Chapter 82 Mandala 02
When Luo Siwei walked out of the subway station, it was already completely dark. The street corners of Donglan City were lit up with lights of various colors. It was the most prosperous time of the night.
Luo Siwei didn't bring an umbrella. She walked forward a few steps and sat on a bench outside the subway entrance.
The rain quickly soaked her clothes and hair, and she didn't even notice the water on the bench.
She did not choose to go home, but sat in the open air. This was a natural tendency for people to want to be close to people when they are afraid.
She didn't know where this fear came from, but she could feel that she was in danger, as if someone was watching her from afar.
She didn't know how long she would sit here or what to do next.
The night in the metropolis is very bustling, with men and women coming and going everywhere, unfamiliar faces, noisy car horns, hawking, the sound of people chatting, and the innocent laughter of children.
She was surrounded by all the prosperity, but the whole world made her feel strange and uneasy, with a sense of alienation.
Tears continued to flow, blurring her eyes and making it difficult for her to see the scenery in front of her.
If she raised her head at this moment, she should be able to see a man standing just across the street.
The man was wearing glasses and was handsome and elegant. He was holding a transparent umbrella in his hand and wearing a beige windbreaker.
He stood in front of a bus stop, his head half lowered, his face expressionless. The large expanse of blue from the billboard beside him reflected on him, making him look a little eerie, like a ghost standing on the corner of Donglan Street.
His eyes passed through the crowd and landed on Luo Siwei, who was sitting on the bench. His black pupils were motionless, as if he was staring at a prey.
Then he began to practice the angle of his mouth. At first, his smile was stiff and strange. He looked at the smiling faces of celebrities on the billboards beside him and practiced repeatedly until he could finally make it look natural.
The man began to think about how to greet her and what topics to talk about without arousing her vigilance.
He could see that the woman was crying uncontrollably and was on the verge of collapse. This was a perfect opportunity. The more vulnerable she was, the easier it would be to take advantage of her.
After thinking through all the plans, the man took a step forward. At this moment, he suddenly saw someone approaching Luo Siwei.
The man instantly became angry, his breathing became heavy, his eyes widened, and his teeth chattered.
His rage lasted only a moment, and he quickly calmed down and regained his expressionless face. He sighed silently and retracted his foot.
Still a step too slow.
He stared for a while, seeing a black umbrella held above the woman's head, and he knew that he had lost this great opportunity.
The opportunity to catch prey is fleeting, but even if you miss it once, there is no need to regret it, because there will always be next time.
The man felt a little regretful and looked at her with nostalgia.
He turned around, quickly merged into the crowd, and disappeared in the rain.
The rain was not heavy, and it made a slight sound when it fell on the umbrella.
Chi Li walked all the way to the subway entrance closest to the Municipal Bureau. People were coming and going in a hurry. He stood at the subway entrance for a while, waiting for the two groups of people to disperse, but he didn't see the familiar figure.
Just when he thought he had missed it, he turned around and saw a slender figure sitting on a bench next to the subway entrance.
As he approached, he saw Luo Siwei's shoulders trembling slightly. Her hair and clothes were already mostly wet, and she had obviously been sitting there for some time.
He looked down at her and held the umbrella over her head.
Luo Siwei was still crying. She had been crying all the way and felt that her tears were almost dry. But the uneasiness did not fade away, but became more and more obvious.
Just when she was feeling lost and helpless, she suddenly found that the rain above her head had stopped.
Luo Siwei raised her head and saw a person standing in front of her. Her eyes were blurred by tears, and the neon lights at the shop doors reflected colorful lights. In the light and shadow, the person stretched out his hand to her.
Luo Siwei wiped away her tears, and everything in front of her gradually became clear.
It’s Chi Li.
She hurriedly called out, "Captain Chi..." and then the words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat.
Chi Li said: "I just happened to pass by and saw you here."
"I... forgot to bring an umbrella." Luo Siwei wiped the tears from her face, hoping Chi Li didn't notice her crying. She tried hard to say something to ease the awkwardness, "Why is it always raining when I meet you..."
