Zhou Yingying asked me to sit in the office for a while, but I declined, saying I would wait for Xiao Hong to come down and she should go ahead and be busy.
I didn't want any more interaction with her. No matter how kind she was to me or Xiao Hong, she was still the one who harmed me and my father. That fact couldn't be changed.
Xiao Hong knew I had arrived and ran downstairs to find me.
She was wearing a floral collared shirt and jeans, with her hair down. She hadn't put on much makeup, yet she exuded youthful vitality. I felt like she had grown taller again, and her figure appeared even more slender.
I put down my wine glass and stood up from my chair. She ran over and threw herself into my arms.
She had indeed grown taller. Before, her head could only nestle in my chest, but now she rested her head on my shoulder.
I pulled her aside. There were too many people looking. I didn't want to put on a show of affection in front of them. I took her hand and led her to a seat in the back. She snuggled into my embrace, and I stroked her. All the longing, all the words I wanted to say, were now reduced to this quiet closeness.
I asked, "I've been gone for so many days all at once. How have you been?"
Xiao Hong replied, "I'm fine. That day, when Zhou Yingying brought us over, I was terrified. Later, I really saw that guy Lao Mian hurry upstairs. I was sitting here, trembling, thinking my end had come. I closed my eyes, afraid to open them. And Zhou Yingying even came over and told me to get ready, saying the guest had arrived. I knew I couldn't escape this ordeal, and in my heart, I became strangely calm. When I left the hotel, I took a screwdriver from your tool bag and kept it in my chest. If he really tried to force himself on me, I would have stabbed him!"
"Who would have thought, but after a short while, suddenly many police officers arrived in the lobby, dozens, even a hundred. They controlled everyone, and many police officers rushed upstairs. In no time at all, Manager Chen, Manager Liu, and Lao Mian were all taken down. Although they had hoods over their heads, I still recognized them by their clothing. I knew then that my screwdriver wouldn't be needed."
She didn't cry this time, as if she were recounting someone else's story. I let out a sigh of relief. It was fortunate that the police arrived in time and caught them all. Otherwise, that day, there would likely have been a murder.
I asked, "Are you done here? Shall we go?"
She replied, "Let's go. What do you mean, 'done'? Seeing you is the most important thing!"
Saying that, she pulled me along.
We returned to the hotel where we had stayed before. The hotel staff recognized us and helped us with the check-in procedures and deposit. We went upstairs to our room.
The next morning, I asked her if she wanted to change jobs or move to a different place. She said she had stayed there to wait for me. She was afraid I wouldn't be able to find her when I got out, so she had done what she did, only serving regular customers. Even if she earned less, it was only to wait for me.
I hugged her tightly, touched. While I was inside, she didn't know when I would be released, yet she was willing to wait.
When you know there is someone in this world who waits for you without complaint, that warm feeling is overwhelming, and tears stream down your face.
We held each other like this, letting each other feel the warmth of our bodies and the emotion of relying on one another.
While I was in the detention center, Wang Xin visited me. Before coming, she had spoken to my mother. My mother wanted to visit me, but my father forbade it. He said he had no drug dealer son like me, and if my mother came, he would show her he was willing to die. My mother had no choice but to ask Wang Xin to relay a message to me: to focus on reforming myself and strive for an early release.
I didn't argue with Wang Xin. There could be no defense for my situation; I could only swallow my tears.
Wang Xin was also very disappointed in me. She said that even if I needed money, I shouldn't have gotten involved with drugs. It was more detestable than petty theft.
I could only tell her, "Believe me, I am innocent. I am a good person."
Wang Xin replied, "What's done is done. Why do you still try to escape? I hope you never make such a mistake again. It can be fatal!"
That visit ended prematurely with Wang Xin slamming the door as she left. I watched her retreating back, my heart filled with unexpressed grievances and helplessness.
Father, Mother, Wang Xin. They were all my closest family. The whole world knew I was innocent, yet only they had lost faith in me.
Xiao Hong reached out and wiped away my tears. She cupped my face and said, "It's all in the past now. Everything will be alright."
I said, "Come over to the Grand World here. You can work in management or logistics, whichever you prefer."
She replied, "I'll do anything. I'll listen to you."
I said, "Resign from Zhou Yingying today, stay here for now, and I'll arrange the rest."
After saying that, I got up to wash up. I had to go see Sister Zhang.
Sister Zhang's name was Jing Lei. She had told me yesterday that from now on, I wasn't allowed to call her Sister Zhang anymore, at least not when we were together. She wanted me to call her by her name.
Calling her Sister Zhang always felt too distant.
I agreed to change my address and call her Jing Lei from now on.
I went out to call Jing Lei and asked her where she was. She said she was at the Post and Telecommunications Company, handling a mobile phone number for me.
Because the phone itself didn't have a number, after buying a phone, you had to take it to the post office to get a number. Back then, there weren't so many mobile companies; only the Post and Telecommunications Bureau existed. You had to pay money to get a number.
I didn't have an ID card yet, so I didn't know how she managed to get one for me.
Communications developed rapidly in those years. First, the Post and Telecommunications Bureau split into Telecom and Postal Services, and later came Mobile, Telecom, and Unicom. Now, many people get a phone number when they buy a phone, or they get a phone with a talk credit bonus. Everyone has a phone, and they're all smart ones.
At that time, a phone that couldn't even send a text message was definitely a luxury item, a symbol of success.
I wasn't trying to impersonate a successful person; I just needed convenience.
Phones were originally for making calls, but now how many people actually use them for that?
I took a taxi to find her. She was in the lobby handling procedures, dealing with a thick stack of papers, agreements, and more. A young woman was signing on them, possibly her employee.
She saw me approach and whispered, "Almost done. We just need to wait for them to upload the phone number."
I hummed in response and stood at the counter, waiting.
There were many people inside, bustling about. It seemed mobile phones were in high demand.
Later, I understood why numbers were so scarce. Back then, it was all analog signals. Each number occupied a module of a base station. Due to technical limitations, expanding capacity was the biggest bottleneck, which made applying for a number extremely difficult.
It wasn't until the subsequent digital upgrade that this barrier was broken. Technology advanced rapidly in all aspects, leading to the situation where phones are now ubiquitous.
After a while, a staff member handed Jing Lei an opened box. Jing Lei checked it, signed a form, and then came out with us.
At the entrance, she handed me a black device. It was the latest model of the XX Ya cordless phone, about the size of half a flatbread, and a bit thick. When opened, it was all in English. There was a bilingual user manual in the box. I looked at it, completely bewildered. Jing Lei said we could study it back home and that she didn't understand this particular model either.