Fierce Deskmate - Chapter 1 - Mr. Heel!

The sun blazed fiercely, as if trying to melt everything in its path. The entire city was wrapped in steel and concrete, suffocatingly tight, like an invisible net clinging to the skin, sticky and nauseating, impossible to shake off.

Chen Shu, dressed in a white shirt and black pants, strode confidently under the scorching midday sun, wearing handcrafted Black Dragonfly leather shoes from a century-old store in Wenzhou¹. He felt as light as a feather, his steps swift, as if every girl and elderly woman on the street had their eyes fixed on him.

A girl’s voice called out from behind, “Hey handsome, you dropped something.”

A pick-up line! It had to be a pick-up line! Chen Shu had seen this cliché in novels and movies countless times. It was so corny, so predictable, so unbearably trite.

He turned around gracefully and asked in a deep voice, “What?”

The girl held up a black object and asked, “Is this your heel?”

“Keep it,” Chen Shu said, fleeing in embarrassment.

He would never forget that day… Their first meeting… She held up that shoe heel… It was as glaring as the sunlight above…

“Hey…” The girl was momentarily stunned, waving the heel in the air as she shouted at Chen Shu’s retreating figure, “Your heel…”

There are many things you wouldn’t notice unless someone points them out, like “You’ve gained weight,” “Your best friend is badmouthing you,” or “You’ve lost a heel.”

Admittedly, a shoe missing a heel is indeed inconvenient for walking. Chen Shu wanted to mimic those TV heroines who, upon losing a heel, would take off both shoes and run barefoot, their feet gleaming white, looking both alluring and cute.

However, he remembered that today he was wearing mismatched socks-one black, one blue. The black one had a big hole at the front, with two toes peeking out mischievously, surveying the surroundings. He abandoned the tempting idea.

He limped back to his rented apartment, only to find that most of the clothes in the wardrobe and items on the vanity had vanished, as if cleanly severed from his previous world. On the dining table lay a letter, which Chen Shu tossed into the trash without opening.

The anticipated ending had arrived, and even sadness seemed out of place.

He kicked off his shoes, peeled off his socks, stripped off his clothes, and dashed into the bathroom for a shower.

After changing into clean shorts and a T-shirt, he sat at the table, refreshed, to enjoy the Green Pepper Rice Bowl he had just brought home.

He took a big bite, the aroma of eggs and the spiciness of green peppers filling his mouth, secreting a sense of fulfillment from his taste buds. Moments ago, his body felt empty, his soul drifting like stardust in space, homeless.

Chen Shu shoveled food into his mouth, barely chewing before swallowing, then continued shoveling…

“Ah!” Rice grains shot out of his nose, and Chen Shu began to cough violently.

He coughed as if his life depended on it, as if his heart was being torn apart, as if bile was about to spew forth.

When the coughing subsided, he raised his head, eyes moist, face already streaked with tears.

“Spicy-” Chen Shu tilted his head back desperately, trying to prevent tears from falling, “So spicy!”

The rice expelled from his nostrils landed back in the plate, making it impossible to continue eating. He tidied up the meal and poured himself a cup of warm water, sitting at the desk.

The desk doubled as the dining table; when food was on it, it was a dining table, when books were on it, it was a desk. The wisdom of the working class was boundless, as they were not particularly picky.

Chen Shu opened the manuscript paper, intending to continue writing the story he had been working on for over half a year.

But after pondering for a long time, he didn’t know how to start.

He tried to control his thoughts, but memories of their time together kept surfacing. Perhaps those scenes had long been etched into his bones, becoming a part of him.

“Chen Shu, I like you!”

“Your nose is big and round, like a pig’s nose. I’ll call you Pighead…”

“Chen Shu, shall we go to Paris for our honeymoon? Or maybe Florence…”

Chen Shu’s eyes reddened again, looking at the empty room, muttering to himself, “How can someone be like this? How can you just stop liking someone?”

Chen Shu washed his face in the bathroom, emerging calm.

He picked up a pen and carefully wrote on the blank paper:

Today marks two years and ninety-one days since arriving in Flower City.

Today marks five years and seventeen days of dating Ling Chen.

Today, I lost a heel; today, I experienced my first heartbreak.

Chen Shu was half-asleep when the phone rang beside his pillow.

