Offense - Chapter 27
Chapter 27
After daybreak, Lian Wan's phone started vibrating early.
She couldn't calculate how long she'd slept. Lian Wan silenced the noisy phone and carefully slid her hand out from under Zhou Yanqian's neck. Her forearm seemed to ache with a numb soreness, but she hardly noticed. She propped herself up and stared for a long while at the woman's serene sleeping face before reaching out to tuck back her long hair.
It was the first time in her life she had ever done such a thing to someone. She didn't know how to control the pressure; nothing she did felt right. It wasn't like a gentle, tender caress, but more like a clumsy fumbling while the other person was asleep, determined to disturb their sweet dreams.
Fortunately, Zhou Yanqian only murmured unconsciously, turning her head to nuzzle the back of Lian Wan's hand with the tip of her nose. The woman's features were filled with the lazy satisfaction of deep sleep. Her flesh and bone seemed to have been softened by slumber; her normally firm body was now unbelievably pliant. Lian Wan's fingertips fell from her hair to her face, sinking in slightly, and immediately gave rise to a host of idle thoughts.
Something seemed to have quietly changed. Ever since that dream I woke from last night, Lian Wan thought. Before then, she never would have imagined a moment like this, gazing at Zhou Yanqian in bed, separated only by sleep. Only now did she realize that from avoiding Zhou Yanqian at all costs to letting her do as she pleased, what she had been secretly hoping for all along was nothing more than a moment just like this.
So, had Zhou Yanqian shared a scene like this with someone else before her?
The thought ground on Lian Wan's nerves, robbing her of peaceful sleep even in her dreams.
She tried to console herself. The world Zhou Yanqian came from was so different from Pingchuan Town, yet she had still come back. Instead of getting hung up on her past from the very beginning, it was better to seize her present. But even so, Lian Wan felt miserable, and her own attempts at consolation only made her feel worse. In the end, she couldn't blame anyone and could only direct her anger at her own dullness and rigidity.
No, I can't, I won't allow it, she thought. These thoughts had flashed through her mind countless times last night, making her current mood so tyrannical. Her fingertips still rested on the woman's cheek, like holding a delicate cream cake, so sweet one couldn't bear to let go.
Who could bear to let go?
Lian Wan paused for a long time before silently moving her lips and slowly getting out of bed.
Leaving the dim bedroom, she found the living room already bright with daylight. It was still early, and the neighborhood was quiet, with none of the usual scattered sounds. Lian Wan quietly gathered the clothes she had changed out of yesterday and went home first.
Summer days started early. The moment she stepped outside, a wave of summer heat hit her. Lian Wan sweated a lot on her way. She was distracted and nearly kicked over a pot of devil's ivy someone had placed in the hallway.
The crisp sound of the lock turning only emphasized the unnerving silence of her apartment. She hadn't cooked in a few days, and a thin layer of dust had settled on the induction cooker. The scallions and cilantro in the foam box on the balcony were wilted and listless. Lian Wan put down the things in her hands and sprayed the box with water.
The wind had picked up during the night, and the floor was covered with withered twigs and leaves that had blown in. Thanks to the recent watering, a rare hint of moisture hung in the air. Lian Wan's mood lifted slightly. She roused herself to clean the apartment inside and out, then grabbed her clothes to wash up.
Her phone rang again as she came out. Her hair was still dripping wet. While drying it, she listened to the voice on the other end, which sounded as if it were coming through a mist. On the other side of that mist, Wang Zhiqiang's usual booming voice was gone. He just asked where she was and told her to come to the Vehicle Team in half an hour.
"Got it," Lian Wan said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Brother Wang."
Wang Zhiqiang didn't seem busy and even made some casual small talk with her. He only hung up first when someone on his end started talking to him.
Although Wang Zhiqiang said there was no rush, Lian Wan still hurried out the door. She wouldn't slack off at the Vehicle Team because of what had happened before. Everything was about making money—a principle Lian Wan had understood from a young age. She could also understand Wang Zhiqiang's little schemes concerning her. A person had to look out for themselves.
She also had to make money and look out for herself.
Today, all the trucks were in the lot. The small room that served as the Vehicle Team's office was thick with smoke. The drivers who weren't out on a job were crowded together, smoking. A little girl was mixed in among them, pinching her nose. She seemed to be one of the drivers' daughters and didn't stay long before running out.
The little girl was short, and Lian Wan wasn't looking down as she walked. She nearly kicked her with a swing of her leg but pulled back quickly, though she still grazed the girl's soft belly with considerable force. She quickly stopped and looked down to see if the girl was crying.
Sure enough, she saw a pair of eyes holding back tears.
"Are you okay?" Lian Wan asked tentatively in a low voice. She felt her pockets but found no candy or cookies. All she could do was crouch down and stare, somewhat at a loss, at the little girl's reddened eyes.
The little girl acted as if she hadn't heard. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Lian Wan had to ask again, "Where are your parents?"
This time, the child moved, turning to point at the small room behind her.
Lian Wan breathed a sigh of relief. "Who's your dad?"
The little girl couldn't say her father's full name. Lian Wan decided to take her by the hand and walk toward the room. Only when she reached the doorway and was choked by the smoke did she realize the environment inside was unsuitable for a child.
