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墨書 Inktalez
A dilapidated street, recently rained upon, with a bumpy road surface. Puddles of various sizes shimmer with white light. A middle-aged man dressed in black squats at the alley entrance, squinting his eyes and smoking a cigarette, seemingly waiting for someone.
The alley is very lonely, as there are few passersby. Even when one or two pedestrians occasionally walk by, they seem to have no extra thoughts to spare for the man in black squatting on the ground.
The middle-aged man remains there, idly observing the passersby. A woman in her thirties, wearing a red skirt and white platform shoes, walks past him with an alluring gait. He glances at her and can accurately categorize this type of woman.
The man in black, cigarette in mouth, wears a cold and disdainful expression, seemingly looking down on such women, yet unable to hide his primal instincts as his gaze lingers unabashedly on her.
As the red-dressed woman reaches the mouth of the alley, a tall and thin man approaches her. The two quickly become intimate, linking arms, their boisterous laughter seeming to ripple through the puddles.
At a glance, they are clearly a couple. The man in black can't help but curse inwardly, spitting a thick phlegm onto the ground. If it weren't for the important matter he was waiting for, he would have rushed over to give that couple a beating.
Not far away at the other end of the alley, a young man is peering around. Upon seeing the man in black squatting on the ground, he walks straight toward him.
The man in black smiles and stands up; perhaps due to squatting for too long, his legs feel somewhat numb. He stretches on his toes to loosen his ankles before tossing the nearly finished cigarette butt onto the ground and stomping it into the muddy pavement before walking up to meet the young man.
The young man hands him a photograph and a thick envelope, then coldly says: "Your target is the woman in the photo. If you handle it well, you will receive a large sum of money. However, you must not touch a hair on the man in the photo; otherwise, not only will you not receive anything within a minute, but you will also face unforeseen consequences. This is your advance payment."
The man in black grins as he takes the photo and silently memorizes the woman's appearance. To be honest, he prefers female targets; every time he eliminates one, he feels a twisted sense of pleasure...
Although it is ten o'clock at night, the city's nightlife seems just to be beginning. Everywhere is brightly lit; it’s a world of light with neon signs shining brightly and cars flowing like moving fireflies on the road.
The city resembles an energetic young woman full of vitality. This exuberance feels like an infectious disease that spreads to everything and everyone within the city. People who are already exhausted from the day still push themselves during this ambiguous night, struggling to hold on.
Inside the bar, crowds gather with clinking glasses; of course, there are also lonely figures downing drink after drink. Qiluo Ling takes a moment's break from playing and looks around at the people with a dazed expression.
Finally finishing her performance, Qiluo Ling steps out of the bar.
Stepping outside reveals another world. The small path leading to the road is particularly serene; moonlight spills silver across it while shadows dance among trees along the way. A few noisy crickets chirp in the grass.
The outside world is starkly different from that inside the bar— which one is real? For a moment, she cannot arrive at an accurate answer.
Qiluo Ling stepped out of the alley and onto the main road, where it was easier to hail a taxi.
In the afternoon, Choi Jae-sun called to say that the audit team from the headquarters had arrived in Shanghai and would be auditing the operations of the Shanghai company tomorrow. Therefore, he needed to personally host them tonight and could not pick her up.
Just as she reached the main road, a Black Sedan smoothly stopped beside her. Qiluo Ling was taken aback but thought that perhaps the driver was just passing by.
The front door of the car opened, and a middle-aged man in a black suit stepped out. He was tall, with a crew cut and distinct facial features, and had a robust build.
He smiled lightly as he approached her and politely asked, "Excuse me, are you Miss Qi?"
Qiluo Ling asked warily, "I am Qiluo Ling, who are you?"
"Hello, I am President Cui's driver, my surname is Liu. Since guests have arrived at the company headquarters and President Cui is temporarily unavailable, he sent me to pick you up," the middle-aged man maintained a humble expression throughout.
What he said seemed to align closely with what Choi Jae-sun had mentioned, but to be cautious, she decided to call Choi Jae-sun for confirmation. On the phone, Choi Jae-sun told her that he was very busy and could not come to pick her up but was concerned for her safety, so he had arranged for a special car to take her from the bar.
After confirming that it was indeed true, Qiluo Ling opened the back door of the car and sat down with ease.
"I've heard that Miss Qi plays the piano very well; today I finally get to see you in person! Miss Qi truly is talented and beautiful," the middle-aged man chatted while driving.
"You flatter me; I'm just at a level to make a living," Qiluo Ling smiled.
"Is Miss Qi a local from Shanghai?"
"No, I am from Ni Yang."
The middle-aged man glanced at her through the rearview mirror and smiled with satisfaction.
The car drove through dimly lit streets directly toward her residence. The speed was somewhat fast, and the swaying shadows of trees outside looked like black ghosts passing by.
As soon as she settled into the comfortable leather seat, Qiluo Ling suddenly felt very tired, almost drowsy, and leaned back against the chair weakly.
“Miss Qi, if you are tired, I won't disturb you with my words. Just take a good rest for a while,” the middle-aged man said, glancing at her again through the rearview mirror.
“Okay. Wake me up when we arrive,” Qiluo Ling closed her eyes.
“Sure.”
A scent of violet slowly filled the car, and Qiluo Ling felt a sudden wave of drowsiness wash over her, her eyelids heavy beyond belief. She drifted into a hazy state.
In her blurred consciousness, she woke up a few times, realizing she was leaning awkwardly. To keep herself awake, she opened the rear window. The cool air rushed in but seemed to have no effect. She adjusted her sitting position, leaning comfortably against the leather seat with back support.
The driver glanced at her again through the rearview mirror and turned on the music inside the car. Soft melodies gradually filled the space. The music was quite nice; it seemed this driver had good taste.
This was the last flicker of awareness she had before her mind began to fade.
Qiluo Ling slowly closed her eyes again, her consciousness slipping away bit by bit. In the end, she curled up in the back seat and fell asleep.
She felt as if she were floating in the air, drifting toward the blue sky and white clouds. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past her, and she lost weightlessness, plummeting toward the ground...
With a jolt, she woke up to find that the car had stopped and the music had ceased.
The interior of the car was dark; only the dim moonlight allowed Qiluo Ling to see the driver rolling down the window to smoke. The glowing tip of his cigarette flickered in and out of sight in the darkness. It was pitch black outside, silent as if they had arrived in an uninhabited place.
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