The car arrived in under five minutes.
The cool air made Chi Yining's eyes narrow slightly as soon as he got inside.
"Hello, sir. Are you the account holder with a phone number ending in 5999? And your destination is Maple Forest Pedestrian Street?"
Chi Yining said, "Mm."
"Please fasten your seat belt."
Chi Yining said, "Mm."
The driver, a man in his forties, was still rather startled when he caught sight of Chi Yining's green dreadlocks in the rearview mirror. In a deep, resonant voice, he couldn't help asking curiously, "Young man, aren't you the entertainment industry's champion clinger?"
Chi Yining said, "..."
Motherfucking... I'll put up with it.
Chi Yining was inwardly gritting his teeth. The original owner had made such a spectacle of himself that he was a household name! He even had such a resounding title.
Chi Yining said, "Mm."
Then the driver added, "Don't get angry, young man. Let this old uncle be honest with you. That hair and that face of yours-I'd advise you to stop doing this stuff. Imagine how scary you'd look late at night. Neither the young ladies nor the handsome young men will like it."
Chi Yining said, "Th-thank you."
Didn't he know that himself?! How many psychological trials had he endured to break through the crowds wearing this face!
Now he couldn't even take a car ride in peace. But with the man advising him so earnestly, could he get angry? At the end of the day, the man was only trying to talk some sense into him. At least he hadn't kicked his ghostly-looking self out of the car.
Seeing that Chi Yining seemed preoccupied and answered him in such a cold tone, the driver wondered if he had been too harsh. Or had the online abuse been too vicious?
Never mind. He had better stop hurting the young man's feelings. It wouldn't be good if he developed psychological problems or something and went off to jump from a building.
Finally granted some quiet, Chi Yining enjoyed the comfort of the car's air-conditioning in the sweltering summer heat.
His head didn't hurt as much anymore, though the area around his right elbow was probably fairly badly scraped.
He could just buy some ointment at a pharmacy when he got back and apply it.
Chi Yining wanted very little: a comfortable environment and a healthy body.
But right now, not only did he have neither a comfortable environment nor a healthy body, he was also up to his neck in debt.
Ten minutes or so later.
"We're here, young man."
"Thank you, uncle."
After getting out, Chi Yining politely thanked him and closed the car door.
Back under the sun, he felt as though he was continuously losing HP...
With sweat-soaked makeup on his face, looking neither human nor ghost, he walked into a hair salon that looked as though it wouldn't charge much.
The decor and equipment inside were rather old. A three-bladed ceiling fan turned lazily beneath the slightly blackened white ceiling.
Perhaps because the shop was in the shade, it was fairly cool inside.
Chi Yining walked up to the bald barber and looked at him.
The barber looked back at him.
Half a minute passed like that...
Looking at the young man who had nearly given him a fright, the barber finally couldn't help asking, "What would you like done? A haircut, or...?"
Chi Yining said, "Sir, how much to undo the dreadlocks... and dye it black?"
The barber said, "Fifteen hundred."
Chi Yining said, "Eight hundred."
The barber said, "Thirteen hundred."
Chi Yining said, "Five hundred."
The barber said, "..."
He looked at the expressionless, ghostly-looking young man before him. He actually bargained lower and lower with every offer! It was the first time the barber had seen anything like it in his life!
With a helpless sigh, the middle-aged veteran barber waved a hand. "Fine, fine. Eight hundred. Go sit down."
Chi Yining said, "I'm thirsty..."
The barber said, "..."
Fine. Hair salons these days all offered that service. His shop couldn't fall behind either.
Two minutes later, the bald barber stared at the transparent water jug, now drained to the bottom, and sank into thought.
Then he heard the young man say, "Uncle, I'd like to wash my face. Do you have any face... cleanser?"
Progress! This time, he even knew to call him uncle!
"Go ahead. Use the basin at the shampoo chair. There's facial cleanser on the shelf, the men's kind."
He might have been getting on in years, but he still had things like facial cleanser.
Five minutes later, as the barber looked at the young man who emerged, the cape in his hands slipped all the way to the floor.