fragments d'os oracle

Chapitre 2

That time, a deputy director of the local police station gave him a stern warning, bringing up his past misdeeds while he was wandering the streets. The director said, "If you continue to be so stubborn, then you only have one place to go." He knew where that place was. After the uniformed man abandoned him and left, he clenched his fists in anger. But he still couldn't find a way to vent his anger, and for the first time, he felt that the force he was fighting against was too powerful, simply beyond his ability to resist.

Tang Wan was unaware of all this. She continued to call him happily, treating escaping her parents as a game she thoroughly enjoyed. When he was with Tang Wan, he couldn't help but recall her father's words: "Tang Wan is only twenty-three years old. She's young, used to a life of ease, and doesn't know the hardships life holds. Right now, love is incredibly important to her, so she chose you. But one day, when she truly understands that life isn't all romance, she'll definitely regret her choice." The old man, a former soldier, stood ramrod straight, his eyes piercing as he looked at the young man before him: "If you truly love Tang Wan, you should wish her happiness, but her happiness is not something you can give her." The meaning of happiness had always been extremely simple in his mind: two people in love being together could create happiness. But now he knew he might be wrong; happiness wasn't as simple as he thought. And finally, one day, as he packed his simple bags, about to leave the city, a bittersweet feeling welled up in his heart, leaving him feeling lost and helpless.

How could he abandon the girl he loved and leave her for another place?

—The road is long and winding, and the traveler is completely unaware of the destination. What kind of bewilderment must he feel?

He stood lost in thought on the street. It was dusk, and the blood-red sunset painted the western sky as magnificent as brocade. The sunlight, however, had become extremely soft, gently spilling across the city and onto people. The buildings in front of him were exceptionally tall, casting shadows that were slowly approaching him.

He was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a clear voice calling his name—Tan Dong, Tan Dong! He looked up and saw a girl running rapidly towards him in the middle of the road.

The girl was tall and slender, with fair skin and long hair that fell naturally over her shoulders. She wore a beige business suit, looking refreshing and pleasant. This girl was none other than Tang Wan.

Every time he saw Tang Wan, he felt a dull ache in his heart. Even during their happiest moments together, he couldn't shake off this deep-seated pain. He had heard people say that when you feel heartache for someone all the time, then you have undoubtedly fallen in love with her.

Now the pain returned, and this time it was different. Because tomorrow, he would leave this city, leave the girl he loved. In that instant, he became impulsive. He ran towards the girl.

The four-lane road isn't very wide, but the rush hour traffic is like a surging river.

He was only a step away from Tang Wan, and he saw that Tang Wan had already eagerly stretched out her arms to him.

With a screech of brakes, a black bullet-shaped minivan suddenly stopped in front of him, and Tang Wan disappeared from his sight. He suddenly felt dizzy, as if a wave of fear was crashing down on him.

The van swallowed Tang Wan.

He thought he couldn't lose the girl he loved before leaving the city.

He let out a low growl and quickly turned the car towards the front. He saw Tang Wan lying on her side on the ground, her eyes closed, motionless. The driver, his face ashen, trembled as he approached, seemingly paralyzed with fear, lacking even the courage to go forward and check on her.

Without hesitation, he punched the driver hard on the bridge of his nose, then turned around and rushed over to pick up Tang Wan.

—Tang Wan, Tang Wan, wake up!

—Tang Wan, Tang Wan, you can't die!

Chapter 2 Listening to the Songs on the Playground

The students had finished all their exams, and a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere filled the campus that evening. Emotions are contagious; Shabo's mood brightened as he cycled to school. Groups of students strolled along the concrete path in front of the school gate, and Shabo knew they must have planned a wonderful evening. Although the holiday hadn't truly begun, the end of the exams had already brought the students a sense of complete relief.

Shabo rode his bike to the audio-visual education center. Along the way, some students who recognized him greeted him, and some mischievous students even rushed up to pat him on the shoulder. Shabo smiled and talked to these students. People who didn't know him would definitely think he was a student of this school, but in fact, Shabo graduated from Beijing Normal University and had only come to this local university a year ago, where he was assigned to the school's audio-visual education center.

Students these days are becoming increasingly demanding and unpredictable. They can absorb an endless amount of knowledge and energy online, which often forces Shabo to stay alert; otherwise, he might get completely overwhelmed by these kids if he's not careful. Shabo has his own dedicated computer in the audio-visual education center, which serves as the server for the entire campus's local area network. Once, while Shabo was searching for some information on the server, he suddenly heard a girl calling him from outside. Without thinking much of it, he went over to see what was wrong with her.

