I am cold-hearted by nature
It was a June dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun still blinding. It was the aftermath of a heavy rain, and the entire city sparkled, akin to a rebirth. A young man on a motorcycle felt lost in thought, believing it was still morning, his newly awakened mind yearning for the softness of his bed. The green light at the intersection flickered, horns began to honk, and the bustling streets before him paused for a fleeting sixty seconds, during which nothing happened.
Noisy, restless, hopeless.
His heart felt empty. Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket, stopping for a moment before starting again. He guessed the caller was either his mother or his only friend. Others called this friend his lackey. If it weren't for the other person's lingering presence, he wouldn't have any friends at all. Because he didn't need any.
He is cold-hearted by nature.
Ever since he began to understand things—around kindergarten age—his mother often complained to the family behind his back, saying that he seemed truly emotionless. He was so young, yet he didn't cling to his mother or his father, and could live on his own without anyone, without crying or making a fuss, and without needing anything. He would refuse anything a child was supposed to like, and he didn't care about anyone's feelings for him.
He is cold-hearted by nature, and will surely suffer if he benefits others. This was the fortune predicted for him by a great monk from the nationally famous Jiuling Peak. He was even younger at the time, probably just one year old. Hui Zifeng would occasionally flip through the photo with the great monk, and hatred would arise in his heart, which had never desired anything. What great monk? He looked like just an ordinary person, how could he have the heart to say such words to a child? And what was the result? His name was given by this stranger, and his family was afraid that he would die. The excessive care made him feel that he would let them down if he disobeyed. Although his father firmly said that he did not believe it, he secretly hid in the office and prayed to Buddha - asking a craftsman to bless his only child with health and longevity. It was terrifying that a single word from the great monk changed the way a family lived.
Would his life have been different if the monk hadn't said those words? There was no way to know the answer now. He would live with this curse for the rest of his life.
Zifeng parked the car on the side of the road, took out his cell phone and saw that it was his former roommate Song Shiwen.
When the call was connected, the other party said, "Lao Hui, there's a beautiful girl looking for you at the west gate of the school. Come over quickly."
"Why are you looking for me? Don't look for me. Bye." Hui Zifeng hung up the phone gently. Another new call came in, this time it was his mother.
"Son, are you going home today?"
Where are you going back to? An overnight flight across half of China? Why do you always say such idiotic things?
"No, I still have classes."
He was actually lying. His mother understood, too; there was no point in exposing him. Without further ado, she told him about the exhibition next month. The painter was a disciple of a renowned artist, gifted and renowned, yet for thirty years, he'd been known only by the public. I heard he'd followed his master's instructions, concentrating on painting and honing his skills until he was forty, never to reveal his talent. This was his first time meeting with industry insiders since becoming his apprentice, and the scale of the event was unimaginable. Status, not price, was the barrier to entry.
"Thank you, Mom." Only his parents' connections could have helped him get this opportunity. Hui Zifeng was grateful to his mother from the bottom of his heart, but the thanks he said sounded emotionless, not even a hint of joy. Despite this, his mother on the other end of the line was overjoyed and ran to show off to her family before she could even hang up. Hui Zifeng sighed softly and put his phone away. Suddenly, he noticed someone was looking at him. Looking up, he saw the face of a girl about fifteen or sixteen, staring at him.
Hui Zifeng almost fell off the bike and said in a slightly unhappy tone, "What are you doing?"
"Lao Hui!" At this time, several people came out from a nearby alley. They were Hui Zifeng's college classmates. One of them kindly told him something, "Lao Hui, there's a girl looking for you at the school gate!"
"Beautiful girl! You're my type!"
"Why are you looking for me? Why are you looking for me again?" Hui Zifeng's first reaction wasn't to question who was looking for him, but what they were looking for. He didn't care about anyone at school. The girl in front of him turned to look at the other students when they called out to him. The students, thinking Hui Zifeng was flirting with younger girls, watched the two of them furtively with gossipy eyes, pushing each other and forcing themselves into the nearby shop.
Hui Zifeng glanced at the time and thought, "Oh no! I'm going to be late!" He didn't care about the inexplicable girl and rudely drove her away. He quickly started the electric bike and rushed forward. Amid the shouts of street vendors, the fragrance of fruits, flowers and the hustle and bustle of life, he hurriedly drove past, and finally delivered the takeaway to the customer at the last minute of the deadline.
