Old Wang was terrified by me, but fortunately, I didn't cause any more trouble for the Japanese the next day. I just led them on a tour of several factories. Thanks to my connections and the factories' desire for more business, we received a warm welcome.
The translator was too scared to speak much to me, always trying to avoid me, which left me both amused and helpless. It wasn't really him I was targeting; it's just that I couldn't stand the way he fawned over the Japanese like a lackey.
After some thought, I realized that I hadn't received any calls all day. When I took out my phone, I noticed that it had been off since yesterday. I smiled bitterly to myself. People always say women are strange creatures, but men are even stranger. When there's no woman around, we feel lonely; when there is a woman, we fear the trouble they bring.
As soon as I turned my phone on, a bunch of messages popped up:
"Chen Yang, why didn't you answer my call?" from Luo Luo.
"I have something urgent! Call me back ASAP!" from Luo Luo.
"Chen Yang, I'm in trouble. Can you help me?" from Luo Luo.
"Chen Yang, you jerk! I've never met such a stingy man like you!" from Luo Luo.
These messages were from yesterday afternoon. She must have gotten mad after I hung up on her.
The last message came in late last night at 12:40 AM:
"Chen Yang, you really let me down. Something unexpected happened, and I didn't know who to turn to. I don't have many friends in this city, and I thought you'd be someone I could rely on. Turns out I was wrong about you." from Luo Luo.
My heart sank. I quickly dialed Luo Luo's number, but it rang for a long time without anyone picking up. I called again, but still no answer.
A feeling of unease crept over me. What could have happened to her? Even if I don't like her... no, do I really not like her? Hmm, even if we can't be more than friends, at the very least we are friends. Plus, last time at the police station, it was her who paid the fine to bail me and Seven out.
My mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts as I kept dialing her number, but still, no one answered.
Panic began to set in as I tried to figure out what had happened to her.
An accident? No, it can't be. She was still able to call and text me, so even if it was an accident, it probably wasn't that serious.
Was she asking for money? The thought made me chuckle bitterly. I'm unemployed—why would she ask me for money? She's probably a hundred times richer than me.
Did something happen at home?
Was she robbed?
Is she sick?
People tend to let their imagination run wild, and often, we think of the worst-case scenarios. They say people can scare each other to death, but you can also scare yourself half to death.
I pulled Old Wang aside and told him I had something urgent to take care of and needed to leave early. He panicked and asked, "What am I supposed to do now?"
"Don't worry, I've already talked to Director Zhou. He'll take you to see the branch factory later. If you have any requests, feel free to tell him."
Old Wang frowned. "What's so urgent? We're heading back tonight anyway; can't you wait just a few more hours? It's only seven or eight hours."
I calculated that if I left immediately, I could make it back to Nanjing by noon. But if I waited for them to finish the tour, it'd be evening, and by the time we got back to Nanjing, it'd be well past midnight.
YOU ARE READING
City of Desire
RomanceChen Yang, a young man living in an ordinary city, starts encountering strange events one after another. Three beautiful women appear around him one by one, and eventually, he goes from having nothing to building his own empire, becoming a legendary...
