The Confession of a Tool
As the sun sets and the moon rises, rows of streetlights are gradually lit up, and the long, winding, black Huangpu River flows lonely towards the sea under the illumination of the lights.
On the clock tower of the Racecourse Building, two cleaners wearing white smocks and white hats are looking down at the most bustling streets in Shanghai and the brightly lit Bund. The pedestrians look like ants, and the passing boats look like cute toys.
But Kiyosumi didn't have time to appreciate the night view. After exchanging information with another person, she pushed the garbage cart to the front desk on the second floor. With no one around, Kiyosumi deliberately swept the notebook to the ground while wiping the table.
While bending down to pick up the notebook, I quickly flipped through the account book and finally saw several records of Jenny Zhang. Jenny is Zhang Lulu's English name. This woman has quite a gambling habit, betting hundreds of dollars each time.
The rough voice asking "Who is there?" made Qingcheng's heart skip a beat. There were still people working overtime at the racetrack so late.
Thinking of her current identity, Qingcheng held up the notebook, gesturing and slurring her words as she replied, "Shaorui, Shaorui, the notebook, fell."
"Get out!" As if granted a pardon, Kiyosumi humbly left the scene with her back hunched, but the important data had already been memorized.
Besides checking Zhang Lulu's accounts, she had another important matter to attend to today: dealing with those two men as well. Therefore, she needed to quickly determine her route to the Grand Cinema to meet Gao Junxiao.
Last night, she meticulously planned her escape route using a map. If the search time was within 30 minutes, and she followed Jinlai's route through the west gate, she would have enough time to touch up her makeup. If she exceeded the time limit, she would have to risk entering and exiting through the north gate.
Actually, the Grand Cinema is right across from the Racecourse. If you go out from the nearest North Gate, it only takes three minutes to walk there. However, there are Indians with red heads guarding the North Gate, so I usually enter from the side gate, the West Gate.
Qingcheng glanced at her watch; the minute hand had just passed 3. Today was unusually smooth. Master Qin was also waiting for her at the door. But not long after leaving the racecourse, she wanted to slap herself hard. She shouldn't have gotten so carried away so early. Being followed really didn't feel good.
The most urgent thing now is to shake off those tails behind her. He Qingcheng asked Master Qin to drop her off at the cinema. She quickly glanced at the movie schedule and walked unhurriedly to the ticket counter: "Please give me a ticket for the earliest showing of 'Long Live the Miss'."
After entering the dark theater, she did not sit in her usual seat, but instead sat down near the aisle. After the movie officially started, the two men in black also groped their way into the theater and looked around, but He Qingcheng was nowhere to be seen.
A row of garbage trucks stood in the restroom. Damn, she was really going to have a run-in with the cleaners today. Looking at the work clothes beside her and the large garbage truck big enough to fit a person, He Qingcheng decisively took off her coat…
A moment later, a cleaner came out of the restroom pushing a cleaning cart toward the back door. Suddenly, she was blocked by two men in black. Before she could understand what was happening, her mask was abruptly pulled down. Her wrinkled face and terrified expression proved that she was a member of the working class—an ordinary cleaning lady.
The cleaning lady was so frightened by the two men that she couldn't speak properly: "Grandpa, Grandpa, I...I...I don't know anything at all."
A man grabbed the cleaning lady by the collar menacingly and asked, "Is anyone still inside?"
"No, no, no," the woman replied, her voice still trembling.
"Did anyone leave through the back door?" the man in black asked menacingly.
"No, they're all closed." The woman pointed to the back door, which was now tightly shut, not like someone had left in a hurry.
The two men snorted and released the cleaning lady, then turned to look at the large cleaning truck. It was big enough to fit a whole person. One of them winked at the other, and after searching for a while, all they found was trash. This was unbelievable!
Suddenly, a figure stood up from the pile of fallen leaves in the backyard. Qingcheng spat a few times, brushed the leaves off her body, and jumped down the low wall in one go. Master Qin had been waiting in the back alley for a long time with his rickshaw, and her purse, which she had left at the racetrack before going there, was still on the rickshaw.
