Chapter Fifty-Nine to Chapter Sixty-Four

  In the Starlight Pavilion, which originally belonged to Liu Biyue. Lu Jinbo was drinking wine and looking out the window through the thin curtains. He sat down slowly and said to the girl in his arms: Huang Ying, do you think they're stupid or not?

  Huang Ying said: Don't talk about my hometown people like that, they will understand. It's just that they can't accept it for the time being. Just like... Lu Jinbao continued: Just like you let me have a good look, but never let me develop further. I would be very angry, right? Huang Ying said: Don't make veiled attacks, okay?

  Lu Jinbo said: It refers to the mulberry and the elm being scolded.

  Huang Ying said unhappily: You cultural people are impossible to reason with.

  Lu Jinbao stood up and said to the window: I don't know how the animals here got so big, they're making such a fuss now. The people in the back are just because their business didn't work out. This is a windfall for them. But the sky only dropped a windfall once. They picked it up, spent it, and then expected to live off the sky's windfall every day. When there was no more windfall from the sky, they said the old heaven was blind. The ones who rushed to the front were just because the Americans promised to give $200,000 to buy a big animal. Suppose I can get a batch of big animals for them again, how could the Americans possibly spend $200,000 to buy one again? They'll just catch one and go back to their country. The ones in between are just joining in on the excitement. Look at how happy they are. Huang Ying asked: So what do you plan to do?

  Lu Jinbao said: I don't need to show up in person.

  Lu Jinbo lit a cigarette, took a puff, and then extinguished it, saying: "I don't smoke." He looked around calmly and said: "Who designed this private room? It's really disgusting. I'm going blind, and the business here can't be done anymore." I'll buy out this store and hang your photos all over this private room. On the second floor, above the Starlight Private Room, right above Lu Jinbo's head, a partition board was installed. National Geographic Magazine is conducting an intense shoot. Soon, riot police arrived, but the scene became even more difficult to control. A crowd began throwing stones and smashing the windows of Bobo Printing Factory. Bruce Lee happened to be passing by on his motorcycle. He wanted to buy some daily necessities at the nearby Rihai Supermarket and saw the commotion, so he stopped at the side of the road. Huang Ying saw him, pulled Lu Jinbo up, pointed downstairs, and said: "Look at that silly guy on the motorcycle, he likes me." Lu Jinbo took a glance and continued sitting on the sofa, propping his chin with his hand to observe the situation.

  Here is the translation:

  Zuo Xiaolong didn't know what was happening here, so he decided to observe from his motorcycle for a while before deciding whether to join the pro or anti side. However, since he arrived late, he only saw the conflict. He thought, "I'm not a police officer, I definitely can't join the police team, I can only run over to the crowd and ask what's going on." Zuo Xiaolong stopped his motorcycle and entered the crowd. He asked, "Hey, what are you doing?" At the same time, Lu Jinbo saw his factory being attacked and made a phone call to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper immediately understood and took out a digital camera. He climbed up onto the roof of the guardhouse and said, "I'm going to take pictures! Each person who comes forward will be reflected in the photos and reported to your leaders and family members. The police will handle this seriously." Instantly, the crowd at the front dispersed, and those behind lost their foundation and retreated. The police station chief saw that this tactic was very effective and didn't need to use tear gas or pepper spray. However, they had to find some troublemakers with ulterior motives to punish. He let the gatekeeper climb down from the roof and handed him the camera. Turning around, he said to the entrance, "I've taken pictures of those who haven't left yet." The empty field was left with only Zuo Xiaolong standing alone. With a click, Zuo Xiaolong was forever frozen in the photo. Zuo Xiaolong suddenly thought, this is the first photo of his life. He walked forward and said, "Comrade, after this photo is developed, can I have a copy?" The chief glanced at Zuo Xiaolong lightly and shouted, "What are you doing here?"

  Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng said: I'm just passing by. I'm going to buy soy sauce.

  Director said: Don't quibble, you are very stubborn. What is your background? What is your motive? Are you colluding with foreign organizations? Come with us. Zuo Xiaolong was immediately taken away by the police car, and he shouted loudly: My key is still in the motorcycle.