One last order! Great! Hui Zifeng double-checked the address, smirking and mumbling a curse under his breath, then angrily turned the car around and headed for the final destination in the summer breeze. His mood inexplicably brightened, perhaps because he was going to see someone who could relax him, or perhaps because he saw hope that a missing piece of his soul could be mended.
The road was a bit difficult to navigate. As we moved further away from the city center, the buildings on either side gradually became lower. The distant wind suddenly blew against my face, carrying with it the distinct scent of a certain place. Hui Zifeng knew from the scent that it was less than ten minutes' drive away. Unfortunately, the road ahead was under construction, and even walking wasn't allowed, let alone motorcycling.
Taking a detour would have added thirty minutes. Going through the winding alleys and passing a rice paddy would have taken twenty minutes to reach the destination. Hui Zifeng made a quick decision, abandoned the car, and prepared to embark on a unique challenge one summer day.
South Chongning Street was once a poor settlement of small mud houses, while North Chongning Street is now a prosperous and affluent neighborhood. The two areas are separated only by a dry river, with a bridge over it called the "Windless Bridge." A hundred years ago, this river was a veritable river, flowing into the Yangtze River. Today, it has a beginning and an end, but without water, it resembles more like the ruins of a building. South Chongning Street and this river have been developed numerous times, but ultimately abandoned. Some believe this land is a feng shui treasure, while others believe it should be treated like a Buddha statue, and shouldn't be touched lightly, lest it bring misfortune. In the scientific age, ominous events have become more common, and even skeptics have become convinced, gradually moving away from South Chongning Street.
At night, when the lights come on, the ominous feeling becomes even more profound. Simply because the north is more prosperous than the south, with brighter and more numerous lights, it's as if the heavens have tilted the scales in favor of the rich and the poor, chilling the hearts of those in the north.
At the west corner at the end of South Chongning Street stands the largest shop, a two-story house in a vintage Chinese style. Though built fifty years ago and renovated two years ago, it exudes a sense of timeless elegance. The heavy gate carries a weighty mission, while the intricate floral carvings embody the leisurely elegance of a "tiger sniffing a rose." The glow from the silk lanterns is a deep crimson, and with the windows open at the back, one can almost see Li Bai, his reflection, and three of them, drinking and composing poetry. Sometimes, passersby feel as if time has been lost, believing the gates hold memories from thousands of years past.
The two stone lions in front of the gate were a bit less impressive, completely out of place with the overall atmosphere of the house. One was missing half an ear, the other had three cracks on its body, and its eyes were dull, lacking the traditional aesthetic requirements for guarding stone lions.
"Seven o'clock!" A lazy voice came from behind the half-open wooden door. The dim yellow light softened his sharp eyes. The man was dressed in a neat white suit with black stripes and a white shirt, with the collar slightly open. His height was significantly taller than that of an average person, but leaning against the nearly three-meter-high door, the door's size seemed less exaggerated.
Passing tourists couldn't help but stop and marvel, wondering what kind of family could someone look like this? Could they be a celebrity or a robot? There's a robot gathering place across the street, and the real feeling is really scary.
The man stared at the two girls who were walking towards him, and successfully scared away the customers who were attracted by his beauty and wanted to spend money.
"This is not a tourist attraction. Go back, turn left, cross the bridge, and that's Bei Chongning Street." The man had no ill intentions, but one of the girls turned around hurriedly after hearing this and obediently followed the instructions. But looking closely at her expression, she seemed to be almost scared to tears, and she vowed never to come to this place again.
"It's really eerie. People on the Internet say that this place used to be a mass grave, and it seems to be true. The people here are not very kind!" The two girls cried and ran away quickly.
The man at the door had a fierce look, all thanks to those eyes. The chill of a tragic era converged in those two holes, as if the chill of countless winters had originated there. He was aware of the impact he had had on the girl, but he felt no regret.
With a "slap" sound, the man was hit on the back of the head with a fly swatter. Of course, the person who hit him was jumping up.
"Just stay with these two stone lions on the night shift! Let me ask you, did you just break that box of assorted cloud fairy mirrors in the storage room? Are you done with the work? What the hell is this account you're keeping? Did I invite you here just to cause trouble? Where's my dinner? Where's my dinner? Why didn't you make dinner?"
Faced with the lady's aggressiveness, the man was slightly disgusted and dodged physically, saying with a playful smile on his face, "Boss, don't worry, the dinner prepared for you will be here soon."
He glanced at the little man on the phone again, who was moving towards him very slowly. He couldn't help complaining in his heart, what kind of trick is he doing again? It's better not to ask me to save you!
