The Ninth Pill

Evidence

Chen Shi seemed determined to fully embody his “cold and heartless” attitude to the end. After finishing his meal and wiping his mouth, he left expressionlessly.

His whole body screamed “I don’t want to stay a second longer.”

Gui Tingyue stood to the side and noticed the clear outline of his spine when he bent down: “Will you come for dinner tonight?”

“No,” Chen Shi refused as he straightened up.

Gui Tingyue pouted in disappointment. “Alright.”

Chen Shi didn’t look at her and walked towards the door.

Gui Tingyue followed, calling out urgently: “Looking forward to your performance this afternoon.”

Chen Shi paused for a moment.

Gui Tingyue immediately put on a fangirl face, smiling brightly: “Drum away, tell me if you get hungry, I’ll bring you food.”

Chen Shi frowned: “Goodbye.”

As soon as the door closed, Gui Tingyue ran to the window again and leaned over to watch him return home.

Familiarity breeds confidence – Gui Tingyue was a little bolder today and dared to shout his name: “Chen Shi—”

Chen Shi looked up, only to see the girl waving her hand like a rampant flag.

He turned his head away, pretending not to see.

After arriving home, Chen Shi received another mental torment from her on WeChat: Are you drumming at 4:30 this afternoon too?

Chen Shi replied with three words: I don’t know.

After washing his face in the bathroom, Chen Shi returned to his bedroom. As he approached his bed, he subconsciously glanced at the opposite building. That girl was still blatantly standing by the window.

This never ends.

He must teach her a lesson.

Chen Shi immediately raised his phone and took a photo of her peering out the window, sent it over, and added: Evidence.

The other side didn’t understand: Evidence of what?

Chen Shi: Evidence of you harassing me.

The girl replied: How am I harassing you?

Chen Shi: How long have you been watching me?

As Chen Shi was sending this message, he looked up and found Gui Tingyue holding her phone up high, seemingly doing something.

A few seconds later, he got his answer.

MoonPie: [Image]

MoonPie: Evidence.

Chen Shi opened it and saw that it was a photo she had taken from her perspective of him, mirroring the photo he had sent her.

Chen Shi: ?

Unexpectedly, the girl began to argue: How do you know I’m watching you if you’re not watching me? Can’t it be said that you’re harassing me?”

“…..”

Chen Shi quickly drew his curtains.

Gui Tingyue had grown used to his habit of self-isolation at the slightest disagreement. She stayed by the window for a while, making sure his action wasn’t just a delaying tactic before she turned away and went back to her bedroom. Lying on her bed, she continued to ask for an explanation.

MoonPie: We’ve eaten at the same table twice now, so why keep resisting? Can’t we be friends?

Chen Shi replied: I don’t need friends.

Gui Tingyue’s cheeks puffed up slightly: Can’t you leave even a tiny backdoor open for me?

Chen Shi: [Image]

Gui Tingyue opened it and found a screenshot of a prompt asking if he wanted to delete the contact “MoonPie”.

Gui Tingyue immediately sprang up from her pillow: I won’t ask anymore, I surrender. Is it so hard to make friends?

Chen Shi: I thought you weren’t afraid of anything.

Gui Tingyue stopped her direct assault and opted for a flanking strategy, sincerely suggesting: You can change my contact name to ‘Loyal Listener’, maybe you’ll feel better chatting with me then.

Chen Shi said: Too lazy to change it.

The chat interface fell quiet. After a while, a new message popped up.

Chen Shi’s Loyal Listener: Then I’ll have to do it myself.

Chen Shi: ……

Chen Shi: Don’t you feel embarrassed?

Chen Shi’s Loyal Listener: As long as I’m not ashamed, you’re the one who should be.

Chen Shi was dumbfounded, his words now tinged with gritted teeth: Change it back.

MoonPie: Okay, okay.

Chen Shi: This is the first time I’ve met a girl like you.

Gui Tingyue lay back down, smiling as her lips and her legs kicked up: I’ve never met a guy like you too. We’re each other’s firsts.

Chen Shi clearly didn’t want to continue this borderline conversation: “……I’m taking a nap.”

Gui Tingyue didn’t disturb him further: Oh, sleep well.

At four in the afternoon, Gui Tingyue went to the balcony early as usual, happily and leisurely waiting.

