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墨書 Inktalez
The sound jolted me like a spring, and I immediately bounced back. I picked up my phone, only to see a text message displayed on the screen.
But how could I receive a message when I was clearly out of credit?
Curiosity piqued, I opened the message. The number looked somewhat familiar, and the content read: "I am Jianjian. Your phone is out of credit, and I've paid it for you. I'll call you in ten minutes."
I stared at my phone for several seconds.
Jianjian, I thought to myself, she must know something because she can see ghosts... If she can see ghosts, then she must be able to see the "ghost" that exists beside me.
Time passed slowly. I didn't dare to sleep, sitting upright until just past midnight.
A cool breeze blew in from outside the door. I turned my gaze toward the direction of the wind and walked over to close the window. Then, as an advertisement played on the television, I switched it off.
Entering my bedroom, I initially felt no drowsiness. However, I had placed some books by my bedside, which I had bought specifically to help with my insomnia.
I didn't know why, but whenever I looked at those densely packed words in a book, I felt sleepy.
In order to fall asleep, I picked up a book and started reading.
Just as I was about to drift off, my phone rang. It reminded me that Jianjian had said she would call me.
The phone rang for about ten seconds before I answered it.
Jianjian's voice came through on the line.
I said, "How did you pay my bill? I'll pay you back tomorrow!"
Suddenly, without warning, Jianjian started to sob on the other end of the line. Her reaction was completely unexpected and caught me off guard.
I asked into the phone, "Why are you crying?"
I wasn't very familiar with Jianjian yet, so my voice came out a bit stiff.
On the other end, Jianjian said, "My mom... my mom..." She was sobbing, unable to finish her sentence.
But this was the third time I had heard her mention her mother.
"What happened to your mom?" I asked.
Then she said, "My mom is right here with me."
As soon as she finished speaking, I broke out in a cold sweat. I remembered that Zhang had told me Jianjian's mother had died ten years ago. How could she possibly be by her side now?
I reflexively asked, "Your mom...?" My tone had already shifted.
But just then, the call was abruptly disconnected. I hadn't even finished my question when the line went dead. I wanted to say...
But the call ended. What if something happened to Jianjian?
Thinking this, I called her back, but the phone indicated it was unanswered. I didn't know where Jianjian lived, and even if I did, I couldn't go find her at this hour! It wouldn't be right to seek out someone else's girlfriend in the middle of the night.
I quickly dialed Zhang.
When he picked up, I immediately told him that Jianjian might be in trouble, getting straight to the point.
However, there was a moment of silence on the other end before Zhang responded. It felt like a short circuit for a few seconds, and then his words plunged me into an icy abyss, every cell in my body filled with confusion and fear.
I heard Zhang say, "Saning, are you mistaken? Jianjian has been right here with me. You know what I mean..." He even laughed wickedly as he spoke.
I froze in place.
If Jianjian had been next to Zhang, then the person who called me earlier couldn't have been Jianjian, right? That voice definitely belonged to Jianjian.
Could it be that Zhang was lying to me? Or was Jianjian deceiving me?
"Saning, what do you want with Jianjian?" Zhang's voice came through the phone.
I felt a bit awkward. Since Jianjian was fine, I didn't know what to say. I mumbled a few casual responses and hung up. Taking a deep breath, I felt as if a stone was pressing down on my chest.
Some strange things were happening around me, but I had a nagging feeling that Zhang was hiding something from me, or perhaps Jianjian really wasn't Jianjian? But that seemed unlikely.
The drowsiness I had just felt vanished completely, and my mind became a chaotic mess.
Lying in bed, I couldn't make sense of it all, so I decided to stop thinking about it and picked up the book again. As I read, sleepiness returned.
Slowly, I leaned back against the bed and fell asleep.
However, when I woke up the next day, I found myself lying flat on my back, with the covers neatly arranged over me.
I got out of bed and noticed that the room seemed a bit cleaner than before.
Having not worked for several days, I left home early today. When I arrived at the office, the front desk was still empty.
After clocking in, I sat down at my desk and turned on my computer. About half an hour later, Zhang arrived with a lewd smile plastered across his face as he greeted colleagues along the way.
It was clear he was in a good mood.
Once seated, Zhang patted my shoulder and asked, "Saning, how did you spend last night?"
Thinking about last night made me feel terrible.
Zhang glanced at me and said, "You don't look so good." Then he cast a sidelong glance at my Wooden Box and looked at me with disdain.
I didn't pay much attention.
Zhang, the chubby guy, deliberately said to me, "Saning, guess what I did with Jianjian last night?"
I looked up at Zhang, cursing him in my heart for being so disgusting. Just as I was about to mock him, he added, "Oh, someone like you, a single dog, probably wouldn't know."
That statement hit me hard, dealing a thousand points of damage and leaving me with a lump in my throat.
However, seeing Zhang's cheerful demeanor, it didn't seem like he was lying. It appeared that Jianjian really was with him last night.
If that call was indeed from Jianjian, it must have been a brief one.
But I couldn't ask Zhang about the details.
After turning on my computer, Zhang casually opened a few web pages and started working. Not long into his shift, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said to me, "By the way, Saning, my Uncle said we're going to the East City Ruined Temple in three days. You should prepare for it."
The East City Ruined Temple had been a heavy stone weighing on my heart. But now I knew that this matter needed to be resolved; it was either a blessing or a curse—if it was a curse, there was no escaping it.
I let out a sigh. By the time work ended, I took the Wooden Box and went to the Pet Store to bring home my Little Black Dog. My injuries had mostly healed over the past few days.
Everything seemed normal on the surface, but beneath that normalcy lay hidden twists and unease.
I wanted to ask Jianjian directly but couldn't find an appropriate excuse.
As I walked home with Little Black Dog, feeling somewhat bored, I thought about giving him a name. After some contemplation, I remembered those tough times when I lived on instant noodles and decided to name him Noodle.
When I got home with Noodle, I sent Jianjian a text message, but it disappeared into the void.
Once inside, Noodle kept staring at my Wooden Box and occasionally whimpered without barking. This dog was very loyal; as soon as he saw me, he rubbed against me affectionately.
After returning home, I sat for a while, feeling a bit anxious about going to the East City Ruined Temple in three days.
To be honest, my impression of Zhang Dexin has improved somewhat.
I took out my computer to play for a bit, but not long after, my phone rang. For some reason, every time my phone rings now, I hope it’s that woman… but it seems she hasn’t called me in a few days.
However, every time she does call, it’s during a crisis. I looked at the string of numbers on my phone; this kind of number is either from a delivery service or a telemarketer.
Thinking that I hadn’t ordered anything online recently, I hung up the phone. But not long after I hung up, it rang again.
Looking at the screen, it was still that same number, so I hung up again.
Then it rang once more. It was probably a sales call. I thought about how persistent they were and pressed the answer button.
As soon as the call connected, I heard a flat voice on the other end: “Hello, are you Saning?”
I was surprised that he knew my name and replied affirmatively.
But his next sentence left me stunned. I heard him say, “Your friend is currently in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment…”
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