MY - 8

Dawn broke on the horizon, the faint light spilling out, not very bright. The alley was quiet, every household still asleep.

The boy in his slovenly blue and white school uniform was picking up a few small stones to throw at a second-story window.

Lu Nandu picked up a few more small stones, weighing them in his hand.

He aimed at a window, pulled his arm back, and threw the stone accurately. It hit the wooden window with a thud, following a parabolic arc.

At that time, Lu Nandu had just started high school and had been driven out by his mother with a stick in the middle of the night.

He was kicked out so suddenly that Lu Nandu didn’t have a single penny on him, and he had forgotten his phone, with nowhere to go.

Finally, he thought of his friend Jiang Chi, hoping to crash at his place for a night.

Lu Nandu had excellent control over his strength; the stone hitting the wooden window was enough to wake the person inside but not disturb the neighbors.

“Damn,” Lu Nandu threw another one out, laughing, “Sleeping like a log.”

The next second, the window suddenly opened. Lu Nandu, standing below, was completely unprepared and jumped in surprise: “Holy shit!”

Immediately after, a pillow flew out of the window, hitting Lu Nandu squarely in the face.

The pillow was soft and carried a faint fragrance.

“It’s not even dawn yet, what are you making so much noise for? Are you sick?”

Jiang Xi had a temper when woken up. She was sleeping soundly, then suddenly woke up to a series of window-smashing noises, feeling a bit annoyed.

She was in her final year of high school and had to wake up early to go to school later.

For some reason, the moment the faint scent from the pillow touched his nose, Lu Nandu froze, instinctively hugging the pillow that had hit him.

In the faint light of dawn, the mist was slowly dispersing.

Jiang Xi, with her long hair disheveled, looked down and saw the boy below, looking up at her.

His eyes were very bright, his features sharp, and his hair was closely cropped.

Only those who look good with short, cropped hair are truly handsome. The boy below was one of them; his features were exceptionally deep and attractive.

He stood there casually, still holding her pillow.

But at that time, Jiang Xi only found him good-looking; she had no other thoughts, just wanted to go back to bed because she was so sleepy.

However, a good-looking face was useful after all. Jiang Xi’s anger from being woken up dissipated considerably.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Lu Nandu immediately recognized her as Jiang Chi’s sister.

In an instant, he became carefree again: “Jiejie, I’m looking for Jiang Chi.”

Jiang Xi had been working on her painting until late last night, and she was truly sleepy now: “Turn left, the window on the side of the second floor.” After speaking, she slammed the window shut with a bang.

She didn’t see the smile that curved the boy’s lips after she closed the window.

Jiang Xi didn’t know then that this boy named Lu Nandu would later become her eternal ruin for the rest of her life.

...

Everything in the dream felt too real.

Lu Nandu’s features were so clear that Jiang Xi suddenly opened her eyes.

Her gaze fell on the dark ceiling. Her heart still hadn’t calmed down. She could hear sounds in the darkness.

This was the first time Jiang Xi had dreamed of Lu Nandu since they reunited.

Nightmares were a feast for past events. The people and things deliberately buried during the day reveled unrestrainedly in this feast.

People she didn’t think about during the day, past events she didn’t recall, she thought they would naturally fade with time, but they always appeared unexpectedly at some moment, showing that they hadn’t been forgotten.

Jiang Xi lay motionless on the bed, giving up resistance, allowing negative emotions to surge through her body.

But even so, Jiang Xi’s expression remained calm and indifferent, showing no emotion. Her fever had subsided, and she had broken into a sweat.

After more than ten minutes, she got up from the bed, without turning on the lights, and felt around for a cigarette pack and lighter on the table.

She pulled out a cigarette, casually tossing the pack onto the nearby table. The lighter clicked, and a small flame leaped in the night, soon leaving only a tiny red glow.

As the tobacco burned into her lungs, Jiang Xi suddenly drifted into a trance for a moment.

