in the center of the universe

Ma Qianjia parked the car downstairs, took out his mobile phone and wanted to make a call, but after thinking about it, he gave up and went straight upstairs to ring the doorbell.After two beeps, no one opened it. He frowned and took the key in his hand.

Just as I was about to insert it into the lock, the door opened from the inside.

The young man was wrapped in a checked cashmere blanket, and his bare skin was covered with bruises, which he did not want to cover.Supporting the door frame with one hand, he asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Ma Qianjia settled down: "This is Guan Zang's family, where is Guan Zang?"

"Let me be killed."

Ma Qianjia's eyes widened and he rushed in to look for him. In the bedroom, he saw Guan Zang with his eyes closed, lying on the ground clutching his stomach.He shook Guan Zang to call his name, and heard a chuckle.

"You really believe it, Uncle Ma." Guan Zang opened his eyes, but didn't get up, and called out through him, "Meimei! I'm in so much pain."

Ma Qianjia was taken aback, "Meimei? Is he Meimei? A man?"

Guan Zang smiled at him: "Yes, isn't it beautiful?"

A man named Meimei said in a nonchalant voice from behind, "I'm in more pain."

Guan Zang got up and rubbed his stomach a few times, sat on the bed and said, "Uncle Ma, I want to buy a piano."

"Piano? Why do you suddenly want to buy a piano?"

Guan Zang shrugged: "I just want to buy it."

There was a muffled sound outside, like a refrigerator door.Meimei roared: "Guan Zang, I want to eat! Hot food!" Guan Zang immediately left him and ran out.

Ma Qianjia stood up and looked around the familiar room.The air conditioner was on, and the thermometer showed a room temperature of 25; the bed was messy, they might have slept together last night—he looked at the trash can, there were torn condom wrappers, some used toilet paper.

Ma Qianjia pressed his forehead and let out a long breath.

"Uncle Ma, I'm going to buy food, have you eaten yet?" Guan Zang asked him with his head.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, "I just want a cup of coffee, hot."

"Okay." Guan Zang went to put on his coat, then came over and said, "Uncle Ma, you haven't changed your shoes yet."

He said "ah" and looked at the soles of his feet: "It's not because of you, I'm too anxious." Guan Zang grinned, and he followed her to the door to change his slippers. Meimei was still wearing the blanket, Lying on the sofa watching TV.

"You can chat with Meimei, and I'll tell him that you are my elder and good friend who take care of me." While he was changing his shoes, Guan Zang helped him hang up his coat, went outside, and watched him with a crack in the door: "It's just chat."

He paused before answering, "Of course."

"You will definitely like him." Guan Zang smiled, closed the door and left.He heard the footsteps going away, and sat near the coffee table.

Meimei looked at him with her head supported on one hand, "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Ma Qianjia. Can I call you Meimei?"

"Yes you can."

The man raised his chin, as if waiting for him to ask a question.

"May I ask what happened to your injury?"

"you guess."

Ma Qianjia scratched a lot of white hair: "Is it——Guan Zang?"

Meimei raised her eyebrows, smiled and said nothing.

"Yes, we can talk about related compensation—"

"Eight thousand!" Meimei seemed to be waiting for him to say this, and immediately blurted out a number.

"Baqian, are you sure?"

Hearing his question, Meimei waved her hand suddenly: "No, no, ten thousand—twelve thousand!" After speaking, she hooked her fingers at him, motioning him to come closer, "Trauma is a trivial matter, I have to go to the anorectal department, you understand? ?”

Seeing him in a daze, Meimei stood up suddenly, turned around and lifted the blanket up: "I'll show you the evidence!" Two slender legs protruded from under the blanket, and dark bruises spread all over the place.

"No no no no no need!" He turned his head away in a panic, closing his eyes was not enough, so he covered them with his hands again.

"Don't you want to see it? Really don't want to see it?"

"No need, I believe you!"

"Okay." Meimei seemed to be very regretful, and swished her face again, "Turn around, Mr. Ma." He turned his head again, facing a sweet smiling face, a blanket stretched out. Hand: "Cash, or transfer?"

Ma Qianjia took out his wallet: "I may not have enough cash, so I will pay part of it first, and can I transfer the rest?"

Meimei thought for a while: "Well, I think you are also a decent person, and you won't lie to me—is it okay to issue an IOU?"