Qingcheng, having put her coat back on, patted her sleeves. The fallen leaves from that truck had not only messed up her hair but also made her clothes filthy. Oh well, the most important thing now was to touch up her makeup; no matter how dirty her clothes were, her face couldn't be smudged.
Xu Qiao's henchmen were more troublesome than she had anticipated. Old Qin reminded her in a hoarse voice, "There will be more and more rat tails in the future, so be sure to sprinkle rat poison before you go out. Remember to 'clean up' first thing when you get home every day before doing anything else."
"Do you have to clean every day?" Kiyosumi skillfully applied powder to her face to cover the dark circles under her eyes, then squinted and drew an eyeliner. "It's easy to spread rat poison, but it's too much trouble to collect it."
“Yes, every day, it’s all for your own good,” Old Qin said without room for argument. “If you find it annoying, just clip a hair or something else into the door when you close it. Every day when you come home, check if what you clipped has fallen off, and you’ll know if anyone has been in your room.”
"This method is good. Tell me about any other techniques you may have." Kiyosumi has always been extremely enthusiastic about learning new skills.
"I'm just an old man pulling a cart, I don't have all those fancy tricks up my sleeve. I'll have Jade teach you later." Master Qin left Qingcheng with a glimmer of hope before leaving.
"Okay, thank you, Uncle Qin." Qingcheng closed the powder box, her thoughts returning to the timetable. Ten minutes before entering the theater was the last minute to buy tickets. By the time they came to buy tickets at the last minute, the timetable would have been re-uploaded. She had bought tickets for the 7:30 show, but if they bought tickets then, it would be for the 7:35 show, which was not even in the same theater.
It was simply a matter of time that allowed her to temporarily escape those thugs. And they probably never imagined that she would make a surprise return and find herself back in the movie theater.
When Master Qin brought the glamorous Qingcheng to the cinema's main entrance, Gao Junxiao was already waiting there. Qingcheng flew towards him like a bird released from its cage. At that moment, the man gently touched his hair and took out a leaf. Qingcheng's heart, which had just settled down, jumped again.
"Where did it drift from?" Gao Junxiao said with a smile, casually tossing the leaf on the ground.
The man's nonchalant attitude immediately put Qingcheng at ease, realizing she had been overthinking things: "Maybe. Let's go, it's about to start."
What a piece of trash! A Hollywood blockbuster, huh? You can tell who the killer is from the very beginning. In the darkness, Qingcheng used her peripheral vision to trace Gao Junxiao's outline. He was watching quite intently. Qingcheng yawned, feeling her eyelids getting heavier and heavier...
When she woke up again, Qingcheng and the other person were the only ones left in the entire screening room, and she was still leaning casually on his shoulder. If this were in the countryside, she would most likely have been dragged away by the villagers and thrown into a pig cage.
How embarrassing! How could she just sleep with someone like that? Qingcheng was so embarrassed she couldn't look Gao Junxiao in the eye, wishing she could disappear from the movie theater immediately. Suddenly, a plan to get rid of the embarrassment flashed through her mind, and she nervously raised her hand to check the time. Oh no, the time on Alpha's end was almost out of sync.
Without saying a word, she grabbed Gao Junxiao and ran outside. The two ran all the way to the dock, and then Qingcheng said to the bewildered Gao Junxiao, "Just stand here and don't move. When I wave to you, you wave back, okay?"
“Okay.” Gao Junxiao readily agreed.
Kiyosumi breathed a sigh of relief, tidied her appearance slightly, and then ran to the phone booth diagonally opposite to make a call. A moment later, a foreigner came down from the apartment building; it was Harvey Alfa Pampango.
Harvey was about to give Kiyosumi a kiss on the cheek when Kiyosumi firmly refused: "Alpha, I'm here today to make things clear to you. I already have a lover. He's a traditional Chinese man and can't accept French etiquette. Let's just shake hands from now on."
