“Shen Luo?” Ming Shao walked directly up to the second floor, calling out the beta’s name, unaware that his steps had become a bit hurried.
“Are you already in bed?” he asked, about to turn on the light before even reaching the bedroom. “Did you dry your hair? Why are you lying down already? If you catch a cold, I’m not interested in taking care of you.”
The light flicked on with a “click,” and Ming Shao fully expected to see the beta already lying in bed, but the room was empty.
Where was he?
“Shen Luo?” Ming Shao walked toward the sink, glancing through the frosted glass. The room was still empty.
Despite that, Ming Shao instinctively took a few more steps forward. With a loud “swish,” the door was pulled open, and the mirror reflected only Ming Shao’s own figure.
He picked up his phone, scrolling to the very bottom of his contacts, where Shen Luo’s name appeared.
“Beep… beep… beep…”
Frowning, Ming Shao stared at the “calling” message on his phone, feeling increasingly irritated. It felt like a tangled mess of threads in his chest, the ends looping into one another, twisting tighter and tighter. His breath grew heavy, whether from anger or something else, as the knotted mass of emotions began to feel like a solid wall, enclosing an inexplicable rage.
Late at night—where could he have gone?
Why was he always so troublesome?
Ming Shao had no interest in going out to search for someone.
Outside, thunder rumbled as lightning flashed. The evergreen trees by the fence swayed wildly in the wind. Ming Shao stood by the window, one hand on his waist, pulling at a potted nandina until its branches were left bare.
At the fifty-six-second mark, the ringing cut off, replaced by an automated voice: “We’re sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again later…” The mechanical voice made Ming Shao glance at his phone once more before hitting redial.
“The number you are trying to reach has been turned off…”
That cold, mechanical voice rang out again, and Ming Shao flung his phone into the bed.
Not answering the phone?
The knot in his chest tightened further as he thought back to the beta who had remained silent in the car earlier. His mind was in complete disarray.
Could it be because of the neighbor’s younger brother? But what about that? He’s just a kid. What’s there to care about?
Besides, Ming Shao and Shen Luo were only in a marriage of convenience. Of course, they lived in their own separate worlds, and it would be too intimate to expect them to know each other’s friends. Ming Shao had always believed that there was no need to go that far in their relationship.
But…
He glanced at the now-bare nandina, then picked up a watering can, drenching it thoroughly.
While flipping through his phone, Ming Shao was about to send a message via social media when his eyes fell on a note left on the side table.
The handwriting was delicate and pleasant to look at, the same handwriting Shen Luo had used to sign their marriage agreement. The handwriting hadn’t changed, but the content was vastly different.
“Something came up. Sorry, I had to leave. Don’t wait up.”
Leave?
Go where?
The note was crumpled into a tight ball, which Ming Shao angrily tossed into the trash bin.
As if he was going to wait.
That night, Ming Shao slept fitfully, and when he woke the next morning, he realized he had a stiff neck. His dreams had been chaotic, and for the first time, they had featured Shen Luo.
The trash bin was still nearby. Glancing at the window, Ming Shao, feeling oddly guilty, quickly fished out the crumpled note and smoothed it out for another look.
“Something came up?” Ming Shao thought. “It’s the next day already. Whatever it was, it should be dealt with by now, right?” He glanced downstairs but still saw no sign of Shen Luo.
Picking up his phone, Ming Shao instinctively began to dial, but when he looked up and saw the framed photo of the two of them in the bedroom—cold and distant—he tossed his phone aside.
Suddenly, he remembered. It was just a marriage of convenience.
Forget it. If something came up, then so be it.
Whatever. Not interested.
And then…
The next day.
The third day.
The fourth day.
A week passed, and Ming Shao found himself staring at the empty bedroom again. He glanced at the untouched bedding next to him and rubbed his temples.
Despite constantly telling himself it didn’t matter, the absence of the other person left him feeling unsettled.
Since they’d gotten married, they had naturally started living together. Even though there hadn’t been much physical contact, Shen Luo’s presence was always felt. Surely, no one could easily get used to someone’s sudden disappearance, right? Ming Shao thought.
In the past, when he woke up early, Shen Luo would often still be asleep. Shen Luo was a well-behaved sleeper, always curling up with a small corner of the blanket, staying on his side of the bed, never moving around much.
Sometimes, the back of his pale neck would peek out from between the soft pillows, and it… kind of made you want to pinch it.
After finishing work for the day, Ming Shao sat in his car for half an hour before, somehow, driving to Shen Luo’s company. People were coming and going from the building, and it looked like many were getting off work. Ming Shao stood at the entrance for a while, but the person he was waiting for didn’t appear.
Was Shen Luo’s office on the twelfth floor? Or the thirteenth? Shen Luo had mentioned it before, but Ming Shao couldn’t quite remember.
Maybe he should go up and check? Without realizing it, Ming Shao found himself standing in front of the elevator.
Meanwhile, in an office on the thirteenth floor, Shen Luo was just finishing tidying up his desk, getting ready to leave. He had eaten late in the afternoon, and now his stomach was starting to ache. His new assistant, a thoughtful one, noticed Shen Luo pressing on his stomach and quickly offered him a cup of hot water.
“Brother Shen, is your stomach acting up again? Here, drink some water.”
“Thank you.” Shen Luo took the cup and smiled as he looked up.
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