The men in the van watched in unison as Yu Mo walked away. Qi Lian said coldly, "Have you seen enough?"
Just as Jiang Yuan was about to speak, Qi Lian turned his head, his tone exceptionally hostile. "Jiang Yuan, shut your filthy mouth. Don't say a single word you shouldn't."
Jiang Lao Si asked, "What’s with the attitude? Didn't you say she was his 'precious'? Why do I get the feeling they barely know each other?"
Jiang Yuan couldn't help but chime in. "Lao Si, be fair. A woman like that—just look at her standing there. Do you really think she can stay in a place like this for long? She’s a fairy from the heavens. Even if you hide her wings, she’ll have to go back eventually. You and Lin Feng have both lost your damn minds."
Jiang Lao Si hollered, "What does this have to do with Lin Feng? Qi Lian, are you and Lin Feng fighting over a woman?"
He slapped his thigh and let out a booming laugh that made everyone’s ears ring.
Pointing at Qi Lian, he said, "You’ve got some nerve. Back in the day, when Lin Feng followed you around, which woman could ever look past you to see him? Don't tell me now that you can't beat him to the punch."
He laughed to himself for a moment before turning serious. "Jokes aside, Jiang Yuan is right. That woman is beautiful, sure. If you just want to have a taste, there’s nothing to say. But if you’re looking to get married and live a life together, she’s not the one. Who the hell wants to spend their whole life cradling a goddess in their palms? It’s exhausting, and life wouldn't be peaceful. After a while, all women are the same."
Without a word, Qi Lian opened the van door and hopped out nimbly. He looked back at them and said, "I’m walking back. Qi Shuai, take them home."
The men in the van looked at each other, watching his tall, thin figure stride through the crowd with his long legs. In the neon glow of dusk, his silhouette looked somewhat lonely.
Being rough men, they didn't usually have such delicate feelings, but seeing their brother’s back like that made them feel a bit uneasy.
***
Yu Mo couldn't quite describe how she felt. She squeezed her injured arm; the pain was mostly gone, and the bruising was barely visible unless one looked closely.
She felt as if something was vaguely tugging at her heart, a blockage she couldn't lift or set down, making her incredibly restless.
The way Qi Lian had looked at her earlier—it was as if he couldn't be bothered to say a second word to her. She felt a lump in her throat. The burning sensation from when he had rubbed the liniment into her arm still seemed to linger, yet he had already turned a cold shoulder.
Fine. It was better this way, to let things settle without further waves. She had been right to hide the remaining safflower oil in a dresser drawer.
Lost in thought, she nearly walked straight into an electric scooter parked on the sidewalk. Noticing it at the last second, she swerved around it, her mind in disarray.
When Yu Mo got home, she had no appetite. The weather was too hot, so she just ate some fruit as a meal.
That night, while she was halfway through her shower, the lights suddenly went out. She had to finish rinsing off in the dark. Stepping out, she saw that the other apartments in the complex were still brightly lit.
Sitting in the darkness, she couldn't figure out the cause with her limited knowledge of home repairs. She could only open WeChat to seek help.
***
It was nearly midnight when Qi Lian, who was already in bed and about to sleep, received a call from Qi Shuai.
"Bro, do you know Old Xia from the building across from yours?"
"No impression."
"Bro, were you asleep?"
"What do you think?"
Qi Shuai could hear the irritation in Qi Lian's voice, but he still couldn't hide the excitement in his own.
"Old Xia just called me. He wanted me to go do him a favor and play the hero. He’s not in Jinning right now. Guess what? He said the woman lives on the fourth floor across from you. If I remember correctly, isn't that your little ancestor?"
Qi Lian sat up in bed, his brow furrowing. "Who is this Old Xia? What did he say happened?"
"Said her power went out. Bro, should I go? It’s up to you."
Qi Lian was already grabbing a pair of pants from the bedside and pulling them on, the phone wedged between his ear and shoulder.
"Nothing for you to do. Pass a message to that Old Xia for me. Tell him thanks, but tell him I’m looking after this woman. If anything happens in the future, I’ll handle it."
