Since I wasted so much time dealing with Amy, by the time I got home, the old man had already returned.
His door was open again, and he was voice-chatting with someone on his computer. As soon as he saw me step inside, he waved me over.
"Haruya! Come here for a second!"
"What? I haven't eaten yet!"
"Just come here! It'll only take a second!"
His room used to be the study, but now he used it for both sleeping and running the online store. The master bedroom brought back too many painful memories for him, so it was turned into storage—half-filled with cardboard boxes. But the double bed was still there. He refused to throw it away. He'd clean it regularly and stuff it with mothballs, terrified it might get ruined by bugs.
One afternoon, I happened to walk by and saw him cleaning that double bed. Under the sunlight, his expression looked unbelievably lonely. Because of the glare on his glasses, I couldn't see his eyes clearly. But the slightly parted lips and the lines of his face made him look like some tragic figure carved into ancient Greek marble.
I'm afraid of seeing that expression. I'm afraid of that bed. I've never once slept on it. I always tell him to throw it out.
He always smiles and says, "It's still perfectly good. Sturdy. We can turn this into the guest room."
Right. Because letting a guest sleep in a room half-filled with adult goods is real hospitality.
Compared to the master bedroom, the study was pure chaos. Bookshelves crammed with junk, a desk buried under papers, a computer, a wheeled sofa-chair, a dying printer, printer paper scattered across the floor—it looked like Afghanistan right after being bombed by the U.S.
On each corner of the ceiling hung a strip of white paper, the kind you'd expect to see at a funeral. But instead of eulogies, each strip had a motivational poem the old man had written himself:
As deep as the ocean, as unmoving as a mountain,as leisurely as a drifting cloud,as firm as bamboo, as proud as a hawk,as diligent as an ant,as joyful as a moth drawn to flame,to be forgotten like sand carried by the wind,as calm as death, and to abandon old love without regret.
He'd written it on a whim, trying to encourage himself—like a discount Pu Songling. Since his resilience was limited, if he got too emotional, he'd either drown in memories of my mother or lose himself in a world of H-manga.
Honestly, I thought the poem was kind of cool. If I didn't restrain myself, I would've put it into practice. It would've been even better if the line about a hawk had been about a wolf instead.
As I looked at the four hanging sheets, I reminded myself again: absolutely do not fall into Amy's trap.
People say time heals all wounds, but I've never felt that way. The poison my mother left in the old man still hasn't healed. Not even close.
It's safer to live like a lone wolf.
On his computer screen, the avatar of someone with the username "XXX Films Guides the People" was bobbing around. I didn't need a second guess—this had to be Director Cao.
"What are you doing, old man? I told you, I don't want to be some kung fu actor! And that guy is unreliable. I still haven't gotten back at him for what he pulled last time."
"I know, I know—I was wrong. I shouldn't have tricked you into making the delivery."
As usual, the old man immediately folded under pressure.
"But Director Cao needs to talk to you. It's something serious."
Something serious? A guy like him, talking about serious matters? Sure.
I connected to the voice chat, and Director Cao's furious voice blasted from the speakers.
"Haruya! You brat! You nearly killed me!"
"Huh?"That was not what I expected to hear first.
"Hey, just because I don't want to act as the Jinling Young Thug, you don't have to insult me—"
"Who said I'm talking about the Jinling Young Thug?!"
He sounded even angrier.
"Although I do wish you'd take that role, what I'm calling about is MUCH more important! A matter of life and death!"
I waited, because I had no idea where this was going.
"The H-manga you delivered today—IT WAS MISSING A PAGE! I was getting into the climax, and then BAM—missing page!"
My face froze into a perfect 囧.
"If it's missing a page, that's on the publisher. Our shop is trustworthy—we'll exchange it for you."
"But my heart… my heart is shattered! That missing page was the climax! The moment the loli disciplinary committee girl hit peak humiliation! I NEED THAT EXPRESSION! I NEED IT!"
His exaggerated wailing made him sound like a ghost crawling back from hell to complain.
A grown man bawling to his son's classmate over H-manga. Humiliating.
The old man sitting beside me just gave a bitter smile.
Eventually, I agreed to bring him a new copy tomorrow. As for the old one, his son, Cao Jingshen, would bring it to me.