It was raining when they caught the gamblers on the mountain, and it was raining the night they caught Qi Moxue. Every time she met Chi Li outside of work, she seemed either embarrassed or in a mess.
Chi Li seemed not to hear her words. He asked softly, "Do you want to go home? I can take you back."
He did not ask Luo Siwei for more details. He could see that Luo Siwei had finally mustered up the courage to go find Meng Zhi, and he didn't want to remind her of those things again.
Luo Siwei wiped away her tears, stood up obediently, walked silently to Chi Li's side, lowered her head and followed him towards the community.
Then she lowered her head, just like the night when the typhoon passed, and gently pulled the corner of Chi Li's clothes with her fingers. Just a little bit of pulling, but it made her feel safe.
Chi Li felt it, but he didn't look back. Instead, he tilted the umbrella in his hand a little to cover Luo Siwei's head. His other shoulder was gradually wet by the drizzle.
The rain was still falling, and the two of them walked in silence all the way.
She followed him closely, like a child afraid of getting lost.
They crossed the street corners of the city and arrived at the entrance of the community.
When they were almost home, Luo Siwei felt that she should explain herself. She said, "I'm sorry, I lost my composure today. I remembered some unpleasant experiences in the past..."
Luo Siwei tried to downplay her situation, but she knew that her condition was very bad.
Forcing herself to recall that experience was like torturing herself over and over again. It was a nightmare she couldn't escape.
Fear and fear are real.
Even though her mind kept telling herself that she was safe now, her body would still tremble, she would get goose bumps, she would feel nauseous, and her heart would beat faster.
Luo Siwei hadn't fallen into such a breakdown for a long time, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away.
Then she said, "It's okay, Captain Chi, I will recover tomorrow. I just... feel a little uncomfortable." She was not used to showing her vulnerability in front of others, let alone that person was her superior.
Chi Li looked at her with a gentle gaze: "It's okay, everyone of us will encounter something, just try your best to get through it."
They walked all the way to the community, and Chi Li said he would send her to the door.
Luo Siwei pointed the way to Chi Li: "I live in the building on the left." Her teeth trembled as she spoke. She hadn't felt cold at all when she was crying, but now she found that her clothes were completely soaked. It felt like ice, sticking to her skin, making her very uncomfortable.
When she was about to go downstairs, Luo Siwei was about to say goodbye to Chi Li, but she suddenly felt dizzy, her legs went weak, and she almost fell down.
Chi Li reached out to support her. He found that her wrist was a little hot and her face was abnormally red.
Chi Li frowned and touched her forehead: "You have a fever." Then he said, "Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"
"I think I just caught a cold. I have medicine at home..." Luo Siwei hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Captain Chi, can you... come upstairs and stay with me for a while?"
She rarely showed her weakness and collapse in front of others, but today, she was overwhelmed by an inexplicable fear and didn't want to stay alone in the cold room.
Chi Li didn't say much and answered her: "Okay."
The two went upstairs, Luo Siwei turned on the light and let Chi Li in. It was not the first time they were in the same room, but it was the first time someone of the opposite sex came to her room.
Luo Siwei searched for a long time before she found a pair of larger rabbit slippers at the door. They were a gift from the store when she bought something last time.
She gave it to Chi Li and her face turned even redder.
Chi Li didn't mind and put them on. The slippers were a little small, but the rabbit on them looked quite cute.
Luo Siwei changed her wet clothes and took her temperature with an electronic thermometer: "38.0℃, not bad. I'll take some medicine and go to sleep for a while."
Chi Li held her back: "Wait, at least dry your hair before going to bed."
Luo Siwei took a quick shower, took out a hair dryer and dried her hair.
In a short while, Chi Li quickly took over the role. He asked where the things were, poured her some warm water, and watched her take the medicine. He also gave her a fever-reducing patch. Finally, he asked, "Can I use the kitchen?"
