MEMOIR OF MA.N

Chapter 8: A Misunderstood Switch of Bodies

Chapter 8: A Misunderstood Switch of Bodies

After promising the girl, AN needed to return to the room quickly. However, after just a few steps, a loud crash echoed as if something had fallen. AN was startled, turned around, and saw Thien Di lying face down on the ground. He hesitated momentarily but couldn't understand why he ran back to help her. Strangely, when he touched her, he felt a warm body, not a cold one, which confused him. He flipped her over, and when he saw her face, he stood there in bewilderment.

"T... what are you doing here?" AN asked, astonished. However, T. remained motionless and unresponsive. It took more than five minutes before she slowly opened her eyes. Startled to find a man so close to her, she screamed and pushed AN away before quickly getting up and running away. But after a few steps, she collapsed to the ground. The pain seemed to bring her back to her senses, and she looked at AN, who was approaching to help her up.

"Why did you drag me out here?" she asked.

AN, who was feeling quite weary and now facing this misunderstanding, didn’t explain but replied hesitantly: "You should check if you're okay. That's what I want to ask. Why are you here?"

Realizing her body and clothes were still the same, T. showed her confusion and asked:

"I... I don't know. I was sleeping with my sister Tr; I don't know how I ended up here. Oh, wait, you're not kidnapping for r****g me, right?"

AN, somewhat annoyed but unable to help but laugh, said:

"Kidnap you? That's nonsense. Let's not watch any more nonsense movies. I think you were having a bad dream. Anyway, please check yourself, and then I'll take you back."

AN tried to reassure T., but when she turned around, the image of Thien Di suddenly flashed in his mind. "Could that be her? Damn, how free she is" he thought to himself.

Both of them slowly walked back to the hotel. On the way back, T. kept repeating, "You didn't harm me, did you?" AN was frustrated but remained silent, not bothering to respond.

When they returned to the hotel and were about to enter, AN noticed three figures in the hallway, each in various postures—standing, sitting, half-sitting, half-lying down. As soon as AN and T. entered, Tr's voice resounded loudly:

"Where have you guys been? Do you know what time it is?"

AN hadn't had the chance to respond before Tr continued scolding:

"Do you even know what grade this little girl is in? You're seducing her into a romantic relationship..."

A barrage of complaints followed from his cousin, T., and even T’s older brother, TN.

AN stood there, sensing the hostile gazes that surrounded him. Just as he was about to speak, a shadow suddenly rushed towards him. Before AN could react, he instinctively moved to the side, forgetting that T. was behind him. Wham! T. fell to the ground, wincing in pain after receiving the brunt of the attack.

"TN, what are you doing?" Tr's voice was anxious.

Without paying any attention to the attacker, AN immediately rushed to help T. up and asked:

"Are you okay?"

"Let go of my sister!"

The voice was like a scream from T's older brother.

As he yelled, TN lunged at AN as if he wanted to devour him whole. However, Tr. acted quickly and grabbed TN's clothes, causing TN to flail helplessly in mid-air. At this point, T. shouted loudly:

"Why are you hurting me? Huhu."

TN, still caught in a frenzy, responded:

"You, a little girl who's just grown up, are out having a romantic escapade, staying out with a boy all night. I'll tell our dad to spank you."

They thought T. would be frightened, but she unexpectedly challenged them:

"Okay, we were having a romantic time. If you like it, spill the beans."

The verbal battle between TN and his younger sister, T. continued without any end in sight. No one went to bed but said nothing. AN was standing there, not bothering to explain as, truthfully, he himself didn’t know how to explain.

Everything had calmed down along with the alcohol still coursing through TN's veins. A tense atmosphere of discomfort hung in the air. As the day progressed, Tr. decided that it was time to prepare to head back home. When it was time to return, T. refused to leave with her older brother, so AN had to act as the driver. This decision led to a perilous misunderstanding as the eyes of those around them made it seem like AN and T. were involved in a romantic entanglement and that something had happened the previous night.

The trip ended rather dismally, and the continuous rain that followed made it impossible for them to go anywhere. AN decided to return to SG earlier than planned, leaving his cousin, T behind to spend a few more days with his family. AN took a commune car to SG. When it slowly stopped by in front of the house, AN bid his farewell to everyone as he stepped out. However, as he approached the car, he was taken by surprise when he saw T hurriedly dashing towards him. She thrust a piece of paper with a hastily scribbled phone number into his hand and said: "Remember to write me a letter."

AN stood there in astonishment, but he couldn't help but be touched by the endearing image of the young girl as she hurried away, evoking indescribable emotions.

On a rainy afternoon, footprints slanted by wetness,

One goes as if escaping from the realm of love.

The car had been rolling on its wheels, and AN sat in the back seat, lost in a moment of detachment. Suddenly, his thoughts turned to the money note that Hai had given him. He found himself examining it, contemplating whether to discard it, given that he seemed to encounter nothing but spirits and demons ever since he received it from her. AN pondered: "If she's still alive and well, or if she's found peace." The images of Hai and T. intermingled in his thoughts, leaving AN feeling perplexed. Amidst his dreamy slumber, he once again saw Thien Di, smiling as she approached him.