A light illuminated the smashed window, followed by the sound of angry yelling echoing in the quiet alley.
Zheng Qing held his breath, ready to flee, but his foot suddenly sank. A miserable whine came from nearby. He looked over to see the puppy biting onto his trouser leg, its long eyes wide and round, staring at him while wagging its tail in a pleasing way.
"You're my witness, I am not here," he nodded irresponsibly, ignored the little guy's angry gaze, and tried to run away. However, his trouser leg was immediately held back. Helplessly, Zheng Qing bent down and saw that the pup's hind leg was unnaturally twisted to one side - it seems to have gotten injured during the earlier scuffle.
Feeling pity at the sight of the puppy stubbornly grabbing his trouser leg and hearing its low whine, Zheng Qing, in a state of turmoil, quickly picked up the puppy by the scruff of its neck and threw it into his bicycle basket before fleeing under the barrage of cursing coming from the window.
The hundred-meter distance was covered in no time and as he reached the brightly lit street, Zheng Qing took a deep breath. He looked back, the night sky was still silent and serene, and only a massive silhouette could be seen disappearing into the distance.
The puppy in the basket, lying wearily, lifted its head to look at Zheng Qing, its eyes glossy and charming like an infinite starry sky. Zheng Qing thought it might be a better idea to take this little guy home, considering it might not even be able to survive until tomorrow morning if left injured on the street.
In his rush to get home, he didn't notice the sly grin on the puppy's face. Otherwise, he definitely would have taken out a talisman paper and viciously thrown it at the little creature.
***
The boundless red, the heavy ink-like red, the overwhelming red, was the only hue present in the whole space. It felt as if everything was stained with fresh blood, filling the world with an aura of murder and despair. Zheng Qing stood alone in the endless red, motionless and dazed, silently watching the monotonous world.
Slowly, a faint murmur echoed in the monotonous world. The sound was getting louder and reverberated more powerfully until it wildy echoed in the space, like dozens of thousands wolves lonely howling at the moon, or millions of armored soldiers shouting in the wilderness, conflicting yet heavy at the same time.
But Zheng Qing, standing alone in the vast space, didn't feel anything. He just stood there, arms spread, eyes closed. More and more red piled up, forming heavier and heavier blood-red clouds above his head, becoming heavier and heavier until they engulfed Zheng Qing completely.
"Thump," with a scream, Zheng Qing crawled out from under the bed. This was not the first time he had rolled off the bed during his sleep, feeling some helplessness but without any solution apart from possibly tying himself to the bed.
Compared to his experiences of a migraine and somnambulism during childhood, falling off the bed while sleeping didn't seem to be a big issue.
He rubbed his aching forehead while completely forgetting about the blood-red color in his dream. All he remembered was being chased by a giant creature, waking up to escape it. His clear memory still lingered on that large eagle with a pair of emerald eyes.
Speaking of that eagle, he lifted his head and nervously searched around. Soon, he found the puppy from his dream sleeping soundly in the pile of clothes next to his bed.
Last night was a blur, he had given the puppy a casual bath then fallen asleep, never expecting the puppy to find a comfortable spot all by itself. Stroking the puppy's upright ears, Zheng Qing found the little creature absolutely adorable.
Glancing at the alarm clock by his pillow, it was not yet six o'clock.
Zheng Qing stepped barefoot onto the balcony, looking up at the sky.
Good, Venus was still shining brightly.
He casually took out a handful of golden grains and sprinkled them on the window sill. Zheng Qing glanced at the corner of the wall, a smirk appearing on his face. He then closed his eyes, focused his breath, slowly extending his fists and legs in time with his breathing.
The movements had a Tai Chi essence to them yet they were entirely different. Zheng Qing had been practicing this Guidance Technique for nearly seven years, persisting every day as per his master's instructions.
The paper ball in the corner began to rustle softly.
Shortly afterward, a small, chubby critter with ochre spotted fur scaled the smooth wall up to the window ledge. When Zheng Qing finished several rounds of boxing and was focusing his energy, he saw the little creature continually stuffing something into its mouth.
"Eat slowly, nobody's competing with you." Zheng Qing adjusted his breathing, watching the little mouse with amusement.
The little one paid no mind, just relentlessly stuffing these golden grains into its mouth until its cheek pouches swelled up, then it paused to stroke its whiskers.
No one knew what species this mouse was. It appeared to be a guinea pig, with its short and thick body, round ears, black eyes, short limbs, and no tail, yet it was just the size of a fist. Yet it also resembled a hamster, petite with cheek pouches and sharp incisors. Its size hasn't changed since Zheng Qing discovered it as a kid, quite a marvel indeed.
Despite being of unknown species, this little one was never without a name. As a child when Biker Mice from Mars was popular, Zheng Qing had named it 'Shuta' and often playfully put it into model planes to battle monsters. Later following the release of the movie Ratatouille, it was temporarily renamed 'Dabao'.
After finishing boxing today, in his invigorated state, Zheng Qing considered christening the little creature with another new name.
"Hmm, considering that I am completely free now, I might as well call you 'Freedom.' But the name 'Freedom' is a bit cliche. In English, that's 'Free,' which also denotes 'Fei Rui' ('Luck' and 'Prosperity' in Chinese), a good omen. Looking at your chubby body, this 'Fei' could also mean 'Fat.'"
"Alright, from today on, your name will be Fei Rui!" Zheng Qing concluded after deep contemplation. As the little creature popped the last golden grain into its mouth, it glanced at the incomprehensible man, wiped its face, leisurely strolled to the window, and slid down the warm heating pipe into the little den it had created.
Zheng Qing curled his lips, vigorously rubbing his face, returned lazily to his room, and fell listlessly onto his bed, unsure of what to do next.
Freedom. He always thought this was the life he wanted. But after indulging in relaxation, an unstoppable sense of emptiness emerged from the depths of his heart.
He remembered reading a book about philosophy when he was young and it referenced a philosophical school that questions the meaning of life or existence. They believed that life has no meaning. Living monotonously day after day for decades, from birth to death - what's it all for?
Canon's soothing tune suddenly echoed. Zheng Qing casually picked up his phone and hummed, "Hello?"
It was another call to go out and party. A bitter smile emerged on his face—every day was virtually the same: Eat, sleep, and occasionally play video games. Before, these comfortable days seemed so enjoyable, so wonderful, but now… Sigh. Zheng Qing found himself eagerly awaiting his college entrance exam results, whether good or bad. He could decide to work if they were bad or enjoy the long-coveted college life if they were good.
The little dog sleeping soundly rolled over, its fluffy tail wagging naturally. Zheng Qing blinked, but quickly turned away, pushing his previous thoughts to the back of his mind. He must be seeing things -he just saw three tails! Even though this puppy has a weird tail that looks like a squirrel's, there's no way it would have three tails.
It must be an illusion.
He trusted his eyes and his feelings. He personally brought this little creature home; it couldn't possibly be filthy.
His family didn't mind having pets, as long as they didn't smell and didn't create waste. After Zheng Qing actively resolved these issues, the chubby little puppy moved in.
Days rolled by, and in the clarity and decadence, Zheng Qing's life hovered. The only annoyance was the puppy he had rescued.
After recovering from its injuries, the heavily pregnant little dog gave birth to a puppy that resembled a tiny squirrel. Once the small squirrel grew to fist size, no longer breastfed, the mother dog mysteriously disappeared.
She swung her tail and left without any worries, leaving behind a pile of fluffy fur and a poor little white dog.