The Monkey Show and a Lingering Dream

Lin Yi’s rebuttal was useless. He could only endure the shame and sit back on the bench.

As their clothes brushed against each other, he imagined he could feel the girl’s delicate skin beneath her fabric.

Involuntarily, he swallowed, then turned his head to look at Gu Yuetong.

“You… aren’t afraid of being misunderstood?”

“Why would I be? It’s just the two of us anyway. And even if someone did misunderstand, you wouldn’t care, would you? After all, you were the one who made the first move.”

At the mention of it, Lin Yi’s face flushed crimson.

He truly regretted his actions. If he could travel back a few minutes, he would slap himself twice, without hesitation.

How dared he even think of flirting with a brazen yandere?

****

Just then, the inconspicuous wooden door on the stage finally opened.

From behind the dark doorframe emerged a middle-aged man in a magnificent theatrical costume.

He appeared to be about fifty years old, an age that placed him in Lin Yi’s grandfather’s generation. Lin Yi wondered what he would perform on stage.

“Lin Yi, look! Is he holding three ropes?”

“Huh?”

Prompted by Gu Yuetong, Lin Yi noticed the hemp ropes in the man’s hand. It seemed he wouldn’t be the only performer on stage.

As Lin Yi pondered what might be attached to them, a fluffy monkey tail emerged from behind the man. At first, it seemed as if the old man himself had grown a tail, but a closer look revealed a small monkey hidden behind him.

Lin Yi, unfamiliar with small animals, couldn’t identify the monkey’s breed.

Before long, the middle-aged man led three small monkeys onto the stage. He then bowed respectfully to the audience, greeting the two of them.

Gu Yuetong responded with a gentle smile, offering no further words. The middle-aged man, unnerved by the girl’s gaze and unwilling to offend this important patron, quickly began his performance.

“Go!”

As he uttered a clumsy local dialect, the small monkeys he led sprang into action.

Relaxed, leisurely music began to play, and the three monkeys and the man quickly immersed themselves in the act. A moment later, a standard broadcast voice emanated from the speakers.

“In the biting cold of winter…”

After a meaningless introductory monologue, the middle-aged man retrieved three stilts of varying heights from backstage. With his command, each stilt was swiftly grasped by one of the small monkeys.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—”

Having understood his words, they were soon balanced on the stilts. Observing the monkeys’ practiced movements, one could only wonder how long they had trained to achieve such proficiency.

Lin Yi inwardly questioned himself; if he were to attempt walking on them, he wouldn’t last more than a few seconds.

This, however, was not the highlight. After a few rounds, the monkey trainer brought three benches to the center of the stage.

Both Lin Yi and Gu Yuetong watched from below, somewhat perplexed, wondering what he intended to do with the benches. The next scene left them stunned.

The three small monkeys lined up one after another in front of the benches. With a shout from the middle-aged man, the first monkey leaped high, effortlessly clearing the bench.

But it wasn’t over. After clearing one bench, the little monkey paused briefly, then leaped over the remaining benches in quick succession. The two monkeys behind it emulated its actions, successfully jumping over as well.

Considering they were on stilts, and the benches were quite high for them, such a feat would be impossible without years of training.

A slight tremor of awe ran through Lin Yi, and he instinctively began to clap. Seeing his reaction, Gu Yuetong beside him joined in.

She wasn’t particularly impressed, however. She had seen monkey shows before, and these tricks were merely standard fare.

With the audience’s reaction, the middle-aged man redoubled his efforts. He directed the three monkeys to dismount their stilts, cleared the props from the stage, and then produced three small knives from backstage.

The knives appeared unremarkable, likely cheap trinkets bought somewhere. Yet, the metallic sheen glinted ominously, and the sight of them alone sent a chill down Lin Yi’s spine.

Every time Lin Yi saw such a small knife, Chen Sishi’s beautiful face would flash in his mind—a lingering aftereffect.

Next, the middle-aged man tossed the knives into the air. Gu Yuetong, seated beside Lin Yi, noticed his tension. In truth, these performances often used blunted knives as props, but she chose not to tell Lin Yi. After all, the thrill was in the spectacle, and knowing such details would diminish the experience.

On stage, the middle-aged man seemed displeased with the previous monkey’s mistake, so he directly threw a knife above another small monkey.

This monkey hadn’t received the man’s cue and appeared momentarily flustered. However, this one was more agile than the last. It quickly recovered, extending its hand to catch the knife.

The middle-aged man continued to increase the difficulty, and without exception, the monkeys caught every knife. At this point, the performance was nearing its end.

Gu Yuetong leaned against Lin Yi, her head swaying drowsily. In truth, she had lost interest the moment she heard it was a monkey show. She was only there to accompany Lin Yi.

She had originally planned to tease him during the performance, but seeing him so engrossed, Gu Yuetong couldn’t bring herself to disturb his enjoyment.

Just as Gu Yuetong’s consciousness was about to drift into the world of dreams, the arm she was holding suddenly stirred. Her hazy awareness sharpened slightly, and she symbolically fluttered her eyelids.

“Gu Yuetong, it’s time to go.”

“Mm? No… don’t go…”

A tearful voice escaped her lips, suggesting she must have been dreaming of something distressing to react that way.

Lin Yi felt a headache coming on. He tried to pull his arm free, but Gu Yuetong held on even tighter. Left with no other choice, Lin Yi gently tapped her head and whispered into her ear.

“Wake up, you silly blockhead!”

The phrase was remarkably effective. Gu Yuetong instantly opened her eyes and glared up at Lin Yi.

“You’re the blockhead!”

“Can’t help it. Someone fell asleep holding me, after all.”

Upon hearing this, a blush flashed across Gu Yuetong’s pretty face. In a daze, she recalled a scene from her dream: a dilapidated house where her closest family had heartlessly cast her aside. She watched helplessly as their familiar backs disappeared, leaving her alone, sitting on the ground.

This was one of Gu Yuetong’s most vivid childhood memories, and a part of her past she least wanted to revisit.

“You… didn’t hear anything, did you?”