Journey of Lies

Once the topic of surfing came up, Ren Jiayi became very talkative, chatting with Jiang Xia for a long time until Jiang Xia started to lose focus. Only then did Ren Jiayi stop, asking, "Xiaxia, are you drunk?"

"No," Jiang Xia glanced at the time; it was already past nine. "I want to go back."

"Isn't it too early? We still have a second part to go."

Jiang Xia usually goes to bed around 9 or 10 pm when he doesn't work overtime, but he hasn't slept well for days. After drinking, he just wants to go home and go to bed early.

Seeing that Jiang Xia was determined to leave, Ren Jiayi had no choice but to go find Oscar. Jiang Xia could tell that Oscar hadn't had enough fun at all.

"Jiayi, it's okay. It's close by. I'll walk back."

"How can that be?!" Ren Jiayi was worried about her and was just about to find a trustworthy friend to take Jiangxia home when Sheng Zhi came over. "Perfect timing, have your friend take you home and let me know when you get there, otherwise I won't be able to enjoy myself in peace."

Sheng Zhi saw that Jiang Xia's face was flushed, and even her neck was red. "You've had too much to drink."

"no."

"Let's go."

"Why don't you play a little longer..."

"Walk."

Sheng Zhi took Jiang Xia's arm with one hand and picked up the chain bag Jiang Xia had brought with the other. Without saying goodbye to Ren Jiayi and the others, he led Jiang Xia to the stairwell.

The music on the terrace was very loud, but the narrow stairwell became a noise-free zone.

"I'm fine, you can talk to them..."

"I came here with you, not to play with them, understand?"

At the corner of the stairs, the air seemed to thin out.

Jiang Xia was a little dazed. As their clothes brushed against each other unintentionally, she muttered to herself, "You... smell strongly of alcohol."

Seeing her covering her mouth and nose, Sheng Zhi knew she had drunk too much.

As they walked out of the alley leading to the restaurant, Jiang Xia would have already gone in the opposite direction if Sheng Zhi hadn't been holding her hand.

"Want to take a motorcycle taxi?" Sheng Zhi asked.

Jiang Xia shook his head, "I can walk by myself."

Sheng Zhi accompanied her back, from the hustle and bustle of the first block, to the scattered fruit stalls in the second block, and then to the quietness of the last block.

Jiangxia's steps are getting smaller and smaller, almost like a chicken pecking at rice.

Suddenly, Jiang Xia turned around and shouted at him, "Can you hurry up? It's very dark up ahead!"

This was the loudest and most confident Jiang Xia had spoken in the few days since we met.

Sheng Zhi laughed and walked over to her side in a few steps.

"I'm really not drunk, I'm just a little tired," Jiang Xia defended himself for his outburst.

Sheng Zhi remained silent, simply keeping pace with her.

"I told Jiayi."

Jiang Xia's voice was hoarse. The two had already walked to the alley in front of the community. No one passed by here. The streetlights on both sides of the road were slightly dim, and the rustling of insects was carried by the sticky evening breeze.

"and then?"

"I feel like I don't trust Xiu Jie enough," Jiang Xia said quietly. "I don't trust him, and I even...

Jiang Xia stopped speaking and didn't continue.

Upon arriving at his doorstep, Jiang Xia suddenly remembered that he had arrived by motorcycle that afternoon. "You've been drinking, so perhaps you shouldn't have ridden your motorcycle?"

She still has that much clarity of mind.

"Leave the motorcycle at your place for now, don't worry about me, get some rest."

Sheng Zhi took a few steps back, about to help her close the gate, but then couldn't help saying, "I'll come find you tomorrow, at ten in the morning, okay?"

Jiang Xia stared at him for a long time. "Are you like this with all women?"

Sheng Zhi smiled, turned and left, waving his hand and saying, "Lock the doors and windows tonight, and call me if you need anything."

*

When Jiangxia got home, he was sober.

I was so busy drinking that night that I didn't eat much. I habitually rummaged through the refrigerator and found that Sheng Zhi had brought two sandwiches with him that afternoon.

The microwave oven at home has complicated buttons, so Jiang Xia had to turn on the induction cooker on the stove.

