Lipstick

Under the dripping raincoat, a pair of iron handcuffs glinted harshly in the light.

"Don't move, you're under arrest. Put down what you're holding and come with me!"

A gun barrel, black as a void, pointed at Zhao Ke. A man's face gradually became clear under the raincoat, a faint curve lifting the corners of his mouth beneath a thick stubble.

"Boring! How old are you, still playing pranks."

Seeing the same old prank before him, Zhao Ke's mouth twitched. He rolled his eyes, completely unconcerned. However, Zhao Ke's face quickly fell.

Two large, dark footprints stood out starkly on the gleaming floor. Zhao Ke's face darkened, and he grabbed the colander beside him, smashing it towards the man's head. His voice was squeezed through his teeth as he cursed, "Get lost! My floor!"

The man had been joking at first, but upon seeing the colander Zhao Ke threw, his pupils contracted sharply. He quickly bent down, and a gust of wind whistled past his ear. With a "clang," the colander hit the wall.

"Holy hell, you're serious!"

Glancing back, the man couldn't help but gasp. If that had hit him on the head, it probably would have given him a concussion.

Zhao Ke's face was expressionless, but he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. In his momentary excitement, he had forgotten that his strength had doubled.

Seeing the man still bouncing around, however, he immediately relaxed. Without a word, he picked up a rag from the table and tossed it gently.

"There are slippers in the shoe cabinet on the left, and hangers on the right. Clean the floor."

"Am I not your real brother?!"

Looking at the rag in his hand, then at Zhao Ke, Lei Ke clutched his chest, feigning heartbreak.

"We're roasting bear paws tonight. If you want to eat, clean the floor for me," Zhao Ke said, holding up a bear paw for Lei Ke to see.

Upon seeing the bear paw in Zhao Ke's hand, which was almost as big as a washbasin, Lei Ke froze. He then stomped his foot and cursed, "You little brat, what zoo did you rob? I'm telling you, if you keep this up, I'll really turn you in."

Lei Ke cursed, but his hands were quick. He took off his raincoat and threw off his leather shoes.

His face was chiseled, with sharp features. Especially his bright, piercing eyes; even with a smile in them now, they still gave off a sharp, keen impression. Standing there, he was like a drawn sword, sharp and resolute, exuding an aura of righteousness that made it hard to look directly at him.

Yet, this awe-inspiring man was now honestly bent over on the ground, quickly cleaning the floor. Then, he darted to Zhao Ke's dining table, his eyes fixed on the bear paws Zhao Ke was preparing.

"Exquisite!"

Lei Ke pursed his lips, unable to help but praise. Clearly, when it came to food, he was an expert.

Zhao Ke took out a new set of knives from a drawer and began to skin the bear. He cut along the thick joints of the bear paw. The knife sliced into the flesh, and with a light stroke, the pinkish true skin revealed the distinct red and white marbling beneath.

Skinning, deboning, sinewing, and seasoning were almost done in one fluid motion. Lei Ke sat on a chair, took a cigarette from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, picked up the gun he had just pulled out, and pulled the trigger.

"Click!"

A wisp of flame shot out from the muzzle. It turned out the gun in front of him was just a lighter.

"Hiss!"

Lei Ke took a contented puff, exhaled a smoke ring, and simultaneously gazed at Zhao Ke's long, shapely hands as he prepared the bear paws.

Compared to fine food, he actually preferred to savor the process, to witness the birth of a culinary masterpiece.

"I've resigned."

Zhao Ke's hands paused, and he looked up at Lei Ke. To Lei Ke's surprise, Zhao Ke merely nodded, without the strong reaction he had expected.

"Hey, I'm not kidding."

"I know. It's for sister-in-law."

Lei Ke took a deep breath and nodded. Although Zhao Ke sent him a sum of money every month, Pei Pei's treatment costs were getting higher and higher.

Even though Zhao Ke was willing to bear the expenses, out of his pride as a man, Lei Ke had decided he needed another job.

He took a file folder from his pocket and placed it on the table. Seeing Zhao Ke's calm expression, Lei Ke chuckled strangely, "Aren't you going to ask what I plan to do?"

However, Zhao Ke didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on the hot oil. Seeing the bear paws in the pot starting to turn a golden brown, he quickly scooped them out. He placed a piece of honeycomb on top of the bear paws and then put them into the steamer together.

He glanced back at the file bag by Lei Ke's hand, shook his head, and took out a card from the cabinet, handing it to Lei Ke.

"Take this money. There's about 1.6 million in here. The password is six 7s. Call me if you need anything."

Zhao Ke didn't want to know what Lei Ke was doing. If Lei Ke wanted to tell him, he would; if not, asking would be useless.

However, no matter what Lei Ke did, Zhao Ke wouldn't stop him. They had grown up together in an orphanage, and Zhao Ke knew Lei Ke's temperament very well.

If he wanted to be a tree, he would be the biggest and tallest tree, even at the risk of being struck by lightning. His fierce pride meant that besides his sister-in-law, no one could make him bow his head.

Lei Ke looked at the bank card Zhao Ke handed him and didn't stand on ceremony. He was short on money now, and their relationship was like that of brothers, so politeness wasn't his style. He could only keep this kindness in his heart.

After carefully observing that Zhao Ke's mood seemed to be alright, Lei Ke hesitated for a moment and then said in a low voice, "Otherwise... why don't you go to America and see? Recently... it hasn't appeared, has it?"

