69novels Chapter 44 Feel with your heart, see with your heart
Chapter 44 Feel with your heart, see with your heart
The city of perfume.
The name is not a lie.
From the moment he stepped into the town, Lu Siye was surrounded by various fragrances.
The street was narrow, and the houses on both sides were squeezed together.
People here walk very slowly.
Compared to the villages on the border, this place is like another world.
Here there is electricity, clean water, paved roads, and boys riding bicycles, ringing their bells as they pass through the streets and alleys.
The war never seemed to have reached this place.
But the tentacles of war are everywhere, only in some places they are held tighter and in others looser.
The city of perfume belongs to the latter category.
It's not because there's anything special about this place, but because it still has some value.
Officials need to enjoy themselves, military officers need to relax, and all factions need a neutral, safe place where they can sit down to negotiate or make deals.
The City of Perfume is such a place.
A deformed yet prosperous city that survived the chaos of war, like a flower blooming on ruins.
Zhang Lei walked at the front, wearing khaki shorts that revealed his two hairy calves.
He was wearing a pair of brown leather sandals, and even socks underneath.
White boat socks, with a bit of the edge showing.
Liu Chuang walked beside him, his steps lighter than before.
They walked through several alleys, turned two corners, passed a row of shops selling spices and handicrafts, and finally stopped in front of a black iron gate.
Zhang Lei didn't knock; he simply pushed open the iron gate.
Behind the door is a small courtyard with a small fountain in the center. Water flows from the beak of a stone swan and falls into the pool below.
A person was standing next to the pool.
a woman.
She heard the door open and turned around.
Lu Siye saw her face.
My first reaction wasn't "pretty," even though she is indeed very pretty.
But my first reaction was, "That's not right."
This person shouldn't be standing here, shouldn't be standing in a small courtyard, acting as a proprietress waiting for customers.
She should be standing on a bigger stage, bathed in spotlights, watched by countless eyes, surrounded by applause and flowers.
But she's right here.
In this small courtyard, beside the fountain, barefoot, holding a glass of red wine, she watched the three men walk in, a slight smile playing on her lips.
She is about 1.7 meters tall, which is considered tall for a woman.
Her hair was blonde, and her features were exquisite.
It's obvious that they are of mixed race.
An Eastern skeleton and a Western silhouette—two completely different bloodlines blended perfectly together in her.
She looked at Zhang Lei and smiled.
"Mr. Zhang, it's been a long time."
"Last time you said you'd come in a month, and I counted the days, waiting for you for thirty-two days."
Zhang Lei smiled, stepped forward, and opened his arms.
Liara neither dodged nor went to meet him; she simply stood there, holding her red wine, smiling, waiting for Zhang Lei to come over on his own.
Zhang Lei hugged her tightly, his hands lingering on her back longer than a normal, polite hug.
Liara didn't push him away or respond. She just stood there, holding her wine glass next to Zhang Lei's shoulder, the red wine inside swirling slightly without spilling.
Zhang Lei released her, took a step back, and looked her up and down.
"It looks beautiful again," he said.
Liara smiled faintly, as if she was used to such words and no longer needed to react.
She turned to Liu Chuang and nodded.
"Mr. Liu."
Liu Chuang nodded in response.
Then her gaze shifted to Lu Siye.
Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment.
It wasn't that kind of ambiguous gaze.
Just watching.
Then she laughed.
This smile is different from the one before.
"A new friend?" she asked Zhang Lei.
"My college classmate," Zhang Lei said, "whose surname is Lu."
Liara walked over with a wine glass in her hand, stopped in front of Lu Siye.
She was just up to his chin, and she had to tilt her head slightly to see his eyes.
She tilted her head back, looked into his eyes, and stared for two seconds.
Then she reached out her hand.
"Liara," she said, "welcome."
Lu Siye took her hand.
Her hands were soft and warm, with long, slender fingers.
"Lu Siye," he said.
Liara nodded.
She turned and walked into the house, her skirt brushing lightly across the floor with a soft rustling sound.
"The rooms are ready," her voice came from the front. "Mr. Zhang's old room is next door, and Mr. Liu's room is next door."
"New friend... stay in the room at the end of the corridor, it'll be quieter."
Lu Siye followed them into the house.
It looks much bigger inside than it does from the outside.
A spacious hall with a high ceiling and a crystal chandelier hanging from it.
There were several sets of leather sofas in the hall, and a few paintings on the walls, not mass-produced decorative paintings.
