The Sixth Pill

Come downstairs

About half a month ago, Chen Shi noticed someone from the opposite building was spying on him.

Due to his personality and years of performing on stage, he was highly sensitive to gazes. Even at a considerable distance, he could instinctively judge where a certain gaze came from and what intention or emotion it carried.

At first, he guessed she had a mental illness, because looking across, her window was the only semi-closed one in the entire building.

Every time she would spy on him, she would hide behind the living room window, thinking she was perfectly concealed, when in fact it was like covering one’s ears while stealing a bell.

Chen Shi initially planned to deal with it by “turning a blind eye,” but she became increasingly bold, staking out and tailing him, which was outrageous.

Later, he deliberately increased the frequency of his outings, taking detours to confirm her appearance and identity.

Judging by her attire and demeanor, it was indeed the same person.

How could a perfectly normal girl engage in such behavior?

Chen Shi couldn’t understand.

This confusion continued until today when he ran into her at the convenience store. Glancing sideways at her, he was slightly surprised but showed no sign of it.

The confusion and aversion grew together, leading him to bluntly question her without sparing her feelings.

While beauty can foster evil, it can also nurture compassion. Being in such close contact with her, her behavior and demeanor didn’t seem like someone with severe mental issues. On the contrary, she could articulate well, and her deep interest in him was expressed cautiously and sincerely, unrelated to harassment or infatuation.

His annoyance lessened, turning into mild interest, so Chen Shi didn’t immediately delete her.

But by the afternoon, he regretted it.

After waking up from a nap, he received another WeChat message from her: Are you there?

Are you there?

It was Chen Shi’s most hated opening line, signaling the start of trivial chatter.

He turned off the screen, left his phone in the bedroom, and went to his practice room.

***

The regularly sounding drums also meant the man’s indirect reply—

I saw your message, I’m here, I just don’t want to talk to you.

Gui Tingyue went back lying on her bed in frustration. How should she approach “Chen Shi” to gain his favor?

Having devoted herself entirely to dancing since dancing, Gui Tingyue had little experience interacting with the opposite sex. On the rare occasions she did, it was always the other person who initiated, and she passively accepted, then politely declined. This was especially true for someone like “Chen Shi” who seemed to keep people at arm’s length.

She could only seek help from her psychologist.

After composing the message, Gui Tingyue sent it out.

Dr. Teng replied quickly: Just interact with him the same way you would with your friend. You can invite him for a meal or something, especially since he lives alone. Young people often don’t have regular meals. But you must pay attention to safety and go to a place with lots of people.

Gui Tingyue said: But I think he probably won’t agree.

Dr. Teng said: There’s no harm in trying.

Gui Tingyue pondered for a moment, then agreed: That seems reasonable.

Waiting until six in the evening, Gui Tingyue pursed her lips, held her phone up with both hands, and following the doctor’s advice, she sent him her third message since adding him as a friend:

“Have you had dinner?”

This time there was a response, one word: No.

One word.

But at least it was a word.

Gui Tingyue’s heart fluttered: I haven’t eaten either.

No further reply.

Gui Tingyue’s mood sank. She was embarrassed to bother Dr. Teng again, so she took a screenshot of the chat and sent it to her friend: I want to get to know a guy, can you look at this chat and tell me why he’s ignoring me again?

Her friend, sounding exasperated: What kind of chosen awkward conversationalist are you?

Gui Tingyue: ……

Afraid of hurting her feelings, her friend changed the subject: Which heartless guy is making our beautiful Gui suffer like this?

Gui Tingyue explained everything: I don’t feel wronged, I just don’t know what to do.

Her friend said: If he’s such a homebody, he’s probably introverted. You should show your care by sending him takeout. Asking him out right after adding him as a friend is too fast and might scare him away.

Gui Tingyue agreed again, promptly ordering from a well-reviewed Korean restaurant with a short delivery time, filling in “Chen Shi’s” address.

Then she anxiously waited in her room, frequently checking the delivery app to see the delivery person’s location.

Forty minutes later, her doorbell rang instead. Auntie Li called her out and asked her if she had ordered takeout.

Gui Tingyue slipped on her slippers and went out of her bedroom, where a slightly breathless delivery man stood.

He handed her the paper bag of food and smiled: “The guy in the building behind yours said the address was wrong and it was ordered for you. He asked me to bring it over.”

Auntie Li beside her had an extremely surprised expression.

Gui Tingyue’s face turned red. She hurriedly took the bag, thanked him, and quickly fled back to her room.

After staring at the cartoon character on the bag for a few seconds, she came to her senses and picked up her phone, opening Chen Shi’s Moments for the nth time.

The comforting “visible for three days” was still there, and Gui Tingyue sighed in relief.

She leaned forward, pulled the curtain open a bit, and peeked outside. The night had swallowed the setting sun, and the bedroom across was lit up, facing her place from a distance.

But the curtains were tightly shut, with no one in sight.

Gui Tingyue propped her chin up and sighed dejectedly. Why was he so impenetrable and unresponsive?

