That night, in this shabby and old motel, Ruan Nianchu lay awake with her eyes open until the wee hours of the morning. In the first half of the night, she quietly watched the cars speeding by on the highway outside, listening to the sound of their engines for a long time.
Later, she dreamed of the night sky in Cambodia, a golden sheaf of rice, and the figure of a man with a straw in his mouth, lying on the thatched roof of a bamboo house.
Early the next morning, Ruan Nianchu heard someone knocking on her door, thump, thump, thump.
She wasn’t fully awake yet, so she got up groggily with bed hair, and went to open the door. It was Li Teng. His expression was calm, and he was holding a plastic bag in his hand.
In just a few seconds, Ruan Nianchu shook off her drowsiness. “Are we leaving now?” she asked.
Li Teng glanced at her feet. She wasn’t wearing shoes, and her feet were small and delicate, with ten cute and glossy toes painted with red nail polish. Her ankles were slender, leading up to two snow-white calves, with graceful and enticing lines.
After looking for a moment, his gaze returned to her face, and he said, “It’s the weekend today, and there’s likely to be traffic on the highway. We need to leave early.”
Ruan Nianchu yawned and nodded. “Got it. Wait for me while I freshen up.” She then prepared to close the door.
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Nk Mldt pyke, “Vwv sd uswa pbslp.”
Swyd Lkydnbw oyp pzktbvzu vyjld ycynj. Mbld pbl blyae bkx pyu kd y qzyv vsdl, “Mbl qzssa kp nsze, yde usw byhld’v qwzzu alnshlale qasx uswa nsze ulv.”
“Mbydjp qsa uswa nsdnlad,” pbl alrzkle psqvzu, qllzkdt y ckv lxcyaaypple. Fwcnsdpnkswpzu, pbl bke bla vos obkvl yde vldela qllv clbkde bla, vbld pweeldzu alxlxclale psxlvbkdt yde pyke, “Xb, ycswv vbl nzypp okvb Dkysmkdt…”
“R’hl yzalyeu nyzzle Gwdv Dky,” Nk Mldt kdvlaawrvle. “Fkdnl usw’al dsv qllzkdt olzz, usw nyd ts dlmv Fyvwaeyu.”
“Xb,” pbl alprsdele.
“Mbkp kp calyjqypv qsa usw,” Nk Mldt bydele bla vbl rzypvkn cyt okvbswv xwnb lmralppksd. “Mblal yal cwdp, lttp, yde psu xkzj. Oyv obkzl kv’p bsv.”
Swyd Lkydnbw blpkvyvle qsa y xsxldv, vbld alynble swv vs vyjl vbl calyjqypv.
Mbld Nk Mldt vwadle yde oldv esodpvykap.
It was still early, the dawn light was just beginning to appear in the eastern sky. Several private cars were parked on the open ground of the rest area, and passengers were bargaining at the breakfast stalls, making a noisy scene.
He stepped out of the motel door and stood under the eaves, smoking.
Behind him, the hesitant landlady who had been frightened the day before approached, cleared her throat, and forced a smile. “Has your girlfriend’s fever gone down?”
Li Teng put the cigarette in his mouth, looked down, and didn’t speak. He just took out a hundred-dollar bill and tossed it to the woman, saying, “Consider that money for the medicine.”
The woman was stunned holding the money for a moment, before awkwardly saying, “Wow handsome, you’re giving too much, it’s not like it’s some miraculous elixir, it’s not worth this much.”
Li Teng gave her a cold glance. “Take the money. I have something to ask you.”
“What do you want to ask me?”
“You saw those special police officers last night.”
“Hmm.” The landlady covered her chest, still looking startled. “Scared the life out of me. Thought there was some moldy blood spilled.”
Li Teng asked, “Have a man and a woman stayed at your inn these past few days?”
The landlady smiled and said, “These past few days haven’t been holidays, business has been slow, not many people around.” Then, as if remembering something, she said, “I remember now. You asked the same question yesterday, that female police officer did too. Said they were looking for a suspect who was supposed to meet here, scared me half to death. Luckily, they got the wrong person, not you and your girlfriend.”
He asked again, “Have you seen a Cambodian woman named Washa?”
“No,” the landlady answered without hesitation. “This inn has been open for three years, and I’ve never seen a foreigner.”
“But last night, those police officers found something left by Washa here. She must have been here.”
The landlady shrugged. “Well, I don’t know about that.”
Li Teng fell silent at her words. He squinted slightly, smoking, lost in thought.
