Chapter Eight of Men

Chapter Eight:
Zhang Chu only stayed in Qingdao, Shandong for two days. On the morning of the third day, he boarded a train back to Nanjing for work. He had originally planned to stay in Qingdao for a few days to be with Shi Yun. However, Shi Yun's father told him to go back to work and not to take his job so lightly.
Although Shi Yun was somewhat reluctant to see Zhang Chu leave so soon, she couldn't say much in front of her father, so she could only ask Zhang Chu to come and visit when he had time. This was the first time Zhang Chu and Shi Yun had been separated for such a long time since they started dating.
After boarding the train, Zhang Chu seemed to relax completely. He climbed into his sleeper berth, lay down, and soon fell asleep. When he woke up, the train had arrived in Bengbu, Anhui. Zhang Chu got off his berth, went to the top of the carriage to get some water, and when he returned, he found a pretty girl lying in the opposite berth. When Zhang Chu looked at her, she also looked at him, seemingly wanting to find a topic to talk about. But Zhang Chu was not in the mood at the moment and was reluctant to speak. He checked the time; it was not yet five o'clock in the afternoon, and there were still nearly four hours to go to Nanjing. He thought that if he arrived in Nanjing at nine o'clock, it wouldn't be too late in the city, and he could go straight to Shiming's place after returning. Otherwise, it would be too lonely to go back to that quiet room alone. After thinking this through, he took out the storybook he had bought before boarding the train from his bag and lay down on his bunk to read it. The girl opposite him saw Zhang Chu reading the book and seemed to think he was a bit bored.
She took out An Su's book, *Absolute Privacy*, from under her and showed it to Zhang Chu, saying that the book was somewhat meaningful and asking if he wanted to read it. Zhang Chu had skimmed through *Absolute Privacy* before, but hadn't read it carefully, and when the girl asked him, he couldn't remember what it was about. He took the book from the girl, looked at the table of contents, and remembered some of the content. He asked the girl where he was getting off the train, and she said Chuxian. Nanjing was only thirty or forty minutes away from Chuxian. Zhang Chu told the girl that he was getting off in Nanjing. Then he told the girl some plots from *Absolute Privacy*. Zhang Chu told the girl that An Dun's book was full of lies. One moment she said a woman treated every man with the heart of first love, the next she said another woman was taken home by a man she barely knew and slept with him—all of this was An Dun's own delusion. The girl asked Zhang Chu if it was possible for those two women to be together. Zhang Chu said, "Even less likely." The girl said, "Maybe."
They chatted like this until the train arrived in Chuzhou. When the girl got off, she asked Zhang Chu if he wanted to walk around the platform for some fresh air. Zhang Chu went down with her. As they walked, the girl continued talking, still trying to explain her reasons to Zhang Chu. Suddenly, Zhang Chu asked, "Have you ever had this experience?"
The girl gave Zhang Chu a sensitive look. Zhang Chu felt his question was a bit inappropriate. Just then, the train whistled, and Zhang Chu quickly put down the girl's bag and rushed towards the train. But by the time he got there, the doors had already closed and the train was moving.
Zhang Chu stood there helplessly, sighing. Luckily, he didn't have much luggage, so he had to wait for the next train.
When Zhang Chu turned around to look at the girl, she was standing there, looking at him. The station lights weren't very bright, and it was somewhat dark around her, except for her eyes, which shone brightly in the night. Zhang Chu walked over, and the girl apologized to him. Zhang Chu smiled.
The girl asked Zhang Chu if he had ever been to Chuxian before, and he said no. The girl then suggested that Zhang Chu take a walk outside the station, since he was leaving soon anyway. Zhang Chu accompanied the girl out of the platform and walked around the station. The night in the small town wasn't as bright as in the big city; the area outside the station wasn't very well lit. After walking around the station with the girl, Zhang Chu said to her, "You should go home; I'll catch the next train." The girl said, "I'll leave after you leave." Zhang Chu said, "What if I don't leave tonight?" The girl said, "I won't leave either." Zhang Chu smiled, not taking it seriously. But the girl added, "I would never lie to you."