The girl asked him an extremely simple question, and it took Shabo a long time to understand. Shabo sighed inwardly, thinking that it seemed like kids these days didn't know anything about using the internet except chatting.

That day, as Shabo was walking back, he saw a tall boy sitting in his seat, fiddling with something on the server. Shabo quickly walked over, and the boy, sensing the awkwardness, stood up, chuckled, and looked embarrassed.

Sha Bo was momentarily puzzled. He knew the boy; he knew he was the kind of guy who would risk his life for a game. But his suspicion only lasted a moment, because the boy left immediately. He sat down and checked the machine, but found nothing unusual. The matter was dropped, but the next day, his entire chat history with a girl from Sichuan whom he had just met that night was posted on the school's website forum.

People are bound to be different online than in real life. Sha Bo was a seasoned internet addict, and his chatting skills were naturally exceptional. That night, he and a girl from Sichuan exchanged extremely romantic and poetic words. In the chat logs posted on the forum, he talked about counting stars, watching the moon, feeling the sea breeze, and swimming in the sea, making everyone burst into laughter. Sha Bo didn't know this at first, and curiously went to a computer, his face immediately turning as red as a boiled crab.

Shabo thought for a moment and realized the problem must lie with the tall student. He had tampered with the server while the girl in cargo jeans had called him over.

Shabo knew that there were many remote control software programs available online, which were easy to use but very practical. He went back and carefully checked the server, only to find that the tall boy had installed the famous "Glacier" software on his computer.

"Ice River" is a widely circulated remote control software on the internet. It can send a complete overview of the machine's usage to the operator's computer. Sha Bo was no stranger to "Ice River"; when he was studying in Beijing, he used "Ice River" to prank other classmates.

But this time, he was the one who got pecked by the goose after hunting it his whole life.

Shabo's chat history didn't damage his image; on the contrary, more students realized from the post that their teacher was actually quite an interesting person. Coupled with Shabo's handsome appearance and 1.8-meter height, he attracted the attention of many girls. However, Shabo felt a little embarrassed, and when the tall boy and the girl in cargo jeans approached again, he put on a stern face and ignored them.

Then, one evening, the tall boy and the girl in overalls approached him together, along with a group of five or six other students. They invited Shabo to have dinner at a small hotel outside the school.

Shabo hesitated for a while, but eventually went with them. Before leaving, he glared at the tall boy and cautiously asked, "You're not setting some kind of trap for me again, are you?" Shabo's words made the students burst into laughter. The tall boy put his arm around Shabo's neck and said with a smile, "Don't worry, buddy, even if there's a trap, it'll be on someone else's neck, it won't affect you." Shabo sighed inwardly, knowing these students didn't consider him a teacher at all. If they weren't going to be teachers, so be it. He wasn't that much older than them, and besides, Shabo thought about all the teachers in school who always had a stern face and seemed like they were doing nothing, and he felt utterly miserable. He believed that no matter how many years he stayed in school, he would never become like that.

That time, Sha Bo learned that the tall boy was named Yang Xing, and the girl in cargo jeans was his girlfriend, Xiao Fei. They had been inseparable since their first year at school, spending all their time together except for sleeping in class. Both had lively and eccentric personalities, always able to make people laugh wherever they went. As Sha Bo spent more time with them, he gradually grew fond of the two. What Sha Bo admired most about them was their relationship; Yang Xing was completely devoted to Xiao Fei, finding every opportunity, anytime, anywhere to shower her with attention. When they crossed the street together, even in the middle of the road, if Yang Xing noticed that Xiao Fei's shoelaces were untied, he would immediately squat down and carefully tie them for her. Sometimes, when classmates teased them, someone would shout at Yang Xing, "Yang Xing, strike a pose!" Upon hearing this, Yang Xing would immediately kneel down on one knee, hug Xiao Fei's legs, and make a gesture of courtship. When they went shopping, if Xiao Fei showed even the slightest sign of fatigue, Yang Xing would hang both of their bags around his neck and carry the petite Xiao Fei on his back for the entire walk down the street.

Shabo sometimes thinks that at seventeen or eighteen years old, one may not understand love yet, but for people in love, as long as they can make themselves and each other happy, that is more important than anything else.

