["Watch"] - Nan Ke turned around and closed the light yellow door behind him. Due to not controlling the strength well, the rebound force from the door hitting the frame made his hand go slightly numb, and the sound produced by the collision was a short chirp before it disappeared. Nan Ke shook his hand, just about to walk out.
"Nan Ke, you haven't gone back yet." The aunt next door happened to come back from grocery shopping; she smiled at Nan Ke as the sunlight shone down from behind her, blurring her face.
"Hmm, no, I plan to stay for a while longer. The sea here is very beautiful," Nan Ke adjusted his clothes, shaking off the dust that had settled on him.
"Hehe," the aunt laughed gently, "Yes, I've lived here for many years and still can't get tired of the sea here. Come over for lunch, we'll just add your set of chopsticks and bowls. Look, I bought a lot of groceries." Then, the aunt held up the vegetables in her hands.
"Auntie, there's no need, I have something to do outside. I can easily take care of myself alone."
Nan Ke smiled, then walked beside the aunt, "The vegetables are good."
"That's right, which is why I asked you to join me for dinner. If you have time, come over and sit down."
"Okay."
Nan Ke walked out of the rented building, breathing in the air deeply, his lungs moving rhythmically with his breaths. The sunlight at ten o'clock bathed this beautiful bay.
Nan Ke ate noodles at a small stall, accidentally adding too much chili, making his lips red and swollen. After paying, Nan Ke looked towards the direction of the sea, thinking to himself, she must already be there. He threw away the paper cup in his hand and started walking towards the direction of V Bar.
Nan Ke stood at the entrance of V Bar, the wooden sign hanging in the air filled with sunlight and evaporating seawater. That red figure was already sitting quietly by the window. Nan Ke went to the corner position, where he could clearly see that girl, but from this corner, she would most likely not notice him.
As usual, Nan Ke ordered lemonade and sipped it quietly where the girl wouldn't notice. The girl always wore bright red, but that kind of red on her didn't feel tacky at all; instead, it was exceptionally dazzling, complementing her delicate and refined face like full sunshine, lively.
The waves outside came and went, what was that girl waiting for?
The people who stayed at V Bar were probably all those who knew how to enjoy life. V Bar always played a piece of music whose name Nan Ke didn't know. It was so soft and lingering, the gentle sounds of string instruments were like warm hands caressing those who nestled inside, like a mother's embrace that made one yearn.
From initially entering this space by chance to deliberately doing so later, Nan Ke always saw that girl, in the same position, looking out of the window, quietly drinking her drink, like a proud princess yet evoking endless pity.
Nan Ke never knew the girl's name, just like he didn't know the name of the music that always played in V Bar. He was lazy to ask, or forgot the courage to ask, perhaps lacking the courage to know.
Nan Ke only knew that the girl loved wearing bright red clothes, and only knew that the nameless music replayed in his mind after he left, mixed with the girl's red dress and the face illuminated by the red dress, creating an extraordinarily elegant scene when combined.
The glass emptied under Nan Ke's control, a small amount of liquid struggled through the straw, hissing as if emitting an indignant roar. Nan Ke released the straw from his mouth, looking at the window the girl was gazing at, another dusk had arrived.
The red-clad girl picked up her handbag, lightly stepping forward, her silhouette elongated by the sunlight, slowly disappearing at the horizon line. Nan Ke seemed to read the sense of disappointment from the girl, causing an inexplicable tightening in his heart.
Nan Ke stretched lazily, it was time to return to that narrow space again. If it weren't for coming to V Bar every day, Nan Ke really doubted whether he had become a shut-in.
[Nan Ke's Monologue]
I've been in this bay area for more than a month now, always watching the sun shining fully on the beach. People basked in the sun, they were trying to create tanned skin. The wind here was very refreshing, standing in such a breeze, I almost forgot that I was a wanderer, drifting around, and that this was just a bay I passed through.
In every place I passed through, I always stayed for a month before starting anew, heading to the next stop. Just as I was about to leave here, I went to V Bar, where the music was pleasant. Closing my eyes, those melodies kept echoing, and at that moment, I thought I had returned to the big house where my parents were. When I opened my eyes, I realized my face was already soaked in tears. I wiped away the tears and raised my head, seeing the girl in red clothes continuously looking out of the window, as if waiting for something, guarding something. I always wanted to enter the wall built by the girl, I struggled, but I never took action, so I remained in a posture of waiting. In the following days, I idly sat at V Bar every day, and the girl constantly appeared in my sightline. Every time she left V Bar, I felt a clear sense of loss.
