Fang Marks

**Chapter 7: Unexpected Deliveries**

The next morning, Lila Bennett was woken up by a knock at the door. A courier had arrived with several large boxes, delivering them straight to Lila’s apartment.

Lila hadn’t ordered anything and suspected that there was a mistake. However, when the delivery man handed him the receipt, he saw that the recipient's name was clearly printed in small letters: Lila Bennett.

He had no choice but to sign for the packages. Standing in the middle of a room filled with boxes, he felt a little overwhelmed.

Most of the boxes contained food—vacuum-packed fruits, vegetables, and fresh meat, some of which were rare varieties not available in Wutong City. Additionally, there were various high-nutrition supplements, many of which didn’t require cooking and came conveniently packed in cans.

Finally, in one of the boxes, Lila found a printed meal plan, detailing a precise schedule for every meal over the next two weeks. The plan was signed by Dr. Ling.

Lila remembered Dr. Ling mentioning after his last blood donation that he would send a meal plan, but he hadn’t expected it to include the entire food supply as well.

He didn’t have Dr. Ling’s contact information, nor did he have a phone number for the island.

The only time he had communicated with anyone from the island was when they first contacted him to sign the agreement, exchanging email addresses.

He turned on his computer and composed a message, thanking the island for the meal plan but stating that he could manage on his own.

Barely a minute after he sent the email, he received a reply, as if someone had been sitting on the other end, waiting.

Lu23121873: [You’re welcome. This was arranged by Alexander Reed. A new meal plan will be delivered in two weeks. Please remember to sign for it.]

The brief reply was emotionless and didn’t suggest any room for discussion.

Lila took his hands off the keyboard, abandoning the idea of sending another message.

For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being cared for like livestock.

Alexander Reed needed his blood, so he was being "nourished" to make the next donation easier.

That was the cold reality.

Taking care of his health was the only thing he could do.

It took a while to sort the food into different categories. By evening, Lila had donned a heavy coat and was walking to his part-time job.

The job his friend had helped him apply for—a sales position at a music store—hadn’t panned out. The message he’d received while on the island was the disappointing rejection.

So now, Lila was only working his evening job as a bartender, from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The temperature dropped even further in the evening.

The ground had frozen solid, and orange streetlights cast reflections on the puddles left by the melting snow, creating a hazy glow.

The streets were crowded with commuters heading home.

Lila walked through a few streets, cut through an alley, and entered the underground plaza.

The night scene was just coming to life.

Teenagers were smoking on the roadside while skateboarding, a street performer was setting up equipment, and a group of rowdy punks sat in front of a neon sign, laughing loudly and cursing at random.

Someone whistled at Lila as he walked by.

He glanced at them before turning into N° Bar.

Throughout the night, Lila found himself easily distracted.

The resident band’s lead singer and guitarist, Ray, complained that his throat was sore that evening.

During the break, Ray hopped off the stage, slung an arm around Lila’s shoulders, and mentioned a song. "You sing the next one for me. I’ll split tonight’s pay with you."

Lila, holding a tray by the bar, was zoning out.

The venue was loud.

He looked up slowly, blinking under the dim, flashing lights. "Huh?"

Then he shook his head. "I can’t."

Ray squinted. "Yes, you can. I’ve heard you sing before. What’s the deal—don’t want to?"

Lila didn’t deny it. "Yeah, I don’t want to."

Ray smirked. "Someone’s got a temper today."

Lila replied, "Are you saying I didn’t have a temper before?"

Lila had only been working at the bar for a few months. When he first started, he wasn’t even of legal age yet, and he had gotten the job through connections, saying he needed money and promising to behave.

In fact, he never caused trouble, except for the one time when a drunken customer gave him a hard time, and he had to call the police. Otherwise, he quietly worked when things got busy and spent his free time watching the band perform.

There was a period when Lila didn’t come in, and everyone thought he had gone back to school. But about a month ago, he returned.