  Director said: Drag him into the office.

  Huang Ying saw this scene, hastily slammed the door and rushed downstairs, running to the director's face, anxiously saying: Hello, it's a misunderstanding, he is my friend. He came to see me, please let him go. Zuo Xiaolong saw Huang Ying in the car. He bounced up slightly. Suddenly he was pressed back again. The sliding door of the van was instantly pulled up by the nearby guard police officer. The director looked at Huang Ying from head to toe and asked: Who are you?

  Huang Ying replied: I am Huang Ying. I am the singer here.

  The director interrupted: I don't know you, why don't you also go to the office and let's talk it over clearly.

  Lu Jinbo rushed down and handed a cigarette to the captain, who pushed it away. Lu Jinbo said: They are all my friends. Misunderstanding. It's a misunderstanding. The captain was completely confused and asked: Who are you again?

  Lu Jinbo hastily handed over his business card and said: "I am Lu Jinbo, I am the chairman of this place. The Bobo Cup a few months ago was sponsored by me, and Secretary Gou and Director Niu are all friends. Are you also a friend?" New Director frowned and said: "Don't always try to get close to me with the dead, I don't even know what the Bobo Cup is. This friend of yours, now I suspect he's the main culprit. We need to take him away for questioning. Don't worry, if he's a good person we'll let him go. If they've done something bad, none of you will be able to do anything." Lu Jinbo sighed, "This small regime has changed its surname overnight. All my previous efforts were in vain."

  Huang Ying still coquettishly said: Director, just let him go.

  Everyone around was looking at him with a sly smile. He angrily said: "Behave yourself, or I'll take you all in. Obstructing official business, what's your relationship with the person in the car?" Huang Ying didn't know how to respond for a moment. She wanted to say something intimate, thinking it wouldn't be wrong. She said: "This... this is my boyfriend." The director pointed at Lu Jinbao and asked: "Then what's your relationship with him?"

  Huang Ying looked at Lu Jinbao and said after a moment of silence: "Actually, he is my boyfriend."

  The director listened and scolded: "You're crazy!" He got on the car, closed the door, and drove away with the alarm blaring.

  Huang Ying looked at Lu Jinbo and said: You have to help me get him out, this person is very simple-minded. He's a good man.

  Lu Jinbo patted Huang Ying's shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I'll try my best to find someone, but the people in my network here are all temporarily dead, so I need to think of other ways." Huang Ying said, "The people I know who can help are also dead... Among those with ability now, you're the only one I know."

  Lu Jinbao said: You are the local beauty. I also only know you.

  Huang Ying smiled and went upstairs.

