Chapter 18
"Take off your shirt."
Qi Yaoguang turned around in surprise. He had retrieved all the things he had left in the construction site dormitory intact, and he was now squatting on the floor slowly tidying them up.
"No, it's only been a month since I last saw you, you don't need to be so desperate, do you?"
He continued his usual banter with her, but Gu Mengzhu didn't laugh and calmly explained:
"I see you have a wound on the back of your neck, so I'll apply some medicine for you. If you think you can manage, there's a big vanity mirror over there; you can apply it yourself while looking in it."
After saying that, she threw the ointment aside and was about to leave when she was called back:
"I can't handle it, thank you."
Qi Yaoguang, with his back to her, slowly lifted his shirt with his right hand. Moving one hand was always difficult, and noticing the person approaching behind him, he slightly turned his head and chuckled. His back did indeed have many wounds; dark purple bruises and scabbed pale pink scars intertwined, like two crawling snakes. Gu Mengzhu unscrewed the cap of the ointment, squeezed a little onto her finger, and applied it to the wounds.
A sudden surge of heat rose up his back.
Her fingers spun clockwise, burning his wounds with a agonizing intensity. The heat spread to his limbs, gradually coursing through his body, and his face flushed red from the heat. Her hand slowly moved downwards, tracing his protruding spine, sprinkling scalding flames bit by bit. He shuddered involuntarily, and Gu Mengzhu froze:
"What's wrong? Does it hurt?"
"No, it's itchy."
He felt his heart pounding slightly in his chest, cleared his parched throat, suppressed the itch in his throat, and lied in a low voice without changing his expression. She said "Oh," and squeezed a dollop of ointment onto her hand:
"I can be gentler on pain, but there's nothing I can do about itchiness. Just bear with it."
She applied a little force to spread the ointment evenly, and Qi Yaoguang felt the skin against his fingertips growing increasingly hot. His ears became very hot, as if they were about to steam, but the person beside him was completely unaware, allowing him a small moment of relaxation. His sudden, unusual thoughts, and the rapidly beating heartbeat, were all well hidden, kept from being noticed or exposed. He could even conceal the impending embarrassment in advance. It must be said, his acting skills were far superior to before.
This interlude passed quickly, and unsurprisingly, Qi Yaoguang moved back in. Everything seemed to return to normal, and life went on uneventfully. He ultimately didn't go back to the fruit shop; he was afraid of being beaten to death by Sister Fang. So, he stayed in his rented room, recuperating from his injuries while diligently looking for work. Gu Mengzhu, on the other hand, deposited every penny he earned into the bank.
Qi Yaoguang became more ambitious and diligent. During his recovery, he always hoped that the two of them could return to the way they were before. However, unknowingly, both of them changed. The talkative and playful person became him, while she became increasingly taciturn. All the tricks he played in front of her, whether frivolous or serious, left her unmoved. It was as if his attempts at humor were nothing more than a child's tantrums to get an adult's attention—childish and annoying. He returned as he wished, but he could no longer find that familiar ease. As if verifying the madman's poem: "When you look at me, I am far away; when you look at the clouds, I am near" (Gu Cheng, "Far and Near"), he unilaterally became the most familiar stranger to her.
Just as Gu Mengzhu brought the lean pork and watercress soup to the table, Qi Yaoguang returned from outside. He had found a part-time job at the amusement park and rushed back for lunch. He was in a hurry, sweat beading on his forehead. She glanced up at him, her expression unreadable, said "Let's eat," and went back to the kitchen to wash her hands. He burst in excitedly, his eyebrows raised high, and shouted to her:
"The supermarket has free cakes, hurry up!"
She turned off the tap, gave a soft "hmm," and looked at him with a blank, indifferent gaze. Seeing that she was almost unmoved, his excellent mood plummeted, crashing heavily into the ground. Qi Yaoguang lowered his eyes, completely losing his appetite.
He can't take it anymore.
No one had ever told him that the woman in front of him was especially ruthless when it came to being heartless.
On a weekday, Gu Mengzhu sat at the shop entrance trimming the leaves of tangerines. The sunlight warmed her, making her feel cozy. Chen Luo popped a cherry tomato into her mouth and sat down next to her.
"The vampire is back again?"
She looked at Chen Luo in surprise, her fingers twitching slightly as the cherry tomato burst with juice in her mouth.
"Don't make excuses. I saw him yesterday."
Gu Mengzhu lowered her head, looking very unsure of herself.
"You really want to give him a chance? Are you crazy?! He's a gambling addict, he can't change. Are you going to keep indulging him until he gambles away your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys before you realize your mistake?!"
Why do you keep lecturing me? Are you trying to be my mommy?
Seeing her like this, Chen Luo knew she wouldn't listen, and angrily swung her fist at her.
"If I were your mother, I would have pulled your ear long ago!"
She excitedly raised her right hand, eager to try. Gu Mengzhu leaned closer and listened.
"Then go ahead and pull it."
Chen Luo hurriedly wiped away the tears of the person.
"Idiot. Idiot. Why are you crying, idiot? Fine, I won't say it again! I won't say it anymore, okay!"
She reached out and hugged her, patting her back:
"I must have owed you something in my past life! You poor idiot."
Once everyone had stopped crying, Chen Luo looked at the setting sun hiding behind the residential buildings and sighed:
So what are your plans for the future?
"have no idea."
Her eyes were empty:
"I'm confused too."
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