What became of that gang of delinquents from back then?
Some went to prison, others kicked the bucket.
Among those still free, the ones from good families went abroad to study and inherited family businesses, becoming well-groomed social elites. The lucky ones profited from demolition compensation, opened factories, or took on engineering contracts, becoming nouveau riche with deep pockets.
Of those common folk who reformed, Big Head Yuan married a former wild girl – he became a hairdresser while she became a beautician. Ah Yong became an auxiliary police officer, spending his days in uniform exposed to wind and sun on the streets. Others became used car salesmen, delivery drivers, or auto mechanics. Chen Yi, once the most formidable among them, now owned a small pool hall. He knew a bit of everything, and dabbled in various ventures, with ups and downs here and there. Apart from his looks, he hadn’t made anything particularly remarkable of himself.
The entire Guihua Street was lined with open-air food stalls, with late-night eateries staying open until 2 AM. Maomao, Zhao Kun, and Hua Qiang sat under a camphor tree, with a table full of white wine, red wine, and beer. They said it was to welcome Chen Yi back, who hadn’t forgotten his old friends even after making money in Yunnan. Hua Qiang first penalized himself with three drinks – last year his gaming parlor was reported and shut down. He had persuaded Chen Yi to invest as a shareholder back then, and even when all the money went down the drain, Chen Yi didn’t get angry. Now Hua Qiang talked about making a comeback, discussing various business opportunities available, just lacking connections and capital…
While everyone was enjoying the food and drinks, Chen Yi seemed distracted, chain-smoking cigarettes. His phone kept buzzing on the table, but he acted as if he couldn’t hear it, sprawling lazily in the plastic chair, head tilted back, his gaze fixed on some unknown point. As he exhaled clouds of smoke, his entire face was shrouded in the dense haze. Young women walking past would let their eyes trail from his striking brows to his sharp Adam’s apple, their hearts fluttering as they passed by.
“Yi-ge, Sister Lili’s calling, it’s coming through to my phone now.”
A stunning woman walked slowly down the street – Chanel No. 5 perfume, rose-colored lips, red hair, a lace bodycon dress, and four-inch heels, provocatively eye-catching.
Tu Li was Chen Yi’s girlfriend, a graduate of a technical dance school. They met at a bar where Tu Li performed jazz dance, and during breaks, she would come down with a drink to liven up the atmosphere. One glass of red wine spilled on Chen Yi’s white shirt, and that’s how their eyes met. After their relationship stabilized, Tu Li quit her nocturnal bar job and became a cashier at Chen Yi’s pool hall. After a few months of watching young girls constantly flocking around the pool hall, she inevitably became jealous. Chen Yi couldn’t take it anymore and helped her find a job as a gym receptionist. Today she was supposed to work the late shift until 11, but she slipped out early to see her boyfriend.
She spotted Chen Yi immediately among the crowd, and her heart lifted. Her heels clicked as she approached, while Maomao and the others called out “Sister-in-law” in greeting. She smiled and pulled up a chair, patting Chen Yi’s face: “Did you miss me?”
The dress was low-cut, seemingly bottomless. All men appreciate beauty – when they first started dating, Tu Li had asked Chen Yi what style he liked. His eyes had lingered on the sexy models in magazines, and Tu Li felt she needed to be equally alluring to hold her ground, deliberately developing that aspect.
Chen Yi’s gaze slid over her, a slight knot forming in his scarred brow, his expression indifferent. His long legs sprawled carelessly, his voice sexy and hoarse from cigarettes and alcohol: “So you’re here.”
Everyone teased and joked about the couple for a while, then drank another round, before moving on to other topics. Tu Li shamelessly clung to Chen Yi’s arm, her fingers rubbing his slightly rough chin, then sliding up his handsome face, caressing that small patch of skin behind his ear, stroking his nape, her fingertips tangling with the black cord around his neck.
The jade pendant hanging at his neck swayed with her movements, striking against the man’s collarbone.
Usually, Chen Yi would have reached around to pull her close by now, but tonight he seemed to have checked out, showing no reaction, which was rather strange.
With Tu Li being so clingy, everyone understood the situation and the dinner quickly broke up, each person leaving swiftly. Tu Li linked arms with her boyfriend, waving to hail a taxi to go to his place, but Chen Yi stopped her: “Not convenient tonight.”
“How is it not convenient?” Tu Li reached back to touch his rock-hard chest muscles, giggling, “Is it that time of the month? Or did you lose your mojo on the way?”
He lit a cigarette, frowning as he took a deep drag: “I’ll take you home first.”
“Who was it that called me yesterday, getting me to come over?”
“Not convenient.” He lowered his eyes, flicking ash from his cigarette, saying in a deep voice, “Got some stuff at home.”
“You’re all alone, what could you possibly have at home?”