"Tsk, tsk. I’m just messing with you. Don't worry, I'll pass the message along. But man, in the middle of the night, this girl doesn't look for you or me—she’s got quite the network!"
Qi Lian tilted his head as he tried to button his shorts, but he couldn't get it right. Agitated, he cursed, "Fuck," and barked into the phone, "Shut up!"
His anger was simmering in his chest.
The first time he met her, he had told her not to let strange men into her house in the middle of the night. Now, right under his nose, she had forgotten his words entirely. She had no sense of danger—none at all!
Instead of using a skilled master like him, was she trying to avoid having any interaction with him, or what?
This feeling of being completely ignored filled him with rage and frustration. What angered him even more was that he simply couldn't bring himself to ignore her problems. Fuming, he rushed downstairs in a hurry.
***
Yu Mo heard a knock at the door. Clutching her phone tightly, she asked warily, "Who is it?"
"Me," came a low, familiar voice from outside.
The hand gripping the phone instinctively relaxed, and her whole body followed suit. She went over and opened the door.
By the dim light of the hallway, Qi Lian studied Yu Mo standing behind the doorframe. She was properly dressed, not wearing that nightgown from last time, but her hair was still damp and draped over her shoulders. Her face still held a trace of panic she hadn't managed to hide—a look that would make anyone feel protective.
Qi Lian ground his teeth. It was a good thing this was a coincidence. He imagined another man seeing Yu Mo like this in the dead of night, and a surge of fierce protective anger rose within him. She was so bold, yet so ignorant of how dangerous society could be.
Yu Mo asked in surprise, "How did you get here?"
She still remembered how he had been ignoring her that afternoon.
Without a word, Qi Lian squeezed past her into the apartment. Using his phone as a flashlight, he went straight to the light switches, clicking them a few times.
Yu Mo closed the door and followed him, feeling like she should say something. "The power just went out while I was showering."
Qi Lian nodded and used his phone to light the way into her bedroom.
There was a faint smell of burnt plastic in the room. He pulled over a chair, stood under the air conditioner, and began to dismantle the AC's power cable.
"Are you close with that guy downstairs?" he asked suddenly.
"Not really. I ran into him in the stairwell twice. Once he helped me carry some things and said neighbors should look out for each other, so we added each other on WeChat."
"Not close, yet you dare let him come to your house in the dark of night? What did I tell you before? This is Lianhua, Yu Mo."
His tone was genuinely harsh.
Yu Mo pursed her lips and remained silent. She didn't understand why Qi Lian, who had been so cold before, was now questioning her like she was an idiot. She wasn't stupid enough to just let anyone in at midnight; she had only asked on WeChat where the circuit breaker was.
He had arrived and immediately started berating her.
She wondered if it was because she had inconvenienced him by making him come over so late. She grew upset.
"I didn't want to trouble you," she said. "I don't know how the word got to you. If it’s not just a tripped breaker, I’ll find someone to fix it tomorrow."
Qi Lian turned around, speaking toward her general direction. "Find someone? Who? That guy downstairs or someone else? You’re not interested in me as a person—do you look down on my craft, too?"
"Qi Lian, if you don't want to talk to me or come to my place, you don't have to force yourself."
Yu Mo looked at the tall silhouette in the darkness, her voice rising slightly. Having said her piece, she walked out of the bedroom in the dark.
She sat on the living room sofa, hearing occasional rustling sounds from the bedroom. Waves of humid heat rolled in; the sweltering night made her too restless to sit still.
Qi Lian came out of the bedroom wiping his hands. He spoke toward her, "It can't be fixed right away. The wiring is old and the capacity isn't high enough. I need to replace it with thicker wire. Give me a key; I'll come fix it tomorrow."
"Qi Lian, if you—"
"Yu Mo, wiring issues aren't a small matter. I don't trust anyone else to fix it. This is my friend's apartment. Don't overthink it."
Since he was acting so businesslike, she had nothing left to say. Yu Mo stood up to see him out.
Qi Lian walked up to her and said, "You have two choices. Either go sleep in my room for the night and I’ll make do here, or I’ll take you to a hotel."
Yu Mo shook her head. "No need. If you can make do, so can I. I’m not going anywhere."