Luo Siwei hummed: "Okay, but I'm not hungry yet."
Although her kitchen is small, it is well stocked and has been cleaned before. There are still some uneaten dishes in the refrigerator.
"You have to eat something, lie down for a while." Chi Li said, "I'll make you some porridge."
Luo Siwei didn't want to sleep, but she lay on the bed in a daze, as if she was in a half-asleep and half-wakeful state.
She didn't know if it was because of the fever or because she kept thinking about what happened that day, but her head still hurt.
She lay on her bed at home, but it felt like she was lying on a steel plate.
As soon as she closed her eyes, she felt a tingling sensation in her arms, as if some liquid was continuously injected into her body through the infusion tube.
When she opened her eyes, the hallucinations disappeared.
But my eyelids feel heavy.
She breathed rapidly, trying hard not to lose consciousness, as if she would die if she fell asleep.
Suddenly, Luo Siwei thought she heard a laugh in her ear. This was a detail she had not thought of before.
It was the laughter of a young man, a voice distinctly different from that of the wax figure.
Luo Siwei lay on the bed with sweat on her forehead. She tried hard to wake herself up from this dream.
It seemed that for a moment, her consciousness returned to clarity, but the laughter still seemed to echo in her ears.
The more Luo Siwei thought about it, the more familiar that laughter sounded. She wondered where she had heard it before. Perhaps because of the fever, her memory was out of control, and she felt like she was standing at the door of a studio.
The studio in front of me is very large, about 100 square meters, with a cement floor and white walls all around. There are some easels and chairs in the studio, arranged in an arc shape, and some still lifes are placed in the open space in the center.
The studio was lit with white lights.
The whole room was filled with the smell of paint. Looking out the window, it was dark. The students should have finished school, and there was only one person left in the empty studio.
He was a thin boy wearing a white shirt and black pants, painting quietly and attentively.
Luo Siwei saw the young man sitting in front of the easel, painting something with a brush. She wanted to get closer to take a look, but her mother held her back: "Shh, don't disturb him."
Luo Siwei remembered that this might be her memory. She was still very young at that time, probably in the sixth grade of elementary school. Her mother had just transferred to work at that school and began to be in charge of several art studios.
She looked up and asked, "Why is he still painting in the studio so late?"
The mother said, "Because he is not a student in the art class, he can only come here to paint for a while at night."
She wondered, "Then why doesn't he take an art class? That way he can keep drawing."
Her mother patted her head and said, "When you grow up, you will understand that not everyone has the opportunity to do what they like."
She still didn't quite understand why her mother, who managed the studio, had to wait until all the students had left before she could clean the studio and lock the door. Yet, her mother always had to wait until the teenager finished painting before taking her home.
She'd already finished her homework, her stomach growling with hunger. How could someone be so completely inconsiderate of others? Every day, her mother would work long overtime for this student. Sometimes it was only until six or seven, but the latest was nearly eight.
She was a little angry and wanted to urge him while her mother was away.
Luo Siwei mustered up the courage to walk up to the boy's easel from behind and looked at the paper. She was then shocked by what she saw.
The picture was black with flames in the center. Below the flames was a hill full of skulls. The ground was covered in blood and flowers were blooming everywhere. The picture looked like a scene from hell.
The gloomy colors and weird composition make people feel very uncomfortable.
She was a little scared and took a step back, bumping into the easel beside her with a bang.
The boy, who was concentrating on his painting, heard the sound and paused his brush. He turned his head to look at the terrified girl and then chuckled. The chuckle seemed to be mocking her for not understanding his painting, but also seemed to express pleasure at her fear.
Luo Siwei's body trembled, her eyes widened, and the laughter deep in her memory overlapped with the boy's laughter in her mind, echoing over and over again.
who is he?
Is this her memory, or is it a dream because she wants to understand everything so much?
Luo Siwei tried hard to see the face of the boy in front of her clearly, but she couldn't see it clearly.