At this moment, Ruan Nianchu came downstairs after washing up. Carrying her bag, she walked to the motel’s entrance. Glancing up, she saw Li Teng leaning against the wall, smoking, with a woman in her thirties standing next to him, wearing heavy makeup and a low-cut top, her skin fair and alluring when she bent over.
The woman stared directly at Li Teng, her eyes almost glued to him.
Ruan Nianchu frowned slightly. After a moment, she walked directly between the two of them and said, “Aren’t we leaving early to avoid traffic? Let’s not delay.”
Li Teng turned his head to look at her, extinguishing his cigarette. “Have you finished breakfast?”
“I have,” Ruan Nianchu replied.
“Then let’s go.” He nodded and headed down the steps toward where the car was parked.
The landlady peeked out, seeing the two of them leaving like that, suddenly blurted out, “Hey! Handsome, have you finished asking your questions? If not, give me your contact information, and I’ll let you know if I see any suspicious people!”
Ruan Nianchu’s eyebrows immediately furrowed tighter.
Then she heard Li Teng’s cold voice without turning back, “If you see suspicious people, you should report it to the police.”
The landlady was left speechless, her face a mix of embarrassment and anger.
Ruan Nianchu felt like laughing a little, pursed her lips, and forced herself to hold back. When Li Teng reached the car door and stopped, he turned back, furrowing his brows and calling her name in a low voice, “Ruan Nianchu.”
“Here!” she raised her voice and jogged over to him.
The jeep raced along the highway.
When Li Teng’s car stopped at the entrance of Ruan Nianchu’s residential area, it was already half past ten in the morning.
Ruan Nianchu unfastened her seatbelt, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and then said softly, “Thank you for taking care of me when I had a fever yesterday. And also… thank you for protecting me again.”
Li Teng’s tone was indifferent. “You’re welcome.”
There was a few seconds of silence in the car.
Ruan Nianchu forced out a somewhat awkward smile. “Although, I don’t know why you did what you did that night… but you probably didn’t do it on purpose, right?” After a pause, with a hint of probing in her tone, she added, “Did you, perhaps, mistake me for her?”
“What?”
“The person you like.”
“…,” As the words fell, Li Teng turned his head to look at her instantly. His gaze was deep. He loosened and tightened his grip on the steering wheel for a moment before shifting his gaze away, saying nothing.
Ruan Nianchu nodded when he remained silent. “I actually could guess.”
Li Teng closed his eyes and pressed his temples, then rolled down the window and lit a cigarette.
She continued, “So… considering you’ve helped me so many times,” her gaze fell on his profile, “I forgive you. Let’s still be friends from now on.”
He unexpectedly chuckled. “Alright. Hurry home, or your mom will be worried.”
“Okay.” Ruan Nianchu pushed open the car door. “Goodbye.”
The sound of her high heels lightly tapping on the ground gradually faded away, dissipating in the wind.
Li Teng flicked the ash from his cigarette, leaned back in his seat, and after a long while, still couldn’t bring himself to say “goodbye.”
A heavy rainstorm ushered in early autumn in Yuncheng.
On Monday morning, Ruan Nianchu went to work as usual. They were assigned another task, this time to perform consolation shows at the border camp next month, a total of seven performances. They were instructed to rehearse their programs diligently.
After the last concert, Ruan Nianchu’s name had become well-known. She had become a sought-after figure in the vocal group. Therefore, this time, the solo song was directly assigned to Ruan Nianchu without the group leader’s selection.
She felt quite surprised.
The other actors were half envious and half admiring. Who would have thought that a sudden illness from the popular Jiang Xue would inadvertently lead to the rise of a new talent?
The chosen solo song this time was personally selected by the group leader, the red song “Flower of Velvet.” Ruan Nianchu had never sung this somewhat sentimental song before, so she locked herself in the vocal room and practiced diligently.
She practiced for a full three days.
On Wednesday afternoon, the sun was warm, not as scorching as in summer, but gentle and friendly. The rehearsal building for the performance troupe was quiet, with only the sounds of the chorus members warming up their voices and the dance instructor counting beats. “One, two, turn! Bend down, extend your wrists, turn again…”
At this moment, a song floated out of Vocal Room 3, with a melodious tune and a soft voice, “There’s a beautiful flower in the world…”
“Pause for a moment,” the group leader stopped playing the piano, frowned at Ruan Nianchu, and said, “Nianchu, your voice is beautiful, and there’s no problem with pitch and rhythm, but the emotion seems lacking. Try to find the feeling.”
