Chapter 31: The Test
A suffocating silence rushed in from all directions, accompanied by the tranquil moonlight. The silence, like thick snowflakes, piled up in the corners of the room, forming a desolate mountain, then slowly creeping along the bed, finally settling on Xiang Er’s slender back, making her hunch over.
Xiang Er leaned forward, her hands on her knees, her body feeling strangely weak and disjointed, every joint aching.
She breathed heavily, her gaze fixed on the floor.
Xiang Er could barely move. She could feel that something had permanently left this room, and yet, within her body, something continued to resonate with that absent presence.
She involuntarily touched her arm. After the bathroom incident, her arm had been healed by the Evil God’s slime, and now, that patch of skin was throbbing, as if trying to leave with the Evil God.
A part of her body still resonated with the Evil God, a strange and unsettling feeling.
Xiang Er should have been afraid, but she wasn’t. Instead, she pinched the patch of skin curiously, examining it closely, then shook her arm.
She looked around the room, then slowly stood up, like an elderly person, her movements slow and careful, and walked to her desk.
The desk, beneath the window, hadn’t been cleaned in a while and was covered in a thin layer of dust.
Except for a circular area, where the dust was thinner, as if something had been placed there.
That was the only evidence of the Evil God’s presence, the only trace Akhe had left behind.
She raised her hand, as if to wipe away the circular mark, but hesitated, then stopped.
The silver-blue moonlight, filtering through the blue window, fell upon the circular mark, like a spotlight on a stage, drawing her gaze, making her think, remember, and imagine.
Xiang Er was remembering. She remembered taking the sculpture out of her suitcase and placing it casually on the desk, back when it still looked like an ordinary ornament, simple and innocent.
She remembered the first time she discovered that the sculpture could move, how she had spoken to it, whispering her wish. Back then, she had been so naive, unaware that every wish made to a Evil God came with a price.
She remembered escaping the harassment of her roommate’s boyfriend, the Evil God’s tentacle sliding into her sweater… That was when she realized what the Evil God wanted, her desire, or rather… her.
After that, she had begged the Evil God to save her life when she was in mortal danger. And she had been tied up and punished in the bathroom after being intimate with someone…
Thinking back, Xiang Er realized how much time had passed.
She and the Evil God had actually created so many memories together.
Although some of those memories were even somewhat comforting, although the Evil God had indeed saved her life, she had also been driven to the brink of a mental and physical breakdown.
Xiang Er didn’t regret asking the Evil God to leave. She was clear-headed, and happy, that the Evil God had actually listened to her, had actually left. For the first time in a long time, she laughed out loud, a genuine laugh, under the silver-blue moonlight:
“Hehe… hahaha… hahahahaha!”
She felt light, her mood as soft and fluffy as a cloud, a pure, unadulterated relief. She laughed loudly, her joy carried by the night wind, dancing through the treetops.
She opened the window and looked at the night sky, wide awake.
Her mind was racing, her thoughts jumping from Li Wan to the Evil God, from the monsters to Akhe… She now hoped that Akhe would find a better way of life.
After all, Akhe didn’t seem like a truly evil god. It hadn’t casually killed Li Wan, even though, to It, Li Wan was no more significant than a slightly unusual ant.
Yet It had carefully crafted a new life for this unremarkable ant.
Was it because of her? Was she, in Akhe’s eyes, perhaps a somewhat special ant? Xiang Er was grateful, but she would rather not be a special ant. She just wanted to be an ordinary human.
She sat down at her desk, opened her phone, and, with a smile, opened Shen Yuhe’s chat.
It was already one-thirty in the morning, not a suitable time to message a friend, and besides, she didn’t have anything specific to say. Just looking at Shen Yuhe’s chat made her happy.
She had some good news, and she would formally ask Shen Yuhe out later, to discuss it properly. But not now, she wasn’t in a hurry, she had plenty of ordinary days ahead of her.
Suddenly, the red profile picture flickered.
Xiang Er thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but then she saw the “typing…” indicator appear beneath Shen Yuhe’s name.
“Not sleeping yet?”
The words appeared on the screen.
Xiang Er’s breath hitched. How did she know she wasn’t asleep? Or… was it just a casual question, a coincidence?
Xiang Er clutched her phone, hesitated for a moment, then pursed her lips and started typing:
“Couldn’t sleep, something on my mind. You too?”
Shen Yuhe’s “typing…” indicator appeared for a long time before her reply finally popped up:
“I don’t have a home. It’s uncomfortable. Inside my body, uncomfortable.”
Xiang Er:
“Huh? What happened? Are you sick? Where does it hurt?”
Shen Yuhe:
“Body, inside my chest, uncomfortable, not sick, no home, uncomfortable.”
Xiang Er thought for a moment, and understanding her meaning, immediately empathized. Wasn’t this the feeling she, an orphan, had always felt, whenever she saw other people’s happy families?
