"What? Isn't that the same as forcing me to quit my job?" 

"That's not necessary, because there is a second possibility. She deliberately showed you that she could leave the office. Why did she do that? She wanted to tell us that none of our judgments worked. If none of them worked, she wouldn't have told us specifically because it would benefit us. Therefore, she came out at night to scare you to cover up something. It is very likely that what was covered up was a limitation we analyzed at the beginning." 

"What is it?" 

"I don't know. I need to think about it." 

"It's useless to think about it. By the time you figure it out, I would have been strangled to death in my sleep." 

"Don't worry, I can assure you that she can't do anything to you while you are asleep." 

"Really?" 

"I think even if she wants to harm you, she needs your cooperation. Whether you are awake or not is the key." 

"How do you know?" 

"I ran into that woman twice in the office. Both times I saw something strange first and then I saw her. If you didn't face her, she couldn't control you and she might not have been able to harm you." 

"What's your basis?" 

"No basis. It's all based on intuition." 

"Your intuition will kill me!" 

"Believe me, it's right." 

"I can trust you, but that devil woman doesn't believe you!" 

"Calm down!" 

"Why should I calm down? I'm almost dead. I'm moving out today. I don't want to come back in this life!" 

"Where can you hide? If we don't deal with that woman, sooner or later she will sneak out and find you and kill you. It's better to kill her here." 

"But how can we do it?" 

"I'll go find the boss right away. He used to work here. No one knows more about the trivial matters of this factory than him. As long as we get some useful information about that woman, we will have a way." 

"Maybe." 

After Xiaoguo left, I lay in bed waiting for most of the day. When I went out to buy steamed buns in the evening, I saw men of my age leading their wives or lovers passing by me, talking and laughing together. I felt very lost. I have lived these thirty-five years in vain. Now I have nothing. Compared with my peers who have started a family and a career, my life is a complete failure. 

This kind of depression makes people despair and makes people feel that life is boring. I tried hard to get rid of this feeling, stuffed four steamed buns into my pocket, walked into a noodle shop, and ordered a bowl of cold noodles, ten meat skewers, and a bottle of beer. I was used to chewing steamed buns, so this was already a feast. But after a glass of beer, my mood became even worse. I felt that I was living a humble life. Compared with my peers who had families and jobs, I was simply worthless. So, when I returned to the factory, I was already drunk. 

Xiaoguo was waiting for me at the gate. When he saw me come back, he gave me a wry smile and said, "The boss said that this portrait didn't exist when he worked in this factory. Besides, there is no one in their factory who looks like that woman." 

"Then what should we do?"

"I'll just burn it. It's late today, so I'll do it tomorrow." 

"Aren't you afraid she'll be freed from the constraints of the frame?" 

"What can I do? There's no other way now." 

I'm not always alone. I have lovers, too. Look, I have one now. She and I agreed to meet at the Workers' Cultural Palace Square. I first rode my bicycle all the way there, but it was so worn out and old, with flat tires and broken chains. I had to fix it several times along the way. Finally, the bicycle was fixed, but there were too many obstacles along the way. Red lights would stay on for a long time, there would be accidents, road construction was underway and the road was closed, or the water was several feet deep, making it impossible to ride. Time was running out, and I was anxious. 

I really wanted to take a taxi. In the blink of an eye, I was in a taxi. The car was moving so fast that I couldn't see the scenery outside the window. The numbers on the taxi meter increased rapidly, becoming a huge number in the blink of an eye. I didn't dare tell the taxi driver this, because he looked so fierce from behind. Who knew if he'd do something violent? 

I kept checking my watch. The hands were ticking rapidly, and I was practically running out of time. But I didn't dare urge the driver to go faster. The car was already moving at an alarming rate. Suddenly, I realized the car had stopped. The driver had rolled down the window and was talking to a police officer standing on the road. The officer seemed to be fining the driver. The two of them were discussing it slowly, and I could see I was already late.