Feng Shui

Capítulo 9

"kindness."

"Um, there's some warm porridge in the pot. If you don't feel like eating, you can have some. If you have a headache..."

"Aren't you annoying?!" Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Hanwen shouted in annoyance, "I saw the note you left, I know there's porridge in the pot, I know what to do if you have a headache, so why did you make the call? Why did you make the call? Go! You have the day off today, you have the day off tomorrow, you have the day off the day after tomorrow! Do whatever you want, go find a girlfriend if you want! Don't bother me! Don't bother me!"

After she finished yelling, she slammed the phone down.

Feng Nian'en put down the microphone and took a deep breath. Alright, since he was free tonight, he might as well make some preparations for his plan. He changed his clothes, went out of the house, and first bought a cartoon-patterned T-shirt at a nearby shopping mall. Although the shirt looked a bit ridiculous on him, who was already in his twenties, he thought children would like it.

He opened his umbrella and went to the garden near the community, which was the place he had planned to visit. Although he rarely came here, he knew that many children in the neighborhood liked to play here.

This place can no longer be called a garden. Apart from the flower bed in the center and the trees planted around it, there are more facilities such as a vermilion rocking horse, a sky blue seesaw, a slide with elephant patterns, and a sandpit that is about half the size of a swimming pool, which is the children's favorite.

Of course, it's deserted now. Water from the top of the slide flows down to the ground like a stream, and the sandpit is murky like yellow soup. Whether it's due to rain or it was always like this, all the facilities have peeling paint, and the whole garden looks like a wasteland.

Feng Nian'en glanced at the dark sky and prayed that tomorrow would be a sunny day.

He stood there in the rain, holding his umbrella, not really wanting to go home, but unable to think of anywhere else to go. Then, realizing he hadn't eaten all day, his stomach, which hadn't felt hungry before, suddenly started to rumble.

Okay, I'll go get something to eat. He walked out of the garden and just happened to catch a bus. Without thinking, he jumped on.

He didn't care where the bus was going; he simply got off at a brightly lit place.

Although a light drizzle was still falling, there were quite a few pedestrians on the streets. Under the colorful umbrellas, couples were playing and embracing each other.

He was very hungry, but didn't know what to eat. Eventually, he followed a couple into a fast food restaurant filled with the rich aroma of beef.

The restaurant was crowded, and there were no private tables left. He was led by a waiter to a table by the window, where a man in a khaki casual suit was looking down at a newspaper.

Feng Nian'en did not see the man's face, but suddenly felt uneasy, as if it were an animal instinct, a vague, cold reminder to him—danger!

At the same time, the man put down his newspaper and looked over.

The waiter apologized as he quickly took out a small notebook.

The man opposite didn't say much, but just gave Feng Nian'en a deep look.

Feng Nian'en glanced at the menu on the table and pondered.

“If this is your first time here,” the man suddenly said, “I recommend you try the beef noodles here.”

"Then I'll have a bowl of beef noodles and a glass of lemonade."

"A bowl of beef noodles, a glass of lemonade, anything else you need? Okay, that'll be fifteen yuan in total. Please wait a moment." The waiter took the money and turned to leave.

Feng Nian'en looked uneasily at the rain outside the window. He knew the man opposite him was scrutinizing him; even without the reflection of the glass, he could feel the man's gaze undisguisedly fixed on him.

He instinctively covered half his face with his hand, almost unable to resist turning away. Fortunately, the food the man ordered arrived at that moment, and he withdrew his gaze. Feng Nian'en was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

He ate the meal very unpleasantly. Although the man didn't look at him again, Feng Nian'en still felt that he was watching him closely. He hurriedly finished his lemonade, casually ate a few bites of noodles, and then...

He couldn't help but stand up.

The man continued chewing his noodles slowly, seemingly unconcerned about his departure.

Feng Nian'en left the fast food restaurant and walked briskly down the street without an umbrella. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the street corner. Just as he was laughing at his earlier actions, he suddenly shivered, and the cells in his body sensed danger once again!

Feng Nian'en froze, but dared not turn around. He slowly lifted his feet, trying to act as if nothing was wrong, and gradually quickened his pace.

