Chapter 23 The Ugly Shepherd Awakens...
Following the other's inhale, he found a place to unleash his power. It was like entering another world, more exciting and dazzling than any game. An unprecedented surge of emotion welled up in Li Jiacong's heart, and he gave the person beneath him a deep kiss.
Li Sheng remained silent. Li Jiacong didn't know if it was because men don't usually make much noise when doing this, or if Li Sheng was just holding back. In any case, Li Sheng didn't give him any feedback on whether it was pain or pleasure, but it was very likely that it was pain.
Li Jiacong stroked Li Sheng's ribs, trying to make him relax, but Li Sheng grabbed his hand and said, "Can we finish this quickly?"
-
On that dirty single bed, Li Jiacong held Li Sheng tightly, pulling him close. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, glanced at Li Sheng, and then put another cigarette in Li Sheng's mouth.
Li Sheng lit a cigarette, choked on it, and some ash fell from his fingertips onto Jia Cong's arm. Li Sheng quickly got up to wipe it off for him.
Li Jiacong pressed him down: "Don't get up... lie down for a while."
Li Sheng: "It's nothing."
"real?"
"Um."
Li Jiacong smiled. Now his mind was cleared. His previous hesitation and struggle suddenly seemed ridiculous. Overwhelmed by excitement, everything seemed unimportant.
Seize the day, enjoy life while you can.
And doing this really does relieve stress.
He could still hear the awkward sounds coming from next door. Now that those yellow wastes were gone, Li Jiacong chuckled as soon as he heard them. The noises were constant and incessant. He asked, "How did you find this place?"
"...My colleague told me."
“Your colleague is really something… cough, I’ll find him next time,” Li Jiacong stubbed out his cigarette, got up and put on his clothes, “Are you hungry?”
Li Sheng: "I'm hungry."
Li Jiacong: "Are you alright? Shall we go? I'll treat you to something nice."
Li Sheng nodded, got up, and dressed.
They checked out of the room and walked through a messy, dirty corridor littered with small cards. When they reached the second floor, Li Sheng saw Huang Yin.
During this time, he and Huang Yin had become acquainted. They would occasionally bump into each other after work and chat as they walked back to their dorms together.
However, Huang Yin's expression was somewhat stiff and awkward at this moment. The man next to her looked familiar to Li Sheng; he seemed to be a security guard from Yunji, named Cao Teng.
The two of them were holding hands, but it just didn't look right.
Huang Yin was tall, nearly 1.7 meters, with fair skin and a pair of very intelligent eyes; Cao Teng was almost the same height as her, with shifty eyes, his eyes darting around when he spoke, and he had a wicked heart.
Li Sheng never expected that they would be a couple, and even more so, come to a place like this...
The two glanced at each other, paused for a moment, and then awkwardly brushed past each other. Only after they had passed each other did Li Sheng turn around to look.
Li Jiacong: "You know each other?"
"Yes, colleague."
"Oh, that woman?" Li Jiacong casually commented, "Quite pretty—would you like hot pot or barbecue?"
Li Sheng regained his attention and said, "I'll listen to you."
Li Jiacong took Li Sheng out for barbecue. Having used up their energy, the two enjoyed the meal very much. After eating, Li Jiacong dropped Li Sheng off at his apartment building.
Li Jiacong glanced up. The place looked rather indescribable, like an urban village. The surrounding buildings were neat and clean, but once you looked inside, they were completely rotten.
The entire building was like a giant garbage can, with flies buzzing around it.
Li Jiacong found it hard to imagine what kind of people lived in this room: "...How many people are in your dorm?"
“It can accommodate eight people,” Li Sheng said, “but there are always some who won’t stay, so there aren’t eight people who can actually live here.”
Li Jiacong: "Alright, is there anything else you need?"
Li Sheng: "I lack nothing."
At this moment, Liu Quan came downstairs, and Li Sheng looked over.
"I was just looking for you." Liu Quan glanced at Li Jiacong, then looked at Li Sheng and said, "Upstairs..."
Li Sheng: "Understood."
Li Jiacong: "What's wrong?"
Li Sheng shook his head: "It's okay, you can go back."
Li Jiacong said "oh" and waved goodbye to him.
Li Sheng stood there, watching his back as he left, before turning to Liu Quan and asking, "What are you doing upstairs?"
"You'll know when you get back!" Liu Quan patted him on the shoulder and sighed, "Good luck, buddy."
Li Sheng frowned. He went upstairs, pushed open the door, and found Lü Xiaoshan sitting on his bed in the dormitory, her legs dangling and kicking.
Lu Xiaoshan's voice was shrill and unpleasant as she asked in a coquettish tone, "Where have you been?"
Li Sheng: "Meeting with my friend."
Lü Xiaoshan: "What friends?"
Li Sheng glanced at her, as if to say that he had no obligation to report this matter to her.
Lu Xiaoshan was a little angry: "Don't you know anyone here? Did you go out with the people from our shop?"
Li Sheng: "No. Did you need something from me?"
"Can't I come to you if there's nothing wrong?" Lu Xiaoshan got off the bunk and stood next to him. "Let's go for a walk."
