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墨書 Inktalez
Zhou Yao had already informed her companions over the phone that she was staying overnight at a friend's house of Boss Luo.
When they returned to the inn, the boys didn't say much.
Only Lin Jinyan pulled her aside and said, "Yesterday your father couldn't reach you and called me looking for data feedback. I asked Tang Shangri-La Duo to check your room, but he didn't find anything. Remember to contact the professor later."
"Sure thing," Zhou Yao smiled. "I locked all my things in a USB drive."
"Very cautious."
"Of course." Everything related to the land research project had to be handled carefully.
Lin Jinyan reminded her to rest well, saying that the team would be going to Echu Gully tomorrow.
Zhou Yao was surprised. "Wasn't that not part of our original plan?"
Lin Jinyan replied, "It was added last minute. Moyang wanted to take a look, and we happen to have some extra time; it's not far to drive there."
Zhou Yao didn't say much more; she was exhausted and just wanted to return to her room to rest.
But the three girls were not as easily fooled as the boys.
As soon as they entered the room, Tang Shangri-La Duo sat cross-legged on the bed with an imposing demeanor and shouted, "Close the door!"
Summer Melody quickly shut the door.
Tang Shangri-La Duo: "Let Sulianlin go!"
Sulianlin stood tall in front of Tang Shangri-La Duo, like a bodyguard.
Zhou Yao chuckled, "Are you stupid, Sulianlin?"
"Be serious!" Tang Shangri-La Duo pretended to frown. " Zhou Yao, confess and you'll be treated leniently! Tell me, what did you do with Boss last night? Where did you stay? What happened?"
"..." Zhou Yao was speechless. "Can we not be so gossipy?"
"Quick, tell us! Did you kiss? Did you sleep together?"
"I wish! But they wouldn't let me." Zhou Yao rolled her eyes and flopped onto the bed.
"No way?" The three leaned in closer. "Nothing happened at all?"
"Nothing. Not even holding hands." Zhou Yao lied, looking as disappointed as possible.
The three: "..."
Tang Shangri-La Duo sighed, "Ah, didn't succeed."
Summer Melody went to wash her face with a towel. "Disappointing."
Sulianlin shook his head while adjusting his clothes. "Zhou Yao, your skills are lacking."
The three were teasing her, but Zhou Yao surprisingly wasn't annoyed at all. The thrilling events of last night were a secret between her and Boss, and she had no intention of sharing them.
She lay on the bed, secretly smiling, her lips almost curling up to the sky.
In less than half an hour, Zhou Yao remembered Lin Jinyan's reminder and got up to turn on the computer.
Sulianlin asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Sending something to Professor Zhou."
"Oh. Is the land project nearing completion?"
"We'll push through for another month or two when we get back."
"You’re amazing, Yao Yao," Summer Melody said enviously. "You get to participate in such a significant project."
"It's Professor Zhou and his disciples who are impressive. I'm just assisting and learning along the way," Zhou Yao replied, sticking out her tongue.
"I need to hit the books hard when I get back," Summer Melody said. "I've been out for so long; I'm getting tired of it. I really want to return to school soon."
Tang Shangri-La Duo remarked, "What's the rush? It's only ten days left anyway."
Zhou Yao was taken aback; their trip was coming to an end so soon?
...
Zhou Yao slept for over an hour and woke up before dinner. She washed her hair and took a shower, then changed into clean clothes and went to the Common Area to find Luo Yi.
The evening glow cast a warm light, and the atmosphere downstairs was lively.
Someone was playing guitar and singing, with new travelers joining in. However, Zhou Yao couldn't be uplifted by the surrounding atmosphere—there were busy staff members in the Bar, but no sign of Luo Yi.
Feeling a bit dejected, Zhou Yao left.
During dinner, Zhou Yao heard someone in the kitchen say they were delivering food to Boss. She stretched her neck to look but couldn't figure out what was going on.
She absentmindedly finished her meal and, on her way back to her room, passed by the Common Area. She glanced over at the Bar but still didn't see Luo Yi.
Unable to help herself, she ran to the front desk and asked Amin, "Is Boss Luo okay?"
"He's fine. Just said he was tired and needed to rest. No disturbances allowed."
"Oh." Zhou Yao nodded and her gaze drifted over to the registration book on the counter, where she saw the name of the last new guest: Lu Xu.
It was a strange name; it either meant 'continuously' or 'incessantly.'
That night, Zhou Yao came down to the Common Area to read and sat there until late into the night. People came and went around her, but the one she wanted to see was nowhere to be found.
When she went to bed, a sense of emptiness lingered in her heart.
...
Zhou Yao slept lightly that night, vaguely hearing the sound of rain hitting the window. During this season, there was plenty of rain in Yading Scenic Area; each shower brought a chill, and the trees on the Mountain turned yellow.
Zhou Yao turned over and went back to sleep, but the sound of rain against the wooden window grew louder, disturbing her half-asleep state. Suddenly, there were several loud crashes in the hallway, sounding like a window smashing against a wall or something toppling over.