Ray chuckled and didn’t push him further.

He ruffled Lila’s hair, treating him like a sulky kid, and asked casually, "Where’d you disappear to over the weekend?"

The weekend—he had gone to the island.

He had done something unbelievable.

That dark gray sky, the black-blue sea, and the island—it was a secret only he knew about here.

"I was at a friend’s place," Lila said.

Ray chatted with him for a bit before plucking the strings of his guitar and gesturing to Lila, "Next time you want to go on stage, just let me know."

Lila didn’t want to go on stage.

Later, while changing clothes in the staff room, his phone rang. Thinking it was Su Jianzou, who had come to pick him up, Lila answered quickly, "I’ll be out soon."

A familiar female voice came through the line. "Ning Ning, are you done with work?"

Lila hadn’t expected her to call at this time.

He slowly pulled on his sweater before responding, "Yeah, I’m done."

After some pleasantries, she got to the point. "You know that your house is really old. The neighborhood’s infrastructure is outdated, there aren’t any schools or hospitals nearby, and the only advantage is that it’s in the city center. But there aren’t many people willing to buy a place like that. I’ve tried to push the price up, and the buyers haven’t outright rejected it. They’re coming to take a look tomorrow."

Lila replied calmly, "I’m not selling the house."

The woman laughed. "Don’t be childish. How are you going to afford college if you don’t sell the house? It’s not that we care about the money—you can repay us slowly. After all, I’m your aunt, not some stranger. But you know your younger siblings still need money for school, and your uncle and I don’t have the means to support everyone…"

Lila’s eyelashes lowered. "I’ll repay you as soon as I can."

The conversation ended with a few more polite exchanges.

Lila understood what she was really saying.

He repeated, "I’ll repay you soon."

The call ended.

* * *

Su Jianzou arrived later than expected.

Lila sat at the entrance of the closed N° Bar, wearing his usual black knit cap. He looked thinner, bundled up in a thick down jacket, one hand stuffed in his pocket, sipping hot milk the bar owner had given him.

The fact that the bar served hot milk was just as absurd as the fact that Lila worked the night shift there.

Su Jianzou spotted him from afar and called out.

Lila’s small face and round eyes gave him a slightly dazed expression.

When Su Jianzou got closer, he realized Lila was, as expected, listening to music.

"New headphones?" Su Jianzou pulled one of the earbuds from his ear. "Finally decided to replace your old broken ones?"

Lila took the earbud back, his face heating up. "Someone gave them to me."

He always felt awkward about receiving gifts. Su Jianzou had once offered to buy him new headphones, but Lila had refused.

He jumped off the steps and placed the milk bottle on the ground, knowing it would be collected for recycling the next day.

When he noticed Su Jianzou’s curious expression, he added, "I got them when I went to the island to donate blood. Alexander Reed gave them to me."

Su Jianzou teased, "Your donation recipient is really loaded, huh?"

They walked side by side across the plaza, both dressed thickly like two walking marshmallows.

They went to their usual barbecue stall and sat facing each other inside the tent.

The owner, noticing they hadn’t been around for a while, threw in a few beers on the house.

"So, how was it? Any discomfort?" Su Jianzou asked about the blood donation and added, "You look so gloomy."

Su Jianzou was a few years older than Lila. The two had met while taking guitar lessons from the same teacher, and they had known each other for almost ten years. Except for when Su Jianzou quit guitar to attend medical school, they had practically grown up together.

More than a friend, Su Jianzou was like an older brother.

Lila didn’t mention the boy in handcuffs, the gunshots that had scared him, or the moment when he almost fell into the lake. There was no point—bringing it up would only cause unnecessary worry.

"The people there are very kind and polite," Lila said, recalling the butler, Sebastian, and Dr. Ling. "They didn’t treat me like I was just selling blood."

Su Jianzou frowned. "You weren’t selling blood."

Lila thought about the food and supplements delivered to him.