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墨書 Inktalez
Perhaps the time after work every day is the most relaxing moment for the three of them. After their last argument, Zhang Xu was smart enough to send Lulu her favorite snacks. Although they had been arguing these past few days, their relationship seemed unaffected. Zhang Xu did his best to persuade Lulu and finally managed to prevent her from buying a memory stick. However, he ultimately couldn't resist his girlfriend's wishes and agreed to buy a piece of clothing, the latest trendy couple's outfit, which he reluctantly accepted.
For the first two hours after work, they walked around the neighborhood near their residence, carefully observing every street sign and even exploring the tiniest alleys to see if there were any hidden signs or special shops. They had only heard about various services online before; as long as you had cash, someone would come to talk business with you. But now, despite almost laying their money out in plain sight, they hadn't seen anyone who matched the descriptions they had read online. Exhausted from walking, they decided to head to that crispy chicken shop.
"Hey, slow down! My legs are sore!" Wang San finally couldn't take it anymore and sat down on a flower bed by the roadside, panting heavily. "Come on, how can you do this? How will you take care of your wife in the future? Get up!" Liu Shuai pulled Wang San up forcefully. Wang San shot him a fierce glare in response. "Listen here, buddy, we didn't say anything false. You've barely walked for a while and you're already out of breath; that's pretty pathetic," Zhang Xu teased from the side.
Wang San stood up and asked, "How are things going between you two?" Zhang Xu turned his head and replied, "All good! When I speak sweetly, she has to listen to me." He said this with a proud expression on his face. "But you should trust my judgment; she’s definitely interested in you. You need to find a way to get closer; opportunities like this don't come often," Zhang Xu patted Wang San on the shoulder and said something meaningful.
"Alright, don’t rush me; I have to think of a plan too..." Wang San was momentarily at a loss for words as the three of them headed towards the crispy chicken shop at the entrance of the northern neighborhood.
Upon arriving at the crispy chicken shop, they were greeted by familiar decor and faces, along with a familiar ordering process. The moment Wang San and Fu Qiyue locked eyes, it seemed they both confirmed something internally but didn't know how to express it yet. "Back again, huh? How's everything been for you three?" Fu Qiyue's greeting brought a sense of warmth akin to coming home; amidst her seriousness was a hint of enthusiasm as she skillfully took out her notepad to jot down their orders.
"We're so used to your food that we can't change it; we can only come here. It's like there's some magic involved," Wang San exclaimed in dialect, causing both brothers to burst into laughter. "That's exactly what we've been thinking!" Zhang Xu said with a playful glint in his eyes while Liu Shuai nodded in agreement.
"You guys are really chatty; find a place to sit. It’ll be ready soon," Fu Qiyue smiled at them while giving Wang San a mock glare before shaking her head.
The crispy chicken was still fragrant as ever—melting in your mouth with its crispy exterior and tender meat paired with unique sauces that made one crave another bowl just to continue enjoying that sensation. At that moment, another girl whom they hadn’t met before took over Fu Qiyue’s shift; it seemed there were two people alternating shifts at this shop.
"Feeling full?" Zhang Xu leaned back contentedly against his chair, almost ready to fall over onto the floor. Wang San patted his belly in satisfaction; this meal was worlds apart from the work meals at their factory. "Hey girl, next time make more so we can shut him up!" Liu Shuai asked the new girl who had just taken over.
"Sure! I’ll make sure to fill him up," she replied enthusiastically.
"Hey, where's San?" The two were surprised that he had vanished right after eating. "I'm Fu Qiyue; I work here at the crispy chicken shop and wanted to chat with you for a bit," Wang San looked at Fu Qiyue who had pulled him aside without knowing what to do. Perhaps this was Wang San's first time standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a girl like this; such scenes existed only in his imagination until now.
"I'm Wang San; everyone calls me San," he said as he extended his hand nervously while feeling tense as he noticed Fu Qiyue could hear his rapid breathing across from him. "Do you have many ways to read books there?" Fu Qiyue reached out her hand politely but quickly withdrew it after just touching his fingertips and lowered her head.
"Hey, don’t block my view!" Zhang Xu pressed against Liu Shuai as he anxiously watched their interaction unfold. "Is it really necessary? You've set up more than ten couples among our thirty classmates; how is this any different from talking to someone you've never met before?" Liu Shuai straightened up while rubbing his waist. The new girl also watched curiously from her seat as if she were an audience member witnessing their interaction unfold.
"Are these two dating now?" she asked curiously.