Not wanting to lose face in front of the girl, Zhang Chu booked a double room at the Yueting Hotel near the station. After entering the room, Zhang Chu first called Shi Yun to tell her that he had arrived in Nanjing and that she shouldn't worry. The girl stood beside him while he was on the phone. After Zhang Chu finished the call, the girl asked, "Is your wife beautiful?"
Zhang Chu replied, "Very beautiful."
Zhang Chu and the girl went downstairs for a meal, and it was almost 11 o'clock when they came back up. After the girl returned to the room, she continued to ask Zhang Chu about his wife, and Zhang Chu told her everything. Suddenly, the girl asked Zhang Chu, "Do you have a lover?"
Zhang Chu had a feeling that the girl might be a reporter or something similar. Zhang Chu said, "No." The girl said, "Yes."
Zhang Chu asked the girl why she said yes. The girl said, "I can tell from your eyes." Then she pressed Zhang Chu, "Is your lover also beautiful?" Zhang Chu still said, "No."
The girl said Zhang Chu wasn't honest. Then she said to Zhang Chu, "Do you only sleep with beautiful women?" Zhang Chu said, "My wife is very beautiful." "No!" The girl interrupted Zhang Chu, continuing, "I mean, when you go to sleep with girls, do you only go to pretty girls?"
Zhang Chu thought this girl was asking too many questions, or perhaps trying to prove something. Zhang Chu didn't know how to answer, so he said to the girl, "Let's watch TV." The girl said, "It's already one o'clock, there's nothing to watch on TV. You don't want to answer my question?"
Zhang Chu said, "Pretty women are actually a symbol of individuality. Men intuitively feel that having sex with pretty women is more comfortable."
The girl asked, "Have you had this experience?
" Zhang Chu said, "Let's talk about 'Absolute Privacy' instead."
The girl said, "We're talking about absolute privacy right now."
Zhang Chu asked, "Have you slept with many men?"
The girl said, "Are you saying I'm pretty?"
Zhang Chu felt a little tired and wanted to rest, so he said to the girl, "It's late, let's go to sleep." The girl asked, "Have you ever slept in the same room as a strange girl like this?" Zhang Chu said, "No." The girl asked, "Can you sleep?" Zhang Chu said, "I'm really tired."
When Zhang Chu woke up, the bed opposite him was empty; the girl had left sometime earlier. Zhang Chu quickly got up.
After getting dressed, Zhang Chu suddenly noticed a pink bra next to his pillow. He picked it up and examined it, finding it odd. He remembered nothing had happened the night before; it couldn't have been left behind by a girl. Before leaving, Zhang Chu took the bra with him.
He returned to Nanjing in the morning and rushed to work in the afternoon. His colleagues, knowing his wife had gone back to her hometown, teased him, saying it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and urging him to seize it. Some male colleagues told him that while it was easy to seduce someone's wife, it was difficult to seduce a girl; once you got involved, it was hard to let go, often resulting in losing both your wife and your heart. Even wealthy men were afraid of their mistresses becoming husbands—it was a no-go. Several female colleagues chimed in, agreeing. Zhang Chu then said, "Anyone who wants to be seduced? I'm on my way." The male colleagues then told the female colleagues to register, and the female colleagues laughed, saying, "We'll all take Zhang Chu! Let's see how he manages himself tonight!"
Before leaving work, Zhang Chu called Shi Ming to tell her he was back and then asked her to come over. When Shi Ming arrived, she immediately asked Zhang Chu where he had spent the night. She said she had called home the day before, and Shi Yun told her what time Zhang Chu had taken the train and that he should have arrived home last night. Zhang Chu then told Shi Ming everything that had happened the previous night, and finally, he showed her the girl's bra. Shi Ming didn't believe Zhang Chu hadn't had sex with that girl and questioned him about every detail. Zhang Chu finally said, "If I had had sex with that girl, I wouldn't have told you." Shi Ming was furious and went to the kitchen, lit the gas, and burned the bra.
Zhang Chu himself was confused and even felt he had acted absurdly. After sitting for a while, a strange thought crossed his mind. He looked at Shi Ming, hesitated several times, but still asked her, "What color is your bra?"
