The next day.
Lu Jian lifted his head from the table and stretched his sore back. With a soft thud, the jacket draped over his shoulders fell to the floor. He rubbed his eyes and looked back; the bed was empty. Looking down at the clothing on the floor, he picked it up casually, realizing it was not his.
It must have been Cheng Shixu who covered him with it.
He left without even saying a word.
He checked the time and saw it was already past 1:00 PM. Lu Jian hurriedly packed his test papers, but he slowed down when he noticed they were covered in many red ink marks. He looked carefully at the red circles and the detailed explanations written on the paper.
Did he get up early just to grade my papers?
With that thought, Lu Jian slowly folded the papers and put them into his bag along with the jacket, then hurried out of the hotel.
When he went to the pawn shop, the shopkeeper agreed to a mortgage of 500,000, but Lu Jian insisted on only 300,000 before signing the agreement. As he left, he stared at the necklace, which the shopkeeper had carefully tucked away. He swore he would redeem it one day.
On the other side, Cheng Shixu returned to the hotel with breakfast, only to find the room empty. He sighed and set the food down. Where did he go?
It is so inconvenient.
He pulled out his phone and dialed a string of numbers. Only when the operator’s voice informed him that the number was disconnected did he snap out of his daze and stare blankly at the phone.
He forgot to ask for Lu Jian’s number. He was dialing the Lu Jian’s number from his previous life.
“A-Xu.”
He heard He Yu’s voice outside the door. He turned around. “How is it? Is your head still hurting?”
He Yu leaned against the doorframe and looked down at his phone. “I am fine. The driver is waiting downstairs. Let us go to the mountains for tea and grab some lunch; there is a new place that opened up.”
Cheng Shixu nodded and followed him out.
Once in the car, He Yu began asking about the previous night, wanting to know how he and Lu Jian knew each other and if they were classmates.
Cheng Shixu shook his head. “He is from a vocational school.”
He Yu was clearly surprised. “He is from a vocational school? You should spend less time with people from vocational schools. It is your senior year; take it easy.” Besides, he felt that Lu Jian did not seem like the type of person who was easy to get along with. “Where did you go with him last night?”
“We just talked.” Cheng Shixu leaned against the car window and looked at the scenery. The wind blowing against his face still carried the lingering heat of late summer. Suddenly, the car came to a stop. “What is wrong?”
The driver in front said, “I am sorry, it seems like there is a problem with the car. I will arrange another vehicle to pick you up.”
He Yu waved his hand and said, “It is fine, we are not in a rush.” With his sharp eyes, he immediately spotted a repair shop not far away. “There is a shop over there. Let us go and ask them.”
Not long after the driver got out, he returned with several burly men. Cheng Shixu and He Yu walked over, and soon, one of the men drove their car away past them.
Cheng Shixu was distractedly thinking about where Lu Jian had gone and what kind of trouble his family was in, when he looked up and saw a familiar figure in a tank top at the entrance of the repair shop. His eyes locked onto the back of the figure.
The man in the tank top was lying under the rear of a car, holding pliers and other tools, busy with something. Moments later, he poked his head out, causing Cheng Shixu to stop in his tracks.
Lu Jian was covered in thick, black motor oil; he had smudges everywhere, including on his cheeks. He saw Cheng Shixu but did not react much, extending his right hand. On his right arm, uncovered by sleeves, was a dense tattoo, like an Arabic totem, though the details were hard to make out.
As soon as Cheng Shixu saw the full-sleeve tattoo, the smile on his face vanished completely.
I was wrong.
I was truly wrong.
The “Lu Jian” he knew had no tattoos; the skin on his right arm was smooth. Even if a tattoo were removed, it would leave marks; it would not be flawless.
“Cheng Shixu.” Lu Jian crawled out and wiped his face with the white towel around his neck, giving a reserved smile. “What are you doing here?” He had not expected the person who was always pestering him to approach him today without responding to his greeting. Cheng Shixu walked toward him with a dark expression. Lu Jian wondered in confusion, “Did he not sleep well?”
“Why is it you again?” He Yu spoke up first. “Just how many jobs do you have?” Yesterday you were a waiter at the hotel, and today you are a mechanic.
Lu Jian looked at him with an unchanging expression, then turned to Cheng Shixu, who had reached him. “Cheng… hiss… what are you doing!” His arm was being grabbed and scrubbed hard, as if Cheng Shixu were trying to rub his skin off. “Hey!” He shook off his hand, meeting Cheng Shixu’s lost, helpless gaze. “What is wrong with you?”
“Your tattoo… it is real…” Cheng Shixu stared at his own fingers, which were free of any ink, and then at the tattoo on Lu Jian’s arm, which remained perfectly intact. The skin was red from being rubbed, but nothing else had changed. “It is actually real.”
So, he really had identified the wrong person.
“Tell me! Do you have a twin brother?” Cheng Shixu could not describe his own emotions. He broke down, grabbing Lu Jian’s hands and questioning him.
Lu Jian was in pain from the grip, but for the sake of the necklace, he controlled his temper. “No.” He was an orphan; where would he get a twin brother? “What do you mean?”
