Chapter 7

Locked in the box of fate, I felt the helplessness of a turtle unable to flip over.

After everything was packed, the truck bed was still half empty. Liang Daiwen waved the driver off and gestured for Gu Yi to get in the car. Gu Yi hesitated for a few seconds, letting Liang Daiwen go first as she thought about going upstairs again. But the moment she lifted one leg into the car, the truck started driving. Her right leg was still outside, and she had to hop three steps: “Hey, I haven’t gotten in yet!”

The driver apologized.

The truck stopped, but Gu Yi didn’t get in. She turned back, went upstairs, and slipped a note under the door of 509: “I’m really sorry for making you unhappy. You’re always welcome to come to Ounce for an open mic and experience stand-up comedy for yourself. Goodbye for now.”

Running back out, the sky was lit in shades of orange and purple. The freight truck was parked at the entrance of the complex. Liang Daiwen looked up, appearing somewhat weary: “The taxi left. I’ll call another one.”

It turns out that when Liang Daiwen was tired, there was an expression on his face that resembled “emotions.” It wasn’t that he was entirely indifferent. His black corduroy jacket was worn, with patches of yellow and gray, and though she didn’t know him well, Gu Yi knew he was a bit of a neat freak. She was moved by this scene, and instinctively grabbed Liang Daiwen’s hand as they jumped into the empty truck bed. Touching his warm arm, Gu Yi thought to herself, I wonder where he learned to be so obedient.

As soon as the car started, Gu Yi instinctively leaned back. Liang Daiwen happened to be behind her, and she bumped into him, causing him to act as a cushion against the car door. The door locked tightly, and Liang Daiwen let out a painful grunt. Gu Yi felt extremely sorry, but he reassured her, “It’s fine, I’ll just think of it as taking a hit.”

She finally understood: Liang Daiwen must have had no friends when he was younger, and if his friends hadn’t wrapped him up in a sack and beaten him, that would have been considered a favor. The truck bed seemed to have been used before, and Gu Yi turned on her phone’s flashlight to look around. It was dark, giving her a feeling of surviving a disaster together. She sniffled, and Liang Daiwen spoke from the darkness: “Found something new about me again?”

“No.” She couldn’t just tell him, I’ve realized you have a crush on me.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Yu Dule: “I’m on my way to Liang Daiwen’s place.”

“Progressing so fast?”

“It’s not what you think. I moved out. For now, I’m staying at his place.”

“Isn’t that exactly what you think?”

“Because he unilaterally canceled my lease. Forget it, I’ve already socially died. I’ll find a new place soon.”

“Gu Yi, this isn’t the time for you to date him. This is the best time. You need to package yourself well. Don’t act careless anymore. Talk to him about comedy, discuss literature and art, show him you’re a girl with a rich soul even if you can’t make him laugh. And wear matching underwear, a silk nightgown, move gracefully like in your magazine’s marketing department, and make sure your body lotion reaches your fingers. Once you’re officially in, you’ll save on rent.”

“You’re overdoing it. Didn’t I tell you? The people in the marketing department who deal with luxury brands always have to borrow bags and rent clothes when they go out to meet clients.”

“This is called packaging. You establish your professional image within three minutes, and it’s the same with dating. When meeting him in person, you have to showcase your sexiness—sexiness!”

“Teacher Yu, have you forgotten? Our first meeting was at an open mic at Ounce, and just now he moved my things from my old place—he even saw my underwear.”

“It’s fine, you’ll rebound.”

“Why are you using puns now?!”

While typing quickly on her phone, a voice floated out of the darkness: “So you’re already discussing strategies for coming to my place with someone else?”

“…I was just texting the file transfer assistant, writing some jokes.”

“The file transfer assistant can reply?”

“Did you spy on me?”

“Your glasses are reflecting.”

Liang Daiwen’s tone didn’t convey any emotion, but his logic was clear: “Don’t worry, you’re completely safe in my house.”

“Are you... gay?”

“Straight.”

“So why am I safe?”

“Really overestimating yourself.”

Is she insulting her lack of attractiveness? Gu Yi slapped her face, trying to keep up her spirits: “Although I appreciate it, you’re basically ruining my acting career right now, do you know that? Why was I so funny before? Because life was unlucky enough without needing to create material.”

