102 A Sudden Shift in Mood

Liu Xiaomei sat in the living room watching television. Zhang Pa walked over from the hallway, sat down beside her, and asked, "What are you watching?"

"Commercials," Liu Xiaomei replied, then asked, "What did my dad say?"

"He told me to manage my time well," Zhang Pa answered.

Liu Xiaomei explained, "Don't take it too much to heart. When my dad talks about managing time, it’s quite subjective. He doesn't mean you must be studying or striving for success; he means you shouldn't waste your time. For example, playing mahjong—if you're with friends you haven't seen in a long time, chatting while you play, that isn't a waste of time. It's making good use of your time to do something you enjoy and to maintain your bonds with friends. But if you play every single day, or gamble because you're trying to win money, that's meaningless. That’s a waste of time."

Zhang Pa laughed. "Your dad is really cool."

"He is pretty cool," Liu Xiaomei said. "My dad once told me that it's not about what you are doing, but the purpose behind why you are doing it. If you’re playing cards with an old man, that’s showing care for the elderly." She paused, then added, "My mom asked me to invite you to move in."

Zhang Pa replied, "Didn't we already say that wouldn't be convenient?"

Liu Xiaomei glanced at him, then suddenly lay on her side on the sofa and stretched her feet toward him. "Rub my feet."

Zhang Pa coughed. "This... isn't this taking advantage of you again? Though, I do like it." As he spoke, he reached out with both hands.

"What are you thinking?" Liu Xiaomei quickly pulled her feet back and asked, "Are they prettier than Lin Lan's?"

Only then did Zhang Pa realize why Liu Xiaomei had stretched her feet out. He gave a bitter smile and said, "Do you really have to remember that for so long?"

Liu Xiaomei puffed out her cheeks and glared at him. After a moment, she said, "You still haven't answered me. Is her pair prettier?"

"No! Yours are prettier. Yours are especially beautiful—white and tender, just as pretty as pig trotters," Zhang Pa said.

"Since when are pig trotters white in your family?" Liu Xiaomei sat up and asked.

"They're white once they're boiled," Zhang Pa replied.

Liu Xiaomei let out a huff and returned to the previous topic. "Are you really not going to move in?"

"How could I?" Zhang Pa said. "A grown man, with nothing to his name, moving into his mother-in-law's house? Never mind what you or your family might think—just thinking about it myself puts me under so much psychological pressure."

"That’s true, I suppose," Liu Xiaomei said. "My mom even said that if you moved in, you could drive her car to make your commute easier."

Zhang Pa said, "Thank your mother for her kindness, but I don't even know how to drive."

Liu Xiaomei looked at him. "You don't know how to drive? You're this old and you don't know how to drive?"

Zhang Pa replied, "I just never happened to learn. It wasn't intentional."

"Well, if you don't know, you don't know. You won't move in anyway," Liu Xiaomei said. "Are you going home tonight?"

"If I don't go back, where would I stay?" Zhang Pa asked.

"There are so many rooms on the second floor; where couldn't you stay?" Liu Xiaomei said. "If you aren't going back, let's go buy a gift for Ye Zi tomorrow morning."

Zhang Pa said, "I'd better go back and just come back over in the morning."

"You’ll be covered in sweat from pedaling your bike back and forth. I was just thinking you should take a shower at my place," Liu Xiaomei said.

Zhang Pa replied, "I'll take the bus tomorrow." Then he asked, "For Ye Zi's birthday, do I need to dress very formally?"

Liu Xiaomei laughed. "What you wear isn't important. Tomorrow will definitely be full of beautiful women and pretty children."

Her dance class was essentially an elite program; parents who could afford those fees were certainly not short on money, and since they were all in their prime, they would naturally be dressed to the nines for the party.

Zhang Pa thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I shouldn't go."

"What are you afraid of? You can come and chat with me. If you don't go, other people will try to talk to me, and I won't know what to say," Liu Xiaomei said. "Alright, it's settled. Now, let's talk about something serious."

"What serious matter?" Zhang Pa asked.

"The serious matter is: why were you unhappy? And why did you stop filming your web series?"

Zhang Pa said, "I don't want to lie to you. I was just feeling a bit depressed about certain things, but it's all in the past now. In the moment you were dancing for me, all that unhappiness vanished. Right now, I am nothing but happy and joyful."

Liu Xiaomei thought for a moment and said, "Fine, I'll let you get away with that one." She checked the time and said, "If you aren't staying, you should head home. It's getting late."

Zhang Pa checked the time as well, stood up, and said, "Then I'll be going."

Liu Xiaomei got off the sofa and gave him a gentle hug. "Go on, I'll see you out."

He said goodbye to Liu Xiaomei's parents and left. Liu's mother said, "Come over whenever you're free, and tell us if you want to eat anything."

Zhang Pa acknowledged her, then turned and headed downstairs.

The last time he was here, he could have gone back to He Xin Garden to rest. Now that wasn't an option; he had a long bike ride back to Xingfu Li.

On the way, he received a call from Long Xiaole, who said he couldn't hold it in anymore and demanded that Zhang Pa come out for a drink.

Zhang Pa said, "I can't drink. If I do, I'll definitely be drunk-driving."

Long Xiaole said, "I'll pay for a designated driver for you."

Zhang Pa asked curiously, "You can get a designated driver for a bicycle?"

"Do you want me to kill you? Just hurry up and come drink with me!" Long Xiaole shouted.

Zhang Pa chuckled and asked, "Does shouting like that make you feel a bit better?"

