No way... Is the driver connected to the monocle incident " The Star " mentioned? Was he also contaminated, or was he the source of the contamination? Wait, why did I use the word "contamination"...? At that moment, I felt like my heart stopped for two seconds.
I forgot about my dizziness and suddenly started checking my belongings:
The phone is still there!
The key is still here!
I still have my bus card!
I still have the seven yuan change!
The shoes are still there, the pants are still there, the clothes are still there, and the person is still here!
Phew... nothing was lost, nothing went wrong... I breathed a sigh of relief, realizing I was just overthinking things.
People are always prone to scaring themselves.
Since I had already taken out my phone, I checked the time as well:
3:25.
That driver was going so fast! We were five or six minutes ahead of schedule on the app. No wonder I got carsick... I now have a new understanding of what happened earlier.
So that's what happened!
However, I felt like I hadn't been in the car for fifteen minutes, and it felt like we hadn't even exchanged a few words before we arrived.
Because I got carsick later, I guess... I raised my head, tried to figure out which way to go, and walked toward the very conspicuous police station gate.
It was a courtyard with several buildings deep inside, and two fully armed police officers stood guard at the entrance.
At that moment, a question suddenly occurred to me, a question that came to mind after checking my belongings earlier:
I didn't bring a paper notebook or a pen!
Of course, this is not my oversight, but rather because I'm used to using my phone's memo app to take notes. For large, professional occasions, I'll just use my laptop. I haven't used a paper notebook in the last two years.
Well, in a unit like the police department, the leaders in charge definitely wouldn't approve of someone tapping away on their phone during business conversations—it's impolite! When dealing with them, it's better to be conservative and traditional. Hmm, I'll find a stationery store first, buy a pen and a notebook, then go in. Hehe, in the workplace, putting on airs is an art... I immediately looked around, searching for my target store.
At this point, I always praise myself for my habit of allowing myself some extra time, which keeps me calm and doesn't make me rush.
I had arranged to visit the project leader from the police department at 4 p. m., leaving a full 35 minutes of extra time.
Normally, it takes about 20 minutes to get here by taxi from the company. With the added steps of going downstairs, waiting for the car, and entering the building, the total time is about 35 minutes. I set off at 3 o'clock, and booking at 3:45 was already quite generous. However, considering the possibility of traffic jams, various registrations and checks, and unforeseen minor accidents, I ultimately booked at 4 o'clock.
Who knew that the driver with the monocle was driving incredibly fast; I even drove ahead of him quite a bit.
After looking around, I couldn't find a stationery store, so I quickly took out my phone and used a map app to find nearby shops.
The nearest stationery store is two kilometers away... Should I take a taxi there? Just as I was hesitating, I suddenly spotted a small shop across the street, at the street corner:
" Star Dream General Store "
A general store... maybe they have stationery... I'll go check first, if not, I'll take a taxi... Ha, Star Dream, just like a celebrity management company... I quickly made up my mind, quickened my pace, and crossed the pedestrian crossing as the green light flashed.
Soon, I arrived at the " Star Dream General Store ".
This shop is very cramped and poorly lit, making it quite dark inside, giving you the feeling of instantly going from afternoon to night.
The shop is flanked by shelves about 1.8 meters high, displaying a wide variety of items, all of which look rather odd.
The cashier was at the very back, where a woman in a black dress sat with her back to two wooden cabinets, facing a tablet computer, looking down at her phone.
The tablet was playing a very old TV series, which added a bit of life to the gloomy shop, but it was clear that the shopkeeper was just listening to the sound and didn't care about the content at all.
This shop is poorly designed, and the owner doesn't seem to care at all. If I were a thief, I could just grab a few items and walk away without her noticing... I muttered to myself, then walked to the cashier and tapped the wooden board three times with my fingers.
"Hello, do you have notebooks and pens? I mean paper notebooks."
The woman in the black dress raised her head, smiled, and replied:
Yes, it is there.
Her voice was very gentle, which immediately calmed me down, and she was quite beautiful; even in the dim light, her delicate beauty could not be concealed.
I didn't look at it for long; I followed the grocery store owner's finger and looked at the corner of the third shelf on the right.
There was something that looked like a notebook, but its shape was very strange, as if it were made of pages of brass.
"Is this a notebook?" I reached out and picked up the brass-like book.
It felt cold to the touch, as if it were made of metal, but inside it was indeed paper.
"Yes," the shop owner in the black dress said with a calm smile, "My shop's main selling point is 'mystery,' and all the items have that characteristic."
Differentiated competition... that's the term that flashed through my mind.
At the same time, I looked around and saw an antique-looking quill pen, a silver mirror with black eyeballs on both sides, several dice of different shapes, and so on, too many to count.
The mirror... I instinctively picked it up with my other hand.
I want to check my current condition so that motion sickness doesn't negatively impact my appearance and affect my business communication later.
My face was quickly reflected in that mirror:
Black hair, brown eyes, striking features, and sharp lines...
Holy crap, when did I become so handsome? I can hardly believe I'm seeing myself in the mirror!
I paused for two seconds, then quickly put down the brass-like notebook, took out my phone, and used the screen to re-examine myself.
This is normal, I still look the same as before... I turned my head to look at the mirror again, and I was still very handsome in the mirror.
"... What's wrong with this mirror?" I couldn't help but ask.
The woman in the black dress smiled slightly:
"This is a smart mirror."
"Ah, I get it." I suddenly realized.
A smart mirror with built-in beauty filters and Photoshop effects!
Simply put, it's actually a special tablet that connects directly to apps like Douyin and beauty camera apps.
Thinking about it that way, I felt a bit bored and immediately put the mirror back in its place.
For some reason, I felt this mirror was a bit sticky, and it took quite a bit of force to pull my hand back.
"How much is this notebook, plus this quill pen?" I didn't waste any time, picked up the brass notebook again, and asked about the price.
The boss, dressed in a black dress and with a gentle voice, pursed her lips and chuckled softly:
"Ten million."
Pfft... I almost spat in her face.
"These two items are antiques," the shop owner added.
"... Are there any that aren't antiques, but rather normal ones?" I took a breath and asked directly.
"Yes." The person in the black dress pointed to my side and behind.
I turned around and saw a black, ordinary notebook.
I picked it up and flipped through it. I was certain that the notebook's cover was made of cardboard, while the inner paper was a parchment-like material. One page featured a drawing of a " The Fool " dressed in ornate clothing and wearing a dazzling headdress.
How could I, with " The Fool " as my online name, not recognize " The Fool "?
"How much?" I asked casually.
"30 yuan," the shopkeeper replied politely.
"It's a bit expensive. What about this pen?" I casually picked up another dark red, classic-looking, round-bellied fountain pen.
"25. If you buy both, it'll be 50 for you," the shopkeeper in the black dress said with a smile.
I hesitated for a few seconds, thinking that compared to taking a taxi two kilometers away, 50 yuan wasn't unacceptable—that would not only be a waste of time, but would also cost ten or twenty yuan round trip, and if you included the cost of the notebook and pen, it would be about thirty or forty yuan in total.
"Okay." I took out my phone and completed the payment.
After leaving " Star Dream General Store " and returning to the main gate of the police station, I registered at the gatehouse.
During this process, a police car drove out.
"Is there an emergency?" the policeman on duty asked.
Inside the vehicle waiting for the barrier to rise, the driver replied nonchalantly:
"Damn it, a car thief has appeared! He stole two cars!"