Paper Life 18

Shang Nan's palms were burning hot against the sketchbook. Once again, he found himself unable to understand Yu Zhibai—or rather, he had never understood him to begin with.

He had seen what Yu Zhibai looked like as a Paper Person. He didn't believe for a second that the ferocity and darkness Yu Zhibai possessed wouldn't manifest in his behavior.

Shang Nan closed the album and handed it back. "I'm not doing that kind of thing with you."

Yu Zhibai's smile grew wider. "Why not?"

"If we're friends," Shang Nan's fingers traced the edge of the desk, no longer looking at Yu Zhibai. He lowered his head. "Friends can't do that kind of thing."

When his eyes were downcast, Shang Nan's lashes looked especially long and thick. The lights in the evening study hall were too bright. His skin was white—as fine and clean as the milk beneath a thin skin of cream after it's been boiled. No matter how creative a Paper Person was, no matter how many varieties of humans it could craft with perfect bone structures, it knew deep down that it could never create a one-of-a-kind piece like Shang Nan.

Yu Zhibai wore an expression of genuine incomprehension. "Then what is allowed?"

The pressure shifted to Shang Nan's side.

Shang Nan wasn't sure either. He felt Yu Zhibai was doing this on purpose, but looking into those eyes—it seemed to truly not understand at all. Purely, utterly believing that the relationship of "friends" meant they could do anything it wanted together.

Shang Nan didn't answer for a long time. Yu Zhibai sighed. "Nannan, do you want to date me?"

......

He wanted to?

Who exactly wanted to?

Shang Nan's brain went completely blank for an instant, rendering him incapable of any thought whatsoever. He was speechless. "What... did you just say?"

Yu Zhibai leaned forward, the tip of his nose nuzzling affectionately against the tip of Shang Nan's. "You confessed to me before. But at Zhang Hu's birthday party, you said your feelings for me were just friendship. I wasn't sure..."

Beneath those pale, thin eyelids lay who knew how much hidden cunning and calculation. His voice carried a soft, storytelling quality. "You don't dislike me. You still like me, don't you?"

Shang Nan's pupils dilated slightly from shock. Even the fine downy hairs on his face stood on end, trembling. Yu Zhibai found it fascinating—it found every little reaction from Shang Nan fascinating. Too adorable.

Yu Zhibai stared unblinkingly at Shang Nan. "You wrote in your love letter before that you'd always like me. Does that still count?"

"Not the friendship kind of 'like'—the kind of 'like' where you'd want to do this sort of thing with me." Yu Zhibai opened the sketchbook again and held up that picture, raising it right before Shang Nan's eyes. "Nannan, do you want to date me?"

It knew everything, and it distinguished between them very clearly. It had been luring Shang Nan all along. From the moment Shang Nan walked toward it on the rooftop, it had never intended to let him go.

"Could you... let me think about it?" Shang Nan leaned back. Class happened to end just then. He didn't even have time to pack up his homework—he grabbed his bag and fled.

The Paper Person's expression slowly turned puzzled. This time, it was genuinely confused.

[14: Why didn't you just say yes?]

"I feel like... agreeing after careful consideration would seem more sincere." Shang Nan walked while looking down, fastening the toggle buttons on his jacket. His ears and neck were scalding hot—the kind of heat you could feel with your hand—as though the cold air blowing into his face was being melted by it.

Shang Nan thought that in his original world, he did have dating experience. But judging by his performance just now, it didn't seem like much.

[14: Nannan, your heart rate is way too fast. Do you really like the Paper Person that much?]

"I think he's pretty cute." The elevator was crowded at this hour, but Shang Nan was lucky—he'd run fast and was the first one in. After he entered, a swarm of people followed. It was cramped and hot. He would have been better off taking the stairs.

[14: Ah, Nannan, would this count as "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"?]

Shang Nan was squeezed into a corner. "If you say so."

Even if it wasn't cute, it was pitiable.

A pitiable little monster. Shang Nan would never be stingy with love toward a pitiable little monster.

Shang Nan slept well that night, but the moment he stepped out of the residential compound the next morning, he saw Lu Yang.

Lu Yang was standing outside the compound entrance. He wasn't in his school uniform—black jacket and a baseball cap with an evil-looking cat face printed on it. Behind him and all around, the air was hazy with fog.

Spotting Shang Nan, he walked over, chin tilted slightly upward. "Let's go. We'll head to school together."

Shang Nan frowned. "What are you doing here?"

