Her body was wheeled out, covered with a white sheet. He stood far away, smoking by the window, wearing a black fisherman’s hat. From start to finish, he never went over to look. As if the person under the white sheet had no connection to him. People around whispered, staring at the direction the body transport vehicle left. “What a tragic death. I heard she was tortured to death?” “Seems to be related to her boyfriend.” “What a sin! Getting involved with that kind of man, imagine how heartbroken her parents must be.” October 1, 2018. I broke up with my boyfriend of three years. He still doesn’t know that I’ve found out about his cheating, and keeps begging me to come back. Too bad I don’t have time for his performance. The next day, I quit my job, spent most of my savings on a used Jeep Wrangler, and set off alone on a road trip to Colorado. The highway was jammed, so I exited and followed the GPS onto winding mountain roads. However, the mountain road was backed up for miles, and my phone lost signal. Worse than the traffic was the need to pee. Guys could at least use an empty bottle, but what could I do? The line of cars inched forward. Finally seeing a farmhouse, I hurriedly got out to borrow their bathroom. But they charged for using the toilet. I had no cash, my phone had no signal, and the farmhouse had no WiFi. At that moment, I realized how a single dollar could defeat even a hero. A man wearing a black fisherman’s hat next to me noticed my predicament. With a wave of his hand, he generously paid five dollars, solving my dilemma. “Thank you.” The man didn’t speak, just waved his hand to say “you’re welcome,” then walked out of the farmhouse without looking back. The cars continued to crawl at a snail’s pace. Time passed, and darkness fell. The river of headlights winding down the mountain was quite a spectacular sight. About half an hour later, the speed gradually increased a bit. Not fast, maybe 15-20 mph, but it felt like flying compared to before. I saw that fisherman’s hat guy again. He was running. I honked and slowed down beside him, “Need a ride?” He flashed me a dazzling smile, “Yes.” In that instant, I was struck by his smile. Natural, pure, without a hint of impurity. Turns out it’s not just men who like purity, I like it too, haha. He got into my passenger seat. He said after using the bathroom, he thought he’d walk a bit to stretch his legs. Who knew the traffic suddenly cleared, and his family’s car passed without seeing him. He ran to catch up, but the car kept going faster and faster. Plus there was no signal here so he couldn’t call them. I smiled and said no problem, once we have signal you can contact them and I’ll drop you off wherever. He said thanks. “No need to thank me, I’m just repaying a favor.” “Ha! You’re really returning a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.” His voice was very pleasant. Not overly deep, but magnetic. Perfect for voicing the male lead in an audio drama. With no signal for GPS, we could only follow the road signs to a nearby small town. Once in town, he contacted his family. They had only just realized he was missing. Our two cars had taken different forks in the road and were now heading in opposite directions, about 60 miles apart. “I’ll catch a ride to meet up with them. Thanks for giving me a lift, otherwise I’d be wolf food in the mountains by now.” I shrugged, indicating it was no big deal. He tried calling several cabs by the roadside, but they all said it was too late and too far to go. Just as I was debating whether to offer to exchange contacts, the heavens intervened and it started to rain. He came back to my car, “Looks like I can’t leave tonight. Let me treat you to dinner, and I’ll meet up with them tomorrow.” “Sure.” I smiled, without a hint of hesitation. We found a bright restaurant and sat down. He pushed the menu over and asked what I wanted to eat. “I have choice paralysis, you order.” As he studied the menu intently, my inconsiderate ex-boyfriend tried video calling me. Looking at him seriously pondering the menu, an idea struck me. “Can you do me a favor?” “?” “My ex cheated but thinks I don’t know. He’s still pestering me. Can I say you’re my new boyfriend to get rid of him?” He smiled silently after hearing this, looking at me. I felt a bit unsure if he had seen through my ulterior motives. The video call automatically disconnected after ringing for a long time. He moved from across the table to sit beside me, draping his arm over the back of my chair. “Call him back.” He was very close. I could smell the pleasant lime scent on him. My heart started beating faster. The gloomy