Chapter 23
Cheng Shi followed Candy into the dark, narrow stairwell. He was very familiar with the layout of this kind of old building. The old, dilapidated building he bought in Songyuli after he joined Haosikai and married Huang Ruoyu had a similar layout to this building. Both were five-story red brick buildings built in the 1980s without elevators, with three households per floor. The sound insulation was very poor, the kitchen ventilation was also poor, and the room layout was not only cramped but also very difficult to use.
Sure enough, after the door to room 502 closed behind Cheng Shi, he was able to carefully observe the room, which was filled with the smells of food, bathroom, and perfume emanating from who-knows-where, and then confirmed his judgment. This apartment was indeed almost exactly the same as the one he and Huang Ruoyu used to live in, a one-bedroom apartment with a total area of only 40 square meters, including a kitchen that could only be made into an open-plan kitchen and a bathroom that was as small as it could be.
Clearly, this cluttered living room also served as Candy's bedroom. So when Candy's feet, clad in black stockings, circled around Narumi, bending over and kneeling to clean the ashtray and cosmetics, Narumi felt herself become very tall and strong, practically filling the entire house.
"Excuse me, this room is a bit messy. Would you like some coffee or something?"
As Candy knelt on the sofa bed to roll up the blinds, Chengshi walked up behind her and hugged her waist.
With just this simple action, Candy was won over. After letting out a low, sweet moan, she turned around and nestled into Chengshi's arms, bringing her rose-like lips to his.
They rolled together on the sofa bed, their bodies writhing, panting, frantically working on buttons, zippers, hooks… until the last piece of fabric slipped off them. Then, to Candy's warm rhythm, Narumi felt a profound satisfaction, because this was what he wanted, this was exactly what he wanted!
So Narumi was so engrossed that he barely noticed Candy whispering in his ear, "Oh, that's wonderful, oh, oh, oh..."
When it was all over, Narumi and Candy collapsed onto the sofa bed, their slightly sweaty limbs still intertwined. Narumi felt he had never felt as grateful to anyone as he did to Candy at that moment, but he didn't know what to say to her.
So Narumi wanted to take a look at Candy's face, thinking that perhaps he could get some kind of insight from her. But Candy had her head pressed tightly against Narumi's chest, so he could only see that a long, thick patch of black hair had grown on the back of her head.
Clearly, Candy was waiting for Narumi to speak.
But Narumi wasn't in a hurry to speak. He turned his head slightly and found himself facing the section of glass window revealed by the rolled-up blinds—the very blinds she had painstakingly rolled up before collapsing into his arms. Through that window, Narumi could see the gray rooftops across the way and the tangled wires in the sky, their patterns against the blue backdrop resembling an incomprehensible Mondrian painting.
Chengshi withdrew her gaze and began to observe the house, which felt both strange and familiar. The room was currently bathed in the golden light of the setting sun: a crudely made replica of Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" adorned the walls; several copies of "Cosmopolitan" magazine sat on the windowsill; faded Polaroid photos and postcards hung on a corkboard panel on another wall; and a rattan chair even stood in the cramped corner—it was practically a tacky Instagram-worthy scene…
And... and then Narumi immediately remembered that his coat and shirt were scattered on the floor, while his shoes, underwear, and trousers were right next to him, within easy reach—he could put on his clothes immediately and leave this vulgar place in less than 30 seconds.
"Um..." Narumi finally figured out how to start, "You didn't expect all this to happen this afternoon when you left home this morning, did you?"
Candy remained silent. The surroundings were so quiet that Chengshi noticed for the first time that there was a feather clock hanging on the living room wall, ticking away.
“Hmm,” Candy finally spoke after a while, “No, I didn’t expect that.”
As she spoke, Candy quickly sat up and reached for her navy blue blazer to cover herself. Then she seemed to hesitate, perhaps thinking that there was no need to pretend to be reserved anymore, so she let the blazer slip to the floor.
However, being naked made the young girl feel very embarrassed, so she picked up the little blazer and covered her chest with it, then folded her arms and hugged it tightly. At this moment, her coarse, stiff hair was wildly sticking out in all directions on her head, utterly devoid of beauty or attractiveness. Moreover, her face and neck revealed her original dark yellow skin, but now her cheeks were beginning to flush, as if she had just applied too much blush.
Candy unconsciously stroked her messy hair, looking completely lost in thought.
However, in Cheng Shi's eyes, Candy looked incredibly pitiful at that moment, so much so that he felt he could see right through her thoughts—Candy was probably wondering what Apple would say if she knew, whether Apple would scold her for being too frivolous? No, Candy didn't think so, because Apple was a player; she understood the complex emotional relationships between adults, she understood the depths of these feelings. Candy was certain that Apple would say exactly that.