The world began to spin, twist, and collapse. She wanted to move her fingers, but her body felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead. She wanted to make a sound, but her mouth was out of control.
Then she heard loud and low laughter, wild, indifferent, sarcastic, cheerful, perverted, hysterical, countless laughs seemed to suddenly explode in her brain.
There was so much laughter mixed together that her head felt like it was going to split.
Luo Siwei felt as if she was being pulled out of the studio.
It was as if there was a light in front of my eyes that was constantly being turned on and off, and everything was flickering.
Her breathing became rapid, her heart beat faster, her body was shaking with something, and then she heard a shrill scream.
Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name: "Luo Siwei..." The voice seemed far away in the sky, yet seemed close to her ears.
Then the whole world became quiet.
The dream becomes long.
Her heartbeat gradually returned to normal.
Luo Siwei felt safe.
She tried to raise her eyelashes and found herself lying on a man's back. She didn't even have the strength to open her eyes wide, and could only see a small part in front of her.
That was the man's neck. Her eyelashes trembled slightly. Snow was falling in the sky, and white snowflakes fell on the man's collar.
She just watched the snowflakes falling quietly.
Each petal has a different shape, with six petals, pure white, like beautiful little flowers.
The snowflakes disappeared one by one, melted, and turned into tiny water stains.
Luo Siwei counted quietly, and when she counted the hundredth piece of snow, she was finally able to open her eyes and see everything clearly.
She could hear his heavy breathing. The man seemed to be injured, and red blood dripped down and landed on the white snow, like blooming red plums.
Luo Siwei suddenly discovered that there was a small red mole hidden in the man's hair on his neck.
She repeatedly depicted the position and shape of the red mole in her mind.
Luo Siwei thought, "I can't forget these things when I wake up this time. This person is my savior. If it weren't for him, I might have died long ago."
The dream finally ended.
She opened her eyes, and it took Luo Siwei a moment to realize that she was in bed at home. She heard the sound of the range hood in the kitchen. Luo Siwei checked the meter again, and her temperature had dropped a little, but she still felt a little weak.
She got up with the light coming from the living room, walked all the way to the kitchen, and saw Chi Li's busy figure.
Luo Siwei suddenly had an idea. She stood on tiptoe and looked at Chi Li's neck.
Her heart was pounding, and she was looking forward to the answer.
On Chi Li's neck, at the place in his memory, there is a small red mole.
She had never seen the mole on Chi Li's neck from this angle, and there was no other explanation except that he was the same person as before.
The dream and reality were connected, and at that moment, Luo Siwei seemed to have walked out of a castle that trapped her.
Luo Siwei felt a little guilty.
Why didn't she remember this earlier, why didn't she realize this earlier?
It turns out that the answer has always been by her side, and that person has always been by her side. That's why she has always felt familiar with Chi Li and has an inexplicable liking for him.
That time in the subway was not their first meeting, but their reunion.
She had been rescued by him a long time ago, and without him, she wouldn't be who she is today.
Luo Siwei couldn't help herself, her eyes were filled with tears, and she reached out and hugged Chi Li from behind.
Chi Li did not expect her action. He was wrapped in her arms. He stopped moving and his body paused slightly.
Luo Siwei didn't say anything. She cleared her mind of all distracting thoughts and gently and carefully leaned her head against Chi Li's back. It was the first time she was so close to a man, and she did it actively, without fear or terror.
Just like when she lay on his back in the heavy snow that year.
Chi Li's shoulders were broad and warm, carrying body temperature. She felt she could hear his heartbeat and feel his body moving slightly with his breathing.
The light was on in the kitchen, and the porridge in the pot was bubbling. He had a pleasant smell that allowed her to calm down and think carefully.
She touched him according to her memory, and through the clothes, her fingertips touched a rugged scar under the shirt.
All the details matched.
It was as if a ray of light finally pierced through the dark night.
Luo Siwei's nose felt a little sore, and she asked in a muffled voice: "Chi Li, was it you who rescued me back then?"
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