Chapter Six, It Seems Like an Old Friend Has Come (Six)

She slipped away and never returned, leaving a dreamlike death. This early autumn for Jing Fuzhou felt like a brief and splendid spring dream, where the girl who could stir his nerves at every turn came lightly and left just as lightly

She did not ask him whether he would come or when he would come. She still carried a hint of arrogance, brooding over the disrespectful words he had said to her that day

Only occasionally, with a cigarette in his mouth, Jing Fuzhou would think of the only girl whose name he remembered while lying in another woman's bed. He remained curious about the secrets beneath her qipao, curious about the sound of her voice when she called out. Perhaps on that day, his thoughts were correct; she truly was the heart-stealing enchantress, with her finely drawn eyeliner, waiting for him to take the bait. He, as she wished, turned his chest towards her, yet she did not take it all, leaving a piece within his chest to constantly remind him. Perhaps on that day, his thoughts were correct; she truly was the heart-stealing enchantress, with her finely drawn eyeliner, waiting for him to take the bait. He, as she wished, turned his chest towards her, yet she did not take it all, leaving a piece within his chest to constantly remind him.

Not answering his question, on the contrary, indicated that he was resentful towards him. Jing Fuzhou smiled; the face before him, the voice, suddenly made him feel both love and hate. He had never encountered such a blonde girl before, and now he thought it was wise not to engage, for with such a temperament, he feared he would not be able to endure for long

It seems that when this name is spoken from her lips, it becomes particularly melodious. Gradually, people came to know the name of this girl, and slowly they began to speculate that perhaps the boy named Xu Jun and the girl named An Yuan were a couple

After some time, they became a well-known couple in the square, often referred to as a pair of celestial beings.

He knows that she lives in the white building not far away, knows that she walks past the tree-lined avenue from school every day with her bag on her back, knows that she gave up her violin lessons because she couldn't afford them, and even knows that she recently found a new part-time job. Compared to the death of dreams, her new job is indeed a bit shabby, but the shabbiness is wrapped in a beautiful exterior, a wrapping called dreams

The girl with her head tilted back had a fleeting smile at the corner of her mouth, but when I looked at her again, she returned to her cool expression: "If you come again one day, I will sing Anita Mui for you, but you have to treat me to street food."

With a smile like that, Jing Fuzhou nodded slightly and said, "I suppose so"

Jing Fuzhou is tall, but he is not on guard against her; if she had not practiced, she would not be able to knock him down at all

An Yuán paused for a breath and then smiled leisurely: "Aren't all your big bosses like this? With mountains of gold and silver at home, they always feel that anyone who comes is there to harm them. However, Boss Jing, you are quite naive; I just said this to provoke you a bit, and I really hit the nail on the head."

In other words, he never considered respecting a woman who came to die in a dream

Every day, this woman has new secrets waiting for him to discover. Perhaps there are secrets hidden beneath that form-fitting qipao, or maybe behind those slender eyes lies a knife. But what does it matter? Whether it is or it isn't, Jing Fuzhou only knows that at this moment, he is truly interested in the girl before him

Who is she waiting for? She is such a heartless woman who does not give others a way out, yet she has entangled his emotions, making him restless. She stands in the midst of the crowd in the square, with so many pairs of eyes on her, and she is not shy at all, smiling with her eyes curved like crescent moons, so endearing.

Time moves too slowly, making one feel breathless. By the time Jing Fuzhou realized what he was doing, he was already among the crowd in the square. Today, An Yuan wore black-framed glasses, her hair down, and she was dressed in a loose trench coat. She had transformed from the glamorous singer on stage into a young woman of the arts pursuing her dreams on the street. Now it was their last song, and a boy named Xu Jun held the microphone, his gaze fixed on An Yuan as he sang: "I say all the wine is not as good as you." She had transformed from the glamorous singer on stage into a young woman of the arts pursuing her dreams on the street. Now it was their last song, and a boy named Xu Jun held the microphone, his gaze fixed on An Yuan as he sang: "I say all the wine is not as good as you."

She laughed even more joyfully as she spoke, displaying a certain air of triumph. Jing Fuzhou also laughed, approaching her with a malicious grin: "Anyuan, I do not wish to investigate you from those angles; what I want to investigate is another aspect of you."

Jing Fuzhou's expression remained unchanged; he simply threw the half-burned cigarette into the trash can and repeated, "You go back first"

His voice was low and deep, yet within that voice, there was a hint of restlessness. The first to turn around was Xu Jun, a youth under the neon lights with delicate features, embodying a natural and pure essence that was entirely different from his own. He politely looked at Jing Fuzhou, then turned to call out to the girl ahead who was carrying a guitar and had not turned back: "Anyuan, someone is calling you"

When the words "charming" suddenly sprang to his mind, Jing Fuzhou felt that things were heading in a direction beyond his control. He wanted to look at her this way, so occasionally, his black Maserati would hide behind the crowd, blocking her slender figure, with only the sound of singing drifting over. The songs of youth were lively; he heard An Yuan exchanging glances with the blonde boy beside her, standing side by side, singing love songs, causing a pang of bitterness to rise from the depths of Jing Fuzhou's heart

His possessions were currently being scrutinized and even stolen by others. The jealousy in his heart made him frown, and he instinctively reached for the cigarettes in his pocket. The crowd in the square gradually dispersed, and he emerged from behind the throng. Anyuan clearly saw him, but it was just a glance; the smile in her eyes had not yet faded, as she lightly swept her gaze over him before turning to chat and laugh with the person beside her

Until this moment, he did not feel that he had done anything wrong. When it comes to the relationship between a woman and a man, if there is love, it still cannot escape the aspect of sex. He merely quantified this aspect, ensuring that no one would feel at a disadvantage. She had feelings for him, and he felt the same way, so why couldn't they engage in such an arrangement with a clear price tag?

