Les yeux d'Asura

Chapitre 11

Reply [82]: Late

When he was young, Lu Kai was always late.

You're late!

You're late again!

He was always late for school, late for work, and even on dates, he was always later than Bai Bai.

Why do you always seem to be a step behind everyone else?

Bai Bai asked angrily.

He didn't explain anything, just grinned foolishly, revealing his white teeth.

Lu Kai likes Bai Bai. He feels that without her, it's like a cup of cool cola is missing, or a stringed instrument is missing harmonious notes.

Perhaps it is to atone for sins.

Then he would suddenly take out a flower or a box of chocolates and put it in her hand.

"I will make you happy," he said.

Bai Bai would be happy again, at least she knew that in his heart she was something 1000 times more precious than these things.

They are sweet.

Later, because Xiao Bao arrived early, they got married.

Married life was not as simple and happy as they had imagined.

"You always make a mess of everything!" she complained to him.

The child took up a lot of her energy, and it was only with great difficulty that she was able to get him into kindergarten.

He remained the same, only able to laugh foolishly at her accusations, revealing his white teeth.

Then Lu Kai would go to the kitchen to wash the vegetables.

Bai Bai watched his retreating figure and simply shook his head.

Xiao Bao is three years old, and his job is still the same, while his colleagues have either switched to foreign companies or started their own businesses, all of which are doing very well.

However, he still gets late for taking his child to kindergarten, and then late for work, without any improvement whatsoever.

Her work went very smoothly. Her boss drove a BMW and often drove her home and picked up her child.

Watching Lu Kai stay up late every night to earn a little extra money before going home.

She saw the roses that BMW sent her every day.

One day, Bai Bai finally said to Lu Kai: Let's get a divorce.

"I'm not happy at all with you," she said.

"Really? You're not happy," he asked.

"Yes," she said, exhausted.

I think I'd be happier if I got divorced.

After hearing what she said, Lu Kai didn't say anything more, but just buried his head in his arms.

That day, she didn't go home; she only called him.

Set your alarm half an hour early. I hope you leave home at 6:30 and arrive at court at 8:00. That way, I won't have to wait for you. Remember, I'll be happy if you're not late.

Lu Kai simply nodded in agreement without saying another word.

But that day, they still stood there waiting for half an hour in vain.

She arrived at 7:30, it seems she's gotten used to waiting for him.

As the time drew nearer, Lu Kai was still nowhere to be seen.

It looks like this useless thing will be late again today.

Bai Bai stared at his watch.

7:59. Lu Kai finally arrived in a hurry.

They're here, they're here.

His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, and he even had a large bruise on his face as he jogged along.

What time do you want to arrive? Bai Bai really wanted to curse him, but seeing his disheveled appearance, she didn't say anything.

Then they asked: Have you gotten your marriage certificate?

I took it, I took it.

He hurriedly pulled it out of his pocket, grinning foolishly at her as he did so.

Laugh? What's so funny? She glared at him.

"I...I'm very anxious," Lu Kai stammered.

"Pah!" Bai Bai finally couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of saliva.

There's no rush in life, but there is today.

After I finished speaking, I looked at him, and there was a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Once inside the courthouse, the paperwork was signed quickly.

Bai Bai breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't leave, but stayed by her side, wiping the blood streaming from her nose with the back of his hand, and said: "When I'm not around, Xiao Bao will rely on you. He's naughty, but he's smart. Don't always hit him."

Aren't you annoying? Xiao Bao is also my son, and he'll definitely have a better life with me than with you.

Bai Bai, he paused suddenly and said, "I'm not late this time. I hope you're happy."

Bai Bai didn't even glance at Lu Kai before getting into the taxi.

In the evening, she picked up Xiaobao from school first, and then went to a very luxurious restaurant with BMW.

While waiting for her food, she picked up a newspaper from the table and began to read it. A news article in the lower left corner caught her attention.

The sign reads: "At 6:30 this morning, before the fog had cleared, a pedestrian collided with a motorcycle and died en route to the hospital."

The deceased's ID card shows that his name was Lu Kai and his age was 32.

This newspaper reminds readers that there will be heavy fog in the early mornings for the next two days, so please be careful when walking.

He was busy calling a friend at the court.

"We start work at 8 a.m., and I saw you walk out of our place with my own eyes at 8:30 a.m.," the voice on the other end of the phone said firmly.

She said thank you and quickly hung up the phone.

Bye-bye, I wasn't late this time. I hope you're happy.

Sitting in a chair.

Tears streamed down her face in an instant.

---Bifengke

Reply [83]: Strange Mist

This is a luxury long-distance bus. The spacious and bright cabin has beige adjustable high-back seats, the wood-grain floor is spotless, the air conditioning is on full blast, and the plain-colored curtains mercilessly block out the scorching heat from outside.

I sat in a window seat, secretly relieved that the extra few dollars I spent were well worth it. At the same time, I was a little surprised that such a small county town had such a luxurious and comfortable bus. Its beautiful exterior seemed completely out of place with the dilapidated station; it was quite an eye-opener. Soon, the bus was almost full. A short, stout middle-aged man sat down next to me. His dark face was covered in sweat, and his clothes looked like they hadn't been washed for days. He took out a towel to wipe his face, then turned to me and extended his sweaty hand…

What a warm travel companion! In less than ten minutes, I learned his name (since his surname is Zhong, I called him Lao Zhong), his workplace (a feed company), where he lived (we live in the same city, Changsha), his mobile phone number, and the school and homeroom teacher's name for his daughter who is in the third year of junior high school.

“I often take this route; it takes about five and a half hours.” He probably sensed my slight displeasure, glanced quickly at his faded double lion watch, and added.

