The next morning, when Su Kun crawled up from the floor of Geng Zimo's room with two huge dark circles under his eyes, his entire back was drenched in sweat.

He squinted at the wide open curtains, the increasingly intense sunlight shining through the window, happening to fall on the spot of the floor where he slept, with a brightness that was almost blinding.

Stepping over the few novels scattered on the floor for leisure reading, Su Kun yawned, feeling like his whole body had been crushed. He shook as he shuffled out of the room, taking off his sweat-soaked T-shirt while complaining to Geng Zimo, who was fiddling with his laptop on the couch in the living room, "Thanks a lot, having me sunbathe for disinfection first thing in the morning. One of these days when you sleep, remember to close the curtains, the temperature in our place could drop by at least five degrees." He stretched out a hand and shook it vigorously.

Geng Zimo was sitting on the couch wearing his low-prescription glasses, his ten fingers flying rapidly, tapping the keyboard with a clatter. Without looking up, he said, "It's just the difference between deep-frying and boiling, either way it's heading towards being cooked. What are you being picky about, old man?"

Su Kun glanced at him while holding his T-shirt, thinking to himself: This guy looks all prim and proper when he's pretending to be refined, he could definitely fool any girl he meets...

As long as he keeps his mouth shut. = =

With a "click", Geng Zimo finished typing the last key and stopped his fingers as if giving up. He looked up and said, "This internet speed is really--"

He had only complained halfway when he saw Su Kun holding his waist, walking unsteadily with shaky steps towards the bathroom. He couldn't help asking, "What's with your walking posture? How did you sleep and develop Parkinson's overnight?"

Su Kun, who had already entered the bathroom door, stuck his bird's nest-like head out, indignantly flipping him the middle finger, "You fell off the bed three times last night, all landing on me, what great aim! Not only did you fall, but could you please not grind a couple times after falling next time? My balls are about to shatter!" =皿=

Geng Zimo leaned back on the couch, crossed his legs and waved, "Oh really? Come, let me feel them."

Su Kun: "..."

Last night was really tough for Su Kun. Although they had thrown away the coffin, he still couldn't settle his heart.

At first, he could still pretend to be calm and lie stiffly back on the bed. But when Geng Zimo helped turn off the ceiling light in the room and was about to close the door and leave, Su Kun rolled off the bed, howling like a ghost as he dragged a bamboo mat out, ignoring Geng Zimo's protests and insisting on making a bed on the floor next to him.

He tossed and turned during the first half of the night, not even daring to go to the bathroom. In the second half, he finally started to doze off, but then Geng Zimo started acting up.

He always knew this guy slept terribly, but he didn't know it was to this extent. Not only did he fall on him and grind a couple times, but he could even climb back onto the bed as if sleepwalking after grinding, then behave for a few dozen minutes before repeating the above actions.

After a night like this, Geng Zimo, who was already used to it, didn't feel uncomfortable, only Su Kun felt like his whole body ached as if he had played "love it to death" all night long!

And he was the one being played with! TAT

While washing up, Su Kun always felt there was something strange about his body, but staring at himself with a mouthful of toothpaste foam in the mirror, looking up and down for a long time, he still couldn't remember what exactly was off. After struggling for two minutes, he wiped his face clean and temporarily put this feeling aside.

Taking two slices of bread from the fridge and holding them in his mouth, Su Kun wobbled into the room to grab his laptop, planning to check online if there were any responses to the resumes he submitted, and to discuss plans and ideas with Geng Zimo.

But as soon as he sat down on the couch, he saw Geng Zimo, who had been surfing the internet, stare blankly at something for a moment, then suddenly sit up straight, the movement so big that he almost flipped the computer right off his knees.

"What are you doing, startling like that?" Su Kun didn't understand.

"Unic!! Do you know Unic?!" The usually half-dead Geng Zimo came back to his senses from his daze, his expression full of excitement. He hugged his computer with one hand and wildly patted Su Kun's thigh with the other.

Su Kun: "...F*ck, I know, I know, I know, you mentioned it 800 times a day during your interview period, I'd be an idiot not to know! Stop hitting me! Stop! I'm already about to fall apart, if you keep hitting I'll really be crippled!"

To be honest, since Geng Zimo quit his previous company due to being excluded and gossiped about for his sexual orientation, Su Kun had never seen him show such obvious emotions. Connecting it with his question just now, he could only think of one possibility, "What? Did Unic get back to you? Didn't you say the interview went terribly and the competition was too scary, that you were just going to make up the numbers?"

"How would I know-- they just emailed to notify me of the final interview." Geng Zimo was like a fish injected with a strong stimulant, bouncing around again, his tail flapping with a smack. He put the computer aside and rushed into the room, rummaging through boxes to find clothes.

In no time, he was dressed up all fancy and rushed out again, going to the bathroom to tidy up his hair, then casually grabbing his phone and some documents. As he changed shoes at the door, he said to Su Kun, "I can die happy just making it to the final interview. They're only keeping two people. Although the chances aren't high, I'll still go try my luck. Maybe the bosses will have a brain fart and pick me!"

Su Kun: "..." Is it really okay to talk about the leaders like that before even getting in? = =

Before he could say a word of encouragement, Geng Zimo was already out the door, his "tap tap" footsteps echoing in the hallway. With a "clang" of the iron gate opening and closing downstairs, it was quiet again.

Su Kun, who had fallen back into silence, was a bit dazed. After a while, he shook his head with the corners of his mouth curled up, then turned his gaze back to his computer screen.

The email page was already refreshed, with the two unopened advertising messages from yesterday still lying in the inbox. He moved the mouse around aimlessly on the interface for a couple of circles, but eventually clicked the X in the upper right corner.

Sitting on the couch, he refreshed a few more job search pages. Like many days before, the resumes he submitted were like pebbles sinking into a deep pool, not even stirring a single ripple before hitting the bottom.

Holding his computer, Su Kun stared blankly for a while before getting up to tidy things up. He took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and decided to go out for a stroll. The situation this month made him less and less hopeful about finding a suitable job. At the same time, another idea grew stronger in his mind: instead of passively waiting to be recruited, why not try to start his own business?

During this period, apart from submitting resumes and paying attention to job postings, he spent the rest of his time wandering around the city. He walked along commercial streets and around various schools, street by street, seven or eight times, as if he wanted to engrave the entire map of Li City into his brain. Through repeated observations, he had also identified a few locations.

With his sling bag on his back and holding his keys and bus card, Su Kun went downstairs.

It was an old residential area. Although it was called Guanyang New Town, it had been nearly twenty years since the first batch of residents moved in. The facilities and management in the community were not as good as those in the newly built apartment complexes in the city. There were only simple green belts, loose curbs, and the always overflowing garbage piles beside each building.

As Su Kun walked out of the doorway, he subconsciously glanced at the two orange garbage bins diagonally in front of him. They hadn't been cleared for who knows how many days. The contents of the bins had already overflowed, scattered around in piles. Lying on top of the pile was the coffin he had thrown downstairs last night.