51

Capítulo 52

"Don't worry, I go often." Yu Zheng wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes.

Hey! You woman are really...

I really don't dare to recall how I got in. I covered my face the whole way. When Yu Zheng saw me like this, he really couldn't cry either. He dragged me inside in a rather irritable manner. Fortunately, apart from the room being extremely luxurious, nothing seemed out of the ordinary except for the dim lighting...

If you don't mind that the bathroom is so big it's scary, it doesn't have a door.

"Don't be so naive!" she exclaimed, pulling two bottles of wine from her luggage. "You can drink any beverages! The fridge won't bite you! Please... Tang Chen never took you anywhere before?"

"We don't have that kind of 'hobby'!" My hair was practically standing on end; I was furious. "Yes...we've missed our lodgings before...but...but..."

The motel was simple inside and out, no different from any other ordinary motel. And we drove into the garage, instead of swaggering in and drawing the attention of the staff.

Moreover, this incredibly luxurious room had a strange chair, which I swear wasn't a massage chair, and there were four condoms by the bedside.

"This place is quite thoughtful, the 'facilities' are very complete." Yu Zheng glanced at it, then suddenly felt a pang of sadness. "But I don't want to stay in a love hotel with you... Why isn't it a handsome guy or a hunk..."

…Hello.

She poured herself two glasses of wine and sat down with me on the carpet... and started pouring out her grievances.

We are both sorceresses, so we don't need complicated language. That's why she knew about my melancholy and pain, and I knew about her bumpy love journey after breaking up with Tang Chen.

"Are you crazy? You're being stubborn!" she yelled.

"You still haven't learned your lesson?" I retorted. "You're delusional, trying to find a real man among a herd of mollusks."

What happened next? I don't remember much about what happened next. I only remember that we hugged each other and cried, helped each other to the toilet to vomit, and then came back to drink. We drank until we ran out of alcohol and couldn't even climb into bed. We lay on the carpet and lost consciousness.

I vaguely remember that in the middle of the night, my hand touched a smooth thigh, and we both felt a chill, so we rolled away and fell asleep again.

***

When I opened my eyes, I was disoriented for a few seconds. I sat up and stared blankly for a while, feeling as if a hundred little people were hitting my head with hammers.

I drank way too much last night. I've never been this decadent before; it seems there are conditions for going astray.

I staggered into the bathroom...then let out a terrible scream and quickly covered my face.

"...What are you yelling about? You'll scare me half to death even if I don't have a heart condition! I'm not a man, what's there to yell about?" Yu Zheng lay casually in the jacuzzi. "Do you think I have a bad figure? Do you need to be so petty?"

"What kind of logic is this?!" I said, covering my face with my back to her. "Hurry up and put your clothes on!"

"No way! I just filled the tub." I only heard the splashing sound. "Want to come in for a bath? A hot bath is the best cure for a hangover..."

"No way!" I yelled, only to feel my head throbbing even more. "...I need to go to the bathroom!"

"Go ahead and go ahead, are you afraid I'll peek? You can't peek even if you wanted to, it's a sit-down toilet."

What was wrong with me that I wanted to go out with her?

Even as we left the motel, I was still puzzled.

Before leaving the motel, Yu Zheng complained that her eyes were too swollen to apply makeup.

I said irritably, "Why wear makeup? To attract more mollusks?"

She was silent for a moment, then said dejectedly, putting away her cosmetics. "It's just that not wearing makeup is like not wearing armor... but it's not worth wearing armor for a mollusk. I'm not a hermit crab."

…meaning her logic has always been unique.

We wandered around Kaohsiung for a few days. I say wandered around because we really didn't have any purpose or plan. We went to Cijin Park, took rickshaws, and even ate at a shady seafood restaurant. But Yu-cheng got into a fight with the owner over the bill, and even the tough locals were afraid of her, meekly giving us a discount and seeing us off.

Even though she was extremely frustrated after dumping thirty-six boyfriends from the genus of mollusks, it didn't diminish her queenly aura. I truly admire that.

"...You've loved such a despicable person, don't you think..." I couldn't say it.

