When I returned home, Aunt Fen greeted me with a towel and a cup of hot chocolate for me. I felt like rushing to my room to shower, do my homework and sleep, but my stomach was so hungry. Sitting at the dining table with my hair a little wet, I enjoyed Auntie Fen's spicy noodle soup.
My body was already sluggish, so Aunt Fen engaged me in conversation. "Mei-mei, did your friend bring the car that was parked on the roof last night? I found it this afternoon," she said.
I stopped eating, and gave her the code by nodding slowly. I remembered Zayn's letter about the car. I finished my noodles quickly, then I went to the rooftop floor of my house.
As I expected, how could a car get to the floor of the rooftop of the house. It looked like a small airplane that could only fit two people. I was even more curious about these two men. I told Aunt Fen and the other aides to take care of this aeromobile. No one could drive it, and I also didn't want other people to know who it belonged to. I told them to charge it to the brim, as Zayn had requested.
"Why would I obey someone I don't even know," I muttered.
I was so tired after doing my assignment. I remembered that yesterday I hadn't had time to check my home cctv. I checked it from my room's tv, but the cctv was cut off because at that time my house's electricity was completely off. I sighed and pursed my lips.
In front of my desk, my eyes were drawn to Zayn's traditional umbrella. I also remembered his car keys that he gave me. I juxtaposed his two items. They looked so exclusive, I wondered where he bought them. Do Hermes, Dior, Louis Vuitton and so on sell this?
I move the traditional black umbrella, the carved details, as if to remind me of something. And... I saw something! There was a small faint inscription engraved on the tip of the handle. Curiously, I read it more closely...
"Vatuma School? Could this be his school? Kai Wen? Who's Kai Wen?"
I quickly opened my laptop, hoping to find information about Zayn Rix and Jian Lin.
"V..a..t..u..m..a...s...c..h..o..o..l", my fingers typed on the laptop keyboard. Searching the internet for the address of Vatuma School.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
My search results showed only one result, a martial arts club called Vatuma with bad reviews, which seemed to have nothing to do with this umbrella.
"Is this the school? but it can't be, it looks ugly unlike the expensive items."
Curiosity got the better of me. What does this have to do with Vatuma School? And who is Kai Wen? The clock on the wall of my room had already struck two in the morning, but the image of the man disturbed my mind.
I couldn't find the word Vatuma in any search engine results other than Vatuma martial arts club. I searched all night, until the clock struck three in the morning, but only that one result came up. An old club in the Huangshan mountains.
The following days, I continued to carry the umbrella and car keys wherever I went, such as to campus or my club. However, the shadows of the two strange men were never seen again.
A month passed until the semester break, but I never saw Zayn and Jian again. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I daydreamed with a blank stare that pierced the wall. The summer breeze came in from my open patio door, blowing away the thin curtains. I opened a can of ice soda, a soft fizzing sound accompanying my reverie.
As my curiosity grew stronger and I remembered that the Vatuma martial arts club was located in the cool mountains, I had the idea to visit it and take a vacation there. I missed my parents who loved the mountains, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to reminisce. The cool atmosphere of the mountains in summer was exactly what I needed after months of exhausting research on campus.
On Friday, I started my morning by savoring the sweet aroma of Auntie Fen's cup of iced chocolate and fresh bread. While sipping my drink, I put some clothes into my backpack. I was ready to go on vacation to Mount Huangshan and look for the old club. This vacation I wanted to be a backpacker, without my car or Mr. Deng. At 9.57am, I started my journey on an inter-city bus, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of bustling Macao.
Four hours later, I arrived at the tourist area. The cold air greeted me, pricking my skin that was used to the warmth of the city. I looked at the clock on my left hand, it was over two o'clock in the afternoon, and despite being tired, I chose to continue my journey. The club and my hotel were in opposite directions, but I decided to find the club first, fearing that it would close soon if it got too late.
Guided by the map on my phone, I walked along the rocky path, wearing a thick jacket and scarf, my long hair flowing in the cool mountain breeze. Every now and then I stopped, taking a deep breath of the fresh air filled with the scent of mountains and moist soil.
It was 2.47am, and I had been walking for almost thirty minutes when I finally found the martial arts club. The unkempt old building stood deserted, as if it held thousands of untold stories. From the outside, there was no sign of life.
With some hesitation, I stepped into the building. The sound of my steps echoed in the dusty empty room. I looked around, searching for signs of human presence, but all I found was a very cute white cat with a black plastic band on its head.