A week later, the middle-aged man's detention period came to an end. As they parted ways, he patted Ye Fei on the shoulder and said with concern, "Young man, if you're feeling unwell, go to the hospital and get yourself checked out. It's important to treat any illness early! By the way, how did a wine bottle hitting your head end up messing with your mind?"
Ye Fei could only force a bitter smile and shake his head, unable to defend himself or explain.
In fact, it was somewhat understandable that he was mistaken for being mentally ill. That day, he caught a glimpse of the guard's underwear and, driven by curiosity, turned to look at the others in the detention room. In that uncomfortable sensation, he found himself able to vaguely see through the outer layer of their clothes. And when he covered his uncomfortable left eye, he could even see the lump in their underwear clearly!
To confirm whether he truly had X-ray vision, Ye Fei waited until nighttime when everyone was asleep and quietly approached their beds, lifting the covers to peek at their underwear. This act naturally caused quite a stir. Being mistaken for mentally ill was already a relief; otherwise, he would be considered deranged and might even receive a beating from the burly inmates. After all, he had been arrested for fighting.
Thankfully, all of this was finally over!
Ye Fei was finally convinced that he had X-ray vision, but he felt somewhat disheartened. The time he could see through things was too short, just over ten minutes. When that chill disappeared, he returned to normal. To make matters worse, the chill was unstable, sometimes entering his left eye and sometimes his right. When the chill came, dizziness followed.
Helpless due to the lack of coordination between his left and right eyes, his entire world became unsteady! Should he buy a lottery ticket? Search for treasures? Take on the challenge of stone gambling? Admire beautiful women?
It was as if he had suddenly acquired a windfall of five million, and Ye Fei found himself lost in this chaotic state, not knowing what to do. Time passed quietly, like an invisible nouveau riche.
Finally, as his detention period expired, Ye Fei walked out of the detention center with a renewed spirit. He took brisk steps, took a deep breath of fresh air, and looked up at the boundless blue sky. The inner emotion nearly brought tears to his eyes.
How could those who had never lost their freedom understand how difficult and helpless it was to be imprisoned!
Ye Fei vowed: "I will never set foot in there again, not for the rest of my life!"
Despite the hardships of daily life, at least he could do what he wanted to do! Eat when he wanted, sleep when he wanted! Never did he imagine that even going to the bathroom required permission and reporting. This was simply not living like a human being!
A flash of anger flickered in Ye Fei's eyes as his thoughts drifted to those who had sent him to the detention center. He swore that once he found them, they would taste a punishment a hundred times more cruel than this. Detention center? No, he would make these people experience true prison life.
After several transfers, Ye Fei finally returned to his neighborhood. Without even going home first, he headed straight to a bathhouse and had a thorough shower. Coming out of the bath, he used the remaining two hundred yuan to buy himself a new set of clothes. His original clothes were stained with blood and were truly unfit to wear.
What made him even angrier was that he had been detained for fifteen days, and not a single person had come to visit him. Those colleagues whom he had shared drinks with had all vanished without a trace.
As he entered the courtyard, the landlady came over, surprised, and asked, "Ye Fei, where have you been? You haven't been home for half a month! Rent is due at the end of the month! Don't blame me for being heartless; if you can't pay the rent, you'll have to move out. I rely on this rent to make a living."
Ye Fei replied, "I understand, don't worry, I won't owe you any rent."
The landlady asked with concern, "What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight? We're all law-abiding people. If you get into fights, I can't rent the house to you."
Ye Fei explained, "I didn't get into a fight. I accidentally fell while delivering goods, scratched my face, but it's already healed."
Shaking her head, the landlady walked away helplessly. Ye Fei returned to his small room, thinking, "This old lady has nothing better to do than pry into others' business. I wonder why she's so curious all the time!"
Speaking of this scar, Ye Fei also found it strange. It wasn't until more than a week of staying there that he noticed the scar on his face. What was even more miraculous was that the beer bottle clearly hit his head, and yet, a scar appeared on his face.
However, this scar healed very quickly, and by the time Ye Fei noticed, it had already become a faint mark. If one didn't look closely, it was almost imperceptible.
The previously clear complexion of his face suddenly bore a scar, leaving Ye Fei feeling quite heavy-hearted. Fortunately, this scar gradually faded, and he believed it would soon disappear completely.
Unbeknownst to Ye Fei, this scar gave his originally ordinary face a unique charm. This charm did not disappear with the fading of the scar, transforming him from the unknown boy he once was.
