Feng Shui

Capítulo 30

Feng Nian'en did not answer, but poured himself a glass of ice water. He drank it very slowly, but the water seemed to jump in the glass as if an earthquake was occurring, and in the end, almost the entire glass of water was spilled.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

Feng Nian'en stared at the water glass in her hand, closed her eyes in anguish, and told herself over and over that it was water! It was water! But despite not having drunk much water, she always felt a strong fishy smell in her mouth.

"Are you alright? Oh, are you alright?"

The girl kept asking, and Feng Nian'en initially seemed not to hear her and did not react. But when the girl's hand touched his arm, he shuddered as if he had been electrocuted and said somewhat rudely and impatiently, "No, I'm fine, nothing!"

Si Wen looked at him suspiciously, then said in a commanding tone, "Treat me to dinner!"

Feng Nian'en was taken aback. Before she could answer, the girl blurted out, "Are you trying to renege on your promise? You said you'd treat me to dinner!"

Did he say that? He did say he would treat me to a meal, but didn't he already do it?

"Let's go! Let's go!"

Before he could figure it out, the girl had already pushed him out of the room.

It was already evening of the second day. The sun had hidden behind some cloud, revealing only its radiant light in the sky. As a result, the azure sky seemed to have been splashed with red water, becoming even more vibrant.

Although it's not yet June, the days already seem quite long. However, the night market vendors who set up their stalls by the hour don't watch the sun set.

The girl led Feng Nian'en to a small stall that had just been set up. The owner, while wiping the table with a rag whose original color was indistinguishable, smiled and told them to wait a moment.

This place was unfamiliar to Feng Nian'en. Even though she had been back in the city for three years, this was the first time she had set foot in such a place.

He sat down and kept fiddling with the chopsticks in his hand.

The menu was brought out, and the girl flipped through it a couple of times before rattling off a long list of dishes: "Cucumber salad, straw mushrooms and bok choy, Sichuan cured pork, dry-fried ribbonfish, home-style tofu, stir-fried pork liver, radish and beef brisket... No? Then braised beef tendon will do. Also, bring me two bottles of premium Erguotou, a 500ml bottle, and beer, yes, draft beer is fine, two glasses to start. Soup? Three-spice soup will do, with plenty of chili and vinegar."

The girl's long menu finally caught Feng Nian'en's attention. He looked at her with suspicion, but ultimately said nothing.

Si Wen handed the menu back to the owner, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at him with a smile, saying, "You need alcohol now, and so do I. Anyway, no one will bother us, so let's drink to our hearts' content today!"

"What kind of wine do you need?" he asked softly, looking away.

"I need what you need."

Feng Nian'en gave a strange smile but didn't say anything.

“Loneliness,” she said, almost to herself, “is such a strange thing. You feel lonely when no one is around, but you feel even lonelier when you are with someone. When you are alone, you can imagine what it would be like to sit with other people, but when you are actually sitting with them, you realize how far apart you really are.”

She was fiddling with her chopsticks as she spoke, but then suddenly looked up at him and asked, "What is it that you can't solve?"

Feng Nian'en's body tensed suddenly. Before she could answer, the girl had already picked up the Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) that had just been served, poured two full glasses, and shouted, "Come on, bottoms up!"

In the past, Feng Nian'en would never have drunk so much baijiu in one go. Although he had a good tolerance for alcohol, he had honed it through drinking red wine and cocktails. But now, perhaps it was because of the girl's earlier words, or perhaps it was the expression on her face as she raised her glass, he somehow ended up drinking it all in one gulp, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

He drank too quickly, and the pungent spiciness made him cough involuntarily. Looking up, he saw that the girl was also choking.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Si Wen winked and smiled, "Wine is a good thing, isn't it?"

He felt a jolt in his heart, and then he laughed.

The girl poured two more glasses and downed them in one gulp.

"Since it's good stuff, let's drink more!"

They had indeed drunk quite a bit. From dusk till the crowds dispersed, no one kept track of how long they had been drinking; all that was known was that the stalls next to them gradually closed down. Finally, the owner came to kick them out, and the two of them, without making a fuss, obediently stood up, their faces flushed, and prepared to leave.

"You haven't paid yet!" The boss grabbed Feng Nian'en.

"Pay the bill?" He paused, looked at the girl, and then, as if understanding, began to search his body, but couldn't find a single piece of clothing.

"Hehe, hehe." The girl laughed as if she were extremely happy, while calling Feng Nian'en an idiot and taking out her wallet.