He was practically running, but he felt increasingly uncomfortable. As he gradually passed through the bustling city, the sound of footsteps following the same rhythm as his gradually became clearer.

hunter!

He finally realized what he was facing. Both Lan Ya and the Prince had mentioned this profession, and although they hadn't discussed it in detail, it was enough for him to understand that the other party could completely kill him.

What to do? What to do?

He ran frantically, trying to figure out how to escape. He was almost certain that the man following him was the same man from the fast food restaurant. But why hadn't he attacked earlier? They were so close, and he was completely unprepared. If he had suddenly pulled out a gun, he might already be dead.

Could it not be him? Could it not be that man from earlier?

No, this feeling is the same as before; it only came after I saw that man.

So why didn't he make a move just now?

Was it because he wasn't the hunter he imagined, or because the other party couldn't be sure of his identity, or...?

Thinking of the last possibility, he quickly looked around and rushed to the right front.

Feng Nian'en rushed into an underground bar. He knew that although the noisy environment was advantageous to him, it was not entirely safe, and he had to distance himself from the other party as soon as possible.

He thought for a moment, then rushed to the bar and shoved a hundred-dollar bill into the bartender's hand.

"Tell me where the back door is?"

"gentlemen……"

"Quick!" He slapped the glass out of the bartender's hand.

The bartender pointed to the side: "After you pass the restroom, turn right."

He rushed over immediately.

A few seconds later, the man entered the bar. He looked around, hesitated for a moment, and walked straight to the bar counter: "Where's the back door?"

“Sir,” the bartender said, wiping the glasses, “the government stipulates that places like ours can’t have back doors, and we always follow the government’s call… After the restroom, turn right…” The bartender swallowed, looking at the knife pressed against his chest, “that’s the small door next to it that’s marked as the storeroom.”

The man flicked his right hand and left the bar.

Half a minute later, Feng Nian'en came out of the restroom and quickly left through the front door.

It wasn't until she got back to her residence that Feng Nian'en's heartbeat gradually calmed down.

He was gambling. If the man had the same feeling or had seen through his scheme, he would have been doomed. Fortunately, the other man was just a human and didn't have the sensitivity of a vampire.

He lay exhausted in bed, feeling for the first time that his life was no longer the same as before.

It's okay, he comforted himself. As long as tomorrow is a sunny day, as long as it doesn't rain, he will definitely find a little girl who will be willing to shed tears for him, and he will definitely be able to turn back into a human.

As long as it doesn't rain tomorrow...

As if to prove its oil-like value, spring rain is always stingy, never continuing like autumn rain. Feng Nian'en looked gratefully at the bright sunrise in the east. Although the sunlight made him a little uncomfortable, he still took a deep breath before drawing the curtains.

very good!

Although he had class this morning, it wasn't important. Zhang Hanwen never cared about classes that wouldn't affect his graduation. Although he usually didn't skip class, today was an exception.

He opened the refrigerator and found only two soft cucumbers besides frozen meat and eggs. After thinking for a moment, he changed his clothes, went to the nearby market, bought a large amount of vegetables, and made himself a sumptuous breakfast.

He needed to replenish his energy so that he could successfully complete his plan this afternoon. Thinking that he would soon be able to turn back into a human, he was in a great mood and almost finished all the food on the table.

After washing the dishes, he glanced at the clock on the wall: 8:15. There were still almost eight hours until 4 PM!

What is he supposed to do during those eight hours?

He casually pulled a historical novel from the table, flipped through a couple of pages, and glanced at his watch again.

8:18.

He groaned, lay back down on the bed, pulled the covers over his head, hoping to pass the long hours with sleep, but he just couldn't fall asleep.

Feng Nian'en's day felt unusually long. He paced back and forth in his room like a caged animal, sometimes trying to calm himself and read something. Finally, noon arrived, and he cooked some food again, but he couldn't swallow it. At 3:30, he could no longer bear it and left the house.

There were no children in the garden, except for a few old gentlemen playing chess by the poplar trees, and a few small birds flying around. The air was fresh, and the post-rain dampness seemed almost tangible.

He scratched his head, walked to the shop outside the garden and bought a bag of milk candy, a bag of brightly colored fruit candy, a pound of melon seeds, and then, with the help of the salesperson, some jelly and rice crackers.

