Rong Yu and Que Cha each used more than ten wet wipes to clean themselves up. Even so, after getting in the car, they still brought with them the homely smell of a post-meal kitchen.
Just as Yan Tuo was about to ask again about what exactly went wrong, Nie Jiuluo’s video call came in. As the “director,” she had been keeping track of the timing and progress, eager to know the response after the “screening.”
Rong Yu was too lazy to explain, so Que Cha leaned over and recounted everything.
Nie Jiuluo said, “This Xu Annie has quite the spirit, actually managing to fight back and drive you both out. Not bad at all.”
Rong Yu retorted, “How is this ‘not bad’?”
Nie Jiuluo responded with complete confidence: “Wasn’t our goal to wake her up, shatter her unrealistic filters about Wu Xingbang, and help her move forward? Now she knows it’s not worth wallowing over someone like him – that’s effective, isn’t it?”
Heh, effective indeed – all built upon the suffering of the actors.
Rong Yu threw cold water on her enthusiasm: “Nothing’s certain yet. She just had a hysterical breakdown – what if she becomes suicidal? Your scheme and those words were quite hurtful, you know?”
Nie Jiuluo snorted: “Waking someone up is bound to hurt. Do you want to pierce through without causing pain? What do you think this is, acupuncture?”
Rong Yu was momentarily speechless.
Yan Tuo silently sighed, lowering the car window slightly to disperse the tension in the air while quietly reminding himself never to argue with Nie Jiuluo.
He definitely wouldn’t win against her.
After grinding her teeth for a while, Rong Yu challenged her again: “What if we went too far? What if she tries to kill herself?”
Nie Jiuluo asked, “Would you kill yourself over trash like that?”
Once again, Nie Jiuluo’s question left Rong Yu speechless.
Que Cha hesitated before saying, “Miss Nie, it’s not like that. Sometimes when people become suicidal, it’s not necessarily because of someone else. It might be because they’re too disappointed in themselves, feeling like a joke, thinking everything is terrible.”
She used to feel that way often, thinking she was worthless, just a parasite depending on Jiang Baichuan. Later, she felt she was too cold-hearted, unable to shed even a single tear when her partner of over ten years faced hardship – practically inhuman.
If Xu Annie were to attempt suicide, it might not be because of Wu Xingbang, but because she felt too desperate, feeling that heaven was constantly mocking her, believing this world wasn’t worth it.
Nie Jiuluo said, “That’s why I arranged for all three of you to be present. Can’t three people keep watch over one person? If she attempts suicide, you can intervene.”
Perfect – not only did they have to perform, but they also had to stand guard.
The director just had to move her mouth while the actors ran their legs off. No wonder actors eventually want to become directors.
Que Cha was only skilled at archery, not other martial arts, so she handled logistics support. The surveillance duty fell to Rong Yu and Yan Tuo, who took turns checking, either listening for sounds or peering through window gaps, while being careful not to be mistaken for peeping toms.
Fortunately, Xu Annie remained quiet all night. She didn’t turn on the gas, didn’t swallow sleeping pills, and didn’t touch any knives or scissors. She just sat quietly, barely moving for long periods.
Yan Tuo took a blurry silhouette photo through the window and sent it to Nie Jiuluo, partly to update her on Xu Annie’s current state, and partly because he thought Xu Annie’s silhouette resembled a sculpture – even without seeing her face, just the outline conveyed deep vicissitudes, evoking a sense of desolation.
The next day, Xu Annie didn’t leave her room all day, nor did she order takeout. She just changed from sitting to lying prone, like a hopeless corpse among piles of takeout boxes.
Rong Yu grew impatient. If Xu Annie remained dispirited for half a month, would they have to keep watch for half a month too? Although she had a helpful spirit, she wasn’t a saint – she couldn’t do this day after day.
Yan Tuo started researching surveillance equipment, thinking about finding an opportunity to install one in Xu Annie’s room. This way, they could monitor remotely and call for help if needed. As for whether it would violate personal privacy or break the law, he couldn’t afford to worry about that anymore.
Only Nie Jiuluo remained optimistic.
She said, “Suicide is an impulse. If someone doesn’t die during their most intense emotional moment, they probably won’t die later. I don’t think she’ll continue being dispirited either. She’s been like a walking corpse for several months already. This is an opportunity – whether she can get up depends on this time.”
