Chapter 4: Divorce
“I saw you were washing, so I didn’t disturb you,” Wang Ming said after a moment’s thought.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“You’re not afraid of me?” The beautiful man stared at Wang Ming, his deep, commanding voice echoing with the bathroom’s humidity, like a dragon’s roar, quite intimidating.
Wang Ming: “…”
Wang Ming shook his head, took a clean towel from a hook near the door, and handed it to the beautiful man.
“Why don’t you put this on?” Wang Ming suggested. “It’s new, feel free to use it.”
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
The beautiful man accepted the towel and wrapped it around his exquisitely sculpted waist. Despite his beauty and physique, he exuded an aura of inviolability, a regal and awe-inspiring presence that almost compelled Wang Ming to worship him.
But Wang Ming felt no such impulse. He merely thought it wasteful that the beautiful man was showering in his home in the middle of the night, and seriously considered whether he should ask him to share the rent if he planned on staying.
Even if I can’t see him usually, Wang Ming thought, if he showers this often, he should at least pay for utilities. This apartment doesn’t have gas heating, so showers require electricity. Charging him isn’t unreasonable.
He wondered if the man cooked, expanding his thoughts to include gas costs.
Just as Wang Ming was figuring out how to broach the subject of shared utilities, the beautiful man spoke.
“Why aren’t you afraid of me?” he asked, having composed himself and surveyed the ordinary human before him.
“You’re not human, why would I be afraid?” Wang Ming replied matter-of-factly.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
Stunned, the beautiful man fell silent for a moment.
“Aren’t you afraid I’m a ghost?” he asked.
“That’s easier to deal with,” Wang Ming said. “If you’re a ghost, there are only two possibilities.”
“First, you’re a benevolent ghost and mean no harm. Why would I fear you?”
“Second, you’re a malevolent ghost who wants to kill me. Then the question becomes, once you kill me, I become you. Since we’re the same, what’s there to fear? I could beat you up as a ghost.”
Wang Ming spoke like a master logician.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
The beautiful man considered this and decided to drop the topic.
“Since you can see me, it means you’re my destined one,” the beautiful man said, frowning.
“Are you free tomorrow?” he asked.
Wang Ming: “…”
Why does this sound like a cheesy pick-up line from a bar? Wang Ming thought, quickly dismissing the idea that such good fortune could exist.
“I’m free,” Wang Ming honestly replied to what sounded like a pickup line.
“Then let’s go to the Red String Office tomorrow,” the beautiful man said.
“The… Red String Office?” Wang Ming pondered. Is that a new nightclub?
If it’s a nightclub, I don’t want to go, he thought. It wasn’t prejudice against such places, but he felt his unfashionable appearance would make him stand out uncomfortably.
“You can see me because there’s a red string between us,” the beautiful man explained. “It’s a natural pairing of sentient beings. The Red String Office governs these pairings.”
“But I’m not interested in pairing with humans, so tomorrow at the office, I’ll have them sever the red string. That will end our connection.”
The beautiful man had the air of someone whose family is relentlessly trying to set them up on blind dates.
Wang Ming: “…”
“Is this red string like an organ in our bodies?” Wang Ming asked, expressing a genuine concern.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“Don’t worry, severing it won’t harm you, except you won’t be able to see me anymore,” the beautiful man reassured him.
“It’s like a divorce for you ordinary humans,” he added, realizing Wang Ming’s lack of comprehension.
Wang Ming: “…”
Why am I suddenly a divorced man? Wang Ming thought, silently questioning the heavens. However, he nodded, indicating his understanding and cooperation.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“Thank you for cooperating,” the beautiful man was surprised by Wang Ming’s calm demeanor. From what he’d heard, ordinary people either screamed and fainted or bombarded him with endless questions.
Wang Ming was truly unique.
Remembering Wang Ming’s unflappable observation of his shower for half an hour, the beautiful man concluded his calm reaction stemmed from exceptional mental fortitude.
“You’re welcome,” Wang Ming remained calm.
“I’ll give you compensation,” the beautiful man immediately offered.
Wang Ming: “…”
“Okay,” Wang Ming nodded, adhering to his principle of taking advantage of opportunities.
“Will you burn it for me?” Wang Ming inquired.
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Chapter 5: Ants and Elephants
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“The compensation will be paid in cash after we’re done,” the beautiful man said.
“Fine,” Wang Ming readily agreed. Given the beautiful man’s power, killing him would probably take seconds; there was no need to lie about this.