“You can get out of the car.”

Gu Yi was exhausted and didn’t want to speak anymore.

The car was silent for a moment. Gu Yi felt restless, Jacqueline’s new topic needed a meeting, she hadn’t written any new material for the open mic, her money was running low, and she still hadn’t found a new place to rent. She sighed as she sat on a cardboard box, only to fall straight into it, stuck inside like an overturned turtle.

It really felt like her situation—unable to get out, with no chance of a comeback.

It seemed like a hand appeared in front of her: “Need help?”

“No need.” Gu Yi was stuck in that position and found it strangely comfortable.

Liang Daiwen spoke first: “You can stay in my living room temporarily. Once you make some money and find a new single apartment, it’ll be fine. I can sleep in the studio, no need to worry about safety.”

“No, I’m not used to relying on others.” Gu Yi thought, so this really is a way to trick me into living with you. Not that easy. The car jolted over a bump, cutting off the conversation, which gave Gu Yi a chance to change the topic: “Can I ask why you helped me move?”

“I analyzed it and decided this was the right time to help you.”

“You analyze things?”

“I don’t judge by feelings.”

“Then… what about me calling you ‘Faceless Man,’ don’t you get angry?”

“I never get angry.”

“Any other nicknames?”

“Daí Lǎoshī (Silly Teacher).”

“Ah?”

“My English name is Devin, and they call me Daí Lǎoshī.”

After throwing out what seemed like a joke, the person didn’t react. Gu Yi looked at Liang Daiwen, who was sitting in the truck, not playing with his phone but instead sleeping with his eyes closed. He seemed even more mysterious, emerging from nowhere, having no expression that caught her attention, and giving her a “golden finger” (a boost) as if someone in her life was secretly controlling her fate.

Silly Teacher jumped out of the car and turned around to extend his hand toward Gu Yi. The moonlight of December illuminated his face, still not showing any change in expression. The lack of emotional fluctuation only made him appear cold, making Gu Yi feel completely overwhelmed. This reminded her of the kind of scene in an orange light game, where a prince charmingly stood high up and stretched out his arm to the female lead, gently saying, “Come down, my dear.”

As she jumped down, Liang Daiwen suddenly took a step back: “Looks like it’s not that high.”

Damn it!

The driver sighed as he stopped the car at the roadside: “This narrow road with such a big car, wasting money, huh? Can’t get into the community, I’ll drop you off here, and you can move the stuff yourselves.”

The community was called... Van Gogh Residence, a name with a somewhat ethereal feel. Six boxes and two travel suitcases were squeezed into the elevator, and Liang Daiwen handed her the key: “1402, you go up first.”

Gu Yi thought, how could this be? You moved my things, I should go upstairs first. How can you be so heartless?

The lobby and elevator in the building were a bit old, with a damp smell in the air. Liang Daiwen moved the boxes into the elevator and stopped the door for her. His features resembled Takuya Kimura so much. Gu Yi looked back at him, and he was staring at the elevator lights—there was a small flying bug. As he stared at the bug, he seemed to show a bit of expression, something like focus. Gu Yi thought back to her sophomore year when she was hiding in the dorm, watching “Ando Robot,” where Kimura Takuya played a robot, ARXII-13, who had no emotions and showed no reaction, even when it was severely injured. It was created by a husband to protect his wife, and since it resembled her deceased husband, she would often be haunted by the robot’s appearance, comforted but also filled with pain.

She had been independent since childhood, but it was the first time she had hoped for “protection.” For some reason, this thought suddenly occurred to her.

The elevator doors opened, and the two of them squeezed the boxes through the narrow hallway, like a game of “Chinese puzzle.” It was the first time she had such a ceremonial feeling about going to an opposite sex’s house. Liang Daiwen looked back, sweat on his forehead: “Why are you looking at me with that look from the open mic?”

“I wasn’t.”

“I’m just an ordinary person, don’t keep staring at me.”

Gu Yi thought, no way. Who wouldn’t notice a handsome guy? Isn’t that the natural instinct of women?

“It’s probably hard for you to understand, but you really don’t need to keep worrying about whether I’m laughing. I’m just the odd one out in the audience. You guys should be used to silence during performances, right? If you keep asking, I won’t go to the open mic anymore.”