When Boss Jing was investigating me, he must have overlooked this point: I know a bit of self-defense. An Yuan was adjusting her qipao, her eyes dim. The little girl who had just been full of hope suddenly vanished; she stood before him as if she might stomp on his face with her high heels at any moment. Jing Fuzhou smiled in disbelief, stood up from the ground, and nodded with some interest: "So that's why you are here to pick up your roommate? Because you know a bit of martial arts and think you can protect her?"

In a single sentence, Xu Jun and several other band members displayed expressions of surprise. Everyone knew that An Yuan was an orphan; she had no family, and Lingchuan was an entirely unfamiliar city to her. Jing Fuzhou looked at her, clearly not of student age, yet his tone was very natural when he spoke, suggesting that he had known her for quite some time.

She sings: "You said you like every city as a good night, you said you like the sea but not the mountains. You said that seeing these would make you smile at me, so I am waiting for you"

Jing Fuzhou thought she was still playing the game of feigned indifference, so he quickened his pace to catch up. She walked quickly, but he was not in a hurry; he stood at the door of the backstage dressing room, waiting for her to come out

Under the streetlight, only the shadow of a man remains. His hand in his pocket clenches a cigarette, yet he does not take it out. In this world, there are things more addictive than tobacco; he once thought it was drugs, but now he believes it might be a person

There is a subtle displeasure in the tone

He reached out and took her hand, uttering a phrase that made An Yuan completely turn against him

Jing Fuzhou was taken aback; his classmates had already walked far away, leaving only the two of them at this moment. It was clear that this question was directed at him. He pressed his lips together and replied: "I don't have a favorite song, but I know you like Anita Mui."

It is somewhat amusing that the number of times he has spoken to her can probably be counted on two hands. Yet now, in front of their classmates, he chooses to address her in such a familiar tone. An Yuan stands a few steps away from him, and unlike his natural demeanor, her tone is indifferent and distant: "Mr. Jing, are you just passing by?"

Xu Jun is her senior, and it is said that the two are a couple. Ah Yang spoke briefly, fearing that Jing Fuzhou would be angry. Fortunately, he merely nodded lightly and waved his hand to signal him to leave: "You can go back first"

In the next moment, An Yuan abruptly pushed him away and turned to push open the gilded door. Her departure was resolute, not the kind of petulance typical of an ordinary woman throwing a tantrum; her high heels turned without hesitation, as if she had completely abandoned him behind her.

Are women creatures who can turn hostile in an instant? One moment they are smiling and chatting charmingly, and the next, their eyes can spark with icy shards. Jing Fuzhou looked down at the delicate little hand, its fingertips painted a pure red, perfectly positioned over his heart. At that moment, it seemed as if a female demon was there to dig out his heart.

In the second before their lips met, An Yuan reached out to cover his mouth. Jing Fuzhou was not surprised by her action; he slightly lifted his eyelids, and the girl in front of him suddenly turned around. Caught off guard, in that moment of dizziness, he was beautifully thrown over her shoulder by her.

She paused for a moment, then turned and walked towards him. She approached him step by step, her expression indifferent, yet Jing Fuzhou's heart felt as if it had been reignited from the ashes. Before she had even come close, he had already spoken: "Did what I said last time upset you?"

A buzzing sound echoed in her ears, and in that moment, many thoughts in her heart became a tangled mess. This was not what she wanted, at least not now; what she desired was the love of Jing Fuzhou, the kind that was heartfelt and sincere. Because only when one opens their heart from the very beginning can the ending feel heart-wrenching. Things that are too easily obtained are seldom cherished; as long as this body remains vibrant, how could she easily surrender

When Xu Jun's name reached Jing Fuzhou's ears, he had just come out of a woman's room, a half-burned cigarette pinched between his fingers. The woman, dressed in a silk nightgown, stood behind the door smiling at him, her smile sweet and reluctant. He lowered his head and touched her face, as if rewarding her for her earlier performance, but as he turned away, his demeanor became indifferent again, looking towards Ah Yang, who had been waiting at the door: "I didn't hear clearly, please say it again"

She formed a band with her classmates at school, and in the evening, young people gathered in the square, passionately pursuing their dreams. She no longer sang those old Cantonese songs; instead, she harmonized with the band’s lead singer, a young boy with yellow hair, following whatever he sang while holding her guitar. If Jing Fuzhou were to return to the Drum Tower, he would inevitably pass by this square, where under the bright night sky, the girl appeared at times serene and at times radiant, a stark contrast to her demeanor in the lively venues.