"I'm not you." She glared at me fiercely. "They're the ones who are pathetic, not me. Just consider it a fall, get up and keep moving forward. I refuse to believe I won't meet the man I'm looking for!"

Keep moving forward. Yes, why should I let the past haunt me and make me feel so miserable? Keep moving forward. If I hadn't walked through those years of self-reproach, I wouldn't have met Tang Chen, Shuo, Uncle Shi, and Yu Zheng.

Because I moved forward.

"I didn't expect you to be so smart," I laughed.

"Are you out of your mind? You're making a big deal out of nothing. So what if you fantasize? Food and sex are basic human desires; you didn't actually rape anyone..."

I blushed and yelled, interrupting what she was about to say. I forgot that she was very similar to Huang E, especially in their unrestrained speech.

Am I a masochist? Why am I out playing with Yu Zheng after I'm away cultivating in the Desolate Realm? Do I only feel miserable when no one makes me feel awkward?

I thought about it for a long time, but couldn't come to a conclusion.

***

Yu-cheng really knows how to have fun. She said it was her first time in Kaohsiung and she hadn't done any research beforehand, but she instinctively found ways to enjoy the nightlife.

Whether it's a bar where you just drink or a pub with lots of music and dancing, she can find it and have a blast. I admit it's really fun... but my stamina just won't hold up.

She was still dancing glamorously on the dance floor, while I was already slumped on the bar, panting. Less than ten minutes had passed since we came in.

"I've only just warmed up!" she said, her expression deeply displeased as she chased after him.

I waved weakly at her. Please, have mercy on me. I'm lucky if I don't get sick; how can I possibly endure this kind of revelry? Being able to dance for ten minutes is already a feat; don't expect too much.

"Then watch your drink carefully, don't let anyone add anything to it! Also, refuse offers of drinks from others, but if you really have no choice, then come to my place..."

…I really think she's amazing. She can flirt and dance with several hunky guys at the same time, and she can also nag me about being careful in nightclubs.

I'm not her, so why would I attract so many suitors? She complained that her face was sallow and that she went out without makeup, but in my opinion, she's beautiful enough as she is. Her features are beautiful and defined, and the dim lighting makes her even more radiant. Why would she need any makeup or cosmetics?

I couldn't tell what kind of music it was. When I first arrived, it was noisy and hot, but now the atmosphere is lively and everyone is happy (although a bit animalistic). Despite the noisy environment, there is a kind of blank tranquility.

I might even have a tendency to go astray.

Suddenly someone sat down on the high chair next to me, and a black foreigner smiled at me, revealing his teeth. I thought of Darlie toothpaste and couldn't help but smile back.

My English is terrible; I could barely understand that he wanted to buy me a drink. I shook my head and thanked him in broken English. But he kept pestering me, and I wanted to sigh.

Foreigners have poor aesthetic standards and think that single eyelids make you a Chinese doll, which I understand. But I know what he's up to; there's no way he'd go to a banquet that's a trap.

I stammered that I couldn't accept his drink because his female companion was unhappy.

"I'm all alone," he said, feigning a pitiful look.

How do you pronounce "ghost" in English? I gestured wildly, trying my best to make him understand with my broken English. Finally, I gestured to my wrist, "Wearing a chain, with YSL on it..." Then I gestured to my cheek, drawing the shape of tears, "There's blood..."

I guess he understood what I meant, right? Because he suddenly stood up, let out a long, extremely pitiful wail, and then ran away.

The heavily made-up woman, wearing a bracelet, with a line of bloody tears on her cheek and some brain matter protruding from her right side, sat down with considerable interest in the spot where the black foreigner had originally been sitting, and stared at me.

There are already many local residents in these nightclubs, don't you all know that?

"Um," I nodded to the lady, "would you like a drink?"

"I really want to drink it," the heavily made-up woman sighed.

I gestured a few times over the almost untouched wine glass, offering it to her. She was overjoyed, drank it all in one gulp, and was very satisfied.

"Thank you so much!" She gave me a big kiss on the cheek.

I wiped my cheeks. "You're welcome. I drank too much the other day too."

This is the advantage of treating the indigenous people: you can invite them to drink again and again because they are drinking the "heartfelt sentiment" rather than the actual alcohol.