This unexpected change somehow became a kind of blessing.
In the yet-to-be-demolished shantytown in the Hedong District of Tianjin, the place where Ye Fei rented was left by an old landlady. The small courtyard, though not spacious, had many additional rooms, housing seven families. It resembled the traditional quadrangle dwellings of old Beijing, but lacked the family dramas often seen on TV. Everyone kept to themselves, leading busy and undisturbed lives.
Ye Fei occupied the smallest room, measuring just over ten square meters. The room only contained a bed and a few belongings, lacking a kitchen and appearing quite simple. The landlady worried that if Ye Fei suddenly disappeared, the items in the room would not cover the rent, even though the monthly rent was only three hundred yuan.
Lying on his wooden bed, listening to the familiar creaking sounds, Ye Fei heaved a sigh. He deeply understood that his own humble abode was better than a gilded cage. As for work, Ye Fei was mentally prepared. Absent for half a month, how could that stingy boss wait for him? Most likely, the day after his arrest, the boss would have found a new employee. This society lacked nothing, especially not ordinary workers.
Ye Fei sighed helplessly. Yet, he still decided to go to the company the next day, not for those colleagues who had betrayed him, but to retrieve his deposit. After all, for this courier job, he had paid a deposit of one thousand yuan.
Bored, lying there for a while, Ye Fei felt a chill surge into his left eye once again. After several days of experimentation, he had discovered that this sensation alternated between his left and right eyes. For example, when the sensation occurred in the left eye at a certain time, it granted X-ray vision, while at another time, the right eye had the ability. Now, Ye Fei could simply control the occurrence of this sensation.
However, the duration of the X-ray vision remained unchanged, still at the original ten-plus minutes, precisely fifteen minutes. The operating mechanism of this ability was baffling. Even if Ye Fei exerted himself beyond fifteen minutes, the effect would still not manifest.
Today, before he could use the ability, Ye Fei worried whether it would cease to function once he was out of the detention room. He restrained himself all the way, not daring to use the ability to peek at those stylishly dressed ladies, fearing a setback.
When the chill surged into his heart once more, Ye Fei immediately covered his right eye. With no one around this time, he intended to test it properly. Indeed, the wall vanished, and Ye Fei could clearly see the television in the neighboring room.
Excitedly exclaiming "Oh yeah," Ye Fei confirmed that his ability had not disappeared. Thinking of this, he could no longer contain his emotions and burst into laughter.
It took a long while for Ye Fei's excitement to gradually subside. Once again unable to suppress himself, he looked at the neighboring room to confirm it wasn't an illusion. Excitedly closing his left eye, then opening it, closing, and opening again, he tried like a child with a new toy, enjoying it endlessly.
Unintentionally, Ye Fei saw the ground and suddenly noticed a golden light, which hurt his eyes. He hurriedly closed them, composed himself for a moment, and looked back down. What was that bright, golden thing just now?
Driven by curiosity, Ye Fei peered forcefully at the ground. Soon, he found the source of the glowing light—a wooden box buried about a meter deep. As he focused, the golden light appeared again. This time, instead of closing his eyes, Ye Fei was excitedly panting.
Gold bars! It was actually gold bars! The small box was densely packed with them!
Ye Fei couldn't sit still anymore, collapsing onto the bed. His eyes were filled with the glimmer of gold, and he murmured to himself, "I'm rich, I'm rich!"
He began estimating the value of the gold bars, but found his thoughts entangled like a mess. He wanted to take out the gold, yet hesitated greatly. Ye Fei told himself to stay calm, but the temptation of all that glimmering gold surrounded him. He couldn't help but curse this unexpected fortune; if he hadn't discovered this box of gold, he could have had a peaceful night's sleep.
Now, Ye Fei had to face reality. He decided to go to the company; staying here would only make him more restless.
The so-called company was actually a small-scale distribution center. With the booming popularity of online shopping, logistics companies were springing up like mushrooms after the rain. The company where Ye Fei worked was called Wantong Logistics. His daily job involved sending and receiving goods, riding a motorcycle through the city. His monthly salary was only fifteen hundred yuan, and he had even paid a one-thousand-yuan deposit for this job.
Thinking about those college graduates who could sit in offices and earn thousands of yuan each month, Ye Fei felt increasingly unbalanced. They could do it, and so could he. Why were their salaries so high? Meanwhile, those of us who toil away can barely make ends meet.