One day, the aunt living next door saw me tidying up the room, she asked if I was about to leave soon, and I replied that I would be leaving in a few days. "Oh, that's good. Your family must be missing you a lot," she said. I didn't tell her that I was a traveler and wouldn't be returning to my parents' side anytime soon. On the day I decided to leave, I cried sorrowfully, knowing that my heart, which had wandered for so long, wanted to stop, and then I didn't leave.
[Encounter]
Nan Ke was fumbling for keys in his pocket. "Nan Ke, you're back so late tonight." The aunt came out from her doorway, holding some garbage.
"Yeah, I stayed too long on the beach tonight." Nan Ke aimed the key he pulled out at the keyhole, and with a click, the light yellow door slowly opened. "Auntie, I'm going into my room first, you should rest early."
Before the door was completely closed, Nan Ke heard the aunt saying through the gap, "Yi Meng, you just got back too, a girl needs to be careful at night, society isn't that stable anymore." Nan Ke seemed to hear a female voice, but it disappeared after the door was fully closed.
After showering in the bathroom, Nan Ke lay on his bed, stroking the stubble he had just shaved off, leaving his chin feeling slightly smooth. Then he suddenly sat up, opened his laptop, and stared intently at it. He received an email from a friend asking if he was still wandering alone. Nan Ke bitterly smiled and typed "of course."
Every day repeating the same thing, does that represent a kind of eternity?
Nan Ke watched the girl in red, he lacked the courage to approach her. He had bravely walked through so many places alone, but the courage required to cover those few meters was far greater than all the distances he had previously traveled. Back in school, when he said he would keep walking endlessly across different lands, his friends said, "You won't last long before stopping." At that time, he shook his head without agreeing.
Now, he has only been traveling for two years, but he truly wants to stop.
If this kind of waiting represents eternity, then it's not bad, Nan Ke thought.
"Hey, the person ahead, stop for a moment." Nan Ke turned his head and looked at the girl carrying a large box. Sweat trickled down her smooth cheeks and dripped onto the sandy beach that still retained warmth even after the sun had set. "Hey, don't just stare, are you going to help or not?"
Nan Ke approached, "Where are you going? What's in these things? They're heavy."
"I'm going wherever you're going. These are books, a friend asked me to send them back to her home from here."
"Alright, behave properly, will you? Where exactly are you going?" Nan Ke put down the heavy items he was carrying.
The girl straightened her back, her fresh face exuding a lively charm that made Nan Ke momentarily dazed. "Didn't I say already? Wherever you're going, I'm going. How am I not behaving properly?"
Nan Ke angrily waved his hand, he detested flirtatious girls the most. He turned around and continued walking. The girl shouted from behind, "What's wrong with you? I live in District Y!"
Nan Ke stopped in his tracks, surprised and looked at the girl, "You also live in District Y?"
The girl pursed her lips, "Otherwise, among so many people, why would I ask you for help, seriously."
Nan Ke scratched his head awkwardly, "I thought..."
Looking at the somewhat dissatisfied girl, Nan Ke swallowed the rest of his sentence.
"Looking at you like this, you seem quite familiar, Hisense TV repair."
Nan Ke laughed, "Yeah."
The girl stared at Nan Ke incredulously, "Excuse me, I bring you lemon juice every day, alright?"
Nan Ke carefully examined the girl, more astonished, "It's you!"
"Tell me, are you sure you live on this floor?" Nan Ke looked at the girl curiously.
"Yes, I live in 405." The girl took out her keys and twisted the lock on 405, opening a crack in the door. In the darkness without lighting, it appeared unusually pitch black. The girl stood at the door mischievously smiling at Nan Ke. At that moment, Auntie from 403 came out, "Nan Ke, Yi Meng, you both are back."
Nan Ke remembered hearing Auntie call a girl 'Yi Meng' a few nights ago. Nan Ke said, "It's really coincidental, how come I've never seen you before?"
Yi Meng smiled, "I leave early and return late, how could you see me? You should know the service hours at V Bar."
Nan Ke nodded, "My name is Nan Ke."
Yi Meng smiled at Nan Ke, "I also have the surname Nan, my name is Yi Meng." Auntie had already walked away, leaving only Nan Ke and Yi Meng in the corridor.