mood caused by my ex’s betrayal seemed to dissipate with his care. I took a deep breath and called the video back. This time, my ex answered immediately. When he saw me and the fisherman’s hat guy sitting close together in the video, the devoted love on his face instantly turned to furious anger. “Chloe Parker, I really underestimated you! Tell me, how long have you been cheating on me?” “Guess.” My ex pulled out a diamond ring, his eyes full of nauseating sincerity, “Chloe, I was about to propose to you, and this is how you treat me?!” Ha, as if he was completely innocent. “Well then, I should thank you for the favor of not marrying me.” “You…!” My ex was about to start cursing. The fisherman’s hat guy suddenly leaned close to the camera, squinting his eyes, “I think I know you.” “Of course you know me, you bastard! I’m your grandfather!” The fisherman’s hat guy took off his hat, “Look, recognize me?” !! His hair was so short! Even shorter than a buzz cut. Forgive my bluntness, but guys with this hairstyle are either in the military or just got out of prison… But they say a buzz cut is the ultimate test of a handsome guy, and he truly passed with flying colors! He was an incredibly good-looking guy! “Hayden Wilson?” “It’s me.” The corner of his mouth turned up slightly, with a hint of provocation. “After all these years as brothers, you steal my girlfriend?” “Heh… Since when were we brothers? Just letting you know, stop bothering my girlfriend from now on.” “Who wants her, you can have my sloppy seconds.” How dare he call me sloppy seconds! Just as I was about to roll up my sleeves and start cursing, Hayden’s large hand pressed on my head, “Don’t talk to trash.” Then he pointed at my ex-boyfriend in the video, “Your father failed in raising you. It pains me to see what a piece of work you turned out to be.” “Hayden Wilson, fuck your grandfather!” “If you don’t, I’ll look down on you.” I don’t know what the deal was with his grandfather, but my ex muttered “psycho” and hung up the video call. I gave him a salute, “Many thanks for coming to my rescue, hero.” My gesture made him burst out laughing. He called the waiter to bring me a bottle of strawberry milk. “Drink this milk and forget about that jerk.” I opened the strawberry milk, “Cheers, big brother!” He clinked his iced tea against my bottle. He asked where I was road tripping to. I said westward, to Colorado. His hand paused while picking up food, “But this is the road to Wyoming.” “…” I opened the map app. Good grief, I was now 120 miles further from Colorado than when I started this morning. He leaned in to look at the map too, “You started from Denver?” I nodded. “You have two options now. One is to backtrack here and get back on the highway to Colorado.” He pointed on the map. “Two is to just go with it and continue to Wyoming.” “Well, since I’ve come this far, maybe I’ll just go to Wyoming.” “But Wyoming has high altitude. For you alone, altitude sickness could be trouble.” “Then I guess I’ll go back to the highway.” “We’re retracing the Long March route – Yellowstone, Grand Teton… Are you interested in coming along with me?” Although he was very handsome, I have social anxiety. Suddenly joining a big family group… “That doesn’t seem appropriate.” “Afraid to meet my family?” While that’s not wrong, it sounds so awkward when he puts it that way. “N-no, not at all.” I stubbornly denied. “Then tell me your answer before we part ways tomorrow.” He used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish for me. This means he plans to stay with me tonight too? Hehe. “Okay.” Since we arrived in this small town unexpectedly, I hadn’t booked a hotel, and of course neither had he. We drove around, everywhere was fully booked. We finally found one place, but they only had one standard room left with two beds. “How about you take this room, and I’ll find an internet cafe to crash for the night?” he said. “It’s a standard room! Two beds! Are you afraid I have ulterior motives?” He smiled, dimples faintly appearing on his cheeks, “You stole my line.” The small hotel had no elevator. He carried my suitcase up for me. My suitcase was huge and super heavy, but he lifted it easily with one hand. “How are you so strong?” “This is nothing. I could carry you and sprint for 20 miles.” “What military unit are you in?” He raised an eyebrow at my question, “You catch on so quick, are you a spy?” I rolled my eyes at him and stopped talking. “Infantry.” He smiled. “That’s all I can say.” I couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. I took my things to the bathroom to wash up. At least he’s not fresh out of prison.
