After taking Xu Zhinan back to her dorm, Lin Qingye walked towards the studio alone.

He received another call on the way. It was from Ji Yan, the female bassist of the band.

"Hey, Captain, where are you?" Ji Yan asked.

Lin Qingye put a cigarette in his mouth, "What's up?"

Ji Yan: "Why'd you leave so early today? We bought some late-night snacks and are at the studio now. Are you coming?"

"On my way back."

"Alright, we'll wait for you."

Walking back to the studio, the moment Lin Qingye opened the door, he was nearly hit by a throw pillow tossed by Shi Si. He caught it and threw it back, "What are you doing?"

Shi Si yelped, "Captain, you're finally back. We were looking for you to have a drink just now but couldn't find you. Where'd you go, being so mysterious?"

Seeing Xu Zhinan was in a hurry to get back to her dorm at the barbecue stall earlier, Lin Qingye hadn't eaten much. He kicked a chair aside, sat down at the table, poured himself a glass of beer, and downed half of it before saying calmly, "Took someone back to their dorm. Where's Guan Chi?"

"Isn't he getting married soon? He went home to be with his wife." Shi Si paused, then it dawned on him. He raised an eyebrow and teased, "Took your Light of Pingchuan back?"

Lin Qingye gave a half-smile, "Yeah."

"As expected of our captain." Shi Si picked up a beer bottle and clinked it against his. "But that Xu Zhinan is really pretty, so pure, not like those girls with heavy makeup."

He had just finished speaking when Ji Yan, who was beside him, kicked him. "Who the fuck are you cursing!"

Shi Si froze for a moment, then laughed, "Who would dare to insult the great beauty Ji Yan! Don't take it personally and blame me for it!"

Ji Yan snorted coldly and shot him a glance.

Lin Qingye took out his phone just as a low battery notification popped up. He got up, walked back to the bedroom, plugged it in to charge, and then opened a message lying in his WeChat—

Ah Nan: Brother Qingye, next week's modern history class has the final test. Don't forget to go.

Lin Qingye glanced at it, then at the time. He didn't reply, turned off the screen again, placed it face down on the bedside table, and walked out.

"Oh, right, Captain." Shi Si, holding a beer bottle, turned his head and called out to him. "Guan Chi asked me to apologize to you just now."

Lin Qingye raised an eyebrow, took out his cigarette case, tossed it on the table, and leaned back in his chair. "Why?"

Shi Si waved his hand. "Sigh, isn't it about him getting married? He feels like a traitor now."

Guan Chi was the band's drummer, but his family had always opposed him doing these "unrespectable" things. They had arranged various blind dates for him early on, hoping he would return to a normal family life.

Later, he met his current girlfriend, and his father at home fell seriously ill. It was indeed no longer appropriate to continue being so reckless, so he requested to leave the band.

Although it was called the Black Locust Band, in reality, only Lin Qingye represented the Black Locust Band; the others were all his fans.

The family backgrounds of the three of them were far inferior to Lin Qingye's. Plus, as they were gradually growing up, they had to consider real life more. It wasn't just Guan Chi; before long, Shi Si and Ji Yan wouldn't be able to continue either, which was why the idea of disbanding came up.

Lin Qingye showed no reaction. "Getting married is good."

Ji Yan: "Captain, you can always come to us if you need anything in the future."

Shi Si chimed in, "That's right, that's right."

Having been together for so many years, their band had a very good relationship, and the three of them were indeed very grateful to Lin Qingye.

Back when Lin Qingye won the award, there were countless opportunities, but they were all for him individually. For the sake of the band, Lin Qingye turned them all down.

The three of them chatted for a while.

Staying up late was a common occurrence for this group, and they didn't feel sleepy. Shi Si and Ji Yan even got more and more energetic as they chatted. By the time they left, it was already two in the morning.

Lin Qingye couldn't be bothered to go back to his apartment and planned to sleep directly at the studio. After washing up, he sat back down on the edge of the bed. As soon as he unlocked his phone, the chat page with Xu Zhinan appeared; he had just turned off the screen earlier without exiting.

He recalled the way Xu Zhinan had tried to hold back her sleepiness earlier, smiled, and still didn't reply.

The next morning, Xu Zhinan was woken up by the vibration of a phone call. She squinted to look at the caller ID.

In the dorm, Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue were still sleeping. She got up quietly, put on a jacket, gently pushed open the balcony door, and answered the phone, "Hello, Mom."