"Just got acquainted," Liu Shuai replied awkwardly. "I didn’t know you liked reading too," Wang San’s eyes lit up suddenly. "What kind of books are you looking for?" His sudden enthusiasm caught Fu Qiyue off guard, but she maintained her calm demeanor despite her racing heart.
"Do you know about Utopia? It's by Sunstein."
"Wha—" Wang San was taken aback: wasn’t that the book he was currently reading? "So you’re reading that book too?"
Fu Qiyue nodded affirmatively but tried hard not to show her excitement on her flushed face as she attempted to appear calm while merely asking for directions regarding books. "I actually have it here but didn’t bring it with me today; would an e-book work?" Wang San took out his phone indicating that he had many such books stored on it.
Fu Qiyue nodded again and said, "Alright, send it to me later. If you have time, meet me at the pavilion in Garden Three of our community." Wang San stood there dumbfounded and nodded absentmindedly.
Fu Qiyue turned away but instinctively touched her face before leaving—why was it so warm? Was her judgment correct? Or was she just imagining things earlier? No way! She had a stable job here; why would she be interested in an intern? No matter how much she ruffled her hair trying to regain composure, she couldn’t shake off her feelings as she hurriedly walked away into the night while behind her, Wang San watched with equal restlessness in his heart.
Could it be that after spending years surrounded by internet cafes and computers, Wang San’s luck with romance had finally arrived? In this unfamiliar place where suddenly someone unfamiliar acted so unexpectedly towards him—how should he respond? He stood there scratching his head when Zhang Xu approached first asking eagerly, “So what’s going on?”
Wang San remained silent. “Did you say something wrong? Speak!” Although Zhang Xu was anxious, he didn’t know how to help his quiet friend either.
“Alright now, don’t rush him into saying anything; they’ve just met! Why hurry? When the time comes, he’ll naturally speak up,” the new girl placed the bill on the table standing between them both. “Eat well and pay up!”
“Okay okay,” Zhang Xu sighed helplessly and turned around to scan the QR code for payment. “Great! Come again next time! If anything comes up just let me know—I’ll help you out,” she revealed her QR code signaling Zhang Xu while he hurriedly smiled back saying: “Thanks so much! Sorry for bothering you!”
After leaving the crispy chicken shop, it was clear that Wang San hadn’t recovered from their earlier conversation yet. Although they were still heading homeward directionally speaking, somehow they ended up at the place they had just paid for earlier.
“San! Aren’t you tired? Why are we here?” Zhang Xu seemed unaware of what had just transpired between Fu Qiyue and Wang San and looked puzzled.
“Hey! Stop talking nonsense! Let him be alone for now; maybe he'll come back later,” Liu Shuai whispered into Zhang Xu’s ear.
“Right!” Zhang Xu nodded excitedly tossing his thick jacket over to Wang San saying: “Hey buddy! Don’t catch a cold or else you'll be stuck living alone!”
“Okay,” Wang San paused briefly before putting on the jacket again.
“The summer breeze gently blows through your hair and ears; you and my summer whisper softly.” This nostalgic melody resurfaced again making restlessness fade away yet not entirely disappear—now it was mid-summer July where heat intertwined with coolness—the warmth of evening breezes stirred new flames within them as perhaps two sparks contemplated igniting a flame called love while worrying about something else entirely.
Meanwhile on another side, Fu Qiyue listened to the same song lying on her bed in her rented room with messy hair due to heat wearing only thin pajamas—should she go or not? Would not going be seen as taboo? But her mind told her not to acknowledge this boy while dopamine urged her: “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead! Dopamine will make you happy.” GABA countered: “How could an intern possibly match your status? He could lose his job anytime—understand?” Thoughts tangled into chaos during moments of excitement desperately needed cutting through them like a knife.
Various neurotransmitters waged war within her brain like Stalingrad—with Soviets resting on one floor while German machine guns sprayed fire from above—the floors echoed with clashes between both sides’ bayonets... In the end dopamine seized control over her mind amidst this internal battle prompting Fu Qiyue to stand up change clothes fixing her disheveled hair post-war revealing an angelic face resembling that of a doll—her eyes reflecting conflicting emotions: one resolute while another wavering uncertainly—after closing her eyes taking deep breaths once more hearing dopamine’s voice: “Go ahead! Regardless of status—be happy.”
Books tell us dopamine brings joy fueling motivation which made her overlook sounds emitted by cameras installed by uncles in rented rooms disregarding everything opening doors seeing someone pacing back-and-forth at corridor's end—grabbing keys shutting door behind herself Fu Qiyue hurried toward corridor’s end where indeed someone awaited her arrival.
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