The resident of Room 1204 and the resident of Room 1205 had thus completed their first seemingly friendly greeting.
How wonderful.
Like hell.
After a brief exchange of good mornings, Yu Bai’s gaze drifted evasively from the white wall beside him to the ceiling ahead, artfully bypassing the highly noticeable figure next to him.
Keeping a straight face, he hurried through the hallway and jabbed the elevator button, as if something sinister were chasing him from behind.
Yu Bai wanted to bolt downstairs before the guy behind him caught up, avoiding any further conversation.
Today, he had zero desire to deal with this non-human neighbor who seemed utterly oblivious to the concept of embarrassment.
Unfortunately, during the morning rush hour, the elevator was at peak busyness. With only one unit running normally, it arrived even slower than usual.
He stared somewhat glumly at the red digits inching along on the display screen.
Switching to the stairs now would look way too obvious.
Besides, after a sleepless night on an empty stomach, he didn’t have the energy to climb.
In the edge of his vision, the morning sunlight gleamed golden over the latecomer, casting a faint dark shadow on the wall—neither too close nor too far away.
The metal doors slid open. Yu Bai resignedly stepped inside and watched his neighbor press the button for the first floor.
In the quiet confines of the elevator car, he stared straight ahead with a distant, lost-in-thought expression, desperately hoping for a straight shot to the ground floor.
Then the elevator descended a floor and came to a leisurely halt at the 11th Floor, the doors parting slowly.
What great luck 🙂
Yu Bai mentally flipped off the heavens. As his gaze inadvertently swept over the person waiting to step in from outside, he froze for a moment.
The little girl was dressed in her school uniform, a backpack slung over her shoulders. Two thin braids dangled down, framing her shoulders, and her big, clear black-and-white eyes stared dimly at the floor.
She glanced up, spotted the people inside, and immediately ducked her head again. She shuffled in, looking terribly awkward.
Even as she tugged self-consciously at her braids to shield her face, Yu Bai couldn’t miss the glaring purple bruise blooming along her cheek—like she’d just taken a fresh beating.
She didn’t know Yu Bai, but he remembered her all too well.
This was the little girl who’d been affected by some mysterious force, taking to playing inside the walls. She’d slipped down a drainpipe into his apartment by accident, and just last night, her ghostly wails had echoed through his place.
In this time loop, Yan Jing had taken his word for it and slapped the wall, successfully scaring off the sniffling girl inside.
…But a slap through a wall shouldn’t have left marks this bad.
After all, Yan Jing hadn’t been exposed to whatever weird radiation came from the non-human neighbor. He was just a regular guy.
In his surprise, Yu Bai instantly recalled their encounter that day in the bathroom narrow hallway. Caught red-handed by him, the girl had pleaded in a small voice: Brother, please don’t tell my dad. He’ll beat me to death.
Now, crammed into the elevator with three passengers, the little girl stood timidly in the corner. Prominent bruises marred her face as she desperately avoided the adults’ eyes. Her fingers twisted nervously at her braids, and her skinny shoulders hugged the elevator wall as if she wanted to melt right into it.
Yu Bai suddenly understood why she was so fond of hiding in the walls.
He quickly looked away from her.
The elevator grew oppressively silent as more strangers piled in—commuters heading to work or school, or folks off to the market. Some eyed the huddled little girl with open curiosity and suspicion; others looked like they wanted to say something but held back.
Yu Bai hesitated for a second, then turned to the man beside him. In a voice loud enough to carry but not shout, he asked, “Was that watermelon sweet yesterday?”
The other neighbors instinctively perked up at the conversation, their attention snapping over.
They watched the blue-eyed man nod. “Very sweet.”
He paused briefly, then added with earnest sincerity, “Sweetness is a complex flavor.”
Yu Bai had only meant to shatter the awkward silence—to spare the little girl from withering under all the stares by diverting attention with some small talk. But this response made him forget his own discomfort, sparking genuine curiosity.
“Complex?”
It sounded like the guy was describing sweetness as if he’d just discovered it.
