She marches past me. ‘I’ll take this bed,’ Gigi declares.
I flop back into my bed, face first. ‘Aren’t you staying with Ah Lang?’ I say into the blankets. My voice is muffled but Gigi’s hearing is better than most Celestials.
‘He’s sharing with Mr Lee so I can stay with you,’ Gigi says.
‘I thought Tony was sharing with Max.’
‘We had a quick chat at breakfast, and decided it would be best if Max stayed with Mémère and Marianne. They’re in the next carriage down.’
‘Safer for Tony, I guess.’
Gigi clears her throat. ‘Actually, safer for Max. I don’t know what exactly triggered things, but last night Mr Lee nearly ripped his head off. Apparently our Mr Lee is unusually strong for a vampire.’ She opens the curtains to the cabin windows, though they do little to illuminate the room.
‘Where did we get an extra carriage?’
‘We were very lucky with our timing. Big Wang sent out a request for assistance. The Norse pantheon happened to be on retreat nearby and lent us one of theirs.’ She peers out the window, as if mesmerised by the scenery.
‘Stop pretending, Gigi, there’s nothing out there but a thick blanket of fog.’
She sighs. ‘Are you alright?’
‘Tony came by my room last night.’
The news startles her. ‘What did he want?’
‘I think he was sleepwalking. He was sad, I was sad. Then he left. He was here for, maybe five minutes.’ I shrug. That was the gist of it.
She busies herself straightening the already tidy curtains before turning to me. ‘You should have something to eat, Jing.’
‘Not hungry,’ I mutter, still face down on the bed.
‘You’ll damage your stomach if you don’t eat. I’ll bring you some noodles.’
‘Okay. Thanks, Gigi,’ I murmur.
‘Zijiren. No thanks needed.’
For the first two days, other than bringing me food, Gigi leaves me curled in bed, staring into space. On the third day, Gigi has had enough and rips off my blanket.
‘You’ve barely eaten anything and you haven’t moved from the bed in two days. Big Wang will kick me out of Hell if I bring you back half-starved. You’re going to get up, eat, and save me from Ah Lang.’
‘Ah Lang?’ Gigi certainly knows how to get my attention.
‘Yes. You have to play cards with Ah Lang, please. I’ll go mad if I have to play another round of Da Lao Er.’
That’s not at all what I expected her to say. My heart seizes at the thought of leaving my cabin, of subjecting myself to Tony’s glare, but it’s rare for Gigi to ask for favours, so I nod and force myself to get dressed.
‘Don’t make any wagers with Ah Lang,’ Gigi says. ‘Promise me.’
She must be really worried I’ll fleece her boyfriend. Like I’d stoop that low. ‘Yeah, yeah.’ I try not to sound annoyed.
Much to my relief, Ah Lang joins us in our room, bringing cards, drink, and snacks. He offers me dough knots, but I wave them away, focused on the game.
‘You ready to have your pigu whipped?’ I taunt.
Ah Lang smirks. ‘How about we wager on it?’
Gigi glares at me, reminding me of my promise, so I say, like an obedient friend, ‘Sorry, not allowed.’
