Hedgehog

  Just as I furrowed my brow, I heard Liang Ge, who had been silent for a long time, scolding the madman: "Get out of here, I'll be on guard with you until 12 o'clock."

  The three lunatics immediately distinguished: "But my biological clock is eight o'clock to sleep." This time it was Lu who buried him: "I said lunatic, you also have the nerve to say biological clock? Who touches the computer and has a marathon all night? Still eight o'clock, do you think you're an old man? Do you still want the heavenly book secret recipe?" Suddenly poking at the lunatic's weakness, his eyes were resentful, but he no longer opposed.

  Later, I continued to discuss and arrange with Lao Tie to divide the night into two shifts, front and back. No one asked me, a woman, to take turns keeping watch, so I naturally wouldn't volunteer myself. I didn't sleep well that night, and the black shadow from earlier kept flashing in my mind, making me feel like something was off. In my drowsy state, I woke up to find that the men's snoring hadn't subsided at all, despite my previous teasing; this was clearly beyond their control.

  To keep warm at night, our tents were all pitched next to the bonfire, so the crackling sound of the fire also occasionally joined in. When I was sure I couldn't sleep for a while, I crawled out of my sleeping bag and opened the zipper on my tent, whereupon I froze for a moment. I hadn't noticed my watch earlier, but it had already passed midnight, and he was now keeping watch, his back to me, so I couldn't tell if he was dozing off or what.

  A slight movement in my heart, I carefully and quietly pulled the zipper to a length that allowed me to crawl out, then slowly poked my head out. Just as I was about to climb out, he suddenly turned around. In the dark of night, his black eyes were particularly bright under the red firelight, but at this moment, my posture was really not elegant, with my body only half out of the tent, prostrate on the ground and looking up at him.

  As he turned around, I also saw clearly what he was holding in his hand - a woman's photo and the transparent plastic bag with earrings from daytime. Since I was discovered by him, there was no need for me to hide secretly anymore, so I rubbed my nose and stood up from the ground.

  He patted the spot beside him and said in a soft voice, "If you can't sleep, then sit up."

  I didn't stand on ceremony, plopped myself down, and my gaze fell on the woman's face in the photo. She was a very pretty girl, with a melon-seed-shaped face, big eyes, and shoulder-length hair. Some thought flashed through my mind, but it was too fast to catch, and my thoughts returned to the present, firmly asking: "Is she your girlfriend Quan Shui Ding Dong?"

  He furrowed his brow, "Can't you call her something else? Quan Shui Dong Dong is her online name, a homophone of her real name." He slightly raised an eyebrow, but didn't continue to tease, because at this moment, Lu Xun was different from before, and seemed... melancholic. I turned the phrase over in my mind, matching it with his expression. Between those lightly furrowed eyebrows, there was a faint, unspoken pain.

  Because I had concealed the fact that the earrings were Peng Ye's, they all associated it with Lu Xun's girlfriend. If something of Dongdong's was found at a place with obvious signs of struggle, it would mean something, and in fact, there is no need to say it out loud for everyone to understand.

  "Xu Jiu, do you think she's still safe?" Lu Xun asked softly, staring at the fire. I replied without thinking: "No, it's unlikely." He heard this and his eyes flashed with anger, "Can't you say something more positive?"

  "I smiled and said, 'Want to hear something good? Alright, she's fine, probably off somewhere soaking in a hot spring or getting a spa treatment. Are you satisfied now?' Lu Xun glared at me, his face full of annoyance, 'Why can't we ever have a decent conversation? You're always so sharp-tongued and prickly, did you used to be a hedgehog in your past life?'"

  Was he a hedgehog in his past life? Hey, his speech has improved! I wasn't annoyed either. Composing myself, I asked: "Why did you come to Hei Zhu Gou to find her?" He was taken aback, unable to keep up with my quick change of thought.