He brushed past Lu Yang, but Lu Yang fell right into step beside him.

Lu Yang let out a whistle—flippant and loud. "I didn't expect you'd actually fall out with me over that kid Yu Zhibai. Shang Nan, what good does it do you to be on bad terms with me?"

Shang Nan couldn't be bothered to answer.

Lu Yang studied Shang Nan's cold expression, bit down on his teeth, and a look of dark viciousness crossed his face—though buried deep. "Don't be so cold. I'm transferring out anyway. The paperwork's not done yet, so I have to go back to school one more time today."

"So, are you and Yu Zhibai dating now?" Lu Yang ducked his head with a stifled laugh, acting as if they were close friends. He even bumped Shang Nan's shoulder. "By the way—what do you even like about him?"

"Good-looking?" Lu Yang speculated to himself, not caring whether Shang Nan was listening. "But we've got money. What kind of goods can't we buy?"

"Nice personality? Sure, his personality's decent—doesn't talk back when you curse him, doesn't fight back when you hit him."

"Good grades—ha ha ha ha. That actually would be pretty attractive to you. Your grades are so bad even I can't stand looking at them."

"But we don't really need good grades, do we?"

"Shang Nan, why do you insist on liking someone who has absolutely nothing?" Lu Yang's brow furrowed tight. He thought for a moment, then seemed to finally land on an answer. "I know!!!!"

After a brief burst of excitement, he lowered his voice and leaned in close to Shang Nan. "Is it because he's good in bed~?!"

Shang Nan had been listening for a while and finally couldn't help but scowl. His bag strap slipped from his shoulder into his hand, and without a second thought, he swung the bag at Lu Yang's head. There wasn't much in Shang Nan's bag—the impact was loud but didn't hurt much. Lu Yang hadn't expected Shang Nan to suddenly lash out. He stumbled back a few steps, hand over his face, his features contorting with barely suppressed rage for a few seconds before he squeezed out a smile.

Lu Yang: "Hit a nerve?"

Shang Nan couldn't be bothered to talk to him. He bent down to pick up his bag from the ground, but before he could straighten up, something slammed hard into his waist. Shang Nan's entire body pitched forward onto the ground, the skin on his palms scraping off in a large patch against the asphalt.

Footsteps came from behind. Shang Nan tried to stand, but someone pressed down on his shoulder. A voice sounded above his head: "Bro, this is the one, right?"

Several voices that clearly belonged to men approaching middle age, yet they called Lu Yang "bro." Lu Yang had come here specifically for him—and he'd brought people.

Lu Yang straightened his jacket, bent down to look at Shang Nan's cold expression, and snatched the phone from his hand. He looked down at Shang Nan from above. "I don't mean anything by it. I've fallen out with my old man, so I'm hitting your mom up for some cash."

Lu Yang lit up Shang Nan's phone screen. It needed a passcode. He crouched down and held the screen up to Shang Nan's face—facial recognition would work too. Shang Nan had been sitting quietly, but he suddenly began to struggle. The men behind him saw he was just a young boy and hadn't been using much force—caught completely off guard. Shang Nan snatched the phone back, shoved Lu Yang, and without bothering to grab his bag, broke into a sprint back the way he'd come.

The compound had security guards. If he made it through this stretch, there'd be surveillance cameras. There had to be—

Shang Nan's pace suddenly slowed. A knife was pointed at his face, closing in step by step.

Shang Nan's heart clenched. He backed away slowly, staring at the man before him. The man wore a mask; his eyes carried the feral desperation of a gambler.

Lu Yang and his people caught up. He touched his face, then sauntered over to Shang Nan. Once again, he took the phone. This time, he successfully unlocked it. But he didn't immediately message anyone. Instead, he turned off the screen and said carelessly: "I'll hold you for a couple days. Scare them a little. The Shang Family heir's gone missing—oh my god, who could have done it, the audacity, is there no law anymore..."

Lu Yang mimicked the kind of commentary onlookers might make. When he finished, he fell silent for a long time, his expression dark. "Shang Nan, you brought this on yourself. Don't look at me like that. I'm not afraid of anything anymore. After my mom died, I didn't want to live anyway."

"Take him. Lock him in the place I mentioned before. One week to start. Water only."

One of the men grabbed a roll of black tape from a van. He tore off a strip as he walked toward Shang Nan. Before his eyes were covered, Shang Nan saw Lu Yang jog a few steps and toss Shang Nan's phone into a flower bed on the side of the road.