"Oh, really?" Nan Ke was a bit surprised and glanced at Yi Meng.
[Yi Meng's Monologue]
I've been here for more than two months. Originally, I planned to leave after completing the second month. On my last working day at this V Bar, I handed a glass of lemon juice to a boy. As I turned around, the song I didn't know the name of was playing again in the V Bar.
I've worked at V Bar for nearly two and a half months, but I've never asked the boss the name of this song. I almost fled from learning the answer to this song, perhaps no one understands why I would do this. Yes, they wouldn't understand, they don't understand a wandering heart.
I walked to the counter and saw the boy crying with his eyes closed. I looked at him excitedly, barely able to suppress the joy in my heart. Does he understand it too? I cautiously guessed in my mind. I thought I didn't want to leave in a hurry.
Not long after, I saw him walking in the same building as me, he opened the door to 404 and walked in. I chatted briefly with Auntie from 403 and then took out my keys to open the door to 405.
Nan Ke still frequented V Bar, watching the girl in red. Her hands were very delicate, Nan Ke thought, if those hands were placed on a piano, they would surely play beautifully, and the sunlight sprinkling on her hands made them look crystal clear. Occasionally, Nan Ke would look up and watch Yi Meng walking around V Bar, carrying the tray from the front desk to the customers. Watching Yi Meng smile politely at the customers, Nan Ke suddenly felt very helpless. Life really demands such hypocrisy.
When Yi Meng wore her waitress uniform, she looked completely different from her usual self. Those playful bangs were pinned up, revealing a large forehead, making her appear dignified and less lively than usual. Nan Ke thought he preferred her active and playful nature. Occasionally, Yi Meng would glance at Nan Ke, meeting his eyes. Yi Meng pointed to her ear and grinned playfully. Nan Ke smiled back at Yi Meng, then closed his eyes to enjoy the unnamed melody.
[Yi Meng's Monologue]
Yi Meng is my only friend in this bay area. Perhaps it really is destiny. I always think that Yi Meng and I belong to the same type of people. Watching her busy at V Bar every day always makes me think of myself. Sometimes, I unconsciously project my shadow onto her, and when I realize it, even I am startled. Then Yi Meng looks at me, meeting my eyes, she points to her ear. Listening to her laugh, I close my eyes and listen to the unnamed music. In my mind, the silhouette of the red-clothed girl whose name I've never understood surrounds me. When she turns around, I see Yi Meng's face. Surprised, I open my eyes and see Yi Meng's busy figure. The red-clothed girl continues to gaze out the window, quietly sipping her drink.
Every evening, Nan Ke waits for Yi Meng to finish work at V Bar. The sea breeze carries a salty scent. They walk on the beach, enjoying the unique smell of the sea. Nan Ke once mentioned the girl in red to Yi Meng. Yi Meng tilted her head and thought, "I've seen her since I started working here."
"Oh, what is she doing there?" Nan Ke asked casually, kicking a can of soda, its rolling sound swallowed by the sea waves.
"I don't know." Yi Meng looked at the can kicked by Nan Ke and suddenly became interested. She ran in front of Nan Ke and kicked the can back to him. Then the can rolled back and forth between their feet. Their laughter spread in the air, startling many waves.
[Yi Meng's Monologue]
I used to think I was a lonely person, even though I often laughed and had many friends around me. But I always felt that wasn't my truest smile, I didn't even understand the original meaning of it myself. Nan Ke said he was a wanderer with a wandering heart. At that moment, my heart was filled with happiness, and I laughed happily. Nan Ke said I laughed like I had no worries. I ignored him and continued laughing, and then he looked at me and laughed along. Actually, we are both fools. Nan Ke asked me about the girl who always sat by the window at V Bar. I pretended not to care and answered him, kicking the soda can he had kicked away. In fact, I always knew he was interested in that girl. Whenever I secretly looked at him, his eyes were always on that girl, so tenderly, as if afraid to defile her. The girl was beautiful. I thought about myself and helplessly smiled. I didn't lie to him, I really didn't know anything about the girl, and then I saw the fleeting disappointment in his eyes.
[No More Waiting]
Yi Meng opened the door, just about to step out of the building, she reconsidered and returned. She walked to Nan Ke's door and knocked forcefully without hesitation. After knocking for a while, Yi Meng finally saw Nan Ke groggily open the door with messy hair. Nan Ke blinked his eyes and looked at Yi Meng, "What's up? Is there something?"