  Lu Jinbo said from behind, "Alright, my opinion is to wait for two days. If this kid hasn't done anything wrong, we'll let him go. If not, we'll go bail him out." A day later, Bruce Lee was released by the police. The police had originally wanted to find a scapegoat and pin something on him, but it turned out that Bruce Lee really was just there to buy soy sauce. The newly appointed head of the police station was an extremely capable person, because the leadership in Tinglin Town had suddenly died off, and the higher-ups were afraid of triggering social unrest. So this head was specially entrusted with the task of coming to Tinglin Town, and he had rich experience. However, after Bruce Lee was released, his comment was: "After all these years, I've finally seen a person who doesn't know what's going on." Bruce Lee also spent a day in the police station for no reason. Because they needed an excuse, Bruce Lee still received a fine of 50 yuan. The official reason and result of Bruce Lee's detention were that his motorcycle exhaust didn't meet standards. After leaving the police station, the first thing Bruce Lee wanted to do was find Huang Ying, to thank her. In Tinglin Town, autumn and summer were struggling in the air, with the weather suddenly hot and then cool again. When Bruce Lee started up his motorcycle in the police station parking lot, he felt that autumn had arrived. This summer had just passed like that. It really had just passed like that. When someone asked him about his impression of this summer, he would say, "It was just like that," a dull and unremarkable summer. Along with the smell of mud in his arms when she cried, and his longing for Huang Ying. In an instant, it was gone. As it left, summer looked back several times, warming up the earth again, but autumn was already waiting impatiently. It was only September, and the first leaves had already fallen onto Bruce Lee's motorcycle seat. Bruce Lee stuck the fallen leaves on the dashboard and started the motorcycle. He drove to town, where the wind was blowing ripples on the ground. This was a sign that a storm was coming. Bruce Lee randomly found someone who looked like a resident and asked: "Excuse me, where does Huang Ying live?" The resident told him the address. He looked at Bruce Lee for half a day, hesitantly saying: "Are you... aren't you the person who shouted slogans on the Bobo Cup?" Bruce Lee was glad that in such a small place, he could easily find out where his crush lived by just asking around. Here, everyone knew her, and it was easy to make everyone know about himself. Everyone could directly influence each other, and every event could be widely known. He decided that no matter what kind of goal he had, he wanted to live in a small place with a big heart. The world was as big as his heart. After being detained by the police once, Bruce Lee's courage seemed to have increased greatly. Huang Ying lived at 56 Temple Peace Road, and he found this address. It was an old flat house on a street corner. Bruce Lee parked his motorcycle on the street and circled around the house. The old house had a backyard, where a small garden was surrounded by broken bamboo. Inside, sunflowers were planted everywhere, but their season was over, and they were making a final effort to bloom. On top of the sunflower bed, a line was strung up with clothes drying on it. Bruce Lee immediately recognized that these were Huang Ying's clothes. Bruce Lee circled back to the front door and knocked without hesitation. He felt he had to do this; if he hesitated, he probably wouldn't have been able to bring himself to do it. The sky-blue painted door opened, and Huang Ying saw Bruce Lee. She said calmly: "You've been released?"

  Bruce Lee said: Yes. I let go. Me me, what can I?

  Huang Ying said: "Park your motorcycle a bit further away. It's not good if others see it."

  Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng said repeatedly: Alright, alright, I'll go and stop it. You wait for me. Huáng Yíng said: Knock on the door again.

  Half an hour later, Left Xiao Long knocked on Huang Ying's door. Huang Ying opened the door and said: What took you so long?

  Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng panted and said: I parked the car too far away, as soon as I started driving, with just a slight turn of the accelerator it went quite far. I stopped the car and ran back only to realize how far I had driven. But this is good now, no one will see us. Huang Ying burst out laughing, opened the door wide and said: Come in.

  Zuo Xiaolong heard the three words "come in". Suddenly, his blood rushed to his head, and he suddenly discovered that he had a physiological reaction, and he was wearing a pair of sports pants and loose underwear. Instantly exposed. Zuo Xiaolong was ashamed. Damn it, before he could confess, **he already confessed**. Passing through the living room, Zuo Xiaolong came to Huang Ying's room, hastily found a place to sit down, and pulled his clothes to cover himself. He said: Is there... water? Huang Ying said: Yes. There is a lot of water.

  Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng's brain was suddenly flooded with blood. He stuttered: "W-what...?"

  Huang Ying said: I'm a singer. I usually prepare various drinks to protect my throat. Which one do you want to drink? Is it a throat moistener or a fire quencher? Zhou Xiaolong swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said: Water is fine.

  Huang Ying got up and poured white water for Zuo Xiaolong.

  The room of Huang Ying was filled with fragrance, this fragrance was different from the one on Niuba's body. The one on Niuba's body was a girl's fragrance, while the demonic fragrance in Huang Ying's room was... Zuo Xiaolong sniffed hard.

  Huang Ying discovered Zuo Xiaolong's movements. She said: Sorry, I'm afraid of mosquitoes. So she lit three mosquito coils and took out two. Zuo Xiaolong immediately smelled the mosquito coils through the window. As the sky darkened outside, the red color of the sunflowers was gradually submerged. The warm colors in the room made people feel cozy. It was indeed a warm color. Zuo Xiaolong felt a bit restless, not knowing what to say. Huang Ying asked: What did you come here for? While asking, she pulled at her clothes and said: Sorry, my clothes are coming undone. I'll go change into something else. Huang Ying went to the dressing room, and as she stepped across the threshold of the door, her hands touched the hem of her clothes, and it seemed like she had already taken them off in an instant. In less than ten seconds, Huang Ying came out wearing a short-sleeved shirt. Zuo Xiaolong didn't dare to look up, staring at the water in his cup. He took a sip and said: I came to thank you.

