Mud beads

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

The sound of rain pressed in through the windowpane, fine and heavy. The floor lamp was still on, its light falling on the carpet and casting a long shadow of Yu Zhu, who was half-kneeling and half-sitting.

Cheng Fu remained standing in place, not immediately going inside.

Her gaze first swept across Yu Zhu's face, then fell on Yue Jianche's face, pausing for half a second.

She came at the wrong time.

A flustered young woman sat in the living room. Her boss had been drinking and had been slapped in the face; it didn't look like a scene that could be easily covered up.

Cheng Fu didn't know who she was, but he could vaguely guess.

Since returning to Japan, she had been living with Tetsuya Eshima. Tetsuya was young, handsome, generous, easygoing, had a good physique, and no quirks. Most importantly, he didn't have a "wife" by his side, so she didn't have to live in constant fear. But she also noticed that there were other girls in his life.

The bedroom next to the master bedroom on the second floor was always closed. Sometimes, when Yuejian Che came home late, he would rest in that room. One day, when Yuejian Che was not around, she went in to take a look. There were pink sheets and duvet covers, and hair ties and unfinished skincare products on the sink. A large computer sat on the desk, its screen covered in dust, indicating it hadn't been used in a long time.

The computer can still be turned on, and the boot-up speed is very fast. As soon as the screen lights up, the chat window of the smart robot automatically pops up, as if it forgot to unsync. The chat history inside is very recent, with the earliest message dating back a month.

Moth

12 month 15 day.

YZ: Panpan, did I overthink what he said?

Panpan: No, what he said was indeed very offensive, and your anger is justified.

12 month 11 day.

YZ: I always dream about a certain person, but he never speaks in my dreams. What does this mean from a metaphysical perspective?

Panpan: From the perspective of traditional dream interpretation, the two have an "unfinished business" in their relationship.

12 month 3 day.

YZ: Help me make an English study plan for the second semester of my freshman year.

......

12 month 1 day.

YZ: Can you analyze which part of New York this picture is from?

......

11 month 26 day.

YZ: What should I do if my hands are rough? Is there a solution without applying moisturizing cream?

......

11 month 14 day.

YZ: I miss him.

......

Moth

The dialogues were very brief, and it was easy to see that the speakers led monotonous lives. Cheng Fu was greatly disappointed. She had expected to see something more exciting, but the speakers' daily lives seemed to consist of only a few things: studying, part-time jobs, reading, and subtle girlish thoughts.

Based on her understanding of Echizen Toru, he should not know the contents of these chat logs, but she didn't feel the need to tell him anything.

In the awkward situation, Yu Zhu realized her position faster than Cheng Fu.

The moment she saw Cheng Fu, her expression grew increasingly unpleasant. She quickly stood up from the carpet and rushed out the door almost without hesitation, so fast that Cheng Fu didn't have time to stop her.

Echigo sat on the sofa, watching Yu Zhu's figure disappear into the rainy night. The madness that had been in her eyes just now was gone, and she had returned to her usual indifference and aloofness.

Cheng Fu spoke first, his voice still soft as usual: "It seems I've come at the wrong time."

Tetsuya Koshima finally looked at her.

no answer.

Cheng Fu looked towards the door again, but the slender figure was gone. The rain was heavy, pattering against the steps, splashing water droplets. She hesitated for a moment, then turned to Yue Jianche: "Aren't you going to see her off? It's raining so hard outside, it'll probably be hard to get a taxi."

After she finished speaking, she saw Etsuya Toru's face darken and realized that she had spoken out of turn.

"Are you teaching me how to do things now?"

As expected, Echizen's eyes narrowed, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. Cheng Fu knew this was a sign that he was displeased.

She immediately smiled, as if that sentence had never been uttered: "No way, I just noticed you looked terrible."

She closed the door, shutting out the sound of the rain again, kicked off her high heels, and walked barefoot into the living room. Seeing the medicine and water glass on the coffee table, she picked them up solicitously, sat down next to Echizen Toru, and held the water glass to his lips.

"The water's still warm, have some." Looking at the red mark on Echizen Toru's face, she smiled sweetly. "Would you like something to eat? I'll cook you some noodles?"

The winter night rain had no warmth; when it fell on the skin, it first caused a tingling sensation, followed by a fine prickling. Yu Zhu walked through the rain without an umbrella, her arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her footsteps pounded on the stone slabs in the courtyard, and water splashed from the edges of her shoes, quickly soaking them.

The night outside the Moon Garden was extremely quiet.