Yi Meng blinked her eyes and said, "Nothing, I just thought someone was still sleeping warmly in the quilt, and it annoyed me."
Nan Ke looked at Yi Meng defeatedly, then slammed the door shut. Yi Meng laughed enough and then went out, heading towards V Bar.
Yi Meng unintentionally overheard other waiters at V Bar talking about the girl in red. They said the girl was waiting for someone, a man she loved. Two months ago, the red-clothed girl came to V Bar with a boy. At that time, the girl didn't always wear bright red clothes. The girl and the boy were very affectionate, and they could often be seen laughing sweetly together at V Bar. They would snuggle together in that window seat, looking out at the sea. Later, one day, the boy never accompanied the girl to V Bar again. From then on, the girl began to love wearing bright red clothes, quietly sitting in their former spot, almost silent. Every day, the girl would spend a certain amount of time sitting idly at V Bar, looking out at the sea. Initially, it was common to see the girl shedding tears while looking at the sea.
Yi Meng saw Nan Ke walk into V Bar, and she proactively served him lemonade with a playful smile. Yi Meng did not tell Nan Ke about what she had heard regarding the girl. She didn't understand why she was being so selfish.
In the following days, Yi Meng would madly knock on Nan Ke's door before going to work. Each time, Nan Ke would look at her with a resentful expression, while Yi Meng laughed especially cheerfully.
Yi Meng had noticed that the red-clothed girl hadn't shown up today. Then she saw Nan Ke staring blankly at the empty seat in the corner. Yi Meng's heart ached slightly. She called out to Nan Ke several times before he snapped back to reality and gave her a forced smile.
For consecutive days, the girl didn't show up. Nan Ke remained unusually quiet, still staying in his usual spot, watching Yi Meng busy herself. Every evening when Yi Meng and Nan Ke returned together, Yi Meng told jokes in front of Nan Ke, and Nan Ke always watched Yi Meng and laughed silently.
Nan Ke told Yi Meng that he was preparing to leave this bay area.
Yi Meng, walking ahead, stopped abruptly, "Oh," she said. Suddenly, Yi Meng became very angry, upset by his retreat. Yi Meng said, "Let's drink! I've never had a drink with you before."
Yi Meng bought a lot of beer and then sat down next to Nan Ke. The waves surged in front of their eyes, and the sea breeze was still salty. Yi Meng grabbed some sand and smelled it closely before letting it slowly fall from her hand. She said, "I've been here for about three months. I walk on this sand every day, carry trays back and forth at V Bar, and when I have free time, I look out at the sea through the windows of V Bar."
Nan Ke watched Yi Meng drink beer sip by sip and listened to her talk incessantly. She said a lot, and she also told him about the red-clothed girl. After Nan Ke heard, there was no great fluctuation, but when he heard Yi Meng say she was also a wanderer, he felt a slight pain in his heart, longing to embrace the girl in front of him. Yi Meng kept talking, saying a lot until she collapsed into Nan Ke's arms. Nan Ke's embrace was very warm, and Yi Meng lost herself in that temperature, as if it were the home she had been away from for so long. Nan Ke's embrace provided her with the warmth she sought, and this hug was pure, but she knew that warmth didn't belong to her. Nan Ke called her name repeatedly for a long time, softly like a lover's whisper. Yi Meng got lost in that voice. Drowsily, Yi Meng felt Nan Ke pick her up, and she smiled quietly on his back.
Nan Ke took the key from Yi Meng's pocket. Auntie came out to open the door and smelled the alcohol in the air. She shook her head and said, "Young people these days are so hardworking." Nan Ke greeted Auntie and then turned the key to Yi Meng's room, fumbling his way inside. Nan Ke laid Yi Meng on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and shook his head as he petted Yi Meng's head affectionately and smiled. Then he turned and walked out, without noticing the tear sliding down Yi Meng's eye corner. Yi Meng sat up, buried her head in her bent arms, and the sound of sobbing echoed in the empty room.