It was a genuine oil painting, with intense colors, depicting abstract patterns that Lu Siye couldn't understand.
There is a bar in one corner of the hall, and the liquor cabinet behind the bar is filled with all kinds of liquor, including whiskey, brandy, vodka and rum.
There were also some wines with unusual bottle shapes that Lu Siye couldn't name.
A young bartender stood behind the bar. When he saw the customer come in, he nodded slightly without any extra expression or movement.
Liara led them to the sofa area in the center of the hall and gestured for them to sit down.
"What would you like to drink first?" she asked, "Or... should we choose someone first?"
Zhang Lei laughed, plopped down on the sofa, sank into it, and squinted his eyes in comfort.
"Let's choose someone first," he said casually. "Is that Xiao Rou from last time still around?"
Liara nodded.
"Let her come," Zhang Lei said, then thought for a moment, "and call another one... a man, what was the last one's name again... Ah Jie? Right, Ah Jie."
Lu Siye glanced at Zhang Lei.
Zhang Lei noticed his gaze, smiled, shrugged, and offered no explanation.
Liu Chuang sat on another sofa.
"Whatever," he said, "the usual is fine."
Liara nodded, turned and walked to the bar, picked up an old-fashioned telephone receiver, dialed a number, whispered a few words, and then hung up.
She walked back and sat down on the single sofa opposite Lu Siye, crossed her legs, and her skirt slipped down from her knees, revealing a section of her calves.
"And Mr. Lu?" she asked. "Does he have any preferences?"
Lu Siye looked at her.
"No," he said.
Liara glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a second before looking away.
"Then there's no rush," she said, picking up the red wine that had been on the coffee table and taking a sip. "Let's have something to drink first, look around, and take our time."
She raised her hand and waved towards the bar.
The bartender nodded and began to work, the bottle flying through his hands, the ice sloshing in the shaker, his movements fluid and graceful.
A few minutes later, four glasses of wine were served.
Zhang Lei's drink is whiskey, on the rocks.
Liu Chuang's was vodka, pure, without any additives.
Lia poured red wine, the same as before.
Lu Siye's drink was a cocktail whose name he couldn't recall.
The colors are gradient, gradually transitioning from dark blue at the bottom to transparent at the top.
"Try it," Liara said. "I had the bartender make it specially, it's non-alcoholic, you can't drink it, can you?"
Lu Siye glanced at her.
How did she know he couldn't drink?
He didn't ask.
I picked up the cup and took a sip.
Sweet, with a hint of sourness.
Delicious.
He put down the cup and looked at Liara.
Liara was also looking at him, her gaze unwavering, looking at him openly and honestly.
Lu Siye looked away first.
It wasn't because he lost some unseen contest, but because he genuinely wasn't used to being looked at like that.
He was never used to it as a child.
After a while, the person arrived.
First, two women walked out from a door on the side of the hall, wearing simple dresses, one white and one black, one with straight hair and the other with curly hair.
They are all beautiful, but not in a way that makes you afraid to look directly at them; rather, they are beautiful in a way that makes you feel comfortable.
They walked up to Zhang Lei and Liu Chuang and greeted them with smiles.
Zhang Lei put his arm around the waist of the woman in the white dress, pulled her close, and whispered something in her ear. The woman laughed, gently patted his chest, and looked at him reproachfully.
Liu Chuang didn't pull or grab her, he just nodded. The woman in the black dress sat down next to him, sitting quietly without saying a word.
Then there was a man.
Young, probably in his early twenties, wearing a black tight-fitting T-shirt with a low neckline that revealed a patch of fair, well-defined chest muscles.
His features were so exquisite that they seemed almost unreal. His eyebrows were manicured, his lips were rosy, and his eyes were large with slightly upturned corners, giving him an androgynous beauty.
He walked up to Zhang Lei and bowed slightly.
"Brother Zhang."
His voice is very pleasant.
Zhang Lei reached out and pinched his chin.
"You've lost weight," Zhang Lei said.
"I miss you," A-Jie said with a smile.
Zhang Lei laughed, let go of his hand, and patted the sofa next to him.
Ah Jie sat down and naturally leaned on Zhang Lei's shoulder.
Lu Siye looked away, feeling uncomfortable.
The Zhang Lei he knew didn't smoke or drink, and he would turn off the lights and go to sleep at 11 p.m. every night.
Is that person the same one who is wearing a floral shirt, has women on both sides, and is bisexual?
Lu Siye was unsure.
Perhaps people are inherently multifaceted, but some aspects only emerge under specific circumstances.