Letting his fourteen-year-old son handle the H-manga he bought—yeah, great for a teenager's development. Not that I was in any position to judge—after all, we were the ones who sold it to them.
Besides, with the way Cao Jingshen behaved, I doubted he could sink any lower.
Director Cao also reminded me:"Don't bring me a sealed copy! Tear it open, double-check every page! If another page is missing, I swear I'll fly to Hong Kong and burn that publisher to the ground!"
The manga that needed replacing was volume five of Ultimate Teacher XXX, titled Instructor's Colorful Lessons. It featured every kind of classroom "play" imaginable.
Just to be safe, I tore off the shrink-wrap and read through it. The protagonist exploited the weaknesses of his female classmates, coercing them into shameful lessons. It was incredibly indecent—I was blushing just turning the pages.
No issues. I stuffed it into my backpack. All I had to do was exchange it with fatty Cao Jingshen tomorrow.
Since the old man had already eaten outside, I had dinner alone.The soy-sauce beef was too salty. The veggie balls were rock-hard.
I didn't touch Amy's precious cola or chips. I hid them in my room instead. I'd invite her over before they expired, let her enjoy them.
An American idol who's released an album but never eaten a bag of chips… that's just tragic.
The next morning, I left for a run without breakfast. Instead of my sandbag, I used my backpack—it weighed about the same.
I ran three laps around Dongshan Lake. Maybe because I skipped training for two days, I started sweating earlier than usual.
An old grandpa in a reddish-purple kung fu outfit was shadowboxing nearby. When he saw me, he nodded slightly. I saw him often—he always woke up earlier than I did. Maybe he thought I'd given up since he hadn't seen me the past two days.
After training, I took a long detour to school—one I rarely used.
If I took this route, there was no way Xiao Qin could ambush me, right?
Sure enough, she wasn't there during first period.
While I pretended to study behind my textbook, I secretly ate a red-bean bun I'd bought at the snack counter. I felt a little guilty. Xiao Qin was probably being punished, made to stand in the cold somewhere.
When class ended, she walked in slowly with her backpack and slumped into her seat.
"Why were you the only one late today?" Big Loudmouth rushed over cheerfully—until she saw our faces. Then she froze.
"Did… did they fight?"
She backed away awkwardly and went to whisper with her gossip partner, Little Handy Phone.
Xiao Qin kept her head down, taking out her books for the next lesson. She didn't look at me at all.
I suddenly felt a bit… lonely.
Grumble.
Someone's stomach growled.
Xiao Qin's face turned red.
"You're hungry? You skipped breakfast again?" I asked.
"Y-yeah… I wanted to wait for Haruya to eat together. But I waited for a long time and didn't see you…"
If you didn't see me, just come to school! Why stubbornly wait until you're late?
"Even though I guessed you probably took another route… I thought… what if… what if something happened to you?"
"Like what?"
"Getting bitten by a dog… hit by a car… abducted by aliens…"
Hey hey hey. Are you actually worried about me and not secretly cursing me? Why would aliens abduct me? Do my short legs make me more valuable for research? Even if I got bitten by a dog or hit by a car, sure, you could maybe help. But aliens? What would you do, karate-chop them?
Then again… I imagined her grabbing an alien by its antennae, slamming it against a telephone pole while screaming:
"Damn Namekians! Give me two power-ups and I'll wipe the floor with you!"
…my thoughts drifted too far.
I pulled half a bread roll from my desk and handed it to her.
"Here. Eat something. I bought two. This half is left."
Xiao Qin accepted it gratefully.
She didn't eat it immediately. Instead she held it up to the sunlight, inspecting it like she expected to discover a new continent.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for Haruya's glistening saliva. Then it'll be an indirect kiss."
"Give it back! If you're not going to eat it, return it!"
I broke the bread myself earlier. There's no saliva on it!
When she saw me reaching for it, she panicked and took a huge bite—almost biting my hand.
"Nom nom nom~~"
Why is she making noises like that? She usually eats silently! Why is she staring at me while making weird sounds?Don't tell me… she's treating me like seasoning?
I was exhausted. As soon as break hit, I planned to go exchange the H-manga with Cao Jingshen.