Faced with numerous inquiries from her boss, the man only answered questions about dinner, leaving her a headache. She regretted her decision countless times and wanted to fire him countless times, but she couldn't resist his offer of "no pay" and "fulfillment of any work needs." More importantly, he was a pleasant employee. She had always been alone, and Shuixi was her first employee. She had once doubted Shuixi's intentions, but later realized he seemed genuinely just looking for a place to stay, so she kindly allowed him to sleep in the shop.
Ming Yan recalled the scene of her first meeting with Shui Xi: It was an autumn evening, a torrential downpour had just fallen, with constant thunder and lightning, and the streets were almost deserted. The shops on the street had all closed early. Ming Yan, holding a cat in her arms, walked to the door, hesitated for a long time, and finally decided to go to bed early. It was so late, as if she didn't know who she was waiting for, constantly hoping that someone would come in. Just as she was about to close the door, a wet hand blocked it, and then a young, water-dwelling face, with a sly smile, begged the shop owner to let her in to avoid the rain.
"I still like you when you're weak and helpless." Ming Yan, holding a feather duster in his hand, acted like a girl, acting like a spoiled child, and hinted, "I wish you were a puppy."
This was a blatant teasing. Ming Yan loved this kind of trick the most. Shuixi had suffered a loss once before and did not dare to resist.
Shuixi silently plugged her ears with two fingers, looking both rebellious and obedient. The two of them simultaneously fell silent, holding their breath and listening intently to the sounds on the street, while simultaneously looking out the door.
Not long after, the person who made that sound gradually appeared in the sight of the two.
Hui Zifeng ran towards a stone lion, holding its head, which had lost half its ear, panting. He took out his phone and saw the moving dot slowly approaching him, and he couldn't help but feel happy.
"Brother, here!" The young man on a motorcycle stopped under a street light five meters away from Hui Zifeng, holding a bag of things and motioning the other party to come and take it.
Hui Zifeng was filled with resentment. As he walked, he turned back to check on the situation in the store. Sure enough, he was caught red-handed. Two pairs of eyes stared at him, as if they had seen through a bad guy's trick and were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
After sending the errand boy away, Hui Zifeng walked towards Shuixi as if nothing had happened, extended his hand, and then let go without caring whether the other party caught it or not. Fortunately, Shuixi was agile and avoided the disaster of spilling the boss's dinner.
"What kind of feast is this that you dare ask me to deliver it to you?" Hui Zifeng gave Ming Yan a forced smile, then walked into the inner room without caring that Ming Yan had transformed into a beast behind him and wanted to swallow him in one bite.
"The eldest young master has to hire someone to deliver the food. The eldest young master is really hard-working." Shuixi followed behind and made sarcastic remarks while winking at Ming Yan, meaning "There is delicious food, come and eat it."
"What were you doing over there just now? Are you going to participate in the sports meet?" Ming Yan's attitude towards Hui Zifeng became better as he was about to enjoy the delicious food.
"How do you know? Shuixi tells you everything?"
Ming Yan said in disgust, "Why are you suddenly so angry? Are you jealous?"
"Why should I be jealous? Envious that this lackey is now your lackey? This tea is good."
Shuixi had brewed the tea, having prepared it before Hui Zifeng arrived. She unpacked the food from the bag and arranged it, handing Mingyan chopsticks first, then helping Hui Zifeng pick up chopsticks and placing them beside him. Then she went to get a pot of hot tea. Shuixi had transformed his lackey spirit into a personal servant.
It was rare that Ming Yan cared about Shui Xi and invited him to sit down and eat with him.
Hui Zifeng hid his smile behind his teacup and said, "When have you ever seen him eat a single bite of food? This man is not an ordinary person, he is different from us."
"You're not like us either," Ming Yan responded seriously. "We've got some new stock. Do you want to take a look? Shuixi, take him. Take whatever you like. There's nothing valuable."
This was Ming Yan's second way of paying Shuixi for his work. His friend liked some old paintings collected from the folk, which were generally not worth much.
At the mention of this, Hui Zifeng's pretentious demeanor vanished, his eager eyes looking like a woman waiting for her husband in the moonlight. He solemnly put down his teacup, straightened his clothes, bowed deeply to Ming Yan, and then followed Shui Xi away.
Ming Yan tensed up when he saw him bow. Even with his mouth full, he dared not take a bite. One cheek puffed out, waiting for Hui Zifeng to complete his ritual before daring to chew. How could this boy, barely twenty, have so many feudal ethics? It was as if he'd learned Shui Xi's selfless "dedication" from the same place.
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