Zhou Yao sat up and asked, "Did you all hear that?"
The other three were sound asleep.
Outside, the noise continued with clattering sounds. Zhou Yao put on some clothes and opened the door, a cold wind immediately stinging her face.
In the hallway, one wooden window was wide open, its two panes flapping like pieces of paper in the wind.
The cold wind howled, knocking over the wooden racks and flower pots in the corridor. Above, a paper lantern adorned with Tibetan patterns swung in the wind like a pendulum, almost ready to be torn down.
Zhou Yao rushed over to close the window, only to find that the latch was broken. The fierce wind poured in, and Zhou Yao couldn't hold it back; the window slammed against the wall again, shattering the glass.
The wind and rain hit Zhou Yao's face.
The window was ruined. She worried that the items in the corridor would be damaged and feared that the hanging lanterns might pull down the electrical wires and catch fire. She ran downstairs to knock on Luo Yi's door:
“Luo Boss?!”
“Luo Boss?!”
After calling several times with no response, perhaps her voice was drowned out by the wind and rain. Zhou Yao took a deep breath and raised her voice:
“Luo Lao—”
“What's going on?”
The door swung open, revealing Luo Yi with disheveled hair, squinting at her with an unhappy expression, clearly still groggy. Seeing her with wet hair and a pale face, he paused for a moment, then quickly became alert, his gaze turning serious as he asked, “What happened?”
Zhou Yao caught her breath and hurriedly explained, “The window in the upstairs corridor is broken; all the glass is shattered. Oh, and everything in the corridor has fallen over.”
His expression softened slightly as he said, “Wait for me a moment.”
He closed the door.
Zhou Yao stood at the door waiting. In less than a minute, the door opened again; he had thrown on a windbreaker and went to grab a toolbox from the storage room, taking some pieces of glass with him.
As they ascended to the second floor, the wooden window swayed precariously in the wind.
The wind and rain were heavy. Luo Yi put on the hood of his raincoat and went over to remove the shards of glass left on the wooden window. Zhou Yao helped as well, but Luo Yi frowned, opened her hand, and said, "Just stand still."
"Oh." Zhou Yao obediently replied, remaining motionless as she watched.
The heavy rain splashed onto his clothes, and the chandelier in the corridor swayed in the wind, casting alternating light and shadow on his face.
Soon, the broken glass was cleared away.
"Come help me," he called out to her.
Zhou Yao quickly stepped forward to support the window frame while Luo Yi took a hammer and nails from the toolbox. He hammered away and soon repaired the latch.
Zhou Yao was surprised by his skill and speed, smiling as she said, "It seems that men are born repairmen."
He gave a brief smile in response and took out a piece of glass, pressing it against the empty window frame. "Hold it."
Zhou Yao grasped the window frame with one hand and used her free hand to hold the glass in place.
Luo Yi stood at this side of the glass, noticing her palm pressed against it. He unintentionally glanced at her hand and for the first time realized how small it was—white and delicate—with a tiny mole in the center of her palm.
He remembered that she also had a small mole on her earlobe. He had seen it several times before, thinking it was just dust. Last night, he had actually rubbed it, causing her ear to turn red, but that little black dot hadn’t come off on his hand.
Luo Yi casually turned his gaze away after catching a glimpse of her soft white ear.
He bent down to take out a few more nails from the toolbox. The window was a bit low, so he squatted slightly and nailed along the edge of the glass to secure it in place.
The shadows cast by the light moved back and forth across his face.
Zhou Yao watched him silently through the glass. Suddenly, she felt a sense of disconnection; although they had only been apart for a few hours, it felt like an entire year had passed.
Uncertain whether it was unintentional or a sense of connection, he slowly raised his gaze, his eyes meeting hers through the glass. The paper lantern continued to sway, and his eyes were dark yet bright.
The warm breath they exhaled fogged up the glass, obscuring their view. A gust of wind blew, dispersing the mist and restoring clarity.
As light and shadow alternated, he calmly withdrew his gaze and said, "It's fixed."
"Oh." Zhou Yao reflexively let go, not realizing that Luo Yi had already released his grip and was preparing to set down the tools in his hands.
A strong wind blew, and Zhou Yao stared wide-eyed as a window frame came crashing toward her face.
He raised his hand to block it, the frame hitting his palm while the back of his hand struck her forehead.
Zhou Yao's forehead bumped against him, her heart racing.
"What are you thinking about?" Luo Yi asked lightly, gripping the window with one hand and pushing it back against the wind, securing it with a latch. In an instant, the wind and rain were kept outside.
Zhou Yao breathed slightly heavier and said, "I wasn't thinking about anything; I just saw a ghost."
Luo Yi tilted his head, seriously glancing at the thin layer of shadows on the glass, and asked, "Did you see yourself?"
"..." Zhou Yao shot him a sidelong glance.
He stopped teasing her and squatted down to tidy up the tools.
