7

7

After working so much overtime at the office that I felt like vomiting, and since private companies don't pay overtime, I decided to take my laptop home to work, so I could at least feel more comfortable.

My place is quite remote, and it took me over an hour to get to my station on the subway. Although I rarely get off work on time, it was almost nine o'clock when I got home.

I looked for my key and opened the door. In front of me was a small house of about 50 square meters. The down payment alone had consumed all my savings over the years.

Since I hadn't told her in advance, my mother hadn't cooked. Tired and hungry, I planned to order takeout. But she wouldn't agree, insisting on cooking tomato and egg noodles.

While she was cooking noodles in the kitchen, the TV was on, playing the show she had just been watching, "Art Career." In the screen, a director who had recently become very popular was sitting in the guest seat, chatting face to face with the host.

While cutting the side dishes for the noodles, my mother kept repeating the same old tune, asking me to go on a blind date.

"It turns out she was introduced by a friend of a colleague at work. She's two years younger than you, a nurse at a top-tier hospital, and earns nearly two hundred thousand yuan a year. You should at least make time to meet her this weekend."

"Let's talk about it later. I might have to work overtime again." As usual, I came up with the same old excuse.

"I don't care. You have to go this time. You're already this old. If you keep putting it off..."

My phone rang. It was a call from an unfamiliar number. I wanted to ignore it. Firstly, I was hungry and looking forward to some noodles. Secondly, someone on the screen was just talking about how they first got into the film industry: a short film they shot as a kid with a friend, which unexpectedly went viral when they posted it online in college.

But in the end, I still answered the call while watching TV. It might be a customer's call, and I couldn't ignore it.

"Would you like to chat?" a woman's voice asked politely.

I immediately turned off the speakerphone and, like a firefighter dealing with a sudden burst of explosives, grabbed my phone and ran.

"Who's calling? Where are you going?" My mother poked her head out of the kitchen and looked at me suspiciously.

"Go to the balcony and get some fresh air."

I closed the balcony door tightly before answering the call. "Hello? The signal seemed to be a bit bad just now."

"Can you hear me clearly now?"

The sound was exactly the same as what I had heard on TV. I took the phone to my face and checked it to make sure it wasn't malfunctioning.

"Hello?" The same voice came again.

"Hmm, I can hear you now... How did you get my phone number?"

"I contacted your company and your colleague gave it to me."

I remember hearing in a lecture somewhere that with the advent of the internet, the private information of ordinary people has become almost completely transparent. Well, I'm just a nobody.

"I'm sorry to call you so presumptuously," Li Zitong said, "but I still want to formally apologize for the trouble I caused you last time on the set."

"It's nothing, don't mind it. It's not your fault that something happened. But come to think of it, I wanted to call you too. There was such a commotion on the set last time, I didn't even get to say a word. As for your family, please accept my condolences."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, only the sound of light, steady breathing.

"Thanks for your concern. I'm feeling much better now. I was devastated when I first heard the news, but I've recovered much faster than I expected," she said jokingly. "Maybe I've been through the same thing so many times that I've become somewhat numb."

"You are very strong."

"Perhaps. But, have you heard about this? News spreads much faster than I thought."

"I know a little bit."

"Alas, Li Tianci, that kid, even though he's always been a worry... I never expected that one day I'd be presiding over his funeral."

"Wait, a funeral? The body has been identified?"

"So you didn't know." She finally realized that there was still an information gap between us.

I gave a rough account of what I knew.

"Well, it's probably what you know. But just two days ago, the results of the DNA test finally came out. My father has a younger brother, Li Tianci's uncle. He lives in our hometown and we haven't been in touch for many years. He cooperated with the police in the test. The results proved that the body in the old house is indeed related to him."

I didn't know what to say, so I just kept repeating polite words like "My condolences." Li Zitong politely responded to my calls, but he didn't hang up.

Suddenly realizing something, I frowned. There had to be something more to her call.

"Actually, I have a personal favor to ask you." She really spoke.

"I must help Director Li."

It's so strange. How can a small person like me help her?

"Don't be so sure." She paused. "Let me ask you a more personal question first. Are you in a stable relationship now?"

"I would like to have one."

A man who has a mortgage of several million yuan and lives in a palm-sized house with his depressed mother is most likely to be rejected from the beginning in Shanghai's marriage and dating circles.

"That's great. In other words, if I borrow you as my boyfriend for two or three days, no one should object, right?"

After a long silence, I managed to regain my composure and said, "That's a pretty average joke."