On the eve of the semester's final exams, rumors of an impending earthquake circulated throughout the city. Although relevant departments denied these rumors in newspapers and on television, rumors are rumors, and they penetrate the public consciousness more deeply than any media outlet. A sense of unease settled over the city, including at schools. Many boarding students resorted to traditional folk remedies, sleeping with an upside-down wine bottle on their desks. Some boys even moved their bedding to the basketball court. After all, it was summer, and sleeping while counting stars and watching the moon seemed like a pleasant experience.

Now that all the exams are finally over, both teachers and students are exhausted. The teachers can finally relax and get some rest, while the students, despite their fatigue, are incredibly excited because they are about to enjoy a nearly two-month vacation.

When Shabo returned to school that evening, this was exactly what he saw: students were leaving the school in groups of three or five to celebrate; pairs of figures were everywhere on the playground and in the garden; some bolder children were even whispering sweet nothings in the hallways; and in the brightly lit classrooms with their windows wide open, students were laughing and joking all around.

Shabo was infected by this cheerful atmosphere and suddenly felt much happier.

Inside the audio-visual education center, students lined up to use the internet. Sha Bo looked around but didn't see Yang Xing and Xiao Fei, so he guessed they were probably out having fun somewhere tonight. He sat down at the server, opened QQ, and found that the girl named Forget-Me-Not was already waiting for him.

Forget-Me-Not said she lived in a small town called Sleepy Valley. Shabo searched through maps of all the provinces in China but couldn't find the town. Later, Forget-Me-Not told him that Sleepy Valley was in a valley in the southwest of a certain province, and because it was far from the city, it was like a forgotten paradise.

Regarding Sleepy Valley, Forget-Me-Not once described it as follows.

Sleepy Valley is nestled between two winding mountain ranges, no more than two kilometers apart. The town sits nestled between them. Sleepy Valley is picturesque, perpetually lush and green, with endless vineyards stretching across the mountainsides on either side of the town. A wide river flows down from the mountain stream, dividing the town, less than two kilometers wide, into two parts, spanned by an iron chain bridge. Every morning, a thick fog blankets the town, obscuring the bridge and making those on it appear to walk on air. The town's buildings are mostly rustic, constructed from locally sourced materials, using large stone blocks, giving the houses a robust and sturdy appearance. Each house has walls over ten feet high, covered in moss from their age. Years ago, the town lived a secluded, agrarian life, with almost every family relying on grape cultivation for a living. While not wealthy, they were comfortable enough to eat and wear. Until a few years ago, a winery was established in the town, followed by the construction of a road, suddenly opening the door of this once-isolated town to the world. The town's pristine and gentle charm attracted many tourists, gradually developing into a tourist destination. However, since the town's primary industry is winemaking, tourism is only a secondary sector, so there hasn't been much promotion or advertising. Nevertheless, the town has become bustling. Various shops have opened along the streets, and many families have started hotels. Two years ago, the internet quietly appeared in the town, further fueling the local youth's yearning for the outside world.

Shabo told Forget-Me-Not that he now longed for that town as well. In fact, Shabo knew that he longed not only for that town, but also for a girl named Forget-Me-Not in that town.

He had seen a picture of Forget-Me-Not, a beautiful girl who seemed untouched by the world, just like the small town she described.

In the middle of the night, all sorts of bottles were overturned.

Some bottles were upside down on the edge of the table, then fell to the ground with a crisp sound. Many students were startled awake at that moment, needing a moment to realize what had happened.

"Run! Earthquake!" The first scream rang out from the student dormitory, followed by screams from more students.

Many students didn't hear the sound of the bottle shattering; they were awakened by screams. When they woke up, the dormitory building was shaking, and debris was falling from above. The earthquake was finally a stark reality for everyone.

Students poured out of the dormitories, shouting loudly. Some boys were shirtless, and some girls were still in their pajamas. With so many people rushing out together, chaos was inevitable. Shabo, watching from his dormitory window, saw the students swarming towards the playground like ants and felt that the scene was somewhat familiar, like a refugee rout in an American disaster movie or a domestic war film.

When Shabo escaped to the playground, it was already packed with people.

The school playground was about the size of a football field, and at that moment, more than three thousand students were crammed onto it. Even the running track beside the playground was full of people, creating a spectacular scene. By this time, the school teachers had already organized the students by class, but some students were still running around aimlessly. With so many people, the fear of the earthquake seemed to disappear all at once, and the students gathered together laughed and joked as if they were having a party.

Shabo stood at the edge of the playground, feeling somewhat lost.

