The single word I spoke completely enraged the Long-Tongued Ghost. He considered me a confidant, someone of his ilk. He prattled on about pigeon-hawk dynamics, then launched into bizarre arithmetic problems, explaining the origin of 'logical paradoxes.' I understood; it was his philosophy, his belief that intelligent people like him should lead this world. He wasn't wrong. But my one word revealed my perception of him: I saw him as a raving lunatic, beyond all hope.
"Tang Nan, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."
"That finally sounds like something a human would say."
"Come and get me. I'll show you my terrifying power. I'll make you kneel before me and beg me to let you join the 'Logical Paradox'."
"Are you angry?" I asked with a smile.
The Long-Tongued Ghost remained silent. I continued, "You should be angry. That's more like it! Don't worry, I'll come for you. And when I do, I won't let you kneel before me. I'll knock you down with a single punch. And remember, don't lick my toes, or I'll stomp your long tongue into pulp."
...
After a brief outburst of anger, the Long-Tongued Ghost regained his composure. "I'll give you a clue. I am Jiang He."
"You?"
"Yes. Come and find me!"
"Get lost!" With that, I hung up. I'd grown addicted to insulting people. I admitted that my tone had become quite emotional for a moment, but I couldn't deny that the Long-Tongued Ghost was a man of deep foresight. This certainly wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea; he had long planned his countermeasures against me.
Jiang He. Could I find the Long-Tongued Ghost with just that name? The answer was no. I had to be realistic; with my current abilities, I was no match for the Long-Tongued Ghost. So, I immediately called Old Ghost. It was the middle of the night, yet my call was answered. Old Ghost picked up on the other end. "Didn't I just rescue you? What's wrong now?"
"I just spoke with the Long-Tongued Ghost."
Hearing this, Old Ghost's demeanor became more alert. "Oh, not bad. A scholar who hasn't seen his teacher for three days should be looked at with new eyes. What did Senior Brother say to you?"
"He said a bunch of things I didn't understand, talking about himself as if he were Jesus about to save the world."
Old Ghost laughed heartily. "If that's the case, it must be him. What do you plan to do about him?"
"The reason I'm calling you is for you to come, isn't it? How can I deal with people like you?"
"I can't leave right now. You'll have to hold on for a few days. This counterfeit currency scam in Chengdu is quite mysterious. Qianqian and I are working hard to break it, and then we'll fly to Hohhot to help you immediately."
I was a bit displeased. "What do you mean? Acting like a superhero? What does the counterfeit currency scam in Chengdu have to do with you? Why are you meddling so much? Report it to the local public security department and let them handle it. Isn't law enforcement your job?"
"This counterfeit currency scam is related to the 'Logical Paradox.' If we follow the clues, we might find their lair. Tang Nan, be a good boy. Have a sparring session with Senior Brother over there and let him see what it means to be superior to one's teacher, what it means for the younger generation to surpass the old."
"Don't flatter me. Give me a deadline."
"Seven days. After seven days, whether this situation is resolved or not, I will come to help you."
"You promise? You won't lie to me."
Anxiously, I hung up and looked up. It was already past three in the morning.
Fine, I needed to sleep. What about playing games? Forget it! As soon as I lay down, the internet cafe owner, Curly, came over, smiling. "Not many people today? I'll unlock the permissions for you, you can download some adult movies to watch."
I lay my head on the table and pouted. "If I wanted to find women, what kind of woman wouldn't I have? I'm a billionaire."
Curly let out a mocking laugh. "Keep bragging. You, a billionaire, can't even afford a computer and come to an internet cafe? If your account has more than a million, I'll give you free internet tonight."
"As an internet cafe owner, do you have that authority? Forget it, don't bother me. Let me sleep for a while."
Curly's words reminded me. Being led by the nose by these schemers, I had lost touch with my life. If this continued, my health would be a problem, and my mindset needed correction too. I was a rich man. Buying a luxury car, picking up a girl – that's what a man my age should be doing. Otherwise, if I really got sick, like Luo Bo said, I wouldn't even be interested in women in front of me, my mind would surely think, 'Is this another one of someone's 'schemes'?'
As soon as I lay down, my active brain neurons hadn't relaxed yet. Curly came over again, pulled up a chair next to me, and sat down. I didn't even look up. "Brother, let me sleep."
"I heard you were mistaken for Jiang He."
I didn't even lift my eyelids. "Who told you that? Coming to an internet cafe and not playing games, gossiping about others, is that interesting?"
"It's not the internet cafe; I'm from your school too. I'm a senior this year, and this is a part-time job."
"Studying computer science?"
"Studying fine arts, specializing in teaching."
I chuckled. "You, a teacher? Don't lead your students astray."
"It's so hard talking to you. I'm not saying anything else."
I quickly pulled him back. "Brother, please, tell me! Are you interested in my experience, or in Jiang He?"
"You thought I knew what Jiang He looked like?"