"Um, sorry, don't misunderstand me. I'm seriously asking for your help. How about I put it more formally? My brother's funeral is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, and he'll be buried next to my parents' cemetery in Chengguan City. I absolutely have to be there, and I need someone to pretend to be my boyfriend."

"Is this necessary?" I was deeply confused.

"Generally speaking, no. But remember that uncle I mentioned earlier? I couldn't leave, so I reported to the Chengguan City police station last week, intending to collect my brother's belongings and apply for a death certificate. The officer there told me that Li Tianci's belongings, including house keys, bank cards, property ownership certificates, household registration books, and the like, had been taken away by my second uncle during the DNA test. I called to ask for them back, and we had a bit of a verbal altercation."

"No way," I was so shocked that I could hardly speak. "That's a real haunted house. Someone wants to rob it?"

"Time has changed, and housing prices have skyrocketed, even in our small, third-tier city. My house happens to be in the school district, and prices have risen to a point where even respectable people would whistle. And it's not just my second uncle's family. I recently learned that I have so many distant relatives in this world, popping up one after another like potatoes in a field. They all clamor to attend the funeral, and no one seems to consider that adopted daughters have any inheritance rights."

"The world is going downhill."

"Those guys acted with impunity. I ignored most of the harassing calls, but my phone was practically flooded with spam. My second uncle, in particular, is hardly the type to describe him as 'civilized.' I wouldn't be surprised if a fight broke out at the funeral."

I sighed, "That's why you need help."

"Yeah, but it's my brother's funeral, and I don't want to make it look awkward by bringing a bunch of burly bodyguards in black suits. Bringing my boyfriend is perfectly normal."

"I understand what you're saying." I measured the thickness of my wrist with my eyes. "But when it comes to fighting, I'm a novice. Like you said, you could just find a burly bodyguard in a black suit to pretend to be your boyfriend."

"No, that doesn't suit my aesthetic."

I couldn't help but smile silently.

"Does Tianmei Group know? They want to treat me to a meal next week. If you're willing to do me a favor, I can bring you along, pretend to be your boyfriend once again, and talk directly to the CEO there."

Honestly, I was thrilled. A client of this caliber was something even our general manager could only dream of.

"Hey, this is a clearance sale!" She mimicked the tone of a TV commercial. "Being the boyfriend of a popular female director for a day, plus a major business partnership opportunity, all bundled together for free! What are you still waiting for?"

I finally laughed out loud, then forced myself to hold it back and said seriously, "But like you said, everyone is scrambling to do this kind of thing. There's really no need to come to me, right?"

Li Zitong fell silent, then adopted a pitiful tone. "I know completely that it's wrong to ask you for help like this, and I'm sorry to bother you. But apart from you, I have no one else to ask for help, and you're the only one who knows my past and present well. I'm too embarrassed to ask anyone else."

Things became simpler, and there were two choices before her. One was the smart one, saying that she was going on a blind date the day after tomorrow. The other was the foolish one, continuing the conversation with her.

I sighed. Let's not kid ourselves, there's only one answer.

After hanging up the phone, I returned to the living room and found that the noodles, which had fully absorbed the soup, had clumped into a ball.

"Who was the woman who called just now?" asked the mother.

"A friend." I pulled out a chair and ate noodles.

"How old are you, what do you do, and are you still single?"

I didn't answer and looked at the TV which was still playing "Art Career".

My mother also took a look, squinting her slightly presbyopic eyes, "That female guest looks a bit like that girl, the one you and I got into trouble with when we were kids. What was her name..."

Facing the camera, Li Zitong seemed to want to create a cold and intellectual personality. He looked solemn when speaking, without a trace of smile.

The atmosphere of the interview program was reaching a climax. It seemed to be a discussion about art, but in reality it had already turned into a hunt, with the host using rhetoric to force the target into a private corner. He gave a sly smile, "In your daily life, what kind of people do you like to spend time with?"

"Getting along with people is too much trouble. I won't take the initiative to chat or meet anyone unless it's necessary." Li Zitong avoided the topic and gave a flattering answer, "I prefer raising dogs. Dogs are very well-behaved. I recommend you try raising a few."

Only when she said this, a barely perceptible sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.

I thought Li Zitong would take the high-speed train back with me, but she wasn't in Shanghai at all. She booked my ticket in advance and arranged to meet me at the high-speed train station in her hometown on the day of the funeral.

