Mr. Lizard Outside the Window - Chapter 35
Chapter 35: A Kiss Under the Scythe
Banxia had expected to have sweet dreams that night. Instead, she was haunted by the faint, persistent sound of bells, like a piano melody, coming from the apartment next door.
And as the bells chimed, she found herself standing before a misty forest.
A rabbit, holding a strange clock, ran past, shouting, "Oh dear, oh dear! I'm late!"
Was she about to fall down the rabbit hole?
Banxia followed the rabbit into the forest.
It was a strange forest. The trees were smooth and black, thicker at the top than at the bottom, like giant table and chair legs.
Sunlight, its source unseen, slanted across the soft grass.
Clocks of various sizes floated in the air, their hands ticking relentlessly, their chimes echoing through the forest, creating a sense of unease, of time running out.
She saw no other living creatures, only the ticking clocks.
But at the edge of the forest, against the grey sky, huge, monstrous shadows roared and prowled.
It was a distorted, unsettling world.
A figure, Death himself, carrying a scythe, walked slowly along the horizon, his porcelain-like face beautiful and cold.
The shadow of a giant, prehistoric monster crawled across the sky, roaring, like a figure projected onto a screen.
A puppet, its limbs severed, hung suspended in the air, its expression blank and lifeless.
Suddenly, a giant woman appeared at the edge of the forest, dressed in a luxurious silk nightgown, her face painted with thick stage makeup. She let out a bloodcurdling scream, then pushed through the trees, charging towards Banxia.
The quiet forest trembled, dust and smoke rising, obscuring her vision.
Banxia covered her ears and fled deeper into the forest, trying to escape the "giantess."
A black lizard emerged from the trees and stood before her.
"Xiao Lian?" Banxia cried. "What are you doing here? Where are we?"
But when had Xiao Lian become so big?
He was almost her size.
The giant Xiao Lian, his neck raised, looked at her sadly, his dark gold eyes filled with sorrow.
He glanced at a clock floating in the air. "Hurry," he said. "Do what you need to do. There's no time left."
Then, he turned and disappeared into the forest.
"Xiao Lian, wait!" Banxia chased after him, his giant black tail swaying between the trees.
"Wait for me! Where are you going?"
She emerged into a clearing, a black platform rising before her.
A man in white stood on the platform. It was Xiao Lian, in his human form.
Banxia was about to sigh in relief when the man turned, looked at her, and, his fingers stained with red, began to unbutton his shirt.
The soft fabric fell to his feet, his skin, pale as jade, gleaming in the warm sunlight.
He looked like a normal man, his skin smooth and white, no scales, no tail.
Banxia stared, mesmerized.
The man on the platform looked up at the clocks in the sky and sighed. "There's no time left."
Behind the clocks, a shadowy figure appeared, holding a giant scythe, its face impassive.
Xiao Lian turned away from the terrifying deity, walked to the edge of the platform, knelt down, and gently cupped Banxia's face in his hands.
The sunlight was blinding, and Banxia's vision blurred. She thought she saw his face clearly, but then, it was gone.
Behind him, the faceless figure raised its scythe, the blade gleaming as it slowly descended.
Banxia wanted to scream, to push him out of the way, to warn him, but she couldn't speak, couldn't move, her voice trapped in her throat.
Xiao Lian, his back to the descending scythe, bent his head and kissed her, his cold lips trembling slightly.
Banxia stood frozen, her eyes wide, watching helplessly as the scythe fell.
The clocks in the forest chimed, a mournful, solemn chorus…
Banxia woke with a start, the sound of her alarm echoing in her ears. She sat up, clutching her chest, her heart pounding, a strange unease lingering.
She looked towards the window.
Xiao Lian lay curled up in his terrarium on the heating pad, sleeping peacefully in the morning sun.
Banxia let out a sigh of relief, rubbing her face, her heart slowly calming down.
It was just a dream, a silly dream.
Xiao Lian was safe.
Last night had been… wonderful. They had talked, shared their feelings, their hearts connecting in the darkness.
Why would she have such a strange nightmare after such a beautiful night?
She quietly got out of bed, crouched beside Xiao Lian's terrarium, and gently kissed his little head. He stirred in his sleep, his tail twitching slightly.
As she left her apartment, she noticed that the door across the hall was ajar.
She peeked inside and saw Lin Shi, the online novelist, lying on the floor, clutching a stuffed dog, his eyes red and puffy, surrounded by crumpled tissues.
Banxia chuckled and knocked on the doorframe. "Lin Shi, what's wrong? More bad reviews?"
Lin Shi looked up, then blew his nose loudly, ignoring her question. "Banxia, do you know who lives next door to you?"
