Doctor Lin got out of the car, and Zhou Ze happened to walk over. The two of them had a tacit understanding. They did not say a word as they walked to the other end of the mall.
The mall was already 'dead'. Apart from Zhou Ze and Xu Qinglang's shop that was still open, there was only a theater and a buffet restaurant left.
Of course, due to the overall situation, the theater was actually operating at a loss. Not many people went there to watch a movie. It was easy to book the entire theater with a ticket.
However, since it was Chinese New Year, most people were on vacation. It was very common for families to watch a movie together. It added a touch of liveliness to the already quiet theater.
However, to Zhou Ze, the liveliness was like the last radiance of the setting sun.
The building was about to collapse. It was like there were no intact eggs when the nest was overturned.
Zhou Ze went to buy the tickets and a couple's package. He looked at the time and walked into the theater with Doctor Lin.
Since they were a little late, and Zhou Ze had bought the tickets for the latest show, the good seats were all sold out. Zhou Ze and Doctor Lin could only sit in the first row.
It was not that they could not wait, but there was nothing else to shop in the mall. Moreover, "Detective Neon Street 2" was a 2D movie. Sitting in the first row did not make much of a difference.
Doctor Lin did not speak much along the way. She was sitting quietly beside Zhou Ze. She crossed her legs and looked up at the screen.
Zhou Ze handed her the popcorn, but Doctor Lin waved her hand, indicating that she did not want it.
Zhou Ze let out a sigh. For someone like him who had been single in his previous life, chasing after a girl was truly an unfamiliar topic.
The movie was quite funny. Zhou Ze could laugh occasionally. Doctor Lin also laughed often, but her laughter did not make any sound. It was very subtle and beautiful.
However, for Zhou Ze, the atmosphere of the movie was slightly different from what he had expected.
It was a little plain, as if there was no salt in it.
After the movie, Zhou Ze and Doctor Lin walked out side by side. It was only seven at night. It was not too late, but when they walked out of the theater, the rest of the mall was already pitch-black.
Doctor Lin continued to follow them in silence.
Zhou Ze wanted to say something, but he did not know what to say.
He was the one who said he wanted to end things yesterday. If he was too enthusiastic today, would people think he was crazy?
"Go to my bookstore …"
"Let's go to your bookstore …"
Both of them seemed to be thinking of ways to break the awkwardness at this moment, and then they thought of the same thing.
When he returned to the bookstore, Zhou Ze realized that the noodle shop was already closed. The shutter door was also pulled down. He did not know if Xu Qinglang was still in the shop.
Doctor Lin picked up a magazine and sat down on the chair behind the counter. Zhou Ze also picked up a book and sat beside him, casually flipping through it.
Two cups of hot tea were placed on top of the stove, with smoke rising in spirals.
Zhou Ze suddenly felt like he was too ashamed to mock Xu Le, as he realized it was rare for him to treat his first date with such elegance and respect!
It was so rare that he wanted to give himself a slap as a reward!
"Why don't you close the door now?"
Doctor Lin asked. She was implying that she wanted to leave. After all, it was already night time. As long as Zhou Ze closed the door, she would be able to say goodbye.
"Oh, I'm usually open at night." Zhou Ze did not understand the hidden meaning behind his words. He was telling the truth.
Doctor Lin was momentarily speechless. She could only smile as she combed the hair beside her ear and continued to read the book in her hand.
"Creak …"
The door of the bookstore was pushed open. Two men and a woman came in.
The three were quite young, only in their early twenties. It was obvious that the two men were drunk. One of them was even drunk. His face was completely red.
"Boss, do you have water?" the woman asked.
Zhou Ze pointed at the water dispenser on the other side of the wall.
The woman poured a few cups of hot water for her friends and went to the counter.
"How much?"
The woman took out her phone. It seemed like she was going to pay by scanning the code.
"Thirty," Zhou Ze said.
"Boss, you can't rip off your customers like this, even though it's Chinese New Year. Three cups of your water cost thirty yuan," the woman scolded him with a smile.
She still scanned the code and paid the bill. She turned around and said to her two friends, "Let's take a break here and read some books."
They were treating the bookstore as a temporary resting place. Zhou Ze's thirty yuan was like the minimum fee for entering a teahouse. It was understandable.
"Reading?
What books? "
The slightly drunk man yelled in a high voice.
"I want to read ghost stories, horror novels. Do you have them here?"
The man laughed heartily as he spoke.
Zhou Ze sighed and took out two horror novels from under the counter. He walked up to the man and handed them to him. At the same time, he accidentally touched the man with his finger.
Yes, he was a human, not a ghost.
The date tonight was already a failure.
Zhou Ze did not want Doctor Lin to experience something similar to the Night of a Hundred Ghosts that the five migrant workers experienced last time. He did not want that to happen.
It was good that he was a human. He looked cute, even if he was drunk.
As for the other two, Zhou Ze did not meet them. It was not convenient for him to do so.
The drunk man sat down, and his two friends also sat down on the plastic stools. The three of them played with their phones while casually flipping through books.
It was purely because the minimum expenditure of thirty yuan had to be at least worth it in terms of face.
