Chen Ge and Zhang Ya stayed at the restaurant talking until late. They stood beneath the dim streetlights, gazing at the city before them.
"Your leg hasn't healed yet. Let me take you home." With her Vengeful Spirit makeup removed, Zhang Ya had a different kind of beauty about her.
"I should be the one taking you home. It's so late, and I wouldn't feel right letting you go back alone." Chen Ge hailed a taxi, and he and Zhang Ya got in together.
They both sat in the back. Perhaps because the driver was there, neither of them spoke again.
One quietly watched the scenery outside, while the other lowered her head to look at her hands.
When they reached the entrance to Zhang Ya's residential complex, Chen Ge got out and saw her to the building. He didn't leave until she had gone inside.
Watching Zhang Ya's back, Chen Ge felt something he couldn't put into words. It wasn't just affection. Beneath the sweetness, there seemed to be a trace of pain.
"Reality is so beautiful. I haven't dreamed in a long time."
Chen Ge walked along the Pedestrian Path, not wanting to take a taxi. He wandered aimlessly.
The city before him was bustling and beautiful, but he still felt out of place, like a lonely soul everyone had forgotten.
"I'll take tonight off. I'll get a good night's sleep."
It was past midnight when Chen Ge returned to the Haunted House. He opened its security barriers with practiced ease, pulled aside the blackout curtain, and entered the Staff Break Room.
The White Cat was crouched on the table, tearing at a box of cat food. As soon as it saw Chen Ge, it jumped aside, as if insisting that it had nothing to do with the