Volume 1 2.3

"夭寿6 oh! Where did the cat come from ah?" Suddenly stepping on the brakes while still in shock, the driver hurriedly took off his safety belt and went to check the front and back of the taxi.

Due to the sudden brake causing him to hit his head against the gla.s.s window, Yu Yin suffered from momentary dizziness. By the time he steadied himself, the taxi driver was already outside the taxi, pacing to and fro the front and back of the taxi while murmuring: "That’s strange, there was a cat that rushed under the car just now, why isn’t it there...?"

Yu Yin shook his head, it took a while before he cleared his head.

In the back seat of the car, Yu was also woken up by the sudden brake. Climbing up to a sitting position with a sleepy face, he had a look of confusion.

"Now reporting another news, at three a.m. this morning at T city, a headless woman’s corpse was found. According to the preliminary investigations..." The radio station reporting the night time news live, gave off a static sound as the news was reported, causing the words to sound m.u.f.fled.

Turning his head around, Yu Yin looked at the one who was woken up by the sudden disturbance: "Nothing’s wrong, you can go back to sleep."

Instead of going back to sleep, Yu stared at Yu Yin before looking out of the car.

"There’s nothing at all! This is absurd!" After spending a few moments checking the taxi from outside, the taxi driver opened the door to the driver’s seat and sat back in. Not knowing when, the news finished reporting and another song was being played.

"You knocked down a cat?" Yu Yin looked at the taxi driver as he raised his question.

Just as he turned back to look in front, the taxi went to a sudden stop, causing him to miss out everything.

"Yeah, a big cat suddenly rushed under the car, but there is nothing under the wheels. It probably escaped, lucky cat." The taxi driver said as he tried to start up the taxi again.

A big cat?

Yu Yin frowned, sensing that something is not right.

Starting the engine a few times, the taxi still did not start up, if not, the engine would rev for a few times before extinguishing.

"d.a.m.n! I can’t be this unlucky, the taxi broke down!" the taxi driver let out a string of curses before getting off the taxi to open up the car hood. Rings of white smoke came out from the hood. After a quick check, the taxi driver came up to Yu Yin: "Boy oh, sorry la, the taxi seems to have broken down. I will call another taxi to come and bring you two home. Very sorry eh." The taxi driver apologized while bowing.

"It’s alright, then we will trouble you, uncle." Yu Yin did not mind, it just meant that they would return home a little later.

The taxi driver immediately took out his phone and dialed a number: "The taxi company said that they would send another taxi down. It might take a while."

Yu Yin nodded his head then got off the taxi, climbing into the back seat.

Since they have to wait, might as well just eat the food in the car. That way, they can both take a shower and sleep immediately once they got home.

Sitting at the side, Yu looked at Yu Yin silently.

"Eat something first, you probably have been hungry for a long time." Yu Yin took out a hamburger and stuffed it into Yu’s hands before taking the other hamburger and began to take big mouthfuls after peeling off the paper wrapping. "Uncle, do you want to come in and grab some food? Since the taxi has broken down, just get someone to come and fix it in the morning ah." Yu Yin yelled out to the taxi driver who was still outside, checking the taxi.

The taxi driver nodded towards Yu Yin, but continued to check the engine.

After staring at Yu Yin for a moment, Yu looked down at his hamburger and begin to take small mouthfuls, eating very slowly.

Yu Yin glanced at Yu and swiftly finished the hamburger in his hands. Spending the whole night at the hospital without any food or water, Yu Yin was starving so badly it was like his stomach was going to cave in.

Taking out the drink, Yu Yin could not help but think back to the information he heard back at the hospital. Losing himself to his thoughts, the supposedly short time that they spent waiting for the other taxi seemed longer than it actually is.

Who is Jing?

Among the common friends that he and Ah Guan shared, there is no one named Jing ah?

Why would Ah Guan keep repeating, "Jing, I am sorry"?

Unable to figure out anything, after all, both of them still had friends that the other did not recognize. Otherwise, it could be Ah Guan privately got a girlfriend and did something that he had to apologize for, maybe something like that ba.

Glancing at his watch, it has been about five minutes.

The now eerily silent taxi that is filled with only the sound of munching food and shifting of paper bags, a loud ringtone suddenly broke out. Scaring him to half-death, Yu Yin fished out his phone in less than half a second, seeing Yu Tong’s name on the screen, he picked it up: "h.e.l.lo, dad?"

A familiar voice was transmitted through the phone: "Your second dad said you two have left the hospital. Where are you now? Do you want me to make some supper for the both of you?"

Yu Yin unconsciously smiled: "We are now pa.s.sing by the city area, we will reach home after a while. You go sleep first la, dad. We already bought some food on the way back." Hearing his voice, Yu Yin knew that Yu Tong definitely has not slept a wink through the night.

"I will wait for you two to come back. Don’t run off to anywhere else on the road, do you understand?"

After a gentle reminder from the other side, the call was cut off.

Yu Yin kept his phone and at the same time, Yu finished eating his food. "Here you go, it is cola." Taking out the drink from the paper bag and pushing it towards Yu, he added: "Don’t tell me you want something else, I only have cola. There is also fried chicken and apple pie in the bag, help yourself."

Just as they were about to continue eating, another car drove up beside them.

"Boy oh, the taxi is here" the taxi driver who was checking the engine, called out to Yu Yin.

"Alright." Yu Yin quickly packed up the food and got off the car. Holding the drink in his hands, Yu got off the car after him.

In front of them was another taxi. The driver was a lot younger, with a hair dyed golden blond and a cigarette in his mouth, looking like a hooligan.

"Old Lin, your taxi broke down?" the young driver rolled down the taxi window and greeted the other taxi driver: "Do you want me to give you a lift back to the taxi company? Just call someone to come fix the taxi in the morning, it is still dark now, it is not easy to fix the taxi la."

"Ok la, you send this two boys back home first then come back and pick me up." The taxi driver put on a pair of gloves as he began to check the underside of the taxi.

"Oh, you be careful ah." The young taxi driver opened the back doors and nodded towards Yu Yin and Yu: "Boy ah, get in oh."

Yu Yin immediately got into the car. The car was filled with a strong scent of perfume, making him uncomfortable. "Please bring us to Taichung garden villa"

"Ok, sit properly oh."

The young taxi driver expertly steered the taxi down the road.

Subconsciously, Yu Yin turned his head back to look at the other taxi driver.

In that instance, his eyes widened.

He saw that leopard cat sitting next to the opened car hood, an eerie mewling entered his ears.

Air seemed to have frozen.

In the next second, the driver who was checking the underside of the taxi let out a pitiful cry, a sudden puff of white smoke enveloped his upper body.

"Stop the car!"

The screeching sound of the car brakes tore through the silent night for the second time.

6:"夭寿" (yao shou) is from Hokkien; it is read as yǎo xǐu in Hokkien. The original meaning of "夭寿" refers to "die young", and it is generally used to describe a person’s vicious behaviors in the spoken Hokkien. Now it is often used as a modal particle, indicating dissatisfaction, surprise or regret. (Taken from: www.chinapopwords.com/hot-words/yao-shou.html)