WSSAPF chapter 6

Zhou Chulan had already walked out of the crowd and leaned lazily against a tree not far from the sticky rice cake shop.

Li Zhuoyao glanced at his watch; it was already 1:00 pm. He had another meeting in the afternoon. The variety show would officially start filming in ten days, and they were currently busy with the final stage of set decoration, going over many details and procedures.

“I have to go; I have something in the afternoon.”

“Mm.” Zhou Chulan stood up and walked toward the side of the street.

“Aren’t you going back? How about taking my car down the mountain?”

“No need. I came on a motorcycle.”

“Where did you park your motorcycle?”

“At the innermost part of the street, near the repair shop. You go ahead.”

“Oh, alright.”

Li Zhuoyao turned to leave, took a few steps, and then turned back.

“Don’t forget about the design for my villa. We’ll arrange a time later, and I’ll take you up the mountain.”

“Let’s talk about it later.”

….

Halfway through the drive, the sun hid behind the clouds, turning the white clouds gradually into light gray.

“It might rain.”

Li Zhuoyao glanced at the weather on his phone; it showed ‘clear’ when he left in the morning, but now it predicted ‘rain in an hour.’

In the distance, he saw the gas station near Zhou Chulan’s house. Li Zhuoyao pulled over, sat in the car, and sent a WeChat message to Zhou Chulan.

“The weather forecast says it might rain soon. Go back early.”

The WeChat notification sounded, and Zhou Chulan’s reply came a bit faster than Li Zhuoyao expected.

Just one short word.

“Okay.”

Li Zhuoyao started the car again and continued driving. After about fifteen minutes, he returned to the hotel. He took the embroidered fabric and batik items he bought at the market and went directly to Gao Jun’s room.

Gao Jun took them one by one, looking satisfied.

“Your taste is really good.”

“It has to be.”

“As for the small furniture for the villa, the tables, chairs, and decorations you bought, should be arriving soon, right?”

“It’s already here. All of it is in the hotel warehouse. Zheng Nanyun, the short-haired female producer, has already hired craftsmen to start assembling. She said they would bring it up the mountain in the next couple of days. I’ve calculated the time; it’s a bit tight. After taking them up, we still need to arrange and adjust, and finally, leave a few days for house cleaning and ventilation.”

“Oh, Zheng Nanyun. She handles things very considerately. I told her, at the latest the day after tomorrow, she should bring all these things up for you.”

At this moment, the rain outside became more audible, and it seemed to be getting heavier, creating a ‘pattering’ sound on the glass windows.

“This rain is getting quite heavy.” Li Zhuoyao looked outside.

“I’ll go check the warehouse. These wooden items can’t get wet.” Gao Jun hurriedly went to the warehouse.

“You go ahead. I still have a meeting later. If you need help, call me.”

The hotel specifically allocated a warehouse for the variety show crew to store their items. When Gao Jun went there, the main door was half open, and inside was cluttered with various items. The lighting was a bit dim, making it hard to see the conditions inside. Standing at the door, he called out, “Anyone here?”

“Here.” A woman’s voice came from inside.

Two minutes later, Zheng Nanyun walked out, holding scissors and a piece of white plastic sheeting.

“Is it just you? Where are the craftsmen?”

“The work is done, so I let them go.”

“What about these?”

“It’s raining, and the warehouse is on the basement floor; it’s damp. These wooden items can’t get wet, so I’m covering them with plastic sheets.”

Her short hair was already soaked with sweat, the black T-shirt had accumulated some dust, and the white sneakers’ toe caps were a bit dirty. The index finger of the hand holding the scissors had a plaster on it.

“Let me do it; you don’t have to.” Gao Jun took the scissors and plastic sheeting from Zheng Nanyun’s hand.

“Then I can’t just stand aside and watch you work.” Zheng Nanyun smiled; her pupils were pitch-black, looking bright and full of vitality.

“Your important task today is to tell me where to put these things, and I’ll do the covering.”

The two of them worked together, and the progress was significantly faster. After more than an hour, the wooden tables and chairs in the warehouse were securely covered with plastic sheets.

Leaning against a container, Zheng Nanyun rested, lowering her head to retrieve a box of cigarettes from her jeans pocket, pulling one out, lighting it, closing her eyes, and taking a deep drag. The smoke ring rose leisurely, and she exhaled a long breath. Gao Jun reached into his pocket, intending to take out his cigarette case, only to realize he didn’t have any.

“Oops, I forgot my cigarettes.”

“Want to try mine?” Zheng Nanyun tentatively asked.

Gao Jun was stunned for two seconds, not saying anything.

“Give it a try; it’s menthol, refreshing.” Zheng Nanyun lifted her chin at him, took out a cigarette from the pack, and handed it to him.

“Okay, I’ll borrow a light.”

She lit the lighter and extended it toward him. Gao Jun leaned down, bringing the cigarette to the flame. The two smoked in silence for a while. Zheng Nanyun looked at the increasingly heavy rain outside, appearing somewhat worried.

With such heavy rain, I don’t know if the mountain road will be passable the day after tomorrow.

The rain continued until midnight without stopping, and the entire air was damp. The louder the rain, the quieter the surroundings, only the sound of rain hitting the roof. Li Zhuoyao used to enjoy falling asleep to this kind of rain sound white noise, but tonight, he couldn’t sleep.

Resting on his arm, he tossed and turned on the bed, thinking about what had happened in the past few days.

For example, what feelings he had towards Zhou Chulan.

On this man, there was a mist like the fog enveloping a deep mountain, making Li Zhuoyao unable to see clearly. The less he could see, the more he wanted to explore.

He looked at the ceiling, thinking about the series of paintings in Zhou Chulan’s house. Even as a layman, he could sense the vigorous vitality in the brushstrokes. Thinking about the art exhibitions he had attended, Li Zhuoyao felt that Zhou Chulan’s paintings were no worse than those of young artists.

But Zhou Chulan was running a quiet gas station in a small town deep in the mountains.

He had once said, “I can’t leave.”

Li Zhuoyao got up, took two melatonin tablets, closed his eyes, and Zhou Chulan’s image filled his mind as he drifted off to sleep.