Liara stood up from the sofa, walked to Lu Siye, and extended her hand.
"Mr. Lu, your room is next to the backyard. I'll take you there."
Lu Siye stood up and followed her.
Walk through the hall, then through a carpeted corridor.
There were some black and white photos hanging on the walls of the corridor. The composition and lighting of the photos were very sophisticated. They were not just casual shots, but genuine photographic works.
"Did you take these photos?" Lu Siye asked.
Liara didn't turn around; her voice drifted from ahead.
"Yes, it was filmed a long time ago."
"A long time ago?"
"Before coming to the city of perfume," she said.
Lu Siye did not ask any further questions.
At the end of the corridor is a wooden door; push it open, and you'll find a small courtyard.
The courtyard is small, but very exquisite.
A few bamboo trees were planted in the corner, and there was a low wall at the other end of the yard. A larger yard could be vaguely seen on the other side of the wall.
Three black SUVs were parked in the yard.
Those were the three cars they drove.
backyard.
The place where that cage was kept.
Lu Siye's gaze lingered on the low wall for a moment before returning to it.
Liara pushed open the door to the room at the end of the corridor and stepped aside to let him in.
The room wasn't big, but it was very clean.
"Make do," Liara said, standing in the doorway, her hand resting on the doorframe. "The conditions are limited."
"Thank you," Lu Siye said.
Liara glanced at him, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just smiled, then closed the door and left.
Lu Siye stood in the room, neither sitting nor lying down, nor opening the window.
He stood there, listening to Liara's footsteps gradually fade away down the corridor and disappear around the corner at the end of the corridor.
Then he walked to the door, opened it a crack, and looked outside.
The corridor was deserted.
He pushed open the door and went out.
He walked back the way he came, and as he passed the hall, he heard Zhang Lei's laughter coming from inside.
It was big and unrestrained, mixed with a woman's coquettishness and Ah Jie's soft laughter.
He did not stop.
Walk through the hall, through the door leading to the courtyard, past the fountain, across the gravel ground, and to the low wall.
The wall wasn't high, only about chest-high.
He flipped over.
The layout of the backyard is different from that of the front yard.
Three black SUVs were parked in a corner of the backyard, and in the very center of the backyard was the cage.
It was square, about 1.5 meters on each side, covered with black canvas. The four corners of the canvas were tied tightly to the base of the cage with ropes.
The canvas material is thick and opaque, so you can't see anything inside from the outside.
Old Zhao isn't here.
Lu Siye didn't know where he went, but he could guess.
Even at such an advanced age, she still has quite a variety of interests.
Lu Siye stood about ten steps away from the cage, looking at the square cage covered with black canvas.
He didn't know why he stopped.
It's not because I'm afraid.
It was because of a feeling he couldn't quite explain.
He took a deep breath and continued walking forward.
Ten steps.
Five steps.
Three steps.
He stood in front of the cage, reached out, and pinched a corner of the canvas.
He held the corner, paused for a moment, and then slowly lifted it up.
Underneath the canvas was a layer of wire mesh, with very fine mesh, only about the thickness of a finger.
Through the barbed wire, he saw a patch of purple.
Scales.
They are arranged in close rows, one after another.
Lu Siye's fingers unconsciously tightened a little.
He lifted the canvas to reveal a larger area.
More purple was revealed.
That was a living being.
It walks on all fours and is about the same size as a large adult dog, but its body proportions are different.
It has a short neck, a large head, and a head shape that is somewhere between a lizard and a dragon, but it has no horns and a smooth curve on the top of its head.
Lu Siye looked at it, and for some reason, he felt that he should recognize this creature.
But he couldn't explain why.
He couldn't explain it.
Just as he was about to lift the canvas wider, he felt a pair of hands.
From behind.
She wrapped her arms around his waist.
Two hands were clasped together in front of his abdomen, fingers interlaced, clasped lightly but firmly.
Then came the feeling of bodies pressing against each other.
soft.
Warm.
He could feel her heartbeat.
Even through two layers of clothing, her heart was pounding.
There are other things too.
Softer.
On the upper part of his back were two round, full, soft bumps, like freshly baked bread.
Through the thin long skirt and cotton-linen fabric, it clung tightly between his shoulder blades.
Lu Siye's body stiffened.
His mind went blank for a brief moment.
"Little brother," Liara's voice came from beside him, "what are you doing?"
Lu Siye's hand was still gripping the corner of the canvas, suspended in mid-air, neither letting go nor lifting it further.
