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墨書 Inktalez
Flirtation is a topic that everyone has thought about, regardless of gender. Some merely fantasize about it, dreaming of their Prince Charming or Snow White; others take action, seeking targets in bars, nightclubs, and various places known for flirtation; while some are indifferent, neither actively searching nor refusing when opportunities arise. However, for any normal young man, the temptation of encountering a beautiful and alluring woman and developing a romantic relationship is simply irresistible.
Well, I admit that eleven years ago, when I was still a hot-blooded buddy at the age of twenty, I had similar thoughts. Although officers have a bit more freedom than soldiers, during boring times, I felt even emptier inside. Watching my comrades counting down to retirement without a care in the world made me wonder if I would spend my entire life in this city. The uncertainty of many issues and the oppressive feeling of having no one to confide in left me feeling quite lonely.
Fortunately, as history shows, there are many passionate women in Xiang. As a stationed soldier in the city, I often found myself wandering the streets on weekends to admire beautiful women. Sometimes I would bring along a few soldiers on leave, and other times I would go with several military doctors who were also off duty. We would stroll around until it was nearly dinner time before returning to base. Especially during the summer of 2000, when the heat was intense and everywhere I looked there were women in skirts—it was truly dazzling. Looking back now, I realize how aimless I was back then.
One ordinary Saturday afternoon, as it approached five o'clock, I was anxiously waiting by the roadside to hail a taxi to return for roll call. Things often go this way: the more urgent you are, the less smoothly things go. When you're not in a hurry, empty taxis pass by one after another; but when you need one, every single car that goes by has passengers! It was hot outside, and after trying to hail several taxis without success, my frustration grew.
Suddenly, I heard a commotion nearby. Turning my head, I saw a man and a woman grappling with each other not far away. Initially, I didn't want to get involved and continued trying to hail a taxi; however, when I caught sight of the woman, who seemed quite attractive, my interest piqued and my urgency faded.
I quietly stepped closer for a better look. It turned out to be a bald man about six feet tall with a brutish face holding onto a girl tightly. The girl was around five foot seven, dressed stylishly with wavy hair framing her delicate face. She had big eyes and a cute nose that turned up slightly at the tip; her lips were pressed together in displeasure. She looked both fashionable and alluring—truly exquisite! Was this brute her boyfriend? I thought bitterly.
I couldn't help but glance at her again—oh my! She wore a tank top that revealed an enticing neckline (forgive me for using this term early; back then it wasn't common parlance). Paired with a short skirt that showcased her long legs standing right before me—I could only sigh: how fair she was! Honestly speaking, I had no resistance against such curvaceous beauties with long legs! This was my dream girl!
Caught in my thoughts, I glanced behind me and saw no empty taxis coming; thankfully, I could afford to watch for just a little longer. Comforting myself with this thought, I feigned interest in the traffic while inching closer. At that moment, I overheard the man shouting: "Teacher Jia! Didn’t we watch a movie together last time? Have you forgotten? Since we’ve run into each other again, let me treat you to dinner! Afterward we can go on a date!"
The sexy girl frowned and pressed her lips tightly together as she struggled to break free from his grip. My heart raced with conflict—I wanted to help her but wondered if they were just quarreling as an ordinary couple; would it be wise for me to intervene? What if they reported me as a rogue? Just as I hesitated further, the girl shouted: "I don’t even know you! Let go of me!"
Ah! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear! Beautiful lady, here I come! In an instant, I lunged forward—my left hand gripping the man's wrist while my right hand forcefully twisted his thumb. With an "ouch," he bent over as if he might kneel before me. Ha! You can't play tough with me; I'd already planned this move while sneaking up earlier!
Just then it was time for me to make my entrance with righteous authority. Clearing my throat for effect, I prepared to deliver an impassioned speech about justice. But unexpectedly—what's this? Someone was tugging at my left arm accompanied by a waft of perfume. A voice called out urgently: "Hurry up and get in!"
I turned around to see that stunning woman had opened the door of a taxi that had pulled up without me noticing and was pulling me inside!
What was happening? Before I could even process it all properly, I found myself getting into the car while inadvertently shutting the door behind me as it sped off! Looking ahead nervously without daring to glance at her sideward—within those brief moments of silence—I could almost hear my own heartbeat!
"Where are you going?" we both asked simultaneously as we turned our heads toward each other. She was truly beautiful; looking at her smiling face made me forget everything else—double eyelids and dimples too—I was almost mesmerized and struggled to keep my gaze from wandering!