——
The next morning arrived. Wang Ming woke up.
He immediately got out of bed, instinctively wondering if he needed to work today. Remembering his unemployment, he relaxed, lay back down, and played on his phone for a while, just like his college days.
Checking his bank balance, he sighed, slowly getting out of bed again. He went from the cramped bedroom into the even more cramped living room, then into the tiniest bathroom to wash his face.
“You’re awake,”
As Wang Ming turned off the tap, he heard a disembodied voice behind him, ethereal, like a spirit formed from mountain mist.
“Whoa!” Wang Ming shouted, turning to see the breathtakingly beautiful man who’d showered in front of him for half an hour.
Wang Ming: “…”
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“Weren’t you afraid of me?” The beautiful man asked, a rare look of confusion on his usually beautiful, cold face.
“Now that I know it’s you, I’m not afraid,” Wang Ming answered honestly.
“What’s the difference?” The beautiful man’s expression became guarded.
“I’m not afraid of magic attacks, but that doesn’t mean I’m not afraid of physical attacks,” Wang Ming said.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
He only fears things he understands in the real world, the beautiful man mused, understanding Wang Ming’s analogy.
“Alright, let’s go,” the beautiful man said.
“Okay, what’s the address?” Wang Ming nodded.
“I’ll check the bus route.”
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“I rarely use public transport,” the beautiful man said.
“I rarely take taxis,” Wang Ming replied.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“I mean, we can use a faster way to get there,” the beautiful man said, grabbing Wang Ming’s wrist.
Wang Ming felt a powerful force pulling him toward the sink, where he crashed face-first.
Wang Ming: “…”
When he came to, he found himself being led by the hand by the beautiful man toward a magnificent palace.
Wang Ming: “…”
“I think we came here through the sewer,” Wang Ming said, pondering his life, feeling that this mode of transport was inconsistent with the man’s elegant appearance.
Though he still felt the wetness of the water, he was completely dry, except for a piece of green seaweed clinging to his jacket.
Wang Ming: “…”
Startled, he shook his head and checked his hair thoroughly. Fortunately, it was clean.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“We came by water,” the beautiful man vaguely confirmed, implicitly acknowledging their sewer journey. “But when you’re with me, nothing unclean can touch you, don’t worry.”
Wang Ming: “…”
That depends on your definition of unclean, Wang Ming thought, looking at the various creatures entering and exiting the palace. They look fine now, but who knows what kind of monsters they are.
“I’m so blind to have been bound to a jerk like you!”
“Do you think I wanted this? It’s like the old saying – I’ve been completely screwed!”
As Wang Ming was pondering monsters, two men, brawling, pushed past him.
Wang Ming: “…”
“Do they do same-sex paperwork here?” Wang Ming asked.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“Didn’t you realize that after watching me shower for half an hour?” the beautiful man said, his tone slightly more urgent than usual.
Wang Ming: “…”
“Sorry, I didn’t process all that information,” Wang Ming apologized; due to the man’s feminine appearance, he hadn’t considered the “philosophical” implications.
“Fine,” the beautiful man nodded. “Just follow me inside, don’t be afraid.”
“Okay, I’m generally unaffected by magical attacks,” Wang Ming said calmly.
The breathtakingly beautiful man: “…”
“That’s not what I meant, never mind, you’ll see,” the beautiful man said.
Wang Ming, far from being scared, was curious about the Red String Office.
He followed the beautiful man inside.
As soon as they entered, Wang Ming understood why the beautiful man told him not to be afraid. As they passed through the doorway, the people around them became bizarre and surreal.
Since the brawling men were directly in front of them, they were the first to undergo this transformation. One suddenly turned into a large, powerful elephant, while the other disappeared.
Wang Ming: “…”
Is the other guy a ghost? How did he disappear? he wondered, then realized his logic was flawed; if the other guy was a ghost, he wouldn’t be visible outside but should be visible inside.
Just as he was pondering this, he felt something under his feet, then a recoil. Looking down, he saw his shoe had been pushed aside by a gigantic ant.
“Watch where you’re walking, buddy,” the ant said.
Wang Ming: “…”
“Oh, sorry,” Wang Ming quickly apologized.
“No problem,” the ant nodded and walked away, heading towards the elephant.
Wang Ming: “…”
Don’t tell me this ant and elephant were the guys getting a divorce, Wang Ming thought. This Red String Office is messing with people’s fates!
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