HL 61

Ye Qiaozi stared at the busy construction crew across the street, clicking her tongue in admiration. “The second floor above the hardware store has finally been rented out. It’s been abandoned for years.”

Liu Zhuo asked while washing a car, “Rented out for what?”

“Seems like it’s being turned into a tutoring center.”

“A tutoring center? Running a tutoring center here in our town?” Liang Sihua’s eyes widened.

The smaller the town, the more it runs on personal connections. Teachers would deliberately teach only half the material in class and hold back the rest, waiting to collect tutoring fees from students. There was no way they’d let that lucrative business go to an outsider.

“But they say he’s from Beijing, a top student, and even studied in the United States.”

“Pure bragging. If he were that impressive, why would he come here to teach? Don’t you think so, Nanxiao?”

Xu Nanxiao lay on a lounge chair in the corner, face covered with a magazine, and didn’t respond.

Liang Sihua asked again, “What does he teach?”

“Heard it’s tentatively set for Chinese, English, and violin.”

“Damn, why doesn’t he just teach every subject himself?”

“Can’t you tell? This teacher is clearly a humanities major, right, Nanxiao?”

Xu Nanxiao ripped the magazine off his face and yelled loudly, “Don’t ask me! How would I know? What’s it to you?”

Liang Sihua immediately shrank his shoulders and muttered under his breath, “Why’s he so fired up today?”

Before long, the tutoring center above the hardware store was fully renovated. It wasn’t until then that Ye Qiaozi finally got to see the teacher’s true face.

To be fair, the moment he appeared, the story of his having studied in the United States instantly became entirely credible. The teacher wore glasses, had delicate and refined features, spoke softly and gently, and carried himself with the full air of an elite.

It wasn’t just Ye Qiaozi who came to gawk—many older women and young girls also showed up to take a look. The crowd chattered noisily, their clamor almost lifting the roof off, yet Ying Yusheng didn’t mind. He patiently introduced his educational institution to them.

Just then, Xu Nanxiao came back from buying popsicles outside.

Ye Qiaozi looked at him. “Back? Our neighbor just opened for business. What do you think—should I go say hello?”

“Bored.” Xu Nanxiao said the two words coldly, then walked straight back inside.

“What’s up with him?” Ye Qiaozi muttered quietly. Xu Nanxiao had been like a walking corpse these past few days, and he wasn’t even being friendly to her, his boss!

As she spoke, Ye Qiaozi suddenly felt a gaze on her. She looked toward its source and saw Ying Yusheng, across the bustling crowd, quietly watching this direction.

Like someone watching a fire from the opposite shore.

At first she thought he was looking at her, but then she realized Ying Yusheng’s gaze wasn’t focused on her—it was fixed on the depths of the shop.

Suddenly, a young mother called out to Ying Yusheng, and he smiled and lowered his head to speak with her. But the smile was like a clay mask, as if glued onto his face.

Just as Liang Sihua had said, small towns are not suited for outsider monks to run tutoring classes.

Only about seven or eight children signed up with Ying Yusheng—not even enough to form a full class. Among them were adolescent girls who’d taken a liking to his face and insisted on being taught by Teacher Ying.

Ying Yusheng didn’t mind. He’d teach one, and he’d teach two.

But within two months, his enrollment kept growing, and he even opened a second English class. Ye Qiaozi asked a woman picking up her child, who said Ying Yusheng taught in a way that was both simple and easy to understand—some classmates were taking his lessons, and their weekly test scores were shooting up.

“What did I tell you? Outsider monks really do know how to chant scriptures better.” Liang Sihua shoveled rice into his mouth and spoke indistinctly.

“That’s not what you said before.” Liu Zhuo rolled his eyes. “How much money must he be making? I’m so jealous.”

Xu Nanxiao stayed silent the whole time, head down, eating his twice-cooked pork.

“Anyway, he’s making more than our auto repair shop…” Ye Qiaozi’s teeth ached. She’d barely gotten halfway through her sentence when she felt that familiar gaze again. Looking up, she indeed saw Ying Yusheng standing by the second-floor window, looking down at this spot.

He stood very straight, his white shirt taking on a faint cool hue in the fading daylight. His face was expressionless; only his gaze behind the glasses lingered for a long time, as if checking whether something long placed aside was still in its original spot.

When Ying Yusheng’s eyes met Ye Qiaozi’s, he finally looked away and turned to leave.

“Looking again?” Liu Zhuo asked.

“Mm.” Everyone knew what he was talking about.

“Staring all day long—what’s there to see around here?”

“Could he have taken a liking to me?” Ye Qiaozi cupped her face and said half-jokingly, “What do I do? My dad won’t let me marry an outsider.”

“Now you’re putting on airs? His window faces our shop directly—where else is he supposed to look?”

