The night had fallen into a deep slumber, unshakeable even by thunder.
Under the howling wind and pouring rain, Nanwu Airport stood firm, brightly lit like a giant box containing the departed daylight. It was just past 2 AM, yet the flow of people showed no signs of dwindling.
As travelers came and went, Yun Li stood alone, occasionally glancing at her phone. This was her second visit to Nanwu. The first time was earlier this year in early spring when she came for her graduate school interview at Nanwu University of Technology, staying only a few days before returning home. This time, however, she was here at the invitation of EAW Virtual Reality Tech City.
EAW was the first VR experience center launched by Youshen Technology, scheduled to open at the end of next month. After a three-day trial run with unsatisfactory results, they invited several bloggers and video content creators to experience the center and generate pre-opening publicity. Yun Li was one of them.
Through email, Yun Li had added Ms. He, her contact person, on WeChat. The organizers were covering her flight and accommodation, and Ms. He had promised to arrange for someone to pick her up upon arrival.
However, due to unpredictable weather, Yun Li’s flight was delayed by three hours. Upon learning her new arrival time, Ms. He said she would arrange for someone else to pick her up. After landing, Yun Li inquired again. The reply claimed that the driver had already set out and asked her to wait patiently.
But there was still no sign of anyone, and Ms. He hadn’t responded since. In three more minutes, Yun Li would have been waiting for an hour.
Yun Li sat on her suitcase, her legs bent to support herself, her face tense as she composed a message to Ms. He. After finishing, she reviewed her wording from start to finish.
It was acceptable. No profanity; it stated the other party’s failure to fulfill their responsibility; the tone was calm yet assertive.
Even so, after staring at the screen for a while, Yun Li couldn’t bring herself to press send.
Sigh. It still seemed a bit harsh.
As she was debating whether to soften it further, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted. “Excuse me?”
Following the voice, Yun Li unexpectedly met a pair of unfamiliar eyes.
The newcomer had delicate features and a slender build, resembling a college student who hadn’t yet graduated. Seeming somewhat uncomfortable with the situation, the young man spoke shyly, “Are you here for tourism or…?”
This was already the sixth person to approach her tonight.
The previous five had invariably asked if she needed a ride or a hotel.
Yun Li automatically filled in the rest of his sentence in her mind and politely waved her hand, “No, thank you…”
The young man paused, “Huh?”
Yun Li: “I’m waiting for someone. I’m not planning to stay at a hotel.”
The scene froze.
Their eyes met.
After about three seconds, the young man raised his hand to scratch his hair, “That’s not it.”
He cleared his throat lightly, “I was wondering if I could get your WeChat contact?”
“…”
Yun Li was dumbfounded.
The young man’s voice was clear, now lowered slightly, “Is that okay?”
“Ah.” Realizing her misunderstanding, Yun Li’s expression turned embarrassed, “…Sure.”
“Thank you.” The young man took out his phone, smiling, “Shall I scan yours?”
Yun Li nodded, lighting up her screen again. The long paragraph she had just composed reappeared. She quickly went back and opened her WeChat QR code, handing it to him.
The young man bent down, adding her while politely introducing himself, “My name is Fu Zhengchu. In the future, we could…”
A red dot appeared in the contacts list.
Seeing the icon on his profile picture, Yun Li had a vague feeling that something was off. The suspicion she had just dismissed resurfaced.
Sure enough.
The next second, six characters in his nickname caught her eye.
— Tou Xian Ba Jiu Minsu (Leisure Time Wine Guesthouse).
“…”
Has soliciting customers reached this level now?
However, Fu Zhengchu seemed completely unaware that he had used the wrong account. His expression carried a sense of having gotten away with something. Then, as if out of concern, he casually asked, “Are you heading to EAW next?”
Yun Li looked at him.
Fu Zhengchu: “That VR experience center?”
Yun Li asked cautiously, “How do you know?”
“I accidentally saw your chat window earlier, including the note. Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Fu Zhengchu said, “Also, it’s opening near my school, so I just guessed.”
Yun Li’s note for Ms. He only mentioned EAW, without specifying it was a VR experience center.
This explanation seemed reasonable.
She nodded slightly.
Fu Zhengchu: “But why are you coming now? It doesn’t seem to be open yet. I think it opens at the end of the month.”
As the information matched up, and unable to think of how to respond, Yun Li could only answer honestly, “Um, I was invited to come.”
“Invited?” Fu Zhengchu seemed not to understand but didn’t pursue it further, “So you’re waiting for someone from there to pick you up?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve noticed you’ve been waiting for quite a while,” After a moment’s hesitation, Fu Zhengchu wasn’t deterred by her coldness and asked again, “Where are you headed? Maybe I could give you a ride?”
Hearing this, Yun Li’s guard went up again. She shook her head, “No need, thank you.”
Fu Zhengchu: “It’s no trouble. This is somewhat related to me anyway.”
Yun Li became more confused, “Hm?”
“Oh.” Fu Zhengchu seemed to remember to explain, saying casually, “Because EAW was opened by my brother.”
Yun Li: “…”
Why not just claim you opened it yourself?
After a moment of silence, Yun Li thought again. This person’s series of actions was very strange.
Lying repeatedly and mysteriously inviting her to go with him. It was like some kind of fraud or criminal group targeting lone women. As this thought occurred to her, she began to feel uneasy.
Even in a public place.
In the middle of the night, and an unfamiliar place.
Not wanting to show her concern too obviously, Yun Li vaguely made an excuse, intending to leave this area.
Seeming to realize that his words not only sounded boastful but also somewhat ill-intentioned, Fu Zhengchu hurriedly tried to explain. Unfortunately, it didn’t help much, and he felt like he was only making things worse. He soon left.
