The deep silence of midnight is slowly beginning to break. The exhausted night is fading away, and in Gulu Town the night is just coming to an end. The neon-soaked streets are gradually losing the glow of their signboards one by one. In the distance, birds stir their wings for the first time. At the edge of the sky, that bluish light begins to appear, as if someone is slowly awakening the glass-like city. From the metro line comes the metallic sound of the first train. The smell of coffee blends into the silent urban air. The first rays of sunlight reflect on the glass of the skyscrapers. And just like that, it feels like a new day has begun again in Gulu Town—a modern morning where busyness and dreams coexist.
At the start of the morning, Shi-Han is wearing a light and dark blue tie-dye midi dress with puff sleeves and a slightly fitted waist. A small lavender flower bag hangs from her shoulder. Her long slightly wavy hair is partly loose in the front and lightly tied at the back. Holding her phone in hand, she is standing near the elevator on the third floor. The elevator has not yet arrived at the 3rd floor from above.
Xiao-Tong:- Shi-Han, hurry and come to the bus stop. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
Xiao-Tong's SMS appears on the screen of the eighteen-year-old's phone. The elevator from above arrives at the third floor. As soon as the elevator door opens, Shi-Han steps forward while reading Xiao-Tong's message. She lifts her head slightly and is startled.
Inside the elevator was Jun-Yu. Seeing him, Shi-Han is startled as if she saw a ghost, and as she slips and is about to fall, Jun-Yu grabs her hand. In Shi-Han's soft eyes is captured his two-block haircut, fair skin, black hoodie, clean-shaven look, and that slight curved smile at the corner of his pink lips. Today, Jun-Yu seems even more attractive to her. Jun-Yu's gaze is also unusually unrestrained today. As his eyes fall on Shi-Han's delicate face, they seem to freeze. After a few moments of eye contact, Jun-Yu naturally holds Shi-Han's hand, steadies her, and smiles softly.
Jun-Yu:- Hi, Miss Shankhchunni, were you so startled seeing a zombie that you almost slipped and fell?
In her mind, the eighteen-year-old thinks (where there is fear of a tiger, evening falls there). Without expressing her thoughts, Shi-Han looks toward the elevator door. Jun-Yu also notices that the elevator is closing. As the doors begin to close, Jun-Yu pulls Shi-Han inside by her hand. Feeling the sudden pull, Shi-Han loses her balance and falls onto Jun-Yu.
As soon as Shi-Han falls on him, Jun-Yu cries out and balances on one foot while massaging the sole of the other—
Jun-Yu:- Ah! Shankhchunni, it seems you won't stop until you kill me. You've almost broken my leg!
As Jun-Yu cries out, Shi-Han's gentle heart trembles. Her calm eyes become restless, and worry is clearly visible on her face.
Shi-Han:- Sorry, sorry! Did it hurt a lot?? Actually, I'm not used to wearing high heels.
Shi-Han is not used to wearing high heels, which is why when she saw Jun-Yu while stepping into the elevator, she got startled and stumbled. And when Jun-Yu pulled her inside, she couldn't balance herself and accidentally stepped on his foot. Jun-Yu calms down a little and says—
Jun-Yu:- If you can't wear them properly, then why wear them? No one is forcing you. Anyway, now tell me, where are you going, Shankhchunni?? We study at the same university—will you go with me?
Hearing Jun-Yu asking her to go to the university with him, the eighteen-year-old can hardly believe her ears. Deep inside, she wants to go with him, but today she has something urgent to do, so she cannot. Still, a hidden wish arises in her heart—if only she could get the WeChat QR of this carefree, messy, charming "zombie scientist."
Shi-Han:- No, I won't go to the university today. Jun-Yu, can I have your WeChat QR?? We don't just study at the same university, we live in the same apartment. We are neighbors, right??
Jun-Yu:- Right, neighbors help each other in times of need.
Jun-Yu takes out his phone from his pocket and adds Shi-Han on WeChat. By then, the elevator has reached the ground floor. After adding Shi-Han on WeChat, Jun-Yu walks away toward his destination.
★★★
A faint smell of disinfectant is floating in the lab room of Shanghai University. Under the bright white lights, the metal tables, glass bottles, and rows of test tubes are gleaming. On the walls, the monitors of various machines display silent waves of blue and green. Someone is quietly taking notes, someone is peering into a microscope with focused attention, searching for something.
Amid the busy crowd of the lab, Wan-Qing sits silently at her desk. Time is moving forward around her, but for her, everything seems to have stopped. Only the ticking sound of the machines indicates that the lab is still awake.
(In the Lio-Hun Zhi-Ye case, Jun-Yu's grandma and grandpa's death is involved. But why does Officer Shu-Yang want to reopen an 18-year-old case now?? The police declared it an accident case due to lack of evidence. Besides, it seems Officer Shu-Yang remembers something about this old case? At most, Shu-Yang is 24 or 25 years old. 18 years ago, he must have been around 6 or 7. Is Officer Shu-Yang somehow connected to this case??)