Hearing this, Shi Ming became even angrier and went to her room alone, ignoring Zhang Chu. Zhang Chu quickly followed and hugged Shi Ming from behind. But after a while, Zhang Chu secretly pulled open Shi Ming's shirt to see what color her bra was. Knowing Zhang Chu's actions, Shi Ming shuddered, sat up, and quickly stripped off all her clothes, throwing them in front of Zhang Chu, saying, "Look, is there anything else you want to see?" Zhang Chu felt a little ashamed and was about to hug Shi Ming when the phone rang. Zhang Chu quickly answered it; it was his colleague, Ms. Chen, calling.
Zhang Chu was puzzled; Ms. Chen had never called before, and he wondered what important matter she had to say.
Ms. Chen told Zhang Chu on the phone that she had gone to the mailroom to collect newspapers and letters that day, including one addressed to Zhang Chu. She had forgotten to give it to him that day and would give it to him at work the next day. Zhang Chu thanked her, and Ms. Chen hung up. When Zhang Chu returned to his room, Shi Ming was already dressed and said she wanted to go home and didn't want to see him again. Zhang Chu quickly hugged Shi Ming again, tickling her and teasing her. Shi Ming finally couldn't resist Zhang Chu's teasing and hugged him back, but one hand slipped inside his pants, grabbing his genitals and gradually pulling harder until Zhang Chu cried out, "You're killing me!" She then stopped, saying, "Tell me honestly, have you slept with anyone?"
Zhang Chu kissed Shi Ming and said, "I'll sleep with you later." Shi Ming finally let go, somewhat satisfied.
The next morning, as soon as she arrived at work, Ms. Chen delivered the letter to Zhang Chu. The letter was from an old classmate, but Zhang Chu didn't rush to read it, setting it aside for the time being. Ms. Chen sat down in a chair opposite Zhang Chu and chatted with him about entertainment gossip, specifically the troubled relationship between Zhang Yimou and Gong Li. Zhang Chu seemed to like both of them, especially Zhang Yimou's films. He then pointed out the artistic features of Zhang Yimou's film, *Red Sorghum*.
Finally, he told Ms. Chen that the love depicted in *Red Sorghum* doesn't exist in real life; it embodies the author's ideal personality. If Zhang Yimou and Gong Li were to have a romantic relationship, it would be a real-life version of *Red Sorghum*. Since the love in *Red Sorghum* doesn't exist in real life, their relationship would certainly not have a happy ending. Their relationship would serve as the best footnote to his films.
Ms. Chen was very impressed by Zhang Chu's words. Ms. Chen worked in another office, two rooms away from Zhang Chu's; she shared an office with Xiao Xu. Xiao Xu and Zhang Chu were close friends of the opposite sex, sharing everything. Zhang Chu often went to their office to chat with Xiao Xu, but he rarely spoke to Ms. Chen. Ms. Chen was the wife of a high-ranking official in the city; she was sexy and wealthy, and had married earlier than Zhang Chu. Zhang Chu was somewhat cautious around her. The interpersonal relationships in government offices were complex; you couldn't afford to offend anyone, because a little entanglement could often implicate a powerful figure. Having experienced some things at the investigation department, Zhang Chu began to realize this and started paying more attention to this aspect. Survival of the fittest wasn't just a common philosophy; moreover, for Sartre, individual existence was the basis of all existence, and it was treated as the highest philosophical principle. Zhang Chu had already verified this from his personal life experiences and grasped the essence of this philosophy.
After that, Ms. Chen often came to chat with Zhang Chu. Zhang Chu was quite cultured; he could talk at length about music, movies, poetry, novels, and all sorts of other topics, which seemed to appeal to Ms. Chen's interests. When Zhang Chu went to her office, besides chatting with Xiao Xu, he also started chatting with Ms. Chen. A few days later, one evening before leaving work, Ms. Chen suddenly and secretly slipped Zhang Chu a concert ticket. Zhang Chu was in a dilemma. On the one hand, with Shi Ming around, he couldn't leave that night. On the other hand, personnel relationships in the bureau were often based on covert connections; some rose rapidly while others fell from grace, all due to changes in their backers. And since Ms. Chen was in the same department as Zhang Chu, this colleague relationship couldn't be ignored. That evening, Zhang Chu managed to gain Shi Ming's trust and went anyway.
