Famine

Chapitre 10

Ah Hu stood outside the apartment building's electronic monitoring door, speaking into the intercom.

"Who are you? I don't know you."

Sanwen asked again, implying that he wouldn't open the door unless Sanwen told him.

"I'm Nuonuo's friend, my name is Ahu. I know you're Nuonuo's boyfriend, so I came to see you. Can we talk?"

The word "talk" has a very broad scope, encompassing business, romance, and politics.

Sanwen vaguely sensed that the "talk" was about Nono.

Sanwen didn't let him go upstairs. Instead, he came down himself and started a "talk" with the fountain in the community garden, which featured an ancient Roman sculpture. The talk turned into a full-blown fight, with the two of them wrestling and tumbling from the edge of the fountain into the water.

A resident walking his dog in the garden saw two men fighting in the fountain. At first, he thought it was just playful fighting, but upon closer inspection, he was shocked to see that it was a brutal beating. One was thin, and the other was fat; the thin man clearly had the upper hand, while the fat man's face was covered in blood, which was dripping from his nostrils into the fountain. The resident hurriedly called the community security guards, who, with great effort, managed to separate the two men.

Afterwards, Sanwen admitted that he had struck first because Ah Hu's arrogance had angered him.

Sanwen connected Nuonuo's unusual behavior that night when they watched Mars from Purple Mountain with the man in front of him who looked like a teapot, and anger welled up in his heart.

Who do you think you are, expecting me to hand over my girlfriend? Do you think you're David Beckham? Even if you traded Victoria Beckham for her, I wouldn't agree.

From the roar of the motorcycle, Nono determined that it was the Yamaha driven by Sanwen.

Du Yaofeng went to work, and Nuonuo stayed home to rest, which was originally a golden opportunity.

Nono wanted to make up for Sanwen's mistake. That night on Zijin Mountain, Sanwen's desire and fear were two completely different feelings, but they came together instantly because of Nono's words. That feeling must have been unpleasant.

Oil painting No. 51: 773 Horror Series 13

Section 23: A Vulgar Excuse Composed

"How did that guy named Ah Hu know my address? Did you tell him? Are you two-timing? Tell me, tell me!"

Nuonuo was naturally unwilling to be scolded for no reason, so they had a big fight.

"You hit him? You really laid a hand on him? How could you be so barbaric, unreasonable, and inhumane!"

"I hit him, are you upset?"

"Yes, my heart aches, it really aches! I wish he would punch you to pieces!"

"Hmph, too bad this kid is no match for me. If the community security guards hadn't come, he would have been drowned in the fountain by now!"

"You're a gangster's thug, get out! I don't want to see you again!"

Nuonuo stormed upstairs, returned to her room, and slammed the door shut.

Sanwen refused to give up and followed him upstairs, continuing to yank his throat outside Nuonuo's room.

"You need to explain to me clearly today what your relationship with him is. Have you two 'done it'? Has he seen you or touched you? What parts of your body did you show him?"

Nono's angry retort came from inside the room:

"He's seen everything you've looked at; he's touched everything you've touched. I treat you and him equally! Are you satisfied now?"

Enraged, Sanwen kicked the door, racked his brains, and came up with a vicious curse:

"You are... Shanghai's number one... slut!"

Nono's crying could be heard from inside the room.

These kinds of arguments, which lack substance, usually end temporarily with the girl crying.

Sanwen vaguely felt his intestines moving, and a urge to defecate came over him. He turned his head and saw the bathroom right in front of him. He went in and closed the door behind him.

This was the first time Sanwen had ever used the upstairs bathroom. He had been to Nuonuo's house a few times before, and always used the bathroom downstairs.

The TOTO toilet was fitted with a pink "Veil" seat, which features a heated seat and an automatically retractable nozzle specifically for cleaning bodily fluids. Sanwen sat on the seat and selected the moderate heating option from the row of buttons.

A muffled "ping-pong!" sound came from the toilet; it was Sanwen's stomach throwing "bombs."

Wow, this seat is so warm. I wish I could enjoy this after every argument.

