In just a few seconds, Wu Man experienced a thrilling roller coaster ride.
Yu Jiaze, sitting on one side, tapped his phone screen a few times with his fingertips and suddenly spoke: “Your heartbeat suddenly became very fast.” He glanced at the big screen, where Zhong Yueqing and his friend were fishing. In the film, he was on the phone saying he had to work overtime today and couldn’t come home—and that day was their wedding anniversary.
Yu Jiaze studied Zhong Yueqing’s face, his brows slightly drawing together, as if puzzled about why her heart would beat faster at this face.
Wu Man suffered in silence.
Then she suddenly remembered that the scene following this was her bed scene with Zhui Ye on the sofa.
So in the next moment, an expression of realization flashed across Yu Jiaze’s face. His furrowed brows lifted, and his knuckles tapped against the armrest in rhythm with her and Zhui Ye’s panting sounds—once, twice.
The cinema’s sound system was truly excellent, so excellent that Wu Man wanted to crawl under the seat.
However, Yu Jiaze didn’t explode at this point. His wristband didn’t even change color.
“What’s acted out is still very different from the real thing.” He said lazily, “This wristband is quite interesting. Take it home after this ends. Try it in bed tonight too.”
He spoke in a breathy voice against her ear: “This time, let’s see if you can still say one thing and mean another.”
Wu Man’s earlobes instantly flushed red, shame mixed with anger. She bit her lips tight, searching with her peripheral vision to look at Zhui Ye.
Yu Jiaze had lowered his volume this time. She wasn’t sure if Zhui Ye could still hear.
But he seemed not to have heard, staring unblinkingly at the screen where Wu Man and himself were still entangled, his wristband turning bright yellow.
A two-hour movie felt like walking two hundred million light-years on foot—a prolonged torture. She was torn back and forth between the film and reality, pulled back and forth between left and right.
Finally, when the last of the credits finished, she slumped against the chair back, drenched in sweat.
Wang Cheng came out again at the end to say a few words and ask for everyone’s specific suggestions. Before parting, he specially came over to pat Wu Man and Zhui Ye’s backs, saying: “The film can be submitted for review soon. The promotional period will come quickly, so keep up the good work. Thanks for your hard work.”
Wu Man shook her head repeatedly: “It’s what we should do, Director Wang.”
Zhui Ye smiled: “Not hard at all. I wish the promotional period started tomorrow.” He shouldered his bag and waved at Wu Man before leaving, saying: “Sister, see you on Christmas Eve.”
Wu Man froze, thought back, and remembered there was indeed a New Year’s dual-cover magazine shoot that had been arranged long ago to build hype for “Spring Night.” She and Zhui Ye together would need to fly to Hokkaido for location shooting. It symbolized the coldest night before spring night arrives.
…Those two days happened to be Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Just as Zhui Ye left, Yu Jiaze returned from the restroom, vaguely hearing the three words “Christmas Eve.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist, casually asking: “What about Christmas Eve?”
“Oh… it’s promotional photography for ‘Spring Night.'”
“Postpone it.” Yu Jiaze said carelessly, “Holidays must be reserved for me.”
Wu Man fell silent for a moment but couldn’t help trying to negotiate: “It’s a shoot that was arranged long ago.”
“Little Bird… after watching today’s film, my not making you cancel the rest of the promotional plans is already quite good of me.” His fingers around her waist gradually tightened. “So don’t test my patience.”
Wu Man could only yield.
She had Zhao Boyu communicate with the magazine. The other party’s schedule was already set and couldn’t be changed because of her sudden whim. They could only go ahead first, shoot Zhui Ye’s solo portions, and wait until she arrived in a couple days to shoot the duo shots.
Wu Man thought of Zhui Ye’s bright eyes when he left saying “see you on Christmas Eve,” and felt an indescribable oppression in her heart.
*
On Christmas Eve day, Beijing not only had no snow, but the sky was hazy with smog.
Wu Man put on an evening dress Yu Jiaze had sent over—ivory white silk satin with thin cross straps on the back made of pearls, falling at her lower back like tears shed by a mermaid.
Along with the dress came an invitation, again written in his own hand, bearing the time and address.
Wu Man assumed Yu Jiaze had probably reserved some high-end Western restaurant again. But when she searched according to the location on the invitation, what appeared before her was a tattoo shop.
…Did she find the wrong place?
Wu Man compared it with the invitation several times before hesitantly knocking on the door.
No one answered. She could only push the door open herself.
Inside was very dim. The only light source came from rows of small candles, illuminating the black walls. Bizarre yet rich tattoo designs danced in the candlelight, like pieces of peeled-off skin.
The interior was filled with an unsettling silence throughout. Wu Man looked around where she stood when her shoulders suddenly trembled with fright.
—A children’s version of a Christmas song came from behind the curtain in the inner room.
“Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way…”
Wu Man laughed at herself for being so easily startled and asked with feigned composure: “Are you in there?”
“You’re three minutes late.”
The sound of leather shoes stepping on the wooden floor grew closer. Yu Jiaze pushed aside the curtain and came out. Wu Man couldn’t help widening her eyes.
His entire outfit was different from usual. Though still in a black silk shirt and long pants, he wore a pair of plain gold-rimmed glasses and thin rubber gloves on his hands.
Yu Jiaze spread his five fingers and asked with great interest: “Don’t I look quite like a tattoo artist?”
Wu Man was speechless: “Are you… going to play cosplay?”
Yu Jiaze chuckled lightly: “How boring would that be.”
He turned and pulled out a stack of tattoo design samples from the counter, spreading them before Wu Man: “Choose one. See which you like.”
