Continuous Combustion of Documents

  "Sir, you may have come to the wrong place, there is no one here who you are looking for."

  Keeping customer information confidential is a basic requirement of my profession.

  "But then the other person said: 'At the end of every month, I receive a text message from Wanwan, and the sender's address is this place. Can you tell me if she lives here?'"

  His words shocked me, to be honest. My simulated phone number software was designed by an expert and the IP address is updated in real-time. He actually managed to track me down through SMS data. Moreover, he revealed a message that he was the recipient of the text messages I sent on behalf of someone else earlier. I couldn't help but take a good look at him from head to toe, his features were deep, his eyes were bright and piercing, and he was a very handsome young man.

  Just as I was hesitating about how to respond, he suddenly said: "I have an urgent matter to find Wanwan, if you know where she is, please don't hide it from me?"

  His eyes swept over mine, with a hidden anxiety that couldn't be concealed. I paused for two seconds and said, "Follow me." As I turned to leave, I heard the footsteps behind me hesitate for a moment before immediately catching up.

  The car I was driving belonged to me, and his Hummer stopped outside the entrance of my residence. As we approached our destination, I heard the breathing beside me quicken, and without turning my head, I could see the shock on his face from the corner of my eye. After getting out of the car, I led him all the way to that place, stopping in my tracks and saying: "Xiang Wan, I've brought him to see you."

  That was a tombstone with a black and white photo on it. Inside the photo was a delicate girl, that was Xiang Wan, but she was buried underground.

  I mentioned earlier that Ye Wan is a special client of mine, and she's the only one I've had in-depth contact with, due to her requirements. In fact, during the first year we reached an agreement, our interactions were limited, and it was usually just her calling me at the end of each month to remind me not to forget to send text messages. It wasn't until a year later that I met her in person, in a hospital room, where I saw her for the first time. Originally, based on her voice over the phone, I thought she must be a gentle and beautiful woman, but when I met her, I was shocked to see how frail and skeletal she looked, more accurately, she looked like a dying person.

  She changed the initial agreement and asked me to continue sending messages to that number every month after her death, until the other party requests termination, this task is considered completed.

  What I'm doing now is actually beyond my duties, and by rights, I shouldn't have brought this man to her grave. But I think the silent dedication behind love should be known. A woman who remembers him even in death must have loved him to the extreme.

  As expected, the young man's body trembled slightly, and his eyes revealed pain, but that was all. There wasn't a huge sorrowful reaction. He shook his head secretly in his heart, thinking this man was too ruthless. Even considering their age difference, he should be younger than Xiang Wan... Putting aside miscellaneous thoughts, this matter had nothing to do with me.

  He stayed in the cemetery for half an hour, then suggested leaving, and I agreed readily. On the way back, the car was as quiet as when we came, until it stopped at my doorstep, where the man got out of the car without looking back and walked towards his Hummer.

  Just as I parked the car and walked back, I found that he had not left yet, lighting a cigarette on his finger and staring at me.

  His gaze made me feel uncomfortable, but I could only wait for him to continue. It wasn't until after a while that he asked, "When did it start?" At that moment, I understood what he meant and didn't hide anything, honestly answering, "Two years." Seeing his eyes twitch, he asked again, "Did she tell you anything?" This time I smiled, trying not to show any sarcasm: "Sir, if you're worried about whether she leaked any information about you, then you can rest assured. Apart from the content of the text messages that were requested to be sent, I don't know anything else, including your name, which she never mentioned."

  The atmosphere suddenly became stagnant, and the man narrowed his eyes with an inexplicable glint.

  Just as I was about to lose my patience, two words suddenly appeared in front of me: "Lùxù". I was taken aback and didn't understand what it meant. But before I could ask, he explained: "Lùxù is my name, the two words you were thinking of."

  There's a black line bursting out of his forehead, how can he be so sure which two words I'm translating in my mind? In fact, I wasn't thinking anything.

  "Are you...Yanwan's friend?"

  Due to the confidentiality of my work, Wei hesitated for a moment before nodding. In some sense, she could be considered a friend. After her death, it was I who buried her, although she had already purchased the burial plot and prepaid me for the expenses. This was an extra request outside of our agreement, not part of my job responsibilities, but looking at her like that, I couldn't refuse.

  If a person has to arrange everything even after death, then this person is not only pitiful but also pathetic. After I cremated her and brought the ashes to the cemetery, I asked the administrator and found out that she had bought that plot of land a year ago, which means that when she asked me to send text messages on her behalf, she already knew how her fate would unfold.

  For this woman, I have no curiosity, only sympathy.

  He hadn't spoken for a long time, and the cigarette was soon burned out. He casually threw the butt on the ground and stepped on it with his leather shoe. This action made me frown involuntarily. All I heard him say was "thank you." After that, he turned around and walked towards his car, opened the door, got in, and quickly drove away from my sight.

  I shook my head with a wry smile and walked over to the cigarette butt, wrapped it in a tissue, and threw it into the trash can ten meters away.