I turned around and took two quick steps forward. He followed me with an umbrella. He had long legs and big steps. The shadow of the umbrella was like his Five Finger Mountain, always covering my head tightly. The more he chased me, the faster I couldn’t help but walk, until I almost stepped into a puddle and he grabbed my wrist.
I suddenly bumped into his chest, caught off guard. Under the umbrella, he lowered his head as if about to kiss me, but the little cat’s paw pressed against his lips. I couldn’t help but almost laugh at the sight.
“Hey, isn’t that Xiao Ran?”
“Xiao Ran, you and Ming Lou… uh, come and have a look. I have a lot of imported pigments here. There is a fluorescent color that Black Cat asked me to buy. They said you use it often.”
Why did they have to bring up Ming Luo…
Seeing Tunshe Nalin’s face darken in an instant, I was startled and quickly dashed into the store.
Standing in front of the paint rack, I picked out a few bottles of the colors I had spilled that day. The culprit, however, was still right behind me, making me constantly recall the events from a few days ago. My ears burned with embarrassment, and I gritted my teeth. “Tunshe Nalin… don’t ever do that to me in the studio again.”
His hand covered mine on the paint can. “Do you and Ming Luo often come to this street to buy paint?”
I pressed my lips together, not wanting to answer his probing question. His fingers slid between mine.
The sense of invasion seeped into my bones as he leaned close to my ear, asking in a low voice, “Answer me.”
“Not-not really often, just a few times,” I muttered softly. “What’s the big deal about buying paint with him… I’ve even gone with you to the cliffs to collect pigments. And besides… you’ve even collected flame stones for your ex. What right do you have to question me? You just like to bully me…”
There was a brief silence before he asked, “What do you want? As long as it’s something I can do, it’s all fine.”
I want to draw you, and I also want freedom… I want to remove the anklets, erase the bridal mark, be able to draw you whenever I wish, and have the freedom to leave whenever I choose.
Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to speak the truth. Instead, I subtly and quietly said, “I want… you to not bully me.”
“I can’t do that,” He said in a deep voice. “We’re already married, so bullying you is only natural.”
“You…!”
“Meow!” The little black cat jumped onto the paint rack, perhaps unable to bear it any longer.
A can of paint was knocked down, falling at my feet. I quickly bent down to pick it up and found that it was a new fluorescent purple. Under the light, it surprisingly resembled the color of flame stones.
A thought crossed my mind, and silently, I placed both the paint and the cat into the basket.
After selecting the paints, paying, and stepping out, I realized the rain had gotten heavier. The supermarket was right next door, and I suddenly remembered that I needed to stock up on some household items and snacks and also buy some fruit.
I grabbed a small shopping cart and noticed Tunshe Nalin looking around. Even though he wore sunglasses, it was clear he was observing the supermarket, likely finding this place novel and intriguing.
“This is…”
“It’s a department store, or… a large general store, with everything—food, drinks, and daily necessities,” I explained as I walked further in. He followed closely behind me, and his striking appearance naturally drew the attention of everyone around as we took the escalator to the second floor, with people of all ages staring at him.
“…So many people.” He suddenly said.
My heart skipped a beat as I realized bringing him here was a mistake.
For Tunshe Nalin, wasn’t this just like any other trip to the supermarket as well?
To be more precise, it was more like visiting a large butcher shop. My scalp tingled, and I quickly went in and picked out everything I needed, filling up the cart. When I passed the fresh food area, I noticed that he paused slightly in front of the cabinet where the bloody fresh meat was placed. I pulled him back and lowered my voice: “Are these also fine? You don’t have to necessarily eat humans, right?”
“Yes, it can fill the stomach.”
I was so happy that I immediately asked the salesperson to weigh several kilograms of the bloody things and bring a big bag to him.
At least the eating humans problem has been solved…
When checking out, I saw cigarettes on the counter and couldn’t help but take two packs. My eyes inadvertently swept across the colorful row of small boxes next to it. I remembered his words, “It’s only natural”. My ears were burning. After hesitating for a long time, I quickly took a box, he wouldn’t stop anyway, so at least I had to teach him to use safety measures. Although I’m not a woman and there’s no risk of pregnancy… but every time he gets it inside, not only is it troublesome to clean up, but it also feels like too much.
I stuffed it into the pile of things that needed to be paid, but I didn’t expect him to pick it up immediately.
“Hyaluronic acid… moisturizing, light and nourishing, extreme pleasure… extra large size.” He read the words on the box in a low voice and looked at it from front to back. “Ranran, what is this?”
I didn’t dare to look at the salesperson’s expression in front of me. I covered my face and felt like I was turning into a puff of smoke.
When I escaped from the supermarket, it was already dark outside and the streetlights were on. Because it was near Christmas, there were two rows of Christmas trees hung with small star-shaped lights on the roadside. From a distance, they looked like fireworks, dyeing the wet street as bright as a starry river.
“Ranran.”
