Stories: Deformed Confession
Ring ring, ring ring…
“Hello, who is it?” The phone at home rang, and my little brother picked up the receiver and asked.
“Haha, kid, you don’t even remember me,” a man’s voice said.
“My memory isn’t that good. Can you tell me who you are?” my brother asked cautiously.
“Hehe, it’s your brother-in-law,” the other person said.
“Oh, my brother-in-law?” My brother looked at me innocently, full of confusion.
…
With a click, the other party politely hung up the phone.
Could it be that stranger again?
Recently, such “harassment” has happened more than once or twice. The calls came from all over the country, from places like Changsha, Shanghai, Wuhan, Wenzhou, Beijing, and countless others. We couldn’t determine if it was the same person calling each time, so we answered every time.
The “intruder” never gave his name, spoke in a gentle tone, and was sincere. Even if we were annoyed, no one could rudely hang up on such a call. I later noticed that he “harassed” us mostly between 8 AM and 9 PM, showing some manners. The topics he talked about always revolved around my family, which surprised me.
“Why does he care about you so much?” My family kept asking about my relationship with this stranger. “I really don’t know him,” I explained repeatedly, but my family didn’t believe me, making me feel more wronged than Dou E.
Had I been careless and leaked my phone number to a stranger? Or was it my classmates or friends playing a prank? But his voice didn’t sound like any man I knew, and who would be so bored as to travel to different cities and engage with people they had no connection to? It was truly perplexing.
Later, I told my colleagues about this, and one of them laughed and said, “Could it be someone who likes you but is too shy to say it directly, so he came up with this tactic?”
“No way, but I don’t know him. Who would be so bored!” I said angrily.
The one who spoke was Liu Jun, a colleague who graduated with me. Three months passed, and my concerns showed no progress.
Once, at a company gathering, everyone went excitedly, but I excused myself, saying I had something to do at home. I had to get to the bottom of this.
The phone rang as expected. Strangely, his voice was a bit hoarse, which reminded me that my colleague Liu Jun had a hoarse voice today due to a cold.
Before he finished speaking, I had a pretty good idea. “Liu Jun, is that you?” The other party paused and said, “You’ll know who I am soon enough. Shall we meet downstairs at your place?”
I hung up the phone and rushed downstairs. There he was, standing silly with a bouquet of flowers—sure enough, it was Liu Jun! The mystery that had puzzled me for months was finally solved! I walked up to him, pretending to ignore him.
Unexpectedly, he blushed and confessed, “I didn’t mean any harm. Li Ling, you’re too cold. You’re indifferent to everyone. This was the only way I could get close to you, wasn’t it?”
Hearing this, I felt a bit touched. Maybe I had been too much. I walked over and gently tapped his nose, saying, “You, how much did you waste on phone bills and time?”
“I’m willing!” Liu Jun said loudly.
“By the way, what’s with the phone numbers from all over the country?” I asked.
“You don’t understand. I was on business trips and visited several places. Simple as that,” he said honestly.
“Silly, going so far just to call me?” I asked, puzzled.
“For you, it’s worth it. The more I understand your family, the more I understand you,” Liu Jun said with a smile. Isn’t it strange? We’ve been colleagues for a year, and it’s the first time I felt he was so wise. “Come on, I’d like to visit your home. After all, I call every day, and everyone is familiar with me, right?” “Honestly, I’d really like to meet your brother. Let me be his brother-in-law!”
“Whether that happens or not depends on your luck.”
Hearing our voices, my brother had already rushed out, shouting, “Brother-in-law, brother-in-law.” Through that long phone line, they had already become familiar with each other. Maybe they had conspired together. Liu Jun, you’ve got some nerve! I couldn’t help but secretly admire him.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