Repeated failures led to a complete sense of “might as well break the pot since it’s already cracked.” She closed her eyes and sent a fifth message in a last-ditch effort: If you don’t want takeout, can I treat you to a meal out?

When Chen Shi received this message, he was filled with incredulous emotions, even a bit of admiration.

In the few seconds he was speechless, the infuriating “Are you there” appeared again in his chat.

—Also from the same woman in the opposite building.

Chen Shi pressed his lips together for a while, put back the drumsticks he had just finished wiping, and replied with three words: “Come downstairs now.”

***

Come downstairs now? Really?

Staring at these three words, Gui Tingyue almost pinched her face to confirm she wasn’t dreaming. The change of attitude was so sudden, it was hard to believe.

Surprised, she smiled and, for the first time in ages, applied some lipstick before leaving her room.

She hadn’t cared about her appearance this much in a long time; even washing her face felt like a tiresome task every day.

Auntie Li reminded her to come back early and to message her every half hour.

Gui Tingyue nodded in agreement, pocketed her keys and phone, and went downstairs.

As soon as she walked out of the garden path, she saw a tall man standing not far away.

He was dressed the same as he did during the day, the only difference being he wasn’t wearing his baseball cap. Because of his pale skin, his entire face remained clear and distinct in the twilight, chiseled by light and shadow.

He stood casually, and when he looked over, it didn’t seem like a greeting, more like a distracted glance.

The flowers and grass swayed, and Gui Tingyue’s heartbeat quickened slightly as she walked towards him.

Stopping in front of him, her breathing was uneven: “Were you waiting for me…”

He didn’t respond to that, only asking: “Where to?”

Gui Tingyue said: “I haven’t thought about it yet.”

He fell silent again.

Gui Tingyue was also at a loss for words for two seconds, then suggested: “We can decide as we walk.”

He nodded.

Awkwardness was inevitable when two people who barely knew each other suddenly agreed to have a meal together.

After walking silently side by side for a moment, Gui Tingyue, afraid of the silence lasting the entire time, took the initiative to start a conversation: “When did you move in?”

Chen Shi replied: “Last month.”

Gui Tingyue: “Right, I know.”

Chen Shi: “……”

Gui Tingyue continued: “I moved here last year, I’ve been living here for half a year.”

Chen Shi responded “Mm”, so low it was barely audible.

Gui Tingyue, unaware of her own nervousness, started a mini-survey: “How old are you?”

Chen Shi paused for a second: “Twenty-four.”

Gui Tingyue was surprised: “Me too.”

Chen Shi finally looked at her but still didn’t engage in conversation.

Gui Tingyue continued to chatter, asking various questions. Chen Shi mostly ignored them, occasionally giving perfunctory replies, as if even half a sentence was too much.

His attitude towards her was clear without words.

As if sticky glue was pulling at the soles of her shoes on the ground, Gui Tingyue’s steps became increasingly heavy, and her originally bright voice was gradually obscured by growing discouragement and self-reproach.

Finally, she stopped.

Chen Shi noticed and turned back to ask: “Why did you stop talking?”

Gui Tingyue lowered her eyes, and after a moment, she looked up to meet his gaze: “You don’t want to listen, so what’s the point of me talking?”

Chen Shi felt a hint of amusement, looking at her: “You don’t seem very good at interacting with the opposite sex.”

Gui Tingyue’s gaze didn’t waver: “Are you? If you are, you can teach me.”

Her tone was less about asking for guidance and more like a provocation.

Chen Shi was a bit taken aback by the question.

He chose to dodge the question and changed the subject: “Let’s continue.”

Gui Tingyue was puzzled: “Continue what?”

Chen Shi said: “The previous topic.”

Gui Tingyue said: “I forgot.”

Chen Shi was silent for two seconds, then repeated: “You asked what I like to eat.”

Gui Tingyue seemed to be waiting for this: “So you were listening, why didn’t you say anything?”

Chen Shi replied: “I didn’t know what to say.”

Gui Tingyue remained direct: “Isn’t it tiring for one person to do all the talking? If you didn’t want to eat, you could have refused. If you don’t want to have any contact with me, you can delete me.”

Chen Shi was at a loss for words. After a few seconds of silence, he said indifferently: “I’ll delete you after this meal.”

With that, he turned his head and walked even faster, as if trying to shake her off.

How could someone who could produce such drum sounds be such a jerk?

Gui Tingyue bit her lip, her face flushed.

After standing still in the night breeze for a few seconds, she stubbornly chased after him, her voice firm like a challenge: “You’re the one who doesn’t know how to interact with the opposite sex!”

The man in front of her suddenly stopped.

A car passed by, inconsiderately using high beams, which were glaringly bright, blurring the outline of his figure.

Gui Tingyue squinted her eyes.

When her vision cleared again, the man had walked back and stopped very close to her.

After staring at her for a moment, he smiled faintly, then tilted his chin towards the tall building behind her: “My way of interacting with the opposite sex is to bring them home. Want to come?”