Mother Xu paused. "Did I wake you? Why are you up so late today?"

"I went to bed late yesterday." Xu Zhinan leaned against the railing and rubbed her eyes. "Mom, is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask if you were coming home today." Mother Xu quickly added, "But you have exams soon, right? If you're busy, just stay at school and study hard."

Xu Zhinan laughed and wheedled in a soft voice, "I was already planning to come see you today. I'll be home in a little while, Mom."

After hanging up, Xu Zhinan yawned again, finally fighting off the sleepiness. She forced her eyes open and tapped on WeChat.

The chat history with Lin Qingye was still stuck on the message she had sent in the early morning.

He still hadn't replied to her.

Xu Zhinan puffed her cheeks. Her dark lashes lowered, casting an arched shadow under her eyes in the sunlight. Then she slowly let out a breath and put her phone away.

Sliding the balcony door open and going back inside, she saw Jiang Yue climbing down from her bed. Jiang Yue was almost startled and asked in a whisper, "Why are you up so early?"

"My mom called me," Xu Zhinan said softly. "Are you going to the library?"

Jiang Yue sighed. "Yeah, I have to be the most diligent kid, or how will I get into the art academy's graduate program?"

Zhao Qian was still sleeping, so the two didn't talk much. It wasn't until they entered the bathroom with their tooth mugs that Jiang Yue asked again, "Ah Nan, your grades are so good. Have you ever thought about pursuing further studies?"

"Not really. I don't really like theoretical stuff."

"That's true," Jiang Yue nodded. "So you'll just run your tattoo shop in the future?"

"I guess so. I quite like it."

"That's great too. I've seen many top-tier upperclassmen open their own studios right after graduation, which is pretty similar to what you're doing now." Jiang Yue sighed with emotion. "That's so nice. You don't even have to worry about finding a job in the future."

Xu Zhinan was an art and design major. Running a tattoo shop where she had to draw many designs for customers every day could be considered, more or less, related to her field of study.

When the two of them left together after washing up, Zhao Qian was still sleeping soundly. Jiang Yue went to the library, while Xu Zhinan went to the East Gate to take the subway. They parted ways at the fork in the road.

When Xu Zhinan first enrolled as a freshman, she had received a lot of attention at the welcoming party and was even given the campus belle title of "Light of Pingchuan." Many school events would invite her, an art department student, to host. Because of her good temper and personality, she also made many friends.

On her way to the subway station, she ran into many people who greeted her.

Her home was far from the school. Pingchuan University was located in a University Town in the suburbs, while Xu Zhinan's home was on the other side of Yan City.

With two transfers, she could make it home just in time for lunch.

"Mom." The moment Xu Zhinan pushed open the door, she smelled the aroma of food.

Mother Xu came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. "Ah Nan is back. Wait a moment, the food will be ready soon. Have you been busy lately?"

"It's been okay, not too busy."

Xu Zhinan had originally planned to help in the kitchen, but a female customer from the tattoo shop suddenly sent her a message. It was a picture of a Samoyed.

Xu Zhinan's contact note for her only had a surname.

[Chen: This is my Lucky. I want to get a tattoo of him on my arm. Ah Nan, can you help me design it?]

Xu Zhinan took a sip of water and replied, "About how big?"

[Chen: Not too big. My arm is only so thick. About 10cm long is fine. Make it cute.]

[Xu Zhinan: Sure, just give me a rough idea of the design requirements, and then we can schedule a time for you to come to the shop.]

[Chen: Can it be done soon? I have a photoshoot with a photographer next week. It was a last-minute idea to get a tattoo of my Lucky and have it in the pictures.]

[Xu Zhinan: A tattoo like this needs a week to heal.]

Xu Zhinan frowned slightly and replied again.

[Xu Zhinan: How about this, I'll design the image for you first. If you're satisfied, we can do the tattoo this afternoon. Is that okay?]

[Chen: Yes! Love you!]

[Chen: Sending you a little heart.JPG]

Because she had taken on a sudden job, she took out her drawing board and started sketching right after lunch.

Ah Nan's grades in her major courses were excellent, so designing this kind of pattern was a piece of cake for her. She quickly drew a cute Samoyed and sent it to Miss Chen.

[Chen: Sob sob sob sob sob my Lucky is too cute!!]

[Chen: I can't wait to get him tattooed on me. Ah Nan, when are you free! I can't hold it in anymore!!]

So they settled on a time.

