In Virtual Reality 78 ☆ The Hydrangea Park (2/33)

“Here, the store hasn't had time to restock yet.
Do you want this?” Blinking, Ye Du added, “It's free”

Cao Wei Min caught the latte Ye Du tossed his way, feeling the warmth seep through his cold hands.
The country dog sat obediently in front of them, its tail wagging foolishly.
Ye Du shifted his attention from the dog to the young man sitting in front of him.
The young man wore casual clothes, but his pants were damp from the rainy day, and the thick dark fabric clung to his ankles.
He held the bottled coffee tightly as if it could provide comfort and warmth.

Thankfully, the warm air from the bookstore's heating soon spread throughout the small space.

Ye Du opened the bottled latte while sitting next to Cao Wei Min.
Ye Du's enthusiasm made Cao Wei Min feel a little uneasy, causing him to reflect on how his face had intimidated people from childhood to adulthood.
Even good people were afraid to approach him, let alone bad ones.
His sandbag-sized fists looked very intimidating.

“What's your name?” Ye Du took a sip of the sweet drink, looking at him curiously.
Cao Wei Min was puzzled by Ye Du's gaze, which was peculiar, almost taunting yet entirely genuine.
The mention of his name caused Cao Wei Min's tone to turn icy.
“What's wrong? Is there a problem with it?”

Years ago, when he first reported to the police station, the old officers had snickered at his name.
Despite their mockery, they understood its significance.

“Don't be vexed,” Ye Du reassured, his lips upturned.
“In my opinion, it's a fantastic name.
It's humble and wholesome, like a robust seedling.” [TN: Wei Min 卫民 = to guard people]

Cao Wei Min remained silent.

“However, nowadays, few parents grant their children such names.
Names are the hallmarks of their era,” continued Ye Du, setting down his frothy latte and rubbing his hands together, transferring the warmth.

Cao Wei Min nodded in agreement.
“Indeed.”

“Perhaps your parents envisioned great things for you, and you would become a soldier when you grew up,” suggested Ye Du, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Cao Wei Min shook his head.
“I'm an orphan, and enlisting is out of the question.”

“What?” The young man conversing with him appeared momentarily stupefied, then swiftly corrected himself.
“My apologies, I had no idea….”

“It's alright,” said Cao Wei Min, twisting open the jar in his grasp.
His hands, once frozen, were now blazed with warmth.
“Everything can be discussed.
I've long grown accustomed to it,” he continued composedly.
“I wasn't always called this name…
This name was gifted to me by someone significant.” He took a sip of latte, but the overpowering sweetness caused his face to wrinkle in distaste.
“Too sweet…”

Ye Du had an epiphany, “Ah, you changed your name?” He leaned forward, intrigued.
“So, what was it before?”

Cao Wei Min shifted his head with an ambiguous expression.
The exuberant youth on the other end blinked back at him.
Typically, people would stop prying after changing the subject, right? He sipped his latte again, still wrinkling his nose at the cloying taste.
“Too sweet…”

“If you can't handle it, don't drink it,” Ye Du gestured dismissively.
“But really, what was your name?”

He couldn't even shift the conversation properly? While dealing with this type of person, Cao Wei Min stiffened his face and replied dryly, “I've forgotten.”

“Ah~?” Ye Du drawled his voice with disappointment.

Hu Jing Jing returned with a small plate of savoury snacks and couldn't resist a sarcastic comment, “What are you even asking?” With no mercy, she tapped his head and added, “You're an employee, so get to work! If you dare slack off in front of the boss, you've got some guts!”

The young man exaggeratedly yelped in pain, cradling his head pitifully, “Ouch! Please, boss, it's raining cats and dogs now.
No one would come out in this weather, right?”

Placing the plate in front of Cao Wei Min, who seemed bewildered by their exchange, Hu Jing Jing sneered, “Is that so?”

Ye Du cleared his throat, then stood up, grabbed his latte, and hurried to the counter, playing the role of a mute employee.

Hu Jing Jing sighed, “This guy,” then turned around and faced the young man, “Please, enjoy.”

“Wait, I didn't order this,” the young man protested.

“Just take it as making a new friend,” the shop owner smiled and waved her hand, “Feel free to come and hang out in the shop often.”

**

Ye Du's boss, the store owner, appeared in a foul mood.
Her face was expressionless as she poked her pen at Ye Du, who was lost in thought, staring at the counter.
“What happened to you just now?” she asked.
“Didn't you see that others were hesitant? Yet you kept asking questions without understanding their body language?”

Ye Du's face quickly morphed into a fake smile.
He raised his hand to his mouth, pretending to pull on an invisible string as if saying, 'Mute while front desk working hours.'

Hu Jing Jing seemed to catch on and tossed the pen into Ye Du's arms before walking behind the counter.
She picked up a list of items she was preparing to purchase and began to chat casually, “Don't you think he's weird? It's raining outside, yet he still takes his dog for a walk.
He looked like he was searching for someone earlier, but how did he end up in our store? We weren't open this morning, so it's hard to imagine anyone in the store.
But he doesn't seem to be planning on leaving now…”

She then shifted the topic to Ye Du, “Speaking of which, what about your skewer shop? The holiday season is almost over, so it's time to restock.
But I don't have any relevant sources for skewers.
You'll have to go find them yourself.
If you have time, you should go to the nearby market and chat with those people.
Maybe you'll get some discounts…
Du? Ye Du?”

Despite having said many words, she received no response.
Hu Jing Jing raised her head to look at the young man beside her, feeling slightly dissatisfied.
“Don't play the 'mute front desk' game at a time like this.”

The young man didn't react to her comment in the way she expected.
Instead, he stared off into the distance, fixated on someone outside.