When Zhang Chu entered the hall, the performance had just begun. After finding his seat, Zhang Chu didn't see Ms. Chen. Looking around at the people around him, he didn't recognize anyone, and he felt somewhat relieved. The performers were a famous German orchestra; the program included Bach, Bizet, Mendelssohn, and some contemporary luminaries. Among them, Bach's *St. Matthew Passion* was Zhang Chu's favorite piece. In the atmosphere of Bach's music, filled with the desire for self-purification, Zhang Chu sometimes felt confused. Bach insisted on having sex with his wife twice a week, resulting in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to over a dozen children. Was this "St. Matthew" Bach or his wife?
Shortly after the concert began, Zhang Chu suddenly felt someone place a hand on the back of his hand. Turning around, he saw Ms. Chen had already sat down. When Zhang Chu looked at her, she didn't look at him, but was completely absorbed in listening to a passage from Bizet's *Carmen* being performed on stage. At that moment, Carmen's suffering was amplified to its extreme in Bizet's music, and Jose was desperately trying to save Carmen's soul. Zhang Chu felt a little nervous, his hand gripping Ms. Chen's tightly.
When Zhang Chu returned, it was already past eleven o'clock. Shi Ming was still awake, leaning against the bed watching TV, waiting for him.
These days, Zhang Chu felt a little strange about himself. Being with Shi Ming didn't seem to bring the same joy and happiness as when Shi Yun was around. Even during sex, Zhang Chu felt a lack of excitement. He called Shi Yun twice a day to inquire about her and the child. Shi Yun would invariably give Zhang Chu a few instructions on the phone, and then flirt with him a bit. Sometimes, Zhang Chu would talk about Shi Yun's body, which pleased her.
When Shi Ming asked Zhang Chu how the concert was, he took out a Bach CD and put it in the player. Shi Ming immediately got up to turn it off, saying she didn't like Bach's music, finding it too monotonous and dull, and irritating. Zhang Chu said that was all there was to the concert. As he finished speaking, the melody of Bizet's "Flower Song" from Carmen suddenly filled his ears. Zhang Chu felt a pang of unease and said to Shi Yun, "Take off your clothes. I've never really looked at your naked body before!"
Shi Ming smiled and said that Zhang Chu's musical skills had improved to this level after attending the concert. Zhang Chu still insisted that Shi Ming take off all her clothes so he could see her. Shi Ming then undressed in front of Zhang Chu, standing naked. When Zhang Chu looked at Shi Ming's naked body, his eyes were filled with a dreamlike light, as if he were marveling at something amazing. After a while, he told Shi Ming to take a few more steps, but Shi Ming walked up to Zhang Chu, pressed her body against his chest, and said, "What's wrong with you? Do you want to see a pornographic performance?!" Zhang Chu, nestled in his arms, carefully stroked the lines of Shi Ming's body. While stroking Shi Ming, Zhang Chu seemed somewhat lost, as if searching for something mysterious.
The next day at work, when Zhang Chu saw Ms. Chen, the two greeted each other as usual, chatting about gossip and entertainment news, occasionally sharing anecdotes from the office. Two days later, Zhang Chu was to go on a business trip to Wuxi. When Zhang Chu traveled alone on business, he didn't like having a car; he and the driver couldn't find anything to talk about. He asked the clerk to buy him a train ticket to Wuxi for noon. That same day, Ms. Chen was also going on a business trip to Suzhou, also by train, and she had bought a ticket for around 4 PM.
Knowing Zhang Chu was going, Shi Ming told him on the phone that he hadn't kissed her the night before. Zhang Chu said, "Then come over and let me kiss you," and Shi Ming actually came over. After a passionate encounter in bed, Shi Ming suddenly asked Zhang Chu, "Did you think of your sister when you made love to me?" Zhang Chu replied, "At that time, I wouldn't be distracted." Shi Ming said, "When you come back, I want to make love to you in front of the mirror and see how you can be so incredibly happy."
