On a rare day off, Wen Yifan stayed up late watching a horror movie.
The eerie atmosphere was built solely through background music and screams, without any truly frightening visuals. It was as bland as plain water. Due to her obsessive-compulsive tendencies, she forced herself to watch it till the end, barely keeping her eyes open.
When the ending credits appeared, Wen Yifan felt a sense of relief. She closed her eyes, and drowsiness immediately enveloped her thoughts. Just as she was about to fall asleep, suddenly, there was a heavy knock on her door.
Bang!
Wen Yifan’s eyes snapped open.
Following the moonlight seeping through the curtain gap, she looked towards the door. From outside, she could hear a man’s drunken, slurred voice and the sound of stumbling footsteps moving in another direction.
Then came the sound of a door opening and closing.
Most of the noise was muffled.
She stared at the door for several more seconds.
Only after everything had fallen completely silent did Wen Yifan finally relax.
She pursed her lips, belatedly feeling annoyed.
How many times has this happened this week?
Once her sleep was interrupted, Wen Yifan found it difficult to fall asleep again. She rolled over, closed her eyes once more, and listlessly devoted some mental energy to recalling the movie she had just watched.
Hmm.
Was it a ghost movie?
More like a low-budget flop that thought it could scare people.
…
As she dozed off, the ghost face from the movie inexplicably floated into Wen Yifan’s mind.
Three seconds later.
She suddenly sat up and turned on the bedside lamp-
For the entire latter half of the night, Wen Yifan slept fitfully. In her half-awake state, she constantly felt as if a bloody ghost face was staring at her from nearby.
It wasn’t until the sky had completely brightened that she finally managed to fall into a proper sleep.
The next day, Wen Yifan was awakened by a phone call.
Due to staying up late and lack of sleep, her head felt like it was being pricked by needles, with a dense, fine pain. Feeling somewhat irritated, she grudgingly picked up her phone and answered.
A low voice of her childhood friend, Zhong Siqiao, came from the other end: “I’ll call you back later.”
“…”
Wen Yifan’s eyelids twitched, her brain freezing for two seconds.
Waking her up with a phone call.
That was bad enough.
But it wasn’t even the main event, just a preview.
Her morning anger instantly exploded, and she blurted out, “Are you trying to…”
Before she could finish, the call had already been hung up.
It felt like punching a pillow. Wen Yifan opened her eyes, feeling deflated. After lying in bed for a while longer, she picked up her phone and checked the current time.
It was nearly two in the afternoon.
Wen Yifan didn’t linger in bed any longer. She pulled on a jacket and got out of bed.
She walked into the bathroom.
As Wen Yifan was brushing her teeth, her phone rang again. She freed one hand to swipe the screen and put it on speaker.
Zhong Siqiao spoke first: “Damn it, I just ran into a high school classmate. I had a greasy head and no makeup on. It was so embarrassing!”
“It’s not that easy to die,” Wen Yifan said with a mouth full of foam, her words unclear, “Aren’t you just fishing for sympathy?”
“…” Zhong Siqiao was silent for three seconds, not bothering to argue. “Want to go out tonight, Reporter Wen? You’ve been working overtime for a week straight. If you don’t find some fun, I’m afraid you’ll die from overwork.”
“Hmm. Where to?”
“How about near your workplace? I don’t know if you’ve been there before. My colleague says there’s a bar there, and the owner is incredible—” Zhong Siqiao said, “Hey, why do I keep hearing water? Are you washing dishes?”
Wen Yifan: “Getting ready.”
Zhong Siqiao was shocked: “You just woke up?”
Wen Yifan gave a slow “mm” in response.
“It’s already two o’clock. Even lunch break would be over by now,” Zhong Siqiao found it strange, “What were you doing last night?”
“Watched a horror movie.”
“What’s it called?”
“‘See a Ghost When You Wake Up.'”
Zhong Siqiao had seen this movie and choked: “That counts as a horror movie?”
“I went to sleep right after watching it,” Wen Yifan ignored her comment, grabbed a nearby towel to dry her face, and continued, “But then I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, and just like in the movie, I saw a ghost.”
“…”
“I ended up fighting with the ghost all night.”