The beauty smiled seductively at me: "Hero, didn’t you notice there were plenty of people behind me just now?"
"What? That brute had accomplices?" How did this work? A hero saving a damsel in distress only for her to repay him by rescuing him next? Then we part ways?
"Hey, I just turned the corner up ahead. Driver, please stop!" I heard the beautiful woman say to the driver.
What’s going on? This isn’t how the story is supposed to unfold! I hadn’t finished my lines yet. I wanted to take her home first before heading back to the base! The plot was taking an unexpected turn! As I watched her get out of the car, I stood there dumbfounded, not saying a word. Until she closed the door and turned around with a smile, saying, "Goodbye, hero!" I opened my mouth, unsure of what to say, and finally managed a quiet goodbye as I watched her walk away briskly.
On my way back, that beautiful and alluring figure lingered in my mind. Sighing, I thought about how I had seen many beautiful women before; even my ex-girlfriend counted among them. But none had been as perfect as her. This was fate—a fleeting encounter. Yet, let’s be honest; someone like her wouldn’t look twice at an ordinary guy like me. Forget it, just forget it, I told myself.
As it turned out, men are not only visual creatures but also rational beings. After dismissing all possibilities of crossing paths with her again, I dove back into the mundane and busy life of the military camp. Before I knew it, two weeks had passed.
Saturday morning arrived again. After breakfast, I felt too lazy to go out and leaned against the barracks door. It suddenly struck me that I hadn’t practiced with my staff in a long time, so I headed over to the Special Operations Unit to find Old Bi and spent the whole morning sparring with him. Perhaps it was due to improvements in strength, speed, reaction time, and endurance that he noticed my progress. Just as I was about to head back for lunch, Old Bi approached me mysteriously and suggested taking the afternoon off to go out together that night. Go out? Where? I was taken aback. Old Bi looked around cautiously and said it would just be the two of us going to Hexi Bar Street. Where? My surprise deepened—what about the Agency's night checks?
"Don't worry!" Old Bi assured me. "One of my brothers is on duty tonight; it'll be fine. Are you in or not?"
That made me waver a bit. To be honest, although I had never been to a bar during college, I often spent all-nighters at internet cafes! After joining the military, lights out was at nine-thirty, and despite adjusting my biological clock for a year, I still couldn’t fall asleep before midnight. Looking at the neon lights streaming through the window, I often thought about how vast the gap between people could be. While my classmates were out singing karaoke and drinking, I was already lying in bed; indeed, the military was a good place for moral education! Later on, while I had considered going out at night for fun, fear of surprise checks from higher-ups kept me from doing so—who knew when they would come? If caught, there would be consequences; who would dare take that risk?
That's how it is: when there are loopholes in regulations, people's self-restraint tends to weaken. Somehow or another, I found myself agreeing to go out with Old Bi.
After lunch, I deliberately took a nap to prepare for our evening plans. Dinner went normally—watching News Broadcasts and having free time before lights out and roll call. I acted nonchalantly as usual but grew anxious when Old Bi hadn’t shown up yet as lights-out approached; it seemed like our plans might fall through after all—Old Bi really wasn’t reliable!
As an old saying goes: "Speak of the devil." Just when I was thinking about Old Bi, he appeared from nowhere, dressed in casual clothes and signaling me excitedly under the bulletin board in front of the barracks. Surprisingly enough, Old Bi cleaned up quite well—he had a square jaw and a friendly smile that made him quite approachable. With this look going into a bar, he should be able to strike up conversations with girls easily enough. Quickly gesturing back at him, I rushed to change clothes and glanced around to see if any soldiers were still awake before hurrying over to Old Bi.
"So how are we getting out?" I asked him.
"Through the main gate; one of my soldiers is on guard today. By the way, did you make your bed properly?"
I squinted at Old Bi and said, "You should have done this earlier. It’s stuffed inside; you wouldn’t know there’s no one in there unless you go in!" Old Bi gave me a thumbs-up and turned to lead me toward the main gate. Indeed, having connections in the government makes things easier. As we passed through the gate, I lowered my head sheepishly and glanced sideways at the soldier, who was resolutely ignoring us as we walked by. "Old Bi," I called out, "let's just grab a taxi!" I watched as Old Bi effortlessly hailed a taxi, mentioned a name, and I thought to myself that this guy was definitely not new to this kind of outing!
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