Chapter 46 seems to be kissing them on their behalf.
Jiang Shiyan had the nurse remove the needle, called a ride-hailing service, and while waiting for the car to arrive, quickly ordered a small electric cooker, tomatoes, eggs, oil, salt, bowls and chopsticks, a small cutting board, and knives.
They remained silent from the car all the way to the hotel. After exiting the elevator and walking through the curved corridor, two yellow takeout bags were squatting by the door of a room at the end of their field of vision.
Jiang Shiyan bent down and picked them up, while Xu Yuewei opened the door with her room card.
The makeshift kitchen was set up on the island near the entrance. Amidst the skillful sound of chopsticks whisking eggs, Jiang Shiyan stood by the sink, holding a freshly washed tomato in his hand.
"Don't just stand there."
"I'm not leaving."
No matter what you say, it all boils down to these three words.
Xu Yuewei didn't even look up, and quickened her pace, making it impossible for him to help her at all.
Without a range hood, the aroma and smoke mingled together, creating a comforting scent. It's a pity this isn't their home.
Jiang Shiyan was slightly distracted and looked into the room. Two down jackets, one dark and one light, were stacked on the same chair, and the afternoon sunlight shone through the narrow window and fell on them.
The scrambled eggs with tomatoes were cooked. Xu Yuewei turned off the rice cooker handle: "You forgot to buy sugar, and there's no rice either. Are you just going to eat it plain?"
Everyone knew perfectly well that the food in the pot was merely a casualty of this war, providing a flimsy excuse to put them in the same room, and then, to start the war.
Jiang Shiyan said, "It's alright."
Xu Yuewei suddenly pulled out the power cord and coiled it into a white snake in her hand.
"To be honest, that's what I hate most about you."
Jiang Shiyan opened her eyes wide as if waking up, and her serious face at that moment was more real than a dream.
"You're the one who says sorry, and you're the one who says it's okay. I have no idea what you're thinking, and you don't know what I care about."
Xu Yuewei tried her best to remain calm, but the flames of anger were simmering away at her reason, and the accumulated dissatisfaction bubbled up.
"I clearly told you to leave, yet you still eavesdropped on our conversation. Are you trying to make me feel guilty by doing all these inexplicable things afterward?"
Jiang Shiyan frowned, wanting to retort, but took a deep breath and somehow punctured a nerve in his trachea. He coughed and struggled to say, "Cough, no... cough, cough."
Finally, as if to prove that he hadn't been deliberately trying to gain sympathy, he stopped coughing and emphasized again: "Of course not."
After a long silence facing each other, the scrambled eggs with tomatoes were almost cold. Xu Yuewei closed her eyes and sighed.
"Actually, when we were kissing at your house..."
Jiang Shiyan raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a hint of expectation.
“I’m not the kind of person who just kisses anyone. I really thought… I figured we were both single anyway, and you didn’t seem to mind what happened back then. I think I still like you a little bit, so trying again wouldn’t be a bad idea. I could slowly explain what happened before. That’s really what I was thinking back then.”
Jiang Shiyan immediately felt his whole body tense up.
Especially when she said that she seemed to still like him a little.
A massive tsunami surged within them, engulfing heaven and earth, and the narrow entrance hall of this hotel was their unique Noah's Ark.
There used to be an ark like this, but he destroyed it himself.
"But I saw the condom you accidentally left behind."
Her tone was flat, like a breath of wind that dispelled all traces of everyday life.
“You took my things and tried to lock me in your house. At that moment, I felt like you just wanted to ‘have’ me.”
She suddenly remembered something, glanced at his lower body, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips:
"Do you remember what you said when I first brought up breaking up in that rented room? You probably don't remember, it was just a joke, but it didn't seem like it to me."
"Jiang Shiyan, it seems like you love me at the same time, but you also bully me."
"I should have made these points clear before leaving Fog Bridge. I guess I was wrong too."
She felt better after saying it, pushed him away from the pool, rinsed her hands, and shook them a few times.
"Could you please bring me my down jacket?"
However, there was no movement behind her. Xu Yuewei turned around and walked past him, her shoulder bumping against his arm as she passed. She said:
"By the way, remember to add salt when you heat the food. I didn't add any because I wasn't sure about your taste."
But the next second, she was hugged from behind.