She added, “You need to watch for two signs. First is eating – once she starts cooking, it shows she still values life. Second is cleaning – cleaning is the beginning of rejecting the past and embracing life positively.”
The first sign Nie Jiuluo mentioned came around 10 PM the next evening.
Xu Annie ordered late-night food. When the delivery rider passed by Yan Tuo’s car on his electric bike, Que Cha saw the restaurant’s name on the packaging bag.
Xiao Zhang’s BBQ.
Rong Yu worried it might be the last meal, that she would swallow the barbecue with hundreds of sleeping pills, so as soon as the delivery rider left, she went to peer through the window gap.
She saw Xu Annie with swollen red eyes but a fierce expression. She grabbed the skewers horizontally, stripping them clean one after another, then took a big gulp of cola, eating with gritted teeth and drinking as if she could swallow mountains.
Rong Yu swallowed – damn, this Xiao Zhang’s cooking skills were really good, the aroma was tempting even through the window.
The second sign came early morning on the third day.
At that time, both Rong Yu and Que Cha had dozed off in the car. Yan Tuo was on watch duty when he saw Xu Annie drag out a large black garbage bag, struggling through the alley to the garbage bin.
The bag was too big to fit in the bin, so she could only lean it against the bin, dust off her hands, and go back. Shortly after, she dragged out a second bag.
The third bag was particularly heavy. Xu Annie dragged it while panting heavily, frequently stopping to rest along the way. Watching this made Yan Tuo want to go help her.
After dragging out all three bags, Xu Annie returned to her room and didn’t come out again. The lights went out too. Yan Tuo breathed a long sigh of relief – in these two days, this was the first time he’d seen Xu Annie turn off her lights. Since the moment Rong Yu and Que Cha were driven out, Xu Annie’s lights had stayed on continuously, even during broad daylight.
Now, finally, the lights were out.
Hope she could get a good night’s sleep.
When Rong Yu woke up, it was already bright.
Not just bright, but blazing with golden light that made her unable to open her eyes.
She raised her hand to shield them, and through her fingers, saw Yan Tuo turn back and pass her a takeout bag: “Ordered from the tea restaurant, lean meat porridge and shrimp dumplings.”
Rong Yu took it and put it down, pulled out a strip of mouthwash from the car’s side pocket, took a swig to rinse her mouth, and then opened the car door to spit it out.
On the other side, Que Cha had also woken up and asked while yawning, “How’s Xu Annie?”
Yan Tuo said, “Pretty good.”
Pretty good?
One phrase made Que Cha fully awake and Rong Yu alert.
Yan Tuo pointed toward Xu Annie’s rental room in the distance: “Early this morning, she came out to throw away garbage, three bags. I went to look – the first two bags were all takeout boxes…”
Rong Yu blurted out, “Oh, so she did clean up.”
Que Cha was more interested in the unfinished part: “What about the third bag?”
Yan Tuo smiled slightly: “All men’s clothes and shoes, should be Wu Xingbang’s, along with some cut-up photos and such.”
Que Cha felt relieved: “Does this mean… she’s gotten through it? Miss Nie’s method worked.”
Rong Yu said grudgingly: “What do you mean it worked? She just got lucky, it was just a blind guess that happened to work.”
Yan Tuo remained silent.
Has she gotten through it? Maybe, but she was still very far from being fully healed.
Recovery is something one can only do for oneself. He hoped Xu Annie’s streak of bad luck had ended, and that she would encounter plenty of nourishment and love on her path ahead.
Rong Yu and Que Cha withdrew as soon as the matter was settled, hiding both their achievements and names. Yan Tuo stayed in Anyang for two more days, reaching new cooperation agreements with partners and signing new contracts.
On the day he left, he drove to Xu Annie’s place one more time. As luck would have it, just as his car reached the alley, he saw Xu Annie returning from outside.
She had just returned from grocery shopping, her bags full of fresh vegetables: water celery, garlic sprouts, and one bag brimming with round, bright kumquats that looked particularly adorable.
Xu Annie walked with her head down, examining a stack of flyers in her hand. Some were product advertisements, others job listings. With her limited education, she was used to taking these single-page job listings from employment agencies, as she typically worked in positions with lower entry requirements.
