Little Octopus - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
October 1, 2018.
I broke up with my boyfriend of three years.
To this day, he has no idea I found out about his cheating. He’s still desperately begging me to take him back.
Unfortunately for him, I didn’t have the patience to watch his performance.
The very next day, I quit my job, spent most of my savings on a used Wrangler, and set off alone on a road trip to Dali.
There was a massive traffic jam on the highway, so I took the nearest exit. Following the navigation, I ended up winding through a series of twisting mountain roads.
However, the traffic on the mountain road was backed up for miles, and my phone lost its signal.
More unbearable than the traffic jam itself was the urge to pee.
Guys can just use an empty bottle to solve the problem, but what was I supposed to do?
The river of cars flowed sluggishly. When I finally spotted a farmhouse, I scrambled out of the car to borrow their restroom.
As it turned out, they charged for the privilege.
I didn’t have any cash, my phone had no signal, and the farmhouse didn’t have Wi-Fi.
In that moment, I truly understood what it meant to be “defeated by a single penny.”
A man nearby wearing a black bucket hat noticed my predicament. With a casual wave of his hand, he generously tossed down five yuan, rescuing me from my crisis.
“Thank you.”
The man didn’t say a word. He just waved to indicate it was no big deal and walked out of the farmhouse without looking back.
The cars continued to crawl at a snail’s pace.
I don’t know how much time passed, but the daylight eventually faded away.
The river of cars winding down the mountain with their headlights on was actually quite a magnificent sight.
About half an hour later, the speed picked up slightly. It wasn’t fast-maybe twenty or thirty miles per hour-but compared to before, it felt like flying.
I saw the man in the bucket hat again.
He was running.
I honked the horn and slowed down next to him. “Need a lift?”
He gave me a brilliant smile. “Yes.”
In that instant, I was struck by his smile.
It was natural, pure, and completely without artifice.
It turns out men aren’t the only ones who like the “innocent” type; I do too, haha.
He hopped into the passenger seat.
He explained that after using the restroom, he thought he’d take a little walk. He hadn’t expected the traffic to suddenly clear up. His family’s car had driven past without seeing him, and he’d been running to catch up. The car just kept getting faster, and since there was no signal in this stretch, he couldn’t call them.
I smiled and told him it was fine. Once we got a signal, he could contact them, and I’d drop him off wherever they were.
He said thank you.
“Don’t mention it. I’m just returning the favor.”
“Ha! This is definitely a case of ‘repaying a drop of water with a gushing spring.'”
His voice was very pleasant.
It had a magnetic quality that wasn’t overly deep-the kind of voice perfectly suited for a male lead in a radio drama.
Without a signal for navigation, I could only follow the road signs to the nearest small town.
Once we reached the town, he got in touch with his family. Only then did they realize he was missing.
Our two cars had taken different forks in the road and were now heading in opposite directions, currently separated by a hundred kilometers.
“I’ll just grab a taxi to find them. Thanks for the ride; otherwise, I’d be out in the mountains feeding the wolves right now.”
I shrugged, indicating it was no trouble.
He tried to hail several taxis by the side of the road, but the drivers all refused, saying it was too late and too far.
Just as I was debating whether to go up and ask for his WeChat, the heavens cooperated and it started to rain.
He walked back to my car. “It looks like I won’t be able to leave tonight. Let me treat you to dinner, and I’ll go find them tomorrow.”
“Sure,” I smiled, not acting reserved in the slightest.
We found a brightly lit restaurant and sat down.
He pushed the menu toward me and asked what I wanted to eat.
“I’m indecisive. You order.”
While he was studying the menu, my clueless ex-boyfriend sent a video call.
Watching the man seriously pondering the menu, a plan formed in my mind. “Could you do me a favor?”
“?”
“My ex-boyfriend cheated on me but thinks I don’t know. He’s still harassing me. Can I say you’re my current boyfriend to get rid of him?”
He looked at me with a silent smile. I felt a bit uncertain, wondering if he had detected my ulterior motives.
The video call timed out and disconnected because it wasn’t picked up.
He moved from the opposite side to sit next to me, his large hand resting on the back of my chair. “Call him back.”
He was very close; I could smell a pleasant scent of lime on him.
My heart beat a little faster. The depression caused by the scumbag’s betrayal actually seemed to dissipate under this man’s care.
I took a quiet breath and dialed the video call back.
This time, my ex picked up instantly.
When he saw the bucket-hat guy and me leaning close together in the video, the look of deep affection he had prepared instantly transformed into a fit of rage.
