Not long after being sent back to the cell, a prisoner handing out chores passed the lunch through the iron bars. The food was really poor; two steamed buns, a bowl of plain porridge, and a plate of salty cabbage.
Zhang Ziwen looked at the meal in front of him and cursed in his heart, damn! No wonder the prisoners in jail look pale; with this kind of food, how could they look healthy?
He hastily made do with the meal and felt somewhat refreshed after eating the two buns. However, he couldn't fall asleep despite lying on the small iron bed. The cell was unbearably dull, time seeming to pass slowly. The feeling of losing freedom was truly difficult.
Zhang Ziwen thought to himself, just half a day was enough to make him uncomfortable, he was sure he'd go mad if he stayed much longer.
He laid down in the cell, got up, walked in circles, and laid back down. Repeating this cycle time and time again, until he finally started feeling sleepy.
Just as he was starting to doze off in his iron bed, the harsh sound of the cell door being pulled open rang out.
"Zhang Ziwen."
Zhang Ziwen opened his eyes and saw the person calling his name. It was one of the cops who had brought him back to this place.
"What is it?" Zhang Ziwen mumbled, wondering if he was going to be interrogated again.
"You can go now."
"Go? Go where?" Zhang Ziwen perked up, all sleepiness vanished.
"Where else can you go? You can go home, you are free now, your case has been cleared, you can go home now."
"Wow...Oh!" Zhang Ziwen yelped in excitement, jumping up. The case is clear? He's free now?
If it weren't for his poor impression of the police, Zhang Ziwen really wanted to give the cop in front of him an enthusiastic hug.
It was already dusk, the street lights were all lit up, the neon lights from the shops and the tops of the buildings were flickering with vibrant, captivating colors. Zhang Ziwen, with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette in his mouth, aimlessly strolled down the street. He didn't want to go back to his place right after leaving the detention center, so he kept walking.
City buses drove by him from time to time, whereas he didn't even know the number of stops he had walked. He didn't consider getting on a bus when he came across a bus stop. It was peak traffic hour, buses from all directions filled with homeward-bound passengers were frequently stuck on the road. It seemed like the diverse group of passersby inside the bus had got used to the traffic congestion without showing any impatience. Most of them were expressionless, staring out the windows with vacant eyes.
Zhang Ziwen believed that these passengers looking through the windows were not admiring the street scenes at all, but probably thinking about other things. This realization sent a chill down his spine. If he were on the bus, he would probably have the same blank look and vacant eyes.
Having been back in Zhonghai City for over a year, Zhang Ziwen felt a bit unaccustomed to the life here. He found this rather strange. Maybe it was because the three years he had spent away from the city were too tense and difficult. The bustling city life seemed to render him, who had grown up in this city, restless and unsure what to do.
Inadvertently, Zhang Ziwen had reached downtown. Not far ahead was the nationally renowned commercial street. Some massive billboards covered half of the buildings. Brightly lit at night, the images of beautiful women on the billboards were even more eye-catching.
The commercial street was brimming with people. They flooded in and out of the luxurious shops on both sides of the street. Those who entered empty-handed often came out with their hands full of shopping bags, indulging in luxurious shopping and consumption.
There sure are a lot of rich people nowadays. Zhang Ziwen mused a bit, the country is wealthy, most people are also wealthy, but why am I still poor?
Zhang Ziwen stepped into the bustling commercial street, going along with the flow of crowd. He was not there for shopping, he just wanted to feel the lively atmosphere. Among the crowd were young, fashionable girls. The relatively mild temperature of early summer prompted the beauty-loving girls with good figures to show off their attractive bodies. Their dresses were either spaghetti straps or small vests, revealing their shoulders and backs. They were dressed rather coolly. Different brands of perfume smells came in waves as he passed them by, making his youthful heart flutter.
Once out of the commercial street, the outside street came back to view. People on the sidewalk were rushing about, while the road was full of rolling traffic. Zhang Ziwen glanced at his watch. It was after nine o'clock. Where were all these people and cars heading to? What were they all busy with? Perhaps people as idle as him were very few. He was relaxed, yet very bored.
Today was Zhang Ziwen's birthday. Nobody celebrated for him. Last year, his buddies at least had gathered to throw a small party for him. Zhang Ziwen took out his phone wanting to call a few buddies out for a drink. Not so much for them to celebrate his birthday, but more to look for some companionship, someone to chat to. He was especially lonely today for some reason.