Zhang Chu boarded the train and, just as he settled in, suddenly noticed Ms. Chen walking towards his carriage on the platform. He vaguely sensed that this trip was somewhat special…
Zhang Chu only stayed in Qingdao, Shandong for two days, and on the morning of the third day, he boarded the train back to Nanjing for work. He had originally planned to stay in Qingdao for a few days to spend with Shi Yun. Shiyun's father, however, told him to go back to work and not to take his job so lightly.
Although Shiyun was reluctant to see Zhang Chu leave so soon, she couldn't say much in front of her father, so she could only ask Zhang Chu to come and visit when he had some free time. This was the first time Zhang Chu and Shiyun had been separated for such a long time since they started dating.
After boarding the train, Zhang Chu seemed to relax completely. He climbed into his berth, lay down, and soon fell asleep. When he woke up, the train had arrived in Bengbu, Anhui. Zhang Chu got off his berth, went to the top of the carriage to get some water, and when he returned, he found a pretty girl lying in the opposite berth. When Zhang Chu looked at her, she looked at him too, seemingly trying to find a topic to talk about. But Zhang Chu was in a bad mood and didn't want to speak. He checked the time; it was only a little before 5 p.m., and there were still nearly four hours to go to Nanjing. He thought that if he arrived in Nanjing at 9 p.m., it wouldn't be too late in the city, and he could go straight to Shi Ming's place afterward. Otherwise, it would be too lonely to go back to that quiet room alone. After thinking this through, he took out the storybook he had bought before boarding the train from his bag and lay down to read it. The girl opposite him saw Zhang Chu reading the book and seemed to think he was a little bored.
She pulled out An Dun's book, *Absolute Privacy*, from under her clothes and showed it to Zhang Chu, saying the book was somewhat meaningful and asking if he wanted to read it. Zhang Chu had skimmed through *Absolute Privacy* before, but hadn't read it carefully. When the girl asked him, he couldn't immediately recall its contents. He took the book from the girl, glanced at the table of contents, and remembered some of the content. He asked the girl where she was getting off the train, and she said Chuxian. Nanjing was only thirty or forty minutes away from Chuxian. Zhang Chu told the girl he was getting off in Nanjing. Then he told the girl about some of the plots in *Absolute Privacy*. Zhang Chu told the girl that An Dun's book was full of lies; one moment she said a woman treated every man with the feelings of first love, the next she said another woman was taken home by a man she barely knew and slept with him—all of this was An Dun's own delusion. The girl asked Zhang Chu if it was possible for these two women to be together. Zhang Chu said, even less likely. The girl said, maybe.
They chatted like this until, without realizing it, the train arrived in Chuxian. As the girl got off the train, she asked Zhang Chu if he wanted to walk around the platform for some fresh air. Zhang Chu went down with her. The girl talked as they walked, still preoccupied with the reason she might tell Zhang Chu. Suddenly, Zhang Chu asked, "Have you ever had this experience?"
The girl gave him a sensitive look. Zhang Chu felt his question was a bit inappropriate. Just then, the train whistled, and Zhang Chu quickly put down the girl's bag and rushed towards the train. But by the time he reached it, the doors had already closed and it was moving.
Zhang Chu stood there helplessly, sighing. Luckily, he didn't have much luggage, so he could only wait for the next train.
When Zhang Chu turned back to look at the girl, she was standing there, looking at him. The station lights were dim, and it was somewhat dark around her, except for her bright eyes. Zhang Chu walked over, and the girl apologized to him. Zhang Chu smiled.
The girl asked Zhang Chu if he had ever been to Chuzhou before. Zhang Chu said no, and the girl told him to walk around outside the station, since he would be leaving soon anyway. Zhang Chu accompanied the girl off the platform and walked around the station. The night in the small town wasn't as bright as in the big city; the area outside the station wasn't very well lit. After walking around the station with the girl, Zhang Chu said, "You should go home; I'll catch the next train later." The girl said, "I'll go after you." Zhang Chu said, "What if I don't go tonight?" The girl said, "I won't go either." Zhang Chu smiled, not taking it seriously. But the girl added, "I would never lie to you."
Not wanting to lose face in front of the girl, Zhang Chu booked a double room at the Yueting Hotel near the station. After entering the room, Zhang Chu first called Shi Yun, telling her he had arrived in Nanjing and that she shouldn't worry. The girl stood beside him while he was on the phone. After Zhang Chu finished the call, the girl asked, "Is your lover beautiful?"
