The crowd of people on the street had died down by 4 o’clock in the morning .

The partying students had already returned to their dorms . The BBQ stand closed

at 2 am and they were the only customers left at the hot pot place .

The lights in the shop had turned off one by one and the waiter was now sweeping

the floor . He waved to Zhou Tingsheng: “Come back next time,” as Zhou Tingsheng

left carrying Ye Qiao .

Zhou Tingsheng put Ye Qiao at the back seat of his car, but she rolled off the seat

as soon as he started the car .

He had to park the car again and carry her to the front pa.s.senger seat . He fastened

the seat belt for her . Her head leaned against his forearm .

Her face was burning hot from too much alcohol; it was soft and warm . She lightly

rubbed her face against his arm .

Her eyelashes gently brushed against his skin, it was somewhat ticklish .

Zhou Tingsheng stepped on the accelerator . He wanted to go back to the hotel but

decided against it after giving it some thought . He drove towards the residential area

where they both lived, pa.s.sing by billboards for her movie one after another .

The doorman had fallen asleep already; only waking up after a honk from the car:

“Oh, Mr . Zhou, coming back this late?”

When the doorman saw Ye Qiao was slumped over in the pa.s.senger seat, he

stopped talking .

Zhou Tingsheng, with a sullen face, carried her from the car to the elevator, swiped

his card and pushed the floor number .

The woman in his arms was as light as a skeleton .

Ye Qiao was like an inflatable doll leaning on his shoulder and suddenly murmured

something in her dream .

Zhou Tingsheng watched the floor numbers go up and lightly answered: “En?”

Ye Qiao caught the front of his s.h.i.+rt and rubbed a red lip mark on his collar . Her

face was sad as if she was saying farewell to someone: “You help her . ”

“What?”

“You still help her . ”

Zhou Tingsheng realized that she was in a dream and decided to play along:

“Help who?”

“You help everyone else… . . . just not me . You never help me, saying I’m family . ”

She muttered on, he could only make out some of it . He used a finger to fiddle

under her chin like playing with a cat: “Who am I?”

“En… . . . Gu Jin……” Ye Qiao frowned and tried to get away from his finger .

Oh, Gu Jin, sounded familiar, he thought .

Her face suddenly turned quite serious and her voice turned solemn: “I’m not

family from now on . ”

family from now on . ”

He thought she had woken up; but after she finished, she seemed quite satisfied

with herself and her head went down on his shoulder back to sleep .

The elevator reached the 23rd floor . Zhou Tingsheng patted her head and said:

“We’re here . ”

The elevator door opened and before he could move towards Ye Qiao’s room,

someone called him: “Zhou Tingsheng . ”

The light came on as she spoke . Under the bright light, there was a woman

wearing a business suit .

Liang Zirao’s voice was still graceful; she only spoke fast when angered:

“What did you promise me? Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

“It’s dead . ”

“Hmph, who are you trying to fool? Coming back this late at night drunk and

with a woman . Look at yourself, look at how you look right now!”

“Hmph, who are you trying to fool? Coming back this late at night drunk and

with a woman . Look at yourself, look at how you look right now!”

Zhou Tingsheng, with Ye Qiao in his arms, bent over to pick up a ragged doll

in front of the door of apartment 2301 . The mouth of the doll was cut open and

the filling inside was dyed with red paint, twisted into stripes like animal intestines .

He picked the doll up and moved the doll up and down at Liang Zirao: “Jie . ”

“Get away!” Liang Zirao turned her face away in disgust . Who would put such a

doll at someone’s doorstep as a prank?

Zhou Tingsheng threw the doll away and still hadn’t answered her questions .

She shouted in irritation: “You, stand still!”

Zhou Tingsheng used his index finger and thumb as an arrow to point at Ye Qiao:

“Next door . I’m giving her a ride . ” He then curved up the corner of his mouth and

smiled shamelessly: “Don’t worry, I haven’t slept with her . ”