Chapter Nine: Love and the Absence of Love — Reissued After Ban

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Leaving Ren Tai’an’s house, I glanced at Lord Jun beside me. He seemed utterly unruffled, as though nothing at all had happened, his face calm and composed. I forced myself to keep up appearances and asked, trying to sound unperturbed, “Lord Jun, what do you make of this?”

He lit a cigarette, looked at me impassively, and took a drag. “Didn’t the officers already say it? Ren Bo’s gone missing.”

I nodded. “Don’t you find it suspicious? Ren Tai’an was helping him pay off his debts—would he really need to steal money? Would he resort to killing his own father? And so ruthlessly? I suspect it’s connected to that ominous Liao Dynasty gold mask. Maybe it’s the same malevolent spirit at work.”

Lord Jun looked at me. “I can’t really say. Besides—” Suddenly, he flashed a strange, sinister grin. “Besides, aren’t you the one who knows best what’s going on? What do you think?”

His words sent a chill down my spine, cold sweat prickling at my back. “Lord Jun, what—what are you getting at?”

He snorted, said nothing, and took another drag of his cigarette. Just then, Xiao Xie came running from the end of the alley.

“Oh—have the police been?”

“They left a while ago. Qiutong and I were questioned, same as everyone. They say Ren Bo stole money to pay debts and was caught by his father, Ren Tai’an. That’s when he killed him. Now he’s missing and wanted.”

Xiao Xie nodded. I looked at him. “Xiao Xie, where have you been all this time?”

“Uh…” He hesitated. “I didn’t ride back with the police—I was afraid people would think I’d been arrested. So I walked. Took a wrong turn and ended up at Dashilan. Just got back now.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “You really are hopeless with directions.”

Xiao Xie scratched his head, and at that moment Mengya stepped from the car.

“How did it go?”

“It’s all settled—let’s head back.”

We drove away from the Anhui Guild Hall. On the way, Mengya glanced at me. “Why do you look so pale coming out of there?”

I shook my head. “What do you think we should do?”

Mengya smiled. “What’s wrong, are you scared? I told you from the start you shouldn’t get involved.”

“It’s easy to board a pirate ship, hard to get off…” I sighed, then drew the fan from my sleeve—when I opened it, a steel ball about two centimeters in diameter dropped from the folds. I handed it to Mengya, who smiled when she saw it.

“Quick hands, as always.”

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I waved her off with a sigh. “Let’s not talk about it—it’s nothing good.”

Mengya nodded, tucked the steel ball in her pocket, and kept driving.

A dozen minutes later, we arrived at my apartment. I nodded, “Mengya, you should head home. Take care.”

She smiled, “I’m not leaving tonight—I’ll stay at your place.”

I laughed, “I only have one bed, you know. What, you want to share a bed with an unmarried man before you’re married? Aren’t you afraid I’ll try something improper?”

Mengya tugged my hand. “You’re so innocent, aren’t you worried a female hooligan might take advantage of you? Why should I be scared?”

We both laughed and headed inside together. Once through the door, I locked it behind us. Mengya looked at me; I turned to her, “What’s wrong, is there a monkey on my head?”

She slapped me playfully. “Stop joking—I want to ask you something serious.”

“What could possibly be serious?”

Mengya snorted and sat on my bed, pressing the mattress. “It really is soft—these latex mattresses are different.”

I walked over and sat next to her. “So, what’s the serious question?”

She looked at me, smiling shyly. “Hey, our middle school announced the alumni gathering next week—aren’t you going? Maybe you’ll find a wife there. Tell me, who do you think was the prettiest girl in our class?”

I thought for a moment. “Hmm, now that you mention it… Cai Meng, Xu Ran—they were both very pretty. And—”

Before I could finish, Mengya slapped me again. “Always bringing up your dream girl Xu Ran. She waited six years for you to confess and you never said a word. You hypocrite.”

I scoffed. She looked at me and rested her hand on my thigh—my body jolted as if shocked. Mengya smiled, “Hey, in ninth grade Xiaozhai told me you liked me but didn’t dare say it—is that true?”

My mind went blank at her words. I looked at her delicate face, sighed, and nodded.

Seeing my awkwardness, she placed her hand on my shoulder, and again I shivered as if a current ran through me. Her long, phoenix-shaped eyes met mine. “Qiutong, tell me—do you still like me?”

I stared at her in confusion. “But don’t you have—”

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Before I could finish, she pressed her slender fingers to my lips. “Don’t say it. There’s nothing between me and him. I only liked him because we were young, he was tough, and you never talked to me—you always let them bully you, so I… So I… If you’d confessed back then, I… I would have said yes. I’ve liked you for so long.”

After her words, I sighed deeply. “Mengya, I like you too—why else would I keep you close day after day? I always thought you had a boyfriend. You know you shouldn’t covet what belongs to someone else, so I never said anything. Now you’re telling me this, I…”

Mengya didn’t wait for me to refuse. She wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her lips to mine. Her scent was intoxicating—something like Elizabeth Arden’s Fifth Avenue, utterly enchanting.

After a long moment, she pulled away and smiled. “It’s your first time kissing a woman, isn’t it?”

I nodded, grinning. “You really do have experience—clearly a seasoned pro.”

She snorted, “You’re already saying things I don’t like. Enough nonsense.”

I looked at her, unsure what to do, gazing at Mengya with helplessness. “Mengya, you’ve done so much for me—if I go through with this, I’ll feel even more undeserving of you.”

Mengya smiled. “Qiutong, I’ve never regretted anything I’ve done for you. Even if one day I died for you, I’d do it willingly, without complaint. Tonight is my choice. If you truly love me, don’t hold back—love me without restraint.”

I looked at Mengya before me—her skin white as jade, legs long and slender, waist narrow, and her face as lovely as the celestial maidens in Zhang Daqian’s paintings. Her beauty stirred infinite longing in my heart.

She’d left me utterly dazed and confused. I thought, I’m a man, barely twenty, full of youthful vigor.

Mengya saw my hesitation and laughed. “Held back too long, haven’t you? All the girls from our class think you’re gay. Your dream girl always thought you were a pretty boy.”

She taunted me with a sly smile.

“Don’t laugh—I’ll show you what I really am.”

Just as we were about to consummate our passion, there came a knock at the door. Mengya cursed under her breath, pulled on my pajamas, and went to the door. “Who is it?”

There was no answer.

She called again, still no reply.

Just as she was about to open the door, I quickly put on my clothes and stepped out. “Don’t open it—check the security camera first.”