Gu Lizhou was at the hotel, packing his luggage and getting ready to take a shower. When he saw the message, he immediately called his mom.
“That kind of person is obviously a scammer, how could you still believe them ah?”
“He seemed so sincere when he spoke. He didn’t really seem like a scammer ah…”
Gu Lizhou sighed. He finally understood why elderly people can get deeply trapped in pyramid schemes. Even someone as educated as his mom could be so easily fooled.
“An old sow wearing a bra—one trick after another.1This was the literal translation. It means someone who is continuously scheming or using tricks which often implies that their schemes are outlandish or unsuitable for them—much like the absurd image of a sow in a bra. If you give them money now, they’ll definitely come up with ways to ask for more. When you’re free, you should read more social news. There are countless stories of scams like this.”
“Then what about the money I already lost?” Li Yuqin said pitifully.
“Didn’t you already report it to the police? They’ll investigate and open a case. Investigations take time, so don’t be anxious.”
Gu Lizhou thought that if worse came to worst, he’d cover the lost money himself to spare his mom from any more stress.
“In short, don’t trust those people, okay?”
“Oh.” Li Yuqin responded with some disappointment.
In her view, those people didn’t seem like bad guys at all. In fact, they were even a bit cute.
If they really were scammers, it meant she had a terrible sense of judgment.
Seeing how sincerely they discussed plans in the group chat, she felt a bit bad. So, she sent a 500-yuan red envelope as a token of goodwill, thinking that if they were scammers, she’d just consider it her way of doing charity.
[Perfect Marriage]: I’ll send more once you make some progress.
Ever since Huangfu Qiang added Auntie into the group chat, he created a smaller four-person chat where he was currently giving an impassioned speech on video.
“Don’t look down on this 500 yuan. Even a fly’s worth of meat is still meat. Since she’s willing to give, it means she trusts us! Let’s have faith, determination, and perseverance to help her recover the 300,000 yuan she lost.”
If it weren’t for the fact that Zhong Weishi was staring at familiar faces on the screen, he might have thought he had accidentally wandered into some sort of pyramid scheme himself.
“What’s our slogan?!”
“The strongest in the Xicheng District—”
Before the sentence could be completed, the screen suddenly froze. Except for Zhong Weishi, who had no idea what the slogan even was and remained blank-faced, the other three were frozen in grotesque expressions, baring their teeth.
Bad signal?
Zhong Weishi raised his phone and moved closer to the window.
The network was completely disconnected.
What the hell?
Returning to the bed, Zhong Weishi realized that even his computer had lost its connection.
He tried calling Qiangzi’s phone.
“Your phone service has been disconnected.”
“…”
During the time when Zhong Weishi had lost contact with everyone, Huangfu Qiang took the photos provided by Li Yuqin to a print shop and had a stack of missing person posters made.
“Zhang Gou, male, 38 years old, from Zhangjiagou Village, speaks with a non-standard Mandarin accent, left home after a family argument and hasn’t returned since… Any information leading to his whereabouts will be greatly rewarded. Contact number: xxx.”
Gu Lizhou stood in front of a telephone pole by the apartment entrance, staring at the missing person poster, feeling conflicted.
This definitely seemed like the kind of thing only those retards would come up with.
Could they really be looking for someone?
[Cao Zhiheng]: Have you arrived?
[Useless Yet Awake]: Downstairs.
Gu Lizhou looked up at the old apartment building.
Over thirty years ago, he was born here and lived with his grandparents.
From kindergarten to elementary school and then middle school…
As far as he could remember, his parents were always busy, only coming home during the Chinese New Year or any holidays.
He always looked forward to the New Year.
He couldn’t remember the exact day, but one time his parents both came home and took him out to a fancy restaurant for dinner.
Before they had even eaten much, his father suddenly announced with a grim expression, that he was divorcing his mother.
That was the first time he understood what it felt like to be struck by a bolt from the blue.
No one enjoyed that meal.
The harmonious family that everyone envied was split in two.
At the top of the apartment building, the large pendulum still hung, with a second hand over a meter long, moving slowly like an elderly person, ticking forward bit by bit.
Coming back here now felt like he had traveled through time.
He still remembered that when he was a child, the clock on the roof would chime “dong, dong, dong” at noon every day.
Times had changed. The elderly members of his family had passed away, and the house was sold to someone else.
He hadn’t been back here for about ten years.
The stairwell was still narrow and dark, with barely any light even during the day. The peeling walls were plastered with crude small advertisements.