"Cheng, this isn't true, you're lying to me." Harvey's hurt eyes were like those of an abandoned puppy. Qingcheng felt sorry for him, but she had to harden her heart. She couldn't ruin her friend's future.
“He’s standing right there.” Qingcheng waved to Gao Junxiao, who was diagonally opposite her, and the man waved back as agreed.
“It’s him!” Harvey exclaimed in surprise. “But you’ve only known each other for a short time. We’ve known each other for three years.”
"Love doesn't discriminate based on who came first. Besides, if we're really comparing time, you can't beat him. I met him eight years ago. Although we lost contact for a while, we both felt a strong connection when we met again. We're also well-matched, and our families are already arranging our marriage." Qingcheng's words were a mix of truth and falsehood.
"Cheng, no one in this world will love you more than I do. I'm going to duel him." Harvey angrily unbuttoned his suit jacket.
“Alpha, this is China. There’s no such thing as a duel here. Besides, he could pin you to the ground with just one arm. He’s an officer!” Qingcheng explained patiently.
“I know, I’ve seen him in military uniform, but I still want to try it.” Harvey’s stubbornness left Kiyosumi speechless.
"If you insist on doing this, then I have no choice but to stand in front of him, and let all the weapons come at me." Kiyosumi blocked Harvey's path; if they really met, her plan would be exposed.
“I just want to make sure he loves you.” Harvey pushed Qingcheng aside and shouted loudly at Gao Junxiao, “Mr. Gao, do you remember me? We met at the jewelry counter last time.”
Gao Junxiao, unaware of Qingcheng's plan, naturally greeted Harvey: "I remember, you are Mr. Harvey."
Seeing that the situation had changed, Qingcheng rushed to Gao Junxiao and whispered to him, "Don't answer any of their questions later, I'll answer them."
Gao Junxiao nodded in confusion, his deep eyes flashing with light, as if he were pondering a way to deal with the situation.
"Mr. Gao, do you love this lady?" Harvey asked aggressively, hands on his hips.
Qingcheng quickly stepped between the two, pulled Harvey apart, and softly advised, "Alpha, we Chinese never talk about love. There are differences between Chinese and European cultures. Don't pressure him, or I'll get angry."
But Kiyosumi underestimated the men's fighting spirit. Harvey, his neck red, continued to provoke him: "Mr. Gao, please stand up like a man and face me, then answer me: do you love this lady?"
Seeing that Gao Junxiao's eyes were also starting to burn with anger, Qingcheng steeled her heart and suddenly hugged Gao Junxiao. She felt the man's body stiffen, but she was still in the act, so she could only suppress her laughter and lean on his shoulder: "I'm sorry for getting you into this trouble. You should break off the engagement when you get back and find a gentle and virtuous woman to live a good life with."
The evening breeze blew past the two of them, and the man's chest began to vibrate. His deep voice came through the air: "Silly girl, you've said all the nice things. I'm not in a hurry to get married, unless it's you. I don't want to share the details with outsiders and cause jealousy, but I have to give others an explanation."
“Mr. Harvey, if you consider yourself a man, don’t put Qingcheng in a difficult position. You’re acting like a childish and unreasonable person. If it were me, I would only wish her happiness, no matter who she’s with.” Gao Junxiao’s high-sounding words seemed to have hit Harvey’s sore spot.
After a long silence, Harvey asked, "Do you know what her favorite fruit is?"
Just as Qingcheng was about to look up and answer, Gao Junxiao pressed her back down. He stroked Qingcheng's hair as he said, "There's no point in asking this kind of question. The fruits she likes don't even exist in Europe. What you think she likes to eat is just a second-best choice for her."
"Do you know what she won't eat?" Harvey asked, still not giving up.
Gao Junxiao seemed to recall something happy: "Qingcheng is never picky about food. She'll eat anything as long as it's delicious. If it's not tasty, she'll throw it away even if I cooked it. You need to figure out whether it's the cook's problem or Qingcheng's problem."
