Chapter 3 Revenge
With the recent outbreak of viral influenza in the city, Zhuang Fengrui habitually left the window open before leaving, leaving the window at the very end of the corridor unclosed.
A gust of wind rushed in, flowing down the corridor, blowing the hems of their clothes and the ends of their hair.
Jiang Shiyan took two steps back as he swayed, a silent sneer appearing on his lips.
Xu Yuewei sensed a teasing tone in his smile, rather than genuine concern.
It seems that the more flustered and helpless she is, the more she pleases him.
Xu Yuewei leaned against the door of the private room. The wooden fence, separated by her thick winter clothes, wasn't particularly uncomfortable; on the contrary, it provided a sense of security.
Shouldn't I be acting like a stranger?
She composed herself and looked directly into his eyes.
Jiang Shiyan took out the business card again.
"Then do you want to explain this?"
Xu Yuewei closed her eyes, feeling a bit of a headache. She should have let her senior brother deal with it.
Back then, after she adopted this stage name, she planned to surprise him by inviting him to a performance where she would be present.
"Shi Wei" - removing the grass radical from her name makes it both meaningful and quite poetic.
But they broke up before the performance, and he didn't come to see it.
Unexpectedly, this stage name, which carried her romantic thoughts during her teenage years, actually survived until many years later and was discovered by him.
"...There's nothing to explain, it's useless now."
After saying that, Xu Yuewei quickly left, walking downstairs with a clattering sound.
Zhuang Fengrui was waiting by the steps on the first floor. When he saw her, he raised an eyebrow: "Why did you come down first? Teacher Jiang is here..."
Xu Yuewei didn't have time to answer him. She walked to the front desk in one breath, but found no clues. She then went to the side and walked a little further in. There were several round tables and low stools for receiving guests, with some things on the tables.
She actually saw a transparent acrylic box containing some messy pieces of paper. After flipping through them, she realized they were indeed the business cards of the members of the Qin Society.
Xu Yuewei stared into the air and couldn't help but imagine the man sitting here, waiting for her while idly flipping through the papers.
So what expression will he have when he sees the words on the old business card?
Nostalgia, or disgust?
Footsteps sounded behind her; the man's steps were slow, as if he was deliberately lagging behind.
Zhuang Fengrui started making polite remarks again, but she couldn't hear anything anymore.
She followed slowly behind her senior, listening to their mutual flattery, a flawless fake smile on her face.
After seeing them off, Xu Yuewei stood under the eaves and looked up, seeing a loose airplane contrail in the cloudless sky.
Like wild geese flying to warmer southern lands, they leave behind straight and resolute flight paths.
It will not return until spring comes.
She was like a migratory bird that had migrating north in the face of winter snow and had survived by sheer luck, shaking her body to try to shake off the snow from her feathers, only to find that it had already frozen into ice without her noticing.
A sense of aimless melancholy accumulated and fermented in her heart, when suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder and patted her.
"I didn't expect you to be so nervous." Zhuang Fengrui finally took off his mask, and his tone became relaxed. "Think about it, if they want to use Master's name for publicity, they will definitely only choose from among our disciples. You are the best at interpreting scores, so you still have a good chance."
Xu Yuewei was too tired to talk about it anymore, so she nodded and said, "Thank you, senior brother. I'll treat you to a meal next time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuang Fengrui's phone vibrated.
He answered immediately: "Hello?"
A few seconds later, he handed it back to her: "It's for you."
Xu Yuewei took the phone in a daze. The caller was Jiang Shiyan's assistant, who was sitting next to him: "Teacher Xu, is that Audi yours? I saw that the hood is damaged..."
Xu Yuewei had a bad feeling: "Yes, it's mine."
"Could you come to the parking lot? You mean... Mr. Jiang, uh..."
The sound abruptly stopped for a second.
Then, the familiar voice struck her again.
"I scratched your car," Jiang Shiyan's voice sounded unappreciative, distorted by the receiver. "Could you please come over here?"
The music hall is a large courtyard, with the parking lot located outside the building, next to the wall.
The white awning blocked out the sunlight, casting large shadows.
Jiang Shiyan stood outside the white parking lines, in the shadows, his gaze fixed on the graceful woman walking towards him.
Xu Yuewei just stared straight at her car, not giving him a second glance as she passed by him.
The right rear of the Audi has a scratch on the paint.
A black Cayenne was also damaged and was reversed back to its original position, deliberately preventing her from taking pictures of the crime scene.
Perhaps due to the broken window effect, Xu Yuewei didn't feel much of a stir in her heart.
It's a bit disheartening.
This car was a gift from her father for her eighteenth birthday.
But before she got her driver's license, it was nineteen-year-old Jiang Shiyan who drove her all over Wuqiao.
Eight years later, her father passed away, and she reunited with him in her wrecked old car.
Xu Yuewei straightened up and tightened her coat collar: "It's okay, I parked my car a little crooked, so it's easy to bump into."
When she arrived at the music studio, she was in a bad mood and didn't feel like backing up properly. She just turned into any available space without straightening the car.
