To Covet (GL) - Chapter 18

The night market in Linzhou could be considered a famous internet-famous spot, with neon signs from restaurants of all sizes along the main street and the side alleys. As I stood up from a street bench, the feeling of exhaustion didn’t go away; it spread throughout my body.

I was holding a stuffed animal from a souvenir shop, but in my peripheral vision, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in a shop across the street. My mind went blank, and I froze in place. I didn’t get a good look at the person, but they were wearing a bucket hat and looking down at their phone. They accidentally bumped into a mother and son carrying a shopping basket in the aisle. The person repeatedly bent down to apologize and stepped to the side.

Feng Jia? I saw her face clearly.

I lowered my head, clutching the stuffed animal in both hands, to avoid the risk of making eye contact. But my eyes were still drawn to her movements until she walked to the counter.

She paid and walked away with a paper bag.

I followed her, keeping a distance of about five meters. I quickly closed the gap in a crowded area and slowed down again when the crowd thinned.

With the cover of flower beds and street trees, I didn’t think Feng Jia would be sharp enough to notice me, unless I was greedy and stared at her.

She answered a phone call, leaned against a bench to chat for a while, and then walked into the KFC on the corner.

Behind the glass doors, there was a crowd of noisy children. I walked around the parents who were leaning against the railings, but Feng Jia was gone. I pretended to look for a seat, walked around the first and second floors, but didn’t see her again.

Losing someone wasn’t a rare thing, especially when I ran into them without any preparation or purpose.

It was just a meaningless game.

I put my phone, which was still on photo mode, back in my pocket. I looked around again, making sure she had completely disappeared from my sight. But I still had a strange feeling. It was as if Feng Jia had become invisible the moment she walked through that door, and she was now somewhere nearby, or even in front of me, watching me.

There was no need to go any further. I returned the way I came and stopped in front of a shop with blue and green European checkered windows.

It was the same shop Feng Jia had gone into. The window displayed many exquisite animal figurines. The art style looked like the picture book Peter Rabbit. I pushed the door open, a bell rang, and it felt like a fairytale.

I took down a pinecone wax seal stamp from the display shelf.

Customers came and went, and I had to make way for others. I didn’t even notice someone approaching me.

“You like their stuff too?”

The moment I turned my head, I matched the voice to the face.

“You don’t remember me?” Seeing me stand there frozen, Feng Jia thought I had forgotten. “We’ve met before. I was your sister’s teacher. My last name is Feng. I remember you. Your name is ‘Keyi,’ right?”

“Oh, hello, Teacher.”

My pinky finger touched a stamp next to me as I put my hand back, and it caused a domino effect, sending them clattering to the ground.

“Be careful,” she said, smiling as she helped me put the messy stamps back in order. “These oddly shaped little glass things crack easily when they get bumped.”

I looked up at her fluffy curly hair. It was a little lighter than the last time I saw her. It might have been an illusion caused by the lighting in the store.

Feng Jia had a natural smile on her lips, but she didn’t smile much. Her expression was always monotonous. When there were subtle changes, they would disappear in the blink of an eye before anyone could catch them.

“These wax seals were just released in August. The colors are beautiful, and they match the theme ‘Squirrel’s Treasure’ very well,” she said, pointing to a wooden sign. Seeing my half-comprehending nod, she explained, “I used to come to this store a lot to buy things when I was studying in Linzhou. I’m an old friend of the owner, so I know a little more.”

“Are you from Linzhou, Teacher?”

“Yes. Not only am I from Linzhou, but your sister and I went to the same school,” she finally found a suitable topic. “I also graduated from Linzhou Foreign Language School. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come back here for an internship.”

A map appeared in my mind. I roughly calculated how far the southwestern suburbs of Linzhou were from here.

Feng Jia’s two appearances were perfectly timed. The first was after I witnessed Yu Zhouwan’s secret, and the second was after the transgressive event. It was as if she was a prepared hunter who could sense any trace of Yu Zhouwan on me.