"Aren't you going to play with your older sisters?"
Lu Siye loosened the corner of the canvas.
The canvas fell down and covered the cage again.
"I was just..." he said, his voice lower than usual, "just looking around."
"Just browsing?"
Liara's voice was tinged with laughter as she gently drew a circle on his abdomen with her finger.
"You were just looking around and ended up in the backyard?"
Lu Siye remained silent.
He didn't know what to say.
His brain is still loading.
Liara rested her chin on his shoulder, tilted her head, looked at his stiff profile, and smiled.
“You’re different from them,” she said. “Those two came in looking for women… no, Mr. Zhang was looking for men too.”
"And you? You don't even glance at those girls."
Her fingers stopped on his abdomen, the heel of her palm resting above his navel.
"Don't you like women?" she asked.
Lu Siye finally regained his voice.
"No," he said, "I'm here to find someone."
Looking for someone?
"A friend. A woman. Has gone missing."
Liara's finger twitched.
"What kind of friend?" she asked, the laughter in her voice fading slightly.
Lu Siye took out his phone from his pocket and flipped to that photo.
A photo of Tang Yuan.
Leah loosened her grip on his waist, took the phone from his hand, and glanced at the photo.
I looked at it for about three seconds.
Then she returned the phone to him and smiled.
"Such a beautiful girl," she said, her tone returning to its previous languidness, "if she were here, she would definitely be the top courtesan."
She did not answer his question.
Lu Siye put his phone in his pocket, turned around, and looked at her.
Lu Siye looked into her eyes, trying to find something in those amber-like eyes.
But he couldn't find it.
There was nothing in those eyes.
"Have you seen her?" Lu Siye asked.
Liara did not answer.
She took a step forward, shortening the distance between them.
From half a step, it became zero.
Her body pressed against his, from his chest to his abdomen, from his abdomen to his thighs, and from his thighs to his knees.
It fits perfectly.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers interlacing on the back of his neck.
Her fingertips gently, one stroke at a time, caressed the roots of his hair.
That tingling sensation spread from the back of my neck, coursing through my entire body like an electric current.
Lu Siye's breathing became erratic.
He could feel her body temperature, her heartbeat, and her breathing.
His face turned red.
It started from the neck, all the way down to the ears, cheeks, and forehead, turning red.
"You..." he said, "Don't..."
Liara smiled.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Lu Siye's back was pressed against something.
There is no way to retreat.
Liara stood on tiptoe and brought her face even closer.
Her lips pressed against his ear.
Her lips brushed against his earlobe, slightly parted, carrying the mixed scent of red wine and fragrance, as they drifted into his ear.
"Stand up," she said. "I'll take you there."
Lu Siye's mind cleared up in that instant.
He raised his hand, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her hand away from his neck.
"Okay," he said, his voice returning to normal.
He held Liara's hand in his; her wrist was so slender that he could hold it with one hand.
She did not struggle.
Just looking at him, there was still that half-smile on his lips.
Lu Siye released her hand.
She flexed her wrist, glanced at the red marks left on it, then looked up at Lu Siyue and smiled.
"Let's go," she said.
Then she turned and walked to the other end of the courtyard.
Lu Siye followed behind her.
She led him around half the courtyard, then stopped, turned around, and faced Lu Siye.
Then she went around to his back.
She reached out from behind and covered his eyes.
"What are you doing?" Lu Siye asked.
"Don't move," she said, her voice close to his ear.
Lu Siye's body stiffened again.
He could feel her body pressed against his back again.
"Did you find it?" she asked.
Lu Siye's eyes were covered, so he couldn't see anything.
His world turned into darkness, with only the soft body behind him and the gentle voice in his ear.
"What?" he asked.
"Her," Liara said.
Lu Siye frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Liara did not answer.
She gently pressed her finger against his eyes, as if reminding him of something, or giving him some kind of hint.
"Did you see it?" she asked, her voice even softer. "Pay close attention."
Her lips were almost touching his earlobe, and each breath she exhaled brushed against his earlobe, carrying warmth and moisture.
"Don't use your eyes."
His heart was still beating fast, but not because he was nervous or shy.
It was because of an inexplicable, increasingly strong premonition.
"She's right there," Liara said.
"I'll be waiting for you right there."
He suppressed those distracting thoughts.
I've emptied my mind.
air.
Then he heard it.
A call.
His body began to move.
He took the first step.
Liara's hands were still covering his eyes as she followed behind him, keeping pace with him perfectly.