A pang of pain in her chest, a dull ache, not sharp, but lingering and persistent, a long-lasting discomfort, until the scene faded from her mind.
After experiencing it so many times, she still hadn’t become numb to it, her chest always tightening at the sight of other people’s happy families.
So Shen Yuhe felt the same way?
Xiang Er carefully considered her reply:
“If you’re feeling unwell, you should go to the hospital. I can go with you.”
But Shen Yuhe’s reply was non sequitur:
“I want a home.”
Xiang Er hesitated, unsure how to respond.
She imagined various scenarios, like Shen Yuhe being sick and alone in a hotel room, or simply feeling down in the middle of the night.
Although Shen Yuhe appeared to be the stereotypical, aloof, and successful businesswoman, only Xiang Er knew that she was actually quite simple and direct, her heart pure and transparent.
Only Xiang Er could see this childlike side of Shen Yuhe.
Xiang Er felt honored, and she wanted to protect Shen Yuhe’s innocence, to do something for her.
So she… bit her lip, typed a message, then deleted it, feeling it wasn’t formal enough.
Finally, she typed:
“Can we meet after work tomorrow? I have something to tell you.”
Shen Yuhe replied quickly this time:
“Okay.”
Xiang Er smiled, imagining Shen Yuhe’s eyebrows lifting in anticipation as she typed her reply, and she felt a surge of anticipation herself.
Shen Yuhe sent another message:
“Wait for me, I’ll come find you. I want to see you.”
“Go to sleep.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow. I like tomorrow.”
The messages popped up rapidly, as if she had countless fingers typing.
Xiang Er couldn’t even find a chance to reply, finally just sending:
“Okay, you should sleep early too.”
But of course, she couldn’t sleep. She lay in bed, tossing and turning with her phone in her hand, reading and rereading the messages, surprised by the width of her own smile.
So… she could also smile like a fool!
Early the next morning, Xiang Er arrived at work on time.
Although she hadn’t slept well, she looked good, her cheeks flushed, her palms warm, her eyes bright.
As soon as General Manager Cheng arrived, his eyes fell on her, and his face lit up as he walked over to greet her:
“Morning! You look beautiful today!”
Xiang Er, her good mood unwavering, replied with a smile:
“Good morning, General Manager Cheng.”
General Manager Cheng smiled, patted her shoulder, and whispered:
“Have you made a decision? Come to my office.”
Xiang Er’s smile instantly vanished. She had almost forgotten what kind of person he was. Her expression hardened, and she deliberately raised her voice:
“I don’t think there’s any business we need to discuss privately, General Manager Cheng. If you have anything to say, you can speak to my supervisor.”
Her words made General Manager Cheng slightly embarrassed. He gave an awkward smile and turned away. Just then, Xiang Er’s supervisor walked over, and hearing her words, she glanced at Xiang Er in surprise, her expression as if saying: What’s this girl up to now?
But the supervisor didn’t dare approach Xiang Er, nor speak to her privately. She just glanced at her and walked away.
As soon as lunch break arrived, Zhu Minmin, the office gossip, came over with her takeout and nudged Xiang Er with her elbow:
“Hey, hey, hey! Xiang Er, no wonder you didn’t want to go see the beautiful CEO with me yesterday. It turns out you already know her! Tell me, what’s going on!”
Xiang Er:
“Huh? What…”
Zhu Minmin winked:
“Don’t pretend! I have a picture, you can’t deny it!”
She showed Xiang Er a picture. Xiang Er’s cheeks instantly flushed, her voice softening:
“Oh… someone actually took a picture…”
The picture showed her and Shen Yuhe from behind. She was walking intently forward, while Shen Yuhe, beside her, had turned her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Xiang Er’s profile.
Xiang Er had never realized that, from an outsider’s perspective, the way Shen Yuhe looked at her was so beautiful, so… affectionate.
Beautiful people were often affectionate. Shen Yuhe did have beautiful, expressive eyes, she probably looked at everyone like that… Xiang Er thought silently.
Zhu Minmin waved the picture and said:
“Don’t tell me you don’t know each other! That expression, tsk tsk tsk, the beautiful CEO’s eyes are practically glued to you, so affectionate! I heard she barely looks at anyone in the company, she only has that look for you. Tell me, what’s your relationship?”
The excuses Xiang Er had prepared instantly crumbled. She couldn’t believe it, Shen Yuhe really only looked at her like that?
Why? What was so special about her that she deserved such intense, focused attention from someone like Shen Yuhe, a goddess-like figure?
She pursed her lips, thinking that this wasn’t good. Someone had taken a picture, and it would be difficult to explain. They were just ordinary friends… she had to make Zhu Minmin delete the picture! It couldn’t be spread around!
She said:
“This picture, can you…”
Zhu Minmin:
“What?”
Xiang Er’s cheeks burning, she blurted out:
“Can you send me a copy? The original!”
Leave a Reply