He'd never intended to get money. He just wanted to vent.

Shang Nan was shoved into the van. The inside reeked—cigarette smoke and body odor mingled together. The windows were sealed shut, no ventilation. Someone inside was still smoking. They even chatted in a casual, lighthearted tone.

"Rich kids really are gutsy."

"Must be nice to be rich. Look at that face..."

Shang Nan's mouth was sealed with black tape, his eyes bound tight, his hands tied behind his back. He couldn't determine where he was or where he was being taken.

Every time the van turned, Shang Nan was slammed hard against the side door. The men only needed to make sure he didn't die; beyond that, they couldn't be bothered.

Shang Nan wasn't particularly afraid. He had Fourteen, and he had Yu Zhibai.

But he was a little hungry.

The city had a bell tower that chimed every hour on the hour.

Along the way, the bell struck twice. After that, they drove for a long while more. Shang Nan had left home just after seven; it had to be close to ten now. The dense blare of car horns had faded away long ago. In their place, birdsong and insect calls gradually grew thick and close.

When the van stopped, the door slid open. Shang Nan's world was still pitch-black. Someone grabbed his arm and dragged him out. He couldn't see—caught off guard, he fell flat. The ground was rough and uneven. He was hauled back up by the shoulder. "Fucking delicate."

He was walked along a path for a stretch, nearly tripping several times. Throughout, he remained calm. By the sound of the footsteps, there were no fewer than five men—all large and strong. He couldn't fight them. No point in making a fuss and inviting more suffering.

They seemed to be nearing their destination; the men's chatter gradually picked up.

"Come eat at my place after. I'll have my wife make you guys a couple bowls of noodles."

"Your wife's hand-pulled noodles really are something—ha ha ha."

"So what about this kid? Nobody watching him?"

"This middle-of-nowhere, godforsaken place—what are you worried about?" said the man in front, unconcerned. "Besides, a pampered little princeling like him—you think he could find his own way out of here? Don't make me laugh."

Keys jangled. A heavy padlock was opened. An iron door painted red creaked slowly open. The ropes on Shang Nan's wrists were untied. He was shoved inside, and before he could turn around, the iron door was hastily slammed shut.

Shang Nan endured the pain and peeled the tape from his face, starting at one end. It left a wide red mark across his skin. Next, he tore off the blindfold, ignoring the raw spots where the hemp rope had chafed his wrists, and took stock of his surroundings.

It looked like a warehouse. Spacious, empty, covered in a layer of gray dust. There were tables, chairs, and benches, a large wooden windmill, a wrecked wooden bed, a rusted circular saw. A sink sat in one corner.

All four walls were mottled and peeling. The warehouse was very dim. The only light came from a small, perfectly square window set high up in the wall—twice a man's height—providing the entire space with its sole light source.

The warehouse was saturated with the damp smell of mold. There was nowhere to sit. Cold and desolate, it felt like being inside a tomb.

Shang Nan fished tissues from his pocket, wiped down a backless chair, and sat on it.

"I'm a little hungry."

[14: Want me to make you less hungry?]

"That's treating the symptom, not the cause."

Voices came from outside—surprised, alarmed, disbelieving.

A blurred figure slowly approached from far down the path, resolving from indistinct to clear. The person even gave them a shy little smile, as if about to open with "what a coincidence."

"What the fuck—who is that?"

"How did he follow us here?"

"Just grab him! Who cares—throw him in too!"

There was a brief commotion. The padlock was opened again, the iron door pushed from the outside. Shang Nan squinted. A thin silhouette appeared before him. Before he could get a clear look, the iron door clanged shut again.

Without the blinding light, Shang Nan readjusted to the gloom.

He made out the newcomer's face.

Zhang Gou.

Zhang Gou wore a flimsy cotton jacket. His face was somewhat pale, his lips equally wan. His eyes were bright as a fawn's—still just as thin as before. Zhang Gou glanced around in every direction until his gaze finally met Shang Nan's complicated expression.

Zhang Gou broke into a delighted smile, ran up to Shang Nan and crouched down, threw his arms around him, and whispered: "I saw them take you. I was so worried, so I followed."

"Classmate Shang Nan, are you scared? I'm so scared..." Zhang Gou murmured in a low voice. He raised his head and gazed at Shang Nan with eyes that were equal parts madness and adoration.

The author has something to say:

Nannan: Go on, go on with your performance.