Paper Life 21

"Eat him."

Because he couldn't bear to let go, whether it was the eyes or the mouth, the tips of the hair or the tips of the ears, they all looked like the world's most precious treasures. Therefore, Yu Zhibai wanted to break the person in front of him into little pieces and eat him into his stomach, swallowing him skin and flesh alike. That way, he and Shang Nan would become the two most intimate parts in the world.

Shang Nan leaned back against the edge of the table. The hard marble pressed right against his shoulder blades; it hurt a little, but it kept him awake.

He looked at Yu Zhibai. Yu Zhibai was not revealing his appearance as a Paper Person right now; his eyebrows and eyes were gentle and elegant, and his tone of voice was the same as usual. Only the look in his eyes as he looked at Shang Nan had undergone a shallow change.

Shang Nan could tell that the Paper Person was truly thinking about whether he could eat him.

Not the kind of eating in adult movies.

It was the kind of eating that involved peeling skin and pulling tendons, dismantling bones and extracting flesh.

Shang Nan's hand slowly rested on the table. He grabbed a homework notebook and blocked the space between them. "There are a few questions I don't know how to do."

Yu Zhibai slowly lowered his eyes. After a long while, he straightened up and took the homework notebook from Shang Nan's hand. "Which ones?"

[14: He's so easy to trick.]

Yu Zhibai was very smart. He must have been a very clever child when he was young. His problem-solving methods were simple and not cumbersome, making them easier to digest and remember. He was indeed a top student who firmly sat at the number one spot in the grade.

Actually, these questions posed no difficulty for Shang Nan. He didn't know why he knew how to do them either; anyway, when he held the pen, the train of thought for solving the problems naturally arose in his mind.

But no matter how smart Yu Zhibai was, he was still just a student.

"Yu Zhibai," Shang Nan looked at Yu Zhibai seriously listing formulas on the scratch paper, leaned over, and asked, "What university do you want to test into?"

Looking forward to a beautiful future, chatting about life ideals, letting the monster be full of hope for the future and full of yearning for life.

The pen in Yu Zhibai's hand did not stop. "Haven't thought about it."

"Your grades are so good, you'll definitely go to the best university." Shang Nan propped up his chin; he said this completely unconsciously.

"Is that so?" Yu Zhibai recalled Shang Nan's rotten grades. Contrary to Shang Nan's likable face, his scores often made teachers of all subjects fume with rage. "What about you?"

"Me? Anything is fine," Shang Nan replied.

Hearing Shang Nan's answer, Yu Zhibai glanced at him. The meaning contained in his eyes was very complex. He even stopped listing formulas for Shang Nan. The Paper Person rarely revealed such a look full of the smoke and fire of the mortal world.

But on second thought, it made sense. As the heir of the Shang Family, he didn't need to worry about grades at all. There were plenty of people lining up to help him sit firmly on the throne of the empire his father had conquered for him.

In Shang Nan's eyes, there was the primitive purity and fearlessness of humans.

Yu Zhibai withdrew his gaze and continued to list formulas, while whispering softly: "Perhaps, we can test into the same university."

Such a cheesy request and hope.

But Yu Zhibai was sincere.

Only then did Shang Nan regain his attention. He let out an "Ah," and delayed answering for a long time.

Yu Zhibai completely stopped his pen this time. His fingernail quickly dug a hole in the homework notebook. "You aren't willing?"

"It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that I might not be able to get into the university you test into." Shang Nan answered honestly. He didn't notice Yu Zhibai's expression changing several times.

Yu Zhibai's desire for control completely exceeded normal values, and it wasn't within the scope of 14's assessment points. The problem was, before this, no one had anticipated that a monster would love a human so much.

It was a Paper Person, after all. No matter how highly similar its appearance was to a human, it was empty inside. Whatever it cared about, that was what its body held. It had cleared out a portion of resentment to leave a spot for Shang Nan. If Shang Nan... if Shang Nan... then it would stuff Shang Nan into that missing empty patch.

[14: Nannan, pay attention to the blackening value; there are signs of it rising.]

Shang Nan's fingers tapped inadvertently on the table a few times. He leaned his upper body towards Yu Zhibai and blinked. "But, you can tutor me. I can work hard for you."

After a long time, Yu Zhibai finally revealed a smile. "Okay."

It began to bury its head in listing formulas and highlighting key points again.