The Audi's front was facing inwards, and its rear had slightly crossed the white line. If the Cayenne next to it wanted to get out, it would have to turn this way, and there was a chance it would accidentally bump into it.
"no."
A casual male voice suddenly came from beside her, "Teacher Xu has misunderstood."
Xu Yuewei turned slightly to the side and looked up as he approached.
She noticed that his coat collar was still unbuttoned, and the wind was blowing into it. For a moment, she even wondered if he was cold.
"You said it yourself, you were the one who parked the car crookedly first."
Xu Yuewei was a little confused: "What do you mean?"
A man with high brow bones and slightly lowered eyebrows can be very intimidating when he looks at people seriously.
It was as if a sleeping beast had suddenly opened its eyes, revealing dangerous vertical pupils.
"So, you also have to take some responsibility for me, right?"
His sudden approach broke the safe social distance, and Xu Yuewei's brow twitched. The soles of her boots tapped on the cement ground, making two disordered rhythmic sounds.
This accident was somewhat similar to the one she had on her way here, yet different. She was caught in the crossfire by the white car and had no time to react, while he…
Xu Yuewei looked at the rather long, grayish-white scratch and couldn't convince herself that it was an accident.
Is he... taking revenge on her?
The moment this thought popped into her head, she suddenly didn't care anymore:
"Okay, then I'll make it up to you."
Jiang Shiyan put his hands in his pockets, and the unbuttoned coat tore open a larger hole: "Aren't you going to use 'you' anymore?"
Xu Yuewei was taken aback.
She saw the corners of his lips curve into a smile, exactly the same smile he had when he ate watermelon and kissed her years ago.
It was a triumphant laugh.
"Just kidding, I just wanted to remind Teacher Xu to pay more attention to driving safety, so that no more accidents might happen."
For several minutes, not a breeze stirred; the air was dry and cold, and it felt as if a fuse was burning on the ground.
"Let me adjust the car first, otherwise, I'm afraid you'll get scratched again, and it'll never end."
Xu Yuewei opened the car door, got in, and turned off the fuse.
As soon as she parked the car and pulled the handbrake, the Cayenne next to her drove away smoothly and effortlessly, leaving the space suddenly empty.
The emptiness made her wonder: had she really seen him just now?
*
At six o'clock in the evening, just as the sun was setting and the sky was not yet dark enough for the streetlights to come on, several low-rise shops began to flash their neon lights.
Before the lively atmosphere of the night had fully spread, the tall buildings looked bare and somewhat desolate.
While waiting at a red light, this is the scene that Xu Yuewei saw.
Twenty years ago, Nanyue Plaza was the most bustling commercial area in Wuqiao. It is not as bustling as it used to be, but even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse, and it is still a good place to eat, drink and have fun.
Xu Yuewei found a place to park the car and took out the last bag of Guangyang tea cakes from the back seat.
However, the person I'm sending this to this time has a sweet tooth, so it might not suit her taste.
When she thought of Song Jinshu, the image that came to mind was still that of a student with short, ear-length hair.
My mood immediately brightened, and anticipation for meeting T crept onto my lips.
But just then, she received her message:
[V, are you done on your end? I'm a bit busy here and can't leave for now.]
Includes an emoji of someone who's exhausted.
Song Jinshu's coffee shop had just opened not long ago. This miser would rather work harder herself than spend more on labor costs. There was only her, a barista, and a pastry chef in the shop.
Xu Yuewei did not complain:
It's okay, I'll find a place to wait for you, no rush.
After replying to the message, she stood by the intersection with the green light and looked down at the recommended shops nearby.
Scrolling down the screen, I found a bar with high ratings, short seating options, and convenient location: Backstreet Bar. It's situated on the backstreet of Building A in the shopping mall. The name itself is quite interesting.
A dozen minutes later, Xu Yuewei pushed open the glass door of the bar, and her vision immediately became dark.
The store is decorated in a stylish way, with warm but dim main lighting and rhythmic music that is not noisy. However, it was still early and there weren't many customers, making it seem a bit deserted.
The bartender put down the cleaned glass, the crisp sound drowned out by the music.
"Hello, what would you like to order?"
Xu Yuewei sat down on a high stool at the bar, casually placed the gift box on the stool next to her, and thought for a moment before asking, "Do you have any non-alcoholic ones?"
The bartender smiled smugly and said, "Of course!" He even gave her a wink as a bonus.
"..."
No wonder she saw some comments saying it felt like she'd entered a host club.
A friend request came in on her phone. The person introduced himself as Jiang Shiyan's assistant, presumably the man sitting next to him. She matched his face to the picture and accepted the request.
Pan Debi: [Hello Teacher Xu, my name is Pan Mingxuan. I will contact you directly from now on.]
Xu Yuewei thought to herself, "There must be quite a few masters attending the gathering, right? Did he add them all one by one? That must be quite a lot of work."
Her WeChat name is a moon emoji: 【Hello, sorry to bother you.】
Her wine was ready too, a clear yellow glass with no distinct layers, a lone mint leaf floating in the center as a garnish.