Zhang Chu said, "Very beautiful."
Zhang Chu and the girl went downstairs for a meal, and it was almost eleven o'clock when they came back up. After the girl returned to the room, she asked Zhang Chu about his lover, and Zhang Chu told her everything. The girl suddenly asked Zhang Chu, "Do you have a lover?"
Zhang Chu had a feeling the girl might be a reporter or something similar. Zhang Chu said, "No." The girl said, "Yes."
Zhang Chu asked the girl why she said yes. The girl said, "I can tell from your eyes." Then she pressed Zhang Chu, "Is your lover also pretty?" Zhang Chu still said, "No."
The girl said Zhang Chu wasn't being honest. Then she said to Zhang Chu, "Do you only sleep with pretty women?" Zhang Chu said, "My wife is very pretty." "No!" the girl interrupted Zhang Chu, continuing, "I mean, when you sleep with girls, do you only sleep with pretty girls?"
Zhang Chu felt this girl was asking too many questions, or perhaps trying to prove something. Zhang Chu didn't know how to answer. Zhang Chu said to the girl, "Let's watch TV." The girl said, "It's already one o'clock, there's nothing to watch on TV. You don't want to answer my question.
" Zhang Chu said, "Pretty women are actually a symbol of personality. Men intuitively feel that having sex with pretty women is more comfortable."
The girl asked, "Have you had this experience?"
Zhang Chu said, "Let's talk about 'Absolute Privacy' instead."
The girl said, "We're talking about absolute privacy right now."
Zhang Chu asked, "Have you slept with many men?"
The girl replied, "Are you saying I'm pretty?"
Zhang Chu felt a little tired and wanted to rest, so he told the girl, "It's late, let's go to sleep." The girl asked, "Have you ever slept in the same room as a strange girl like this?" Zhang Chu said, "No." The girl asked, "Can you sleep?" Zhang Chu said, "I'm really tired."
When Zhang Chu woke up, the bed opposite his was empty; the girl had left sometime earlier. Zhang Chu quickly got up.
After getting dressed, Zhang Chu suddenly noticed a pink bra next to his pillow. Zhang Chu picked it up and looked at it, feeling something was amiss. Zhang Chu remembered that nothing had happened last night; it couldn't have been left behind by the girl. Before leaving, Zhang Chu still took the bra with him.
Zhang Chu returned to Nanjing in the morning and rushed to work in the afternoon. His colleagues, knowing his partner had gone back to her hometown, joked with Zhang Chu, saying it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that he should seize it, as it wouldn't come again. Some male colleagues told Zhang Chu that he could easily seduce someone's wife, but not a girl. Once she got involved, it was hard to let go, and the result was often losing both his wife and his heart. Even wealthy men are afraid of their mistresses turning into husbands; it's not something to be trifled with. Several female colleagues chimed in, agreeing. Zhang Chu then said, "Anyone who wants to be seduced, I'll go for it right away." The male colleagues then told the female colleagues to register, and whoever went first... The female colleagues laughed and said, "We'll all be Zhang Chu's clients, let's see how he manages himself tonight!"
Before leaving work, Zhang Chu called Shi Ming to tell her he was back and then invited her over. When Shi Ming arrived, she immediately asked Zhang Chu where he had spent the night. She said she had called home the day before, and Shi Yun told her what time Zhang Chu had taken the train, so he should have arrived home last night. Zhang Chu then told Shi Ming everything that had happened the night before, and finally, he even showed Shi Ming the girl's bra. Shi Ming didn't believe Zhang Chu hadn't had sex with the girl and questioned him about every detail. Zhang Chu finally said, "If I had slept with that girl, I wouldn't have told you." Shi Ming, furious, went to the kitchen, lit the gas, and burned the bra.
Zhang Chu himself was confused and even felt he was being ridiculous. After sitting for a while, a strange thought crossed his mind. He looked at Shi Ming, hesitated several times, but finally asked her, "What color is your bra?"