Hey! Bringing up old grudges from so many years ago, this man is so vindictive. Back then, she was young and naive, never having experienced hunger. Later, when she learned what hunger felt like, she discovered that when you're starving, you'll eat anything.
Just as she was about to defend herself, Gao Junxiao whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Hold on a bit, let me do it."
Kiyosumi couldn't see his expression, but judging from his confident tone, she decided to trust him this time. Since she had already dragged him into this mess, she had to get rid of at least one burden today.
“How can you prove you love her more than I do?” Harvey regained his voice.
"I really can't prove it to you right now. How about we get married and you move next door to us and observe and record it every day?" Gao Junxiao's suggestion was too sarcastic. Qingcheng could imagine the smug look on his face. Harvey was no match for him when it came to verbal sparring.
"Can you take good care of her?" Harvey's voice was full of grievance. Kiyosumi closed her eyes and tried to convince herself that she couldn't be soft-hearted. Harvey was a good person. She had to cut the Gordian knot and not give him any response.
"Of course, we're of one mind. Her happiness is my happiness, and her sadness is my sadness," Gao Junxiao assured him.
“I believe you.” Harvey turned to Kiyosumi and said, “Kiyosumi, if you ever stop loving him or get angry with him, please write to me.”
With a sigh, Kiyosumi turned to face Harvey and replied earnestly, "Okay." Looking at Harvey's melancholy figure, her tongue went numb, and she couldn't utter any more words.
It's so hard to say no! But once you do, you can't help feeling guilty. Humans are such contradictory beings.
"It's Qingcheng's good fortune to have such a good friend like you. I wish you happiness soon too." Gao Junxiao stepped forward and made a gesture to shake hands to show goodwill. Harvey hesitated for a moment but still awkwardly shook hands with him.
The purple clouds on the horizon swayed leisurely, and the moon was hidden behind the clouds, its true face obscured. In order to prevent Harvey from discovering their secret, Qingcheng chose to get into Gao Junxiao's car and leave the dock, pretending to be affectionate.
Just like before, Gao Junxiao left Qingcheng at Fuxing Park and let her go back by herself.
"Wait a minute, I also have something to tell you." Kiyosumi unbuckled her seatbelt but did not leave.
"No need for thanks."
"Thank you for your help. I'm so lucky to have a friend like you. I hope you can also find a virtuous wife, have a harmonious marriage, and grow old together in love." Kiyosumi expressed her refusal tactfully, feeling that she didn't need to be as direct with her compatriots as she was with foreigners.
"I think I've found her, but she's not very traditional, and she's a little liar who's always lying." Gao Junxiao pretended not to understand, and then teased Qingcheng.
"Then why are you still looking for her? What's your motive?" Qingcheng asked, puzzled.
"Is it okay if I just like her because she's pretty?" Gao Junxiao's answer was so simple that Qingcheng didn't know how to respond. There are plenty of good-looking people out there, why would she choose her?
“I was originally thinking of taking it slow, watching a few movies first, then going shopping, then taking photos together, then meeting each other’s parents, and setting a wedding date. That would be about it. But I think we should go straight to the end so you don’t fall asleep in the middle.” Gao Junxiao teased Qingcheng again.
"I have no plans to get married anytime soon." Kiyosumi realized that she should be more straightforward with men, otherwise they wouldn't understand.
“As I said before, I’m not in a hurry to get married, unless it’s you,” Gao Junxiao said in a more practical way.
“Your thinking should be more mature than Harvey’s. You should think carefully about the pros and cons and make up your mind before saying this.” Kiyosumi rolled her eyes at him, opened the door and got out of the car.
To match Qingcheng's pace, Gao Junxiao deliberately drove extremely slowly: "Before today, I wasn't 100% sure, but now I'm certain of your feelings."
The man spoke in a roundabout way, and seeing that Qingcheng ignored him, he said goodbye and left.
"You're crazy!" Qingcheng cursed in the direction the man left. "Sigh, I have to clean up when I get back."
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