He wasn't a student, so he couldn't side with them. At the same time, the teachers thought he was too young, and in their busyness, they clearly overlooked his presence. Shabo was bewildered for a moment, staring blankly at the dark mass of people on the playground, then a familiar wave of dizziness washed over him. He quickly crouched down, clutching his head tightly with both hands. He felt someone put their arm around his shoulder from behind, and he quickly waved his hand, signaling the person not to move.

He heard Yang Xing's cheerful voice say, "Did the earthquake hurt you?" He ignored him and continued squatting on the ground. It took him a while to come to his senses. He looked up and saw Yang Xing and Xiao Fei standing beside him, gloating, with smiles on their faces, looking completely carefree.

Sha Bo said irritably, "Where's a spot? Find me one. Can't you see I'm uncomfortable?" Yang Xing chuckled and said, "I'm looking for a place too. There's nowhere on this playground. If you're really not afraid of dying, I'll take you back to the dorm." Sha Bo shook his head repeatedly, "Then I'll just stay here. It's better to be uncomfortable than to risk my life." As he spoke, Yang Xing and Xiao Fei came over and helped Sha Bo walk along the track. Sha Bo's dizziness gradually subsided, but Yang Xing and Xiao Fei stared at him with puzzled eyes.

Xiao Fei said, "Old Sha, what happened to you just now? You didn't fall for some girl and couldn't get her, that's why you're so upset." Yang Xing chimed in, "Old Sha, just tell us, we'll definitely find a way to make it happen for you." Sha Bo shook his arm, shaking off their support, "Seriously, you guys. I'm the teacher and you're the students. There are so many people watching on this playground." Yang Xing and Xiao Fei exchanged a knowing smile and fell silent.

Shabo fell silent. Although he was used to the dizziness he'd just experienced, it still made him uncontrollably anxious every time it happened. Everyone has some inexplicable fears, more or less. A friend of Shabo's, already married with children, was most worried about whether his future child would be deformed. Shabo described his worry with four words—"worrying about something that's already happened." In fact, years later, his son was born healthy, and he laughed off his earlier anxieties. Another friend of Shabo's would habitually tremble in one leg whenever he sat on the toilet, leading him to suspect he had some incurable disease. This secret remained deep in his heart; he dared not tell anyone, nor dared to go to the hospital for a checkup. Over the years, he became increasingly neurotic, lacking energy for anything, and anxious about every slight abnormality in his body. Eventually, his health deteriorated, and he was hospitalized. After a thorough examination, the doctor said there was nothing wrong with his body, only that he suffered from depression.

Shabo hoped his panic was unnecessary, but each time the dizziness occurred, he couldn't shake off the inexplicable anxiety. In that moment of dizziness, the whole world seemed to shake, and even with his eyes closed, he could still clearly see unfamiliar scenes. He was convinced it was his own eyes seeing them, not a hallucination in his mind. These scenes were mostly chaotic, fleeting and incoherent. But sometimes, the things he saw in the dizziness were clearly discernible. The strangest was the night before his college entrance exam; in a sudden bout of dizziness, he actually saw an exam paper. Afterwards, without much conscious effort, he could still recall the two essay questions on that paper. In the college entrance exam, those two questions appeared on the exam paper. He felt no joy, only inexplicable panic. Why was this happening? No one could give him the answer, and the unknown itself was enough to instill fear.

That kind of dizziness has been with him since he can remember, and it happens every one or two months.

Shabo was heartbroken, and he couldn't tell anyone. He didn't want people to see him as a monster.

That evening, Yang Xing, Xiao Fei, and Sha Bo finally found an open space among a group of students, and the three of them sat down on the ground. Yang Xing and Xiao Fei tried to coax Sha Bo into talking, but seeing that Sha Bo looked a little unwell, they quickly ignored him and started joking around. Sha Bo sat there lost in thought for a while, and when he turned his head, he saw that Xiao Fei had already fallen asleep with her head on Yang Xing's lap. These two kids seemed so carefree, falling asleep right there in a place like this. Yang Xing's head drooped, and a trace of drool was still dripping from the corner of his mouth.

The noisy playground had gradually quieted down, and most of the students had fallen asleep. Shabo saw some daring boys running from the direction of the dormitory building, carrying blankets on their shoulders. These blankets were later laid out under some of the girls. Many more students were back-to-back, supporting each other, with no distinction between boys and girls.

This scene moved Shabo deeply, especially when some girls in nightgowns were curled up, seemingly unable to bear the chill of the night, and some boys took off their clothes and draped them over them, while they themselves huddled together shirtless.