"Never mind," she said, her tone not particularly gentle. "You wait here. I'll take you to buy candy when I come out."
Seeing the little girl chewing on her fingers and looking up at her expectantly, she couldn't help but pull the girl's fingers from her mouth. "Be good. Wipe your hands. I'll be out soon."
Lian Wan didn't make much noise as she entered, but all the drivers in the room still turned to look at her. They were either sitting or standing, and there were no empty spots. Lian Wan didn't mind. She found a wall to stand against and listened to what Wang Zhiqiang had to say, having called them all over so early in the morning.
"Sorry for holding everyone up from work today. There are mainly two things I want to talk about." Seeing that everyone had arrived, Wang Zhiqiang stubbed out his cigarette and said with a cough.
"The first thing is that the furniture factory in the county is planning to partner with our Vehicle Team. They just won a public contract. The desks, chairs, beds, and office tables for the schools in the county and the town all need to be replaced, and all the transportation work in between will be ours."
As Wang Zhiqiang spoke, his face lit up, and he winked, his pride unconcealed. "We can get paid from both ends for this job. One payment from the government, and another from the factory. So, brothers, don't take any private jobs for a while. Keep your trucks free and just wait for my notice."
The noise in the room gradually grew louder as the drivers whispered among themselves, their discussions creating a buzzing sound.
Unlike in the town, there were many vehicle teams in the county, and they had to compete for business. In the past, Lian Wan's team could only pick up the leftover platform jobs that others didn't want, and even their starting rates were several yuan lower than others.
Now things were looking up. After finishing this batch of jobs, they wouldn't have to worry about money for visiting relatives at the end of the year.
Thinking of this, Lian Wan found Wang Zhiqiang much more agreeable.
But he had only mentioned one thing. There was still a second.
Someone else had the same thought and asked, "Brother Wang, what's the second thing?"
"The second thing," Wang Zhiqiang drew out his words, lighting another cigarette and letting it burn slowly between his fingers, "is something I've been considering recently. Here's the situation in our team right now: some people have trucks, and some don't. This makes scheduling inefficient. I was thinking, why don't you all entrust your trucks to me? I'll arrange the dispatches. That way, it'll be standardized. What do you all think?"
In contrast to the earlier excitement, the moment Wang Zhiqiang finished speaking, the drivers all fell silent.
"That doesn't seem very fair," the driver next to Lian Wan said after taking a sharp drag from his cigarette. "This way, those who bought their own trucks will earn the same as those who don't. What's the deal with that?"
"Exactly. Am I supposed to drive a 4.6-meter truck when I own a 9.2-meter one?"
The drivers who owned trucks protested loudly, while those who didn't just smoked in silence. Seeing the standoff, Wang Zhiqiang awkwardly put down his cigarette and rubbed his fingers together. "I'm just doing this for the furniture factory contract. I understand what you're all saying, brothers, but to put it bluntly, I'm the one who brought in this contract. My original intention was to help everyone make money…"
Having said that much, the drivers fell silent. Wang Zhiqiang cleared his throat a few times. "Alright, alright… Let's discuss this again later. That's all for today. Everyone, get to work."
With the scraping of chairs, a large group of people poured out of the room. Lian Wan followed them out and immediately saw the little girl from before, still standing obediently in the corner, looking up and saying something to her father.
Lian Wan stood where she was and waited for her.
Children are forgetful. The girl no longer remembered the pain from when Lian Wan had bumped into her. She ran over clingily and took Lian Wan's hand. "Daddy! It's this big sister."
"Oh, it's Xiao Lian."
Lian Wan nodded at him.
"Xiao Lian, I'll have to trouble you to look after this little girl, then. If she misbehaves, just give me a call."
Lian Wan held the small, soft hand and, for once, a slight smile touched her lips. "It's no trouble. You go on, brother."
"Alright."
Watching her dad walk away, the little girl stared intently at Lian Wan, her dark eyes gleaming—the very picture of a greedy child. Lian Wan smiled, led her to the truck lot, and lifted her into the passenger seat.
She wasn't in a hurry to go to the factory to load up. She drove around the area and found a breakfast stall that sold noodle soup.
It was crowded. Lian Wan turned on the small fan and told the little girl to wait in the truck.
She got out and ordered three bowls of noodle soup. While waiting for the noodles to cook, she received a WeChat message from Zhou Yanqian. It was a voice message.
Lian Wan didn't have her earbuds and couldn't bear to convert the voice message to text. After some hesitation, she clumsily pressed the phone's earpiece to her ear.
Through the static, the woman's voice was impossibly husky. "Why did you wake up so early?"
Lian Wan opened her mouth to speak, then saw the little girl in the truck winking and making faces at her.
The daylight was glaringly bright, making one's mind feel unnaturally clear.
—Mm.
Lian Wan lowered her head to type. Her cool features softened unconsciously, as if mixed with the steam from the noodle pot, taking on a new warmth and shape out of thin air.
—I'll bring you breakfast. Is noodle soup okay?
The reply came quickly.
"Okay…" Zhou Yanqian replied. She sounded like she was stretching, her lazy, nasal tone wavering in a way that sent Lian Wan's mind racing. "Then I'll see you at the store later."
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