“Why the fuck are you asking so many questions? None of your damn business!” His eyes flashed dangerously, cigarette tilted at the corner of his mouth, hostility suddenly surfacing. “Taxi’s here, get in.”
Tu Li muttered under her breath: “No fun.”
They hadn’t seen each other for almost a month – Tu Li lived with her parents and younger brother, so when they wanted to spend the night together, they always went to Chen Yi’s place.
After sending Tu Li home, Chen Yi went to the pool hall. His pool hall was located behind the vocational college dormitory’s back gate, and there was also a branch campus of a technical college nearby. The main customers were these young students, but now in August during summer break, with no one at school, business at the pool hall wasn’t great. Chen Yi didn’t need to watch the place every day; leaving Bo Zai alone was enough.
Bo Zai and Chen Yi were old neighbors. Bo Zai had followed Chen Yi around since childhood, getting free meals. Though small and skinny, he was fierce in fights. Later he became lame in one leg and settled down. After Chen Yi opened the pool hall, Bo Zai had been working there continuously. Chen Yi paid him well, enough to support a family. Bo Zai got married, and life gradually stabilized.
The pool hall stayed open until midnight. Chen Yi told Bo Zai he would watch the place tonight and let Bo Zai go home early.
Before leaving, Bo Zai looked at Chen Yi hesitantly.
“What is it, Yi-ge?”
“Nothing. You’ve been working hard watching the place alone while I was gone. Take a few days off, I’ll mind the store.”
“Alright then. I’ll go home and rest, take my wife shopping tomorrow, and come back in a couple of days.”
Chen Yi slept on the long sofa in the break room that night. The next day, regular customers came to play pool. He played with them, practiced with them, and played a few games himself. In the afternoon, Tu Li called again. She had the early shift today and wanted him to pick her up after work. He lazily said he was busy and had no time, then hung up.
Tu Li thought his temper was inexplicable, but Chen Yi had had these mood swings before, so she figured she’d find him again in a few days.
After Bo Zai came back to take over the shift, Chen Yi went home briefly, planning to take a shower and pack some clothes to bring out.
No one was home.
It wasn’t the messy state from when he left – everything was neat and organized. The doors to both bedrooms were open, as was the balcony door, allowing ventilation. Instead of the damp, musty smell typical of old ground-floor apartments, it was fresh, cool, and fragrantly cozy.
There was fresh fruit on the table, half a watermelon in the fridge, along with some fresh vegetables, eggs, milk, and beer.
Miao Jing had quietly returned.
Chen Yi sat in a chair smoking, the cigarette butt clenched between his teeth as he stared into space. After finishing one cigarette, he couldn’t stay any longer and couldn’t help but head out.
Downstairs, he happened to run into Miao Jing returning.
Miao Jing had gone out to take care of some things – visiting the bank, going to the service center to get a new phone card, correcting her personal records and household registration information, and familiarizing herself with the living environment. She had lived in Teng City for ten years but had been to very few places and didn’t have any particular impression of the city.
She went out carrying a light yellow floral parasol, the light making her face appear snow-white. Her face was small, with red lips and white teeth, eyebrows like dots of ink, and bright clear eyes. Her body was slender and tall, with a graceful, supple softness, but her temperament was anything but weak or friendly – rather, she was cold and proud, standing alone with dignity. Simple long-sleeved clothes and pants hung loosely on her body, every step, every fold of her clothes revealing the elegant beauty of her figure.
Chen Yi stood in the sunlight, his brows darkly furrowed, watching her approach slowly.
“Chen Yi.”
“Give me your phone number. Is your old number not in use anymore? It became inactive a long time ago.”
Having just changed her phone card, she stood before him, took out her phone, and waited for him to give his number.
He impatiently turned his head aside, holding back his irritation, and coldly recited a string of numbers.
The phone in her pocket vibrated and then rang with an incoming call. Hearing the sound, Miao Jing pressed the end call button: “This is my new number, save it.”
He responded coldly, brushed past her, and walked out on his own. Miao Jing didn’t say anything either, entered the building, closed her parasol, and went upstairs.
Fifteen minutes later, his phone dinged with a message from an unknown number.
[Don’t smoke in the house.]
The man expressionlessly pressed his phone, saved the number, entered the name “Miao Jing,” and then accepted her WeChat friend request.
The first message—
[What time are you coming back tonight? The window latch is broken.]
This is fucking annoying!
Chen Yi remembered that he had holed up in the pool hall for two days, and when he went home, he just smoked one cigarette – hadn’t taken the shower he needed or gotten the clothes he meant to take. He’d have to go back again.
–
When he returned home at 10 PM, Miao Jing wasn’t asleep yet. Seeing Chen Yi return, she asked if he had eaten, saying she could cook if he hadn’t.
He coldly said he had eaten and went straight to his room. The room had been thoroughly cleaned. Looking for his towel, he couldn’t help but get angry, putting his hands on his hips: “Where’s my towel?”