Sanwen looked around the bathroom and his first impression was that it was white and clean. In particular, the semi-circular jacuzzi reminded him of the bathtub at home, which was less than half the size of Sanwen's and was practically a miniature version of it.

Against a pure white backdrop hangs an oil painting; its light blue hues complement the surrounding white, resembling a blue sky and white clouds, creating a visually pleasing effect. Next to the washbasin hangs a uniquely shaped plastic clock—a fish-shaped clock with a towel hanging from its fins; the current time is noon.

Sanwen's gaze was fixed on the "fish bell" when he suddenly heard a rustling sound, which was very close. He turned his head and saw a scene he would never forget.

With a "bang," Sanwen, pulling up his pants, rushed out of the bathroom in a panic and ran to Nuonuo's room, but the door was still tightly closed.

"Nono, open the door quickly! I have something important to tell you!"

Nono took a tissue and wiped her nose. There were five or six crumpled wet tissues on the desk.

The knocking on the door continued incessantly.

"Nono, open the door quickly! I really have something important to tell you!"

This trick really works; as soon as I cry, you beg for mercy. And if you're going to beg for mercy, then beg for mercy. Why make excuses?

Don't expect me to open the door. If I do, you'll have a chance to sneak in. Hmph, don't even think about it!

If you don't say enough nice things to me today, enough to fill a shipping container, I won't open the door!

Thinking of this, Nuonuo shouted loudly at the door, "I won't open it! I won't open it! Go away! I never want to see you again!"

"Nono, stop being childish. I really, really have something very important to tell you. Guess what I just saw? That painting, the one that hangs on your bathroom wall... it's changing!"

What? The painting is changing?

Nono was half-believing and half-doubting, but she opened the door a little bit and saw Sanwen holding up his jeans with one hand, revealing his white underwear with the Calvin Klein logo on the waistband.

You bastard! You were just trying to trick me into opening the door; you've already taken your pants off!

Nuonuo tried to close the door, but Sanwen wouldn't let her. One pushed hard, and the other resisted, resulting in a tug-of-war at the door frame.

"Nono, listen to me! The woman in that painting just now took off all her clothes and became naked!"

Hmph, trying to trick me into opening the door, even the excuse you came up with was so vulgar!

Instead, say something like, "I'm sorry, I love you, and I promise I'll never hurt you again," to move me and let me in. Then, it'll depend on your performance. Maybe today is a memorable day, and I'll play the role of "Terminator" for you, the terminator who ends my virginity.

But now, that possibility is extremely slim; your performance was so poor that it disgusted me.

Nono was no match for Sanwen because she was weak. The door had already been pushed open two-thirds of the way, so she simply let go. Sanwen was caught off guard, stumbled in, and fell to the floor.

Rubbing his aching knee, Sanwen said with a wronged expression, "I'm not lying to you, it's true, you can go see for yourself."

Nono walked out of the room without looking back.

Judging from her footsteps, she must have gone into the bathroom.

Half a minute later, a look of astonishment appeared on Sanwen's face once again.

The oil painting on the wall is exactly the same as the one hanging in Gallery C on the second floor of the S Art Museum and the one displayed at the auction. Zoe, wearing a mask, sits gracefully on the windowsill, gazing ahead. Her light blue doctor's coat and white leather shoes, like the clinic, give the viewer a spotless and clean feeling.

Nono glanced at Sanwen sideways, just staring at him; words were superfluous.

Sanwen couldn't help but exclaim, "How is this possible? I clearly saw it just now..."

Oil painting No. 51: 773 Horror Series 13

Section 24: A Completely Unfamiliar Number

He pointed to the light green floor tiles.

"She was completely naked, and her mask had fallen off. I could see her face, her face..."

"How's her face?" Nono asked sarcastically.

She...she's smiling at me!

"Oh, really? Since she smiled at you, did she speak to you? Did she speak Mandarin or English? Which hotel are you meeting at tonight? What time and room number?"

Nuonuo bombarded her with questions, while Sanwen looked at her helplessly.

"Nono, I'm not lying to you, everything I said is true, I swear to God."

"You seem to 'swear to heaven' all the time. I remember you once swore that you would cherish me, love me, and protect me, but what happened? Look at the fierce look on your face just now, you looked like you wanted to devour me whole!"

