Paradise Street

16

Yang Yu Teng hasn't gotten out of bed for a week, he canceled the interview, with the excuse of being sick, the same excuse he gave for not showing up at the bakery and at college he just didn't show up.

The farthest he goes is to the kitchen or bathroom. He had no strength or desire to move and Zi Hong's words kept echoing in his head.

Whore... Whore... Whore...

Kitty was right, he must have been delusional to think that one day someone would see him as anything more than a whore.

But, maybe...

Zi Hong is thinking about him? Or did he really get tired of him and go back to his wife?

Yu Teng's phone is there, sometimes he stares at that black screen for hours, waiting for Zi Hong to call, but he never called. In the first few days he was only sleeping or crying, then sleep became more and more difficult to come, it was at this time that he took one of the pipettes hidden in his closet. Yu Teng promised Zi Hong that he would stop, but he doesn't want to be sober right now, so... go to hell Lin Zi Hong!

It's Friday when all the cocaine he still had runs out, this is the only time Yu Teng picks up the phone, to call Chih Tian and ask him to bring something, anything.

"You look like a shit," Chih Tian says when Yu Teng opens the door.

Yu Teng just ignores the comment and holds out his hand, "did you bring it?"

Chih Tian takes a transparent little sack filled with white powder from his pocket. He starts moving the little sack towards Yu Teng, but halfway there, he stops and backs off.

"I don't know if I should give this to you," Chih Tian says worriedly.

Yu Teng rolls his eyes and takes the sack from Chih Tian's hand, then backs to bed.

"Yu...," Chih Tian says, following him, "what that guy did?"

"He just showed me what an idiot I am," Yu Teng says, opening the little sack, putting some of the powder on the back of his hand and inhaling it.

He lies back on the bed, closing his eyes and ignoring Chih Tian's presence.

"Are you going back to the brothel?" Chih Tian asks after a while.

"There's no way Kitty can take me back," Yu Teng says, turning to Tian and opening his eye, "don't worry, I'll figure it out something, as I always do."

"If you need...," Chih Tian starts to say.

"No," Yu Teng says.

"Yu...," Chih Tian tries to say.

"No, Shih Chih Tian," Yu Teng says.

"Okay...," Chih Tian says.

Chih Tian has his own problems, there's no way Yu Teng will let him give him any money. If he has to go back to the streets, he'll go back, because that's life.

"Do you know what's worse?" Yu Teng says, looking at the ceiling, "I'm not worried about the debt or that I'll probably have to go back to work on the street... I just miss him."

"You're in love, the third war could happen and you'll just keep thinking about him," Chih Tian says, "have you thought about talking to him? Call or ..."

"Or show up at his work or at his house like a desperate bitch? No, I still have a shred of dignity," Yu Teng says.

Someone knocks on the door.