He grabbed the phone, pressed the answer button, and asked softly, “Hello-”

“Chen-Shu!” Tang Dahai’s voice paused briefly before shouting, “Can you speak properly? You scared the hell out of me.”

“Speak quickly if you have something to say, hang up if you don’t.” Chen Shu was in a bad mood, and people in a bad mood have various privileges with their friends, such as being unreasonable, shouting, swearing, eating without paying, and vomiting all over their friend’s place when drunk.

“Where are you? Come sing with us,” Tang Dahai shouted into the phone, “Ruyi is here too. Same old place, 317.”

Without giving Chen Shu any time to respond, he hung up decisively.

Chen Shu held the phone, feeling conflicted.

Go? I’m heartbroken, I’ve already laid down, I don’t want to go out, I don’t want to take a bus, I don’t want to see anyone…

Don’t go? Dahai has already booked a room, Ruyi has already gone to meet him, I’m heartbroken, I’m in a bad mood, I want to drink, I want to sing, I want to curse that heartless woman with my friends…

Go? Or not go?

That is the question.

“Slap!”

Chen Shu slapped himself on the face.

This question isn’t a question; my zodiac sign is the problem.

Damn Libra!

Mingzhu is a well-known luxury KTV in Flower City. With Chen Shu’s meager salary and Li Ruyi’s semi-unemployed status, they couldn’t possibly afford it. But in the mouth of the wealthy third-generation and famous Flower City radio host Young Master Tang, it became “lacking a bit of cultural flavor.”

When the waiter helped open the door to room 317, Young Master Tang was singing “Love in the Storm” with a tall, fair-skinned girl. Black hair, long legs, fair skin-Young Master Tang had a preference for this type. The pretty boy Li Ruyi, drinking alone, raised his beer bottle in greeting. Li Ruyi always preferred drinking beer straight from the bottle, never using a glass.

Chen Shu was about to sit next to Li Ruyi when the music stopped at “floating in the sea of people, drifting like a dream.”

Young Master Tang, wearing a plaid shirt, beckoned Chen Shu over, smiling as he called out, “Chen Shu, you finally made it. Let me introduce you.”

“I know her, it’s Qiqi,” Chen Shu glanced at the girl and said.

“Not Qiqi.” Young Master Tang’s expression turned awkward.

“…It’s Rongrong, I remember now. We had skewers under Haizhu Bridge last time.”

“Not Rongrong…” Young Master Tang’s face changed dramatically.

Chen Shu took a serious look at the girl and finally gave up on the difficult task, saying, “Alright, you introduce her, I’ll go with your answer.”

“I’m Gege.” Surprisingly, the girl stood up, extended her hand to Chen Shu, and said, “Hello Chen Shu, I’ve heard a lot about you from Young Master Tang. He says you’re his best brother.”

Chen Shu shook hands with Gege and said, “If he talks about me, it’s never good.”

“It’s actually good things. He says Chen Shu is talented, writing great articles since college. Li Ruyi is as handsome as Pan An², destined to become an international star like Tom Cruise. Only he has neither talent nor looks, just money.”

After Gege finished speaking, she covered her mouth and giggled. Chen Shu and Li Ruyi exchanged a glance, both feeling the urge to eliminate Young Master Tang.

They wished they had Batman’s unique skills.

Young Master Tang pulled Chen Shu to sit beside him, personally pouring him a glass of beer, and said with a bitter smile, “I know you’re upset. Ling Chen called me, and I couldn’t refuse, right? Before answering, I didn’t know you two broke up. I had to respectfully call her sister-in-law, but you can’t break up a couple, can you? Gege and I are true love. If you deliberately mention my previous girlfriends in front of her, what if she thinks I’m a scumbag?”

“Misunderstanding?” Chen Shu scoffed.

“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about my love life. Let’s talk about yours.” Young Master Tang quickly changed the subject, “What happened between you and Ling Chen?”

“What did she tell you?” Chen Shu downed his drink and asked sullenly.

“She said she broke up with you and is very worried about your state, afraid you’ll do something rash alone, so she asked me to look after you.” Young Master Tang grinned foolishly, saying, “See, even though Ling Chen doesn’t want you anymore, she broke up cleanly and brightly, and she’s still worried you’ll do something rash.”

“Whose side are you on?” Chen Shu asked coldly.