But on flipping open his phone, damn! It was out of power. Zhang Ziwen forced a bitter smile and his mood to call his buddies out for a drink vanished instantly.
MKS was a nightclub. Zhang Ziwen went inside, a place he had been to a few times with friends. He was not into clubbing, neither did he particularly like or dislike it. But the atmosphere inside was perfect for his mood tonight. It was crowded, the music was deafening, and the air was murky.
The circumferential long bar counter was already crowded with people. Zhang Ziwen found an empty spot and ordered half a dozen beers. Seeing that the barmaid was quite attractive, he wanted to flirt a bit, but the barmaid did not give him the slightest chance. After opening a bottle for Zhang Ziwen, she turned around to serve other customers, leaving him with just the sight of her fragrant shoulders and retreating figure.
Feeling aggrieved, Zhang Ziwen poured himself a drink and downed it in one gulp. He was quite thirsty after all the walking, and in a little while, he had chugged down three bottles of beer.
The relatively small dance floor of the disco was packed. The DJ on the elevated stage would occasionally yell into the microphone with a hoarse voice, igniting even more frenzy among the men and women below. Following the explosive rhythm of the music, they would bob their heads even more wildly and thrust their hips even more enthusiastically.
Zhang Ziwen was trying hard to understand what exactly the DJ was yelling that could incite such madness among the clubbers.
Then the DJ let out another weird scream into the microphone, a mumbled hoarse cry, "OH YE..... COM BaBy.....* YOU .....* YOU.....* YOU....."
The laser lights blazed, the music became even more intense, and the men and women on the dance floor went crazy, raising their hands in response to the DJ's cries. They shook their heads wildly, the long hair of some of the women flying as they did so. Looking at their raised hands, most of them were extending their middle fingers rhythmically, and that included the women too. Damn, how times have changed!
"Hey handsome...." Zhang Ziwen felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see a heavily made-up woman blowing smoke in his face. The smoke almost made him choke. Zhang Ziwen furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what this woman wanted.
"Handsome, are you alone?"
"Hm....."
"Want to buy me a drink?" The woman flirtatiously cast a coquettish look at him, Zhang Ziwen was certain that her face powder was falling off.
"Sure...." Zhang Ziwen managed to smile, fighting off the disgust, and handed over a bottle of beer. Feeling lonely, he was kind of desperate for company. Besides, hearing her call him handsome made him feel good, even though he knew he was already quite good-looking.
"Oh my, handsome, I don't drink this kind." The woman pushed away the beer Zhang Ziwen was offering.
"...Weren't you the one who asked for a drink? Why are you asking for a drink if you don't drink?" Zhang Ziwen was a little confused.
"Hee… it's not that I don't drink, I just don't drink beer."
"So what kind of drink do you want?"
"Well… that one, I only drink foreign spirits."
Following her pointed direction, Zhang Ziwen saw two X's followed by an O. Just looking at the bottle, he could guess it was quite expensive. Damn it, was she treating him like a sugar daddy?
"Please, handsome...can you please buy me this one?" The woman implored in a coquettish tone, shaking Zhang Ziwen's shoulder. Her panda-like dark circles were getting closer and closer to Zhang Ziwen.
"Sure, if you want to drink, go ahead."
"Miss… get me a bottle of wine…" The woman called out to the barmaid and continued throwing flirtatious glances at Zhang Ziwen, "Handsome, you are too kind." She then made a move to plant her blood-red lipstick on Zhang Ziwen's face.
"Stop..." Zhang Ziwen blocked her with his elbow, smiling and said, "Kind for what? It's not like I'm paying."
"What?" The woman's expression changed so quickly, her black-rimmed eyes turned white, she was so surprised that even her eyeballs were not visible. "You're messing with me, you little shit…"
After a final flip of her middle finger, she tossed her head, snorted, and walked away, most likely in search of another potential sugar daddy.
Zhang Ziwen shook his head with a bitter smile, thinking how he could meet such a vulgar woman here. Damn it, it would be great if a beautiful woman flirted with me. Maybe I would spend my money willingly then.
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One would expect some romantic moments in such a place, right? Those who enjoy clubbing must have a deep understanding of that, especially when it comes to buying drinks for pretty ladies. If you're after something, you have to pay a price. Hehe.