Unable to stay home any longer, Xu Zhinan got up. "Mom, I have to go back to the shop."

"Why are you going back so soon?"

"A customer is coming over on short notice." Xu Zhinan smiled. "I'll come back to keep you company as soon as my exams are over."

"But won't you still have to look after the shop?" Mother Xu patted her shoulder. "Don't get too tired."

"I know."

Before leaving, Xu Zhinan walked into a small room by the side door of the house. On a wooden table were offerings of fruit and pastries, and in the center was a black-and-white photograph.

Wearing a police uniform, with handsome features, it was Father Xu, who had died in the line of duty a few years ago.

Xu Zhinan placed a new stick of incense in the burner. Looking at her father in the photo frame, she said softly, "Dad, I'll come back to see you another day."

When she arrived at the tattoo shop, Miss Chen was already there.

She was holding an umbrella under the scorching sun, wearing a tank top and cargo pants, revealing a beautiful sleeve tattoo that had also been done at Xu Zhinan's shop before. She was a regular customer.

"Have you been waiting long? I'm sorry I'm late." Xu Zhinan walked over quickly.

Miss Chen waved her hand. "Not really. I could have waited for you in the car, but I had someone take it for repairs."

As Xu Zhinan took out her keys from her bag to open the door, she noticed a flyer rolled up in the door handle.

She took it down and glanced at it. It was a flyer with a red and black color scheme, with a few large words on it—Tattoo Design Contest. It was probably distributed by the event organizers to all the tattoo shops along the street.

She rolled the flyer back into a tube and unlocked the door. "Please come in."

The flyer was casually tossed onto a table. Xu Zhinan put on gloves and a mask. "I'll draw a sketch on your arm first."

Miss Chen held out her arm. "You know, I've found that getting tattoos is really addictive. I almost cried from the pain last time I was here, but now I can't help but want another one. No wonder those guys have tattoos all over their bodies."

Xu Zhinan said with a smile, "Many of the customers who come to my shop are repeat customers. After all, the number of people who choose to get tattoos is still small."

She quickly finished drawing, took out the tattoo machine, completed the sterilization preparations, and plugged it in, producing the buzzing sound of a motor.

Miss Chen frowned. "Ouch, but I'm still a bit scared when I hear this sound."

"Here, please don't move your hand. I'm starting the tattoo."

The young woman wore a mask that covered half her face. In the sunlight, you could still see the fine fuzz on her skin. She was quiet and focused, her dark lashes lowered, watching the ink-tipped needle pierce the skin again and again without even blinking.

She looked cool in an indescribable way.

With this thing, if the tattoo artist is skilled, there isn't much pain at first. It's only later that it starts to feel numb and painful from the pricking.

Miss Chen wasn't feeling much pain yet. She watched her for a moment and couldn't help but laugh. "Ah Nan, how did you become a tattoo artist? You really don't look the part."

"I learned from a master before. Then I opened this shop after starting university."

"So you started learning in high school?"

"Yeah. My father passed away back then. I originally wanted to earn money, but I ended up finding it quite interesting."

Miss Chen was taken aback, not expecting such a story. After saying she was sorry, she changed the subject. "But how come you don't have any tattoos yourself? I see other tattoo artists with full sleeves."

"There's nothing in particular I want to get tattooed." Xu Zhinan smiled, her voice soft. "I don't want to get one and regret it later."

"That's true, that's true. I hear getting a tattoo removed is especially painful, right?"

"Yes, it's much more painful than getting one."

A small tattoo like this didn't take long, finishing in about an hour. Xu Zhinan took off her gloves, pulled her mask down to her chin, and wrapped that section of the arm in plastic wrap.

"You can take off the plastic wrap in three hours."

Just as she finished speaking, the screen of the phone beside her lit up.

[Brother Qingye: Teacher Xu, could you tutor me?]

It was a reply to her message from last night.

But it was already three in the afternoon.

Miss Chen teased, "A message from your boyfriend? You're smiling so sweetly."

Xu Zhinan paused and looked up at the mirror placed beside her. The corners of her mouth were turned up.

"You two must have a great relationship. I can tell you really like him," she said, looking like someone with experience.

Yeah.

I just like him so much.

Like him enough to be this happy just from receiving a message that was hours late.

Author's Note:

Xu 'The Emotionless Tattoo Assassin' Zhinan is online.

Lin Qingye, too young to know the value of a wife, can only tattoo his wife on his body to atone for his sins in the future.