She had learned to smoke from Lu Nandu, who mischievously lured her into it.

In the end, he quit smoking, but she didn’t.

Though quitting was futile, he seemed to have started smoking again later. It wasn’t surprising; after so many years, everything changes, even having a girlfriend. Smoking was nothing.

In the past, Lu Nandu loved to flirt, changing girlfriends every now and then. It wasn’t about getting along with girls, but simply about dating.

So, only girlfriends would appear by his side.

Outside the window, the sky was a dark blue. It would be a while until dawn.

After finishing a cigarette, Jiang Xi snuffed out the butt in the ashtray and went back to bed.

________________________________________

The next day, Jiang Xi had an early scene.

The indoors were cool in this weather, so after finishing her makeup, she left the dressing room to bask in the sun outside.

By then, the sun was high in the sky. The set was bustling, with staff members hurrying about. Jiang Xi sat on a nearby chair, flipping through her script.

Director Chen passed by, saw her, and asked: “Feeling better?”

Jiang Xi said: “I’m fine now.”

“That’s good, take care of yourself.” With that, she hurried towards the camera.

Jiang Xi hadn’t gone to bed early last night, and her sleep quality was poor, leaving her a bit drowsy. She rested her elbow on the armrest and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Just as she was about to close her script, she heard Xu Yanran and her manager’s voices approaching.

Xu Yanran was still in the same clothes as last night, with her manager trailing behind, lecturing her: “When will you be more stable? Do you know you still have a scene to shoot today?”

Xu Yanran had a bit of a temper: “Didn’t I rush back?”

“Rushed back?” The manager laughed in exasperation, “Running out at that hour last night, staying up all night, how can your condition be good for filming today?”

Xu Yanran had no good answer and fell silent.

The two walked past Jiang Xi, and the manager continued to nag: “Is it not effective when I manage you? Do I have to let your mom come and manage you herself?”

Xu Yanran grew anxious: “No, I won’t run out to see anyone again, just don’t tell my mom.”

“I dare you to try running out again. Hurry to the makeup room and get ready.”

Soon, the two walked away, disappearing into the distance. Jiang Xi closed her script, as if she hadn’t heard anything, her demeanor normal.

A staff member called her name, signaling her to come over. Jiang Xi put down her script and stood up.

________________________________________

After a morning of filming, Jiang Xi had lunch at a small shop near the set. Halfway through, she heard someone calling her from outside.

Jiang Xi turned her head. Xu Yanran got out of a car and waved at her.

Soon, Xu Yanran entered and sat opposite Jiang Xi: “Are you having lunch?”

“Yes,” Jiang Xi nodded, asking, “Just transferred back?”

“Yeah, just came from over there,” Xu Yanran looked at the bright red in Jiang Xi’s bowl, and asked, “What’s this?”

Jiang Xi: “Chongqing noodles.”

Xu Yanran swallowed.

Jiang Xi looked at her expression and chuckled: “Order a bowl and eat.”

Xu Yanran shook her head: “It’s all starch.”

Despite saying that, after an internal struggle, it was useless: “Forget it,” she looked at Jiang Xi, “It’s fine to eat this just once, right? At worst, I’ll go to the gym tonight.”

Jiang Xi was amused.

Xu Yanran also ordered a bowl of Chongqing noodles, specifically telling the boss to make it spicier. Her manager wasn’t around, so she was definitely unrestrained.

While waiting for her noodles, Xu Yanran chatted with her: “Sister Jiang Xi, has your fever gone down?”

Jiang Xi: “Long gone.”

Speaking of fever, Xu Yanran remembered to ask: “Do you and Lu Nandu know each other?”

Jiang Xi paused for a moment, then looked up, smiling: “No, we don’t. Last night, Director Chen just asked him to give me a ride to the hospital since it was on his way.”

Xu Yanran suddenly understood: “No wonder. He’s not very approachable. I was wondering how you two knew each other.”