Zhong Siqiao was a bit speechless: “Why are you suddenly bringing up such an R-rated topic with me?”
Wen Yifan raised an eyebrow: “How is it R-rated?”
“What kind of fight lasts all night?”
“…”
“Alright, stop messing with ghosts. Big sister will take you to mess with men,” Zhong Siqiao said with a smile, “Handsome, lively, warm-blooded men.”
“I think I’ll stick with ghosts then,” Wen Yifan picked up her phone and walked out of the bathroom, “At least they’re free.”
Zhong Siqiao: “Who said we have to pay? We can freeload men too.”
Wen Yifan: “Hm?”
“We can feast our eyes for free.”
“…”-
After hanging up, Wen Yifan once again messaged her landlord about last night’s situation. Then, she hesitantly added that she might not renew the lease when it expires.
Two months ago, she had moved from Yihe to Nanwu City.
The apartment was found by Zhong Siqiao and had no major issues.
The only inconvenience was that it was a shared apartment. The landlord had converted an 80-square-meter apartment into three independent rooms, each with its bathroom. So there was no kitchen or balcony.
But the price was cheap.
Wen Yifan didn’t have high requirements for her living space. Moreover, the location was convenient, and the surroundings were lively. She had even considered renting it long-term.
Until one day, when she happened to run into the man next door as she was leaving.
Gradually, it evolved into the current situation.
Without realizing it, the sun had set, and a layer of darkness covered the small room. Lights in homes began to flicker on one by one, illuminating the entire city differently. The night market also gradually came to life.
Seeing that it was about time, Wen Yifan changed her clothes and applied some simple makeup.
Zhong Siqiao was bombarding her with WeChat messages.
Grabbing her small bag from the coat rack, Wen Yifan sent a voice message saying “Leaving now.” She walked out, glanced across the hall, and unconsciously quickened her pace, heading down the stairs to the stairwell.
The two had agreed to meet at the subway station.
Their destination was the bar Zhong Siqiao had mentioned earlier, located opposite Upper Peace Plaza. Passing through a narrow alley, they could see a string of neon lights adorning each storefront.
This place only came alive at night.
It was Nanwu City’s famous bar street, known as “Degenerate Street.”
Since they had never been there before, the two searched for a while before finally spotting the bar in a small corner.
The name was quite interesting, called “Overtime(Jia Ba’r).”
The sign was exceptionally simple. A pure black background with square, neat white lettering. Among the colorful and flamboyant neon lights, it was as understated as a small hair salon opened here.
“That’s a pretty good idea,” Wen Yifan stared at it for a moment and commented, “Opening a hair salon in the bar street. Those who want to pick up girls here can come here to get styled first.”
Zhong Siqiao’s mouth twitched as she pulled her inside: “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Surprisingly, it wasn’t as quiet inside as Wen Yifan had imagined.
They had arrived early, before peak hours, but already more than half of the seats were occupied.
On the stage, a woman holding a guitar was singing with her eyes lowered, creating a sentimental and gentle atmosphere. At the bar, the bartender with dyed yellow hair was juggling cocktail shakers like a circus performer, with ease and familiarity.
Finding a seat, Wen Yifan ordered the cheapest drink.
Zhong Siqiao looked around and seemed disappointed: “Is the owner not here? I don’t see anyone handsome.”
Wen Yifan rested her chin on her hand and said carelessly: “Maybe it’s that bartender guy.”
“Bullshit!” Zhong Siqiao clearly couldn’t accept this, “My colleague, who’s always hanging out on Degenerate Street, said the owner of this bar is like the top host of Degenerate Street.”
“Maybe it’s self-proclaimed.”
“?”
Noticing Zhong Siqiao’s unfriendly gaze, Wen Yifan sat up straighter and emphasized: “Just, maybe.”
Zhong Siqiao snorted.
The two chatted on and off for a while.
Zhong Siqiao brought up the incident from noon: “Oh right, the person I met today was my vice class monitor from my first year of high school. He also went to South University for college, and I think he was even in the same dorm as Sang Yan, though I didn’t see him much.”
Hearing this name, Wen Yifan paused slightly.
