Neil is the only child in his family, so why did he tell Zoe that he has a criminal younger brother who’s being held in a juvenile detention center? What’s going on here? Why would Neil lie to him?
Zoe sat with his head bowed at the bar, the place now deserted after Roger had left. Amid the chaotic and unexplainable thoughts swirling in his mind, Zoe suddenly heard a familiar voice that he never wanted to hear again.
Jill was floating around Zoe, happily blowing cold air into his ears and whispering, “Do you remember me, Zoe?... It’s so sad. I’m sure you’ve forgotten all about this lonely ghost, but I remember you so much. I was searching for you, suffering to the point of wanting to die.”
“I thought you were bored with me and wanted to find new friends,” Zoe replied coldly.
Jill stopped and settled in front of Zoe, “Bored? When did I ever say I was bored with you? That day, I was pushed off the road by that guy, and I couldn’t catch up with you, so I got lost.”
Zoe looked up, puzzled, “You’re a ghost. How could he push you off the vehicle?”
“I’m telling the truth,” Jill said, slightly flustered, “He had some kind of invisible power. Just as I was about to touch him, I was thrown out of the car.”
“What do you mean? Why did you want to touch him?” Zoe asked, raising an eyebrow.
The ghost, feeling as though its scheme was exposed, forced a smile and said evasively, “Not exactly touching. You know I’m a ghost, so how could I touch a human? I was just probing.”
What could you possibly probe? You’re just lying.
Zoe averted his gaze from Jill, understanding that the invisible power Jill mentioned was probably the necklace Neil wore around his neck.
Seeing that Zoe wasn’t responding or looking at him, Jill quickly added, “Believe me, I’m not lying to you. He’s a very mysterious person. Isn’t he lying to you? He doesn’t have a younger brother. My initial guess was right. You shouldn’t get close to him.”
Zoe found Jill’s words amusing. Get close? Not only am I close, but I’m also living with him. However, I feel that the dangerous one is you, not Neil. I’m sure Neil means no harm, but why is he lying?
Frustrated, Zoe finished cleaning up and said to Jill, “Alright, I’m going home. If you want, you can stay here; otherwise, go wherever you like.”
Zoe was about to leave, but Jill quickly floated in front of him, its voice sorrowful like a child who has found its family only to be abandoned again. Jill looked at Zoe with concern.
“Zoe, don’t you want to let me come home with you? Are you really going to leave me here?”
Zoe looked at Jill helplessly. “You can’t come to where I live because there are many protective charms there. I’m just worried about you. I work at this bar, so if you want to see me, you can come here. Otherwise, you can stay here if you want… Just don’t mess up or damage anything in the bar.”
“So you’re living with him, right? I heard everything you said to the bar owner, so you don’t want me to bother you two, right?”
Zoe’s face darkened, making Jill a bit frightened as it backed away. Zoe’s voice grew colder. “Don’t think too much of it. It’s just that there are really many charms in that house. I’m worried about you. If you don’t believe me, just follow me.”
After saying this, Zoe turned and headed to the door, closing it behind him. Jill, of course, didn’t believe what Zoe said and was determined to follow him. When Zoe reached the door, he saw the same car he had been given a ride in before. The person inside was none other than the unpleasant man with the invisible power who had thrown Jill off the highway. Jill quickly floated behind the seat, carefully avoiding any contact with him and sitting as far away as possible.
At this moment, Zoe had already sat in the passenger seat and smiled at Neil, who helped him fasten his seatbelt. Zoe felt uncomfortable with Neil’s attentive behavior and turned his head away, deliberately avoiding Neil’s gaze.
The car started moving, and Zoe touched his nose and spoke to break the awkward silence that had been palpable since meeting Neil, though his voice was hesitant. “I can take the bus home by myself. You don’t need to pick me up.”
“It was on the way, so I thought I’d pick you up,” Neil said with a smile. “Are you hungry? Shall we get some late-night food?”
Zoe smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
They were going to eat together. Jill, feeling irritated, squinted its dark eyes at Zoe, then glared at Neil. It was so angry that its ears emitted two streams of cold smoke.
The moon tonight was dim, and there weren’t many stars. But who cares? The vast city, before nightfall, had thousands of lights competing to shine. No matter how full the moon or how bright the stars, they would be drowned in the dazzling white light of street lamps in this busy and opulent city.
The car drove for a while and then stopped in front of a luxurious restaurant. Zoe looked up at the tall building in front of him, surprised that Neil brought him to such a place. Just for dinner, there was no need for such extravagance; dining at this restaurant would cost a lot.
“Tonight we’re having Western food,” Neil said with a smile, opening the door and taking Zoe’s hand as they got out of the car. Upon entering, they saw many people in formal attire. Zoe felt a bit embarrassed in his simple T-shirt and jeans, especially since even the servers were more dressed up and polite than he was. But Neil didn’t seem to notice Zoe’s discomfort; he simply held Zoe’s hand and followed the host to a secluded table on the upper floor with very few people.