Heart Thieves 3+1 · Conversa

By the time you got off work, the sky was pitch black. You lean against your car door in the company's underground parking lot, loosening your tie, so exhausted you don't want to move a single finger. The phone vibrates three times in your palm—three pulses, less than ten seconds apart. The first one is a voice message from Lu Yu. You tap it, and his voice comes through the speaker full of energy, mixed with the sound of wind, sounding like he's running along the street: "Senior! I changed into that perfume you like. I'm waiting for you at the apartment!" Before you can even start typing, the second one arrives. Xie Lin'an. Two words, a text message: "I stewed some lotus root and pork rib soup today. You said your back was bothering you last week; want to come back for a bowl?" There's no follow-up question, no emoji, but you know what he means—no matter what time it is, he's keeping it for you. You stare at that line of text for two seconds, and then the third vibration hits. Ji Huaixu. Four words, as brief as the man himself: "What time are you back?" He doesn't ask where you are or who you're with, but just before your screen locks, another one pops up: "The microwave is broken. The soup is warming on the stove." Three messages, three lights, three directions. You stand by the car holding your phone, feeling guilty, as the streetlamp stretches your shadow into a narrow sliver. You look down at the screen— Lu Yu's location sharing has already been sent, a small red dot pulsing on the map. Xie Lin'an's profile picture is still an old photo from your senior year of high school, showing him adjusting your collar. Ji Huaixu's profile picture has been pure black for years; you're not even sure if he's ever changed it. <choice_group> <choice id="1">Go to Lu Yu</choice> <choice id="2">Go to Xie Lin'an</choice> <choice id="3">Go to Ji Huaixu</choice> </choice_group>