It seemed that all the silence was paving the way for this. Xu Yuewei was not surprised and remained expressionless. Jiang Shiyan's right cheek touched a texture that was both prickly and soft. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that what he saw was green, a retro green.
Perhaps it was retribution for not finishing the IV drip, but his throat suddenly started to hurt terribly, and the inflammation was about to spread from his throat to his eardrum.
He swallowed hard, the sensation like a knife cutting through his throat, and managed to say, "Wait a minute..."
He hadn't even said what he wanted to say yet.
But Xu Yuewei broke free.
Even after the door closed and the footsteps in the corridor behind it faded into the distance, Jiang Shiyan maintained his stiff posture.
In an instant, the ark transformed into a narrow tomb, where he was all alone.
*
A few hours later, Xu Yuewei came out of a self-service hot pot restaurant.
The tidy rental apartment felt empty, and she lost her appetite for cooking. For some reason, she didn't want to be alone.
So, after dinner, she was still not satisfied, so she strolled around the mall for a while, bought some groceries and urgently needed daily necessities, and even went to the claw machine store to win the Loopy that Zhou Xu really wanted to win. She posted it in the coffee shop's group chat to show off to him and to tell others that she was doing well.
Her gaze slid down to the chat box with no unread messages, and her eyes dimmed slightly.
She went to the hotel with the intention of having a big fight, but nothing happened; it was just her venting her anger... Now that her emotions have calmed down, she inevitably feels a bit of guilt that she shouldn't have.
The white plastic bag with the supermarket logo pressed heavily against her hand. Xu Yuewei put her phone back in her pocket, switched hands, shook her head, and walked forward.
Taxis couldn't enter the residential area, so she walked downstairs with her bag and saw a deliveryman standing at the entrance of the building, also carrying food. He was wearing a thick cotton coat and a yellow helmet, and was typing with his head down.
Xu Yuewei passed by him and entered the building. When the elevator reached the first floor, the deliveryman also came in and followed her into the elevator.
She pressed her own floor button and kindly asked him, "Which floor are you going to?"
The delivery guy said, "Top floor."
Xu Yuewei pressed 19 and waited until the 8th floor. She got off first, put the heavy shopping bag at her feet, and found the key in the dim light of the elevator lobby without stomping her feet to wake up the hallway lights.
The first thing I did when I got home was to throw away my mask, wash my hands and face, hang my coat and pants out to dry in the living room, and spray them with alcohol spray a couple of times.
She started packing her things, stuffing the refrigerator full of groceries, and then took out the shopping receipts from her small handbag and threw them away. Underneath, she found a green-packaged tea cake.
She held it in her hand for a moment, then put it back in its original box.
*
She slept soundly through the night until dawn, and finally the last day of the year arrived. Xu Yuewei felt a sense of anticipation because next year sounded more promising than tomorrow.
Time flew by and it was already five o'clock in the afternoon. Xu Yuewei went to meet her friends as agreed.
She was a little late getting ready and left the house without even putting on her boots. As she was locking the door and putting on her shoes, she suddenly noticed something on the wall out of the corner of her eye. Upon closer inspection, she saw a small advertisement with blue background and white lettering pasted next to her newly bought Spring Festival couplets.
That's really rude.
She mentally grumbled to herself, then stepped into the elevator, bathed in the glow of the setting sun streaming through the window.
The gathering was held at a buffet restaurant, with several tables set up. Everyone formed groups and took up a total of eight tables in the restaurant.
Xu Yuewei shared a table with her friends from Guangyang, Beibei and Sister Tao, as well as a girl wearing a red and white Lolita dress.
The last time they met was only two or three months ago. They knew that she had lost a relative, but deliberately did not mention the name Wuqiao, as if she had never been back. She was still as warm and as before.
Xu Yuewei made herself a cup of hot cocoa, scalded her tongue, and took a few small sips, unable to understand what the concept of "going back" meant to her.
Everyone was noisy and ate at different speeds. With time spent taking photos and posting on social media, by the time they all left the restaurant, it was just past the maximum dining time, two hours later.
The group agreed to meet by the Luojiang River to celebrate the New Year. The wide river, reflecting the moonlight, would soon be filled and disrupted by the colorful fireworks.
Xu Yuewei gripped the railing, gazing at the dark patches of water edged with white light, and for a moment she really wanted to plunge headfirst into them.
These self-destructive thoughts occasionally crossed her mind, but she knew she wouldn't do it, so she could calmly continue watching the water.