The night sky was a deep, dark blue, but there was no moon. Dark clouds veiled the sky, and a few faint stars shone persistently and weakly. Drowsiness crept in, and Shabo tried desperately to recall what he had seen during his dizziness, but everything had become blurry. Shabo wasn't worried about forgetting what he had seen during the dizziness, because, based on experience, that kind of dizziness would definitely happen again.

If some unseen force is trying to tell you something, then it certainly won't give up halfway.

Chapter 3 He was so thin

He was a pale-faced man, probably around thirty years old. He wore a black shirt and black trousers, which was unusual for someone as thin as him. He was indeed very thin, with narrow shoulders and a slender waist; he looked to weigh less than 100 pounds combined. He had a parted hairstyle, wore black-rimmed glasses, and his slightly droopy eyes gave him a perpetually troubled appearance.

When Tang Wan and Yuan Li met this man, he was waiting for the elevator.

It was a little after 1 p.m. when Tang Wan and Yuan Li returned to the company after having lunch outside. The man stood at the elevator entrance, his back ramrod straight. Hearing the two girls chatting and laughing as they walked towards him, he moved his neck slightly, but ultimately did not turn around to look.

Yuan Li was a lively, somewhat overly enthusiastic young woman. She had just graduated from school last summer and would wander around the company after work, chattering incessantly. During her university years, Yuan Li had worked part-time as a radio host, honing her silver tongue over two years. When she first joined the company, some male employees, attracted by her good looks, would constantly hover around her. She initially acted naive, and just when those men thought they could freely flirt with her, she simply moved her lips, leaving those self-important men dumbfounded.

As the saying goes, a true expert's skill is immediately apparent. Yuan Li's tongue was always sharp and witty; she could insult people without batting an eye, and her insults were always roundabout and subtle. Even when she had clearly insulted someone, the person being insulted would just stand there smiling, completely bewildered for a long time. Eventually, everyone realized how formidable this young woman was; they had all been fooled by her seemingly innocent and naive demeanor. From then on, no one in the company dared to mess with Yuan Li.

Tang Wan wasn't actually very close to Yuan Li, but she liked Yuan Li's personality. Yuan Li was a well-known aloof beauty at the company, rarely smiling, and always maintaining a distance from everyone, so her colleagues gradually overlooked her presence. While beautiful women are a pleasant sight, men these days are very pragmatic; they need the kind of bonsai they can carry home, so their gaze tends to linger on girls who are within reach.

Perhaps the only thing Tang Wan and Yuan Li have in common is that men keep their distance from them.

At work, the two naturally became friends. They would chat during their free time, have lunch together at the Zizhulin office restaurant, and wait for the elevator together after work. In reality, their relationship was limited to this; they never interacted outside of work. But even so, they were considered very good friends by the other employees.

That noon, the two went to the Zizhulin Restaurant for lunch again. After finishing their meal, they returned to the company and ran into the lean man at the elevator entrance.

When the elevator came down, the lean man in front of them went in first, followed by Yuan Li and Tang Wan. After he went in, he turned around, and Yuan Li and Tang Wan came face to face with him as they entered. Once inside, Yuan Li stared intently at the man; even Tang Wan thought her gaze was too blatant. Tang Wan thought, even if she wanted to stare at him, she should at least be more discreet.

Yuan Li had never seen such a thin man before. His shirt, which covered his body, swayed loosely, and his belt, even with the last buttonhole fastened, looked loose and as if it might slip off his waist at any moment. And the man's face—his chin was as sharp as a cone, his cheeks were deeply sunken, making his nose appear particularly prominent, and his glasses seemed exceptionally large.

Yuan Li, being a mischievous girl, was quite the stareer. She couldn't help but laugh out loud. The man became uncomfortable, shifting his body to the side, trying to avoid Yuan Li's gaze. But as he turned, Yuan Li followed suit. The man coughed softly, a blush rising to his cheeks. He glanced back at Yuan Li with a flicker of his eyes before quickly looking away.

This time, Yuan Li laughed even harder. She held Tang Wan's hand, her body shaking with laughter.

Tang Wan frowned, pulled her hand down, and said softly, "Okay, okay, stop laughing." Yuan Li said, "Do you know why I'm laughing? I was thinking about something that happened to a friend of mine last autumn. My friend had just bought a motorcycle last year and was riding it around everywhere all day. Then one night, a strong wind was blowing, and he was riding so fast that he passed right by me without even seeing me. There was an intersection not far ahead, and I watched him stop at the intersection and then slowly—" Yuan Li leaned slowly towards Tang Wan, making a gesture as if she were holding the handlebars.