“Three-minute painless abortion,” “Genital enlargement surgery, make your partner scream nonstop,” “Guaranteed cure for gonorrhea and syphilis,” “Personal mortgage loans,” “Quick processing for college and vocational diplomas”…
Still that familiar smell..
Cao Zhiheng’s home used to be just a couple of doors down from his, on the third floor, apartment 303.
As Gu Lizhou walked upstairs, he noticed that all the lights in the stairwell were broken.
“Why hasn’t anyone fixed the lights?” He asked, turning off his flashlight as he stepped out of the stairwell.
Cao Zhiheng, leaning against the corridor wall with a handful of melon seeds, replied, “These old apartments are all rented out to migrant workers now. I guess there’s no money in it, so the property management ran off long ago.”
Seeing Gu Lizhou glance towards apartment 301, Cao Zhiheng casually asked, “Wanna check it out?”
“Is anyone living there?” Gu Lizhou asked.
“Probably not at the moment. The landlord rented it out to two young guys, but I haven’t seen one of them in a long time. Maybe he moved out; I’m not too sure.”
As they spoke, the two had already wandered to the doorway of 301.
Back in the day, to guard against thieves, the whole building had a uniform design: security gates and barred windows. Standing at the entrance felt like visiting someone in jail.
The layout of the apartments was equally simple: entering the front door led to the dining room and living room, with the master and secondary bedrooms on the right side. All the rooms together formed a big square.
The tenants of 301 hadn’t completely drawn their curtains, and through a small gap, Gu Lizhou could see the interior.
The living room was filled of old furniture.
When he was a child, his family was poor, and the sofas and chairs were custom-made by an old village carpenter in the countryside, painted with a coat of red varnish to make them look festive.
He’d heard those pieces were part of his grandmother’s dowry.
As their lives gradually improved and his parents moved into a new home, the old furniture was left behind in the old house.
Gu Lizhou was relieved to see that the tables and chairs were still intact, and the entire living room was reasonably tidy.
The corridor acted as a balcony, and the weather was nice today. As far as his eye could see were bed sheets, duvet covers, and clothes hanging to dry.
Among them, his eyes fell on a black tank top that looked awfully familiar.
The crew neck of the shirt had stretched into a V-neck, and next to it hung a pair of men’s underwear with a cartoon elephant printed on the crotch. A pair of plain black “Anima” brand sweatpants flapped in the wind.
The person’s sense of style was utterly perplexing.
An image of a certain retarded individual vaguely appeared in Gu Lizhou’s mind, but he figured he was probably overthinking it.
Black tank tops were everywhere.
“Do you know the person who lives here?” Gu Lizhou asked as he turned to walk back.
“Nope. I just happened to run into him twice on the subway and saw he was also headed to the film studio. He looked pretty young. Not sure if he’s even old enough to be working,” Cao Zhiheng said.
Gu Lizhou let out an “oh” and didn’t continue the conversation.
Cao Zhiheng was a prop master specializing in the film and television industry. He excelled in painting and carving, having inherited the trade from his father. Now, he was a somewhat well-known sculptor in the industry, with many directors competing to have him on their sets.
The ninety-plus square meter apartment was packed with various finished and half-finished products, leaving Gu Lizhou with no place to stand when he entered.
“Have your parents moved into their new place already?” Gu Lizhou asked.
“Yeah, they moved last year.” Cao Zhiheng shifted things from the sofa to the floor, clearing a spot for him to sit.
Gu Lizhou picked up a wooden sculpture nearby and fiddled with it casually. “Then, why didn’t you move out with them? This building’s practically a condemned D-Class structure. I just saw a crack in the stairwell wall wider than my finger.”
“It’s not that bad,” Cao Zhiheng chuckled. “I’ve gotten used to living here, and I’m too lazy to move. Plus, it’s closer to the film studio.”
“If it’s far, just drive.” Gu Li Zhou said casually.
“Traffic jam ah, and no available free parking. I can’t afford to pay for parking. An electric scooter’s way better,” Cao Zhiheng said, handing him a yogurt from the fridge.
As Gu Lizhou looked around the familiar little room, his eyes unintentionally fell on a woman’s jacket.
“You’ve been seeing someone, huh?”
“Yeah,” Cao Zhiheng smiled. “Yes ah, been dating for over half a year.”
“Very good,” Gu Lizhou nodded with a smile. “We should have a meal together sometime.”
“What about you?” Cao Zhiheng asked.
“Not interested,” Gu Lizhou replied without hesitation.
