TCOR CH34

Chapter 34: You’re Hurting Me

As April approached, Xu Ao returned to the war zone alone. On the day he left, he didn’t tell anyone and only sent a group text message to say goodbye before boarding the plane.

Although I knew it was his own choice and his pursuit of ‘reality’, I couldn’t help but feel sad thinking about the long journey ahead and the possibility of never seeing him again.

When I received the text message, Xu Meiqing and I accompanied Yu Xiaoshan to check the preparations of the exhibition hall. Yu Xiaoshan was very strict about the preparations, from the placement of the exhibits to the spacing of the font on the exhibit labels. Everything was supposed to be done in the morning, but because of his ‘exacting standards’, it was delayed until the afternoon.

Meiqing and I were both feeling a little tired, and I think Yu Xiaoshan sensed it. When he saw me sighing, he thought I was being rude to him and lost his temper.

What’s that face? If you don’t like serving an old man like me, just say so.

I was shocked and quickly explained, ‘No, no! You’re wrong, Mr Yu. It’s just that… a teacher who was very kind to me is going on a long trip today, and I don’t know when she’ll be back, so I sighed. It’s not directed at you, so don’t be angry.

Yu Xiaoshan’s disciple Fang Xu said from the side, ‘Teacher, I don’t think this little kid is like that.

Xu Meiqing put on a fake professional smile and said, “Yes, Teacher Yu, our staff would not be so unprofessional, so you can rest assured.

Yu Xiaoshan watched my expression as if he could see the truth in my words.

Where are you going that’s worth you sighing so much? After a moment, he walked forward, leaning on his stick as if he had put the matter behind him, but his tone was still mean.

To the war zone,’ I said, holding onto the tablet as I followed him, pretending not to hear the malice in his words. “My teacher said that everyone in this world sees each other as fools, and he himself is a fool in search of ‘truth’.

The wooden walking stick hit the ground with a ‘tapping’ sound, and Yu Xiaoshan looked over at me with a sideways glance: ‘A fool in pursuit of truth?’ He was thin and frail, with snow-white hair and eyes full of red veins, staring as far as they could go. What am I, then?

I was a little shocked by his appearance and swallowed hard, trying to think of an answer, but he had already turned back to his teacher with a broad smile.

Hahahaha, I’m a fool who believes in revenge! He left an unintelligible comment and walked away with long strides.

Fang Xu smiled at me apologetically and whispered, “Sorry, kid, the teacher is in a bad mood, please bear with him”.

I laughed dryly and waved my hand, “Not at all.”

After Xu Meiqing and the other two left, she patted me on the back and said succinctly, “The old thing’s brain is not working well, don’t take it to heart.

Generally speaking, the outside world always believes that Redvein is far more dangerous than Cure in Redvein Syndrome. After all, Cure does not have Redvein’s ability to sense, cannot see the red line, and is completely normal with ‘Buddha Flesh’. In Yu Xiaoshan’s Red Line exhibition, however, his point of view is completely the opposite.

Pills marked ‘Cure’ fill the body of a huge beast woven from crimson metal threads. A long thread of the same colour extends from its chest. The thread winds towards a small white figure, wraps around it and transforms into a sinister viper that opens its mouth to bite into the white figure’s heart, which is already in pieces. And on the blood vessels of the heart is the word ‘Redvein’.

When I saw the work ‘Submission’, I momentarily wondered if the labels on the sides were reversed, and even pulled up the list of exhibits to check.

It turned out that the exhibit description clearly stated: ‘…this work is intended to show the beastly side of Cure and the helplessness of Redvein as an ordinary person…’.

Redvein’s Syndrome is really a very unjust disease. It robs Redvein of his dignity and makes him crave other people’s bodily fluids like a dog. You know…’ Yu Xiaoshan pointed his stick at the figure made of white wire mesh and said, ‘If Cure dies before falling in love with him, he will soon die from the poison. But whether he dies or not has no effect on Cure, and he won’t feel anything. How can there be such an unreasonable disease in the world?

For this exhibition I also went online to find some information about Redvein Syndrome.

There is already a consensus in the medical community that Redvein Syndrome is a parasitic disease. Based on an invisible level of compatibility, Cure and Redvein are a match and unique.

The female worm in Cure and the male worm in Redvein spend their entire lives preparing to reproduce. Cure falls in love with Redvein and cures Redvein Syndrome, which is the best ending. Any other ending involves the death of Redvein.

Under normal circumstances, if Cure dies before falling in love with Redvein, the female will die and the male, sensing that he has become a widower, will commit suicide by injecting all the toxins into Redvein’s body, causing the other to quickly become poisoned.

If Redvein dies accidentally or is tortured to death by the toxins, the male will die and the female will no longer choose a new male. She will wither away in no time at all, and Cure will feel nothing.

In short, it is an accidentally loyal insect, and it would be better if it didn’t use humans as food.

My A Luo, I just want to survive. What have I done wrong?’ Yu Xiaoshan said as he walked over to the white figure and gently stroked the statue’s face. His eyes slowly reddened.

A Luo? I was shocked. Was it Yu Luo, Yu Xiaoshan’s son, who died young? Had the other person died of Redvein Syndrome?

I looked at Xu Meiqing, who looked calm and collected, as if she had known for a long time. She noticed me looking at her and winked at me. I understood and quickly composed myself so as not to be scolded by the old man again.