Yu Bai thought back to their first elevator encounter a week ago. Master Wang had wondered aloud why the “foreigner” showed no interest in the food he’d offered to share. Yu Bai had quipped that maybe he didn’t need it, and the man had nodded in agreement…
So, did his non-human neighbor really not require food like a human?
That tracked, actually.
But if that was the case, why had he gone out at noon today to buy an iron wok, cooking oil, veggies—and then blown up the kitchen?
Before Yu Bai could dwell on it, the answer came.
“Yeah, complex.” The man groped for words. “It has two scents when you smell it, but only one taste when you eat it… One of the flavors is smell-only.”
What in the world?
The other neighbors stared at him in bafflement, as if he were spouting ancient scripture. Even the little girl sneaked a peek.
Only Yu Bai got it right away—this garbled bit of code suddenly made perfect sense.
Fighting back a laugh, he explained, “That extra scent wasn’t the sweetness. It was peppermint oil. Nothing to do with the watermelon—it just got contaminated by accident.”
The peppermint oil aroma that had permeated his apartment last night had rubbed off on the fruit.
So it smelled like something extra, but didn’t taste like it.
Thank goodness the first day of the loop had been pure, untainted watermelon sweetness.
Watermelon was one of the nation’s favorite fruits, after all. No sense tarnishing its reputation.
The man, hearing the denial, reflexively apologized. “Sorry.”
Then he glanced sideways at those eyes twinkling with mirth, pondered a moment, and asked, “Peppermint oil?”
“It’s for perking you up…” Midway through, Yu Bai veered off course. “Never mind, doesn’t matter. Ignore what it is.”
The question dragged his mind back to yesterday’s mortifying fiasco.
Though… it didn’t feel quite so bad anymore.
This guy didn’t even know what sweetness was. No way he grasped concepts like stalking or creepiness.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Yu Bai successfully talked himself around. His mood lifted from overcast to clear, and he gradually relaxed. He even checked the time.
Seven-ten in the morning.
Casually, he lobbed a question back. “So what are you heading out so early for?”
Please don’t say he’d started mimicking human office drones.
The man who’d been watching him intently fell silent, as if weighing his words.
The elevator dinged at the first floor. The other neighbors filed out reluctantly, like they’d been hanging on every word.
They still hadn’t learned what this enigmatic half-foreigner was doing out at this hour!
Amid the shuffle of footsteps and under Yu Bai’s curious stare, the man finally spoke. “I’m going to buy fried chicken.”
Not what he’d expected.
Looking stunned, Yu Bai blurted, “Fried chicken?”
They’d merged into the exiting crowd, heading outside. But those gray-blue eyes flicked toward the out-of-service elevator that was under repair.
“The watermelon’s sweet flavor was delicious, so it reminded me of the food smell from yesterday’s elevator… That smelled good too.”
The man seemed almost bashful, his words tumbling out a touch faster than usual.
“You said yesterday the fried chicken shop is right by the bus stop.”
Then it clicked for Yu Bai.
Yesterday in this loop, he and Master Wang had indeed chatted about the fried chicken shop’s location. The same went for the yesterday from a week ago.
So his non-human neighbor had been awakened to the wonders of taste by that mysteriously acquired watermelon. For the first time, food and flavors had registered. That sparked curiosity about the fried chicken aroma from the elevator chat, so now he was following their directions to go buy some.
The guy had played the mute foreigner in the elevator that day, but he’d eavesdropped on the human chit-chat with rapt attention.
What a weirdo.
The thought made Yu Bai crack, unable to hold back the laugh. His lips curved into a nice, genuine arc.
He glanced away quick, but not quick enough—the smile had been spotted.
The man, ever observant of his expressions, looked puzzled. “Why are you laughing?”
Yu Bai picked up the pace, schooling his face. “I’m not.”
Too bad the guy had long legs. That magnetic voice, laced with confusion, trailed right after him.
“But I saw you laugh.”
…Why was he such a quick study!
