Chapter Fifty-Four: The Video Parlor

Page 1 of 3

At the intersection leading into Progress Alley stood the New Dawn Video Hall.

Outside the entrance, people streamed past in a constant flow.

The intense sound effects from a gunfight movie blared out of two large speakers by the door, as if the entire alley were enveloped in a hail of bullets. Passersby, covering their ears, stole curious glances inside.

A battered Forever bicycle wobbled along, carrying three figures.

Cui Yue pedaled breathlessly, his feet nearly slipping off the pedals. Zhang Hao, skinny as a monkey, was manageable, but the real problem was the heavyset Da Zhuang riding at the back.

They parked and locked the bicycle outside the video hall, and Da Zhuang immediately began hollering for “Drunken Master” and “A Better Tomorrow.” Cui Yue didn’t mind; it was all about killing time, whatever they watched was for fun. But Zhang Hao flashed a sly, lewd grin.

“Hey, boss! Three people.”

The middle-aged man at the door didn’t even lift his head, holding a magazine, merely extending a hand.

“Two yuan per person. Six yuan for three.”

Their bills landed in his palm; he tossed them into a cardboard box, shifted aside, and revealed a black curtain, gesturing for them to hurry inside.

The three rushed forward, pushing aside the curtain and stepping in.

As the curtain fell back, Cui Yue nearly stumbled headlong into the darkness. Aside from the faint glow from the screen, the hall was pitch black.

Zhang Hao managed to catch Cui Yue, whispering, “Easy there, Chief Cui. If you roll down here today and hurt something, what will you do if you can’t get it up in the future?”

“Cut the crap, you bastard. It’s you who can’t get it up,” Cui Yue swore, spitting into the darkness.

The hall was stifling, thick with the smell of cigarettes and sweat, enough to make anyone choke.

A large screen hung in the center; people sat in twos and threes around the corners, men and women alike, occasional laughter drifting through the gloom. Some smoked, others whispered, a few even sprawled out on the long benches, fast asleep.

Just in, adjusting from light to darkness, the trio took a while to find an empty corner and sat down side by side.

On screen, “A Better Tomorrow” played, the exciting action scenes igniting the crowd.

Da Zhuang was utterly absorbed, eyes glued to the screen, afraid to miss a single thrilling moment.

Cui Yue settled into a comfortable posture, arms folded, ready to enjoy the charismatic Mark.

A black hand flickered before his eyes.

“Hey, want one?”

Page 2 of 3

Zhang Hao produced a pack of Red Sky cigarettes, waving them in Cui Yue’s face.

Cui Yue impatiently pushed them away. “Told you, I don’t smoke.”

Zhang Hao chuckled, lighting up with Da Zhuang, blowing smoke deliberately at Cui Yue and mocking, “One pack of cigarettes and the girls sing, two packs and you’re happy as a god.”

Cui Yue coughed fiercely, glaring at Zhang Hao. Though it was too dark to be sure if Zhang Hao could see the contempt in his eyes.

After only a few more minutes, Zhang Hao suddenly poked Cui Yue.

Cui Yue scowled. “What do you want now, can’t you just sit still? Stop bothering me.”

Zhang Hao reached over, handing him a roll of toilet paper.

Just then, the screen brightened, revealing Zhang Hao’s face filled with lascivious delight and a sly grin.

“How about it, want a roll?”

“What for?”

“I’m telling you, this place gives perks. At night, they play some…”

He stopped mid-sentence, eyes glinting with mischief.

Cui Yue was engrossed in the film and didn’t notice the details, just the flickering light showing Zhang Hao’s big white teeth.

“What? Out with it!”

Zhang Hao muttered under his breath about Cui Yue’s cluelessness, checked that no one was nearby, and whispered, “What else, of course it’s those unspeakable scenes between men and women…”

Cui Yue recoiled from the roll of toilet paper, disgusted by having such a filthy friend.

He shot Zhang Hao a disdainful look. “You’re disgusting, keep that at least thirty meters from me.”

Zhang Hao snickered, now teasing Da Zhuang with the roll.

Page 3 of 3

Da Zhuang didn’t waste words; his actions were swift and decisive, giving Zhang Hao a thorough beating.

If you can solve it with your fists, never bother with words.

In a dark hall, when no one’s around, you get beaten without warning.

Mark himself said, never hold back.

After a long while, finally reaching the scene where Mark exacts vengeance, Cui Yue’s eyes were sore, and he stretched, glancing around and yawning, inwardly sighing that too much of this makes you sleepy.

Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a spot in the front left corner.

There, a man and a woman huddled together, clearly not focused on the movie. They sat close, the man whispering endlessly in the woman’s ear, his hand wandering. The woman playfully punched him several times, laughing merrily.

“Dating here, not exactly pure intentions!” Cui Yue remarked.

He watched their silhouettes, when suddenly a blur flashed before his eyes—a fuzzy white shadow, gone in an instant.

The light was too dim to see clearly; Cui Yue rubbed his eyes, but saw nothing more.

He assumed it was just an afterimage from staring at the screen too long.

The man, proud, wrapped the woman in his arms, his expression smug.

In the darkness, Cui Yue saw the woman’s hair cascading like a waterfall, a glimpse of a delicate ear, strikingly lovely.

She seemed a bit shy, struggling lightly, then quickly glanced around, turning her face toward Cui Yue. Their eyes met.

Her face was rosy and luminous, her features radiant with spring’s warmth, willow brows soft as mist.

Though the hall was dark and obscured, the outline alone made Cui Yue’s heart tremble, his breath catch, amazed by her beauty. He lingered, entranced, unable to look away.

Seeing his reaction, the woman’s lips curled into a slight smile, enchanting as a spell. Her eyes, bright as autumn water, locked with his, playful and alluring.

Entranced, the world around Cui Yue faded into mist; only he and the stunning woman remained at the center, the heavens and earth forgotten, her smile blossoming like a flower. He longed to lose himself, never to leave.

A single glance, a hundred charms.

The threads of fate from past lives still entangle, impossible to sever, inescapable from the cycle—his soul lost forever, never regretting a single day.