Yan Tuo watched her cross the alley and enter her home before parking his car by the road and getting out.
When he reached Xu Annie’s door, he heard the rhythmic chopping sound from inside – she was cutting vegetables. Each cut carried the rhythm of someone who, despite being wounded by life, still wanted to live with vigor.
Yan Tuo crouched down and slipped the job posting he’d gotten from his business partner under the door.
He had already spoken with his partner – if someone named Xu Annie called about the job, they should give her special consideration.
This was as far as he could accompany her; it was time for him to return to the courtyard house.
The distance from Anyang to the courtyard house was quite far. The last time he made this journey, he didn’t arrive until nearly midnight. Having started later this time, he would probably arrive even later.
Yan Tuo called Nie Jiuluo to tell her about this.
Nie Jiuluo was busy, her tone rushed and distracted: “Got it, I’ll be asleep by then, so keep it down when you get back. I’ll have Sister Lu watch the door for you. Just text her when you arrive, and she’ll let you in… I have a meeting with Old Cai about the exhibition, got to go.”
Before Yan Tuo could say anything, she had already hung up.
Yan Tuo put away his phone and slowly turned the steering wheel, feeling a bit dejected: after not seeing each other for so long, she showed no joy at his return.
But it was understandable. Given how busy she was these days, her days flew by so fast that she could sculpt a human figure and have it disappear in two days. She probably thought he was returning too soon.
The return journey was bland. He had lunch at a service area and afterward bought an ice cream, eating it alone. After all, when he got back, Nie Jiuluo would be asleep, so it didn’t matter whether he arrived earlier or later.
When he finally arrived, it was indeed very late, almost one o’clock. The houses in the small alley were all dark, with only street lamps standing guard.
Yan Tuo had texted Sister Lu in advance. After parking the car, he waited at the door with his suitcase.
Soon, the door creaked open.
Yan Tuo ducked his head as he entered, saying, “Thank you for your trouble, Sister Lu.”
Just as he stepped inside and steadied himself, someone suddenly shouted “Ha!” and leaped onto him. Yan Tuo was caught off guard, his back hitting the wall. His first reaction was that he was being attacked and wanted to fight back, but he immediately realized what was happening. His heart, like an excited stone, bubbled up to the surface of warm water and slowly dissolved.
One hand still holding his suitcase, he used his free arm to wrap around Nie Jiuluo’s waist, only then remembering to put down the suitcase.
Nie Jiuluo’s shout, pounce, and the resulting collision made quite a noise, triggering the motion sensor lights. Yan Tuo looked down to see her wearing a thin nightgown, looking up at him with a grin. Her hair seemed freshly washed and dried, with a few strands floating in the yellow light.
Sister Lu’s room was already dark.
Yan Tuo smiled and said, “Up so late and dressed so lightly, aren’t you cold?”
Nie Jiuluo wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “Not cold.”
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t wait up?”
Nie Jiuluo rolled her eyes at him, her finger poking his chest firmly: “First of all, I calculated that someone as repressed as you would be unhappy hearing that nobody would wait up, but wouldn’t say anything, just secretly cry on the way. Look, your eyes are all red.”
Yan Tuo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Who’s crying? What nonsense are you talking about?”
Nie Jiuluo didn’t argue, instead burying her head in his chest: “Secondly, you’ve been gone for so many days, I missed you terribly.”
Yan Tuo didn’t know how to respond, only managing a low “Mmm” after a while.
The motion sensor lights dimmed again, and in that moment of darkness, he saw the osmanthus tree and the golden camellia in the courtyard. Due to the season, they were at the end of their blooming period, their branches and leaves lush with a subtle fragrance floating in the air, the scent rising in the quiet night, almost visible to the naked eye.
After a while, Nie Jiuluo asked him: “Have Rong Yu and the others left?”
Yan Tuo nodded: “They’ve gone back already, they were just here to help.”
“How is Xu Annie?”
Yan Tuo thought for a moment: “Life is long – whether she’s doing well or not, it’s too early to say. It depends on how she lives from now on.”
Nie Jiuluo shared this thought.
She was dressed lightly, and while she hadn’t felt it earlier when she’d just come downstairs, excited as she was, now the night breeze made her genuinely cold.