Hearing the low call from behind, I didn’t dare to stop and look back. Tunshe Nalin was standing in the middle of the road carrying big and small bags, with a cat lying on his shoulder. How could he look like the Corpse God Lord?
The fear in my heart disappeared at that moment. I took the cat off his shoulder, hoping maliciously that he would use up more of his energy on the heavy paints and groceries in his hands so that he wouldn’t bully me at night. Then I walked to the end of the street, planning to stroll for a while before going home.
My cell phone rang. I took out my phone and saw who was calling. I walked to a tree and answered the call: “Hello, Mom?”
“You still know how to answer the phone. Your dad and I have been so worried these past few days. I want to ask you, is what’s in the news true? Did you go missing for a month while secretly dating someone? The news even says you got married, and your household registration is still at home. How did you get married?”
“……” I didn’t know how to explain when Tunshe Nalin came to my side.
“Ranran, who are you talking to?”
I quickly made a shushing gesture, but it was too late. My mom’s voice on the phone immediately went up an octave: “Is that your new boyfriend next to you? Have him answer the phone.”
I felt a headache coming on: “Aiya, Mom, he’s a foreigner and can’t speak much Chinese.”
“Foreigner?” The voice on the other end became even more agitated. “Did you get married abroad?”
Tunshe Nalin stared at me.
I didn’t dare deny the marriage in front of him, so I could only give a soft “mm” in response.
“Good, good, good, good… before, you said that person, Ming Luo, was just your muse and that you hadn’t thought about the future. But now, even your marriage news is public. What are you thinking? Your dad and I won’t oppose it if you like men, we just want you to be well and have someone who can take care of you. How about this, the New Year is almost here. You didn’t come back last year, but this year you should come back at least once. Bring the foreign daughter-in-law with you so we can meet him.”
What foreign daughter-in-law… could this evil god really be brought home for you all to meet?
I was so numb, just about to refuse, when Tunshe Nalin spoke up first.
“Go back, get the household registration, and get the marriage certificate.”
“……”
“Did you hear that? This foreign daughter-in-law is quite sensible.” My mom’s tone softened, satisfied. “Don’t drag it out, come back by the end of December. Bincheng is warm by the sea, you can stay a bit longer before you leave.”
Having said that, without giving me a chance to say another word, she hung up the phone.
Do we really have to go? If we actually get the household registration and marriage certificate, would that make us a legally married couple?
“Bincheng, by the sea?”
I was already overwhelmed when suddenly I heard Tunshe Nalin muttering softly.
“I’ve never seen it, the color of the sea. I’ve heard it’s very blue.”
I froze for a moment.
“You… want to see the sea?”
He nodded. “I want to see the sea, with you.”
My heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling incredibly soft.
I turned around, forcing myself to harden my heart. Taking him back to meet my parents wasn’t something to take lightly. They only thought he was a foreigner, how could they know he wasn’t even human? If any relatives showed up and said something offensive, and if Tunshe Nalin got angry, the consequences would be unimaginable…
And besides, can we really even get the certificate?
A ghost marriage is already absurd enough, are we really going to hold a public wedding and invite people to celebrate as well?
Would the elders of the Jiang and Qin families be able to handle this evil god bowing to them?
I shook my head, clearing the imagined thoughts from my mind. Suddenly, the little black cat in my arms puffed up its fur and started lowly growling in a particular direction. I was startled and gently petted it. What’s going on?
I followed the sound and couldn’t help but furrow my brows.
Across the street, a figure with pink hair was walking in the rain, holding an umbrella. It was Qing Ze. I usually wouldn’t give an annoying person like him a second glance, but this time, something about the sight struck me as strange, he had his head slightly tilted back, as if smiling, his mouth moving continuously, occasionally covering his mouth, almost as if someone taller than him was speaking to him. But there was clearly no one around. I watched him curiously, noticing that not only was he talking and laughing by himself, but he also raised his hand, his expression and movements resembling someone gently kissing around another person’s neck, full of affection and tenderness. It made my spine shiver.
Could it be that he was so mentally affected at YICCA that he’s gone crazy?
So his sudden improvement in painting skills is because he went crazy? It’s not entirely impossible; after all, many madmen have turned out to be astonishing artists. But if he’s really that crazy, it could easily lead to trouble.
Although I hated him, I didn’t want to see him go completely mad. I was about to record his appearance and send it to Xiang Nan for advice when a car drove past. When I looked again, Qing Ze had already disappeared.
“What’s wrong, Ranran?”
“It seemed like I saw an annoying person…” I shook my head. Was it just my imagination?
Tunshe Nalin freed one hand to wrap around me. “On rainy days, water gathers negativity. It’s better to head home early.”
“Giant baby?” Why that word again? I looked at him, confused. “What’s a water giant baby?”
“It means water—it’s easy to attract ghosts.”
I remembered him saying that Ming Luo was a water ghost and immediately dismissed the idea of continuing to wander around.