Out of caution, Yun Li didn’t stay where she was.
She zigzagged through the airport until she was sure the young man hadn’t followed her. Only then did she relax a bit.
Due to this small incident, Yun Li didn’t want to linger here any longer. She turned on her phone again.
The screen was still on the chat interface.
Ms. He still hadn’t replied, but the impulse brought on by Yun Li’s frustration had largely dissipated. Staring at those sharp words, she sighed and eventually deleted them character by character.
Rather than continuing to wait endlessly, she decided to figure something out herself. Yun Li scrolled up to find the hotel name Ms. He had sent her and searched for its approximate location.
It was near Nanwu University of Technology.
Before she could decide, the long-absent Ms. He suddenly replied.
Perhaps influenced by the dozen or so messages Yun Li had sent earlier, Ms. He apologized profusely, saying she had accidentally fallen asleep and missed the driver’s message that he couldn’t make it and that she had found someone else to pick her up.
It was an EAW staff member who happened to be in the area.
This time, Ms. He was very clear.
She not only sent the license plate number but also explicitly stated that they would arrive within ten minutes.
Though not timely, it did solve Yun Li’s problem.
No longer in the mood to criticize her, and pressed for time, Yun Li only replied with an “Okay.” She pulled out her suitcase and walked outside. She hadn’t noticed inside, but once out, she felt the cool, damp air.
…
Five minutes later.
Yun Li’s phone rang, showing an unknown Nanwu number. Seeing this, she reflexively hung up. As she pressed the button, she realized it was probably EAW calling.
She paused, staring at the missed call, not daring to call back.
Yet she was afraid they would get impatient waiting.
After much hesitation.
Yun Li bit her fingernail, mustering the courage to call back.
Ring.
It only rang once before the other side picked up.
But they didn’t say a word.
Yun Li took the initiative to explain, “I’m sorry… I hung up by accident.” Not knowing how to address him, she awkwardly asked, “Are you from EAW?”
After a brief pause.
The man-made an affirmative sound. His voice was cold and tired, low and faint, like a hook lying in wait under a bewitching illusion, devoid of emotion yet capable of captivating one’s soul: “Come out, cross the street, you’ll see a parking lot—”
Yun Li interrupted, a beat late: “Huh?”
The man paused, explaining: “Can’t park at the exit.”
“Oh, okay,” Yun Li said, “I’ll head over now.”
The man: “Did you bring an umbrella?”
Yun Li instinctively glanced at her bag: “Yes, I did.”
“Wait for me at the parking lot entrance.”
With that, the call ended.
The entire conversation lasted less than a minute.
Yun Li was bewildered as she rummaged through her bag for the umbrella.
Following the man’s instructions, Yun Li had just reached the parking lot when she saw a car slowly approaching. After confirming the license plate number Ms. He had sent, she bent down by the passenger seat: “Hello, could you open the trunk?”
The withered trees fragmented the streetlights, casting broken shadows.
The car’s interior was dim; Yun Li could only make out the man’s sickly pale chin.
The man tilted his head slightly, seeming to glance in her direction. Without a word, he put on his coat hood and got out of the car.
Yun Li froze, quickly saying, “Um, that’s not necessary… I can do it myself…”
The girl’s voice was soft, suddenly drowned out by the sound of rain. The man acted as if he hadn’t heard, approaching her and taking the suitcase from her hand. She could only swallow the rest of her words and change them to, “…Thank you.”
The raindrops fell sparsely, washing the city with a pitter-patter.
Yun Li surveyed her unfamiliar surroundings, her gaze lifting suddenly to stop. It was a rare sight. In the vast blue sky, she saw something uncommon – the moon on a rainy night.
The man lifted the trunk, raising his head slightly. The dim light seemed to fall on him in uncontrolled streaks.
As if to soften the impact.
Time seemed to slow forcibly. His features gradually became clear.
Yun Li’s breath inexplicably stopped for a few seconds.
The man had deep-set eyes, thin lips pressed tightly together, his expression revealing aloofness. Droplets of water clung to his hair and eyelashes, giving him a somewhat frail appearance, yet it didn’t diminish his intensity in the slightest.
He was strikingly handsome, impossible to look away from.
Yet he bore thorns, making one hesitant to approach or touch.
Seeing him lift the suitcase, Yun Li snapped back to reality. She stepped closer, holding the umbrella over him.
The umbrella wasn’t large; it was difficult to cover two people without standing close. Yun Li felt uncomfortable getting too near, maintaining a safe distance, and letting herself get rained on.
There was surprisingly more in the trunk than expected.
The man carelessly piled the scattered items, barely managing to fit the suitcase in. Soon after, he noticed Yun Li beside him from the corner of his eye and turned his head.
He was tall, wearing a thin dark coat, his face expressionless, carrying a somewhat intimidating presence. At this moment, whether offended or for some other reason, he raised his eyes slightly, his pitch-black pupils quietly gazing at her.
Yun Li swallowed, feeling a bit nervous.
The next moment.
Yun Li saw the man raise his hand towards her.
She froze in place.
In this situation, Yun Li still noticed that the man’s long fingers were wet from the rain. Passing by her hand, he continued to raise it, slowly pressing against the black umbrella frame, gently pushing.
The umbrella frame brushed past her hair tips, ears, and neck.
Yun Li was once again covered by the umbrella.
The entire process took no more than three or four seconds.
Then, the man turned back, closing the trunk. The sound was muffled, drowned out by the crisp sound of rain. Accompanied by two emotionless words.
“No need.”