Banxia hesitated, remembering Ling Dong's aloof nature. "Yes, he's a senior from the piano department," she said vaguely.
"Piano department? I thought he was a composer," Lin Shi said, clutching the stuffed dog. "His music is so… profound! It touches something deep within my soul. After listening to his new song last night, I felt so… insignificant, like a fraud, a complete hack."
Banxia was both amused and exasperated. "You're crying over this? Is inter-industry competition a thing now?"
"You don't understand. Art is universal," Lin Shi said, giving her a look of disdain. "Whether you're a novelist, a painter, or a musician, we're all just expressing our inner world in different ways."
Banxia, unimpressed by his dramatic pronouncements, rolled her eyes.
Lin Shi, dissatisfied with her reaction, continued, "Didn't you hear the song last night? Didn't it move you at all?"
"What song?" Banxia blinked. "I was asleep. I always go to bed early."
Maybe her strange dream wasn't because of Xiao Lian, but because of her neighbor's new song?
Lin Shi looked at her pityingly. "You have to listen to it. It's such a beautiful, heartbreaking love song, a song about sacrificing everything for love, even in the face of death. I don't usually like love songs, but this one…it's special."
He added, his voice wistful, "After listening to it, I suddenly felt like I should experience love myself. My readers always complain that my romance scenes are weak, that my female characters are two-dimensional. Maybe you have to experience love to truly understand it, to write about it convincingly."
Banxia chuckled smugly. "You're right. It's hard to imagine the true beauty of love without experiencing it yourself."
Lin Shi's eyes widened. "No way! You're saying you've experienced it?"
Having lived across from her for over a year, he knew that she, like him, was a dedicated workaholic, with no time for relationships.
Banxia cleared her throat, a smug look on her face. "Of course! I have a boyfriend now!"
Lin Shi's face fell. After a moment of stunned silence, he sighed dejectedly. "Your music is very moving too, Banxia. Sometimes, when I'm struggling with writer's block, listening to your violin helps me. It's just… you play classical music, and I'm not very familiar with it, so it's harder for me to connect with it on a deeper level."
"Let's not go there. I wouldn't want my music to make you burst into tears every time I play," Banxia chuckled, placing a chocolate on the floor by his door. "This is from my boyfriend. Sharing the love. Now cheer up!"
Downstairs, Lele, Ying Jie's daughter, was awake, playing by herself on the sofa on the second-floor landing.
A male tenant from upstairs, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase, was trying to coax her with a pink lollipop.
He probably worked at the nearby creative park.
The lollipop, shaped like a little bear in a pink dress, looked strangely out of place in his hand.
Banxia walked over and scooped Lele up, giving the man a disapproving look.
The man, probably surprised to see someone up so early, mumbled something and hurried downstairs.
Banxia bounced Lele on her hip. "We're little princesses, remember? We don't accept treats from strangers, especially not from uncles or big brothers. Okay?"
The little girl nodded. "I know, Lele knows."
"Good girl," Banxia quickly braided her hair. "What are you reading, Lele?"
Lele showed her a picture book. It was a fable.
A man hung precariously from a cliff, a tiger above him, a serpent below, and two rats, one black, one white, gnawing at the vine he clung to.
But despite his perilous situation, the man had his eyes closed, his tongue extended, licking a drop of honey from the vine.
"Xia Jiejie, he's so silly!" the little girl giggled. "He's about to fall, and he's still eating honey! He's just as greedy as a little kid!"
"Yes, he's very silly," Banxia said, patting her head.
The first two classes that morning were Mao Zedong Thought.
Before class, a student asked his friend, "Have you heard Red Lotus's new song?"
"He released another one? Isn't he releasing music too quickly? How many songs has he released this month?" his friend checked his phone. "'Honey Under the Scythe'? What kind of title is that? Wow, it's already climbing the charts! He's getting really popular!"
"Did Red Lotus release a new song?" Qiao Xin, overhearing them, opened the music app on her phone, put in one earbud, and offered the other to Shang Xiaoyue. "Want to listen, Xiaoyue?"
Shang Xiaoyue and Qiao Xin huddled together by the window, listening to the newly released song.
The classroom was cold, the air filled with the sleepy murmurs of students. Latecomers hurried in, their faces still creased with sleep.
Birds chirped outside the window.
A teardrop glistened in the sunlight on Shang Xiaoyue's hand.
She wiped her cheek, startled, and looked at Qiao Xin, who was equally moved, her eyes glistening.
"It's…so powerful," Qiao Xin whispered, clutching her chest. "I've never heard a love song like that before. It makes my chest ache."