But if this is truly just a normal game between adults, why is Candy so conflicted about a piece of clothing? And why, during that moment of silence, couldn't she think of anything to say to the man she had just been intimate with?
Chengshi could tell that this little girl was probably not as mature as she thought, but... isn't this just adult life?
At that moment, Candy was desperately trying to stop herself from having wild thoughts. So she forcefully lifted her chin as if to flick a large tuft of messy hair from her forehead behind her back, and then revealed a standard, deliberately elegant smile.
Then, for the first time, she looked directly into Narumi's eyes.
Do you have a cigarette, Frankie?
“Of course.” Narumi reached into the inner pocket of his coat on the floor for a cigarette, thanking God that Candy’s words had finally brought the atmosphere in the room back to normal.
"What was the name of that department you just invented?" Candy asked Narumi while taking a deep drag on her cigarette, seemingly finally calming herself down.
"What?"
"It's the department that you told me about your boss on the phone."
“Oh, the Imaging Center. Actually, it wasn’t entirely my invention. I remember there used to be such a department, I think it was on the 8th floor, under the Equipment Department, but it was later outsourced. But don’t worry, Wendy isn’t one to meddle in other people’s business.”
"The Imaging Center, that sounds interesting, like a department at Apple's company. Excuse me, Frankie, I'll be right back." With that, Candy hunched over slightly and strode quickly toward the closed bedroom door.
When Candy came out again, she was wearing a silk slip dress, and her hair was styled as usual. When she entered the living room, Cheng Shi was also dressed and admiring the photos of Pa Lide pinned to the corkboard as if she were visiting a museum, like a guest who had just entered and had not yet been invited to sit down.
Candy thoughtfully told Narumi where the bathroom was, and while he was in the bathroom, she quickly tidied up the sofa bed. Then, like a headless fly, she walked back and forth along the route from the living room to the open kitchen until Narumi came out of the bathroom.
Would you like something to drink? Or something to eat?
"No need, thank you. I have to go now, it's getting late."
"Oh right, I heard you live quite far away? Do you have to take the subway?"
"Oh, right, is there Line 6 nearby?"
"Yes, Line 6. After you leave the community, walk west first, then turn south at the intersection. Actually, you'll get there after passing Chaoyang Hospital."
"Hmm, I roughly know where it is. You know, I have to take Line 6 first, then transfer to Line 5, and then drive for another half hour to get home, so... I have to go."
"I'm so sorry it's so late." Candy seemed determined to remain calm and rational before seeing Narumi to the door, and to maintain an elegant demeanor, as if she were a heartthrob who had to deal with such romantic affairs every day.
But just as she opened the door, Candy caught a glimpse of a thin white garment on the floor under the sofa bed. She couldn't tell if it was her bra or underwear; it had probably fallen there while she was tidying the sofa, and now it lay crumpled on the floor like a ravaged flower. Candy's mind went blank. She had an urge to run over and kick it under the sofa bed, or even tear it to shreds. She struggled with this internal conflict for a while, and when she finally turned to look at Chengshi, she unflinchingly displayed a pitiful expression, even her usually small eyes now appearing large and bright.
He had to say something as he stepped out of that door; it was the bare minimum of social etiquette, something he couldn't avoid. But Cheng Shi's true feelings were simply this: he had never been so grateful to anyone before, and that person was Candy, standing right in front of him.
However, Chengshi felt that it would be strange if he said that to Candy, as if he had paid for her, which might lead to unnecessary trouble later.
At the same time, Chengshi thought of another way of putting it. He could put on a sad but helpless look, grab Candy's shoulder and say, "Candy, you know, I'm already married, we can't be together." But if he said that, Candy might say, "Oh, I know," and then bury her face in his coat. Then he would be passive and have no choice but to continue, "I don't want you to feel like I'm taking advantage of you. If that's what you think, then I have no choice but to, I..." Finally, he had to add, "I'm sorry."
The thing Narumi least wanted to do in this world was apologize. From childhood to adulthood, he almost never apologized, and he rarely even said "I'm sorry." It wasn't because of any television influence; Narumi genuinely believed that if apologies were effective, there would be no need for police in this world.
So Narumi decisively chose another way to say goodbye. He gave Candy a sophisticated, charming, and mysterious smile, and held it until she hurriedly returned his smile. Then Narumi leaned down and gently kissed Candy's rose-like lips, saying, "You're wonderful, see you tomorrow."
Cheng Shi walked down the stairs and onto the street. He walked and walked, and before he even left the residential area, he couldn't help but start running. He ran past Chaoyang Hospital, nearly knocking over a wheelchair along the way. He heard a woman shout behind him, "Are you blind?! Can't you see such a big wheelchair?!" But Cheng Shi didn't stop, not even turning his head. At that moment, he felt like a lion, or an eagle—in short, he felt like a thoroughly magnificent man.
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