As long as they visualized that they could drink the wine in front of me, they could drink it. This amused the locals who frequented nightclubs, and they chattered excitedly around me.

The heavily made-up woman told me that she was picking up a black foreigner at a nightclub, and accidentally fell for him. She tried to blackmail him into marrying her, and things went from fake to real. She's annoyed to see him flirting with other women.

I chuckled dryly. She recounted such a tragic experience as if it were a dark comedy. She herself seemed quite cheerful, swaying her head to the music.

“Your injury…” I pointed to the side of her head.

"It'll be almost finished," she said with a smile. "My family has been taking care of me, but I used all the paper money for beauty treatments, so I can't properly perform the ritual for the deceased..."

…Women's love of beauty is an innate trait that…it's impossible to change, no matter what.

Unfortunately, I can't learn it.

They scattered only when Yu Zheng arrived. She was truly energetic and recovered quickly. Her uncle had sealed her third eye, and I had destroyed her talent, yet she had stubbornly recovered 50-60% of it. Her aura was so strong that evil spirits fled in terror, avoiding her at all costs.

“What’s the point of talking to these dead ghosts?” she glared at me. “They have no will to work hard, they just hope others can help them pass on. I despise this kind of trash the most.”

"...They don't necessarily love having more children than allowed." I scratched my cheek. "...Have you seen anything good about it?"

“A party animal who goes to nightclubs…” she shrugged.

"Didn't you and Tang Chen come to Kaohsiung before?" I was a little curious. Why would she say she hadn't?

"...I...I went straight to the hotel in Xizi Bay after getting off the train." She turned her head away awkwardly. "And then...you know what, he disappeared, and I went home in a fit of anger. Doesn't that mean he was never here?"

Why was the Queen so embarrassed...? I suddenly understood. Although she was domineering, she was afraid that mentioning her past with Tang Chen would make me uncomfortable.

I almost laughed and touched my nose. "Actually, Tang Chen is pretty good too. Aren't you guys considering him…?"

"Are you crazy?!" she glared at me fiercely. "What a joke!"

That made me laugh.

We partied so late that night that we realized we hadn't found a place to stay yet. We were all exhausted, so we just randomly picked a hotel on the twelfth floor (…), not far from the pub.

Perhaps we were just too tired, and our instincts became dulled. During these past few days of travel, we tried to stay in motels or entire buildings belonging to the same hotel, avoiding places where only one or a few floors were hotels.

But I was so tired that I felt weak all over, so without thinking much, I took the old elevator up.

I realized I had become so complacent that I had lost my vigilance.

***

The room was small, and the bathroom was small too. Fortunately, the pillows and bedding were clean, and the water dispenser was still usable.

After a few days of travel, I've gotten used to the life of a temporary residence and I'm not easily surprised anymore. I went to take a shower first, and when I came out, Yuzheng had only taken off her shoes before collapsing onto the bed and falling asleep.

I pulled the blanket off her forcefully, but it didn't wake her. I crawled to the other side of the wall and covered us both up tightly, so I could barely keep my eyes open.

But I was in a semi-conscious state and couldn't fall into a deep sleep.

I keep dreaming about my dad's house, the suite that's nominally my dorm room. Aunt Huang cast a spell on me; back then, I was completely defenseless, facing a stream of ghostly energy pouring down from the ceiling.

I cried out to heaven but received no response, and cried out to earth but received no help.

I've never really liked high-rise buildings. Skyscrapers are actually enclosed and eerie spaces, with many flawed constructions and interconnected spaces. On the concrete-sealed surface, there are maze-like passages and dead ends.

If the properties belong to the same owner, the process is usually straightforward and straightforward, and most issues can be resolved well. However, buildings typically belong to many owners, who are often unaware of their own residences and corresponding relationships. Furthermore, the owners often have their own other properties, making the situation more complicated.

I floated in a fragmented, hazy dream, still dreaming of the heavily made-up woman I had met not long ago. She covered half her face, screaming at me, blood and brain matter leaking from between her fingers.

"Get up! Get out of here!" I finally heard her voice and was jolted awake.