It thought, if Nannan were also a Paper Person, then tutoring wouldn't be needed at all. It would only need to write down the knowledge points and stuff them in for him to eat.

But if it did that, Nannan wouldn't be Nannan anymore, and there would be much less fun.

......

Shang Nan stayed in the hospital for three days before being discharged. On the day he was discharged, the doctors and nurses on the entire floor breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that they felt Shang Nan was difficult to serve; on the contrary, this little young master of the Shang Family was unexpectedly easy to talk to. He had none of the arrogance and unruliness that rich children were most prone to having. The one difficult to serve was his mother. Although she wasn't there in person, the maid at home would call every day to ask all sorts of questions, the angles of which were so tricky they were outrageous.

Li Houde came to pick Shang Nan up from the hospital and sent him back home. He appeared very guilty. "If I hadn't taken leave that day, I wouldn't have let something happen to you."

Shang Nan had never thought of blaming anyone from beginning to end. "It's fine. Besides, I wasn't injured."

Not only was he not injured, but during these few days in the hospital, what he ate and drank were all personally made and delivered by Yu Zhibai. They were complete in color, fragrance, and taste. Shang Nan was fed until his complexion was even better than before he was kidnapped.

But obviously, Li Houde still couldn't get over it in his heart. After sending Shang Nan home, he ran to the fruit shop to buy two large bags of fruit and delivered them to Shang Nan's house.

"Then you rest first. I'll take you to school tomorrow."

After finishing up, it was only noon. Shang Nan planned to go out for a meal and incidentally visit someone at the detention center.

Lu Yang was locked in a room alone. He didn't speak and didn't eat. He didn't even know when his father came in. On the first day he came in, he was beaten black and blue by his father; several people tried to stop it but couldn't.

When Shang Nan saw him, although the wounds on his face had been treated, they were still very obvious.

Seeing Shang Nan, Lu Yang lifted his eyelids, then sat up from the bed and patted his knees. "What are you here for?"

Shang Nan stood at the door, smiled, and said, "Your dad used all your shares in exchange for me raising my hand in mercy."

Lu Yang lowered his head, showing no emotion. After a long time, he sneered, looking down on that old thing's actions very much. "No need for you to raise any noble hand. Handle it however it should be handled."

After he finished speaking, he looked up. Probably because he hadn't slept much these past few days, his face was pale and his eye sockets were slightly sunken. When he spoke through gritted teeth, his cheeks twitched. "Help me ask Yu Zhibai, ask him if he can sleep at night, ask..."

"The bully isn't him, why wouldn't he be able to sleep?" Shang Nan asked Lu Yang in return.

"His mom seduced my dad! What he eats and drinks is all my dad's! My mom died because of his mom! Why should he be able to sleep?" Lu Yang was playing ball in the yard at that time. The ball hit the window on the second floor, the glass shattered with a crash, followed by a muffled "thud". The ball and his mother fell to the ground together, but the ball could bounce up again, while his mother would never stand up again.

The events that followed were like a movie with the fast-forward button pressed: funeral music, eulogies, wreaths, a father feigning weeping, a newlywed father... Lu Yang felt that all of this was because of Yu Zhibai's mother.

Shang Nan lowered his eyes to look at Lu Yang, who was sitting on the bed like a stray dog, and asked in a low voice, "Isn't the one you should blame the most your father?"

[14: Usually, men are invisible or can even be innocent in the end; this is a very common phenomenon.]

"Lu Yang, rest well," Shang Nan recalled what Zhang Gou said that night. "You might not be able to have a good sleep in the future."

The weather was misty. Even if it wasn't raining, the air was wet and carried water.

When Shang Nan came out of the detention center, he passed by a dessert shop. The shop was named Tazi's Home. The cakes displayed in the window were fresh and exquisite. He stood outside the window and watched for a while. A shop assistant walked out and said enthusiastically, "We have freshly made pistachio and black tea cupcakes. Would the customer like to come in and take a look?"

Shang Nan thought that since Yu Zhibai hadn't finished school yet anyway, he could buy one for Yu Zhibai to eat. speaking of which, could he taste flavors?

Thinking this, Shang Nan had already stepped into the dessert shop.

When he came out again, he was carrying four or five boxes containing cakes in his hand.

