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"Hmm..." Lina turned over, vaguely feeling her 'pillow' slipping out. "Are you going to work?" she asked indistinctly, reluctant to even open her eyes.
“Yes,” Daryl pulled his arm away, picked up a T-shirt from the side and put it on. These past few days had felt like a dream, and he had been reminding himself every day that this was a game for the rich.
You can't let yourself get the short end of the stick, Daryl.
He certainly wouldn't suffer a loss.
"I want fried rice..." Lina mumbled and fell asleep again.
“…I’m not your cook.” Daryl pursed his lips and said softly, not knowing when the game’s deadline was.
He thought to himself every day, "This is it, this is it."
But every day when he came back, he would see this girl invading his space step by step as if nothing had happened. Every morning he would be woken up by the soreness and numbness in his arms, and look down at her lying sweetly in his arms.
Daryl couldn't quite describe his feelings. He wasn't a naive young man; he didn't believe in love at first sight or any kind of melodramatic true love. But even he, with his iron will and ruthlessness, couldn't help but fall in love at times.
This is not a good sign.
Daryl walked out of the bedroom with a sullen face, the door closed gently, and he stood in the kitchen doorway for a long time in a daze.
It's just a game, you know, it's just a game.
Lena woke up at noon. Except when she first arrived, when she was not used to it and woke up early, she slept until noon every day. After breakfast (or lunch), she would watch TV for an afternoon and occasionally flip through the books that Daryl had brought back. Soon it was Daryl's time to get off work.
After he finishes cooking and the two of them finish eating, they might snuggle together on the sofa and watch some mindless, cheesy TV shows that Daryl complains about, or they might go for a stroll outside, or they might engage in some adult activities.
But this didn't make Lina bored at all. No one told her what to do, and Daryl would do whatever she wanted.
Of course, what she liked most was the weekends when Daryl would take her to spend almost the entire day in the jungle. He was an expert at it, hunting, searching for beautiful scenery, and he could figure out almost anything.
Moreover, he never comments on others' behavior unless you press him for an explanation. This doesn't mean he'll condescendingly criticize someone. He simply states his opinion and then observes quietly.
So far, Lina is very satisfied with her life. Fifty percent of her life is unsatisfactory, thirty percent is just so-so, and half of the remaining twenty percent is pleasant, which all depends on her own contentment.
Lena was not an easily satisfied person, but Daryl was. Like any pragmatic person, he lived each day in an ordinary way, with food, clothing, and shelter, and it seemed that there was nothing else he needed to pursue.
Oh no, he showed his fervent pursuit of nature when he was in the woods.
This does not mean that he is a noble person or someone who has transcended vulgar tastes; in fact, he is just as vulgar as can be.
He likes money, and of course, who wouldn't?
Although he rarely said anything, he always looked puzzled whenever he saw the expensive but meaningless things that Lina bought. He would even choose the orange juice bought from the supermarket over the freshly squeezed orange juice he made himself, thinking that the second one was meaningless (mainly a waste).
He was impatient and easily angered, and seemed like the kind of person who would resort to violence. But after spending time with him every day, I found that his impatience and anger were simply because he didn't know how to express himself, and his rudeness and lack of attention to detail were just a reflection of his natural instincts.
Just like my mother said, when you want to get along with someone for a long time, you should focus on their strengths. Of course, this doesn't mean you should ignore their weaknesses. After all, if they have significant flaws, then you shouldn't have stayed together for long in the first place.
After finishing her fried rice, Lina decided to do something different today: go shopping.
She didn't like the white curtains anymore; they looked like ghosts when they fluttered in the middle of the night.
After Lina's car broke down on the road that day, she didn't bother with it at all. Anyway, since she lost her cell phone, her world was peaceful.
The only problem was that there was only one key to the house, and after Lina snatched it from Daryl, she had to restrict herself and make sure she was home every day before he came back.
Therefore, she couldn't shop for too long in the afternoon, which was a bit of a disappointment for her. However, after seeing her less-than-ideal wallet, a certain amount of disappointment was necessary.
As Lina was leaving, she ran into that 'friendly neighbor.' He seemed to have heard the commotion next door and opened his door. He looked at Lina curiously and asked, 'Have you heard what happened?'
"What did you hear?" Lina looked at him strangely.
"My memory is a bit bad..." he said, feigning distress.
"If you're going to use that trick on me, you've chosen the wrong person," Lina locked the door, gave him a fake smile, and turned to go downstairs.
“You’ll regret this!” he shouted, clinging to the railing.
Lina raised her hand high above her head and gave him the middle finger.
"You'll regret this sooner or later..." the neighbor said unhappily, closing the door behind him.
*
"Hey Daryl!"
These deliverymen usually have their own assigned areas, and they rarely meet here together except when they come to collect packages together. But today was clearly an exception, as Daryl saw his three colleagues as soon as he entered.
What made his job most relaxing was not having to deal with these boring social interactions, but now… Daryl frowned.
“Hey, we heard,” his colleague Martin, the most gossipy and clueless of them all, smiled knowingly, “that you’ve hit the jackpot, last week someone saw you chatting and laughing with a young girl.”
