Chapter : 06
The female doctor said, “His tattoo looks like a Juliet rose, and next to it are two letters, YS. It’s a pretty unique tattoo.”
“Juliet rose?”
“Yeah, a very expensive type of rose. That’s why I remembered it. You can search it online.”
Zhou Qingluo knew it would be easy to find the person who saved him—just ask the people who drank with him that night. But he didn’t want any connection with them, and he didn’t want any link with Song Ling either.
He was not going to be a substitute. He had to earn money to support his family.
The original person had just graduated from a technical college, majoring in circuit design, but his grades were terrible. He couldn’t find a good job; most of his resumes disappeared into thin air. The ones that replied were all 997 electronics factories.
When Zhou Qingluo first arrived online, his Weibo had no traffic. The largest original comic website, Xingchen Comics, required real-name verification and a month before posting.
Zhou Qingluo had no choice but to deliver food.
He put on Zhou Shoulin’s delivery uniform and started working.
Zhou Shoulin said, “Qingluo, maybe you should wait for recruitment. Delivering food is very tough.”
Zhou Qingluo smiled and reassured him, “It’s fine to work hard during the day when you’re young. Just don’t stay up late at night.”
“You have sensitive skin. When you were little, in the middle of summer, going out in the sun would give you rashes. Maybe don’t go.”
Zhou Qingluo touched his smooth, delicate face. “It’s fine, just heat rash. It’ll go away when the weather cools down.”
Zhou Shoulin tried to persuade him again, but Zhou Qingluo insisted. His rash was not severe, and a few days of rest would fix it anyway.
Watching Zhou Qingluo become more responsible, Zhou Shoulin thought, ICU must be some kind of soul education center—survive once, and you grow up instantly.
After a few familiar days, delivering food wasn’t as hard as Zhou Qingluo imagined. Society was stable and kind; most people were nice young men and women. Plus, he was handsome and charming, so five-star reviews came quickly, making him one of the fastest-growing delivery workers.
Going out in wind and rain every day, his skin tanned, his body became stronger, and he enjoyed running in the sunlight.
He earned three to five hundred a day. It wasn’t as much as drawing a comic page, but it felt steady and real.
One day, Zhou Qingluo received an order to deliver to computer number 25 in an internet café not far from his home.
This area was a mix of city and countryside, full of different kinds of people. Zhou Qingluo met the first strange customer of his delivery career.
When he reached number 25, a man with dyed yellow hair wearing headphones was playing a game. His brows were tightly furrowed. He typed nervously while cursing at his teammates and even his parents. It was obvious he was about to lose.
Zhou Qingluo placed the food on the table. “Hello, your delivery has arrived.”
The man didn’t even lift his eyes or acknowledge him. He continued cursing, treating Zhou Qingluo like air.
Zhou Qingluo repeated himself calmly, maintaining professional courtesy.
Just as he finished speaking, the man got defeated in the game. In this game, when someone is defeated, rainbow-colored poop sprays from the screen and covers the character in a poop mountain.
It didn’t cause damage but was highly humiliating.
The man angrily took off his headphones, slammed them on the keyboard, spun around, and glared at Zhou Qingluo, shouting at his ear, “Why are you yelling? I have ears! I’m not deaf! Just put the delivery here and get lost! You’re disturbing my game! Idiot!”
Zhou Qingluo didn’t flinch and stared calmly.
Having had heart disease before, he couldn’t get angry. Over time, he had learned to watch fools with a calm heart.
He put the delivery down and handed the receipt to the man with a slight smile.
“You asked for two cans of Red Bull in the notes. I brought them. You need to pay me.”
People around peeked but didn’t dare intervene. The internet café manager pretended not to notice, while some secretly gestured at Zhou Qingluo.
The yellow-haired man was frustrated from losing. He grabbed Zhou Qingluo, getting almost face-to-face.
Zhou Qingluo knew this was a “What are you looking at?” signal. Looking directly back would mean: “What about it?”
He wasn’t scared. He just noticed the shiny gold chain around the man’s neck. It reminded him of his poverty, and he sighed a little.
The man spoke darkly, “Do you know who I am?”
Zhou Qingluo raised an eyebrow and glanced at the receipt. The man’s name was Xia Lin’an.
Zhou Qingluo smiled lightly. Usually, people who ask this kind of question have powerful fathers.
He looked at the gold chain and calmly said,
“Mr. Jin, two cans of Red Bull, 12 yuan.”
The man became furious, swinging his fist like he wanted to hit him.
Zhou Qingluo stayed still, eyes unblinking, calmly said,
“Two cans of Red Bull, 10 yuan. Delivery fee, 2 yuan. Twelve yuan total.”
The rainbow poop on the screen disappeared, and the game character revived.
The man pointed at Zhou Qingluo and cursed, “I’ll deal with you after this game.”
Well, at least he had some esports spirit.
He tried to sit down, but Zhou Qingluo grabbed his wrist, squeezing and lifting it, stopping him from sitting.
The man twisted in pain, swearing loudly. People around gasped softly.
Zhou Qingluo applied more force, expression unchanged:
“Sir, please pay twelve yuan.”
The man reluctantly took out a hundred-yuan note and slapped it on Zhou Qingluo’s chest. Though cowardly in action, his voice remained fierce: “Just wait, I’ll ruin you.”
Zhou Qingluo collected the money and let go. As he was about to leave, the man screamed again:
“What the hell is wrong with this computer?!”
His voice was sharp with fear.
On the screen was a photo of a woman hanging dead from a tree. Two letters, S and B, floated in front, dripping blood.