14 felt he couldn't eat that much. While buying, it spoke more than ever before, more than it did during missions.

[14: I don't like the black tea ones. The pistachio ones look good. Ask them, what kind of nut crumbs are sprinkled on top?]

[14: Should be a bit sour, right?]

[14: You bought too much, you won't finish them.]

Shang Nan looked at the gloomy sky and turned his steps. "Let's go visit Grandma."

[14: Who?]

Shang Nan replied, "Yu Changyue, Yu Zhibai's grandmother."

Happiness Community was nearly half an hour's drive from the city center. The rusty big iron gate was unlocked year-round, and the greenery in the yard grew wildly like dancing demons; it was estimated that it would be tidied up only once in a long while.

Most of the people living here were elderly people without children by their sides. It wasn't raining today, and several chess tables were set up at the entrance of the community. Some played chess, some played poker; they looked quite at ease.

In such an old place, even the fallen leaves had fixed trajectories and quantities. They also knew which families the smell of chili and pickled vegetables drifted from, remaining the same for ten years.

So when Shang Nan walked in, they repeatedly looked in Shang Nan's direction and finally couldn't help shouting, "Hey kid, what are you looking at so sneakily?"

Not... not sneaking.

Shang Nan carried the cakes and answered with a very good attitude, "I'm here to find Granny Yu."

When the group of old men and women heard he was looking for Granny Yu, their expressions changed, and even their wrinkles were filled with disgust and bad luck. After looking at each other, a bald old man with a dry pipe in his mouth said, "Seeing that you look kind, like a good child, I'll kindly remind you..." Before he finished, the old man took a big puff of smoke and continued to say slowly what he hadn't finished, "The building Granny Yu lives in doesn't have many people living in it now. It's haunted! Yu She has come to claim her life; she used Yu She's life to extend her own..."

"Stop talking, stop talking, isn't that unlucky?" Another old man beside him patted him twice. The speaking old man gave Shang Nan a "think it over, kid" look and then turned back to continue playing chess.

Shang Nan didn't dispel the idea of going upstairs to visit because of his words.

The small iron gate at the entrance of Building 11 was open. Probably because the door wasn't closed, rain had blown in over the past two days, accumulating a rather deep puddle at the entrance. Shang Nan jumped over carrying the cakes. After standing firm, he looked up and saw a round and large face looking at him with burning eyes.

......

Shang Nan almost passed out.

"What are you doing here?" Shang Nan asked Yu Xiaoyu.

Yu Xiaoyu lay on the handrail. Yu Zhibai had molded a very round face, like one drawn with a compass, so it was somewhat distorted. Plus, being made of paper and without much care, she looked like a paper girl just moved down from some funeral, only slightly more lively.

"I saw you when you entered the main gate; I came down to pick you up." When those old men and women stopped Shang Nan, Yu Xiaoyu was really afraid Shang Nan would turn around and leave. The family hadn't had a guest for many years.

Yu Xiaoyu led Shang Nan back home. It had been raining continuously these past few days, so the house was as dark as late afternoon, but unexpectedly there was no dampness or gloominess.

Yu Xiaoyu turned on the light and poured a cup of hot water in front of Shang Nan. "Xiao Bai has been in a good mood these past few days. He's almost finished making it." Saying that, she pointed with her hand.

Shang Nan looked in the direction she pointed. It was a paper person with a similar body shape to Yu Xiaoyu, only male, wearing a red short jacket.

"What is this?" Yu Xiaoyu saw the beautiful boxes on the table.

"Cakes."

She pressed her face against the box to look inside, eyes eager. Shang Nan asked in a low voice, "Do you want to eat? I brought them for you guys anyway."

Yu Xiaoyu shook her head. "I don't need to eat. I just think it's very pretty."

A strange sound came from a room, like a mouse squeaking. Yu Xiaoyu turned around. "Grandma is awake, calling me. I'll go help her up."

She went in for a long time before helping the elderly woman walk out with difficulty.

This was the first time Shang Nan had seen Yu Changyue standing in front of him—she was indeed very old, with wrinkles running across her face and cloudy eyes, but her gaze was bright. She was wrapped in several layers of blankets, like a dying tree wrapped in a thick layer of cotton cloth to protect against the wind, when in fact the trunk had completely lost moisture and nutrients.