"Not enough," the shopkeeper said, taking the two hundred-yuan bills she handed him.

The girl protested, insisting that the dishes were very cheap, and that she was perfectly aware of that she wasn't drunk. But the owner calmly told her that they had consumed four bottles of premium Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and twelve glasses of beer, which alone cost over a hundred yuan.

At this point, both of them were a little more lucid. They counted the bottles over and over and checked the menu one by one, but no matter how they calculated, it was just as the boss had said—not enough!

The two had sobered up considerably and looked at each other awkwardly. Suddenly, the girl shouted, "Run!"

As she spoke, she grabbed Feng Nian'en and rushed out. The unsuspecting boss was shoved aside by the girl and could only watch helplessly as the two ran away.

The two ran as fast as they could, and although the boss's shouts had long since faded away, they seemed to be running away from something terrifying.

At first, the girl was pulling Feng Nian'en along, but gradually it became him pulling the girl along.

Feng Nian'en didn't know why he was running, but he found that he liked it. In the slightly cool breeze, on the streets that had been polluted all day and hadn't been cleaned yet, in the heavy darkness that felt like a swan melting away, he liked this kind of running, he needed this kind of running.

He didn't realize that his speed had exceeded the standard of ordinary people. He just wanted to run, to run as fast as he could, but a voice kept telling him to stop.

He finally stopped, but before he could see the girl's face clearly, a blinding light stung his eyes.

Without thinking, he instinctively pulled the girl into his arms and pushed off backward with his feet.

He retreated too abruptly, and although he avoided the car, he still fell to the side of the road.

A sharp scraping sound was followed by the engine's rapid panting, and with a whooshing sound of wind, a white Volvo sedan disappeared into the darkness.

Feng Nian'en rolled around twice more while holding the girl. If he had only a vague understanding of his newfound power in the previous instances, he could clearly feel it this time.

He knew that the moment the car was about to hit him, his body reacted brilliantly—the agile roll, the instantaneous burst of power—even if he didn't want to admit it, vampires were indeed far superior to humans.

Feng Nian'en's back hit the steps by the roadside, and they stopped. The sudden pain made him groan, and then he looked down at the girl: "Are you alright?"

Si Wen was completely bewildered by this series of events. It took her a while to understand what was going on. She looked at him, about to speak, when suddenly she felt nauseous and tried to jump up and run away. However, Feng Nian'en's arm was still tightly wrapped around her, and before she could stand up, she fell onto him. The girl, who was already nauseous, couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited all over him.

Feng Nian'en lay on the ground in a daze until the girl finished vomiting. He looked at the filth all over his body, then at the girl, then at himself, and then at the girl again. Suddenly, he couldn't help but laugh.

At first, he only chuckled softly, but gradually his smile widened and his laughter grew louder.

He laughed so loudly, as if he were the happiest person in the world, having heard the funniest joke.

The girl, who was initially ashamed, couldn't help but laugh when she heard his laughter. She laughed and scolded, "Are you trying to kill me? Running so fast!"

Feng Nian'en stopped laughing, took off her shirt, wiped the filth off her pants haphazardly, and then pointed at the girl and laughed again.

Siwen then noticed that she was also covered in filth, and she cried out, "My CACHAREL!"

“CACHAREL?” Feng Nian’en laughed even louder. “You’re still lying to me now?”

"Who would be so stupid as to lie to you!" the girl stomped her foot.

“I won’t fall for that this time.” He smiled and was about to shake his head when he saw her expression and asked doubtfully, “Is it really CACHAREL?”

Si Wen wiped his clothes with a napkin: "Damn! I just bought this today, do you want to see the receipt?"

Only now did Feng Nian'en truly notice that the girl's attire today was different from usual. It was a short-sleeved white tank top set, pure and lively yet demure. Although it looked somewhat odd paired with the girl's bright purple short hair, her slender waist and long limbs gave her a unique and charming beauty. In his opinion, this outfit suited her better than skirts and those strange clothes.

"Why did you buy something so expensive?" Although they didn't know much about the Si couple's professions, they were certain that their family wasn't well-off enough to allow the girl to dress like Zhang Hanwen.

"It's already on sale," she said sullenly, tossing aside the napkin in her hand. She looked up at him and said in a complaining, coquettish tone, "It's my birthday today."

"Huh?!" Feng Nian'en was taken aback, and stammered, "Happy...Happy birthday..."