The streets were deserted, save for rows of neatly arranged trees standing in the night, forming a dense, impenetrable wall of black. The rain poured down harder, streaming down her soaked hair and stinging her eyes. Yu Zhu wiped her face, and when she reached her chin, her fingertips touched the spot where Yue Jianche had pinched her, a lingering pain shooting through her.

There were no cars passing by on the road.

This villa area is far from the main road, with no convenience stores or bus stops nearby. The road, which looks clean and presentable during the day, is eerily empty at night. Rainwater drips through the streetlights, falling diagonally, making the ground shine like an oilcloth.

Yu Zhu turned on her phone.

The battery is down to nine percent.

Her fingers were very wet, and the screen wouldn't unlock on the first try. She unlocked successfully on the second try, but the ride-hailing app kept spinning for a long time, the location jumped around, and then returned to the vicinity of Yueyuan. The page showed that there were no vehicles available nearby.

She stared at those words for a while.

There are no vehicles nearby at the moment.

Very normal.

No one would stand in the rain trying to hail a taxi here. The people who live here have drivers, garages, and people to pick them up and drop them off. Only someone like her would come out of there in the middle of the night, standing outside, not even knowing where she's going.

Lightning flashed in the distance, striking the night sky; a blue-purple burst of light followed by a deafening rumble of thunder.

Yu Zhu wasn't afraid of thunder or torrential rain. The rumble of thunder only made her walk faster. The shame and anger choked her, finding no outlet but to plunge into the rain. The wet socks aggravated the chafing on her heels, making the pain even more acute; each step felt like tearing at her flesh.

Exhausted, she finally stopped, bent over, and held her knees.

Behind her, a black car sped past, its tires splashing water over puddles as it passed Yu Zhu, soaking her back. Her cotton coat, now saturated with water, grew heavier and heavier. The streetlights shone down from above, casting her slender, disheveled shadow on the ground.

She used to be stranded on the Qinling Mountains like this when the rain stopped. She would find a protruding rock to take shelter from the rain, and then carry her bamboo basket home when the rain subsided. If the rain kept falling, she could only wait or grit her teeth and head home. The mountain paths were slippery, and if her clothes were torn by the time she got home, she would most likely get a beating.

Yu Zhu squatted for a while, her body growing colder and colder, more and more numb. She lowered her head, forced herself to stay awake, and used her soaked fingertips to light up the screen again.

The ride-hailing page is still stuck there, with a small gray circle spinning, but no car is appearing.

She exited the software and opened her contacts.

Ji Yong's name was listed very early in the list.

If you call him, he'll probably come. Even if he doesn't, he'll send his driver. Red sports car, bodyguards, the blinding lights at the nightclub entrance—he'll always find a way to take her away from here.

But Yu Zhu did not press it.

She had just escaped from Echizen Toru's place that night and couldn't turn around and get back into Himeko's car.

Liu Zhengyang's name was also in the contact list.

She remembered his perpetually serious demeanor, and how he would frown and say, "Just say so if you need anything." But it was too late now. He had a home, parents to guide him, and an orderly and peaceful life.

She also saw Aunt Wang's name.

The last time we chatted was three years ago. Aunt Wang sent me a photo of our old family home, saying that my father was much better and that the money she had transferred had helped him in his time of need. She added, "Zhuzhu, you take good care of yourself too."

Yu Zhu stared at the words, raindrops streaming down her eyelashes. She reached up and touched her face, a faint smile playing on her lips.

The screen bounced wildly as the raindrops pounded on it, and it didn't move even after I swiped a few times.

She propped herself up on her knees, her legs numb, and stumbled, nearly falling. She shrank back under a roadside tree. The branches were soaked through by the rain and didn't offer much protection, but at least they allowed her to see the contact person.

Finally, she saw Liang Xia.

Liang Xia's profile picture is an ugly cartoon bear with one eye bigger than the other, accompanied by the four words: "I'm rich overnight."

Yu Zhu stared at the profile picture, her finger pausing.

Liang Xia will definitely scold her.

She cursed her for staying up late, for being out of her mind, for not saying anything sooner. Liang Xia's voice was loud and her speech was rapid, like ice cubes bobbing in a shaker, making people's heads hurt.

But Liang Xia would understand.

They didn't have a driver who could come whenever they wanted, nor a home with lights on late at night waiting for them to come home.

My phone battery dropped to 7%.

Yu Zhu did not hesitate any longer.

She tapped Liang Xia's name and pressed the call button.

The screen lit up in my palm, and fine raindrops slid down the glass.