Yu Xiaoyu originally wanted to help her to the sofa she usually sat on, but Yu Changyue raised her hand at this moment and pointed to the seat next to Shang Nan.

Shang Nan was stunned, then stood up immediately. "Please sit."

Yu Changyue sat down in the seat next to Shang Nan with great difficulty and also signaled for Shang Nan to sit.

The smell on the old woman wasn't unpleasant; presumably, Yu Xiaoyu stayed at home specifically to take care of her.

After sitting down, Yu Changyue didn't speak for a long time. Even the sound of the second hand ticking was louder than all the sounds in the room combined. Yu Xiaoyu and that unfinished paper male stood in a row; they didn't understand humans.

"It likes you very much," Yu Changyue said suddenly. Her voice was very weak, like someone who had been ill for a long time and hadn't recovered. After speaking, she gasped for a big breath, followed by another long silence.

Shang Nan held the water cup. "Yu Zhibai?"

Yu Changyue shook her head extremely slowly. "No."

Shang Nan lowered his head and thought for a while. He thought that the "it" Yu Changyue mentioned should be the Paper Person.

But isn't the Paper Person just Yu Zhibai?

[14: Yu Changyue originally worked in an industry dealing with spirits and ghosts. She won't accept that a Paper Person is her grandson, even if it is.]

Yu Changyue let out a light snort from her nose. "I advise you to stay away from him. It's not a good thing, just a guy who put on a good-looking human skin, turning hostile and ruthless."

The old lady didn't have many teeth left, plus she was weak, so her articulation was a bit unclear when speaking. Even when mocking people, it sounded like low nagging, without momentum, and no malice could be heard.

Shang Nan didn't participate in this topic. He knew quite clearly how scary Yu Zhibai was.

"Grandma, do you want to eat cake?"

"His... what cake?" Yu Changyue's eyes widened, and she moved her head within the thick blanket.

Shang Nan stood up and went to the table to get a chestnut cream cake. He squatted in front of the coffee table, untied the ribbon tied to the surface of the box, and the paper box spread open on four sides, diffusing a rich chestnut scent.

He handed over a small spoon. "Do you need me to help you?"

"No need." This sentence, however, was answered decisively and with full vigor.

Yu Changyue's hand holding the spoon kept shaking. She only skimmed a layer of chestnut paste and cream from the top, a very small mouthful, and fed it into her mouth. She ate with great difficulty, and her chewing speed was also very slow.

"Ah She liked sweets and would also buy sweets for me," Yu Changyue snorted coldly. She held the spoon in her hand but didn't continue eating. "That guy rarely buys cakes for me."

Shang Nan looked up at the old woman, a faint smile in his eyes. He thought, Grandma Yu probably just hated the Paper Person with her mouth; how could she not love Yu Zhibai?

"Anyway, you have to be careful of him, don't be deceived by him." After saying this, Yu Changyue seemed to have used up all her strength. She was wrapped in the blanket again and stopped eating the cake. The cake on the coffee table looked completely untouched.

Shang Nan stood up and pulled the blanket up a little.

[14: I feel that she is dying soon, probably within this period.]

Shang Nan lowered his eyes to look at this old woman who was completely withered and shriveled. Unfortunately, the white-haired person sent off the black-haired person, sending away her daughter and grandson. The silver lining in the misfortune was that she forcibly kept Yu Zhibai in this world, and there was someone to care for her in old age and bury her.

Some movements came from outside, rustling, not noisy, but impossible to ignore.

Yu Xiaoyu lay on the peephole of the door frame to look outside. Before she could see clearly, a basin of blood was splashed towards her. There was a very heavy smell of blood. She screamed and retreated repeatedly, only realizing that the door was splashed with blood, not her, after finding herself clean.

She looked at Shang Nan somewhat helplessly. "I'm not afraid of blood, but they come every few days, saying it's to drive away evil spirits." Although she wasn't afraid of blood, no matter what blood it was—she was derived from Yu Zhibai, and if Yu Zhibai wasn't afraid, she naturally wasn't afraid either—she couldn't appear in front of people, or that would really be evil.

Shang Nan asked her to take the semi-finished paper effigy and hide well. "I'll do it."

After Yu Xiaoyu dragged the semi-finished paper effigy and hid in the room, Shang Nan pulled the door open. The people outside jumped in fright and hurriedly ran down a few steps. Seeing it was a human, their suspended hearts were put back down.

