Mud beads

Liang Dong hugged her so tightly that the transparent examination bag on Yu Zhu's chest rattled loudly.

His clothes smelled of many things: sweat, cigarette smoke, and the lingering scent of disinfectant from the hospital lobby. Even through the thin blanket, his chest pounded rapidly, making her heart race along with it.

Yu Zhu raised her hand, and just as she touched his back, Liang Dong tightened his grip a little more.

"I almost thought I'd never see you again," he said.

My voice is hoarse.

Yu Zhu's hand stopped on his shoulder blade. It was soaked with sweat, and his clothes were hot and damp. She wanted to say sorry, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, she buried her face in his shoulder and patted him gently twice.

Liang Dong finally let go of her.

He still held her arm with one hand, looking down from her face to her feet. The black dress she wore in the mountains was wrinkled beyond recognition, the back stained with mud, and the hem torn. Both her feet were wrapped in gauze, and her hospital slippers were a size too big, slipping off her heels with every step.

"How are you? Where are you hurt?"

"They're just minor scratches." Yu Zhu handed him the examination bag. "I've had X-rays taken; they're nothing serious."

Liang Dong took the report, unsealed it, and flipped through it page by page. He read slowly, his hat brim pulled low, casting a small shadow; the imaging findings and blood test results seemed to matter. When he reached the last page, he flipped through it again from the beginning.

"I left my phone at the venue." Yu Zhu looked into his eyes. "I can't contact you."

"I've been to the hotel."

How did you know I was here?

"The hotel staff said you left with Echizen Toru. I called the police, and later they found the driver, who said you went missing in the mountains." Liang Dong put the report back, pressing the plastic seal twice before he could fasten it. "The search and rescue team notified the hotel staff that they would send you to this hospital once you were found."

He spoke very briefly. Yu Zhu noticed a fresh abrasion on the back of his hand and mud on his trouser legs. He had probably been running back and forth between the hotel, the police station, and the foot of the mountain with someone, without time to wash his face or change his clothes.

"Did Tetsuya Echizen take you to the Qinling Mountains?" he asked.

Yu Zhu nodded.

Liang Dong didn't ask any further questions. He clenched his jaw briefly, then quickly relaxed it. He pulled the thin blanket over her shoulders and turned around: "Let's go home first."

Just as the two reached the entrance of the emergency room, the elevator leading to the orthopedics department opened.

Toru Echizen sat in a wheelchair, pushed out by a caregiver. His right leg was in a temporary brace, and his trousers were cut open from the knee down, revealing a piece of gauze stained with disinfectant. The mud on his face had been wiped clean, and the wound on his chin was covered with a dressing. He was wearing a gray hospital gown that the hospital had temporarily provided. The clothes were loose, but they still made his shoulders and back appear upright, only his face was pale.

The driver and two assistants followed behind, one of whom was quietly confirming the transfer procedures with the doctor.

When Yuejian Tetsu saw Yu Zhu, his gaze fell on the thin blanket on her shoulder. Moving to the side, he saw Liang Dong.

Liang Dong stopped and stood half a step in front of Yu Zhu.

The two people stared at each other across the emergency room lobby. The wheelchair's wheels turned slightly halfway around, and the caregiver, sensing something was amiss, stopped her hand on the armrest.

Echizen Toru laughed first.

"They're quite well-informed."

Liang Dong did not respond.

Echizen glanced at the inspection bag in his hand, then leaned back casually: "The person is yours."

"No need for you to worry."

After Liang Dong finished speaking, he put his hand on Yu Zhu's lower back and led her towards the door.

Yu Zhu paused as she passed the wheelchair. She glanced down at Yue Jianche's legs, then quickly looked away without saying a word.

The scene of her desperately saving him in the mountains seemed like a dream.

The emergency room doors opened and closed, letting in gusts of hot air that ruffled the stray hairs on Etsuya Toru's forehead.

Moth

There were no empty cars outside the hospital.

Liang Dong hailed a taxi on the app and, while waiting, bought a bottle of water and a pair of soft-soled slippers at the convenience store next door. Yu Zhu sat by the flower bed, watching him squat down to remove the price tag and bend down to place the slippers in front of her feet.

"This one has a softer bottom," he said.

Yu Zhu helped him change her shoes, supporting herself on his shoulder. As soon as her foot touched the ground, the pressure on her injured foot made her gasp. Liang Dong immediately supported her calf, his brow furrowing.

"Shall I carry you on my back?"

"fine."

Liang Dong didn't argue with her. After the car arrived, he opened the back door for her first. Yu Zhu got in and then realized the route was wrong. The navigation showed the destination near the TV tower, which was more than half a city away from their old neighborhood.

"Aren't we going home?"

Liang Dong sat down next to her, his hat pulled low: "I'll take you to see a place."

Yu Zhu looked at Liang Dong's tense jaw and remained silent. Several streaks of undried rain still clung to the car window. The buildings on either side of the elevated highway were shrouded in a grayish hue from the moisture. Liang Dong's phone flashed briefly, reflecting a blurry face on the glass before quickly going dark again.

His phone had been vibrating since he got on the bus. The screen lit up and then went dark again; the caller wasn't saved in his contacts, and there were over a dozen missed calls following the number. Liang Dong hung up twice, and the third time he simply turned the sound off.

Yu Zhu asked, "The film crew?"

"Um."

"Have you asked for leave yet?"

Liang Dong bent down, unscrewed the bottle cap, and handed her the water: "I was filming last night and noticed you hadn't replied to my messages. I called the organization, and they said the event had ended a long time ago."