When I was paying, I quietly raised my sleeve and sniffed it guiltily. There was indeed no strange smell on me. I even became paranoid and suspected that she had come to counter-stalk me.

“Is Keyi also in high school?”

“Yes, at Qizhong. I’m in my first year.” I nodded. “Where do you teach now, Teacher? I remember you said you weren’t in Linzhou anymore.”

“That’s right. I signed a contract to work somewhere else,” Feng Jia and the store owner exchanged a silent greeting with their eyes. “At the university where I studied, Nan Gang. It’s a nice coastal city, very suitable for living.”

“Do you want to get something to eat? The snacks on Sijie Street are worth trying,” Feng Jia said, habitually taking out her phone. “Oh, if it’s too late, we can hang out again another time. I can give you a ride.”

“No, you don’t have to, Teacher. It’s no trouble.”

I put the stuffed animal in the paper bag. The empty kraft paper bag was now puffed up, with a dog’s head peeking out.

Feng Jia opened the paper bag she was holding. It contained a set of light yellow and pure white tableware. I leaned in to look, and she took out the tableware and put it in my hand.

There was a teacup, a plate, and a spoon. Each one had a different rabbit figure on it.

“You can have any of them you like.”

I shook my head and declined.

“Alright then, Keyi. I’ll take you back now?” she said, jiggling her car keys. “I came by car. It’s no trouble.”

“Where do you live, Teacher? If it’s far, I’ll just take the subway.”

The question slipped out without any thought. I considered it carefully. As someone who didn’t know her address, asking this question didn’t reveal anything, because the development zone and my home were two completely unrelated places.

“It’s not far. I live in Xingyuan,” she said, patting my shoulder. “If you want to buy anything, we can go look. Do you need to call your parents? I’ll explain everything for you.”

Xingyuan…

I took a deep breath. The cold air rushed into my nose.

Once you find out someone has lied without a trace, you start to wonder if every word they said before was a lie waiting to happen.

Because I didn’t know the truth, I couldn’t see through her.

The phone in my pocket vibrated non-stop.

“Is your family calling to rush you?”

I looked at the number and hung up without hesitation. The lock screen showed a long list of missed calls.

“Hey?” Feng Jia pretended to be angry and glared at me like I was a rebellious child. “If you don’t answer your parents’ calls, I won’t help you explain.”

“It’s not that,” I said, smiling awkwardly. “It’s my sister.”

As I said that, I watched Feng Jia’s face. Unfortunately, her expression didn’t change at all. She simply said “oh” in a way that showed she understood and then went silent.

“Your parents must be worried, too. What time does evening study end at Qizhong? I’m not sure.”

“10:30.”

I followed her, and we took a shortcut through an alley. In less than two minutes, we arrived at the parking lot.

“When I was your age, I used to hear students from Qizhong complain about getting up early and going to bed late. It’s still the same now,” Feng Jia said, opening the car door and motioning for me to get in.

“My sister told me that evening study at Linzhou Foreign Language School is very relaxed, and no one cares.”

“That’s right. I used to read martial arts novels in the classroom every night in high school. When the lights went out, I’d go home and continue reading,” she said with a smile. “But you shouldn’t learn from me. My grades dropped later, and I had no one but myself to blame.”

“Why didn’t you stay in Linzhou, Teacher? I feel like you really like Linzhou Foreign Language School.”

“Of course, I wasn’t qualified. Linzhou Foreign Language School only hires Ph.D. students who majored in the subject they want to teach. I wasn’t qualified to compete with them.”

“My sister told me you’re a really good teacher and that you gave her a lot of support with her studies.”

Of course, I made that up. But through the rearview mirror, I saw her eyes shift uncomfortably.

I admit I was a little nosy, but I also wanted to figure out what her feelings were for Yu Zhouwan.

“I’m not,” she said. The dome light went out, and she drove onto a wider road after turning a corner. She pressed the gas pedal. “I’m actually a person who’s bad at everything, including being a teacher.”