Why didn't you just call me Anqi earlier? Stop dragging it out.
"Anqi, wake up quickly."
“Anqi…”
I grabbed her wrist and pinned her down, then used my signature move, the Kiss of Life, on her.
"Stop being silly, stop being cheeky." She put her hands on my shoulders.
"Smell this before you get up." Whenever I'm with her, I often shamelessly act spoiled, anytime and anywhere.
"Stop fooling around, Dongdong will wake up soon."
Seeing that she insisted, I didn't want to make things difficult for her any longer, so I let go of the softness in my hands.
Inside the bathroom, Zhang Qian took out a new cup, held a toothbrush, and squeezed toothpaste onto my toothbrush—the epitome of a virtuous wife and loving mother. This girl is really nice; she'd be a good wife to take home.
I thought it was pretty lewd, so why don't you come back with me? I already have a son, I'll raise him, and as for the wife, she can just take care of me.
"What are you grinning about? Come here." She beckoned to me.
I took the toothbrush from her and shook her little hand.
"We don't have any new toothbrushes at home, so you can use mine, is that alright?"
What's there to mind? The person is yours now.
While brushing my teeth, I kept thinking about Zhang Qian's lips.
I watched it twice.
"Hurry up and drive carefully." Zhang Qian opened the door.
"Um"
Before leaving, I gave her one last kiss of life.
Before getting on the bus, I glanced up at her house.
Zhang Qian stood on the balcony, her smile beautiful.
Inside the car, I casually placed a Ricky Martin CD. The melodious strains of "Si Tu Te Vas" wafted from the car stereo.
The fingers tapped along to the music.
The car behind me honked its horn repeatedly. Normally, it wouldn't be unreasonable to pull over to let them pass.
I'm blocking this lane, driving my old car at the standard speed. Obeying traffic rules is a good habit. I think Zhang Qian would say the same.
I arrived at the hospital and parked the car. I walked all the way up to the sixth floor; climbing stairs occasionally is good for your health.
"Good morning!" I greeted the head nurse.
I went into the office and changed my clothes.
Standing by the window, I took out a cigarette.
"Anqi!"
You can tell it's a myna bird's voice without even hearing it.
"Hey kid, where did you go yesterday?"
"A den of beauties," I blurted out.
I sized up "Brother Ba". This rascal has no taste in women. His "Lily Zhou" and Sun Xiaohong are no match for my Zhang Qian.
"You've figured it out?"
Resource Bear presents – a provider of millions of bundled resources.
"Zhang Sijia?"
Can you please stop mentioning Zhang Sijia?
"Zhang Qian" isn't an outsider, and this isn't something to be ashamed of.
"What?"
"I'm talking about Zhang Qian," I kindly reminded her again.
"Wan Gong Zhang, the Qian in 'A Chinese Ghost Story'?" he stammered as he asked again.
"Um"
"It's...it's...it's my sister?"
"right"
Before I could even react, this kid punched me in the face.
I've disliked this kid for a long time, so let him come.
I kicked him in the stomach. The good-looking but useless thing slumped to the ground, panting heavily.
"You little brat, listen to me... don't even think about hitting on Zhang Qian," he warned.
Could it be that he's also taken a liking to Zhang Qian?
Damn it, I knew that bastard was up to no good. What brother and sister? He's clearly just using this to take advantage of the girl.
He received two more punches. If Dr. Qian hadn't come in early, this kid would have gotten even more. Adding to that, there was the last time Zhang Qian had an accident, and all the times he clung to women's bellies.
I think from now on, I'll be the first to not forgive anyone who makes fun of Zhang Qian again.
(Damn it, Jinjiang is so slow, I've waited for hours for nothing. I might as well just write about Zhang Qian too.)
Zhang Qian
"Does it hurt?" I took ice cubes from the refrigerator, wrapped them in a towel, and applied them to his face.
"Seeing you makes the pain go away." He forced a silly smile.
"How can you act like a child at your age? Is that all you've got?" In my mind, An Qi has always been a mature, steady, and gentle man. I never imagined he would have this side to him.
"Who did he fight? He was really ruthless." His lip was bleeding, and I couldn't imagine who someone like him could have a grudge against.
"Hu Lu".
"Hu Lu?"
"Um"
"Why?" I stared into his eyes, not understanding what this had to do with Hu Lu.
"I told Hu Lu about our situation."
I had to face this sooner or later, didn't I? This is my choice.
"Anqi, you don't need to do this."
Don't you want me to tell you?
"You should rest now, I have to go back to the factory."
I refused Anqi's offer to take me back and instead took a bus back to the factory alone to continue working.
I had just sat down in my usual spot in the garment department this morning when the workshop director came over with a stern face and asked me to come to his office to answer a phone call. I thought something had happened to Dongdong at kindergarten.
I had no idea I could run so fast. What an idiot!
Anqi, next time you get into a fight, please tell the other person to hit you harder.
Anqi
I lit a cigarette and lay back down on the bed. I admit I was thinking about Zhang Qian. I thought that by taking special leave to come back and urgently calling her to tell her that I had made our relationship public, she would be happy. Who was I doing this for? Wasn't it all for her? I don't care, so why should she care?
This woman is such a pain in the neck; sometimes thinking about her makes me so angry I could grind my teeth. Now I know what it means to see something you can't have.
I'll treat you like a Bodhisattva, okay?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Last night was truly erotic.
I just wanted to see her.
The doorbell rang.
"Zhang Qian!"
When I opened the door, the person in front of me was not the one I had expected.
"It's your brother!"
The myna bird has come knocking. Looks like this kid skipped work too.
He sat casually on the sofa, his feet propped up on the coffee table. His demeanor reminded me of Du Yuesheng, the old Shanghai gangster.
"Tell me, how did you lie to Zhang Qian?" He pointed to the sofa in front of him, meaning he wanted me to sit down and honestly confess everything.
I walked over and kicked his foot off the tea table.
"Hey, take it easy, I'm hurt here." He clutched his leg and trembled. "You can be with anyone, just not Zhang Qian."
"Why can't I be with Zhang Qian? Who are you to her?" I hate it when this guy talks to me like that. Zhang Qian has never acknowledged him.
"I'm her brother!"
“The kind that doesn’t admit it,” I retorted sarcastically.
Ignoring his grumbling, I took a bottle of red wine from the glass cabinet, poured myself a glass, and began to enjoy it.
Yes, it's good wine.
"Anqi!"
"Want a drink?" I raised the glass in my hand.