[Yi Meng's Monologue]
I'm thinking, I really should leave. I've rested for too long. Tonight, I drank a lot of alcohol, wanting to get completely drunk, but I found out I couldn't actually get drunk, so I pretended to be drunk. I didn't want to face Nan Ke, I didn't want him to speak, so I talked a lot myself until I didn't know what else to say, then I pretended to faint and leaned on his chest. His embrace was very warm, that warmth made me drowsy, I always thought it was the kind of warmth that only exists in dreams, so I tried my best to lean on Nan Ke's chest, wanting to grasp that nearly illusory embrace. I thought, if I could keep leaning like this forever, how wonderful it would be. I heard Nan Ke calling my name over and over again, his voice sounded so good, like he was calling his lover, making me addicted. Drowsily, I felt him pick me up, and I smiled quietly on his back. He brought me back to my room, gently covering me with a blanket. At that moment, I wanted to grab his clothes and prevent him from leaving, but I ultimately didn't. Then he left, I sat up and cried sadly, telling myself in my heart that I really should leave.
[Tears Dispersed, She Vanished]
Nan Ke got up early and went to knock on Yi Meng's door, but despite knocking for a long time, no one responded. He thought Yi Meng might still be asleep, deciding to let her sleep enough. He turned to go back to his own room, but Auntie's voice stopped him, "Nan Ke, so early? Don't knock anymore, Yi Meng asked me to tell you that she's gone first, she's already been gone for a while."
Nan Ke quickly turned around, a little disbelieving, "What! Yi Meng left? Why didn't she tell me!?"
Nan Ke rushed crazily to Auntie's side, glaring with wide eyes. Auntie patted Nan Ke's shoulder, sighed, and then handed him a letter, "This is from Yi Meng to you. This child, her eyes were swollen this morning, when I saw her I was shocked. She said she was leaving, and she didn't have the courage to bid farewell to you, so she asked me to pass the message. She said she'd quit and leave immediately, Yi Meng is such a good kid..."
Nan Ke didn't wait for Auntie to finish speaking, grabbing the letter from Yi Meng and running crazily towards V Bar.
As soon as Nan Ke reached V Bar, he shouted Yi Meng's name. People at V Bar said Yi Meng had resigned and left, already on the road. Nan Ke grabbed them and asked, "Do you know where she went? Do you know?"
But everyone at V Bar shook their heads, saying Yi Meng didn't allow anyone to see her off.
Suddenly powerless, Nan Ke sat down and silently cried in V Bar. He opened the letter from Yi Meng, seeing her handwriting for the first time. The characters were very neat, just like Yi Meng, possessing a certain spiritual quality.
"Nan Ke, I'm leaving. Forgive me for not bidding farewell, because I lack the courage to do so, so I chose to leave quietly, just like how I clumsily entered your life at first.
You also love that song at V Bar, don't you? Because that day I saw you cry, so I knew you understood it too, just like I do. That's why I worked at V Bar for so long, it's quite funny that I never had the courage to find out the name of that song. I was afraid that if I knew the name of that song, I wouldn't want to come back here to listen to this nameless music anymore. At V Bar, I met you, and I knew I had encountered a prison I couldn't escape from.
You always liked to come to V Bar to idle, but when I followed your gaze, I was incredibly sad because you were always waiting for another girl, and that girl wasn't me. I was also waiting for you, but you didn't know.
I stayed for you, I don't know if it was right or wrong, but later I realized it was wrong, I was getting deeper and deeper involved. Every day, I relied on the small happiness of you accompanying me across the beach, and during those times, I was happy but also sad because the person you loved wasn't me. Actually, I suddenly realized I was braver than you, at least I approached you, while the girl you waited for, you never dared to approach.
You told me you were leaving here, I got very angry. You were escaping from here, what about me? Why didn't you ever think about me? So I decided to leave first, not because you abandoned me, but because I left you. I don't know if I should be celebrating victory or crying in sadness. I never owned you, so is my childish behavior now too excessive and presumptuous?
I'm leaving, goodbye, my beloved."
[Nan Ke's Monologue]
At V Bar, I never saw the girl in red again. Yi Meng has been gone for many days, I don't know where she went. Every time I sit at V Bar, I always think the person serving me lemonade is Yi Meng, but when I happily look up, I only see a face I can't remember. Then I lower my head and listen to the song at V Bar that neither Yi Meng nor I dared to face. Actually, Yi Meng was really foolish, maybe I'm even more foolish than her. Why didn't I tell her sooner that the person in my heart is her? She left so resolutely, not giving me a chance to explain. That day, I told her I was leaving here. Before I finished that sentence, I saw Yi Meng in front of me stop and say