Hearing this, Shi Ming became even angrier and ran to her room, ignoring Zhang Chu. Zhang Chu quickly followed and hugged Shi Ming from behind. But after a while, Zhang Chu secretly pulled open Shi Ming's shirt to see what color her bra was. Knowing Zhang Chu's actions, Shi Ming jerked up, quickly stripped off all her clothes, threw them in front of Zhang Chu, and said, "Look, what else do you want to see?" Zhang Chu felt a little ashamed and was about to hug Shi Ming when the phone rang. Zhang Chu quickly answered it; it was his colleague, Ms. Chen, calling.
Zhang Chu was a little puzzled. Ms. Chen had never called before, and he wondered what important matter she had to discuss.
Ms. Chen told Zhang Chu on the phone that she went to the mailroom to pick up the newspapers and letters that day, including one addressed to Zhang Chu. She had forgotten to give it to him that day and would give it to him at work the next day. Zhang Chu thanked her, and Ms. Chen hung up. When Zhang Chu returned to his room, Shi Ming was already dressed and said she wanted to go back and didn't want to see him again. Zhang Chu quickly hugged Shi Ming again, tickling her and teasing her. Shi Ming finally couldn't resist Zhang Chu's teasing and hugged him back, but one hand slipped inside Zhang Chu's pants, grabbing his genitals and gradually pulling harder until Zhang Chu yelled, "You're killing me!" He then stopped, saying, "Tell me honestly, have you slept with anyone?" Zhang Chu
kissed Shi Ming and said, "I'll sleep with you later." Shi Ming was somewhat satisfied and let go.
The next morning, as soon as Zhang Chu arrived at work, Ms. Chen gave him the letter. It was from an old classmate, but Zhang Chu didn't rush to read it and put it aside for the time being. Ms. Chen sat down in the chair opposite Zhang Chu and chatted with him about entertainment gossip, specifically the troubled relationship between Zhang Yimou and Gong Li. Zhang Chu seemed to like both of them, especially Zhang Yimou's films. He then pointed out the artistic features of Zhang Yimou's film, *Red Sorghum*.
Finally, he told Ms. Chen that the love depicted in *Red Sorghum* doesn't exist in real life; it's an embodiment of the author's ideal personality. If Zhang Yimou and Gong Li were to have a relationship, it would be a real-life version of *Red Sorghum*. Since the love in *Red Sorghum* doesn't exist in real life, their relationship would certainly not have a happy ending. Their relationship would serve as the best footnote to his films.
Ms. Chen was very impressed by Zhang Chu's words. Ms. Chen worked in another office, two rooms away from Zhang Chu's; she shared an office with Xiao Xu. Xiao Xu and Zhang Chu were close friends of the opposite sex, sharing everything. Zhang Chu often went to their office to chat with Xiao Xu, but he rarely spoke to Ms. Chen. Ms. Chen was the wife of a high-ranking official in the city; she was sexy and wealthy, and had married earlier than Zhang Chu. Zhang Chu was somewhat cautious around her. The interpersonal relationships in government offices were complex; you couldn't afford to offend anyone, because a little entanglement could often implicate a powerful figure. Having experienced some things at the investigation department, Zhang Chu began to realize this and started paying more attention to this aspect. Survival of the fittest wasn't just a common philosophy; moreover, for Sartre, individual existence was the basis of all existence, and it was treated as the highest philosophical principle. Zhang Chu had already verified this from his personal life experiences and grasped the essence of this philosophy.
After that, Ms. Chen often came to chat with Zhang Chu. Zhang Chu was quite cultured; he could talk at length about music, movies, poetry, novels, and all sorts of other topics, which seemed to appeal to Ms. Chen's interests. When Zhang Chu went to her office, besides chatting with Xiao Xu, he also started chatting with Ms. Chen. A few days later, one evening before leaving work, Ms. Chen suddenly and secretly slipped Zhang Chu a concert ticket. Zhang Chu was in a dilemma. On the one hand, with Shi Ming around, he couldn't leave that night. On the other hand, personnel relationships in the bureau were often based on covert connections; some rose rapidly while others fell from grace, all due to changes in their backers. And since Ms. Chen was in the same department as Zhang Chu, this colleague relationship couldn't be ignored. That evening, Zhang Chu managed to gain Shi Ming's trust and went anyway.