The second step.
third step.
He didn't know which direction he was going, or what he was standing on.
He couldn't tell whether it was a stone slab, a pebble, yellow soil, or grassland.
All he knew was that he was being led by that string in a certain direction.
I walked about twenty steps.
Perhaps thirty steps.
He can't feel it anymore.
Liara removed her hand from his eyes.
The sunlight pierced his eyes, making them a little dazzling. He squinted for a moment, and only slowly opened them after his pupils adjusted to the light.
backyard.
He went back to the backyard.
The cage covered by a black canvas was right in front of him, less than three steps away.
Lu Siye stood in front of the cage, looking at the black canvas.
He found out.
Before he lifted the cloth, before he saw what was inside.
He already knew before he had any solid evidence.
That line.
That call.
Lu Siye reached out and grabbed a corner of the canvas.
This time he did not hesitate.
He flipped it open.
Sunlight streamed into the cage.
It woke up.
Its eyes opened.
Brown.
The same color as Liara's eyes.
It looked at Lu Siye.
There was no fear, no anger, no hatred in those brown eyes.
It has none of the emotions that a creature kept in a cage should have.
There is only one thing.
calm.
Lu Siye squatted down to look at it at eye level.
It didn't move.
It just looked at him, as if waiting for something.
Lu Siye extended his hand.
His hand slipped through the mesh of the wire mesh and reached into the cage.
His fingertips touched its head.
The scales are cool and smooth.
It closed its eyes.
It raised its head slightly, like a cat being petted by its owner, and rubbed against his palm.
Lu Siye's hand remained on its head, motionless.
"What are you doing?"
Lu Siye paused for a moment, but did not retract his hand.
He turned his head and saw Liu Chuang standing at the entrance to the backyard.
Liu Chuang walked over, went to the cage, looked down at the purple creature, and then looked up at Lu Siye.
"Didn't I tell you not to move around?"
"This is a job that could cost you your head."
Lu Siye pulled his hand out of the cage, but did not stand up.
He squatted there, looking at Liu Chuang.
"What exactly do you want to send?" he asked.
Liu Chuang's lips twitched slightly.
"A pet," he said, shifting his gaze from Lu Siye to the cage. "You see it."
Lu Siye looked into his eyes.
Those eyes are lying.
But Lu Siye knew he was lying.
Lu Siye stood up and looked at Liu Chuang.
"A pet?" he repeated the word. "Does it need seven people to escort it? Does it need to be hidden in the backyard covered with a tarpaulin? Does it need you to personally guard it?"
Liu Chuang did not answer.
"Old Liu," Lu Siye said, lowering his voice, "you're not good at lying."
Liu Chuang's eyes twitched.
He's right.
Zhang Lei's voice came from behind.
Lu Siye turned around and saw Zhang Lei walking in from the backyard entrance.
Two buttons on his floral shirt were undone, revealing a fresh, reddish-purple hickey on his collarbone.
Zhang Lei walked to Liu Chuang's side, stood still, and looked at Lu Siye.
"That's not your concern," he said. "You'd better just behave yourself."
He paused, his gaze lingering on Lu Siyue's face for a second.
"This is not a personal matter," he said. "It's about friendship between nations."
Friendship between nations.
What a useful word.
You can use it to explain anything, to defend anything, and to shut anyone up.
Lu Siye looked at Zhang Lei's face.
There was something on that face, something he had never seen before.
It is a belief.
A distorted, absurd, yet undeniably real belief.
Zhang Lei truly believes he is doing the right thing.
Lu Siye remained silent for three seconds.
Then he laughed.
"Okay," he said, "I understand."
Zhang Lei glanced at him, but didn't ask any further questions.
Because Lu Siye had already turned around.
He turned around and walked towards the backyard entrance.
He took two steps, stopped, turned his head, and glanced at Liara standing in the corner of the yard.
She stood there, barefoot, her deep red dress fluttering gently in the breeze.
Lu Siye looked at her.
"What are you all standing there for?" he said. "Come on in the room, let's go."
Liara looked at him and paused for a second.
Then she laughed.
"You little rascal," she said, walking towards him, reaching out and hooking her arm around his, "then let your big sister pamper you."
Her body pressed against his arm.
Lu Siye's arm stiffened for a moment, but he didn't pull it away.
Behind them, Zhang Lei and Liu Chuang stood in the center of the backyard, watching their backs.
Zhang Lei took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, lit it, and took a deep drag.
"Don't ruin your health, Siye," he said.