Hidden behind the scroll, Tao Hua gripped the edges of that paper with all of his might. The letters on that paper tripled with just how close it was to his face, making distraction all the more impossible for this trembling creature.
Under all assumptions and to what Tao Hua could mostly understand, he was caught.
And that SUCKED.
I'm fucked, he thought, and then repeated it as if to confirm what he didn't have the answers to. I'm fucked!
Tao Hua paused. Was what he did so bad? He thought back to his actions—but the major issue to this simple situation remained. He was so inept at these kinds of things; he didn't know right from wrong.
So, he came to a final conclusion—a definitive one.
I'm so fucked!
Yup, in his mind, he was indeed fucked. But not in the way that one would assume.
In fact, the man didn't quite say a word to Tao Hua, and he certainly didn't reprimand him in any way for looking like a poor little stalker.
A stalker dressed in brightly innocent colours, standing in plain sight acting as though he wasn't standing in plain sight.
So, Tao Hua waited for the door to slide open once more, ensuring he was in the clear. This quivering mess would wait, and wait…and wait. But the door didn't make a sound.
It didn't take a genius to understand that, however. All he had to do was deduce that as soon as he hid from this unwavering man, there was a lack of footsteps. In fact, the taps were replaced with the sound of shuffling—as if removing something and placing it back.
He didn't move. Why won't he move? Go, go, go! Tao Hua thought as his eyes widened, staring down at the mangy floorboards. In truth, it felt as though his thoughts this time were more hollow than "I'm fucked!"
At least I'm fucked held weight, and that was because, truly, he was fucked. The ultimate problem with wanting this man to move, or leave, wasn't his impatience. It was that he was practically lying to himself. When Tao Hua really thought about it, he felt a twitch in his stomach that indicated a different truth entirely.
He was so curious about this stranger that it ate the poor man from the inside out, somehow turning his anxiety into a moment of courage.
So, he slowly lowered the scroll and peeked his eyes over the top.
"…"
Before him was the man, to no one's utter surprise. He was only a few steps away and focused on the shelf. Judging from the way his eyes squinted at the spines of each book, he wasn't concerned with Tao Hua.
In fact, it looked like he actually didn't give a shit.
Whether that was a relief or not, Tao Hua didn't quite know. He was so entranced with this man's curiosity of each book; he hadn't noticed just how his hands subconsciously moved down, nor did he notice his head tilting amid the wonder-bound panic.
Tao Hua found him peculiar in the same way a dog finds a loud noise odd.
He watched as the slender finger trailed along each book, stopping upon the ones that seemed to catch the man's interest. He'd hesitate only for a moment before continuing, and when he'd find one he did want, he'd pull it out of that shelf so delicately.
It was the first time in…well, Tao Hua didn't know how long realistically. Ten years? It was the first time in ten years he'd seen someone treat books with the utmost care.
It was certainly the first time he'd seen another pair of eyes readily jump from one to the other; hungry for knowledge.
And during his time exploring that mystical stare, he'd think, What an odd pair of eyes.
The man's finger paused on a book and stayed there for a moment too long. This made Tao Hua's heart nearly seize.
Maybe he was caught after all? Up and down, hot and cold…day and night. Ugh! Tao Hua couldn't make up his mind on whether or not he should pull that scroll back up and protect himself once more.
To his luck, the man eventually pulled one of the books out. He opened it, holding it in his hand and flipping one page after another. So, Tao Hua let out a sigh of relief.
Up, hot, and day. He wasn't caught!
Maybe. At the end of the day, all his assumptions about this man, with whom he hadn't once shared a word, were nothing more than conjecture.
Returning to his activity of "person-watching-behind-a-scroll-in-plain-sight," he followed as the man's finger trailed each line on that page. Tao Hua tried to dip a bit, leaning to the side. He wanted to read the title, but given the size of this man's hand, it practically covered the book entirely.
Therefore, he was shit-out-of-luck.
In his persistence of all that was obnoxiously stubborn, Tao Hua looked no better than a tree after a strong typhoon, now bending forward.
But at the flip of a page, he would come to a halt, every limb in his body stiffening.
"If you're just going to stand and stare, at least offer to help," said the man with what sounded like an air of indifference, eyes and hands still on the book.
Tao Hua let out a small noise, one that jittered and cut off as if choking.
Oooooh, FUCK. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm actually fucked! He thought, nearly crumbling that scroll with how his hands magnetized to each other.
In his moment of panic, he desperately tried to come up with a response. But the same thing just happened over and over with each noise coming in different vowels and pitches. None of it sounded like an actual word.
What do I SAY?!
What was there to say?
'Sorry, I didn't mean to stand in plain sight and watch you. It won't happen again?'
When did that ever work?!
Tao Hua's breath fluttered like the chattering teeth of a person in below-freezing temperatures. It was obvious that this man was speaking to him, but Tao Hua acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Despite staring at him.
The man's ghostly eyes were stationed firmly on the text in front of him, and as he flipped another page, he added, "How's that sound?"
But all Tao Hua could do was stare at the man, shell-shocked from Pluto and beyond. He was truly unreliable in all measures.
At the snap of the book, Tao Hua jolted back into reality. The man straightened himself, and staring at the shelf ahead, his eyes fell to a lull.
The only hint of an actual emotion was through how his brow quivered ever-so-slightly—almost unnoticeable.
"Well?" he asked.
At first, Tao Hua avoided this man and his questions. He glanced over at the desk where the old man sat, but he was uncaring of his surroundings or what happened in his shop.
He was just busy devouring his lunch, which made the situation even more awkward than it had to be, filling he silence between the two with the clacks of chopsticks and smacking of food.
Though Tao Hua was terrified and deplored the idea of being reprimanded, it wasn't as if he wasn't used to the treatment. It's just most in the village weren't nearly as intimidating or commanding as the man ahead of him.
Small-town blessings, so to speak.
Therefore, he contemplated, moving his stare upward.
Perhaps there was a benefit in helping this man that captivated him so? He weighed the cons first and moved onto the pros second. This was intentional and made choosing the ladder more convincing as it was the fresher option.
The man sighed loudly, pushing the book back into the shelf. "I'll take that as you—"
"What do I get out of it?" asked Tao Hua.
Chapter end.