‘Teacher…’ Fang Xu took a handkerchief from her chest and handed it to Yu Xiaoshan, ‘Your spirit in heaven will definitely bless us with success this time.

Yu Xiaoshan took the handkerchief, pressed it to his face, nodded and moved on to the next exhibit.

There were a lot of adjustments to be made and the opening was imminent. Time was short, so everyone had to work through the night.

Shen Wunian arrived just after 10pm, still reeking of alcohol from his earlier social engagements. As I had classes on Monday, he told me to go home first, and that he and Xu Meiqing would just stay up.

Although I felt a little bad about leaving first, I was really tired after a long day, and since I had to be at school at 8am the next day, after some hesitation I decided to go along with Shen Wunian’s plan.

Before I left, I looked around to make sure no one was watching us, then leaned close to Shen Wunian’s ear and said, “Come with me for a moment.

He raised an interested eyebrow and followed me to the toilet at the back of the exhibition hall.

This time, Yu Xiaoshan’s Red Line exhibition features many large installations over five metres in length, which place high demands on the exhibition space. After considering many venues in the early stages, the final choice was an old factory building on the riverside in the city centre.

The old factory building was a shipyard decades ago. Later, with the modernisation of the industrial structure, the factory was closed and left unused, and for many years it was abandoned. Fortunately, two years ago, the government transformed and used it by upgrading the facilities and turning it into a commercial district with a focus on art exhibitions, complemented by catering and cultural and creative industries.

We designed all the exhibition spaces ourselves, including the rest area. However, the ceiling of the factory building itself is too high to enclose, so we can only use thin wall panels to enclose it and create a simple rest area.

When I entered the rest area, I opened my locker and took out the roses I had bought at lunchtime from the florist next door.

The rose is called ‘Black Buck’ and it is very different from ordinary roses. It is darker in colour and has a more velvety texture. I walked past the florist and was immediately drawn to it. I always felt it would go very well with Shen Wunian.

The saleswoman saw that I was keen to buy it and kept telling me how rare and precious it was. She asked me to buy 99 of them to symbolise a long and happy life together.

I was a little tempted, so I asked her how much they cost. She said 50 each, and if I bought a lot I could get a 10% discount.

This is for you,’ I said and handed the flower to Shen Wunian with one hand. I was so embarrassed that I kept my head down, staring at my feet the whole time. Even though it’s just a flower, it… symbolises my undivided attention for you!

Sweet words are essential to turn them around quickly, and thoughtful little gifts are even better. I learned all this online, but it’s just one strategy for wooing a girl, so I don’t know if Shen Wunian will be impressed.

The break room was silent except for the faint sound outside. Shen Wunian didn’t answer for a while, and I looked nervously at him to see that he was taking off his glasses.

This is the first time anyone has given me roses, and I really like them,’ he said as he slipped the flowers into the breast pocket of his suit.

‘You… wait!’ I was taken aback. What did he mean by taking off his glasses?

I covered my mouth and backed away, but I didn’t get very far before I banged into the metal cabinet behind me and it made a loud ‘thud’.

Why are you backing away? Aren’t you going to give me flowers? Shen Wunian smiled as he came closer and took the rose from me, carefully wrapped in black paper.

‘You’re going to kiss me again. I could already sense the underlying meaning as he took off his glasses.

He placed his hands on either side of me, trapping me between him and the cupboard: ‘I told you, it’s a trial period. How will you know if it fits if you don’t try it on?

But you don’t have to try it on every day! I complained, my face heating up under his palms. “You keep biting my tongue and I’m getting ulcers.”

He tugged gently on my arm, his eyebrows knitted and his eyes full of guilt. “See, that’s why we have to keep trying. The more we try, the better we’ll get, and we won’t hurt you in the future. Open your mouth and let me see where you’ve got ulcers.

His tone was so gentle that I found it hard to resist. I let go of his hand and closed my eyes with a feeling of resignation. Finally, under his gaze, I opened my mouth a little.

He lifted my chin and whispered, ‘Good, stick out your tongue.

I closed my eyes even tighter and obediently stuck out my tongue.

“Good girl.

As he spoke, Shen Wunian’s intoxicating breath of alcohol hit me and my tongue was licked, cupped and lightly nibbled. I flinched and pulled back in fear, but Shen Wunian chased after me, not allowing me to shut up, and kissed me so hard I could barely breathe.

Something fell to the ground and I opened my eyes to see it was the black bakelite.

Without turning my face, I tried to pick it up: ‘Hua…’

My jaw hurt slightly. Shen Wunian seemed a little unhappy with my struggle and pushed my face back, biting my lower lip.

A sharp pain immediately spread through my body and I reflexively tried to hide by pushing hard against his chest. At first he didn’t move, clinging to me no matter what I did, until he tasted my tears…

All movement seemed to stop. After struggling with his desire for a few seconds, he decided to let go of my jaw, and with his palm pressed against the iron cabinet, he drew in a heavy breath.

As I gasped along with him, my body trembled slightly and I touched the corner of my lips, feeling a little flushed.

Well, I didn’t bite my tongue this time, I bit my lips instead.

You’re hurting me,’ I complained in a low voice.

It really hurt and I almost thought he was going to bite my flesh off. My tears came out.

I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself,’ he said, wiping the blood from my lips. His gaze was deep, his voice hoarse, ‘It seems… we need to practice more.