Shang Xiaoyue sighed. "He's incredible. A true genius. I can almost see Death himself, the passage of time, the descent of demons, and that… desperate kiss under the scythe."
"His style is so modern and unique, but I can always hear a classical influence in his music. Do you think he might have a classical music background, like us?"
"Yeah, he uses a lot of electronic instruments, but there's a certain… Lisztian quality to his music, a dramatic flair, almost religious. It reminds me of Senior Ling Dong's performance of 'La Campanella' the other day."
"I really want to know what he looks like!" Qiao Xin exclaimed. "If only I knew him! I would tell him how much I love his music!"
Shang Xiaoyue frowned thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it… I feel like I've heard his voice somewhere before…"
Qiao Xin almost shook her. "Really? Xiaoyue, your ears are so good! Think! Where have you heard it? He's so mysterious! There's nothing about him online!"
Shang Xiaoyue bit her finger, her brow furrowed in concentration. "It was recent… but who was it? I can't remember!"
Qiao Xin was frustrated.
It was difficult to recognize someone's voice, unless you knew them well.
She suddenly thought of Banxia.
Even Old Yu admitted that Banxia's ears were even better than Xiaoyue's.
But remembering that Banxia had recently won the competition, she decided not to ask, not wanting to upset Xiaoyue.
It's impossible. It can't be someone from our school.
And even if Banxia listened to the song, she might not recognize the voice.
Banxia, oblivious to their conversation, was busy copying notes for her Mao Zedong Thought class. As she wrote, she giggled to herself. After a few more giggles, Pan Xuemei, sitting beside her, finally nudged her. "What's so funny? Are you having a lovesick meltdown?"
"Who's lovesick?" Banxia rolled her eyes and whispered, "I sealed the deal last night!" She couldn't contain her excitement.
Pan Xuemei gasped, drawing the attention of Shang Xiaoyue and Qiao Xin. "You… you did it? Just like that?"
"Tell us everything!"
"Okay, okay," Banxia, surrounded by her inquisitive friends, surrendered. "I did what Xiaoyue suggested. I… I pinned him down, and then…" she blushed. "And then… he said yes!"
"Oooooh!"
The three girls squealed, then quickly lowered their voices as other students turned to look at them, their heads huddled together.
"So, with such a perfect opportunity… you just kissed him? And then you just… talked? Under the covers? What a waste!" Pan Xuemei whispered, aghast.
"What else was I supposed to do? He's very shy!" Banxia protested, her blush deepening. "And I didn't know what else to do!"
"You should have taken advantage of the situation! Taken charge! Made him beg for mercy!" Pan Xuemei, who had never been in a relationship herself, offered her unsolicited advice.
Banxia giggled, licking her lips.
"But… is that really a good idea?" Qiao Xin said hesitantly. "My mother says girls shouldn't be too forward in relationships. If you're the one who initiates everything, the guy will lose interest and won't cherish you."
Pan Xuemei scoffed. "If he doesn't cherish you, it's not because you were proactive! It's just an excuse! If a guy doesn't value you just because you expressed your feelings first, then good riddance! Better to find out sooner rather than later that he's a jerk!"
Qiao Xin was about to argue when Shang Xiaoyue put an arm around her. "Qiao Qiao, everyone says girls shouldn't be too forward, but why doesn't anyone ever say that about boys? Girls have the right to choose too! We don't have to wait for a guy to pick us! If you meet someone amazing, you should grab the opportunity! And if he turns out to be a jerk, then dump him! Don't blame yourself!"
"Is…is that right?" Qiao Xin asked, uncertain.
Like many girls, she had been taught from a young age to be demure and ladylike, to focus on being beautiful and desirable, to wait for a man to choose her.
Her friends' bold and unconventional views made her uncomfortable.
Girls shouldn't behave like this.
Confessing your feelings, initiating a kiss… it's so… unladylike.
But Banxia looked so happy, so confident, so radiant.
She had gotten what she wanted.
She had always been like that, a free spirit, pursuing her desires without hesitation, a quality Qiao Xin both admired and envied.
Her own deeply ingrained beliefs began to waver.
"We're lucky, you know. We live in the best of times. Girls in the past never had the opportunities we have: to study, to work, to express ourselves, to choose our own partners," Shang Xiaoyue said. "It would be a shame to waste those opportunities. I support you being proactive, Banxia."
Banxia patted Shang Xiaoyue's shoulder. "My destined rival! We're on the same wavelength!" she joked.
"Yes! The class monitor speaks my mind!" Pan Xuemei grabbed Banxia's hand and shook it. "Go for it, Xia! I'm rooting for you! Grab your happiness! Just… when are you going to introduce us to this mystery man?"
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