Long Xiaole thought for a moment and replied, "A little."

"Then keep shouting. Curse me out a few more times. Once you feel better, I won't have to come over," Zhang Pa said.

"Stop with the nonsense! I told you to come, so come. Are you a man or not?" Long Xiaole said.

Zhang Pa laughed. "Is this still about that A, B, C business?"

"What A, B, C?" Long Xiaole retorted.

"You know, the thing about your friend and the other guy's woman getting a hotel room," Zhang Pa said. "You really are a blockhead."

Long Xiaole said, "Of course it's about that! You don't know—that guy comes to find me almost every day and even shows off how much in love they are. I... especially today, the woman actually said she only had him in her heart and wanted to be good to him for her whole life. I'm honestly disgusted!"

Zhang Pa said, "Just tell your friend."

"Easy for you to say... Come on, explain to me what that idiom means. If you get it right, I'll tell my friend," Long Xiaole said.

Zhang Pa replied, "Can you find a different way to mock me? Even though I'm a very unqualified and unstudious web novelist, I am a writer nonetheless. Do you really want to ask me that?"

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot about that," Long Xiaole said. "Just come keep me company for a while. I'm about to be driven mad. People, honestly—you should just be thick-skinned and not care who's sleeping with whom... Damn it, what do you think my friend is thinking? His friend's wife, and he's sleeping with her too."

Zhang Pa sighed. "Where are you? Let's get this straight: if it's more than a twenty-minute ride, I'm not going."

Long Xiaole asked, "Where are you? I can change locations."

Zhang Pa felt helpless and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Not hungry."

"Then find a place that serves peanuts and edamame..."

"Forget the peanuts and edamame, come to the Guitar Chill Bar," Long Xiaole said. "It's not far, right?"

Zhang Pa said, "First, you have to tell me where the Guitar Chill Bar is."

Long Xiaole gave the names of two buildings, and Zhang Pa calculated the distance. "Wait for me, I'll be right there."

It was a Saturday night, and the entertainment districts were bustling. When Zhang Pa arrived and was trying to park, someone honked at him. He looked back to see a bright red Hummer stopped at the intersection.

Riding a bike was certainly slower than driving, and Zhang Pa was in the middle of parking, so perhaps he had blocked the way for a moment?

Zhang Pa couldn't be bothered to stir up trouble. He looked back, steered his bike in another direction, and let the car pass.

The driver was a handsome young man. As he drove past Zhang Pa, he gave him the middle finger, and his mouth formed the shape of "SOB."

Zhang Pa sighed softly. My temper really is getting better and better. When he reached the entrance of the bar and went to lock his bike, a security guard walked over and said they didn't allow parking there.

Zhang Pa felt annoyed. He pointed to the long line of cars and asked, "Aren't these cars?"

The security guard's tone was aggressive. "Bicycles aren't allowed."

Zhang Pa really wanted to laugh. You’re just a low-level security guard, and just because you put on a uniform, you think you're someone important?

In this world, there are always people who can't see themselves for who they truly are. Zhang Pa suppressed his temper and asked, "Where can I park my bike?"

"In the back. Not here," the guard replied.

Zhang Pa asked again, "Where is the back?"

"Are you stupid? Ride back toward the intersection you just came from," the guard said, then walked away.

Zhang Pa chuckled. What a hero.

He pushed his bike away, looked ahead, and found a spot in front of a shop outside the bar's perimeter to lock it, then walked back.

The Guitar Chill Bar wasn't very large; it could hold about twenty tables. Long Xiaole was sitting at a table to the side of the stage, head down, drinking alone.

Zhang Pa sat opposite him. "How are you drinking?"

Long Xiaole looked at him. "Thank you."

Zhang Pa said, "Talking like that is scary."

"I really do have to thank you. Besides you, I honestly can't find anyone to talk to about this, and I can't find anyone to drink with. Thank you."

Zhang Pa replied, "Alright, one 'thank you' is enough." He grabbed a bottle of beer and started drinking.

Long Xiaole asked, "Want to eat something?"

Zhang Pa pointed to the pistachios and fruit platter on the table and said, "These are fine."

Long Xiaole said, "Don't pretend with me. If you want to eat, just order."

Zhang Pa said, "I just finished dinner at my mother-in-law's place, my stomach is full. I'll just keep you company with a drink."

Long Xiaole was surprised. "You're married?"

"No, I’ve found a girlfriend, and going to her house is the same as going to my mother-in-law's," Zhang Pa replied.

Long Xiaole laughed. "That works too. You've got quite the mindset." He followed up, "Is she a good woman?"

"Very good. The best woman in the whole world," Zhang Pa replied.

Long Xiaole smiled. "You'd better be careful. People nowadays..." He took a sip of his beer and continued, "Forget about women; let's talk about men first. How many married men aren't cheating on the side? How many adult men haven't visited a prostitute? It's the same for women. A decent-looking man comes along, offers a bit of temptation, and they throw themselves into his arms immediately. You think it's because they watch too many Korean dramas?"

Zhang Pa said, "It's best not to ask me those kinds of vulgar questions. Everyone has their own field of expertise, and I'm much better at physiology and hygiene knowledge."

"You're just a hooligan." Long Xiaole laughed again. "What do you think of this? If I don't tell my friend, and the next time those two go to a hotel, I find a way to make my friend rush over and catch them in the act of adultery, what do you think?"

Zhang Pa said, "So, you're planning to scheme."