“It was too old, I threw it away.” Miao Jing handed him a new one, “Here’s a new one I bought.”
A light blue wide bath towel, soft and fine cotton – the old towel had been used by Miao Jing as a rag to mop the floor.
Chen Yi gritted his teeth, the veins at his temples popping out. He grabbed the towel and slammed into the bathroom. All the bottles and containers on the shelf had changed. He used to wash his whole body with one bar of soap, and Tu Li had left many colorful bottles, but now they were all gone, replaced by a completely unfamiliar set.
Someone knocked on the door: “New soap is in the cabinet under the sink, unwrap it yourself.”
The shower water rushed noisily.
After showering, Chen Yi emerged with a cold face and furrowed brows. A moment later, he came out of the room fully dressed and sat on the sofa, tapping a cigarette out of the pack, putting it between his lips, and lighting it. The flame flared for an instant as he took a deep drag, lifted his eyelids, and slowly exhaled.
The tobacco taste was heavy, strong, and aromatic, with real substance. The smoothness had a grainy texture, not even, but rough.
“Miao Jing, let’s talk.”
Miao Jing had been planning to sleep, but she opened her door and leaned against the doorframe, looking at him.
“Change your clothes before coming out.” He looked at her through the smoke, his eyes also covered in a light haze, dark and fierce.
She was wearing a plain gray tank dress with thin padding, the hem reaching mid-thigh, but the ice silk material was particularly soft and form-fitting. Her waist was as slim as a grip, her legs long and straight, her skin white as porcelain and smooth. She turned and went back to her room, coming out a while later in a white nightgown hanging from two delicate shoulders, the dress reaching nearly to her ankles, flowing loose and billowy, which only emphasized how slender and thin the core within was.
Miao Jing sat down on the sofa, staring at him, her voice clear: “I said, no smoking in the house.”
“Tch.”
He clicked his tongue, pressing it against his cheek, giving her a sidelong glance, his gaze completely unconcerned. He slowly took two more drags, unhurriedly blowing smoke rings, then lazily leaned back, his long legs in jeans propped up on the coffee table. His posture was frivolous and crude. Through the smoke, Miao Jing saw his cold, mocking eyes. Her red lips pressed together in silence, clearly unhappy.
He wasn’t happy either. The two of them were at an impasse, seeing who would wear the other down.
“What did you study in university? What kind of job did you find?”
“Even if I tell you, you wouldn’t understand.” Miao Jing’s expression was bland, but after thinking for a moment, she added, “Monthly salary is eight thousand, with additional allowances each month, and year-end bonuses. It’s acceptable.”
Chen Yi gave a derisive laugh: “I don’t understand you college students. You study so hard for so many years, supposedly seeing the world, and you’re satisfied with eight thousand a month?”
Miao Jing turned her head: “Being self-reliant, what’s not to be satisfied with?”
“You can be self-reliant anywhere, why did you come back here?”
“To work, live, get on with life.”
“You can live anywhere, why did you have to come here?” There was no ashtray on the table, so he flicked his ash onto the floor, his thick brows fierce, cold, and imposing. “What did I tell you back then? Get lost, the further away the better.”
Miao Jing twisted her neck, not looking at him, not speaking, her eyes wide, the light in them rippling and turbulent.
After a long while, he spoke again, his voice icy: “What about your mom? Did you find her?”
“She remarried long ago, had a son, and opened a fast-food restaurant. She’s busy taking care of the child and helping in the kitchen.”
This cigarette was silent for a long time.
“Go live in the company dormitory,” he lowered his eyes, finally speaking after a long while, “or I’ll rent you an apartment.”
“No.” Miao Jing refused outright.
“Are you fucking asking for death?” He clenched his jaw, the masseter muscles protruding along his jawline, his eyes glaring, viciousness exposed. He threw the cigarette butt on the floor and shouted at her, “You think I want to see you?”
She turned her head back to look at him, at his arrogant and domineering appearance that seemed ready to eat someone. Her cold clear eyes stared straight at him, her tone calm: “I said, don’t smoke in the house. Clean the floor yourself.”
Chen Yi struck his lighter again, tilting the cigarette to light it, holding it roguishly at the corner of his mouth. White smoke puffed towards her. Miao Jing frowned, stood up, and moved closer. A faint, elegant fragrance wafted over. Her slender fingers snatched the cigarette from the corner of his mouth, stubbed it out on the edge of the coffee table, and then confiscated both the cigarette pack and lighter, throwing them into the garbage bin. She poured a whole pot of lemon water in to soak them, then turned and went back to her room, executing everything in one fluid motion.
The bedroom door slammed shut with a “bang.”
He sat on the sofa, watching her series of flowing movements, grinding his back teeth, amused by her audacity.
“Nice going, Miao Jing.”