Besides, even if she wanted to, she couldn't jump down; there were people crowding around her and behind her, leaving no space to climb the railing.
In a few minutes until eight o'clock, the first fireworks will be set off across the river, above the brightly lit cluster of buildings that look like a block of Tetris.
Beibei, to her left, leaned closer and said, "I was thinking of just taking a few pictures of the 8 o'clock fireworks and going home! Posting them at midnight, ready for my WeChat Moments!"
Xu Yuewei smiled and shouted back, "Wear your mask properly! Don't catch the flu, or you might win the lottery during the Lunar New Year!"
"Ha! You didn't expect that, did you! I've already had it, I have antibodies, I'm not afraid!"
Xu Yuewei chuckled, then looked down at the river, thinking of Jiang Shiyan for the first time tonight.
It's all because his surname is Jiang.
The wind, carrying moisture, splashed onto her face and ears. Xu Yuewei was welded into the gap of the human wall, and all she could see in her peripheral vision was the white breath exhaled by the people around her. She imagined a virus rolling and jumping in it, and couldn't help but raise her hand to pinch the metal strip on her mask.
At eight o'clock, a row of low fireworks shot up and exploded above the tall buildings, their red light blooming evenly on every joyful face. The images were captured by the camera and captured on the screen, becoming specimens to be unearthed and reminisced about someday in the future.
Beibei snapped photos with her phone, and then, during the second round of fireworks, she pulled them aside to take a few imperfect group photos.
The fireworks display will not be held again until midnight. The two displays at 8 o'clock were just warm-up and rehearsal. After the fireworks cooled down, the crowd dispersed and went to other places to have fun.
Their plan was to walk across the famous bridge over the river, go for drinks after crossing, party until midnight, and then ring in the New Year under fireworks.
But Sister Peach had an accident.
"Holy crap, where's my phone???"
Xu Yuewei, Beibei, and Lolita all stopped to pay attention to her, helping her search through her bag and pockets again and again.
Sister Peach became increasingly panicked: "They were still there when we were filming the fireworks!"
The main group had gone a bit further away, and they stopped where they were, unable to find Sister Tao's phone no matter what they tried.
Xu Yuewei searched the map: "There's a police station about 300 meters away as the crow flies. Go and report it."
When they arrived at the police station, there were only two officers on duty. After hearing about Sister Tao's ordeal, they sighed but were not surprised: "At times like these, a bunch of scoundrels always get into trouble."
The case was filed, but the chances of finding the body were slim. Sister Tao had no intention of celebrating the New Year and withdrew voluntarily. Bei Bei and Lolita still planned to go, but Xu Yuewei chose not to go.
She didn't want Beibei to take care of both her and other friends, because that wouldn't make the fun of playing together enjoyable.
After embracing each other goodbye, Xu Yuewei slowly walked towards the subway station. The traffic was crowded, and groups of people, including herself, were on the sidewalk. Everyone seemed relaxed and lazy.
While waiting at a red light, Xu Yuewei saw a food delivery worker with a bamboo dragonfly on top of his hat drive past. At that moment, the police officer's words reminding them to be careful about their personal safety and property suddenly knocked on her dull mind, and some details hidden in her subconscious and ignored surfaced in her mind.
She recalled that last night when she was in the elevator, she asked the deliveryman which floor he was going to, and he replied "top floor". However, the address on the delivery order would only be a number, and the elevator buttons were arranged in a serpentine pattern. In such a short time, wouldn't it be more convenient to just say the number instead of figuring out which floor was the top floor?
Unless his goal is the top floor, in which case no matter which floor she goes to, he can get off after her.
And then there's the elevator door that closed a little slowly after she left, the newly posted advertisement on the door...
Xu Yuewei felt a sudden chill run down her spine, and her hands, which were tucked into her pockets, instantly turned icy cold.
The red light jumped to one, and the crowd behind her walked around her. Xu Yuewei stood still, took off her mask, and exhaled breaths of white vapor. Only then did the chill gradually dissipate.
She went against the current to the roadside, leaned against a lamppost, ignoring the dust that clung to her white down jacket. All she cared about was the stable support she had.
Perhaps she was overthinking it. Maybe the delivery driver had delivered there before and knew that the 19th floor was the top floor. Or maybe the rest were just coincidences.
But she had just witnessed it; thieves like to commit crimes in the chaos, and with insufficient police force, who would dare to gamble in a situation like this?
