Tracking

Chen Guibin slumped onto the floor, staring blankly at Yang Chu, staring into the void.

Everything around him seemed to be ripped away in an instant: the polished floor, the wooden table set with chess pieces, the rows of bookshelves, the potted plants beneath the walls, the portraits of famous figures, the ceiling with its incandescent lights and ceiling fans—

Twisting, warping, swaying, spinning, the world turned upside down.

Countless whispers echoed in his ears, some shrill or melodic, others grating or deep, dense and overwhelming.

Chaos, absurdity, darkness; countless lights and shadows intertwined and spun, endless—

Deep within the scene before him, it seemed, it seemed as if something was emerging, bit by bit...

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

A gentle voice suddenly rang out beside his ear.

Everything before him dissipated in an instant.

"Ah—"

Chen Guibin let out a cry of terror, blinked his eyes, and looked up to see Xu Xi beside him, reaching out to help him stand.

Yang Chu stood not far away, watching him. The table with the chess pieces, the rows of bookshelves, everything was perfectly normal.

"I..."

Chen Guibin's mouth worked, and he wrenched himself free from Xu Xi's grasp, shaking his head violently and slapping his forehead with his palm before stumbling to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Xu Xi asked with concern, watching Chen Guibin's state.

Standing to the side, Yang Chu was also baffled by Chen Guibin's sudden change.

"I'm fine."

Chen Guibin shook his head, keeping his head low. He didn't dare look at Yang Chu, nor even at Xu Xi, but turned and hurried toward the library exit. "I still have things to do at the station, I'm heading back."

"Not staying for a meal?"

Xu Xi called out from behind, his face still showing confusion at Chen Guibin's inexplicable behavior.

"Not eating."

Chen Guibin's voice came from outside the door, tinged with agitation, his footsteps quickening.

"Must be too much work stress."

Watching Chen Guibin leave, Xu Xi turned back to Yang Chu and offered a smiling explanation.

"The way he looked at me was a bit strange."

Yang Chu recalled the look in Chen Guibin's eyes, feeling both puzzled and curious.

"You are quite strange yourself."

Xu Xi replied with a smile, then paused. "It's rare these days to see someone like you reading in a public library."

"Is that so?" Yang Chu smiled at Xu Xi. "I thought you were going to say I'd put on weight. Actually, everyone is a bit strange, aren't they?"

"Haha—"

Xu Xi laughed it off, changing the subject. "How about dinner tonight? My treat this time."

"Sure." Yang Chu nodded, then added, "But no boxed lunches, right? I eat a lot."

"Then I know a stir-fry place. The owner is very skilled, and, well, it's very cheap." Xu Xi smiled and began tidying up the chess pieces on the table. "You go ahead, I'll lock up."

Half an hour later.

In a small alley behind Un Chau Street in Sham Shui Po, a tiny shop called "Uncle Fang's Stir-fried Noodles."

"Hey, that's your eighth plate. Any more and I won't have enough money to pay the bill."

Xu Xi looked at the stack of plates beside the table, tapped the tabletop, and teased Yang Chu, who sat opposite him.

"I told you I eat a lot."

Yang Chu kept his head down, shoveling the beef chow fun into his mouth. Only after chewing and swallowing rapidly did he look up to reply to Xu Xi.

"That's still eating way too much."

Xu Xi shook his head and gestured toward the man in a tank top with thinning hair who was busy stir-frying at the stove. "See that uncle cooking for you? You might not be tired of eating, but he's tired of cooking."

"Just let me finish this plate." Yang Chu replied casually, head bowed as he shoveled more noodles from his plate.

"It's a deal, then, or I really won't pay."

Xu Xi sat opposite him, watching the plates and Yang Chu's continuous eating, a shy smile still lingering on his face.

He was actually quite curious about Yang Chu. The shop was noisy with the sounds of stir-frying and chatter, but he could faintly hear the soft, rhythmic churning of Yang Chu's internal organs.

This wasn't the behavior of a normal person, much like the first time he met Yang Chu and heard the precision of the man's heartbeat and breathing.

He didn't know what Yang Chu's situation was, and he didn't press for answers, just as Yang Chu had never asked about him.

In all his time at the Po On Road Public Library, the only people he truly considered friends were Chen Guibin and Yang Chu, because none of them ever pried into each other's pasts.

"Boss, one order of beef chow fun."

Just then, a woman with a pretty face and a sexy figure walked into the shop and called out to Uncle Fang, who was busy at the stove.

"Miss, please have a seat. It'll be ready in a moment."

Uncle Fang, the shop owner with thinning hair, looked slightly agitated at the sight of this sexy woman and hurriedly called out to greet her.

Although all sorts of people frequented his small shop, urban beauties as alluring and sexy as this one were quite rare.

The other diners in the small shop couldn't help but steal a few extra glances once this urban beauty appeared.

The moment the woman entered the shop, Xu Xi's expression shifted slightly. He lowered his head, a look of anxiety crossing his face, and reached into his pocket to pull out a few Hong Kong dollar bills. Placing them on the table, he whispered to Yang Chu, "Sigh, my stomach isn't feeling too well, I can't wait for you anymore. Come find me at the library when you have time."

Yang Chu looked up at Xu Xi, asked no further questions, and simply nodded. "In that case, next time I'd like to look at some books on combat, athletic training, and human mechanics. If you find any, remember to keep an eye out for me."

"Alright, alright..." Xu Xi replied softly. Hunched over slightly, he followed behind a waiter who was just delivering a meal to a nearby table and walked quickly toward the exit.

Yang Chu glanced at Xu Xi's retreating back, then looked at the sexy woman who had just sat down after ordering, and went back to eating the stir-fried noodles in front of him.

"Boss, check, please."

A short while later, Yang Chu finished the food on his plate, took a few sips of the shop's cheap tea, sat quietly for another minute, and then stood up to pay.

"That'll be 170 dollars," the young man who doubled as cashier and waiter said after checking the receipt.

After settling the bill, Yang Chu walked out of the noodle shop at a steady, unhurried pace.

Outside on Un Chau Street, the streetlights were just flickering to life, and the area was packed with dense crowds of people coming and going.

Yang Chu did not take a taxi or any other vehicle. Instead, he continued walking steadily along Un Chau Street. He wasn't far from the Sham Shui Po Public Swimming Pool, and after walking a bit further, it wouldn't take long to reach Fish Head Xu's home.

After Yang Chu left Uncle Fang's Stir-fried Noodles, the sexy, alluring urban beauty also walked out. She looked toward the direction Yang Chu had gone, reached into her pocket, pulled out a pack of women's cigarettes, and elegantly lit one for herself.

Soon, a few figures appeared near the alleyways and shops, looking like tourists wandering about. They scattered in twos and threes, blending into the crowd and following in the direction Yang Chu had taken.

The sexy, alluring urban beauty took a few elegant puffs of her cigarette, flicked the half-finished butt into a nearby trash can, and then began to walk unhurriedly in the same direction as Yang Chu and the others.

After this urban beauty had left, Xu Xi, who had claimed he was leaving earlier, slowly stepped out onto the street from another shop next to Uncle Fang's Stir-fried Noodles.

Gazing at the bustling, noisy, and crowded Un Chau Street, a thoughtful look appeared on Xu Xi's face. He stood there pondering for a moment before finally following after them.

Thank you all for your tips and votes. Happy National Day!

The next update will be at 10 PM.