“No, no, no, you should go to the performance, you’ve gone so many times, don’t you have any feelings for it?”

She was full of anticipation, hoping Liang Daiwen would subtly confess.

Liang Daiwen took out the key, paused for a while, then spoke: “I was attracted by that line you guys promoted, ‘A human soul only weighs one ounce.’ I might have that one ounce of something inside me too, but I need to find it myself.”

Before she had a chance to respond, a moth flew out. Liang Daiwen dodged, and it just happened to land on Gu Yi’s eyelid. Reflexively, she shut her eyes and then opened them again, feeling like there was a layer of uneven eyeshadow on her eyelid. Countless moths were crawling out of the room. There were moths on the walls, some flying, some crashing into the light fixtures— the room was filled with moths. Liang Daiwen exclaimed, “Still didn’t make it in time, the silkworms have already broken out of their cocoons.”

Gu Yi was stunned by the visual shock of moths bombarding her, her jaw nearly dropping—what on earth was this person doing?!

Liang Daiwen calmly continued to maneuver through the maze of boxes. Gu Yi was still frozen in place, “Did you not plug in the fridge because you’ve been away too long… Or is there something unclean in your home that’s attracting the insects?”

It was a house of at least 150 square meters, and as soon as they entered, they were greeted by a very Italian grey-brown living room. But everywhere she looked, there were silkworm moths, enough to make her scalp tingle if she had a fear of dense groups. It created the atmosphere of a suspenseful Netflix movie. At that moment, Gu Yi couldn’t help but think of several plotlines. Was this a trap to lure her into the house and silence her?

She hesitated to step inside, but Liang Daiwen said, “Come in, don’t be scared, it’s just a hobby.”

What kind of hobby was this?

“The psychologist said that raising small animals and observing nature is good for mental health. I bought a silkworm breeding kit online.”

“…You could raise cats or dogs as pets, or go to the park to observe nature. I’ve heard of people keeping lizards, geckos, and even crocodiles, but raising silkworms, I thought you were going to eat fried silkworm pupae.”

“I was also thinking about keeping South American spiders and feeding them cockroaches, but forget it.”

“…Aren’t you scared?”

“I’m never scared.”

He kicked over a box of mulberry leaves on the floor, spilling them all over the ground. On the dining table not far away was a large flat box of silkworm cocoons and the silk they had spun, along with a camera set up, as if they were on the set of a “Man and Nature” documentary. Liang Daiwen said, “I fell asleep when I bought it, accidentally selected ten, and they were shipped in batches. I contacted a teacher, and tomorrow, I’ll donate them to a kindergarten for nature observation.”

Liang Daiwen didn’t seem to react much. He took off his jacket and took the trash bag outside. When he turned back and saw her, his clean-cut features, full lips, and slightly puffed cheeks gave him an innocent look. His dark pupils made her heart skip a beat. Looking at the trash bag he had tied, Gu Yi suddenly stuttered, “Should this bouquet of roses in the lead tube be thrown out too...?”

“They’re dried flowers I made myself, you know, the kind of dry rose color that girls like. The shop next door couldn’t sell them for Thanksgiving, so they gave them to me. I didn’t know what to do with them, so I air-dried them.”

“So romantic.”

“For life that doesn’t need communication, the burden is lighter.”

Gu Yi felt more uncomfortable as she listened. “So, after observing the silkworms for so long, have you sensed the evolution of life?”

“Mm, the first batch, like you saw just now, turned into silkworm moths, and their lives ended.”

The topic suddenly turned melancholic. Gu Yi saw the royal dog food in the corner and seemed to anticipate what he would say next. “Then this bag of dog food...”

“I used to raise a dog, but the dog became depressed living with me, so I sent it to a friend’s house.”

The cold wind was blowing in from the open window on the 14th floor, and the sky was just beginning to lighten. Liang Daiwen spoke these words with no expression, which was the indifference Gu Yi had always seen from him. The mysterious and somewhat melancholic atmosphere was a bit absurd. The man who seemed sharp-tongued and direct seemed to genuinely be trying to experience emotions, repeatedly failing, but still desperately trying to shove something into the vessel of his soul.

Just like how he brought her to this room.