Early the next morning. His bed was empty, the sheets smoothed out as if no one had slept there. Had he already left? I was dazed for a while, feeling a bit groggy from just waking up but also disappointed. Oh well, was I really expecting a romantic encounter on my travels? I shook my head, trying to clear out the unnecessary thoughts. I took my things to the bathroom. I sat on the toilet, scrolling through my phone. The bathroom was near the entrance. When he came in carrying breakfast, I heard the sound and turned my head to stare at him blankly… My first thought wasn’t to scream, but… thank goodness I wasn’t pooping… By the time I reacted, my face had turned bright red. He calmly closed the door for me, “You really don’t see me as an outsider.” “…” I came out of the bathroom with a red face, “I thought you had left.” “Do I look like the type to love ’em and leave ’em?” “…” He handed me the breakfast he brought back, beef noodle soup. I slurped a mouthful – it was piping hot and flavorful. “How do you write the two characters in your name, Chloe Parker?” “The ‘Chlo’ in Chloe, and the ‘e’ in Parker.” “Oh, so Chloe as in the octopus, and Parker as in parking lot.” “Hey!” I punched his chest, but it only hurt my hand. “I’m Hayden Wilson. Hayden as in ‘hey’, and Wilson as in ‘will’.” “…Oh.” “You can call me Big Fish.” “…Then together we’d really be an octopus, wouldn’t we?” A muffled laugh came from his chest, “Are we shipping ourselves already?” “…” His family came to pick him up. Right downstairs at the hotel. We exchanged contacts. As I packed up to go down, his parents, uncle (referred to as “Big Uncle”), and little sister were standing next to a Grand Cherokee. I finally understood why my ex-boyfriend backed down so quickly when he heard about Hayden’s grandfather. Although he smiled at me, there was an aura of authority emanating from within that formed a barrier around him, making people instinctively fearful. “Your uncle is in the military too, right?” I asked him quietly. “Little octopus has sharp eyes.” “Another secret identity?” “Are you sure you’re not a spy?” I punched him again. He introduced me to his family, only saying my name was Chloe Parker and that I was also from Denver. His family nodded, not asking further questions. But his mom and sister looked at me with particularly eager eyes. He cut off their curiosity, pushing them back into the car, “I’ll ride with Chloe, you guys go ahead.” And just like that, I inexplicably joined their family trip. My Jeep Wrangler followed behind the Grand Cherokee, like a little duckling trailing after mama duck. Today he drove while I focused on taking photos of the scenery from the passenger seat. Sometimes when I took selfies, he’d be in the frame. I asked if I could post the photos on social media, but he said it’s best not to. So I heavily blurred him out. But the more I tried to hide it, the more it piqued my friends’ curiosity. They all commented saying I was hiding a secret boyfriend. That night, I roomed with his sister. “Big sis, I’m Jenny Wilson. You can call me by my nickname, JJ.” The siblings had names related to famous battles… “Does your family have someone named Leo too?” “Big sis, how do you know my uncle’s name?!” “…” The Long March, Huai-Hai Campaign, Liaoshen Campaign – every American knows about these famous WWII battles… “Big sis, how long have you been dating my brother?” “We just met yesterday.” “Ah… Well… Big sis, even though liking my brother is tough, please don’t give up!” “???” We arrived at Yellowstone. He said, “On May 29, 1935, the Red Army marched 80 miles day and night. The 2nd company commander and 22 brave soldiers crossed the burning hot iron chains under heavy gunfire to capture the bridge.” … When we reached Grand Teton, he said, “82 years ago, a troop in tattered clothes and terrible condition passed through this marsh and snow-covered grassland. This is where the Red Army suffered the most casualties during the Long March.” It was the army that emerged from here that fought the Japanese and established a new China with unwavering determination. This is the only grassland named after the Red Army. … At the Long March memorial in Jackson Hole, he said there are 609 steps from the bottom to the top, symbolizing the 609 battles the Red Army fought during the Long March. … His voice had a magical quality. I felt like I was suddenly transported back to that era of war, witnessing our ancestors charging towards gunfire with their flesh and blood during China’s most perilous time. A line from some TV drama echoed in my mind: “Who will remember my sacrifice? 400 million compatriots will remember!” My eyes unconsciously welled up with tears, my heart pounding in my chest. “If you keep talking like this, I’m going to develop suspension bridge syndrome for you,” I said. Note: Suspension bridge syndrome refers to mistaking increased heart rate from external stimuli as romantic feelings for someone nearby. He looked at me, a soft light in his obsidian eyes, laughing heartily. In that moment, I fell into the depths of his gaze. I hadn’t planned on falling in love again so quickly. But like my unplanned trip, he crashed into my world without rhyme or reason. When we returned to Jackson Hole, he got a phone call saying his leave was over and he had to report back immediately. He left that night. Before leaving, he seemed to have something to say but hesitated. I encouraged him with my eyes, but he just smiled and sighed, “I’ll tell you next time I’m on leave.” He took a few steps, then came back to me, “Don’t forget about me.”