When Zhang Chu entered the hall, the performance had just begun. After finding his seat, Zhang Chu didn't see Ms. Chen. Looking around at the people around him, he didn't recognize anyone, and he felt somewhat relieved. The performers were a famous German orchestra; the program included Bach, Bizet, Mendelssohn, and some contemporary luminaries. Among them, Bach's *St. Matthew Passion* was Zhang Chu's favorite piece. In the atmosphere of Bach's music, filled with the desire for self-purification, Zhang Chu sometimes felt confused. Bach insisted on having sex with his wife twice a week, resulting in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to over a dozen children. Was this "St. Matthew" Bach or his wife?
Shortly after the concert began, Zhang Chu suddenly felt someone place a hand on the back of his hand. Turning around, he saw Ms. Chen had already sat down. When Zhang Chu looked at her, she didn't look at him, but was completely absorbed in listening to a passage from Bizet's *Carmen* being performed on stage. At that moment, Carmen's suffering was amplified to its extreme in Bizet's music, and Jose was desperately trying to save Carmen's soul. Zhang Chu felt a little nervous, his hand gripping Ms. Chen's tightly.
When Zhang Chu returned, it was already past eleven o'clock. Shi Ming was still awake, leaning against the bed watching TV, waiting for him.
These days, Zhang Chu felt a little strange about himself. Being with Shi Ming didn't seem to bring the same joy and happiness as when Shi Yun was around. Even during sex, Zhang Chu felt a lack of excitement. He called Shi Yun twice a day to inquire about her and the child. Shi Yun would invariably give Zhang Chu a few instructions on the phone, and then flirt with him a bit. Sometimes, Zhang Chu would talk about Shi Yun's body, which pleased her.
When Shi Ming asked Zhang Chu how the concert was, he took out a Bach CD and put it in the player. Shi Ming immediately got up to turn it off, saying she didn't like Bach's music, finding it too monotonous and dull, and irritating. Zhang Chu said that was all there was to the concert. As he finished speaking, the melody of Bizet's "Flower Song" from Carmen suddenly filled his ears. Zhang Chu felt a pang of unease and said to Shi Yun, "Take off your clothes. I've never really looked at your naked body before!"
Shi Ming smiled and said that Zhang Chu's musical skills had improved to this level after attending the concert. Zhang Chu still insisted that Shi Ming take off all her clothes so he could see her. Shi Ming then undressed in front of Zhang Chu, standing naked. When Zhang Chu looked at Shi Ming's naked body, his eyes were filled with a dreamlike light, as if he were marveling at something amazing. After a while, he told Shi Ming to take a few more steps, but Shi Ming walked up to Zhang Chu, pressed her body against his chest, and said, "What's wrong with you? Do you want to see a pornographic performance?!" Zhang Chu, nestled in his arms, carefully stroked the lines of Shi Ming's body. While stroking Shi Ming, Zhang Chu seemed somewhat lost, as if searching for something mysterious.
The next day at work, when Zhang Chu saw Ms. Chen, the two greeted each other as usual, chatting about gossip and entertainment news, occasionally sharing anecdotes from the office. Two days later, Zhang Chu was to go on a business trip to Wuxi. When Zhang Chu traveled alone on business, he didn't like having a car; he and the driver couldn't find anything to talk about. He asked the clerk to buy him a train ticket to Wuxi for noon. That same day, Ms. Chen was also going on a business trip to Suzhou, also by train, and she had bought a ticket for a train departing around 4 PM.
Knowing Zhang Chu was going, Shi Ming mentioned on the phone that he hadn't kissed her the previous night. Zhang Chu replied, "Then come over and let me kiss you," and Shi Ming actually rushed over. After a passionate encounter in bed, Shi Ming suddenly asked Zhang Chu, "Did you think of your sister when you made love to me?" Zhang Chu replied, "At that time, I wouldn't be distracted." Shi Ming said, "When you come back, I want to make love to you in front of the mirror and see how you can be so incredibly happy."
Zhang Chu boarded the train and, just as he sat down, suddenly noticed Ms. Chen walking towards his carriage from the platform. A vague feeling crept into Zhang Chu's mind; this trip was somewhat unusual .

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