"It's my birthday today! It's my birthday today!" she suddenly shouted. "Can't I buy myself a dress with my own savings? Can't I buy myself a dress? What right do you have to tell me what to do? What right do you have to tell me what to do? They don't care about me either! They, they don't..."

She stopped abruptly, sniffed, and repeated, "Today is my birthday."

Feng Nian'en looked at her helplessly, rubbing the clothes in his hands and searching around, as if trying to find a pumpkin carriage in the boundless darkness. Finally, he seemed to have found something, took two steps forward to the willow tree by the roadside, tore off a few branches, and quickly started weaving. In no time, a flower crown was completed.

He gently placed the flower crown on the girl's head and said shyly, "Happy birthday."

"Your movements are so skillful, do you often weave these for your mistress?" Although she was secretly delighted, she blurted out words she herself loathed.

“No…” As if these words had stirred up some memories, Feng Nian’en’s gaze instantly became distant, and he murmured again, “No, never… never…”

The girl suddenly rushed into his arms and hugged him tightly.

She didn't know why, but she knew she had truly fallen in love with this man—absurdly. She had no experience, never felt this way before, whether it was loving someone, loving her parents, or being loved. She had no experience with any of these, but now she knew with certainty that she had fallen in love with this man.

Why? What are the reasons?

If she wanted, she had better options. Although Suzaku didn't love her, she knew he would agree if she asked. She had never asked for anything or fought for anything. Why should she give up a man with such qualities, such handsome looks, such alluring charm, such captivatingly wicked manner, such mystery yet such understanding of them and of her?

Why would someone fall in love with a man who is somewhat dull, rigid, not handsome, and who may have another woman in his heart?

She held him, smelling the alcohol-scented scent of his skin, feeling his firm yet not strong body, and the weakness and loneliness emanating from it.

Yes, desolation.

This man always gave her this feeling; from the first time they met, from the very first glance, she had this vague feeling.

They had been neighbors for several years without ever speaking, but she always secretly and unconsciously kept an eye on him. She watched him walk leisurely with books in his arms, and noticed that he always wore expensive, clean clothes.

His behavior was perfectly normal. But from the way he bent down to get his keys, from the way he unconsciously looked out the window while waiting for the elevator, she knew that this man, like herself, was at a loss about the world, and he, like her, didn't know what he wanted to do in the future.

Although he acted so politely and respectfully, she still knew it.

He told her about his future plans—a stable job, a quiet wife, neither rich nor poor, a peaceful and happy life.

She laughed before he could finish speaking, a laugh that showed no mercy. She could even bluntly conclude that his true feelings weren't like that at all.

He was bound, bound by himself.

Although she knew she didn't really understand this man, she was certain of this. Just like herself, she longed for a peaceful and beautiful life, but she knew that if she did, her life would be filled with regrets.

Neither of them knew what the future held. But that wasn't why she fell in love with him—there were too many like that among the Moonlit Clan. On the contrary, what she loved was the unique feeling he gave her.

Sleep.

Knowing it was a lie, he still honestly handed over three thousand yuan; unwillingly, he still got drunk in order to win; knowing he was being bullied, he didn't complain at all.

Is it cunning? Is it hypocritical?

She didn't want to investigate, nor was she willing to delve into the secret hidden in this man's heart that even he himself hadn't realized.

She simply fell in love with his fried rice, with his silent companionship when she was angry, with him handing her a peeled apple, and with his perhaps unintentional protective gesture when there was danger—yes, she loved the feeling of being loved, even if the man didn't love her.

But she fell in love because of this feeling.

His body was as stiff as an iron plate. The girl smiled gently and placed a light kiss, as soft as a breeze, on the corner of his mouth.

Feng Nian'en was completely dumbfounded, stunned, and in a daze. He felt his blood was about to boil, but his body couldn't move at all—even his thoughts seemed to have stopped.

Even though she was usually uninhibited, the girl became shy at this moment. To hide this embarrassment, which she considered almost shameful, she put on a stern face and said loudly, "What are you looking at! I was just thanking you for saving me!"

Feng Nian'en's lips moved, opening and closing several times before she finally uttered a sentence that seemed to be manipulated by a demon: "Are you a virgin?"

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Neither of them spoke, they simply gazed at each other in silence.

A small truck sped past them, the wind it created ruffling the girl's clothes, its headlights piercing the darkness.

"What business is it of yours whether I'm a virgin or not!" the girl finally spoke, her voice trembling as she roared, "What does it matter to you whether I'm a virgin or not!"