Cao Zhiheng narrowed his eyes.
His childhood friend had been single for over 30 years. In the past, he could use the excuse of being too busy with work, but now he wandered around like a ghost, showing no interest in women. It inevitably lets people’s imagination run wild.
“Are you not interested in dating, or are you just not interested in women ah?”
“Neither.” Gu Lizhou shrugged his shoulders.
After some casual chit-chat, a thought suddenly crossed Cao Zhiheng’s mind. “You know who I saw at the film studio the other day?”
“Who?” Gu Lizhou raised his eyes.
“Cui Sheng.” Cao Zhiheng’s expression changed.
Gu Lizhou’s movement to unscrew the bottle cap paused.
His fingers instinctively tightened, and the bottle deformed under the pressure.
With its fake smile concealing malice, Cui Sheng’s face surfaced in his mind again.
“Thank you all for choosing to support and believe in me. I will prove through my actions that you haven’t misplaced your trust. Good and evil will eventually be repaid. God is watching…”
Good and evil will eventually be repaid
How laughably ironic.
Gu Lizhou’s nails almost dug into his flesh as it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room, his frustration threatening to explode.
Those words echoed in his mind, and a burning sensation rose in his chest.
The very thought of it made him feel sick.
“That s/ut is currently making a movie, “Storm”, working with Director Gu Chuan…”
“Enough.” Gu Lizhou coldly interrupted, his voice sharp. “I don’t want to know these things.”
Cao Zhiheng froze for a moment, feeling a bit awkward. “Sorry about that.”
Gu Lizhou lowered his head in silence for a moment. “I’m not blaming you. I just don’t want to hear that person’s name.”
“I get it.” Cao Zhiheng patted his shoulder and changed the subject. “How’ve you been lately? Looking for a new job?”
“No,” Gu Lizhou shook his head. “I don’t even know what else I can do. What’s the point of living anyway?”
Uh-oh.
He’s hit the bull’s-eye again.
Cao Zhiheng quickly tried to comfort him. “Come on, you’ve made plenty of money, bought a car, a house, and you don’t need to worry about food and clothing. Don’t overthink it.”
Gu Lizhou sighed quietly, stretching out lazily on the sofa. “But life feels pointless ah. Every day is just eating and waiting for death. What’s the difference between me and a useless person?”
“Man, you don’t know how lucky you are. Plenty of people would envy your life,” Cao Zhiheng hooked an arm around his neck. “If things really feel that bad, why don’t you come with me? Help me with some carving work and drop it off at the sets. There are plenty of beautiful actresses on the crews.”
Gu Lizhou glanced at him but didn’t say anything.
“How about it ah?” Cao Zhiheng turned to look at him. “I’m telling you, all your problems come from having too much time on your hands. Get busy with me for a few days, and I guarantee you’ll sleep like a baby, forget all your worries.”
“Really?” Gu Lizhou chuckled.
“Absolutely ah!” Cao Zhiheng slapped him on the shoulder. “It’s settled, then ah. You stay here with me for a while, and I’ll pay you at the end of the month.”
“How much will I get?” Gu Lizhou asked.
“Depends on your performance.” Cao Zhiheng said.
When Gu Lizhou left Cao Zhiheng’s place, the sky had already darkened significantly.
He had originally planned to stay a few days before heading back to City B, but for some reason, he impulsively agreed to stay longer with Cao Zhiheng.
However, thinking about it, it didn’t really matter. Anyway, he was a salted fish,2Similar to a couch potato or a slacker. it was the same anywhere. Maybe having some company would improve his mood.
Gu Lizhou turned on his flashlight, illuminating the stairs in the dim corridor.
After taking just a couple of steps, he heard hurried footsteps coming from the darker part of the hallway below.
He stopped somewhat cautiously.
Crashing into view was a tall man, devouring a box of octopus balls with his head down, clearly wolfing down his food.
From his vantage point, Gu Lizhou looked down at the man’s head and found the hairstyle somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t quite make out his face from this angle.
His line of sight moved along with the man.
Just as they were about to pass each other, a sudden realization flashed in Gu Lizhou’s mind, as if a light had gone off.
“Hey—” He couldn’t recall the name of the guy in the black tank top.
Zhong Weishi was lost in his own thoughts, and the sudden call startled him so much that his soul seemed to tremble.
The octopus ball he had just picked up slipped from his grasp, rolling down the steps. Zhong Weishi was furious.
“Shit, you scared me…” He turned his head, the curse dying in his throat as soon as he recognized the person. “Why is it you again?”