Zhou Yao went over to pick up a flower pot. Luo Yi looked up and said, "You should go rest. I'll handle this."
Zhou Yao smiled. "It's fine; I'll help you."
Luo Yi narrowed his eyes as he looked at her hands and said, "You have blood on your hands."
Zhou Yao looked down and saw that the skin on her palm was broken. She raised her hand and suddenly realized, "When I was propping the window, a small splinter got in."
As she spoke, she focused and carefully pinched the splinter; suddenly, she yanked it out quickly.
"Hiss—" Zhou Yao couldn't help but jump on the spot.
Luo Yi said, "..."
"Are you a comedian?" he asked. "Go put some medicine on it."
He stood up with the toolbox, glanced out the window, and suddenly asked, "Is that your senior brother?"
Zhou Yao looked over and saw a man in a black tactical jacket running into the stairwell in the rain. "Yes. What is he doing out so late?" Zhou Yao wondered if he was on a date with Tang Shangri-La Duo.
Luo Yi lost interest and went downstairs.
...
The common area was dimly lit, with only two or three pendant lights hanging in the bar.
Zhou Yao sat at the bar while Luo Yi took some medicine and said, "Put your hand out."
Zhou Yao was quite surprised; she thought he would just throw the medicine to her and leave it at that. She quickly extended her hand and smiled, saying, "Be gentle."
What she said was practically meaningless; he applied the medicine with just the right amount of pressure.
However, since the wound was small, Zhou Yao wasn't afraid of the pain.
He quickly finished applying the medicine, capped the bottle, and somewhat dismissively said, "All done. Let's go back."
Zhou Yao did not leave, leaning on the bar, her hips swaying on the bar stool. "Luo Boss, I want some milk."
Luo Yi raised his hand and tapped the blackboard that listed the day's special drinks. "We're closed."
Zhou Yao tilted her head. "Who woke me up from my sleep with that noisy window? I can't sleep anymore; I need milk to help me rest."
Luo Yi looked at her.
She looked back at him.
He pressed his lips together, licked his teeth, and finally said, "Wait."
He took a box of milk from the shelf, opened the packaging, poured it into a small milk pot, lit an alcohol lamp, and placed the small milk pot on top. From time to time, he stirred the milk in the pot with a wooden spoon.
Outside, the wind and rain howled.
Zhou Yao sat on the bar stool, swinging her feet as she watched him. She had seen this routine countless times and still found it captivating.
His gaze was focused on the milk in the small pot. He knew she was watching but did not glance her way.
Perhaps it was too late at night and a bit dangerous; he wasn't in the mood to talk.
Once the milk was warmed up, he poured it into a glass cup and handed it to her. She took a big sip, getting milk on her lips. He ignored it, covered the alcohol lamp, and turned to wash the milk pot at the sink. Zhou Yao glared at his back with annoyance and wiped off the milk from her mouth.
When he finished washing up and returned, she had only drunk a quarter of her milk, holding the glass cup like a little raccoon.
He lowered his head to bite down on a cigarette. Zhou Yao frowned. "Can't you wait a couple of days to smoke?"
He raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as he looked at her without answering, then lit the cigarette.
Zhou Yao pouted and said nothing, lowering her head to drink milk.
She wasn't really in the mood to drink milk, nibbling on the rim of the Glass Cup, taking tiny sips.
Outside, the wind and rain raged, while inside it was warm and cozy.
He had smoked half a cigarette, and she was still stalling for time, biting the Glass Cup.
Through the pale blue smoke, he saw her lips pressed against the Glass Cup, a row of tiny teeth gently nibbling away. He wondered what the Glass Cup felt like being bitten by those small teeth.
Just then, she lifted her gaze and their eyes met.
He didn't look away, staring at her as he said, "If you break it, you'll have to pay for it."
"I'm being very gentle," Zhou Yao replied with a light laugh, revealing her pink tongue as she smiled widely.
Luo Yi shifted his gaze away, letting a puff of smoke swirl in his chest before slowly exhaling.
He asked, "Do you have trouble sleeping?"
"Yeah," Zhou Yao said. "I heard noises outside in the hallway and came out to check."
He tapped the edge of the ashtray with his hand and instructed, "Next time you encounter a similar situation, don't rush out."
She raised her chin and asked, "Why not?"
He frowned and replied, "Don't you have any basic awareness of self-defense? What if it were an intruder?"
Zhou Yao was taken aback.
"From now on, whether you're staying in a hotel or an inn, don't just open the door when you hear noises outside. If there's something, call the front desk."
Zhou Yao nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "Oh. I remember."
Seeing her so obedient, he found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
She finally finished her milk.
Luo Yi took the cup away, then found a hairdryer and placed it on the bar. "Your hair is wet. Go dry it before sleeping."
Seeing him about to leave, Zhou Yao grabbed the hairdryer and stood up, exclaiming, "Boss Luo, I'm hungry."
Luo Yi turned back to look at her, gritting his teeth.
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