"Starting from now, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should arrive around 2 PM." The driver started the car and slowly drove out of the bustling bus station. An ordinary-looking male attendant in his early twenties handed out free bottles of mineral water to everyone. Taking this opportunity, Old Zhong patted me on the shoulder and chuckled, "Young man, you're in luck. This is the first time I've ever ridden on a bus without air conditioning." Then, he tilted his head back and gulped down most of the water.

It seemed most of the passengers were regulars on this route, their attention completely drawn to a violent Hong Kong film playing on TV. Only I was gazing longingly out the window, while Old Zhong was already asleep, his deep, even snores occasionally punctuating the clanging of swords.

About an hour later, the bus entered the valley, and it suddenly got dark outside the window. The driver shifted to a lower gear, and the bus slowly wound its way up the mountain road. The temperature in the mountains was low, and the air conditioning in the bus had long been turned off. I opened the window a little, and a gust of damp wind blew in. Even in the middle of summer, I felt a chill. Sometime during the day, a thick fog rolled in, gradually obscuring the scenery below and making it impossible to see clearly. Due to the poor visibility, the bus turned on its headlights, moving slowly like a small fish in a milky sea of fog. And the wisps of fog, as if alive, squeezed in through the cracks in the windows. The bus was filled with fog, and I began to feel something was strange. This fog didn't have a sweet smell at all; instead, it had a stale, musty smell, as if it were a hundred years old. Moreover, its color was starting to change, turning gray. I wanted to ask Old Zhong, but through the thin layer of gray snow, I could only see a succulent, sleeping face. When I could no longer even make out the trees along the roadside, I looked away. The Hong Kong movie had ended sometime earlier, leaving the screen a blank white. The carriage was silent, and I began to feel sleepy…

The biting chill woke me up. I rubbed my eyes; the fog was even thicker, and the carriage was filled with shadows, making it impossible to see anything clearly. "Old Zhong, this fog is strange," I nudged him, only to find I'd touched empty air. Strange, I clearly remembered him saying we'd go to the final stop together. Had he gotten off early? I leaned forward and looked around carefully, then my heart skipped a beat, and I broke out in a cold sweat. If I wasn't mistaken, there was no one left in the carriage, yet I could clearly feel the bus still moving forward.

I stood there, frozen, gripping the cold seat back, feeling my face turn deathly pale. My mind was a complete blank; I couldn't think of anything. Only one thought kept repeating in my head: "What happened?" A chilling fear crept up my spine. "Hello, is anyone there?" I tried calling out, but my dry voice pierced the thick fog, receiving no echo or answer. The fog inside the carriage grew thicker and thicker, engulfing me, and it seemed to have turned red. I frantically slapped my hands, trying desperately to drive away the deadly fog, but to no avail. Suddenly, something even more terrifying occurred to me: the driver was gone, so why was the bus still moving? Good heavens! Ignoring the fog, I ran frantically towards the driver's seat, bumping into hard objects along the way, but ignoring the pain. I threw myself onto the driver's seat. The dashboard was dark, the engine was silent, the steering wheel was motionless, yet the bus continued to move forward, the fog still seeping in from both sides.

I turned around and staggered through every seat, but there was no one there, not even a bag. It was as if those people had never existed. "Old Zhong, Old Zhong, where are you?" Suddenly, I felt how kind and lovable the chattering fat man was, if only he would answer me or appear in front of me.

No matter how much I shouted, no one came. The increasingly cold carriage, like a giant refrigerator, left me frozen inside, and my body shivered uncontrollably, my teeth chattering. No, if this continued, I'd either freeze to death or be dragged somewhere and run over by this bus. I decided to jump off. Suddenly, I heard a soft sound. I looked up, pointing in the direction of the sound, but couldn't see anything. Then, I heard a faint "whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!" sound. The bus was moving faster, and the swirling fog that had seeped in was creating air currents that rushed towards me like a tornado.

I rushed to the car window, but I couldn't find the opening no matter how hard I tried. The window didn't budge. "Help me..." I shouted desperately, pounding on the window with all my might.

The muffled "thump, thump, thump" sound echoed in the carriage.

...

"Wake up!" Someone shook my shoulder hard.

I opened my eyes, and the blinding sunlight made me squint slightly. The attendant stood in front of me with a displeased look. "Look at you taking pictures! You almost broke the chair!" he said, adjusting the chair back with a pained expression. "Hurry up and get off. We've arrived at our stop. Everyone else has left. Honestly!"

Was it all a dream? A wave of overwhelming joy washed over me, and I almost jumped up to hug the lovely waitress and kiss her a few times.

Standing on the sunlit street, listening to the clamor of the crowd, I breathed a sigh of relief. It's really not easy to be reborn. That hateful and terrifying fog has disappeared without a trace.

"Hey!" Someone tapped my shoulder again. I turned around and saw it was Old Zhong. He was covered in sweat, his eyes were glazed, and his lips were pale. He kept complaining, "Why didn't you call me when you got off?" I felt a little strange. I was definitely the last one to get off, so why...? Before I could even speak, Old Zhong started rambling on, "You don't know, I had a nightmare on the bus," he paused, looking still shaken. He dreamt that you all disappeared, and he was all alone, and the bus was full of fog. "Ah...?" My mouth dropped open.

In that instant, the warm sunlight and the bustling crowd vanished, replaced by a thick fog—a fog that was indistinguishable in color as white, gray, or red. Old Zhong and I remained standing alone in the fog, with no one and no sound around us…

---Bifengke

Reply [84]: A family of three

When I was in fifth grade, I attended a rural primary school located in the northern New Territories. The school was very large, with two football fields alone, and was surrounded by woods. Due to its long history, many ghost stories were associated with it.