One day, he would make her willingly accept his kiss, his intimacy, his caresses. At that time, he was still immensely confident that he could never become a servant under a woman's skirt. That playful smile always lingered at the corner of his mouth as he nodded at her, seemingly deep in thought: "Do you know that I have been investigating you?"

What he never expected was that An Yuan was even more oblivious than he had imagined. Because she did not come to see him at all; after removing her makeup and changing her clothes, she slipped away through the back door with her bag.

He was taken aback again, staring at her intently. An Yuan, however, took a step back, swaying her body with the guitar on her back, as if she would fall at any moment: "Alright, I have to go back now, the dormitory is about to close."

Most importantly, until now, Jing Fuzhou has been waiting for her affectionate embrace, and in the girl's eyes, there is clearly something hidden. The occasional game of cat and mouse between men and women is both playful and stimulating, but this mouse seems to lack restraint, always leaving him spinning in circles before turning around and slipping away.

The typhoon will no longer come, and so will An Yuan.

And now, she has gotten involved with that young man named Xu Jun again. Has she also sung songs for him, offered him cigarettes, and used those fair hands to press against his chest? Such images are too much to contemplate, easily leading one to obsession. He took out another cigarette, merely holding it between his lips, and closed his eyes

As the young people laughed and prepared to leave, as they passed by her, Jing Fuzhou called out her name: "Anyuan"

On many occasions, Jing Fuzhou stayed at the Drum Tower and heard her sing many songs while passing by. This is an era where folk music is gradually rising, with long-haired girls dressed in long skirts, guitars slung over their shoulders, their fingers plucking the strings, creating a smooth and flowing melody

The band was organizing the items to take with them. It only takes a fifteen-minute walk from here to Lingchuan Music College. An Yuan had only a guitar, and the case was somewhat large, making her appear small and slender as she carried it on her back. Jing Fuzhou had his hands in his pockets because he forgot to bring cigarettes; he felt uncomfortable no matter where he placed that hand, so he could only hide it. An Yuan's gaze leaped over from that position, as if she could see all his loneliness.

"Isn't Boss Jing already knocked down by my flowery fists and embroidered legs?" She broke into a sweet smile, her eyes sparkling.

I will still come back

In the background, there was the sound of a girl's voice, chaotic and noisy. Jing Fuzhou looked down at his watch; it had been fifteen minutes since An Yuan had walked in. This was the first time he had waited so patiently for someone. He had invested a unique effort in An Yuan that was different from what he would give to others. He hoped that An Yuan was not the kind of woman who would come out and show him a cold face.

An Yuan leaned against the wall, and when he approached, she reached out to press her hand against his chest, keeping him at a safe distance, her expression turning cold: "I'm sorry, Boss Jing, but I do not wish to accompany you."

He asked, what is the price? You can set it as you wish

Her expression remained indifferent, and under the streetlight, she looked like a tangled little girl sulking with herself. Her gaze gradually shifted to his face, yet she deliberately avoided his eyes. That sense of frustration, that unwillingness, and the longing and fluttering feelings she desperately tried to conceal were all vividly portrayed by her. In this moment, An Yuan appeared innocent and naive, just like everyone her age, cautiously probing before love arrived, fearing that she might misplace her affections. Tilting her head up, her voice was soft, and it was unclear whether she was asking him: "What kind of songs do you like?" In this moment, An Yuan appeared innocent and naive, just like everyone her age, cautiously probing before love arrived, fearing that she might misplace her affections. Tilting her head up, her voice was soft, and it was unclear whether she was asking him: "What kind of songs do you like?"

Following this gaze, Jing Fuzhou saw An Yuan's smiling eyes

The winter in the south always arrives a bit later. At the end of October, one can still see the band from Lingchuan Music College in the square. The lead singer is a sophomore with blonde hair named Xu Jun. Many times, people have heard the girl providing harmony call out to him, Xu Jun, Xu Jun.

I want to know the texture of your skin, I want to know what your hoarse voice sounds like when you call out, I want to know your hidden sensitive areas, I want to know the secrets beneath your qipao

But in fact, he knows that A Yang is right. Over the years, he has not encountered a woman he desires but cannot have. There are indeed loyal ones, but it is merely a matter of not reaching an agreement on the price. Women like An Yuan, who are without money and power, are actually quite easy to handle, yet she happens to be an orphan, unencumbered but also lacking a vulnerable spot.

Brother Zhou, if you really like that girl, why not just bring her over? No matter how different she is, she is still a woman. With just one word from you, what could happen?

If she were here, she might come over with a lighter to help him light his cigarette

An Yan felt the tension in her heart gradually tightening as she contemplated her next course of action. She had discerned that Jing Fuzhou was a man suited for the strategy of feigned retreat, as no woman had ever employed this tactic on him; they must have all been too afraid. But she was different; she could pretend not to understand his identity, thus making her actions less suspicious. However, it seemed that her feigned retreat had gone too far; she might need to reel in that line a bit, giving him some sweet rewards to ensure he remained willingly ensnared.

After all, he hasn't eaten at a street food stall for many years