Li Sheng: "No, I just got back."
Lü Xiaoshan scoffed, "I helped you last time, and you said you'd thank me. Is this how you thank me?"
Last time, when Wang Dapeng attacked him, most of the people in the dormitory listened to Wang Dapeng. After they held him down, Wang Dapeng was about to hit him in the face when, at the critical moment, Lü Xiaoshan heard the commotion and came in, stopping him.
Lu Xiaoshan whispered a few words to Wang Dapeng, but I couldn't hear what she said. I just saw Wang Dapeng laugh and say, "Your sister Shan pleaded for you and let you off this time. Don't do it again, or I'll beat your parents so badly they won't recognize you!"
Before Li Sheng could speak, Lü Xiaoshan grabbed his hand and led him outside, saying, "Let me clean your wound."
At the shared sink, she blatantly touched Li Sheng's face: "Such a handsome face, I would be heartbroken if I hurt it. Call me 'sister,' and Wang Dapeng will definitely stop bullying you. He only likes to bully newcomers. It will be fine after a while, but you really have to listen to me."
Li Sheng pursed his lips and simply said, "Thank you."
Lu Xiaoshan said, "What's the point of thanking me? You have to remember you owe me a favor. You have to pay me back!"
This time she came to ask for a favor, and Li Sheng could only say, "What do you want me to do?"
Lü Xiaoshan: "Come on a date with me!"
Li Sheng frowned: "You and Wang Dapeng..."
Lü Xiaoshan laughed and said, "What? He's not my boyfriend!"
Li Sheng knew their relationship was complicated; Lü Xiaoshan seemed to have ambiguous relationships with several people in their dormitory.
Lü Xiaoshan: "Are you afraid Wang Dapeng will be jealous? Don't worry! His attention isn't on me right now!"
Li Sheng: "I...I don't have any feelings for you..."
"Huh? You're just repaying a favor! So picky," Lü Xiaoshan rolled her eyes. "Are you trying to say you don't have feelings for me? Then who do you have feelings for?"
Li Sheng remained silent.
Lü Xiaoshan chuckled: "You must have someone you like! Who? Huang Yin?"
Li Sheng glanced at her: "No."
Lu Xiaoshan, with her feet upturned, tapped the ground repeatedly: "Anyway, it's too late for you, Cao Teng has already got his hands on you!"
Li Sheng remembered seeing them at the hotel earlier that day: "Are they dating?"
Lu Xiaoshan scoffed, "Dating? You could say that, but Cao Teng is such a slick guy. Those two are always hanging around the door, all lovey-dovey. As far as I know, Cao Teng has slept with several of the young ladies in our hotel."
Li Sheng felt very uncomfortable after hearing this: "You didn't tell her?"
Lü Xiaoshan: "Why tell her? What if I ruin this and Cao Teng comes after me? Besides, Huang Yin seems quite willing. What? You're reluctant?"
Li Sheng pinched the bridge of his nose. Huang Yin was naive, and he wanted to tell her these things, at least to give her a heads-up. Seeing Lu Xiaoshan's disdainful yet gloating expression, he asked her, "Have you ever been deceived?"
Lü Xiaoshan was stunned: "What?"
"Have you ever been deceived, thinking you were willing at the time, only to realize it later and regret it?"
Lu Xiaoshan glared at him, and he understood what Li Sheng meant. He put his hands on his hips and said, "So what if she did? Who told her to be so stupid and unable to judge people? Is she going to cling to me?"
She patted Li Sheng on the shoulder again: "Since you care about her so much, why don't you go and talk to her? See if she appreciates your kindness!"
Li Sheng: "Okay."
Hearing this, Lü Xiaoshan flew into a rage: "Your time now belongs to me!"
Li Sheng: "What are you going to do?"
After thinking for a moment, Lü Xiaoshan surprisingly said, "Come with me to the night market!"
It wasn't an unreasonable request, and nothing was going to happen between him and Lü Xiaoshan. He was just quite tired today, and he figured Lü Xiaoshan probably wouldn't understand, so he agreed.
The night market was still a drive away, so they took a bus together and strolled around the food stalls. There were so many kinds of snacks, and every time Lü Xiaoshan went to one, she would ask Li Sheng to buy her one.
To repay her favor, Li Sheng had already spent the money. The two kept walking around, and Lü Xiaoshan was always very close to him, her face always touching his arm. Li Sheng kept trying to avoid her.
When he got back, it was already past nine o'clock at night. Lü Xiaoshan was holding a huge cotton candy, hopping and skipping as she chatted with him. She was probably in her twenties, but she acted like a little girl the same age as Li Ai.
That night, Li Sheng finally showed a hint of a smile, but it quickly disappeared—he saw Huang Yin and Cao Teng downstairs in the dormitory.
The two of them were practically inseparable as they walked downstairs affectionately. Huang Yin looked somewhat evasive and kept saying, "Don't do this."
Cao Teng: "You're my woman, I'm not afraid to look, what are you afraid of?"
Li Sheng walked quickly over, and Lu Xiaoshan called to him from behind, but he didn't turn around.
