Chapter 7: Recognize Your Identity
For a moment, he even began to doubt whether he was wrong to treat Su Nian as a substitute. Su Nian was a living, independent individual with his own thoughts, but he was treating him as another person. Was this really fair to Su Nian?
Self-doubt surged over him like a tide, and Ling Shen's fingertips unconsciously caressed the rim of the cup, leaving a wet trail. The air conditioning blew across his neck, but it couldn't dispel the bitterness churning in his heart.
When Su Nian bent down to organize the bookshelf, the back under the light gray sweater was thin and straight, overlapping and separating with the person in her memory - the same thin figure, but with completely different temperature.
Suddenly, the sound of children chasing each other echoed outside the bookstore, their shrill voices piercing the stagnant air. Ling Shen came back to his senses as if waking from a dream. In the reflection of the glass, Su Nian was wiping the coffee machine, her eyelashes casting fan-shaped shadows under her eyes.
The warm steam enshrouded the young man's lowered brows as he poured milk into the jug gently and attentively.
Ling Shen lifted the cup, the rich aroma of milk, tinged with bitterness, bursting into his mouth. He gritted his teeth, digging his nails into his palms, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.
The coffee machine hummed rhythmically, weaving a tight, airtight web. He was right; he and Su Nian were simply getting what they needed.
Ling Shen's Adam's apple rolled. He had helped Su Nian solve the problem, and all Su Nian needed to do was act out the role at the appropriate time. Yes, that's it. Ling Shen kept comforting himself in his heart, his nails scraping against the wall of the cup.
What he should be thinking about is the person on the other side of the ocean, Jiang Yi who pulled him out of the pit, not Su Nian who suddenly appeared.
Thinking this, Ling Shen downed the coffee in his cup in one gulp, the bitter aftertaste burning his throat. The porcelain cup clattered heavily against the wooden tabletop, startling a sparrow that had landed on the windowsill.
When he looked at Su Nian again, his eyes had returned to their previous calmness, but when the young man turned around, he subconsciously turned away, unwilling to look directly into those eyes that seemed to be soaked in moonlight.
Su Nian was unaware of Ling Shen's inner struggle. The steam from the coffee machine blurred his glasses, and the metal spoon made a clinking sound as it stirred the syrup. He wiped the countertop with swift movements and sealed the remaining coffee beans for safekeeping.
The wind chimes of the glass door rang softly for the last time. After seeing off the last customer in the store, Su Nian took off her apron stained with milk foam. The red marks on her neck had not yet faded.
He flipped over the wooden sign that read "Closed." The warm yellow light cast a hazy glow on the frosted glass. As he turned, the cookies on the porcelain plate were still steaming. The sweet aroma of butter and caramel, wrapped in the richness of coffee, permeated the small bar space.
Su Nian gently pushed the plate in front of Ling Shen, and the bone china made a crisp sound when it collided with the marble countertop.
"Try it and see if it suits your taste." Su Nian gently pushed the cookie plate in front of Ling Shen, and picked up the latte in front of him. The cinnamon powder on the milk foam still exuded a warm aroma.
The smile in the corners of his eyes had not yet completely disappeared. He looked tired from seeing off the guests, but still looked gentle.
However, Ling Shen's eyes did not fall on the cookies with slightly burnt edges. His slender fingers took the contract that Su Nian had placed aside and slowly unfolded it on the table.
The slight sound of paper rubbing against each other was particularly clear in the quiet bar. "Have you read the contract?"
Su Nian paused noticeably as he held the coffee cup. The smile in his eyes gradually faded, and he gently placed the cup on the coaster, making a slight sound.
With his hands clasped on the edge of the table, he leaned forward slightly, looking at the man opposite him with a bit of inquiry and curiosity.
"I'm curious, why are you helping me? Would a businessman like you do business that loses money?"
Ling Shen's eyes remained motionless, like the surface of a lake covered in a thin layer of ice, devoid of any emotion. His fingertips tapped gently on the edge of the contract, a rhythm that was even but carried an invisible pressure.
"I told you, you don't need to know. This contract is beneficial to you and has no disadvantages. Of course, if you don't want to, I won't force you."
After a pause, he added, "As for the money I'm giving you, just think of it as a loan from me." Every word he said was clear and calm, and his tone was completely businesslike, without a trace of personal emotion.
The coffee on the table gradually cooled down, and the sweet aroma of the cookies seemed out of place in this strange atmosphere.
Su Nian ignored Ling Shen's indifference and simply gave him a deep look. She took the pen from him and flipped to the last page of the contract. With a flick of her wrist, the words "Su Nian" (like a silver dragon) appeared alongside Ling Shen's name.
Watching Su Nian write his name without any hesitation, Ling Shen's tense back finally relaxed until the familiar handwriting on the contract dried completely.
"You don't need to change anything. I'll call you when I need you. Su Nian, remember your identity and put yourself in your place. We are just in a contractual relationship."
The leather chair made a slight friction sound. When the man stood up, the hem of his suit brushed against the coffee cup on the corner of the table, leaving a fleeting shadow on the wall of the cup.
As the glass door opened and closed, the chill of winter wind, carrying the trembling of copper bells, rushed into the room. Su Nian watched Ling Shen's receding black figure overlap with the mottled shadows of the sycamore trees at the alley entrance.
The two names placed side by side on the contract spread out before him each had their own unique character. Su Nian reached out and gently stroked them, "Yes, each taking what he needed."
A piece of paper agreement did not change the trajectory of Su Nian's life. The alarm clock at 5:30 in the morning pierced the mist on time. As usual, he walked through the attic full of old books, stepped on the creaking wooden stairs, and began to wipe the bookshelves that showed traces of time.
The only thing that changed was that Ling Shen hadn't been here for a long time, as if he had never appeared.
Regular bookstore customers would inadvertently glance at that empty spot. A college student with dreadlocks, clutching a stack of mystery novels, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Boss Su, was your mysterious customer abducted by aliens?"
The little girl holding a stuffed doll stood on tiptoe on the counter and asked in a baby voice, "Brother, why doesn't that handsome uncle come to listen to stories anymore?" Su Nian just tapped the counter lightly with a yellowed bookmark, showing a business smile, but never answered.
The phone screen suddenly lit up in the dim bookstore, and Su Nian paused, her fingers suspended in mid-air. The text message from the unfamiliar number succinctly stated the location and time: WE BAR, 8 PM.
Snowflakes pattered against the glass windows, blurring the neon signs into blurry spots of light. Christmas carols drifted across the streets. Su Nian raised her lips and said, "It's Christmas, isn't it?"
Su Nian hung Christmas decorations all over the bookstore. The warm yellow wall lamps lengthened his shadow, overlapping with the golden bells and red bow decorations wrapped around the wall.
The hour hand and minute hand were about to overlap at the number 8, and Su Nian turned off the last elk-shaped night light.
The navy blue windbreaker wrapped tightly around his frail figure. The scars on his forearms flashed by in the flickering lights. Su Nian wrapped his clothes tightly around him and slowly walked towards the destination indicated by the message.
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