“…You’re going to tattoo me?”
Wu Man asked incredulously, her heart continuously praying this was just Yu Jiaze’s joke.
“Don’t you like it?”
“Of course not… Actors can’t have tattoos. They affect the roles. I mentioned before that it’s best not to, and didn’t you agree?”
“You’ve been getting increasingly rebellious lately, my words going in one ear and out the other.” Yu Jiaze’s smile was gloomy. “Do I need to repeat it again? Are you an actress? Or something I keep?”
Wu Man clenched her teeth, suppressing the impulse to talk back.
She lowered her head inch by inch, flipping through these designs without any soul, trying to delay.
Yu Jiaze suddenly said: “Seems you don’t like any of these designs. Then let me pick one for you.”
His plastic-gloved fingers touched her face. The exposed skin on Wu Man’s back instantly broke out in goosebumps.
“Let’s just tattoo my name.” His finger traced her bare back. “Right here?” Sliding along the two straps to her waistline. “Here?” Then slowly moving down, lifting her skirt, pinching the inside of her thigh. “Or here?”
The dim, unclear light couldn’t hide Wu Man’s pale complexion. She grabbed his hand, her tone almost pleading: “I have to fly to Hokkaido tomorrow to shoot for the magazine. If you must tattoo me, could you please let me finish this job first?”
“On such a nice holiday, why are you bringing up work? Such a killjoy.” Yu Jiaze’s tone was unpredictable. “I just learned tattooing recently. I want to dedicate my first piece to my Little Bird. Don’t you want it?”
He evaded the important point, yet Wu Man instantly understood everything.
He was deliberately trying to make her show his mark in front of Zhui Ye. This was an extremely vicious move, a calculated scheme that would make the other party surrender at first glance.
Only this would satisfy him, far more gratifying than directly forbidding her from seeing Zhui Ye.
Wu Man inconspicuously retreated toward the door, saying calmly: “It is very meaningful…”
She knew Yu Jiaze was determined and thoughts of escape arose. She couldn’t avoid the fifteenth, but at least she could first dodge the first.
But Yu Jiaze saw through her and followed step by step. One step ahead of Wu Man, he reached his long arm around her waist and locked the door.
Click—the sound was extremely light, but in Wu Man’s ears, it was the heavy gavel of a sentence.
The entire room became a prison in the truest sense.
The demon smiled, using black wings to wrap her up without letting in any air.
*
Yu Jiaze carried Wu Man to the reclining chair in the inner room.
His gaze moved from her hair, bit by bit downward, to her toes, like a king inspecting his territory.
Yu Jiaze’s hand lingered on the birthmark on her back: “Actually, I most wanted to tattoo it here.” He showed a regretful expression. “But that shape is too beautiful. Adding anything would be destructive. Forget it.”
Beautiful? Wu Man wanted to laugh. This was the ugliest birthmark she’d seen in her entire life.
But she never chose to remove it.
If she removed it, it would seem like she was bowing her head in feeling inferior about herself. But why should she bow her head?
Therefore, she had always openly displayed that ugly birthmark, never expecting that unintentionally planting a willow would create shade—this birthmark became her most distinctive mark.
They all said she was like her birthmark, carrying a fragility and dejection that could break at any moment, yet the curved parts maintained connections like lotus roots, retaining a thread of vitality.
Yu Jiaze withdrew his hand from her back, sinking into the groove between her tailbone and lower back: “It should still be here after all.”
He decided to tattoo his name on her lower back.
“Although I’ve only learned for a few days, I think tattooing is a beginner’s art. The more painful, the more profound.”
Wu Man lay on her back, eyes tightly closed, eyelashes trembling incessantly.
Yu Jiaze leaned close to ask: “Very nervous?”
She weakly hummed in response.
He appreciated her fear, smiling and saying: “Don’t be nervous. I’ll play something for you.”
Yu Jiaze hummed a tune and casually opened one of the channels on Himalaya. The host was reading poetry.
He left the broadcast on and went to another room to sterilize the tattoo machine.
The host’s voice was very rich. His rhythm in reading poetry was just right, making Wu Man less tense.
“Living simply / fetching meals daily / boiling water / taking medicine on time
When the sun is good, putting myself out / like putting out a piece of dried tangerine peel
Rotating through teas / chrysanthemum, jasmine, rose, lemon
These beautiful things seem to lead me toward spring’s path
So I repeatedly press down the snow in my heart
They are too white, too close to spring
Reading your poems in the clean courtyard
These human emotions and affairs are as fleeting as suddenly flying sparrows
While time is bright and clean
I’m unsuited for heartbreak”
Wu Man’s chaotic thoughts suddenly froze when she heard his next recited lines.
Of course, it wasn’t because she was captivated by his voice.
Rather…
“If I were to send you a book / I wouldn’t send you poetry
I’d send you a book about plants / about crops
To tell you the difference between rice and barnyard grass
To tell you how a stalk of barnyard grass lives in trepidation—
Spring.”
Wu Man suddenly remembered the plant encyclopedia Zhui Ye had given her recently, that bookmark made of barnyard grass seeds. At the time, she had been completely puzzled. And his words: this is an Easter egg I’m leaving for Sister to discover on her own.
She should have realized—he loved poetry so much…
The host’s voice came through her ears again after a pause.
He said, the name of this poem is “I Love You.”
*
When Yu Jiaze came out with the sterilized tattoo machine, the reclining chair was already empty.
He glanced toward the main door, which was now wide open, its hinges still swaying slightly in the cold wind.
This showed how much force the escaping person had used to push open that door.