“Don’t be jealous. Your boss tries her best to spread the love equally.”

“Damn!”

As everyone laughed and joked, Xu Nanxiao suddenly stood up with a scrape, knocking over his chair. He strode to the window and yanked the curtain shut with force.

Aside from Ying Yusheng’s constant habit of looking this way, the repair shop and the tutoring center had little else to do with each other. After all, in a small town like this, the appearance of an outsider only stirs up brief ripples before quickly sinking back into silence.

Five in the morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten.

Today was Xu Nanxiao’s turn to open the shop. Yawning, he was two minutes late as usual. Suddenly, from a distance, he saw someone standing at the entrance of the tutoring center across the street, about to go in. That person also saw him.

Xu Nanxiao wiped the drowsiness from his face, his expression tightening. He didn’t stop, nor did he continue looking across the street, as if nothing at all was happening.

Xu Nanxiao stood with his back to the street in front of the shop, unlocked the door, and bent down to push the rolling shutter up. His tank top pulled taut, his shoulder blades protruding in sharp contours with the effort.

The two were less than ten paces apart. No one spoke; their eyes didn’t even meet. But the air along the entire street suddenly seemed to tighten, tangled in the rusty screech of the rolling shutter’s track, tangled in the slow drift of the morning mist, drawn into an invisible taut string.

Xu Nanxiao pushed the door all the way up and locked it with a click. He straightened up, dusted off his hands, and fished out his pack of cigarettes.

The moment the lighter sparked, the flame leaped up, illuminating his expressionless profile.

Xu Nanxiao was deeply agitated. He had no idea why Ying Yusheng had come! He’d stabbed him and run away—was this about revenge? Why wasn’t he doing anything, just standing there watching? What on earth was going through Ying Yusheng’s mind? What new trick was he planning this time? Would he be able to escape again?

Time seemed to stop flowing, and he didn’t know how long passed like that.

When Ying Yusheng finally couldn’t help but turn his head, there was no one left outside the repair shop door.

The next day, business was slow at the repair shop. Ye Qiaozi stretched and walked outside, when suddenly she spotted a bouquet of flowers and an exquisite cake at the doorstep.

Curious, she crouched down to look. Tucked into the flowers was a card with elegant, bold handwriting that read: “Nanxiao, happy birthday.”

No signature.

Oh ho, so Xu Nanxiao had been sneaking around behind their backs, hooking up with some girl? She’d thought he wasn’t interested in matters of the heart.

At lunch, Ye Qiaozi slammed the flowers and cake heavily onto the table.

“Brother Xu, someone got these for you.” She squinted with gossipy delight. “You never tell us your birthday, but you tell some girl—that’s not very fair.”

“Cake! There’s cake! Happy birthday, Nanxiao.”

“Happy birthday—this cake looks expensive as hell!”

With that, Liu Zhuo and Liang Sihua started fumbling to unwrap the cake.

Xu Nanxiao frowned, not understanding what she was talking about. But when he took the card Ye Qiaozi handed him, his face instantly turned ashen. She’d never seen that expression on him before and was startled.

Xu Nanxiao’s pupils shrank to pinpoints as he stared fixedly at the writing on the card. The trace of impatient liveliness on his face drained away completely, leaving a deathly pallor beneath his skin.

He shoved Liu Zhuo aside as he was about to cut the cake, nearly sending him sprawling.

Xu Nanxiao hastily repackaged the cake, grabbed the bouquet from the low table, and strode outside. But he stopped at the doorway, because all three of them were staring at him in shocked disbelief.

Going to find Ying Yusheng at this moment would be as good as exposing himself.

Xu Nanxiao clenched his jaw. After an unknown stretch of time, he turned back, set the cake gently on the table, and tossed the flowers into the trash.

“You all eat it. I’m going to lie down in the back.” With that, he walked straight toward the small inner cubicle. “Don’t save any for me.”

When Ye Qiaozi came in, Xu Nanxiao had his back to her, curled up on that tiny folding cot. It was one she’d bought for herself; Xu Nanxiao was tall, and his entire feet and ankles hung off the edge.

She pulled the door shut behind her. The repair shop’s rolling shutter hadn’t been pulled all the way down, letting in a blade-thin sliver of light that cut right across the back of Xu Nanxiao’s neck.

Ye Qiaozi dragged over a wobbly stool and sat down with a creak.

“That bouquet…” Ye Qiaozi ventured, “I got a look at it—lisianthus. Not cheap. The florist in town doesn’t carry that; it must’ve been sent from the county.”

Xu Nanxiao kept his back to her, the outline of his shoulders rigid.

“The cake too—I recognize the brand. Crazy expensive. Who is it? Someone who cares a lot… you’ve known them for a while, huh?”