We don't have many kitchen utensils at home, just a frying pan and a saucepan.

Jiang Xia felt much better after eating the sandwich. In Thailand, she felt like she could take a shower twice a day. She dragged her tired body upstairs, and the strange smell in the bathroom had dissipated a lot.

Worried that he would be more awake after taking a shower, Jiang Xia simply cleaned the bathtub thoroughly, planning to take a hot bath before going to sleep.

While the water was running, Jiang Xia sat on the edge of the bathtub, planning out the next few days in her mind.

Suddenly, my gaze fell on a thin bamboo skewer in the corner on the other side of the bathtub.

Jiang Xia stepped forward in confusion, picked it up, and found that both ends were rounded, unlike a barbecue skewer. Besides, Xu Xiujie wouldn't eat barbecue in the bathroom.

A familiar smell wafted from the skewer. Jiang Xia put it under his nose and smelled it; it was indeed that smell.

Suddenly, Jiang Xia understood.

These are diffuser sticks for liquid aromatherapy.

So the cloying fragrance that filled the room was from this liquid air freshener, but Xu Xiujie had never bought this kind of product in all these years.

I remember one year in college, Xu Xiujie set up a warehouse to use as his own art studio. Jiang Xia went to visit him and specially brought similar fragrances. Afraid that he wouldn't like them, she bought several different scents and even the then-popular diffuser stones.

When I went back the next day, Xu Xiujie had already put them all away, saying that he didn't like any fragrance.

Jiang Xia stood in the bathroom, seemingly numb to everything.

Since Guo Peng said that a few days ago, then came his contact with Lin Shuting, then called Sun Min to learn about his modeling experience in his senior year of high school, then discovered the perfume scent in Chiang Mai, and then the strange bedding...

*

Jiang Xia didn't sleep well, but because she had drunk alcohol the night before, she tossed and turned until after ten o'clock.

There wasn't a trace of Xu Xiujie's scent on the freshly washed bedding, and Jiang Xia felt an indescribable sadness.

After a quick wash, Jiang Xia went downstairs intending to drink some milk to fill her stomach, but then she saw Sheng Zhi arrive.

She pushed open the floor-to-ceiling glass door and heard him ask, "Come on, I'll take you to a nice place."

Jiang Xia opened the door for him, thinking that staying at home all day was boring, so she could find a place to eat. After spending the last few days with Sheng Zhi, she found that although he was glib and full of empty talk, he was still a good dining companion. The two of them were very compatible when it came to food.

She went upstairs and changed into a white T-shirt and slim-fitting long jeans, casually tying her long hair into a ponytail.

Sheng Zhi leaned against the stair railing, arms crossed, and couldn't help but shake her head: "Is this all your style of clothing?"

"Is it not allowed?" Jiang Xia slung her backpack over her shoulder, completely unaware that she had done anything wrong.

"It's possible, but this is Chiang Mai, a tourist destination."

Jiang Xia pouted and went to the front yard where Sheng Zhi had left the motorcycle yesterday. She saw Sheng Zhi take out extra helmets from under the base. "Ride the motorcycle there? Is it close?"

"Not too close, not too far, Chiang Mai is a small place."

Jiang Xia hesitated for a moment, but still took the helmet and put it on. It was a similar helmet to the one she wore in Bangkok last time, and this time she had learned how to fasten the buckle.

Sheng Zhi didn't even turn on the navigation; the two of them just set off like that.

Jiang Xia grabbed the hem of his shirt at his waist with both hands and asked, "Are you familiar with Chiang Mai? Didn't you use a GPS?"

Jiang Xia couldn't hear what Sheng Zhi said from the front, as he was wearing a helmet. "What? By the way, do you have a motorcycle license?"

She vaguely heard Sheng Zhi reassure her, and then Sheng Zhi twisted the accelerator. Jiang Xia had no choice but to wrap her arms tightly around his waist. Even through his clothes, she could tell that he had a good physique; at least his muscles were firm, and he had abs...

Jiang Xia shook his head, trying to stop thinking about things he shouldn't be thinking about.