“Then he should get his eyes checked,” Daryl said, putting down his suitcase and reaching across the three men to grab paper and a pen from behind the counter.
“Don’t be so stingy,” Martin said with a grin, putting his arm around Daryl’s shoulder.
Daryl irritably moved his shoulder away, and Martin swayed slightly, looking somewhat displeased. However, he quickly smiled ambiguously at Daryl, "I never imagined you'd be into that kind of thing? How old is that kid? I heard you two are living together now? Good heavens, we don't have a..." They laughed mockingly.
“She’s an adult,” Daryl frowned. He hadn’t wanted to explain, but when it came to age, he’d better not cause any trouble.
“Doesn’t look like it,” another person walked in. Daryl glanced back and saw the old bachelor, Fitz, who lived in the same block as him. He hadn’t lost his job because of the long-standing 'friendship' between his sister and the manager.
“I can see it clearly, a lovely Asian,” Fitz laughed heartily. “You’ll never believe it, but we’re about to have a dark horse.” He lowered his voice mysteriously, looking at Daryl with a hint of mockery and envy. “After all, not everyone has the chance to live off a woman. I heard your whole apartment has been completely renovated. You know, someone’s sleeping on a mattress that costs $19,999 now.”
Tsk, how could she lie to people? Didn't she say ten thousand? What's the difference between 19,999 and twenty thousand? Daryl thought speechlessly.
“My God, Daryl, you better latch onto this guy. This might be your only chance to get ahead in your life—no, your only chance!” Martin exclaimed. “Get her pregnant already,” he winked, “that way your father-in-law won’t be able to object. It’s just a shame, after all, it’s still…” He tugged at the corner of his eye, “easy—too—easy—”
"Come on, even if it were simple, you still didn't get your hands on it!"
"Ha ha ha ha--"
Daryl frowned, clenched and unclenched his fist, quickly finished writing his note, threw it on the table, picked up his backpack and walked towards the warehouse.
“Hey Daryl, let’s talk some more,” Martin called out. “Seriously, I’ve never been with an Asian before. I’ve heard they’re really cooperative in bed? Is that true?”
“I’ve heard they’re very good at serving people,” Fitz said. “I’d like to try.”
“Then we’ll have to go to the city and try our luck. I wonder if Lin has gotten any new stock? Didn’t she say last week that she had an acquaintance who would bring a group of illegal immigrants? Hopefully it’s not Mexican again, we should at least get something new to try,” Martin said, leaning against the counter.
“I’m not usually interested in Asians,” Fitz chuckled lewdly. “A woman is all about big hips and big breasts, but sometimes it’s nice to change things up. You guys didn’t see it, that girl just looked…it must have been quite a treat, right, Daryl?”
Daryl pressed his tongue against his cheek, put down his backpack, and turned to walk toward them.
"It looks so... *, it must be really captivating when it cries," Fitz was still indulging in lewd fantasies with Martin.
“Hopefully she cries nicely,” Martin laughed, “like… FU$K!”
Daryl punched Martin to the ground, and before Fitz could react, Daryl kicked him to the ground, leaving everyone around stunned.
"You son of a bitch!" Martin stood up, covering his face in rage. "Aren't you just a spineless gigolo? What? She had her fun with you? Now you want to stand up for her like a man? Who do you think you are? You're just a fool who got played by a bitch."
“Watch your mouth,” Daryl said, grabbing Martin and punching him hard.
"FU$KU! What are you all standing there for?" Martin shouted in terror, covering his face.
What started as an attempt to break up the fight escalated into a brawl, and the whole farce only came to an end when the manager appeared.
Daryl, the troublemaker, had a day's wages deducted and was also responsible for paying for other people's medical expenses.
Daryl knew, of course, that the manager was deliberately protecting those scumbags, but he wasn't one to be trifled with. Compensation? Dream on.
“Go ahead, go ahead and sue me,” Daryl sneered. It would be strange if a bunch of racist idiots dared to do so.
Daryl turned and left indifferently, ignoring the manager's furious rebuke. He couldn't even bring himself to fire him, after all, he had been supporting a bunch of useless people, and Daryl, who was just going through the motions at work, was doing a better job than the others.
He couldn't find another like him, someone who could run two or three districts a day, earning minimum wage and not having to pay for insurance.
Daryl's anger did not subside after he left; instead, it burned even brighter, undeterred by the drizzling rain. He wandered the streets restlessly, like a ghost, while others hurried by. Only he remained unhurried.
Daryl stopped and looked at the person in the glass. The person had a bruised and swollen face, a swollen mouth with bloodstains, and swollen eyes.
The clothes that were neat and brand new when I left home this morning are now tattered and loose on my body.
He stood there silently, watching the rain soak his hair, looking disheveled and rotting.
"Sir, would you like some flowers?"
Daryl snapped out of his reverie and realized he was standing in front of a flower shop. His absent-minded behavior caught the attention of the shop assistant, who noticed the row of wooden shelves outside displaying a dazzling array of bouquets.
The most eye-catching item was the bucket of red roses placed in the very center.
"We have a discount today..."
“No, it’s not necessary.” Daryl turned and left indifferently.
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