Xu Nanxiao still didn’t answer, but his breathing grew slightly heavier.

“Brother Xu.” Ye Qiaozi leaned forward, lowering her voice. “I’m not trying to meddle in your business. It’s just… the way you’ve been these past few days, and your face today—I can tell something’s off.”

“If you’re really in some kind of trouble, just say it. The few of us here can at least lend a hand. Is it… do you owe someone money? Or are you mixed up in some kind of mess?”

“No.”

After a long moment, Ye Qiaozi’s shoulders slumped, and she let out a soft sigh. “We’re just… a little worried about you.”

Xu Nanxiao was silent for a long time, then finally turned over. Looking at Ye Qiaozi’s worried face, he said reassuringly, “It’s nothing. I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“Just that? Have you taken anything for it?”

“Yeah, I did, but the medicine didn’t help either.”

“Maybe I should give you a few days off—go see a psychologist.”

“No.” Xu Nanxiao turned his face away and said gruffly, “Psychologists are all con artists.”

Ye Qiaozi couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Don’t generalize.”

“Really, I’m fine. Don’t just stand there—I want to get some shut-eye.” Xu Nanxiao nudged her arm.

“Alright, alright, sleep then. Call us if you need anything.” Seeing that Xu Nanxiao didn’t want to talk, Ye Qiaozi had no choice but to leave.

She pulled the door shut, sealing the thin strip of light and the heavy silence inside behind her.

After this incident, Ye Qiaozi was already mulling things over, and before long, Liang Sihua brought her even more explosive news—

Liang Sihua’s niece was taking Chinese class with Ying Yusheng. After reading Ying Yusheng’s comments on her essay, he rushed over to show the others.

They were astonished to discover that the essay commentary was written in the very same hand as the words on that card!

“Come to think of it, Nanxiao does seem to have been off ever since that guy showed up.”

“Wasn’t it since that cop came?”

“I don’t get it, but Brother Xu doesn’t want to talk about it, so we can’t force him.”

The three of them looked at each other in silence.

Early in the morning, Ying Yusheng, as usual, was carrying a bag of apples toward his teaching institution. Someone walking in the same direction turned into the alley with him.

Ying Yusheng recognized this person—she was Nanxiao’s current boss.

From the moment they started walking side by side, Ye Qiaozi kept staring at Ying Yusheng without pause, as if she wished she could grow eyes all over him. If she didn’t speak up soon, her arm would be brushing against his.

“Boss Ye, grocery shopping?” Ying Yusheng pushed up his glasses and gave a polite smile.

“Ah… yes.” Ye Qiaozi snapped out of it and said awkwardly, “Teacher Ying is buying groceries too?”

“Mm, getting some fruit.”

“Where’d you buy these apples? They look pretty good.”

The moment she said it, she regretted it—this podunk town had only one market, so where else could he have bought them?

Ying Yusheng didn’t seem to find it odd; he pointed toward the market and said, “The second stall inside. I’ve bought from them a few times—they’re fairly sweet.”

“Oh, oh, thanks.” Ye Qiaozi had nothing more to say, but she felt she should say something, and she was squirming with unease. Ying Yusheng just quietly watched her, that habitual faint smile fixed on his face.

In the end, the two exchanged awkward smiles for a few seconds, the air turning slightly strange.

Just as Ye Qiaozi was about to say goodbye, a furious shout exploded from behind her:

“YING YUSHENG——!!!!!”

Ye Qiaozi jolted violently and turned to see Xu Nanxiao standing a few steps away. She had no idea when he’d gotten there. His face was livid, his eyes bloodshot, his chest heaving violently as he glared at Ying Yusheng.

Before she could react, Xu Nanxiao charged over, grabbed Ying Yusheng by the collar, and yanked him off balance. The plastic bag slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, apples rolling everywhere.

“Brother Xu, what are you doing?!” Ye Qiaozi was terrified.

Xu Nanxiao acted as if he hadn’t heard, dragging Ying Yusheng toward the shop. Ying Yusheng stumbled along, his glasses sliding down his nose, but he didn’t resist.

Xu Nanxiao kicked open the rickety wooden door to the storage room and, gripping Ying Yusheng’s collar, slammed him to the ground.

In their scuffle, Ying Yusheng’s head cracked hard against a metal shelf. He let out a muffled groan, and then parts, filters, and screws began raining down in a clatter—hitting his head and Xu Nanxiao’s back alike.

Ying Yusheng instinctively tried to reach out and shield Xu Nanxiao from the falling objects, but was cut off by Xu Nanxiao’s roar—

“DARE YOU HYPNOTIZE ANYONE AROUND ME AGAIN?!!!” He shoved his face right up to Ying Yusheng’s, his eyes shot through with frantic red veins. “I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU THIS TIME!!!!”