“But this doesn’t change the fact that she’s materialistic and vain, does it? How many years? How many years have you been together? Four years in college, two years after graduation. I’ve watched you two all the way. In what way are you not good enough for her? In what way are you not good enough for her?”

“In every way,” Chen Shu said.

Young Master Tang was stunned, saying, “Don’t belittle yourself. What kind of achievements can a fresh graduate have? She’s no different…”

“But she’s good-looking.”

“That’s true.” Young Master Tang sighed lightly. Then, with eyes wide open, he said angrily, “I’m defending you, and you’re still protecting her? You’ve already broken up; you can’t be like before.”

“…” Chen Shu was silent. Yes, they had broken up. Continuing to protect her, not allowing anyone to say a bad word about her, would be crossing the line.

People must know their place!

“You need to take a stance. With a stance, you have friends. Otherwise, I won’t know which side to stand on.”

“No need to stand.” Chen Shu raised his glass again, “We’re completely done, never to see each other again. Come on, let’s drink.”

“Drink, drink, let’s not leave until we’re drunk.” Young Master Tang hugged Chen Shu, raising his glass to clink heavily with his.

Chen Shu wiped his lips and said, “I’ll sing a song for you.”

Young Master Tang grabbed Chen Shu, pleading, “How about we just drink?”

“No, I want to sing ‘You’re Poison’ for Ling Chen.”

Gege, sitting at the song selection table, helped choose “You’re Poison,” and Chen Shu snatched the microphone from Li Ruyi, starting to howl.

“What should we do?” Li Ruyi, the silent type, looked at Chen Shu’s ferocious face while singing and asked softly.

“Find a way to make him drink more. If he drinks enough, he won’t have time to sing.”

“…”

Drinking. Singing.

Singing. Drinking.

Downing drinks with Tang Dahai, chugging bottles with Li Ruyi.

Singing “Having You in My Life,” singing “If This Isn’t Love,” singing “Just Want to Walk with You for Life,” and even singing “A Thousand Reasons to Be Sad”…

Young Master Tang returned from outside and whispered in Chen Shu’s ear, “I just saw superstar Kong Xi, right next door. Want to go say hi? Aren’t you writing that pilot script? Show her your work? What’s that saying? People who fail in love will succeed in their career.”

“Who said that?”

Young Master Tang tilted his head, thought for a while, and said angrily, “Who cares who said it? Did you hear what I said? I know Mr. Li from Dongzheng. Let’s go toast him, and you can take the opportunity to connect with Kong Xi?”

“Watch your language. Cultural exchanges between intellectuals are called artistic exchanges.”

“Alright, alright, let’s go have an artistic exchange.” Young Master Tang raised his glass and said, “Brother, the chance to change your life has arrived.”

“No,” Chen Shu said, snatching the microphone from Li Ruyi again.

“…”

Chen Shu felt the room was too oppressive, giving him an urge to tear himself apart.

He stumbled into the bathroom and vomited, then staggered back.

Pushing open the door to the room, Chen Shu was suddenly dumbfounded.

He didn’t recognize anyone inside.

He blinked hard, still not recognizing anyone.

His room was 317, but the room he was in now was-371.

He had entered the wrong room!

Chen Shu’s unexpected intrusion drew everyone’s attention to him.

“I…” Chen Shu wanted to apologize and then leave.

“There you are.” In the middle of the crowd, a beautiful girl jumped up, quickly approached, and hooked her arm around Chen Shu’s, playfully saying, “We’ve been waiting for you for ages. Did you drink too much next door? Come on, I’ll take you home.”

With that, she led Chen Shu out of the room.

“Hey, Kong Xi…” Someone stood up to persuade.

“Next time,” the girl said, waving to the crowd in the room.

Chen Shu, still dazed, was led by the girl to the entrance of Mingzhu. The cool breeze sobered him up a bit, and he looked at the girl, saying, “I don’t think I know you.”

“But I know you.” The girl smiled sweetly, “Mr. Heel.”

Footnote:

1. Wenzhou(温州):A city in southeastern China known for its entrepreneurial spirit and strong business culture. It’s famous for producing many successful businessmen and is a hub for manufacturing.
2. Pan An(潘安):A renowned poet and official from the Jin Dynasty in China, celebrated for his exceptional beauty and literary talent.