  Huang Ying stroked her hair and laughed: What are you thanking me for?

  Zuo Xiaolong looked up to see Huang Ying sitting on the bed in a position that seemed to be arranged by a lighting designer. Every ray of light was caressing her face, and the room felt a bit stuffy, possibly because a storm was approaching. In the last moment before nightfall, Zuo Xiaolong saw a swallow flying low outside the window behind Huang Ying, and from afar came a muffled thunderclap. It really was from afar, just like someone had jumped into the river hundreds of meters away from Huang Ying. The two people in the room didn't know what to say. Zuo Xiaolong stared at Huang Ying, who was about one meter away. His breathing was rapid. He couldn't help but take another sip of water. Huang Ying smiled and said slowly: "Why are you so thirsty? Should I add some more water for you?"

  Huang Ying stood up, took the water jug and poured water into the cup on the small table in front of Zuo Xiaolong. Zuo Xiaolong looked at the water rising slowly in the cup, then involuntarily raised his head to take a glance. Suddenly, he caught sight of Huang Ying's posture, with the collar of her sweater right in front of him. Zuo Xiaolong hastily lowered his head again to look at the cup, but after half a second, he couldn't help but raise his head once more to gaze at Huang Ying. "What's wrong?" Huang Ying asked. "You seem quite uncomfortable. Are you...?" Zuo Xiaolong said, "Nothing, I just wanted to thank you this time." Huang Ying put down the water jug and said, "You've already said that."

  Zuo Xiaolong raised his cup and took another drink. He couldn't think of anything to say for the time being, so he just waited to see if Huang Ying would pour more water.

  Huang Ying said softly: Are you really thirsty?

  Huang Ying stood up. She picked up the water bottle again, walked slowly to Zuo Xiaolong's front, and Zuo Xiaolong held the cup with both hands, not daring to lift his head for the time being. Huang Ying gently placed the water bottle on the small low table in front of Zuo Xiaolong. Said: Look at you so thirsty. Just put this here for you, drink it up and then pour some yourself? Zuo Xiaolong had no choice but to fill himself up again, still holding the cup with both hands.

  Huang Ying lifted her legs and wrapped one foot around the calf of the other. She flicked a strand of hair out of her face and said, "You're cold?" Zuo Xiaolong forced a smile and said, "No, it's not that. The water... is just convenient to drink."

  Huang Ying stopped asking, and Zuo Xiaolong slowly closed his eyes. He heard the sound of rain falling to the ground tens of kilometers away, a scattered sound. He also heard people opening their umbrellas, this was the last night rain of this summer, it would take away all the heat. Zuo Xiaolong felt the rain was moving towards this room. But the rain was weakening. Just like a tsunami flooding the city, until it reached him. It should be soft rain, in the direction of the sculpture garden, a silent flash of lightning fell, and for an instant, it lit up Huang Ying's face. Suddenly, the thunder that symbolized the end of summer sounded. The first drop of rain landed on the glass window as expected. The echo of the thunder shook the earth. Huang Ying undid a button and said: This rain has been waiting for half a day to come down.

  Zuo Xiaolong remained silent, but he could feel his strength gathering. Huang Ying opened the window a crack and said in a half-whispered, half-real voice: It's so hot.

  Huang Ying asked: Are you hot?

  The thunder on the horizon has landed.