He Yu, unaware of what had happened, rushed over and pulled Cheng Shixu away. “A-Xu! What is wrong with you?” He rarely saw Cheng Shixu experience such an intense emotional shift. Thinking Lu Jian had done something, he glared at him. “What did you do to A-Xu?”
The owner of the repair shop also ran out. “What is the matter, gentlemen? He is just a temporary worker. If he offended you, it has nothing to do with our shop!” He quickly distanced himself from the situation. “Hurry up and apologize to these gentlemen!”
Lu Jian felt wronged; he had no idea what he had done wrong. He had only said hello. He rubbed his arm. “Cheng Shixu, I will pay you back as soon as possible.” He thought Cheng Shixu regretted giving him the necklace, but the money from it had already been sent to the hospital; he could not return it now. “I can help you run errands whenever you need.”
“No, no, that is not it.” Cheng Shixu shook his head in a daze, stepping back several times. The thought that he had really mistaken the person, combined with his actions toward Lu Jian over the past few days, made him feel like he had betrayed the real Lu Jian.
Perhaps, Lu Jian did have a twin, and this “Lu Jian” was the one who had been left out and never acknowledged. That would explain why he attended a vocational school, worked multiple jobs, was poor, could not study well, and used rough language.
But what about the name? Why is it the same?
He had never met Lu Jian’s family, and the name “Lu Jian” was indeed on his ID card.
No. It is more likely that it is just a coincidence of having the same name. There are so many people in this world who look alike, and since he had never seen the original Lu Jian when he was young, it is possible he was just anxious and made a mistake.
At this thought, his mood hit rock bottom. He pulled on He Yu. “I am fine.” He looked at Lu Jian again with a gaze different from before, cold and distant. “Sorry for the trouble these past few days. I think I mistook you for someone else. I will not bother you again.” After saying this, he dragged He Yu away, needing to think about where the real Lu Jian could be.
Maybe he is not at the Experimental High School in West City. He could be in East City, South City, North City, or even Sea City.
“Eh? A-Xu? What is going on? If he bullied you, tell me, buddy. I will make sure he cannot survive in West City.” He Yu continued to spout threats while being pulled away by Cheng Shixu, not forgetting to glare at Lu Jian, who remained standing in place.
Lu Jian watched them walk to the roadside, hail a taxi, and speed away, disappearing into the traffic. His upturned eyes drooped, and he turned back to continue repairing the car.
The smell of gasoline was heavy and pungent, making his nose sting.
I already told him I was not the person he was looking for. Why did he only just realize it today?
He looked down at his right hand. Is it because of the tattoo?
The husband Cheng Shixu spoke of did not have a tattoo.
If that was the reason, then he truly could not be that person.
He had another job site to guard, and because he feared the boss would think he was too young to hire him, he had specifically gotten the tattoo. It did not matter since it was covered by his school uniform anyway, which was the main reason he always wore the autumn-style uniform jacket.
He felt a pang of resentment toward Cheng Shixu’s fickleness. Yesterday, he was smiling sweetly and calling him “husband,” but after realizing his mistake just now, the look in his eyes held no warmth at all.
Whatever. Thinking about it is useless. I need to figure out how to make money. I am currently under a huge debt. Luckily, the pawn term is ten years, otherwise I would not know how to redeem it.
The sound of screws being hammered against iron plates rang out, muffled by the music playing in the shop and the noise from the street.
Cheng Shixu, now knowing he had misidentified the person, lost his appetite for lunch. He said a hurried goodbye to He Yu and returned to school.
He thought that perhaps the real Lu Jian was still in the high school division, perhaps he just was not well-known because his grades were not outstanding at this time. At the very least, he had to confirm there was no one named Lu Jian at the Experimental High School in West City before searching elsewhere.
For several days, Cheng Shixu asked around during class if anyone knew a “Lu Jian.” The result was as expected: there was no one named Lu Jian in his senior year.
He is so smart, he thought; could he have skipped a grade and be in a different year?
Knock, knock, knock…
“Shixu, come to my office for a moment.”
As he was pondering, his homeroom teacher called him. Cheng Shixu put down his papers and went out. In the office, the teacher asked if he was getting used to things here, noting that there would be a test in half a month.
He had originally attended First High, a key high school where the teaching level and average grades were higher than here. Because he had transferred, both the teachers and the homeroom teacher valued him. It was just a pity that he had not studied high school subjects for over a decade, and he did not know if he could get good grades.
“Do not worry, just do your best. Do not put too much pressure on yourself.” The homeroom teacher drank tea from a cup with a “happiness” character printed on it. “If you have any questions, feel free to come to me.”
Cheng Shixu replied, “I will. Thank you, teacher.” He was about to leave, but suddenly thought he could just ask the teacher if she knew a Lu Jian. If his classmates did not know him, the teacher certainly would. “Teacher, is there a student named Lu Jian in our grade? He should have pretty good grades.”
The homeroom teacher pondered. “Lu Jian?” She had been there for over a decade; she remembered every student with even decent grades, and she remembered the troublemakers, too. Since the name did not ring a bell, she searched the system. “No. Why are you looking for him?”
“Nothing, I was just curious. Could he be from the previous graduating class?”
“No.”
Cheng Shixu left the office, disheartened.