"What kind of ghost story is this?"
The man threw the book to the side of the water dispenser.
The woman went to pick the book up. She realized that the cover and the inside of the book were wet because she had spilled some water.
"Boss, how much is it?"
"20% off the price." Zhou Ze was amused. These three young people were quite well-mannered.
Of course, Zhou Ze hoped that the drunk man would throw all the books on his bookshelf. He would dirty them all so that he could clear the books for Zhou Ze.
The woman helplessly scanned the code and paid the money. Then, she walked up to the drunk man.
"Let's go. Don't go crazy."
"How is this a ghost story? The person who wrote the story must have never seen a ghost," the drunk man said stubbornly.
Zhou Ze replied softly. Yes, you should have seen a ghost. It's right in front of you.
"I'm not going back, I'm definitely not going back!
I'm not going to sleep tonight! "
The man continued to be drunk. "I'll see a ghost when I go home, and I'll see a ghost when I sleep. I might as well stay in this bookstore and read for the whole night.
At the very least …
I won't see a ghost! "
"…" Zhou Ze.
Doctor Lin put down the book in her hand and looked at the drunk man. Obviously, she found this matter quite interesting.
"Yo, Brother Liu, is there a ghost at your house?" the man who came in with the drunk man joked.
The woman glanced at him, signaling him to stop talking nonsense.
"F * ck off!
There's a ghost at your house! "
The drunk man stood up.
"Motherf * cker, that ghost only knows how to mess with me every New Year. It doesn't care about the others. My three brothers, my sister, my parents, and my grandparents. It doesn't do anything to anyone but me!"
"A female ghost?" the man said again.
"If only it was a female ghost. It was a female, a dog!"
"Pfft!"
The drunk man's two companions laughed subconsciously.
Even Zhou Ze and Doctor Lin lowered their heads and coughed a few times. But it was indeed funny.
Especially when the drunk man said that it was not a female ghost, but a dog, his face was filled with grievance.
The baby felt bitter.
The baby was drunk and wanted to talk!
"Every New Year, it will come to me a few days before and after!
As soon as I sleep, it will come. F * ck! "
Although the drunk man was drunk, he could still control himself. He did not look scary. Instead, he looked quite interesting.
"From seven years ago until now, it will come on time every New Year. It's even more punctual than the lucky money my parents gave me!"
The man hugged his head and squatted on the ground. He started crying. "F * ck, I can't live like this anymore!"
"What's going on?
Do you know that dog? "the man asked.
"That's the dog I raised in the past. It bit the money under my dad's bed, so we killed it and ate its meat."
"That dog must be unhappy and came back for revenge," the man analyzed.
"I don't f * cking know why I'm the only one.
When the dog was killed, it was me, my brothers, my father, and my grandfather!
When we ate dog meat, it was the whole family. It was just another dish for the New Year!
That dog lost five thousand yuan. It deserved to be eaten!
But why do they hate me? "
The drunk man was almost crying as he said, "I've asked. My brothers, including my father and grandfather, are all fine. Why am I the only one they're targeting?"
"You're drunk. Let's go, I'll send you home," the woman helped the man up and gestured for the man to help.
The group left the bookstore.
The bustling place suddenly became quiet.
"Why do you think it is?"
Doctor Lin looked at Zhou Ze. She did not care if it was true or not. It was purely a casual conversation after hearing a story. "That dog, why did it only pick on him?
Is there something different about him? "
"You're interested in that?" Zhou Ze asked in surprise.
"Mm," Doctor Lin nodded.
Zhou Ze smiled. "It's actually very simple. If you want to understand a dog's thoughts, you have to put it in the dog's shoes."
"What do you mean?" Doctor Lin smiled. "It's hard to put yourself in the shoes of a dog."
That was right. How could a human put themselves in the shoes of a dog?
"The dog's soul came back to take revenge and pick on people because it has a grudge," Zhou Ze explained. "It's the same as a human's."
"Then why didn't it take revenge on the rest of the family?"
"Perhaps it's because of the money. The dog was naughty and bit off a portion of it, but there was also a portion that might have been stolen by the young guy at that time.
"Therefore, the dog felt that it was very unfair. It tore up the money, was punished, killed, and had its meat eaten. It felt that it was reasonable and deserved.
"But why?
That person also stole the money and lost a portion of the money, but nothing happened to him?
"Therefore, it was not convinced. It did not take revenge on the rest of the family, but on him."
Doctor Lin shook his head and said in surprise, "It's just a drunkard's story. Now that you've analyzed it like that, it feels like it's real."
Zhou Ze walked to where the group of people were sitting and found a wallet on the ground. He picked it up and walked to the door.
At that moment, the woman jogged over.
"I'm sorry, there's a …"
Zhou Ze handed the wallet over.
"Thank you!"
The woman bowed to Zhou Ze to express her gratitude. "If this guy loses his wallet and ID when he goes back tonight, he'll be scolded by his family again."
"It's fine." Zhou Ze waved his hand.
The woman waved at Zhou Ze and turned around to catch up with her partner.
Under the moonlight,
When the woman ran,
Under her coat,