Now we have nowhere to go to escape the canteen lunch, due to that 'hateful' Xiao qiang – was that a cock roach or a hen roach? Probably the former, since he was so playful.

Poor thing, he was ‘buried’ in a silver case under a one-mouthful xiao long bao, his whiskers stretching out. Funny, the whole ‘ceremony’ of discovering his chosen ‘tomb’ didn't turn me hysterical. By that I mean, when I found him, I took a look at his corpse, simply put back the xiao long bao, and cleared my throat to declare: I found something that made me not wanting to continue eating anymore. I didn’t scream at the top of my throat; I've been imagining this moment all my life, but I've never expected myself to be so calm.

Such as it was, our appetite was spoilt, and we simply wanted to get out of that restaurant, which is the best in the area, as soon as possible. The manager we got was quite ‘apt’ at handling such issues. It is a clear sign that this wasn’t the first case. Comparatively speaking, we were such armatures. Gosh, we didn’t even take a photo or try to protect our evidence, before he quickly took it away.

You poor little thing, this time you should end up in some dungeon or garbage bag. No matter how much you were hoping to escape your fate, it came to you still. To quote a line in the film The International, ‘Sometimes a man could meet his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.’ You are not a man, but it applies to all creatures. In my personal project of chasing away cockroaches in the apartment, I learnt some precious information, such as they actually eat their own mates’ corpses. Therefore, rather than ended up in my belly, he was back into his mates’.

As for us, it is also bad news. We just lost the only place where we could escape to, and we have to be back to be with our mates in the canteen, which is adjecent to this restaurant. Worst of all, the food for the two places comes from the same kitchen ...

I.

There was once

I couldn’t resist finishing a book in one go

There was also once

I was fascinated by the virtual world

II.

There was once

I observed the world through the viewfinder

There was also once

I wouldn’t let any inscription or label pass in front of me without being studied

III.

I was wasting my time,

It was deemed.

It sounded silly,

But,

such addiction made me feel alive

IV.

Now I am addiction-free.

Too much time in my hands,

but nothing interests me anymore,

What’s left is,

sheer suffocation

V.

The fact is,

I am still that dreamer

The difference is,

I strangled my dreams

VI.

And it shattered