She pinched the soft flesh of Yan Tuo’s arm: “Shall we go up?”
“Let’s go up.”
“I don’t want to walk. Carry me?”
Yan Tuo smiled wryly, gesturing at his suitcase: “Luo, I’m carrying the suitcase, it’s not convenient to carry you.”
Nie Jiuluo lowered her eyes to look at the suitcase, and without another word, kicked it. The wheels at the bottom sent it rolling more than two meters away, triggering the motion sensor lights again.
Yan Tuo: “…”
Nie Jiuluo said: “Yan Tuo, I need to correct your attitude. What’s more important, the suitcase or me? It’s just an old suitcase, who’s going to steal it if we leave it here? Must you bring it up now? Will it lay eggs if you bring it inside? Can’t we get it in the morning? Can’t you carry me first and come back for it? You’re rejecting me for a suitcase?”
Yan Tuo opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Her logic was so sound, that he had no rebuttal.
Nie Jiuluo couldn’t stop: “Besides, people have feelings. You just rejected me, and my heart already has a crack in it. Don’t you understand that love can disappear?”
Yan Tuo: “There’s already a crack?”
Nie Jiuluo: “That’s right, my godmother gave me a fragile heart.”
Yan Tuo took a moment to realize that while her birth mother was Pei Ke, her godmother was… Nüwa.
She was quite good at claiming relationships.
He nodded: “Alright, I’ll make it up to you tonight.”
After saying this, neither spoke. Nie Jiuluo looked up at him, gently biting her lip, a warmth gradually rising from below.
She hummed and said: “You bad man.”
Yan Tuo asked in surprise: “I meant I’d make you a bowl of noodles, to nourish you. What were you thinking? Luo, you should reflect on your colorful thoughts.”
Nie Jiuluo burst out laughing, pinching the soft flesh at his waist: “Say that again?”
Yan Tuo also laughed, bending slightly: “Come on up.”
Nie Jiuluo’s movements were light and agile. With just a slight push, she jumped onto his back. Yan Tuo held her legs and straightened up, not feeling any strain. To be honest, he could have carried both her and the suitcase upstairs without a problem.
However, since Nie Jiuluo had already kicked the suitcase away, let it be.
He carried her across the small courtyard, still lush with greenery.
Nie Jiuluo lowered her head, her long hair brushing against Yan Tuo’s neck: “Oh right, I told Old Cai today that I want to change the centerpiece for the solo exhibition.”
The centerpiece? He remembered – it was the sculpture of the Black and White Rapids scene.
Yan Tuo casually asked: “What do you want to change it to?”
“The underwater cave.”
Yan Tuo was a bit surprised: “That… underwater cave?”
Nie Jiuluo nodded: “Although I’ve never been there, from your description, I can visualize it. I’ll draw it first, and you can guide me on what needs fixing. The exhibition setup won’t be too difficult. Old Cai said we could seal a glass tank and submerge the cave sculpture in water, though we need to consider the material of the sculpture – it might dissolve in water. If that doesn’t work, we could use hydrogel instead, the visual effect should be the same… What do you think?”
Yan Tuo pondered for a moment: “It’s your solo exhibition, everything is your decision. But if it were me, I probably wouldn’t do this.”
Nie Jiuluo was puzzled: “Why?”
Both she and Old Cai thought this was a good idea. The concept of an underwater cave would be more eye-catching than a simple scene sculpture and generate more discussion.
Yan Tuo said: “Perhaps because of some precious secrets and special places, I don’t want to share them with others, nor do I want people to glimpse even their edges.”
It was an undisturbed place, the fewer people who knew about it, the better. Whenever he thought of that place, he always felt reverent and grateful, preferring to let it remain sleeping, eternally peaceful.
Nie Jiuluo seemed thoughtful: “Yan Tuo, is that place… have only we been there?”
“Yes, only we have been there.”
Perhaps throughout history, they were the only ones who had gone there and lived to return.
Nie Jiuluo fell silent. After a while, she buried her face in the crook of his neck and murmured: “Then forget it, we won’t display it publicly.”
If she ever made it, she would keep it at home, like the miniature model of the courtyard, treasuring it for herself alone. Only she would understand its true meaning.