“Speaking of which, do you remember—” As she was speaking, Zhong Siqiao’s gaze casually swept across the room and suddenly fixed on the bar, “Hey, look at ten o’clock, isn’t that the ‘top host of Degenerate Street’?”
At the same time, Wen Yifan heard someone call out “Yan-ge.”
She looked in that direction.
At some point, a man appeared next to the bartender.
The lighting in the bar was dim. He was half-leaning against the bar counter, his entire body facing away from the bar. His head was slightly tilted, seemingly talking to the bartender. He wore a plain black windbreaker and had a straight, tall figure. Even though he was slightly hunched over, he was still a head taller than the bartender next to him.
His eyes were pitch black, and the corners of his lips were slightly raised, giving him a somewhat cynical look.
The colorful rotating lights above cast a few streaks across his face.
At that instant, Wen Yifan recognized him too.
“Holy shit,” Zhong Siqiao, probably having the same realization, exclaimed in shock, “Sister, this top host is Sang Yan!”
“…”
“How come I just mentioned him and we see him… Do you still remember him? Before you transferred schools, he used to pursue you…”
Hearing these words, Wen Yifan’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
Just then, a waiter passed by. Wen Yifan, feeling a bit uncomfortable, was about to speak up to interrupt when suddenly a cry of surprise rang out. She looked up to see the waiter seemingly bumped into by someone, the tray in his hand tilting slightly, and the glasses on it toppling over.
— Towards her direction.
The drinks, mixed with ice cubes, fell onto her left shoulder and slid down. She was wearing a loose sweater today, and now half of it was soaked, with the cold seeping through. It was chilling to the bone.
Wen Yifan drew in a sharp breath, reflexively standing up.
The bar’s music was loud, but this commotion was not small.
As if frightened, the waiter’s face turned pale, and he apologized repeatedly.
Zhong Siqiao also stood up, helping Wen Yifan brush off the ice cubes from her clothes, frowning as she asked, “Are you okay?”
“It’s fine,” Wen Yifan’s voice trembled involuntarily, but she wasn’t angry. She looked at the waiter and said, “No need to apologize anymore, just be more careful in the future.”
Then she said to Zhong Siqiao: “I’ll go to the bathroom to deal with this.”
As she finished speaking, she slightly raised her eyes.
Unexpectedly, she met a gaze. Deep, indifferent, and obscurely meaningful.
They locked eyes for two seconds.
Wen Yifan withdrew her gaze and walked towards the women’s restroom.
Finding a stall, she took off her sweater, leaving only a tight-fitting undershirt.
Fortunately, the sweater had absorbed most of the liquid, so she wasn’t too wet underneath.
Wen Yifan hugged her sweater and walked to the sink, using a paper towel dampened with water to roughly clean off the alcohol from her body.
After dealing with it as best she could, she walked out.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed someone standing in the hallway. Wen Yifan instinctively looked over and paused in her steps.
The man was leaning against the wall, a cigarette between his lips, his eyelids lazily drooping, his expression casual and indifferent. Unlike before, he had taken off his jacket and was now holding it loosely.
He was left wearing only a black T-shirt.
It had been six years since they last met.
Unsure if he had recognized her, Wen Yifan didn’t know whether to greet him or not. After struggling for less than a second, she lowered her eyes, deciding to pretend she hadn’t recognized him either, and continued walking out with a stiff demeanor.
The dark and simple decor, with irregular streaks on the marble tiles reflecting light, extended outwards. The female singer’s voice could still be heard here, very soft, carrying a sense of lingering affection.
Getting closer and closer.
About to pass by him.
At this moment.
“Hey,” he uttered almost imperceptibly, sounding lazy.
Wen Yifan stopped, about to look over.
Without warning, Sang Yan suddenly threw his jacket over her head, blocking most of her vision. Wen Yifan was stunned for a moment, immediately reaching up to pull it off, feeling confused.
Sang Yan still hadn’t raised his head. With lowered lashes, he extinguished his cigarette in the nearby trash can.
Neither of them took the initiative to speak.
It seemed like a long time had passed, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. Sang Yan slowly lifted his eyelids, meeting her gaze. There was a sense of detachment in his eyes.
“Let’s talk,” he said.