This time, Wang Xiaoliang did not refuse Li Xiude's invitation, but he chose the location.
The next day, he replied to Li Xiude on WeChat. They arranged to meet at an open-plan café inside a mall. He arrived early, and there were few people in the main hall. Soft jazz played, making the place feel all the emptier.
Two cups of coffee were set down, and the server withdrew.
Wang Xiaoliang spoke in a flat voice. "Back then, did you secretly photograph my Book of Fate?"
There was no small talk at all. The question was blunt.
Li Xiude laughed, making no attempt to hide it. "That's right. I make my living off it. I'm not afraid of you knowing." He leaned forward slightly. "Actually, the day Old Third left, I saw you reading that book at the guesthouse. I was too busy being scared to think much of it then. But afterward, I thought, at a time like that, you were still in the mood to read? So I got curious."
Wang Xiaoliang looked at him, expressionless, offering no response.
"You didn't tell me, but I saw how you changed." Li Xiude waved a hand in the air. "You put up curtains for the shower stalls, and it paid off immediately. We were named an exemplary group and got a five-hundred-yuan bonus. Then you started selling drinks at the Library, and in the dorm too. Business was good." He paused. "I thought about it for days and decided that book must have changed you. Otherwise, how would you have thought of hanging those curtains? You, of all people? You got nervous talking to strangers, yet you dared to sell drinks? So while you were out, I searched your drawers. In the end, I found it under your pillow and