Shang Nan looked at this group of people, as well as the bright, piercing red on the ground, walls, and door, wet and dripping down. It was a scene more bloody and cruel than a crime scene.

There were about ten people who came, both men and women. Pouring a few basins of blood didn't need so many people; the extra people were probably here to help embolden them, after all, this Granny Yu was very evil.

"Who are you? Why are you in Granny Yu's house?" The leading man looked very rugged; in a movie, he would be a character who upheld justice and punished evil. He stared at Shang Nan with eyes like a water buffalo's.

This young man didn't look like someone who could be related to Granny Yu at first glance; he was clean, wealthy, and had a natural sense of nobility. Standing in the blood-filled corridor, he looked like a pearl wrapped in bright red rose petals.

Shang Nan's tone wasn't very good either. "A friend."

"Whose friend?" The burly man's eyes rolled. "Yu Zhibai's friend? He actually has friends?"

Shang Nan wouldn't answer such an idiotic question; he just quietly watched the group of people positioned below him.

They started chattering, preaching, and accusing, even verbally abusing this young man who was obviously standing up for the Yu family.

"Who are you to meddle so much?"

"Do you know that when Granny Yu is about to die, she will kill people again to extend her life?"

"The last one was Yu She, be careful the next one isn't you!" As they spoke, they pointed their fingers at Shang Nan, their facial features twisted and dislocated.

Shang Nan was too lazy to listen. He went to the corner of the corridor, bent down, and picked up a broom from a pile of debris. He walked back in front of the group of people, looking down from above, arrogant, his tone full of threat, "If there is a next time, I'll... flatten this community."

Most of the residents of Happiness Community were older and had lived here all their lives. If they really had to leave here, most people would probably be reluctant to go no matter how much money was given.

This community had already been included in the scope of urban planning, and the people who refused to move out accounted for the majority. Being able to live one more day counted as one day. What's more, current demolition compensation was long unlike the past; giving a token amount was like dismissing beggars.

Some people didn't believe it. Even after discussion, they still didn't believe it. After all, Shang Nan looked too young. Compared to them, he was just a child.

14 quietly reminded Shang Nan and supplemented him with information.

After Shang Nan understood, he slowly rolled up his sleeves, squatted on the steps, and pointed the broom at the woman behind the burly man. "Your son just got an internship qualification at the Shang Group."

He pointed to another one. "Your wife serves as the deputy section chief in the logistics section of the Shang Group's headquarters."

Another one. "You, Shang Group security guard, off duty today."

Shang Nan's hooliganism seemed natural. He laughed and, under the uneasy expressions of everyone, said, "If you still don't leave, then... all fired."

After a brief silence, the woman who was pointed at first hugged her basin and said, "Forget it, forget it. Better safe than sorry. If what he says is true, my son will definitely make a scene with me; he prepared for three months for this interview."

Once she spoke up, the others couldn't hold on either. After egging each other on, they squeezed and ran downstairs, leaving only the burly man alone. He couldn't hold out by himself and panted angrily a few times. "You just wait, Granny Yu will take your dog life tonight!"

Shang Nan: "..."

Shang Nan looked at the mess on the ground, the animal blood of unknown origin sticking to the soles of his shoes, the smell of blood and dust in the air, and the glass windows covered by thick dust, through which light rarely shone in.

His nose suddenly felt a bit sour. Did Yu Zhibai grow up in this kind of environment? If he could feel pain and sadness, how agonizing would it have been for him?

He didn't know how long he squatted. When he held the broom and slowly stood up, his legs were a bit numb, and he leaned against the wall for a long time before recovering.

When he looked up, he saw Yu Zhibai appearing at the corner—Shang Nan didn't know when the other party had appeared.

Yu Zhibai's gaze moved inch by inch from Shang Nan's face to Shang Nan's shoe uppers and trouser legs stained with blood. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes becoming wooden, his face deathly pale.

Shang Nan sensed the other party's change and the sudden rise in hostility. He threw down the broom, ran down the stairs in a few steps, threw himself over to hug Yu Zhibai's neck, and kissed his face. "It's okay, I chased them all away..."

Yu Zhibai raised his hand and slowly held Shang Nan's waist. As if half a century had passed, Yu Zhibai lowered his head and buried it in the hollow of Shang Nan's neck, letting out a sob.