concise and clear, the characters are vivid, and the plots are light and compact. Over the years, she has accumulated a lot of fans.

As a result, she was a little overwhelmed, and the editor asked her to find an assistant to help with the drawing.

But Liang Rou always felt that the assistants who came to apply for the job were only able to draw things that were physical but lifeless, and the people she admired also looked down on the work she was doing.

So I've been alone.

Now that she had seen Xiaobai's paintings, she was undoubtedly a leader in both the spirit of the characters and the painting techniques, making Liang Rou feel as if she had seen a pearl.

When it comes to painting, she is so impulsive. Once she has made up her mind, she will not observe it any further and will confirm it directly.

"This..." Xiaobai hesitated. She still remembered that Jiang Jiang didn't seem to like her work.

But she really likes painting.

Seeing Xiaobai hesitate, Liang Rou quickly spoke up, "I'll pay you, and even put your name on the work. It won't be in vain!"

Xiaobai was stunned for a moment. She loved painting and she got paid for it, which made her very hesitant.

Liang Rou looked at Xiaobai's painting eagerly and asked why the facial features were not drawn.

Xiaobai gave a bitter laugh, "I have no memory. I'm afraid the facial features I draw won't match the one I remember."

Liang Rou understood that everyone had some untouchable bitterness in their hearts, so she didn't ask.

The two of them talked about painting and became more and more engaged in the conversation. By the time they realized it was already dawn.

Sleepiness came like a tide, and the two of them didn't have time to think too much. They simply washed up and went to sleep.

There was no extra bed at Liang Rou's house, so Xiaobai still slept on the sofa.

It’s just that the sofa in Liang Rou’s house is not as comfortable as the sofa bed in Jiang Jiang’s house.

When she woke up, it was already afternoon. Liang Rou thought that she still needed to tell Jiang Jiang that Xiaobai was with her to avoid Jiang Jiang worrying.

However, she was just a neighbor and didn't have Jiang Jiang's contact information. Now Jiang Jiang had gone to work again, so Liang Rou planned to wait for Jiang Jiang to come back from get off work before going over to tell him.

During this period, Xiaobai saw Liang Rou's paintings and made some suggestions. Liang Rou's eyes lit up and she was inspired.

The two of them started discussing again, completely forgetting what they were going to tell Jiang Jiang.

When I came to my senses, it was already midnight and it was not a good idea to disturb Jiang Jiang.

The next day, Xiaobai helped Liang Rou to come up with some background ideas for the comics, and put the matter of telling Jiang Jiang behind his mind.

Just like that, three days passed...