“Zhang Xiao, I really underestimated you! Tell me, how long have you been making me a cuckold?”
“Take a guess.”
My ex-boyfriend pulled out a diamond ring, his eyes filled with a nauseating display of affection. “Zhang Xiao, I was all set to propose to you, and this is how you treat me?!”
Ha. He spoke as if he were completely innocent.
“In that case, I really have to thank you for the grace of not marrying me.”
“You…!” My ex-boyfriend was about to launch into a tirade.
The man in the bucket hat suddenly leaned closer to the camera, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I think I know you.”
“Grandson! Of course you know me, I’m your grandfather!”
The man took off his bucket hat. “Take a look. Know me now?”
!!!
His hair was so short! Even shorter than a buzz cut.
To be honest, people who wore their hair like that were usually either in the military or in reform-through-labor…
However, they say a buzz cut is the only true test of a handsome man, and he was a certified super-hottie who had passed with flying colors!
“Yu Chenghuai?”
“It’s me.” The corners of his mouth curled up slightly in a faint, provocative smirk.
“We’ve been brothers for so many years, and you’re poaching my girl?”
“Heh… Since when were you my brother? I’m just letting you know: don’t pester my girlfriend again.”
“Who cares? If you want my used goods, take ’em.”
He actually dared to call me “used goods”!
Just as I was about to roll up my sleeves and start cursing him out, Yu Chenghuai’s large hand pressed down on my head. “Don’t talk to trash.”
Then he pointed at my ex in the video. “Your father was unfilial to raise a thing like you. It’s an eyesore for your ‘grandfather’ here.”
“Yu Chenghuai, f*ck your uncle!”
“I’d look down on you if you didn’t try.”
I didn’t know who his uncle was, but my ex-boyfriend muttered something about him being a psycho and hung up the video call.
I cupped my fists toward him. “Many thanks to the hero for drawing his sword in aid.”
He let out a short laugh at my gesture and signaled the waiter to bring me a bottle of Want Want Milk.
“Drink this milk, and forget that jerk.”
I opened the Want Want Milk. “Big brother, I toast to you!”
He picked up the barley tea on the table and clinked his cup against mine.
He asked me where I was headed on my road trip.
I said I was heading west, all the way to Dali.
His hand, which was picking up food with chopsticks, paused. “But this is the Western Sichuan Route.”
“…”
I tapped open my map. Good grief. I was two hundred kilometers further from Dali than when I had set out this morning.
He leaned over to look at the map too. “You started from Rong City?”
I nodded.
“You have two options now. One, backtrack to here and get back on the highway to Dali.” He pointed at a spot on the map. “Two, make the best of a bad job and head into Western Sichuan.”
“I might as well go to Western Sichuan then, since I’m already here.”
“But Western Sichuan is a high-altitude plateau. You’re alone; it’ll be hard to manage if you get altitude sickness.”
“Then I guess I’ll head back to the highway.”
“We’re Retracing the Long March this time-Wenchuan, Hongyuan, Zoige… Are you interested in joining us?”
Even though he was very handsome, I had social anxiety. Joining a whole family all of a sudden felt like too much. “That might not be a good idea.”
“Scared to meet my family?”
While that was true, it sounded so awkward when put that way.
“N-No, I’m not,” I insisted stubbornly.
“Then give me your answer before we part ways tomorrow.” He placed a piece of fish in my bowl.
Does that mean he intends to stay with me tonight too? Hehehe.
“Okay.”
Having arrived in this small town on a whim, I hadn’t booked a hotel, and naturally, neither had he.
We drove around, but everywhere was fully booked.
After much effort, we finally found one place, but they only had one twin room left.
“How about you stay here, and I’ll find an internet cafe to crash in for the night?” he suggested.
“It’s a twin room! Two beds! Are you afraid I have designs on you?”
He smiled, faint dimples appearing on his cheeks. “How did you end up stealing my line?”
The small hotel didn’t have an elevator, so he helped carry my suitcase up.
My suitcase was massive and incredibly heavy, yet he made carrying it with one hand look effortless.
“How are you so strong?”
“This is nothing. I could carry you and go on a thirty-kilometer raid.”
“What branch of the military were you in?”
He raised an eyebrow at that. “With reactions that quick, you’re not a spy, are you?”
I rolled my eyes and stopped talking.
“Infantry,” he chuckled. “I can’t say more than that.”
I didn’t bother with him and took my things to the bathroom to wash up. As long as he wasn’t a convict, it was fine.