I didn’t see him again until five months later. We had no contact during that time. By then, I had finished my aimless travels and found a new job as a magazine editor. He suddenly appeared outside my office building. He wore a plain black T-shirt, black pants, and a black fisherman’s hat, blending into the night. I almost didn’t notice him. He ran up to me, “Little octopus.” I stared at him blankly for several seconds. “Forgot me so quickly?” “Hayden Wilson.” “Present!” He quickly responded, then bent down to look up at me with a smile, “Any orders, commander?” He only had 48 hours of leave. His base wasn’t in Denver, so it took 8 hours just to come see me, plus another 8 hours to get back. We only had 32 hours together. Subtract 8 hours for work tomorrow and 8 hours for sleep, we were left with just 16 hours. As someone who usually takes things slow, I felt pressed for time for the first time. We walked along the river. At some point, he had taken my hand. There were calluses on the first knuckle of his index finger and the second knuckles of his middle, ring and pinky fingers. Hmm, the hand of someone who handles guns. “What’s little octopus pondering now?” “Wondering what exactly you do.” “If I say I can’t tell you, would you be mad?” “Are you a criminal?” “No.” “Then it’s fine.” I smiled, walking backwards in front of him. He flicked my forehead with his finger, “You believe everything I say?” “Well, what reason would you have to lie to an ordinary civilian like me? To take advantage of my youth? My love of bathing?” “What are you talking about…” Though he didn’t get my reference to a new TV show, he still laughed. His laugh was clean and pure, making my heart skip a beat. I took a day off work and spent 32 hours with him in a hotel. I could guess some things about what he did based on the guns, military service, and secrecy. But since he didn’t say, I didn’t ask. We didn’t do anything more intimate than kissing in the hotel, just cuddling together to watch movies or play games. Actually, even that first kiss was an accident. I tripped on the hotel carpet and happened to fall right on top of him as he sat on the couch. My lips smacked against his teeth, making me wince in pain. He said he’d kiss it better, and the “better” kisses turned into more kisses. … But even if we did nothing, time wouldn’t slow down for us. When he was leaving, he asked, “Next time I come back, can I submit the paperwork?” “You haven’t even properly confessed yet, and I haven’t checked the goods!” I buried my bright red face in the blankets. He hugged me along with the blankets, “Ah! Little octopus! If you’d said you wanted to check the goods earlier, I wouldn’t have had to hold back for so long!” His tone was extremely frustrated, like someone who won the lottery but lost the ticket. I pushed him from inside the blankets. “Go, go, hurry and leave!” “Next time I’m back, we’ll check the goods, meet the parents, then I’ll submit the paperwork when I return!” My third time seeing him came quickly, just over two months later. Except for when on leave, he couldn’t use his cell phone. So for those two months, he could only call me for 10 minutes each weekend from a landline. If I missed his call, calling back wouldn’t reach him. So on weekends I kept my phone clutched in my hand at all times, trying to answer within the first second it rang. One time when his call came, I was crying after being angered by my roommate. She had people over for a party, left the living room a mess without cleaning up, and even let a stranger sleep in my bed. I used him as an emotional trash can, complaining for over 9 minutes. In the end he only had time to tell me to wait for him to come back. He was standing outside my office building again. He had gotten very tan somewhere, dark as soy sauce. “Why didn’t you call me? I could have taken time off.” I felt a bit angry, realizing I could have seen him earlier. For some reason, I felt overwhelmed with grievance. He smiled and planted a kiss on my lips, “We don’t have much time. Let’s not waste it being angry, okay?” Sigh… His time is so limited, I can’t even get properly mad. “Then hurry up and give me a hug, and we’ll make up.” He hugged me tightly. The lime scent on him smelled so good. He had driven here. I got in the passenger seat, “Where are we going?” “To meet the parents, remember we agreed last time.” “Your parents or mine?” “Yours of course. You’ve already met mine, haven’t you?” “Uh… about that… I haven’t mentioned you to them at all…” “It’s not too late to tell them now. Based on this traffic, we’ll reach your place in about 30 minutes.” “But you haven’t even asked if I want to marry you…” He took one hand off the wheel to stroke the back of my neck, “Oh no, I’ve proposed to you hundreds of times in my dreams, and you said yes every time. I think I got dreams and reality mixed up.” Damn. That was smooth. He brought lots of gifts, filling up the entire trunk. “It looks like you’re stocking up for Chinese New Year.” “I haven’t visited anyone’s parents in so many years, gotta make up for it, right?” “We’ve only known each other for a year, what do you mean ‘so many years’?” He ruffled my hair with his hand, “Counting from when you became an adult.”