Sanwen had nothing to say.

In the painting, Zoe sits quietly on the windowsill, listening to the lovers bickering. Her expression is hidden behind a light blue mask, making her inscrutable.

Sanwen felt unwell all afternoon.

Today's temperature ranged from 30 to 24 degrees Celsius. It was cloudy, with the sun frequently obscured by thick clouds. A strong southeasterly wind was blowing, making it quite cool. However, Sanwen felt a tightness in his chest, discomfort in his heart, and a stronger pulse than usual. He touched his forehead but didn't have a fever. Sanwen had never felt unwell before.

Sanwen found it hard to describe this "discomfort," like a premature ventricular contraction patient in the plum rain season before the height of summer, with low air pressure and high humidity, feeling sticky and uncomfortable all over, inside and out.

In the afternoon, Sanwen had an argument with the shop owner. The owner complained that he wasn't doing a good job of selling annual memberships. Others could sell at least ten memberships a month, but Sanwen had sold none this month, and last month he only sold a pitiful three.

Annual cards come in several types, ranging from a minimum of 1,000 yuan to a maximum of 5,000 yuan. Cardholders have the amount deducted from their card after each purchase. Since the payment is made in advance, the 1,000 yuan card is only 800 yuan, and the 5,000 yuan card is even cheaper at 3,500 yuan.

Unlike others, Sanwen wasn't keen on pushing gift cards on customers, especially regulars, even though he received a 20% commission for each card sold. The store where Sanwen used to work also had similar gift cards, but before customers could use up the balance on their cards, the store closed down, and the money on the cards vanished without a trace. The unfortunate customers complained to the consumer association, but nothing came of it, so they all complained to Sanwen, to which he could only offer a wry smile and express his sympathy.

Therefore, Sanwen no longer actively promotes these cards to customers, unless some customers are very wealthy and show off their wealth, in which case Sanwen will suggest that they buy the cards.

Faced with the boss's complaints, Sanwen said, "Once you open more branches and have the strength, customers will trust you and naturally buy your cards."

The boss was very unhappy and cursed at Sanwen a few times. Sanwen was not convinced and retorted a few words.

"Forget it, Sanwen, stop talking."

A girl sitting in the barber's chair offered Sanwen this advice. She was a regular customer of Sanwen's and had been intimate with him. After a brief period of interaction, they found that neither of them was to their liking, so they became just friends.

Sanwen was fixing her hair while looking at her in the mirror. For some reason, the image of that naked woman popped into his mind. Strangely enough, a woman's naked body usually arouses a man's desire, causing him to become erect within seconds, and Sanwen was no exception. However, the naked woman he saw at Nuonuo's house at noon did not arouse his desire at all; on the contrary, it made him feel unusually uneasy.

"Sanwen, what's wrong with you today? You've been staring at me like that, kind of lecherous. Are you thinking about that kind of thing?"

The girl looked provocatively at Sanwen in the mirror.

Sanwen goes to the gym regularly, so he's very muscular. Standing at 1.8 meters tall with long hair, and possessing excellent scissors, his silver scissors fly up and down in his hands, the snip-snip-snip of his hair is simply mesmerizing. Honestly, he's only slightly less skilled than Vic Zhou of F4.

Sanwen wasn't stupid; he understood her implication. Normally, he would have arranged a time to meet her and have some fun, to really get his kicks. But today, Sanwen couldn't muster any desire. He just gave a wry smile and said something polite, "I think you're prettier than before."

After the girl left, Sanwen washed his face with cold water at the hair salon, then went to the Lawson convenience store next door and bought a bottle of Suntory Oolong Tea to perk himself up.

Inside the convenience store, there was a long table where Sanwen leaned against, sipping oolong tea. Through the window, pedestrians and cars on the street were in motion, and pretty girls would pass by, glancing into the store intentionally or unintentionally.

But Sanwen had no appetite. He decided to call Nuonuo; there were two things he absolutely had to say.

My first statement is that everything I saw in your house is absolutely true. I am not lying or joking with you.

The second sentence is, "There's something wrong with that painting."

There's definitely something wrong.