Ye Du's countenance contorted into an unrecognizable expression, a profound seriousness etched on his face, with an underlying complexity that baffled Hu Jing Jing.
She was not used to seeing him like this, and her curiosity was piqued.
Jing Jing surreptitiously pulled out her phone and aimed it at Ye Du.
The young woman snapped the photo, forgetting to silence the shutter.

The camera shutter's click sliced through the thick silence and jolted Ye Du back to reality.
He blinked and slowly withdrew his gaze, an uneasy smile plastered on his lips.
However, a dark aura enveloped him, shrouding him in a thick veil of negativity.
“Manager, what are you doing?” he queried.

Hu Jing Jing opened her mouth to respond, but the words got lodged in her throat, caught in a fierce battle with her pride.
“You, you are slacking off at work and not paying attention,” she finally sputtered, determined to save face.
“I should deduct your salary.”

Ye Du let out a weary sigh.
“I'm helping you voluntarily, and now you want to dock my pay? Even capitalists are not as tight-fisted as you,” he retorted, his tone switching from reproachful to sycophantic.
“Give me the phone, please, Manager.
I suddenly feel heart palpitations, dizziness, and blurred vision when photographed.
If you don't delete the picture, I might die.”

“Don't be ridiculous, Ye Du,” Jing Jing snapped back, irritation creeping into her voice.
“It's just a photo, not a soul-capturing.
Don't act like an old monster afraid of being seen.
Besides, I don't even have a photo of you.
Even if I want to give you the Best Employee Award at the end of the year, I won't have a decent photo of you.
Just leave this one for me.
I didn't make you look hideous, you know.
I've learned some photography skills, you know.”

Ye Du quipped, “Is this tiny shop truly offering a year-end bonus? You aren't trying to deceive me, are you?”

“I am the manager of this establishment!” Hu Jing Jing retorted righteously.
“If I say we have one, then we have one.
Oh!”

A piercing bark startled her, causing her to gasp in surprise.
With wide eyes, she looked in astonishment at the large dog that had darted past the counter.
Then, another figure darted before her, leaving only an “I'm sorry” before disappearing.

It was Cáo Wèimín and that rustic dog.

Hu Jīngjīng blinked in confusion.
“What's the hurry? It's still raining outside, isn't it?”

“Who knows? Maybe there's something urgent,” seizing the opportunity, Ye Du snatched the phone and grinned slyly, “I've deleted it, I've deleted it~.”

“Hey!”

“Here you go.” He pushed the phone back onto the table.
She started frantically searching for the backup.

Ignoring the store manager's desperate search for his photo.
Ye Du turned to look outside.

The man and the dog had already vanished beyond the hazy glass door, leaving no trace.

After pressing the phone for a while and failing to find the backup, Hu Jīngjīng looked up in frustration and exclaimed, “Are you a camera that's come to life? I can never capture a photo of you.
Finally, I managed to take one decent shot, which is still unclear.
I even thought I was good at photography!”

The young man before her shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes glistening.
“That's a brilliant idea.
From now on, I'll just use that excuse whenever someone wants to take my photo!”

“H-hey!!”

**

Wheatley let out a howl and bolted out of the quaint bookstore.
In a flash, Cao Wei Min reacted and charged after the rural dog.

The rain continued to pour relentlessly, but Cao Wei Min didn't falter, running full throttle after the dog.
The dog's destination, a small road, was fortuitous as the inclement weather meant no pedestrians.
If not for this, the rope still connected to the rural dog could have tripped someone.

Wheatley ran with laser focus, and Cao Wei Min trailed close behind while mentally retracing the map of Jiang City.
But the dog ran unpredictably, and even Cao Wei Min couldn't discern where the rural dog was leading him.

The shallow water uttered a pitiful cry as his shoe met the ground.
Just as Cao Wei Min had turned a corner on the narrow path, he was suddenly jolted into stillness.

A young lady holding a black long-handled umbrella stood motionless in the pouring rain, with an expression of bewilderment etched on her face as the massive dog crept towards her feet.

Wheatley's excited bark echoed, “Woof!”

The dog sat on the sodden ground, its once lustrous and fluffy tail drenched by the rain, gliding gracefully through the air like a shrunken, contorted sausage.

“Zhang Rou Rou,” Cao Wei Min stopped in his tracks, staring at the girl's sudden appearance in the pouring rain.

“Cao…Sir…” Zhang Rou Rou pursed her lips, her body trembling, yet she forced a smile, “I, I came out.” She collapsed to the ground, her eyes fixed on the black, water-soaked tar road, her pupils constricting.

“Zhang Rou Rou!” Cao Wei Min rushed over to her, “Are you okay? Let me take you to the hospital!”

“No, no need,” the girl grasped the hand supporting her and looked up with a pale face, “I have something more important to tell you; I…”

“Zi zi—” a strange sound suddenly came from her body.
Cao Wei Min quickly stopped and then frowned, squatting beside her.
He immediately noticed a small object on the flipped collar of her clothes.

Who would be messing with this in the age of law and order? Cao Wei Min immediately thought of that guy, his face darkening as he removed it and threw it into a deep water area, crushing it with his shoe sole.

“Get up,” he spoke briefly, “let's go home.”

He took out his phone and typed a few words, showing them to Zhang Rou Rou.

【Wang Jin Long is listening, and we will text in the car.】

**

The buzzing noise in his earphones made Wang Jin Long grimace and set them down.

He groped for the white paper by the side that he used for jotting down notes.
The page was filled with a haphazard mess of scribbles, with one word in the centre encircled repeatedly.

“Embroidery Sphere Park…”

This was the way in given to him by Cao Du, along with a time.

“October 15th, next Saturday.”

 

——— Translator's Notes ———

“Camera that's come to life” refers to a popular Chinese internet meme about objects becoming alive, often used to describe inanimate objects with supernatural powers.