She opened WeChat, scrolled through the list, and finally opened the chat window with Jiang Shiyan.
Have you broken your fever?
To my surprise, I received a reply as soon as I posted it: "Withdrawn."
The chat box is frozen; no one is typing.
It's cold, the phone battery drains quickly, and the fingers holding the phone get cold.
Xu Yuewei glanced to the side and saw a convenience store not far away. Someone came out of it, and the door opened and closed.
At that moment, she had a "it's the last day, whatever" feeling, and without thinking, she typed "I want to eat oden," but then stopped herself before sending it, changing it to: "[I'll treat you to oden.]"
Jiang Shiyan replied: 【Okay.】
Her heart skipped a beat, her fingers tapped the keyboard several times, and the light illuminated her hesitant face.
Did you lose a dare?
Upon seeing this message, Xu Yuewei relaxed her shoulders and replied: 【Mm.】
[That's terrible, but we have to fulfill the obligation.]
【yes. 】
She paused, then said something cryptic: "Actually, I just wanted to go home and eat oden with you."
I hope he understands it, yet I also hope he doesn't.
Xu Yuewei put away her phone and walked into the convenience store. The moment she pushed open the door, a warm breeze blew from head to toe, as if she had stepped from this cold winter into that rainy summer night.
*
Taking a taxi on New Year's Eve was slower than walking, so Xu Yuewei took the subway and walked to the hotel and knocked on his door.
Jiang Shiyan had just taken a shower and was wearing a gray V-neck sweater and loose beige pajama pants. Her hair was messy but neat, and her face no longer had that abnormal flush, but she was still wearing an N95 mask.
They still handed her a new mask.
Xu Yuewei took it, but before he could speak, she said, "This is not a dare."
Jiang Shiyan said, "I know."
He scrutinized her elaborate makeup: "But you do have a date tonight, don't you?"
He knew she wouldn't dress up just to see him.
Xu Yuewei gave him the larger portion of the two oden dishes and explained why she had come to find him.
Jiang Shiyan's brows furrowed more and more as he listened.
“You said yesterday that I was the only person you knew in Guangyang… Now the tables have turned, and it’s my turn to come to you for help.” She gave a wry smile. “My other friends are all busy celebrating the New Year.”
Jiang Shiyan handed the oden back to her. Xu Yuewei took it in a daze, then realized that this meant he was refusing her, and her heart sank.
But he said, "Wait for me a moment, I'm going to change my clothes."
After saying that, he went somewhere out of her sight to tidy himself up. Only after he came out and put on his down jacket did Xu Yuewei ask, "Where are you going?"
“I’m going to your house.” He put on his shoes and a hat. “What will you do after I leave? You can’t be afraid of him anymore.”
His voice hasn't recovered yet; it still sounds awful.
Xu Yuewei suddenly felt a pang of sadness. She wanted to do something to help him, but all she could do was push open this door, which didn't even need her help.
On New Year's Eve, some people make vows for the new year, some make love, and some break up.
Some people even sleep soundly in the same space as their ex.
Jiang Shiyan fell asleep on the sofa in her rented room.
He still seems to be ill and doesn't seem to have much energy.
Moreover, three hours have already passed, and it's almost midnight; it's the perfect time to be sleepy.
In those few hours, they did nothing. They didn't continue the topic of their previous argument, nor did they dredge up old grievances one by one. They didn't even exchange more than a few words.
Jiang Shiyan ate quickly and quietly, the protruding bone in his masseter muscle moving rhythmically.
Then, like a lion on high alert, he even got her to call the police, but nothing happened, so it was of little use for the time being.
Xu Yuewei went to bed for a while, and when she woke up, she came to the living room and found that he was also asleep. The light was still on, indicating that someone was home.
But tonight looks like Christmas Eve.
Xu Yuewei gently covered his down jacket over him.
Let's deal with this after tonight. I'll leave this problem for next year.
That was the plan.
But the moment the down jacket hit the ground, Jiang Shiyan opened his eyes alertly: "They're here?"
Xu Yuewei squatted down next to the sofa, face down and very close, while he turned his head up and raised his head slightly.
Their masks collided.
Two white hills, their highest ridges touching, seem to be kissing each other.
Their eyes widened simultaneously, their obsidian pupils reflecting only each other.
Outside the window, fireworks, symbolizing the New Year, were rising one after another.
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