Since Wan-Qing is a student of the science department, she can easily estimate Shu-Yang's age. As neither the professor nor Jun-Yu has arrived in the lab yet, she sits and keeps thinking about all this. After some time, Jun-Yu enters the lab, interrupting her thoughts.
After reaching the lab, Jun-Yu places his bag on the desk and, while putting on his apron, says to Wan-Qing— Good morning, Senior.
Wan-Qing, still deep in thought, replies seriously— Hmm… Jun-Yu, can you listen for a moment?
Jun-Yu:- Senior, what are you thinking about?? Why do you seem so serious so early in the morning???
Wan-Qing:- Yesterday, seeing you both, it felt like you are very close friends. Will you answer one question for me?? Why does Officer Shu-Yang want to reopen the Lio-Hun Zhi-Ye case after 18 years??
Jun-Yu:- Senior, did you notice yesterday when Shu-Yang asked me to help find you, his eyes became teary??
Wan-Qing:- Hmm! That's exactly my question too. Why is Officer Shu-Yang so emotionally involved in the incident of my parents' death, Junior??
Jun-Yu:- Senior, I am bound by a promise to Shu-Yang. I cannot tell you the secret of Shu-Yang's silent, lonely city. But if you want, you can go to the Nanjing Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum on October 20 and find the answers to all your questions.
Hearing the date—October 20—and the mention of the mausoleum, Wan-Qing's heart trembles with an unknown fear. Why has Shu-Yang become so desperate to investigate the Lio-Hun Zhi-Ye case after 18 years? Wan-Qing has at least partially begun to guess the reason.
★★★
A bus speeds along the city's busy roads. Sitting side by side are Shi-Han and Xiao-Tong.
After a single night apart, Xiao-Tong has a lot to say to Shi-Han. But before their conversation even begins, Shi-Han tilts her head and falls asleep on Xiao-Tong's shoulder.
Xiao-Tong stays silent for a while.
Irritation is clearly visible on her face, yet there is also affection for Shi-Han. Finally, she shrugs her shoulder slightly and says in a soft voice—
Xiao-Tong: Hey weasel! What did you even do all night? You don't even have a husband to play ludo with all night, so why are you snoring on my shoulder now? Get up!
Shi-Han, half-asleep, leans in and murmurs—
"No husband, sis… but there's a devil and a zombie."
Xiao-Tong is startled, then bursts into laughter—
What did you say! Does that mean you have a boyfriend now? Quickly tell me, what's the name of your so-called devil?
Shi-Han (without opening her eyes): The devil is Xiao-Tong.
The smile fades from Xiao-Tong's face.
She jokingly smacks Shi-Han lightly on the back a couple of times—
So I'm your devil, huh! Fine. But what were you talking about with Chen-Yu yesterday?
Shi-Han (opening her eyes and sighing): He was bothering me again yesterday. I've ended everything with him. Chen-Yu was the real devil in my life. You're my heart, Xiao-Tong.
Xiao-Tong: Finally, you've come out of that playboy's illusion. But tell me, who is the "zombie" in your life?
Shi-Han, with a faint smile—
J for zombie, J for Jun-Yu. It's the nickname I gave him.
Xiao-Tong (astonished): What! You call someone as handsome as Jun-Yu a zombie?
Shi-Han: Xiao-Tong, only his face is beautiful. But his house, his lifestyle—everything is just like a zombie.
Xiao-Tong: How did you even see his house?
Shi-Han: The apartment I live in actually belongs to Jun-Yu. He lives on the fourth floor, and I'm on the third. Now be quiet and let me sleep. I didn't get any sleep last night because of that zombie.
Xiao-Tong, with mischievous eyes and raising one eyebrow—
Didn't sleep because of the zombie? What does that mean? Did Jun-Yu stay with you all night—?
Shi-Han (rolling her eyes): Nothing like that. He fainted in front of my flat last night. While cooking, he burned his hand, and while cutting vegetables, he also cut all five fingers of his left hand.
Xiao-Tong freezes. Her smile disappears, replaced by concern—
All that happened, and you didn't tell me?
Shi-Han takes out her phone and opens WeChat on the screen. Then she says to Xiao-Tong—
It was already very late then. Look, before leaving I added Jun-Yu on WeChat.
Xiao-Tong: Oh my, are you messaging your zombie now?
Shi-Han (quietly): Meilin is alone. And I forgot to feed her.
("Zombie, I'm going out of town. I'll be back a bit late. Please take care of the cat. And feed her too.")
After replying to Xiao-Tong, Shi-Han sends an SMS to Jun-Yu.
She waits for a reply for a while, but her phone screen goes dark—no reply comes.
A slight sadness fills Shi-Han's heart. She looks out the window, the wind from the road brushing through her hair… but her mind remains on the silent window of the fourth floor—inside that zombie's room.
★★★
Readers, if you like the story, please don't forget to gift me Power Stones. And also, do tell me how you felt about this chapter.