"Can you come back like this?"

"I've already asked for leave."

He glanced out the car window as he said this. Yu Zhu knew he was lying, but she didn't call him out. She took a sip of water, held the bottle to her lips, and after a while said, "Won't that be troublesome?"

"A little," Liang Dong smiled. "I'll deal with it later."

The car drove into a newly built residential area. There was no extravagant water feature at the entrance, only a dark bronze sign. The ride-hailing car had registered at the outside vehicle lane, and after driving into the underground parking garage, the security guard confirmed the address before allowing it to pass.

The elevator required a card. The car was paved with light-colored stone, and the mirrored surfaces were so bright they reflected their disheveled state. Liang Dong glanced down at Yu Zhu and reached out to tuck the thin blanket draped over her shoulders.

"Where is this?"

"My new rented apartment."

Yu Zhu turned to look at him.

Liang Dong swiped the door to the seventeenth floor. The entryway light automatically turned on, illuminating an excessively clean apartment. The living room wasn't large, but it was fully furnished: a gray sofa, a wooden dining table, a floor lamp, and not a single extra wire on the TV wall. The air smelled of new wood from the furniture. The kitchen cabinets were empty, and the refrigerator was unplugged, its protective film still on.

There are only houses here, no life.

Liang Dong placed the inspection bag on the dining table and then went to the shoe cabinet to find a pair of new slippers. Unable to find scissors, he squatted down and used his teeth to bite off the plastic buckle connecting the two shoes.

"The company won't let me live on the fifth floor anymore," he said. "I once filmed the sign of that restaurant outside my window during a live stream, and someone went there based on the address and filmed me downstairs."

Yu Zhu doesn't use social media much, so she didn't know about these things.

She bent down to change her shoes: "When did you rent them?"

One week ago.

Why didn't you tell me?

Liang Dong stood up, clutching the bitten-off plastic buckle in his palm: "I haven't figured out how to say it..."

He drew back the curtains in the living room. Outside the high-rise window were dense buildings and roads; the setting sun had already sunk behind the buildings, leaving only a layer of dirty red against the horizon.

"I was afraid you'd think I was making arrangements for you without my consent." Liang Dong had his back to her, his head bowed, revealing his long neck. "I didn't intend for you to move... I just thought that the security here is good, so you can come whenever you want. The house is empty while I'm not here, so you can come and stay, or you don't have to."

After he finished speaking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black card holder, warmed by his body heat. The holder contained his ID card, transit card, and several bank cards. He carefully unpacked the items, pulled out his access card, and then a dark blue bank card.

"Take this."

Both cards were handed to Yu Zhu together.

Yu Zhu first picked up the access card, then looked at the bank card: "What's this?"

"Salary card".

Yu Zhu was taken aback, then immediately pushed it back: "Why are you giving it to me?"

Liang Dong didn't retract his hand. He squatted down and looked at her, the bloodshot eyes even more noticeable in the peripheral light from the window.

"You keep this safe for me," he said. "All future company payments will be deposited into this card. The PIN is what we're using for the first time—"

"Liang Dong".

He stopped.

Yu Zhu held the room key in her hand and gently pushed the bank card back into his palm, her expression solemn: "I can't accept this."

Liang Dong looked down at his hands: "I want to give this to you."

"I know." Yu Zhu closed his fingers. "You'll have a lot of expenses in the future. Eating out, staying in hotels, buying clothes—all of these cost money. You'll manage your own money."

Liang Dong didn't speak, her eyelashes drooping to conceal her expression.

Yu Zhu sighed, reached out and patted his head, then waved the room key in her hand: "I'll take this."

Liang Dong raised his head.

"I'll come over whenever I have free time." Yu Zhu glanced at the empty living room. "I'll water the flowers, air out the blankets, and keep an eye on the house to prevent mold from growing."

Liang Dong finally smiled.

He casually tossed the bank card onto the sofa, then stretched out his arms and pulled Yu Zhu into his embrace. He remained squatting there, his head resting on her lap, not moving for a long time.

"The hotel staff said you went with him," he said in a low voice. "I'm standing in the lobby, not even knowing who to look for."

Before Yu Zhu could answer, he raised his head, his eyes shimmering with a blush of crimson.

I thought you didn't want me anymore.

Yu Zhu stared into his eyes, her nose tingling slightly.

She gently lifted his face: "No, it won't."

"Really?"

"real."

Liang Dong didn't say anything more. He straightened up, kissed her forehead, then kissed it again, his breath lingering on her hair.

The phone on the dining table vibrated again.

This time it lasted a long time.

Liang Dong released Yu Zhu, walked over, and picked up his phone. There were already twenty-seven missed calls on the screen. He looked at them for a moment, then answered.

"Feed".

The person on the other end of the phone was furious; their voice, audible even from several steps away, came through the receiver: "You idiot, are you trying to kill yourself? Those two scenes of yours were completely canceled. The director didn't replace you on the spot; the company covered for you. Have they found the person yet?"

"Found it..."

"Mr. He has a dinner party tonight, and the investors will be there too. You just ran off from the film set today, you have to show up and make things clear. Don't tell me you're not going!"

Liang Dong stood by the dining table, not answering immediately.

It was already dark outside the window. The newly lit streetlights reflected in the puddles below, and the water shimmered as cars drove over them. Yu Zhu stood in front of the glass, clutching her room key. The last vestiges of red on the horizon sank, and her silhouette darkened along with them.

The person on the phone shouted again, "Say something!"

Liang Dong looked away.

Send me the address.