Cao Teng kissed Huang Yin's cheek repeatedly, a kiss that was neither affectionate nor innocent, but rather a frivolous display: "Come stay at my place tonight?"
Huang Yin: Don't you have roommates in your rented apartment?
Cao Teng: "It's okay, you can hide under my covers, I won't let them see."
Huang Yin shook her head: "No..."
Cao Teng: "Come on!"
Huang Yin kept refusing to shake her head, but Cao Teng insisted on holding her hand. Suddenly, Li Sheng appeared in front of him and pressed Cao Teng's hand down: "She doesn't want to."
Cao Teng looked up and said, "Who the hell are you?"
Huang Yin: "He...he's my friend, they're both from Yunji."
Cao Teng gave Li Sheng a cocky look: "This is my girlfriend!"
Li Sheng looked at Huang Yin, wanting to hear what she had to say.
Huang Yin hesitated and said, "I won't go to your place today. I still have to do laundry when I get back... See you tomorrow."
After saying that, she ran upstairs.
"Hey!" Cao Teng didn't call out to stop him, but instead glared at Li Sheng and left with his hands in his pockets.
Lu Xiaoshan caught up at this moment, having broken the cotton candy in her hand and thrown it on the ground. She said sarcastically, "How was it? Was it satisfying to be a hero and save the damsel in distress?"
Li Sheng glanced upstairs, then turned to Lü Xiaoshan and asked, "Is it over?"
Lu Xiaoshan was puzzled.
Li Sheng: "Have you repaid the favor you owe me?"
"It's over! It's over!" Lu Xiaoshan snorted and ran upstairs angrily, her footsteps thumping loudly.
Li Sheng squinted, watching a layer of dust seep down the stairs. The building was dilapidated and filthy, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
Li Sheng coughed, lowered his head, and slowly walked in.
-
In the pristine white music classroom, "The Afternoon of a Faun" resonated throughout the small space. Li Jiacong stood on a small stool, holding a slightly worn silver flute, yet it seemed as if he were playing a musical—
Light and shadow scatter through the forest, and the grotesque god Pan, now awakened, chases after a beautiful fairy, pursuing a love/desire that captivates his heart...
After finishing his performance, Li Jiacong jumped off the stage. There was only one audience member—Chen Wen—who applauded him, saying, "You're getting more and more steady."
This happened after his flute lesson on Thursday. His mother insisted that he play a piece for her. Li Jiacong had no choice but to comply. After finishing, he said, "Let's go home, Mom."
“Okay.” Chen Wen picked up her bag. They got into the car and drove home. Li Jiacong looked out the window until the Yunji Hotel flashed by. He suddenly said, “Mom, I want to get some fresh air and take a walk. Put it down for me.”
Chen Wen: "Who are you going to walk with?"
Li Jiacong raised an eyebrow: "Don't worry, Mom, I broke up with that girl, and she doesn't live around here. She definitely won't cause you any trouble."
Chen Wen smiled and asked, "Are you looking for Li Sheng?"
Li Jiacong paused, his ears turning slightly red: "No, isn't he at work right now? I was just exercising; I wanted to run back."
Chen Wen glanced at him and pulled the car over to the side of the road: "Then come back soon!"
"I understand." Li Jiacong waved to her.
Once the car had driven far away, he went into the large store next door, stopped at the mobile phone counter, asked around, and found that the latest mobile phones were not cheap. Mobile phones are getting newer and newer, and they have even come out with built-in cameras.
After looking at them all, he still thought flip phones looked better and chose the Samsung T208. He was quick to buy things; once he placed the order, he took out a wad of cash from his pocket, counted it, and handed it to the clerk.
He took the new machine to the back door of Yunji Restaurant. After waiting for a while without anyone coming out, he simply walked in by himself, as if no one else was there. As soon as he entered, everyone in the kitchen looked at him, but he acted so calmly, like a junior manager inspecting work, that no one dared to ask him a question.
Until he spotted Li Sheng, waved to him, and called him out.
Li Sheng was surprised and bewildered: "Why are you here?"
Li Jiacong handed him the phone: "Here, you can use it."
Li Sheng glanced at it, then pushed it back, saying, "I don't need it."
"I can't return it, just keep it. I've already told you it's a hassle for me to contact you, you can't expect me to wait for you to remember to call me every minute."
Li Sheng laughed: "Don't you usually have to study?"
"It won't delay you." He shoved the phone into Li Sheng's arms, glanced at his watch, and said, "I have to go back now. You take the phone—damn, I forgot the SIM card. I'll just buy it for you now. You can figure out how to buy it yourself."
Li Sheng hummed in agreement, and seeing his anxiety, waved goodbye to him.
Li Jiacong waved and jogged away.
With a hint of surprise, Li Sheng's lips unconsciously curled up as he looked down at the phone. It was small, held in his palm, yet it felt more precious than ever before.
This was his first mobile phone.
From then on, no matter how powerful the functions of later smartphones became—able to take pictures, listen to music, and use screens instead of buttons—his most memorable phone was still this one. Back then, it was only used to contact the only person he cared about, bringing him the convenience he needed most.
A note from the author:
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