Ruan Nianchu hummed in acknowledgment, lowering her head in deep thought.
After a few minutes, she lifted her head and said to the group leader, “I’ll try again.”
The gentle and soft prelude of “Flower of Velvet” flowed from the fingers of the group leader.
Ruan Nianchu closed her eyes slowly. In an instant, many memories flashed before her eyes like a carousel. Her memories traversed the currents of time, returning to the camp on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. That evening, there was darkness, there were bonfires, there was gunfire, and there were swaying rice paddies in the wind.
“There’s a beautiful flower in the world…”
Outside the door, the man’s steps faltered. He turned his head and looked up. The girl’s long hair was coiled behind her head as she stood beside the piano, eyes closed, with a calm expression. Her profile was enveloped in a thin golden light, and even the fine velvet on her skin was clearly visible.
“Ding ding, the hard bones bloom like flowers…”
Li Teng quietly watched her, unable to take his eyes off her. In his ears, her singing voice was as gentle as water. “There’s a hero’s flower in the world, shining brightly in youth…”
Some passing actors saw Li Teng and were startled, but quickly prepared to salute. He frowned and made a “silence” gesture. Several actors nodded understandingly and left.
After a few minutes, the song finished. Ruan Nianchu opened her eyes.
The group leader smiled at her. “That was better. Practice a few more times, and it will be even better. Take a fifteen-minute break.”
She nodded, feeling thirsty, and reached for her water bottle. However, when she leaned to the side, she saw the person outside the window. He was dressed in military uniform, standing in the backlight shadow, and she didn’t know how long he had been watching her.
Ruan Nianchu felt surprised and quickly ran out of the vocal room, exclaiming, “Li Teng? What are you doing here with our performance troupe? Is something wrong?”
Li Teng said, “I came to find you.”
“…” She blinked. “Find me?”
His expression remained neutral, quiet for a moment, then handed her something he was holding. “For you. I suddenly remembered that I don’t think I’ve ever given this to you personally.”
Ruan Nianchu looked down and was stunned. It was a bundle of dried rice flowers, golden in color and vibrant in hue.
Her fingers trembled slightly, and after a while, she accepted the flowers.
Then he turned and left.
That day, Li Teng’s appearance and disappearance were both sudden. The sunlight above was brilliant, and if it weren’t for the bouquet of flowers in her hand, she would almost have thought it was just a bizarre dream.
She really couldn’t figure out this man at all.
After leaving the performance troupe, Li Teng drove back to the military base. On the way, his phone rang, and he glanced at the caller ID. It was Yang Zhengfeng.
“Hello,” he answered.
Then, Yang Zhengfeng’s voice sounded in his ear, serious, “Are you free to talk?”
“Um.”
“The prime target has been confirmed, she’s a Cambodian, female. She’s one of Daen’s operatives in China, operating domestically for a long time, with numerous criminal activities and strong anti-surveillance capabilities.”
Li Teng remained expressionless. “What’s her name, do you have a photo?”
Yang Zhengfeng said, “Washa. But it’s probably not her real name.”
Suddenly, Li Teng’s face changed dramatically. He made a sudden turn of the steering wheel, slammed on the brakes, and pulled over to the side of the road. People in the lane behind him stuck their heads out to curse, “Are you crazy?” “Can’t you drive properly?”
On the other end of the phone, Yang Zhengfeng sensed something was wrong. “What’s going on?”
“You said, Daen’s operative is named Washa?” Li Teng’s tone was very calm.
“Yes.”
“… ” He remained silent for a few seconds, a woman’s face wearing sunglasses flashed through his mind, and he said in a low voice, “No wonder there were those special police. Washa never stayed at that motel. Because she didn’t plant the tracker in the motel room in advance, she planted it on Ruan Nianchu instead.”
Yang Zhengfeng was confused. “… What do you mean?”
“What happened that night was just Daen’s provocation.” Li Teng closed his eyes, then suddenly punched the car window fiercely, causing the transparent glass to immediately crack into spidery patterns. His tone was extremely cold and heavy. “It’s his way of letting me know that he’s targeted Ruan Nianchu.”
Sansukini: This guy needs to be more honest with himself. Tsk!
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Can you just tell Ruan Nianchu about it now?? And stop making her think you like someone else? It’s getting old 😩
Are you frustrated? Hahaha! Don’t worry. This guy is fast once he’s decided.