From March of her first year of university till July of the next year, YanMei lived at the same time the most wonderful, unexpected and tragic adventure. Her first love arose during this period, but this love – for her – wasn't as important as her meeting with ZhaoHui. All this time, she gave her affection the most natural and deepest to this person. At that time, the life seemed to her easier. She only needed to exceed the door which seperated her life of his own.
It's possible that the real reason why ZhaoHui left YanMei was that he had'nt still made the mourning of his past. But the concrete aspect of things was only a secondary question. If, for these months, YanMei had felt the desire to get closer to her neighbor, it was not either by charity, or even ouf of pity, only to be with him. She would have doubtless made him in any situation. She would have needed to think intensely. It would have been only a chain of simple and ordinary things. Nevertheless, fortunately or unfortunately, their relation had ended.
He had left.
Leaving then a empty apartement next to her and she had watched at him disappearing.
However, why everything had had to end ?
During all this period, YanMei didn't succeed in understanding him, but she didn't make a reason to leave him.
They lived all this time such as two lovers. She came to see him every morning, without being lacking a single day – prepared him the tea. She approched her program of the day then left him. And in the evening, she came. They ate. Sometimes they came to watch a movie. When they didn't see each other, the young woman absorded by her studies, she came much later. When she knocked at the door at twenty three o'clock past, he included. They ate then she left. They were as regular as clockwork.
Over the weeks, she knew his habits just as much as he knew hers. The well, kind of thin, which separated them allowed them to understand in the noises their occupations. They took their shower in ten minutes apart, but made warm their water at the seven o'clock – every morning. YanMei put, for habit, some musice while she had breakfast. And he appreciadted the listening while taking his.
When came the moment when she left for the university, she struck two small knocks, light, on the wall which separedted them – as if it was a code. So, ZhaoHui understood that she was ready and could pass.
It was completely clear that a link united them. Both. Nevertheless, the isolation of ZhaoHui had been as an endless cable wich YanMei had finally broken while he thought of finishing in the exclusion the suffering bound to his past.
Their meeting had been a matter of chance. YanMei had left family and friends to study in the literary departement of Beida, in Beijing.
During of her move, she had thought that the housing juxtaposed in her was empty. This conclusion had been brought of to the silence wich reigned there. Yet, while outside, the silence was matched a light breeze, she heard the distinct sound of a bell. Less and less hardly. Farther and farther. To suppose that she was able to imagine it, the origin as for it, made no doubt.
When the noise kept silent, YanMei was took fright.
First nights, she was incapable to sleep well. Often, the wind came to click against windows and the sound rang then. YanMei didn't stop walking round and round as if she had lost the sense of direction.
During this short period when YanMei believed in a yaoguai*, she remained late to study in the bookcase of her university, had even asked to work overtime in the job where she worked half-time. But her heart squeezed up as soon as she went back home. The alley sinks which she took to return didn't help her. As she suspected it, the sound returned as soon as the night was begun.
After almost two weeks during wich YanMei was anxious at the idea of living also near to a devil, she met a woman who, in a state of big anger, had gone out of the haunted apartement. « Die, if it's what you wish ! » She had shouted.
YanMei han't, at first, dared to look at her for fear of being cursed. It was only when she had smiled her, crossing the clear eyes, which she understood.
There had never been a devil.
The unknown was tall, elegant and wore this king of long coat which YanMei liked so much. When she had missed the young student, she had cleared a soft sweet smell. Her dark hair came fell along the spinal column, the milky skin contrasted with the shirt impeccably pink which she wore. Her look hadn't left her a single second whereas she had by-passed YanMei to reach the staircase.
When she had disappared, the attention of YanMei had concerned to the silhouette wich had stayed in the door frame. She had approched sloxly her, maybe not to frighten it, so that she had smelt to odor of the incense which went out of the dark apartment. Not leaving this shape of eyes, and silently, she had observed what she would never have thought of observing of all her life. It wasn't about a woman and even less than yaoguai. Everything was affair of details.
It was about a man.
The silence weighing more and more on at night for several hours already. The regular breath of the one, the jerky of the other one. Long minutes had passed by without none of the two comes to move. There was an almost unbearable slowness.
YanMei couldn't then describe him.
He had a bad position as that of an old man. Either of a dying. The shoulders forwards, the arched back as if an invisible weight had been put on the top of the back. His legs seemed threadlike and swam in the stocking of jogging which he had tightened at the waist scroring hips as without any flesh. She had wanted to see the details of the face, but the latter was in the shade of the hood which he wore then. It was without the word that he disappeared, closing brutally the door behind him and leaving YanMei lost in her feelings.
This night, she made strange dream. A dream in which she saw this silhouette which went away and which she couldn't reach. She roared. But the unknown didn't turn around.
She had woken up sweaty and was able to go out of her terry by hearing the sound of the bell. For the first time in many days, this ringing had the effect of calming her. After what she included : she wanted to know him. To know more about it on him. She wanted to understand whom he was and what he hid.
*1: Yaoguai (妖怪 pinyin yāoguài), yaogui (妖鬼 yāoguǐ, lit. "strange ghost"), yaomo (妖魔 yāomó, lit. "strange devil") or yaojing (妖精 yāojīng, lit. "sprite" or "seductive"), is a Chinese term that generally means "demon". The term is usually used in Chinese mythology and folklore229Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEw8p5aw2S0