  This was the war drum for Zuo Xiao Long. Zuo Xiao Long told himself that it was time to make a move. He picked up his water cup, drank it in one gulp, and stared at Huang Ying. Suddenly, he stood up. With both hands, he pushed Huang Ying onto the bed and pressed her down. Huang Ying hesitated for a second, then pinched Zuo Xiao Long's neck. "What do you want to do?" she asked. Zuo Xiao Long didn't say anything. He was panting, still staring at Huang Ying's face. He leaned in closer, and Huang Ying didn't dare use too much force to pinch him. If she didn't loosen her grip a bit, Zuo Xiao Long would have strangled himself. Huang Ying slowly relaxed her hand and turned her face away. "Listen to me," she said urgently. "Don't do this, little brother. Sister knows you're just joking around. Let go quickly!" Huang Ying grabbed Zuo Xiao Long's wrist and pulled him onto the bed. With this pull, Zuo Xiao Long lost his balance and was completely pressed against Huang Ying's body. After being pinned down, Zuo Xiao Long's hands couldn't move anymore. The two were stuck together tightly, and Huang Ying said sternly, "You can even get drunk from drinking water? What are you thinking? What do you want to do?" Zuo Xiao Long's muscles began to gather strength again. He struggled free from Huang Ying's grasp, turned her face back around, and looked into her eyes. "I'm going to take you by force," he said. Then, he leaned in to kiss Huang Ying's lips.

  Huang Ying let out a sigh. Just as their lips were about to touch, Huang Ying said: The key is, are you the Overlord?

  Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng's movements suddenly froze.

  Huang Ying said: You are not a king, you don't have a bow, and you won't succeed.

  Bruce Lee said: Today I will be the one...

  Huang Ying said: Stop messing around. It's impossible. Look at what's behind you.

  Zuǒ Xiǎo Lóng felt possessed by a demon. With an icy smile he had never shown before, he said to Huáng Yīng: "Hmph, stop playing with me, I'm watching you." Huáng Yīng said: "I didn't tell you, my dad and mom live together with me, look behind you."

  Zuo Xiaolong's head suddenly swelled up. He turned around to look behind him. A middle-aged couple stood at the door, looking puzzled and kind. Zuo Xiaolong quickly let go of his hand and scrambled out of bed, standing there in a daze, saying: "Uncle, Auntie?!" Huang Ying sat up calmly from the bed, her long hair stuck to her sweaty face. She tidied up her hair, bent down to tie a button, and said: "Dad, Mom, you can go back to your room, this is my boyfriend, it's okay." The old couple returned to their room, leaving the door open.

  Zuo Xiaolong was overwhelmed with shame. He wished he could evaporate through the small window gap that had been opened earlier. Huang Ying said, "You idiot. Can't you see that I live with my parents?" Zuo Xiaolong said, "Sorry, I really didn't notice. I thought a girl like you would definitely be living alone." Huang Ying stood up and said, "What are you sorry for? You should be apologizing to my parents! You're the one who's wronged me. What kind of girl do you think I am? I'm still a virgin, and I want to save myself for someone I love, for my future husband. You almost ruined my faith in that. Don't think that just because my parents aren't here, you can take advantage of me. If you try again, I'll beat you to death." Zuo Xiaolong was completely dominated by her anger and had nothing to say. The rain finally started falling, pouring down on the sunflowers in the courtyard, which would soon wither away. The windowpane quickly became wet, and the raindrops slid down from the gap, bringing in the autumn breeze. Huang Ying tidied herself up and sat back down beside Zuo Xiaolong, who was holding a bowl of water as if it were wine. She said, "Let's forget about what happened today. I already have someone I like. Maybe many years later, I'll come to like you, but I don't like the way you are today." Zuo Xiaolong asked, "What kind of me do you like?"

  Huang Ying said: This is not your problem. What kind of person's problem is this, I've liked successful men since I was young, and they are already successful men. Not that I think I can be a successful man myself, but I like their strength. Don't get me wrong. I don't like their money. I wouldn't use a single cent of theirs. Do you think if I liked to swindle money from men, with my conditions, I would still live with my dad and mom? Would I still ride a small motorcycle? I've been waiting for a man I like, elegant, with style, with ideas, a successful man. As long as I like him, no matter what happens in the future, I won't leave him. Because he has conquered this world. Now I have someone I like. Zuo Xiaolong took another sip of water and said: Is it that factory owner, Lu Jinbao?

  Huang Yingdao: It's not about opening a factory. It's about culture. I'm a publisher.

  Bruce Lee was indignant: He is just a book peddler. Polluting the clean and elegant town of Tingley with filth, is this culture?