Li Zhiyuan could only wait for Run Sheng to come back before they could go home together. But instead of returning to the video salon, he bought another soda from the neighboring shop and sat on the bench, sipping and waiting.
Outside the shop, there was a pool table with two young men playing. Their skills were poor, and after watching for a while, Li Zhiyuan couldn’t help but yawn, leaning against the shop’s wall.
About half an hour later, Li Zhiyuan saw Brother Leopard return.
Li Zhiyuan was puzzled; the patient had returned, so why hadn’t the person who took him to the hospital come back yet?
Fortunately, before leaving home, he had told Aunt Liu that he was going to town with Panzi to watch a video, so Grandmaster wouldn’t worry about it if they were late. He’d just think the kids were playing and forgot the time.
Brother Leopard no longer looked faint and decadent as before; his walk was now full of the unique swagger and arrogance of a middle-aged hustler, shaking his head and shrugging.
Sadly, the two young men playing pool didn’t seem to know the rules of the street; when Brother Leopard walked past them, they didn’t greet him of their own accord.
Suddenly, Li Zhiyuan noticed something as Brother Leopard stepped out from behind the pool table – the heels of his shoes were raised.
This scene instantly reminded him of the way Big Beard and his son had headed to the fish pond the previous night.
They were also walking on tiptoes, with their heels hanging in the air, making them wobble as they moved.
Li Zhiyuan’s heart suddenly tightened; he realized something.
At the same time, Brother Leopard seemed to feel a gaze on him. He stopped, tiptoed, slowly turned his head, and scanned over to the shop.
Li Zhiyuan quickly pressed his head against the wall and took a sip from his soda, feigning boredom as he looked towards the pool table.
Brother Leopard’s gaze swept back and forth a few times and didn’t spot the peculiar focus.
Then, he continued walking on tiptoes into his video salon.
Li Zhiyuan kept his previous posture without moving, thinking to himself: Although it was not yet the seventh day after death, it made sense that Brother Leopard hurried home to check.
Soon, Li Zhiyuan began to worry about Leizi, Panzi, and the others still inside the video salon.
But it shouldn’t be that unlucky, right?
At this moment, a woman in a dress came out of the video salon; Sister Mei had asked her to help watch the shop when she took Brother Leopard to the hospital.
The woman walked straight towards the shop, and since Li Zhiyuan was sitting at the entrance, it meant she almost had to brush past him.
Li Zhiyuan noticed that she was also walking on tiptoes, but unlike Brother Leopard, there was another pair of shoes under her feet – a familiar pair of leather shoes.
Then, behind her legs, there was also a pair of men’s legs sticking close.
As for what was above, Li Zhiyuan couldn’t see unless he looked up, but he could imagine: Brother Leopard was almost sticking to her, her feet stepping on his, she was almost like Brother Leopard’s clothing, or more like a puppet.
But, whether it was the "Jianghu Chronicles" he had previously read or the "Righteous Demon Extermination Records" he was currently reading, themes are centered around corpses, non-corpse existence was beyond Li Zhiyuan’s understanding.
The two young men by the pool table whistled at the woman, but she ignored them, walked up to the shop owner, and asked for a pack of cigarettes.
The owner asked in surprise, "Why are you smoking this type?"
The woman replied, "I want to try a different flavor."
The owner gave her the cigarettes, and was about to flirt as usual but saw the woman’s stern face and swallowed his words.
The woman turned around, tore the cigarette pack, took out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled deeply.
Li Zhiyuan heard two sucking sounds, one male and one female.
Clearly, it wasn’t the woman herself who wanted this drag.
The woman obviously intended to return to the video salon, but she stopped in front of Li Zhiyuan, bent down, and looked at the "half-dozing, daydreaming" boy.
Li Zhiyuan aimed to get through this by feigning ignorance; he knew Brother Leopard was invisible, but the woman could be seen by others around.
However, the woman then pushed his shoulder, leaving Li Zhiyuan no choice but to show an expression of just coming out of a daze, looking at her with some confusion.
"Young handsome man, come inside and wait."
The woman’s face was now very close to Li Zhiyuan, allowing him to clearly see the second man’s face behind her head.
When the woman spoke, Brother Leopard’s mouth moved similarly.
"No, the smoke inside is too heavy; it makes me dizzy. I’ll wait here..."
"It’s getting dark, it’s not safe outside, come, follow sister inside." The woman grabbed Li Zhiyuan’s hand.
At that moment, Li Zhiyuan felt two hands grabbing his wrists—one warm, the other cold.
"No, I don’t want to go," Li Zhiyuan shook his head and then forcefully shook off those "two" hands, walking towards the pool table, "I want to watch them play pool, I want to learn; these two brothers are really good."
"Ha ha, little brother has good taste."
"Come, little brother, stand here and watch closely; we’ll teach you."
The two woefully bad pool players, buoyed by the boy’s flattery, eagerly pulled Li Zhiyuan between them to watch their professional moves.
The woman straightened up, seemingly not insisting on taking Li Zhiyuan back to the video salon anymore, but went back to the place herself.