Just a little friction.
After dispelling his sadness, Ding Ding cooked a tableful of dinner as usual. It looked no different from any other day, but only when they put it in their mouths did they discover it was bitterly salty.
Ding Ding sighed. "Don't eat it. I'll order takeout."
"I want to eat it!"
Bai Congming refused to put down his chopsticks. Back when he ate potato rice alone, he would put in plenty of salt too. His mother had said it gave him strength to work.
Dinner was a little salty, so all they had to do was drink some water with it. Bai Congming saw no problem at all.
"I said we're not eating it." Ding Ding took his bowl away. "Wait a little, okay?"
His tone was coaxing, so Bai Congming agreed. He just thought it was a shame to waste food.
"It won't go to waste," Ding Ding said. "I'll rinse it off later and feed it to Gouzai."
While they waited for the takeout, Ding Ding received the surveillance footage Fang Yun had sent him, taken by a camera facing the restroom.
Never before had Ding Ding been so grateful for the advent of advanced technology. The high-definition camera had a built-in audio recorder, capturing and replaying everything that had happened then.
Ding Ding watched Bai Congming hop into the restroom with little steps. Three to five minutes later, a group of men followed him inside.
Filthy conversation came through the speakers. Ding Ding's expression did not change. Only after the men finished talking and left did he close his eyes.
The man surnamed Zhao who made heather yarn, the man surnamed Jin who did testing, the man surnamed Zheng who did digital printing...
One face after another flashed through his mind, and Ding