“Is this the thing you wanted to show me?”
Jiang Yueming held the book up, cover facing outward.
Xia He sat right beside him, her knees almost touching his.
“Mm-hmm. Have you read it before?”
Jiang Yueming shook his head.
“Then read it quickly. It’s really interesting.”
She scooted her chair closer to him, her shoulder pressing against his arm and her chin nearly resting on his shoulder. Jiang Yueming was almost getting used to how naturally clingy and boundary-less she was.
“Human Chair?”
Jiang Yueming first noticed the red sofa chair standing alone in darkness on the cover, then read the title aloud.
From the cover style and the title, the book seemed to have some horror elements.
“What’s it about?”
“You’ll see once you read it.”
Xia He kept urging him on, as if she had written the book herself and couldn’t wait to share her work with others.
“Alright.”
Jiang Yueming agreed and opened the first page.
The story began with a man’s narration. He was a craftsman who made chairs. His craftsmanship was excellent, but no one appreciated it.
He was poor and desperate, unable to get any orders and barely able to eat, until one day a large hotel commissioned him to make a batch of chairs. Suddenly, an idea came to him—
“He hid himself inside a chair?” Jiang Yueming looked up.
Xia He’s eyes lit up. “You’re reading really fast.”
“He said he wanted to make a special chair that people would never be able to leave once they sat on it…” Jiang Yueming flipped back two pages, his brows furrowing. “He actually sewed himself into the chair?”
Xia He didn’t answer, simply watching him turn the pages.
“He liked that feeling,” Jiang Yueming read out loud, his voice low. “The people sitting in the chair didn’t know he was inside. They would talk, sigh, and sometimes cry. He listened to their voices, imagined what they looked like, and felt that this was the closest he had ever been to other people.”
He stopped reading and didn’t continue. His brows remained furrowed as he scanned those lines over and over.
“Have you read it already?” Xia He asked.
“No.”
“Then how did you know?”
“I guessed.” He flipped another page. “You can pretty much tell from here, but the writing style is quite interesting.”
Jiang Yueming lowered his head and turned another page.
In the story, the craftsman stayed hidden inside the chair for a long time, listening to all kinds of people—noblewomen, young ladies, young couples.
His favorite was listening to one particular woman. She came every day, sat in his chair, and stayed for entire afternoons.
Her voice was beautiful—the most beautiful voice he had ever heard in his life. He began imagining what she looked like, her face, her hands, the curve of her body sinking into the sofa chair.
He wanted to see her, but he couldn’t come out. If he did, he would never hear her voice again.
“He’s crazy,” Jiang Yueming said.
“Why?”
“He locked himself inside a chair just to listen to one person talk. If that’s not crazy, what is?”
Xia He stared straight at Jiang Yueming. The intensity of her gaze made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up even though he had just been reading a suspense novel.
Her pupils were pitch black. Those eyes remained fixed on him as she spoke softly.
“Do you think that craftsman is a pervert?”
Jiang Yueming’s finger paused on the page. He had only read the first half of the book and didn’t know if there would be a twist later, but based on what he’d seen so far—
The guy was undeniably a pervert.
“Isn’t he?”
“Is that what you think?”
Jiang Yueming was a bit confused by Xia He’s question. How could that kind of behavior not be considered perverted?
“Don’t you think that his willingness to hide inside a chair just to be close to the person he loves is actually quite—”
Jiang Yueming watched her lips move as she gave an answer he couldn’t understand.
“—romantic.”
Jiang Yueming froze.
“How is that romantic?”
“See,” Xia He pointed at him, “you’re just like the female lead. You don’t understand the craftsman at all.”
“I think that if you truly love someone, there’s nothing strange about doing anything for them—even if those actions seem unacceptable to outsiders.”
Jiang Yueming instinctively looked down at the book. His eyes landed on the lines describing how the craftsman secretly observed the woman’s life. A chill ran down his spine, as if someone had blown on the back of his neck.
He didn’t want to keep reading.
“Are we just going to read books here all day?”
Xia He blinked. “No. We’ll go eat lunch together in a bit, then we can go to the amusement park in the afternoon, and watch a movie later in the evening.”
She thought for a moment and pointed at the book again.
“You haven’t finished it yet.”
The day’s itinerary was fully packed. Jiang Yueming’s mouth opened slightly. He had originally thought they would just have lunch and then part ways.
Jiang Yueming let out a breath and picked the book up again.
“I’m going to buy drinks. What do you want?” Xia He stood up.
“Do they sell water inside the bookstore?”
Jiang Yueming turned to look at the front counter. It was buried under piles of books, and it didn’t look like they sold anything else.
“There’s a convenience store across the street. Wait for me.” Xia He took two steps, then turned back. “How about oolong tea?”
Jiang Yueming nodded. He quite liked oolong tea.
Once Xia He left, the bookstore became quiet. The second hand on the wall clock ticked clearly. With nothing else to do, Jiang Yueming picked up the book and continued reading.
The orange cats at the front desk had tired themselves out playing. They buried their faces in their tails and curled up together asleep under the counter.
Jiang Yueming propped his arm on the table and lowered his head to read. Gradually, he became immersed in the story. Time passed little by little.
“This book is really good.”
A voice sounded beside him.
Jiang Yueming looked up, but it wasn’t Xia He. It was an unfamiliar girl.
The girl stood next to him, holding an identical copy of Human Chair. What was astonishing was that her beauty was in no way inferior to Xia He’s.
She smiled sweetly and spoke naturally.
“You’re reading this book too?”
Jiang Yueming looked at her for a moment before realizing she was talking to him.
“Yeah.”
The girl casually sat down in the seat Xia He had been using earlier.
Since Xia He had moved her chair closer earlier, when the girl sat down, she was extremely close to Jiang Yueming—their knees were almost touching.
He could even smell the fresh, plant-like fragrance on her, like leaves after rain.
He subtly shifted away to the side.
“I’m reading this book too. I just finished half of it. Can we read it together?”
The girl smiled, revealing two cute little fangs.
“We can, but…” Jiang Yueming looked down at the two books in their hands. “How are we supposed to read it together?”
“Like this.”
The girl put her own book aside and leaned her entire face over, sharing Jiang Yueming’s book with him.
The sudden action startled Jiang Yueming. He could even feel her breath brushing against his face.
“Aren’t you sitting a bit too close?”
The girl had just said, “What a coincidence, we’re at the same part,” when she heard him and realized how close they were. Her face flushed slightly.
“Ah, sorry, sorry.” She quickly pulled back and clasped her hands together in front of her. “I got carried away and didn’t notice…”
“It’s fine.”
“By the way,” she lowered her hands and tilted her head to look at him, “it’s rare to meet someone who likes the same book. What’s your name?”
“Jiang Yueming.”
The girl giggled and extended her hand toward him.
“What a nice name. I’m Su Xiaoyue. Nice to meet you.”