Volume 1 Beginning of Summer Chapter 34 Visitation
The next morning at nine o'clock, when Ma Yi stood at the entrance of the insect house yard, he felt a little dazed.
Just as he was hesitating whether to go in, the shop door opened.
Jiang You came out holding the strap of his shoulder bag, "Good morning, you're here."
"Yes, I just arrived and the car is parked outside," Ma Yi hesitated, "How about..."
"Let's go have breakfast." Jiang You walked past him, "You should come two months earlier. That's when saury will be on the market. Saury noodles and saury wontons are the freshest."
For a moment, Ma Yi forgot what he wanted to say.
He followed Jiang You to the nearby Xiaofangzhai, ate a bowl of noodles with pork in a daze, got into the car in a daze, and sat in the driver's seat. He looked at his hands holding the steering wheel.
Confused, Jiang You handed over the box of mints and asked, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Ma Yi subconsciously took the candy box, opened it, poured out two mints and put them into his mouth.
The coolness spread along the tip of his tongue into his brain.
He felt somewhat sober.
He looked at the road and stepped on the accelerator. "Tianhua stayed at my place yesterday. We chatted for most of the night and didn't go to bed until three o'clock in the morning."
"His wife doesn't care about him?"
"They're getting a divorce."
"Why? He mentioned his wife last night, and it sounded like they were in a good relationship."
The steering wheel turned, and then the car went onto the elevated highway. "His wife doesn't agree with him starting a business. Women, after all, want stability."
"If the relationship is still there, there is no need to divorce."
"Starting a business depends entirely on moving forward with all your might, and you can't stop," Ma Yi glanced at Jiang You from the corner of his eye. "You have to be on fire to think, to do, to solve problems, to explore. Once you stop, your spirit and body will be overdrawn and you won't be able to return to that state. You will become very depressed and it will take a long time to recover."
"It sounds like you've done this before?" Jiang You asked.
Ma Yi sighed, a look of nostalgia on his face, "As for me, I feed the whole family. When I make a lot of money, I live a carefree life. When I make less, I can survive on instant noodles and steamed buns. I have never saved any money. She and I are quite different in age, and she plans to go to graduate school, so I thought about trying my best to set up a studio. At that time, Tianhua introduced me to many jobs. After a few years of stability and she graduated, we can get married."
"Sitting in an office is not as safe as it looks," Jiang You looked out the window, "You are dependent on the company, and all the resources, connections, and reputation are not yours. Did you know that last month, oh, no, it was the month before, someone jumped off a building in Xinwan?"
"I know. You're Xiaozha's employee, right? What's wrong?"
“He is my tenant.”
"Oh, now I remember that someone seemed to have approached Tianhua privately to do an order at that time."
"Put on an order?" Jiang You looked at Ma Yi in confusion.
"They were the Internet trolls, responsible for stirring up the topic and guiding the direction. Tianhua felt that this was a bit unfair, so he didn't take it," Ma Yi explained. "Later, we found a colleague who did it, and it seemed that he was paid a lot of money."
"His parents are both honest people. Not only did they lose their only son, but they were also splashed with dirty water..." Jiang You sighed, "They are two farmers, and their son just graduated not long ago. They said they were leading the project, and Xiaozha himself is still a startup company. He is not a traffic star who can get hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for just going through the motions. Being hacked is just a side effect."
"This is a very complicated matter, ever since we found out that traffic is money."
"Once a person dies, he can't come back to life." Jiang You took out a Coke from his bag and took a sip.
Ma Yi glanced at the Coke bottle and asked, "Aren't you drinking sugar-free?"
"Stock up, stock up, once you finish drinking it, it's gone."
Ma Yi sneered, "If you can lose weight, I can quit smoking."
"Someone has to take care of this. A while ago, when I went on a blind date, the girl gave me seven do's and seven don'ts when we first met. Whoever wants to marry her must live a healthy and regular life."
"You really believe it. How many women can control themselves from buying lipstick and bags? Hey, Xiaoxing, that's my ex-girlfriend. Her name is Lang Xing. Isn't this name very generous?"
"It's a rare name for a girl."
"She is good with her hands and likes making models and props. She also has a good-looking face, so she looks good in everything..."
Jiang You handed a cigarette to Ma Yi.
Ma Yi took it and lit it.
He opened the window slightly.
The car drove down the overpass and after crossing two streets, it arrived at the Tangjiang Mental Health Center.
Ma Yi took Jiang You straight to the inpatient department.
Patients undergoing closed treatment live in a separate small building with a garden.
Ma Yi smoked another cigarette before going in.
It’s exactly ten o’clock.
Ma Yi took out his visiting card, registered at the front desk and waited for five or six minutes. Then a nurse took them through the access control gate and to the garden.
"How is she doing lately? The treatment is almost over." Ma Yi asked the nurse.
“Sleep is still not that good.”
Ma Yi sighed.
Lang Xing sat on a bench under the shade of a tree.
She was wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown.
Very young.
She is very thin and fair, which makes her eyes look even bigger.
His skinny fingers twisted the corner of his clothes nervously.
Seeing Ma Yi and Jiang You walking towards her, she leaned back slightly and lowered her head, but could not help but look up again to look at Ma Yi.
The nurse took them there and left.
Ma Yi walked up to her.
Lang Xing noticed Jiang You.
"This is my friend, Jiang You." Ma Yi introduced Jiang You to Lang Xing.
"Hello." Lang Xing wanted to stand up, but Jiang You squatted down in front of her.
He looked up into Lang Xing's eyes.
"Jiang You? What are you going to do?" Ma Yi's tone was filled with concern and anxiety.
Jiang You reached out and grabbed Lang Xing's right hand. Lang Xing struggled and tried to break free . Ma Yi reached out and tried to pull Jiang You's arm.
But they found that their bodies were frozen.
Unable to move.
Then, Ma Yi saw him take back his hand, turn around, and sit on the bench with Lang Xing.
He saw transparent silk threads on his wrists and elbows.
He was controlled.
He became a marionette.
Little star.
His little star.
He brought this person, whom he had known for less than a week, to Xiaoxing.
He suddenly realized it.
He thought of the tattoo card he saw in the Bug House, the cigarette Jiang You handed him, and the postcard he wrote...
"Be more natural. Come on, smile. There are surveillance cameras everywhere here."
He heard Jiang You's voice.
He felt the muscles at the corners of his mouth being pulled up and then lowered.
Then he and Lang Xing turned their bodies slightly to the side and looked at each other.
He saw the fear that could not be concealed in Lang Xing's eyes.
"You know, for you guys, I got up at eight o'clock this morning and coaxed that ancestor for almost an hour... Let me make it clear to you first, my service is charged." Jiang You held Lang Xing's hand and wrapped a transparent silk thread around her ring finger.
Ma Yi watched the silk threads melt into Lang Xing's skin.
Jiang You stood up and sat on the other side of Lang Xing.
Ma Yi and Lang Xing's postures changed slightly again.
At first glance, it looked like three good friends were just chatting leisurely. A nurse walked by not far away, she glanced at them and continued walking forward.
"You'll thank me."