Mentioning "it," even Lei Ke couldn't help but become tense. He had personally witnessed how terrifying Zhao Ke became when he had an episode, how he completely transformed into someone else. That change... was very strange, not a traditional form of schizophrenia, but a fundamental change in personality.

"Hmm... it seems not."

Zhao Ke thought for a moment. He hadn't had an episode recently, and even when he was drawn into the horror space this time, his condition hadn't relapsed.

After receiving Zhao Ke's confirmation, Lei Ke let out a soft sigh of relief.

The two chatted idly, and before long, a unique, savory aroma filled the entire cafeteria.

"Done!"

Lifting the lid of the steamer and seeing his masterpiece, Zhao Ke's lips curved upwards. He opened the steamer, carefully took out the serving platter, and placed it on the table in front of him.

"Fish Sheep Bear Paw!"

The honeycomb that had been placed on the bear paw had already turned into a sauce, drizzled over the golden crispy skin. Zhao Ke picked up his chopsticks and gently poked it.

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, the outer skin gradually cracked open, revealing the tender, red meat underneath, which had been steamed to perfection.

"I'll try it first!"

Seeing this, Lei Ke couldn't help but swallow hard. Unafraid of the heat, he scooped some up with a spoon. The bear meat below was as soft as tofu, and Lei Ke stuffed it into his mouth.

As soon as the meat entered his mouth, Lei Ke's eyes widened, as if he wanted to swallow his own tongue.

Soft, fragrant, and rich – these were secondary. The most important thing was the umami, which was even more intensely savory than fugu, combined with a texture like soy milk.

Holding it in his mouth, it gave one the illusion of being deeply _____.

Even though he had witnessed the entire cooking process, Lei Ke still couldn't understand how Zhao Ke had achieved this level of perfection.

Of course, he wouldn't ask for the secret. He remembered trying to imitate Zhao Ke's cooking methods a long time ago, and the result… Pei Pei had almost beaten him to death, and even neighbors had called the police, suspecting he was boiling feces.

Not only did he fail to cook the dish, but he was also forced to stay in a hotel for several days until the stench finally dissipated. It was said that the families living in the same building with him had almost cursed him to death during those days.

After that painful lesson, Lei Ke no longer tried to imitate Zhao Ke's cooking. He was already very satisfied with the occasional chance to have a good meal.

Zhao Ke tasted a few bites. It was not bad. After all, it was a top-grade bear paw. Such ingredients, if available in reality, were difficult to obtain.

The portion of this bear paw should have been enough for four people, but Zhao Ke had been toiling in the horror space for so long that he was really hungry. He ate it with white steamed buns, devouring it heartily.

Lei Ke, of course, didn't stand on ceremony with Zhao Ke. As mentioned above, such ingredients were too rare. Even for ordinary wealthy people, it was very difficult to get their hands on them.

As for ordinary people, they could probably only look at photos online their entire lives and would never have the chance to experience it. Moreover, with top-grade ingredients and a top chef, such deliciousness was not something ordinary people could easily enjoy.

The two of them ate heartily. Finally, Zhao Ke made a bowl of noodles and sprinkled them over the sauce. Only after their bellies were round did they lie back on their chairs contentedly.

"Here."

Lei Ke took out a cigarette and offered it to Zhao Ke. Zhao Ke took it, but didn't light it. He just sniffed it a few times under his nose and casually placed it on the table.

After all, he needed to maintain his keen sense of smell and taste. Smoking, while it wouldn't make him lose his sense of taste, would make his sensitivity to flavors dull.

Lei Ke didn't have as many concerns as Zhao Ke. He lay back on the chair casually, lit a cigarette, took a few deep puffs, glanced at the time, and stood up to leave.

Before leaving, Lei Ke suddenly looked back at the box Zhao Ke had placed on the table, and his brow furrowed: "You're not thinking of..."

"What??"

Zhao Ke didn't understand what Lei Ke meant.

Seeing this, Lei Ke pointed to the wooden box on Zhao Ke's table and said, "That urn is..."

Zhao Ke was stunned. He looked back at the rosewood box on the table, his mouth twitched. After Lei Ke mentioned it, Zhao Ke also realized that this rectangular box was indeed shaped like an urn.

Immediately, Zhao Ke said irritably, "It's for storing garbage!"

"Oh!"

With Zhao Ke's explanation, Lei Ke was relieved. Based on his understanding of Zhao Ke, if this box were for Zhao Ke's own use, Zhao Ke would never have said it was a box for garbage.

After seeing Lei Ke off, Zhao Ke glanced at the clock. It was already six in the morning. He walked up to the attic and opened the bedroom door. Inside, a coffin was placed in Zhao Ke's bedroom.

He pulled open the coffin and lay down inside. Perhaps he was too tired, as he didn't pull the lid shut. Soon, Zhao Ke fell asleep.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock..."

In the dim room, the hour hand on the clock ticked away.

"Buzz..."

At this moment, a drawer on the dressing table was gently pulled open by a slender finger. Zhao Ke had somehow emerged from the coffin and was checking the time.

Seeing the gaunt face in the mirror, he opened his mouth, as if muttering something in a low voice, but without any sound. He looked up at the mirror, and a sly smile suddenly appeared on Zhao Ke's face. He casually took out a lipstick from the drawer and applied it to his lips.