Qi Lian grew impatient. "You and I are different. I’m fine either way. If you insist on staying here alone, I won't be able to sleep a wink tonight. Are you doing this on purpose?"
He stepped forward and, without another word, grabbed Yu Mo’s hand.
"Let’s go."
Yu Mo followed him, stumbling down the stairs. The motion-sensor lights in the stairwell flickered on and off, the only sound being their staggered footsteps.
Qi Lian didn't say a word. His hand gripping her arm was burning hot, and his entire back seemed tense.
Yu Mo said softly, "My arm hurts."
"You said it was better today."
Despite his words, he released her arm and slid his hand down to grasp her wrist instead.
This was the first time Yu Mo had been to Qi Lian's apartment. The living room had been partitioned into cubicles. Even at this hour, she could hear the sounds of someone playing loud, laughing comedy videos.
Qi Lian opened the door to a room, and Yu Mo followed him in silently.
The air conditioning was on, and the temperature was so low that Yu Mo involuntarily shivered as she entered.
She looked around. There were many things, but it was very clean and looked quite comfortable, which didn't surprise her at all. A faint, familiar scent lingered in the room.
Her eyes caught a tea mug on the desk. It looked so old it didn't seem to belong to this era. She picked it up gently to examine it; the white ceramic was chipped, and the paint was mottled. She asked Qi Lian, "Is this your mug?"
Qi Lian glanced back. "That was my dad’s. The comb next to it was my mom’s."
The night suddenly felt heavy and somber.
Sure enough, there was a yellow plastic comb on the desk. The color had faded, and the material was thin. Who would have thought that such a comb, which no one would have looked twice at back then, would still be treasured ten years later?
Even the messy trash heaps downstairs wouldn't contain such obviously outdated industrial products anymore. They came from an era when everything was slow and everything was still cherished.
A rebellious, untamed man, hiding a soft heart.
Yu Mo didn't dare be careless; she gently placed it back in its original spot.
"You must have had a good relationship with your parents," Yu Mo asked softly.
"I suppose. I didn't understand when I was a kid; I thought every family was the same. My parents just had better tempers than others. They never hit me, and I never saw them fight. Looking back now, it couldn't have been as simple as just having a good temper. I didn't understand anything then; I thought it was all normal."
Qi Lian’s back was to her as he bent over to change the pillowcase. Because he was so tall, his back was curved, his thin shoulders and arms tensed like a bow. His features, usually so defiant, looked exceptionally gentle under the light.
His parents had raised a decent man, Yu Mo thought.
"I changed the summer quilt. I don't have an extra pillow, so I just changed the case for you. You’ll have to make do for the night." He patted the pillow and turned to Yu Mo.
"Okay."
Yu Mo didn't argue. She walked over, lay down, and pulled the quilt around her. After the long day, she was truly exhausted. As she turned over and pressed her face into the pillow, she smelled Qi Lian’s familiar scent. An indescribable sense of peace washed over her, as if a stormy sea had suddenly turned calm under a full moon, making her want to sleep forever.
"The bathroom is the door on your left," Qi Lian instructed in a low voice.
Then he asked, "Are you afraid to be alone?"
Yu Mo had only a shred of consciousness left. She murmured, "You can sleep here too, it’s fine."
As soon as she finished speaking, she lost consciousness entirely, falling into a deep dreamland in the heat of summer. The chirping of katydids outside and the sound of drunkards smashing bottles were completely tuned out.
Moonlight passed through the balcony and the cheap curtains, scattering across the floor in pale white patches.
Qi Lian lay on a mat in front of the bed, bathed in the cool moonlight, not daring to move. He could hear Yu Mo’s shallow, kitten-like breathing.
Estimating that she was fast asleep, he gently turned onto his side, propping his head on his hand. By the dim moonlight, he studied the vague silhouette on the bed.
She was so thin, curled up into a small bundle. He felt as if he could lift her with a single arm. He remembered the sensation of holding her in his arms—a feeling that repeatedly appeared in his midnight dreams, elusive and maddening.
And now, she was lying in his bed!
A long time later, he had to get up stealthily to take a cold shower.
***