Hearing this, I instantly perked up. I chuckled. "I'll buy you a bottle of cola if you tell me what Jiang He looks like?"
"Two bottles!"
"Stop wasting time, unlimited refills. You tell me!"
"Actually, I don't know."
"Brother, it's late at night, are you playing with me?"
"Let me finish. The beautiful girl knows this person. She was very interested in him at the time."
"Who is the beautiful girl?"
"She's a prominent figure in our school's fine arts department. You can find out if you ask around. I'm going to drink some cola, drink it straight from the case."
"Aren't you afraid of peeing your pants? Drink as much as you want." With that, I stuffed a hundred yuan bill into Curly's hand.
Curly was stunned. "I was just kidding with you."
...
There was a beautiful girl in our school's fine arts department. How to put it? In the Tang Dynasty, she would have been an unparalleled beauty, like Yang Guifei. But in modern times, she was too plump, which concealed her original pretty features. Anyone who saw her couldn't help but notice her thighs, which were thicker than my waist.
The beautiful girl had a very good personality. I found her in the art studio the next afternoon. She was sitting cross-legged in front of her easel, meditating like a martial arts master, then picked up a pencil and rapidly sketched a mass of lines. Then she rolled up her sleeves and scrubbed.
What was she drawing? Abstract art!
Despite my thoughts, I walked over and gave the beautiful girl a thumbs-up. "Sister, your painting is really good."
"Who is older and who is younger is not yet decided. Why call me 'sister'?"
"Whoever paints well is the 'sister'."
"Stop with the flattery. Who are you?"
Before I could speak, a teacher came in, displeased. "Yang Zhenzhen, if you don't want to paint, don't occupy space in the studio. You've even put your easel on backward."
Saying that, the teacher turned the easel around. I stared at the painting, dumbfounded. With just a few strokes, it depicted a breathtaking pine forest, blown by the wind. A simple sketch could transport one into a realm, as if placing you deep within the woods. A gentle breeze would pass, winter would yield to spring, even without a hint of green.
"Teacher, I'm finished."
"That's it? Finished? Is this called sketching? Who allowed you to use a pencil to copy an ink wash painting?"
The beautiful girl, Yang Zhenzhen, bit her lip. I couldn't stand it any longer and pointed at the teacher. "Don't just blabber if you don't understand. Can your skill teach her?"
"Who are you? Are you from the fine arts department? Who allowed you into the studio?"
I chuckled. "You want to know who I am? Listen carefully. I have no other name and no other surname. I am... To be continued in the next chapter. Goodbye, sir~"
With that, I grabbed the beautiful girl and ran.
...
The beautiful girl was a nimble胖子 (fat person). We escaped the 'art studio' without any obstacles. Once on campus, the beautiful girl looked at me with bright eyes. "You're quite an interesting person. What's your name?"
"Tang Nan."
"I'm Yang Zhenzhen. Tell me, what do you need me for?"
"Do you know Jiang He?"
"I do!"
"Can you tell me about him? I'll treat you to a meal."
Fat people love to eat, and Yang Zhenzhen was no exception. She beamed. "Okay! Although it's the first time a boy has treated me to a meal, I still want a table full of meat dishes."
We ordered all the meat dishes, filling the table. Yang Zhenzhen ate with great relish.
Actually, Yang Zhenzhen had met Jiang He once. She had heard of a freshman who was excellent at painting, but he wasn't in the fine arts department. One day, Jiang He was painting on the sports field. She went to watch, thinking he was sketching from life. When she got closer, she realized he was copying Monet's "Water Lilies." The painting was almost identical to the masterpiece. Yang Zhenzhen took one look, didn't exclaim in amazement like others, and left with a disdainful curl of her lip.
This was Yang Zhenzhen's encounter with Jiang He. It was too simple, making me feel like the meal was not worth it.
Jiang He, the Long-Tongued Ghost, could paint with such lifelike accuracy that even experts couldn't discern the difference if he used specific materials. Yet, Yang Zhenzhen was dismissive of such exquisite skill. I was somewhat impressed by her.
"Yang Zhenzhen, why do you think his paintings aren't good?"
"The essence of art is creation. If you paint something exactly like someone else, you might as well take a photograph. Why paint?"
At that moment, I felt genuine admiration for this plump girl. This was what an artist should be like.
"Yang Zhenzhen, if you want to eat meat in the future, just call me. We're friends now, okay?"
"Really?"
"Of course."
"You need something from me, don't you?"
"No, but if you could describe what Jiang He looks like for me, I would be eternally grateful."
Yang Zhenzhen nodded. She rummaged around in the private room of the restaurant and, with a 'crack,' pulled down the lining of the curtains. Then, she pushed aside the leftover food, spread it on the table, and used chopsticks, spoons, and forks as tools, with thick soup and leftovers as dyes. In no time, she created a vivid "Jiang He Sketch."
Despite having only met him once, Yang Zhenzhen perfectly depicted Jiang He.