It has an unremarkable appearance and an unremarkable taste.
As she drank with her eyes drooping and her head tilted back, she saw a strange man behind the bar. He wasn't the bartender from before, and he wasn't wearing a uniform.
His slightly long hair was a little messy. He was wearing a black leather jacket, and when he smiled, one side of his face showed a shallow dimple: "The one you tried was just improved yesterday. What do you think of the taste?"
Xu Yuewei guessed he was the boss and answered against her will, "It's alright."
Setting down her wine glass, she said to her assistant, "Please let me know once the damage assessment for Mr. Jiang's car is complete. Thank you."
She wasn't sure what he meant, but his car was quite valuable, and she didn't want to owe him anything.
Pan Mingxuan replied with a nodding bear emoji and said nothing.
After sitting for a while, Xu Yuewei grabbed her bag and went to the restroom.
The cold liquor irritated her empty stomach, and she gagged, but nothing came out. She wanted to wash her face, but was afraid of ruining her makeup.
In the end, all I could do was look at myself in the mirror, wipe my mouth, and sigh.
We can't blame everything on that one sip of wine.
It is often said that the stomach is an organ of emotions.
In fact, after getting rid of Jiang Shiyan, she felt incredibly relaxed, as if a dark cloud that was full of electricity and ready to explode at any moment had finally dissipated.
As Xu Yuewei reapplied her lipstick, she thought, "So it must still be a problem with the alcohol."
After touching up her makeup, her phone rang. When she answered, Song Jinshu's loud voice came through:
I'm here! Where are you?
"I'm waiting for you at a bar. I'll come over now and we can share a spot?"
After hanging up the phone, she left the restroom and noticed a hidden back door next to her. She glanced at the navigation and it seemed that it would be closer to go out from there.
She pushed open the door and went out, only to realize after meeting up with Jin Shu that she had left the last box of tea cakes under the bar counter.
*
A few hours later, the melodious sound of electronic bells rang out from Nanyue Plaza.
Between buildings A and B is a fountain and a slender clock tower. Every hour when it chimes three times, many people take videos and check in at the foot of the clock tower.
The nightlife in Wuqiao is just beginning.
Inside the backstreet bar, a resident singer performed soothing and heartfelt folk songs, with the drumbeats appearing and disappearing without overpowering the music.
Three tall women entered together, chatting and laughing as they walked towards the booth area. When they passed the bar, the woman on the far right suddenly stopped, whispered something to her friend, and smiled shyly and slyly, as if she had been teased about something.
The chandelier above the bar cast a soft, lingering light, draping it over the man with his eyes lowered.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up.
He was sitting in the outermost seat. The woman had caught a glimpse of his cool profile earlier, and now, meeting his slightly tipsy and hazy gaze, she felt even more tempted.
“Let me guess,” she said, sitting down next to him as if they were old friends, “dumped by your girlfriend, here to drown your sorrows?”
Jiang Shiyan held a glass that was wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, paused for a moment, then smiled enigmatically:
Does it look like this?
Quite a few people come to bars to flirt, especially at night.
His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his hair, which had been combed by his hands, was slightly messy and swept back.
Coupled with her rather tactful response, the woman felt that abandoning her friends was the right choice.
"Most handsome guys who drink alone are like this."
Her fingers traced the smooth surface of the table, stopping a few centimeters from his elbow. Her gaze climbed upwards, only to find him turning his head to the other side to drink, not looking at her. She immediately felt a little flustered.
"What are you drinking...?"
She gently and tentatively placed her hand on his arm.
But the man seemed to be struck by an earthquake; his wrist jerked violently, and the wine in the glass spilled all over his shirt.
The woman gasped and quickly withdrew her hand: "I didn't mean to!"
"I know." Jiang Shiyan slowly took the tissue the bartender handed him. "I did it on purpose."
"……ah?"
His eyes, still clouded by alcohol, hadn't regained their clarity. He forced a roguish smile, saying "excuse me" but his expression was anything but.
The stool legs scraped the ground, leaving a long trail. Jiang Shiyan stood up, his gaze naturally shifting upwards to face the direction of the entrance.
The glass door of the bar was pushed open, and a man and a woman entered one after the other. The man considerately held the door open for the woman, allowing her to enter easily.
The uneven lighting in the store cast shadows on them; if the background music had been changed to one with a sense of destiny, one might mistake it for a movie scene.
Jiang Shiyan, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks. His slightly tipsy eyes suddenly turned cold and stern, drawing a strange look from the woman who had just struck up a conversation with him.
He seemed oblivious, staring at the man and woman until they noticed him too.
A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Yuewei's eyes, and she stopped moving, her gaze sweeping over the woman next to him, and she paused, stunned.
Jiang Shiyan picked up the glass of wine he had just drunk, and the ice cubes inside clinked against the sides.
He tapped the empty glass on the bar counter, drawing the bartender's attention and nodding in her direction with his chin.
“New guests have arrived, and they seem unsure of where to find their seats.”
A note from the author:
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[doge emoji]
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