He returned to the garden carrying a bag of snacks and sat blankly on the bench. The still-sunny sunlight made him uncomfortable, and his skin felt a stinging sensation. He leaned back in the bench, staring at the damp yellow soil in the sandpit.

It's four o'clock.

It arrived at 4:15.

Feng Nian'en panicked, looking around anxiously.

Surely no children will come. They won't stay home today just because it rained yesterday, will they?

"It shouldn't be," he reassured himself. The water on the slide had dried up, and the weather was so nice; the children all loved to play. He just needed to wait a little longer.

Although he thought this way, he couldn't sit still any longer and paced back and forth in the garden with his bag. The more he paced, the more uneasy he became. Although the slide was dry, there was still water in the indentations of the rocking horse and seesaw, and the sand in the sandpit was wet and muddy. The garden with only the slide left was indeed not very attractive to the children.

They should at least come and see for themselves, but why didn't even one of the children come?

His actions finally aroused the curiosity of an old gentleman.

"Young man, waiting for your girlfriend?"

"Huh? Ah..."

"Don't lie. Women are all like that. If she tells you she can come at four, then arriving at five is punctual. You should grab a newspaper or something, or maybe play a couple of games?"

"Huh? Ah? No need, I... I'm not in a hurry..." He stammered as he walked back to where he had been sitting.

Finally, as the sunset painted half the sky red, a boy and a girl, about four or five years old, entered the garden hand in hand.

"Oh dear, we haven't even done anything yet." The little girl pouted. "I told you we should just play house, but you insisted on coming out."

The girl's clear voice rang out, and Feng Nian'en rushed over without thinking. "The slide is dry, you can play on it. If you want to play on the rocking horse and seesaw, big brother can help you clean them up." He spoke hurriedly and incoherently, his expression panicked and pitiful, with even a pleading look in his eyes.

Both children were somewhat frightened, staring at him stiffly. After a while, the boy asked in a feignedly arrogant voice, "Who are you?"

Feng Nian'en didn't know how to answer the question, so he could only stammer, "I...I live nearby, and I really like...um, I like slides..." As he spoke, he took out a bag of candy from his bag. "Want some candy? Big brother's treating. Oh? You don't like it? Then, how about jelly? You like jelly, right? We have all kinds of flavors, strawberry, lychee, and also, we have rice crackers. Do you want some rice crackers?"

He stared longingly at the two children, holding a large pile of things, his lips trembling. He had never known how to interact with children, simply assuming that candy and snacks would suffice. But the doubtful looks in the children's eyes told him that things weren't as easy as he had imagined.

Perhaps sensing that he wouldn't be in any immediate danger, the two children started talking.

"Xiao Kong, this person is so strange..." the girl whispered in the boy's ear, "Could he be the Torreya my mom was talking about?"

“What nut? Idiot! It’s a human trafficker! They just scam idiots like you.” The boy said, glancing at Feng Nian’en repeatedly.

"Ah?" The girl moved closer to the boy. "What should I do? I don't want to be tricked away! I haven't married Xiao Kong yet. If I'm tricked away, I won't be able to see Xiao Kong anymore. I don't want that..." she said, almost crying.

"Why are you crying?" The boy pulled the girl behind him with a heroic air, puffed out his chest, glared at Feng Nian'en, and shouted, "My dad is a policeman, and I want to be a policeman too, a policeman who catches swindlers. I won't let you get swindled!"

Feng Nian'en was almost as envious as the little girl. He could only force a smile while trying to prove his innocence.

"Mom said that human traffickers never admit it themselves," the girl whispered loudly into the boy's ear as if keeping it a secret.

Who said little girls' tears are easy to obtain? Feng Nian'en cursed himself inwardly as he continued to assert his identity, even using a humble tone to ask to play on the slide with the two children.

Hearing this, the two children were even more confused; they had never seen an adult who liked playing on the slide. After a while, the boy whispered in the girl's ear, "This person isn't a kidnapper; he's a madman."

"A madman?" The girl shuddered, tears welling up in her eyes. "My mother said madmen are worse than human traffickers; they beat people."

"No, I'm not afraid..." the boy said, but he took a step back with the girl.

"Xiao Kong, let's go home..."