Exhaustion, numbness, and gauntness — that was Chen Ge's first impression of Wang Qi.
As they passed each other, Chen Ge handed back the missing-person flyer he had picked up from the ground. The man murmured a quiet "thanks."
It was the first time he had spoken. His voice was hoarse and difficult to make out clearly.
"Don't mention it. It was nothing."
Chen Ge offered a smile and followed the limping man to the second floor.
Compared to the first floor, the second floor was damper and dimmer. Cobwebs bunched in the corners, and the walls were mottled and scarred, as though someone had taken a blade to them.
The limping man led Chen Ge all the way to the end of the long corridor before stopping. He unlocked the door to the room deepest in the hallway and pulled out a long ring of keys: "Fifty yuan a night. Pick any room on the second floor."
"Fifty? That's steep."
"There's no other apartment within several kilometers of here. Fifty is already going easy on you." As the limping man spoke, his eyes kept drifting backward, glancing at something behind him — whether intentionally or not, it was hard to tell.
"Fine. But why can I only choose rooms on the second floor? Nobody lives on the first or third floor?"
"Why do you have so many questions? If you can't stay, you can't stay!" The limping man snatched the fifty yuan from Chen Ge's hand and shoved a key at him at random. "The room number's on the tag. Go find it yourself."
With that he ducked back inside, and in the instant the door swung shut, Chen Ge heard a raspy, sobbing sound from within — like an old person choking on food.
Something felt wrong. Chen Ge reached out and pressed his hand against the lock: "Wait a second."
"Now what?" The limping man's tone was hostile; he was clearly annoyed.
Chen Ge peered through the crack in the door. The rental unit was small. Besides the limping man standing in the doorway, there was an elderly person sitting in a wheelchair with their back to the door. The sound had come from their mouth.
"I'm a bit thirsty. Do you sell water or drinks here?"
"No!"
"There's no need to get so worked up — peace brings wealth, you know…"
The door slammed shut with a bang, leaving Chen Ge standing alone in the hallway, feeling increasingly uneasy.
"A normal apartment building would have its reception desk right at the main entrance, but this one has it hidden at the back of a second-floor corridor." He looked at the key in his hand, and a flurry of questions filled his mind. "Why can't anyone stay on the first or third floor? And who is that old person living with the landlord?"
The key had a tag marked 208. As it happened, that room was right next door to the limping man's place.
"Forget it. I'll just move in first." After more than two hours of rushing around, even Chen Ge was getting tired.