Jiang Xi smiled.

She didn’t feel anything specific, just wanted to clarify their relationship.

Xu Yanran’s noodles arrived quickly. Jiang Xi finished eating first, but Xu Yanran stopped her: “Sister Jiang Xi, wait for me a moment.”

Jiang Xi had nothing else to do, so she sat and waited for her.

The autumn chill grew increasingly strong.

________________________________________

Days passed, and the medicine from the hospital was almost gone, but Jiang Xi’s minor illness hadn’t fully recovered.

Her nose was stuffy, and Jiang Xi woke up from her dream before dawn.

The hotel was in a slightly remote location, with distant mountains and dense forests outside the window. In the dim light, tree shadows flickered faintly.

Jiang Xi’s breathing was a little heavy; she still felt breathless. Finally, unable to sleep, she got out of bed to find water.

She hadn’t boiled water once since coming here almost a month ago. After searching for a long time, she found an unfinished bottle of water from yesterday and poured herself a glass.

Drinking more water for a cold might just be a trick.

She guzzled down a glass, but there was no improvement. Jiang Xi picked up her phone to check the time; it was past four.

It wasn’t that early anymore.

She decided not to sleep again. There was a notification, and she tapped to view it. It was from Tong Yun, informing her that a new drama would be airing soon. This drama was filmed last year and had been shelved for a year before broadcasting.

Jiang Xi chose an emoji to reply.

After sending the message, Jiang Xi tossed her phone aside, got up, rummaged through her suitcase for a jacket, put it on, and went out.

The sun rose late this season, and the streetlights were still on. The alleyways had low trees and flagstone paths, and everything was silent.

She couldn’t find a pharmacy nearby. Jiang Xi walked unhurriedly, looking for a 24-hour convenience store.

She rarely went out to explore. Her phone showed a convenience store to the southwest, so Jiang Xi followed the arrow.

It was over two hundred meters away. When Jiang Xi got there, she found the convenience store closed.

“...”

There was only this one convenience store on her phone map. Jiang Xi expressionlessly turned off her phone and returned the way she came.

Halfway back, she saw a supermarket that had opened its doors. Seeing the lights on inside, she walked in.

The proprietress was busy behind the counter with something unknown.

Jiang Xi approached and asked: “Excuse me, do you have cold medicine?”

The proprietress looked up upon hearing her voice: “What?”

Jiang Xi: “Cold medicine granules.”

There were quite a few celebrities seen here, so the proprietress was accustomed to it. After looking at Jiang Xi for two seconds, she said: “Girl, don’t you have common sense? Supermarkets only sell daily necessities, not medicine.”

Jiang Xi: “...”

After a moment of silence, she asked: “Are there any pharmacies nearby?”

“Yes,” the proprietress said, pointing her in a direction, “Keep walking that way, turn left at the intersection, and the pharmacy is right there. But it’s not open yet; you can go later.”

Jiang Xi thanked her and left.

________________________________________

The sky was a little brighter than before. The light from the streetlights on the ground was thinning. Jiang Xi slowly walked back to the hotel.

Someone was following her. Jiang Xi knew, but she didn’t look back.

The two walked one behind the other in silence. Jiang Xi ignored it, and the person behind her didn’t speak either.

Until, after an unknown amount of time, Jiang Xi stopped.

The footsteps behind her also stopped.

“Stop following me.”

The alley was deep and narrow. The shops along the street were closed. In the distance, the chirping of unknown insects could be heard.

Jiang Xi didn’t look back and resumed walking forward.

The person behind her seemed to be in a hurry and quickly caught up, taking her hand.

Jiang Xi was forced to stop.

Lu Nandu carefully called her name: “Jiejie.”

Jiang Xi’s attempt to shake off his hand paused.

Lu Nandu handed her a bag, like a child offering a treasure to please someone: “Medicine.”