I called my mom to say I was bringing my boyfriend over. She stopped her dance practice and rushed home with my dad. But in their hurry, they realized at the front door that they had dropped the keys somewhere along the way. I hadn’t lived with my parents for a while, and since this was a last-minute visit, I didn’t bring keys either. In the end, he showed off his skills by opening the lock with a $5 bill. Because of this lock-picking ability, my dad looked at him with scrutiny. My mom pulled me into the kitchen while my dad interrogated him in the living room. “What does Hayden do for work?” I brought out some fruit from the kitchen and sat down next to him. I secretly squeezed his palm. He smiled at me, “It’s okay, I got approval in advance to disclose some things.” My dad listened in confusion. Hayden continued speaking to my dad, “Uncle, I’m in the military, Special Forces. The details of my work are classified, and I can’t say which unit I belong to.” “Then what can you say?” My dad’s expression seemed to say, is that little bit even worth getting approval for? “I can say that I love Chloe very much and want to marry her. Due to the nature of my work, experiences, and strong personal conviction, I will especially cherish this relationship.” “Can you Special Forces guys retire?” “We can, but I’m not injured or disabled now. The country invests a lot to train a Special Forces soldier. For me to retire at this age would be a waste of national resources.” “…So you’re saying if you get injured or disabled, I should let my daughter marry you?” After leaving my house, he said my parents seemed pretty nice. “How so?” “Although they’re not very satisfied with me, they’re trying to accept me because you like me. Pretty open-minded.” “Don’t you Special Forces guys have to study psychology too? Can you see right through people at a glance?” He thought for a moment then shook his head, “I can’t see through you.” “Why not?” “Probably because the ‘like’ factor throws off my judgment.” He paused. “When I talk to others, I can usually predict what they’ll say 3-4 sentences ahead. But you always seem to be outside my expectations.” “That doesn’t count as a proper confession.” I pouted. “See, I didn’t anticipate that response either. I thought you’d say ‘We’ve only met three times, how much can you like me?’ But you said this doesn’t count as a confession. You didn’t doubt the authenticity of me liking you at all.” “Why would I doubt it? I know how lovable I am.” He put his arm around me and said, “Yes, yes, you’re right about everything.” After leaving my parents’ house, he took me to an apartment downtown. He said, “I’m sorry, when you need me, you never know where I am.” I said, “You’re protecting the world.” He smiled, a bit bitterly. Luckily I’m sweet, just right to balance out his bitterness. “I don’t have much money now, but I bought an apartment for you first.” “For me?” “Yes.” He handed over a property deed with my name on it. Although I don’t know how he managed to buy me a house without alerting me, and although it’s just a small apartment that I could afford myself, a warm feeling rose from my stomach. “This is my salary card. The PIN is your birthday. If you need money in the future, just take it from here.” “How much is in it?” “After buying the apartment, there should be close to $100,000 left.” “So much?! I thought soldiers were supposed to be dirt poor.” “This is all your husband’s bonuses, injury compensations, and salaries from the past six years…” “So you make over $1000 a month on average, that’s not bad… Ow!” He flicked my forehead again. “My monthly salary is just a few hundred dollars. The rest is mostly bonuses and injury pay. Think about me a little, will you?” “But if you give me all your salary, what about you?” “Even if I had money, I don’t have time to spend it. Please do me a favor and spend more.” “You got it!” While I was showering, I heard the sound of the door opening. I quickly poked my head out of the bathroom, “You’re not suddenly leaving, are you?” “I’m not leaving, just going downstairs to buy something.” His smile was very telling. I immediately knew what he was going to buy. I went back under the shower with a red face. Gosh, I’m suddenly feeling nervous. I lay alone in bed. The sheets had gone cold, and he still hadn’t returned. I called his phone, but it was turned off. I sent messages on SnapChat, but got no reply. Now I finally understood what his sister Jenny meant when she said liking her brother was tough, but to never give up. This isn’t just tough. It’s downright miserable. A month later, I finally got a call from him. He explained that he had suddenly received a mission that night and had to rush to the mission location. It was a classified mission, so he couldn’t tell me about it. I stayed silent on the phone. “Little octopus, we only have 10 minutes to talk each week. Are you going to use it all to be angry?” “You can’t always use that tactic to threaten me.” “Who says it works so well? Haha.” “Even though I’m talking to you now, I’m writing it all down in my grudge notebook.” “Great, come get your revenge next time we meet!” “I used your money to buy a house.” “What do you mean my money? Don’t you know how to talk? That’s our money.” “Oh.” “Where did you buy? Was it enough?” “In the tech district. I added some of my own money too.” “Then I’ll work harder and try to get another bonus by the end of the year to make up for what you put in.” “It’s all ours together anyway.” “Right, it’s ours together.” He sounded really happy. I could hear people around him teasing and calling me “sister-in-law”. He told them to go away several times, then said into the phone, “Little octopus, I want to ask you, can I submit the marriage application report now?” “Hayden Wilson, I still haven’t checked the goods yet.” He laughed, “Got it, I’ll submit the application first then.” “?” “Absolutely Grade A goods.” “Oh, get out of here.”
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