"He just collapsed to the ground right in front of me." Tang Wan asked curiously, "Why did he collapse to the ground?" Yuan Li glanced at the thin man beside her, nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, and said with great enthusiasm, "My friend is so thin that he was blown over by the wind as soon as the car stopped." Tang Wan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

The man froze, his face flushing crimson. He wanted to lash out, but the fear prevented him from speaking. Just then, the elevator stopped at the floor where Tang Wan and Yuan Li's company was located, and the two girls stepped out, smiling broadly. At that moment, Yuan Li suddenly turned around and said something that Tang Wan hadn't expected.

Yuan Li said, "My friend has gotten even thinner this year. His girlfriend wants to punish him; all she needs is a thumbtack to hang him on the wall." The elevator doors slowly closed, and the man's pale, gloomy face disappeared into the elevator. The two girls were no longer restrained at this point, and even Tang Wan laughed so hard she bent over.

Yuan Li said, "I've never seen such a thin man before. He's so thin he could be exhibited at the zoo." Tang Wan added, "He's really too thin, almost sickly thin." As they talked, they returned to the company. Yuan Li excitedly embellished her description of the man, but some colleagues didn't believe her and accused her of subtly insulting men. Yuan Li then patted her chest and offered to lead everyone upstairs to find the man.

Time flew by amidst the laughter and chatter, and when it was time to go to work, everyone got to work, and the topic of the skinny man came to an end. Tang Wan and Yuan Li quickly forgot about it too; with so much work to do every day, who had the energy to focus on someone unrelated to them?

They hadn't expected that as they left the elevator, the pale, emaciated man would suddenly begin to tremble uncontrollably. His hands hung limply at his sides, his shoulders hunched slightly, and his face grew even paler with each tremor. He then grabbed the elevator wall for support, slowly crouching down, his eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses filled with despair.

The elevator stopped, and the people who came in saw his appearance and asked him with concern if he was feeling unwell and if he needed to call an ambulance.

The lean man didn't say a word. He quickly ran out of the elevator and headed straight for the nearest restroom.

In the bathroom, he started vomiting, vomiting incessantly.

He vomited for a long time, but didn't come up with much. Finally, he stopped in front of the sink, scooped up some water, and splashed it on his face. His glasses were covered in water droplets. He took off his glasses and vaguely saw a person in the mirror who was emaciated beyond recognition.

He then started vomiting again.

In the evening, Tang Wan, knowing that Tan Dong was coming to pick her up, got ready early and waited to leave work. Just after six o'clock, she said goodbye to her colleagues and headed out. As she passed Yuan Li's cubicle, Yuan Li waved goodbye without even looking up.

Yuan Li had a project proposal to complete. She had chatted with some colleagues during the afternoon, which took up some of her time. This proposal was for the director's business trip tomorrow, so she had to finish it and send it to the director's email address tonight.

Even after she finished her work, she would simply go downstairs with Tang Wan, and then they would go their separate ways at the company entrance. Relationships among modern people seem to be becoming increasingly delicate, especially among those working in large companies. They always try their best to maintain a friendly and pleasant relationship, but in reality, everyone puts a barrier around themselves, preventing others from getting too close, and they themselves don't get close to others either.

But once this relationship becomes a habit, it seems to be ignored by everyone.

While waiting for the elevator, Tang Wan thought of the skinny man she had seen at noon. Suddenly, a strange feeling arose in her heart. Thinking of that skinny man, she no longer found him laughable, but rather felt an extreme discomfort, like hearing someone talk about something disgusting while eating, or coming back from the street and finding her newly changed clothes stained with something unclean.

Tang Wan could never forget the time she went to the movies and didn't discover until bedtime that a piece of chewing gum was stuck to the buttocks of her pants. The gum had turned black and grimy. She tried to remove it, but it was firmly stuck to her pants and she couldn't get it off. That night, Tang Wan hid in the bathroom alone, washing, scrubbing, and rubbing frantically, but a thin layer of the filthy chewing gum still clung to her pants.

Later, Tang Wan knocked over a basin in the bathroom and slipped on the water on the floor, falling and bleeding from her knee. She lay there sobbing, ignoring her family knocking on the door. She cried for what seemed like an eternity; it was late at night, and everyone was asleep. Tang Wan stopped crying, wiped away her tears, and slowly took off her clothes, standing naked under the shower.

As the icy water fell, her skin suddenly spasmed. She hugged her arms, but tilted her face up toward the direction of the water.