Yore Descry (昔日的描述)

Glimpse 24; Jianhua

Haoyu doesn't remember what happened the rest of that night, but he had expected to wake up and find Jianguo asleep on his couch in the living room the next morning. Jianguo's face was pale and he had bags under his eyes, woke up startled when Haoyu started rustling in the small kitchen nearby, making tea.

"Sorry, was I too loud?" Haoyu smiled slightly, with his bed hair.

"No, it's on my end. I couldn't sleep," Jianguo massaged the bridge of his nose in hopes to ease his headache, "I just hope that the police are doing something right now," he sighed.

"You haven't had good sleep for two days now, shouldn't you go see a doctor?" Haoyu asked in concern as he placed a cup of warm tea on the coffee table for his friend to start the cold morning.

"I'm not even thinking about myself right now; I'm just worried about my sister." Jianguo's head hung to gaze down at the cup of tea, "She disappeared, Haoyu..."

"I understand how it feels," Haoyu sighed as he turned to walk back towards his kitchen, taking a few slices of bread to make toast. Jianguo was silent, he didn't even reach for the tea his friend had prepared for him. Instead, he glanced up to his friend's back with cold eyes.

"If you understand, then why don't you go to her room and look into the memories of her belongings? Isn't that what you always do to help that police detective to solve cases?" Jianguo's words felt like a hit to the head, it caught Haoyu off guard. "Oh, are you going to deny it again? Say that you don't know what I'm talking about?"

"Are you okay...?" Haoyu turned his head, the way his friend bitterly and coldly spoke made him worried.

"How can I be okay knowing that even with Jianhua missing, in danger, you don't seem fazed at all!" Jianguo shouted, "She could be actively getting murdered right now, and you're casually making breakfast! Seriously, there's something wrong with you!" From that moment, Haoyu felt all of his emotions go numb and a poker face etched over his calm facade.

"How can you say all that when you barely know me?"

"Hah! At least I get why you didn't have friends for the longest time!" Jianguo sprang up to stand, facing Haoyu with cold eyes. "Because even when you're capable of helping, you won't do it since it's such a secret."

"I didn't expect this side of you, Jianguo." Haoyu's voice was monotone, "How can you just assume? If I don't care about other people, why would I cooperate with the detective?"

"Why can't you just stop lying to me already!!" Jianguo shouted in anger, "I hate it! You always look like you're lying to my face, taking me as a fool. I'm not as smart as you, but that doesn't mean you should lie to me! To other people!"

"Wow, it's like looking at my reflection, someone I was back then."

"A detective even approached me and suspected those powers you have, he also believed it's true!"

"But I was barking at people who did nothing wrong, while Jianguo... isn't."

"I seriously don't get you, Haoyu... You're just... apathetic..." Jianguo sighed heavily, "Whatever, I'm leaving." He marched away and down the stairs, out of Haoyu's sight.

"He didn't even ask me if I'll help or not..." Haoyu didn't follow his friend, he stood and glanced down to the cup of tea his friend left untouched. "Or did you expect me to just expose all my secrets like an open book? Is that what a normal person would do in this situation?"

"Sorry if you're bothered by tranquillity, but that's just how I am..."

Haoyu was opening his antique shop, started with cleaning the floors with a broom. Then he placed a few sets of utensils that he was going to clean and a box of old items he received from someone in the neighbourhood that he was going to sort out. He absentmindedly started opening the blinds of his shop windows, not noticing a shadow silhouette that could've given him a heads-up that someone was outside his shop.