It's been a while since I've been back to visit my father. There's no particular reason, I just got so busy I forgot. I calculated the time and figured I'd still have time to go back to Shanghai on Sunday night, so I called him to let him know I was going back and bought two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes for my travel bag.

Early Saturday morning, I boarded the high-speed train, panting heavily, feeling groggy but unable to sleep. It took five hours to reach my destination.

At the exit, I spotted Li Zitong's slender figure from a distance outside the railings and quickened my pace to meet her. I was only two steps away from reaching her when someone grabbed my shoulder.

Turning back, I saw a familiar face, as rough as bark. But it was noticeably different from when I'd seen it a few years before. His hair was half-gray, like a frosted lawn. His beard was unshaven, his cheeks were thin, and perhaps because of the lighting, his eye sockets seemed deeper than before.

"Didn't you see your dad?" he asked unhappily.

"Why are you here?" I asked in surprise.

"You little brat, didn't you say you wanted to come back? It's been so many years, and you never thought of coming back to visit."

"Um, I've been a bit busy... But you don't need to pick me up at the station. I'm an adult now. Besides, I didn't tell you the train number, did I?"

"What kind of international metropolis do you think we are? There's only one high-speed train from Shanghai a day. Oh, I didn't come here on purpose to pick you up. I just happened to be passing by on my way out for a stroll this morning."

He finally noticed Li Zitong who had stopped beside me and narrowed his eyes. "Who is this?"

I felt a little embarrassed. For some reason, I remembered the time in high school when Li Zitong and I bumped into our homeroom teacher at the cinema entrance. "Oh, she's that one, my friend, Li..."

"Hello, uncle!" Li Zitong interrupted me and bowed deeply. "I'm... Ajie's friend. I often hear him mention you..."

I was shocked by her reaction. It was just a self-introduction, was there any need to be so shy and bashful?

"Oh, oh, oh!" My father looked slightly surprised, looking at us alternately, then burst into laughter and slapped me on the back of the head. "You little bastard, why didn't you tell me earlier? Just tell me why you came back to see me for no reason."

My face flushed, "Don't talk nonsense, it's not like that..."

"Okay, okay, I know," my father said perfunctorily, but he ignored me and turned to talk to Li Zitong, asking about her age, her job, and where she was from. His attitude was kind and gentle, the first time I had ever heard him speak like that.

Li Zitong lowered her head, seemingly too shy to form complete sentences, only responding with a "hmm." Her father, however, grew increasingly animated. With her hands behind her back, she tapped the jeweled face of her "Blue Balloon" watch with a movement only visible from my perspective.

I understood what he meant. If we continued like this, we would miss the funeral. I quickly told my father that we had somewhere to go in the morning and we could talk after we were done.

My father looked unhappy and asked if he could borrow a car from the bureau to take us there. I quickly declined, saying the place was very close.

Li Zitong and I got into an empty taxi waiting in line at the exit. I saw my father waving at me through the window, shouting, "Come back for dinner tonight. I'll book a good restaurant!"

After the car started, I apologized to Li Zitong for my father's misunderstanding.

"I don't mind at all. It's quite interesting," she said with a smile.

"But why did you stop me from revealing my real name to him?" I couldn't help but ask. With the media's coverage, the story of renowned director Li Zitong was already widely known, and there was no need to hide it.

"Well, I don't know why, I just did it subconsciously." She stuck out her tongue. "Maybe I'm still subconsciously afraid of him?"

"Are you afraid of my dad?" I asked curiously.

Li Zitong nodded solemnly. "When I was in high school, I went to the interrogation room several times because of cases, and he was there too."

"Oh..." I wanted to make a joke to ease the awkwardness, "Well, there's no need to be afraid now. He retired a long time ago and is now just an ordinary old man who plays chess and drinks tea everywhere."

She was stunned. "Retired? But two years ago, he even approached the film and television company and wanted me to cooperate with the investigation."

"Hey, did he see you?"

"No, I was abroad at the time and only heard about it long after I returned."

Two years ago—I felt something was terribly wrong. Eight years ago, my father had retired due to a work-related injury. Why was he still investigating the case, and why was he still targeting Li Zitong? And as far as I knew, he wasn't directly responsible for the "videotape" case.

"What's wrong?" Li Zitong asked, noticing that something was wrong with my expression.

I put on a fake smile and shook my head, "It's okay."

Maybe my acting wasn't up to par in the eyes of a famous director. After that, no one spoke in the car. The taxi drove quietly to the funeral home on the outskirts of the city.

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