Half an hour later, Chen Shi’s drumming began on schedule. It seemed his daily practice hadn’t been avoided or delayed because of her presence.

Fortunately.

As she listened, Gui Tingyue’s curved eyes gradually straightened. Why did today’s rhythm sound somewhat familiar?

She hummed the melody in her mind, trying to identify it.

To confirm her guess, as soon as the drumming on the other side ended, Gui Tingyue took out her phone and searched for the song on a music app.

After listening several times, Gui Tingyue couldn’t wait any longer and messaged Chen Shi: The rhythm you drummed today is very familiar, what song is it?

Chen Shi replied: Did you figure it out?

Gui Tingyue wasn’t sure: “Girlfriend”?

Chen Shi: ?

The question mark seemed somewhat surprised, but he didn’t deny it: It is that song.

Gui Tingyue thought back to their lunchtime conversation: Are you hinting at something?

Chen Shi: Hinting that the noise you made at lunch was too loud.

Gui Tingyue choked up for a moment, then consoled herself: So you specially drummed this song for me? Fan service, I love it.

Chen Shi didn’t reply again.

Gui Tingyue continued typing, with a tendency to seek praise— “Do you know why I could recognize it? I’ve been researching about drums these past few days. I can even recite the parts, all kinds of drums and cymbals. I’ve also been listening to a lot of punk rock songs, focusing on the drum parts in the accompaniment. I never used to notice these things before, but because……”

Before she could finish her little essay and send it, another message from him popped up: You think everyone is as idle as you?

Gui Tingyue’s thumb froze. These few words seemed to carry extreme coldness, able to spread from behind the hard screen and freeze her entire being from head to toe.

Gui Tingyue felt cold all over.

After a while, she blinked hard several times along with the cursor to suppress the only warmth in her body—the tears. Then she deleted all the words in the input box.

Gui Tingyue tilted her head to look at the opposite building.

Chen Shi’s bedroom curtains were still tightly shut, the cold gray fabric acting as a fog, a shield, isolating him from the world, rejecting everything outside, especially her.

She lowered her eyes again and admitted without a word of argument: Yes, I’m very idle. I am the most worthless person in this world.

The other party probably realized he had spoken out of turn and replied: That’s not what I meant.

But Gui Tingyue had lost all desire to talk.

She ran back to her bedroom, staying there from the orange glow of sunset to the fall of night, without turning on the light or stepping out again.

Later, when Auntie Li asked her outside if Chen Shi was coming over for dinner, she replied: “No.”

Auntie Li asked again: “Are you not coming out to eat today either?”

Gui Tingyue’s tone was listless: “I don’t have an appetite today.”

Auntie Li sighed inwardly and didn’t force her.

Right after she returned to the living room, the doorbell suddenly rang. Auntie Li checked the monitor and saw it was the young drummer. She quickly let him in and left the door slightly ajar for him.

But when he actually came upstairs, he didn’t enter, nor did he look around. He just stared straight at Auntie Li and asked: “Where’s Gui Tingyue?”

Auntie Li said: “She seems to be sleeping in her room, and she hasn’t come out yet. I’ll go call her.”

The young man nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Gui Tingyue was sleeping deeply, completely unaware of the noise outside. When Auntie Li’s call finally reached her ears, her patience dropped sharply: “I said I’m not eating—”

Auntie Li clarified: “Chen Shi is here to see you.”

This name was like a switch. Gui Tingyue sat up abruptly and grabbed her phone to check WeChat.

Their conversation had ended with his clarification, and there were no new messages.

Gui Tingyue smoothed her messy hair, then opened her camera to wipe her eyes before getting out of bed and walking out of the room, glancing evasively towards the door.

When their eyes met, whether it was an illusion or not, she felt his expression had softened slightly.

Gui Tingyue slowly walked over and stopped in front of him, questioning, “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming for dinner?”

Chen Shi’s expression returned to its usual coldness: “Would I not enter if I came for dinner?”

Could it be that he came because she didn’t reply? He came to her house to find her in person?

Gui Tingyue had to furrow her brows to avoid showing the secret joy that might annoy him: “Then why are you here?”

Chen Shi raised his hand and pointed his thumb behind him: “Come on, I’ll take you to find something to do.”