He touched his nose and nodded: "Okay, yes." He took out the notebook he carried with him from the inner pocket of his coat, took out a pen to write down the IOU, Meimei stared at it word by word, and added: "Write down your mobile phone number .” Ma Qianjia gritted his teeth and wrote it.

"Press a fingerprint!"

There is no ink pad, so Meimei finds a bottle of soy sauce from the kitchen.Seeing that he stretched out his hand to pick it up, he first pressed the IOU: "Meimei, since the compensation has been agreed, please follow the agreement—'Keep this matter secret and don't pursue all responsibilities of Mr. Guan Zang, otherwise Go at your own risk', okay? That's the law."

Meimei dipped in some soy sauce and put her thumbprint on it: "We have professional ethics in our business, don't worry, Brother Ma." After pressing the thumbprint, wipe off the soy sauce on her fingers.

After receiving the cash and IOUs, Meimei was in a much better mood immediately.

"Can I ask a few more questions?" Ma Qianjia said.

"Ask! No money."

"What's your job?"

Meimei stretched out another leg, her toes tensed, and bent twice in mid-air: "Showgirl," she shifted her gaze from the IOU to his face, emphasizing the word "girl", "Night Paris and Golden Aventure" There are performances at every night show, Ma Ge, you mention me, the manager will arrange booths for you and give you wine, it’s so easy!" After taking the money, Mr. Ma is Ma Ge.

Ma Qianjia ignored his self-promotion and asked, "Guan Zang was beaten and injured for you, right?"

Meimei rolled her eyes: "Is it my fault if he doesn't run away?" After finishing speaking, she covered the IOU, "Want to ask me to pay compensation? That's not okay, he voluntarily!"

Ma Qianjia smiled: "If we want to pursue the investigation from the beginning, we won't wait until now - including the injury on his neck. I respect Guan Zang's wishes."

Meimei gave two thumbs up: "Brother Ma pays attention to people!"

"Do you have any doubts about Guan Zang?"

"Why should I have questions about money?"

Ma Qianjia nodded: "That's good. Guan Zang told me about your previous affairs, and it was not pleasant. After this time, can I ask you not to associate with Guan Zang again? After all, you have also been hurt. "

Meimei smiled softly, "Are you his father?"

"I'm not, but I watched him grow up, and he called me Uncle Ma, so he's half a father."

"That's not dad, even if you are dad, you can't tell me that." Meimei casually folded the IOU, "Tell him, don't love me so much, I won't be able to hold shit in the future Who are you looking for?" After speaking, he saw him smile again, "How about we talk about the price?"

Ma Qianjia grasped the point: "You just want money, right?"

"If the other is mine, then am I still short of money?" Meimei rested her cheeks and gave him eyeballs with her swollen black eyes, "What do you think, Brother Ma?"

Ma Qianjia said with a sullen face, "You really don't care about your body and life. If you play like this, if something happens, it will be bad for both of you."

"Brother Ma, no one in our industry has ever seen what you said, besides—" Meimei flicked the IOU in her hand and kissed it, "Wealth and wealth are in danger."

There was a sound of opening the door, and Guan Zang came back.Carrying packed meals and coffee, smiling.

"You take it here, my ass/eye hurts, I can't sit down!" Meimei shouted.Ma Qianjia didn't want to listen anymore, walked over to take the coffee, and whispered to Guan Zang: "You have to find time to talk to me, you must! Otherwise, I will tell your grandpa!"

Guan Zang tilted his head and asked puzzledly, "Why?"

Ma Qianjia said "You—" and swallowed the rest of the words, "Anyway, we need to talk."

"We chat almost every day, and I thought Uncle Ma understood me the most." Guan Zang helped him get his coat, and replied softly.Ma Qianjia stared at his back as he turned away, and closed the door silently.

After getting into the car and locking the door, Ma Qianjia took out a recording pen from his pocket.

"October 2013, 10, at 26:11 am. Seven days of absenteeism, the mood continued to be excited, the room temperature reached 32 degrees for the first time, and I saw the 'Meimei' in his mouth. To my surprise, it was a man, very young, aged Between the ages of 25 and 20, a nightclub performer by profession - cross-dressing. The two had sex, and Guan Zang had—" He took a deep breath, "There was violence."

"I have reason to believe that Meimei is the main cause of a series of abnormal behaviors in Guanzang. Whether to intervene or not requires further observation--Guardian, Ma Qianjia."

Turning on the phone, he searched for the call with "Guan Jingyuan", hesitated for a while, but did not dial.The most recent communication was a few months ago, when Guan Zang first entered graduate school.