Trafford’s Trading Club

Time can slow down when you're scared - especially when there aren't many projects to occupy your time.

There was a TV set in the university dormitory, and Caroline had already switched dozens of channels back and forth, and even so, only half an hour had passed.

Arnold was not here. He said that he still needed to go to class, otherwise he might not have enough credits for graduation. Only then did Caroline find out that Arnold was studying for three different societies at the same time.

There are some certificates and awards placed in the dormitory, all of which belong to Arnold personally - this guy is probably a genius, right?

Although Caroline didn't know what a true genius looked like, there was no doubt that Arnold was already the smartest person Caroline knew...well, just in terms of reading.

The university campus is very peaceful and clean. There were young faces everywhere, full of vitality. Young men and women walked in groups on the campus. Caroline leaned against the window, feeling as if she had entered a zoo called "University" - she was in the middle of the campus. Looking at a world that I have never been exposed to.

Caroline suddenly thought of Nia. She had not heard from Nia for a few days. She didn't know if Lawyer Carlo had sold Nia's property - maybe he had sold it and then let the boss of Boston divide it. Went to two million.

She may lie in bed more despairing than ever before, because Lawyer Carlo may have disappeared, because even Caroline herself disappeared from the end of Nia's life at this time.

Every time she thought of this, Caroline felt very sad and guilty.

Perhaps, a real bitch should be more ruthless... Caroline thought for a long time and finally found a reason for herself to calm down.

She let herself avoid thinking about anything about Nia - besides, she couldn't protect herself now.

I kept changing the TV channels because I wanted to see if there was any news about the Livia murder case.

However, what made Caroline regretful was that the various TV stations broadcast either unnutritious programs or all kinds of weird news and current affairs.

Caroline suddenly felt a little ridiculous, because she understood that for a sex worker like Livia, who was so small and humble, not many people paid attention even if he was lying dead on the street - the police would even be worried because of the addition reduce one’s own workload and so on.

The death of a life was thus concealed in a society with ever-changing information... scum, garbage. For a moment, Caroline even subconsciously labeled herself a similar label.

So, she looked at the men and women on campus, and suddenly felt that these people were a little disgusting. She knew this was purely her own anger.

But if we don't express our anger...what can people like her do?

Someone like me?

Caroline suddenly rushed out of the dormitory desperately. She remembered Arnold's instructions not to leave this place casually. But at this time, she just wanted to find a place to breathe - even if it was just a walk downstairs in the dormitory.

Of course, she will still take some protective measures.

For example, she put on a jumpsuit and hat, and then took a pair of glasses from Arnold's table and put them on - she found that the glasses did not have lenses, just a pair of frames.

Caroline didn't think too much about it because she felt that she was very confused now and couldn't figure out some of the things that happened when she came in.

She slowly walked through the path of the boys' dormitory and came to an artificial lake on campus. Caroline threw a few stones into the artificial lake - she even played a few throwing stones, but in the end she felt bored.

When she turned back, she saw an old man sitting alone on a bench not far away.

The old man stared at the artificial lake in a daze, and Caroline felt that this old man was obviously not spending a leisurely afternoon... he must have something on his mind.

Maybe just chat with a stranger and time will pass faster... Caroline subconsciously walked towards the old man sitting on the bench in a daze.

"Can I sit here?" Caroline stepped forward and asked.

The old man looked up, did not speak, and did not continue to pay attention.

Caroline shrugged and sat directly on the other side of the bench.

"What is this?" Caroline then noticed a black card next to the old man.

The old man did not return, but quickly stuffed the card into his pocket.

Caroline didn't really care.

At this moment, she suddenly took out a few pieces of chocolate from her pocket and said, "Do you want to eat it? I heard that eating something to lick when you are unhappy will make you feel happier. It seems to be because the chocolate contains some special ingredients or something."

"Arachidonic acid aminoethanol." The old man said calmly.

Caroline asked curiously: "What is this?"

The old man glanced at Caroline, frowned and said: "Arachidonic acid aminoethanol is an endogenous cannabinoid substance that can bind to the opioid receptors in our brains and then promote Dopamine is produced in the body, and dopamine can make people feel happy and relaxed... This is the campus of the Department of Bioengineering. Are you a student of the Department of Bioengineering? Why don't you know such basic things? "

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Does anyone here have to be a student? Then you are also a student here, old man?"

Of course this old man couldn't be a student, this was just what Caroline was saying.

"You don't know me?" The old man glanced at Caroline in surprise.

"Are you famous?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing famous." The old man said calmly at this moment: "I am just a bad old man who had to retire and was sent to this place to retire."

"Retirement... isn't it good to retire?" Caroline asked curiously: "I have worked hard all my life, isn't it just for retirement? I think you should be quite rich, and the next step should be to enjoy the time of life, how wonderful No? Why are you still here moping? "

The old man said: "My life is gone a long time ago."

Caroline saw that the old man had no intention of moving the chocolates she had sent out, so she took them back, ate them herself, and suddenly said: "Probably, but it's better than some people desperately waiting for death in the hospital bed." Well, at least you can sit here and be in a daze. But others may not be able to see the sun tomorrow."

The old man glanced at Caroline in surprise, and intuitively told her that this girl had a sense of vicissitudes of life that ordinary students did not have.

He asked subconsciously: "Are you worried too?"

Caroline kicked her legs and seemed to be in a better mood, then said: "Old man, you said 'yes' just now, right? You say it first!"

The old man shook his head.

Caroline simply sat up cross-legged, and then faced the old man's profile, "Don't you think it's just right? I have some things that worry you, and you also have your thoughts. We are both unhappy, and we don't want to get to know each other. Maybe we won't in the future. Goodbye. So why don’t we talk to each other? I heard that if you listen more to other people’s miserable experiences, you will make yourself feel happy.”

"What's your logic?" The old man frowned.

Caroline shrugged: "There is no logic, isn't it all like this? For example, you have had an unlucky afternoon, and it couldn't be any worse. But in the evening, someone tells you that your neighbor is unlucky. If you die in a car accident, you may feel sad, but don't you also feel 'lucky'? Because there are people who are worse off than you."

"Building your own happiness on others?" The old man shook his head, "Not interested."

Caroline shrugged and said: "It depends on who the person is. Maybe the other person is also building happiness in you... Anyway, let me talk about it first? Let's talk about one thing each, and we don't need to discuss anything about it. Why, how about simply listening?”

Seeing that the old man didn't respond, Caroline thought for a while and said first: "I am currently being chased by several bad guys. I can't go anywhere now and can only hide. All the money I have on me will be taken away by the bad guys." Now, we are basically in a state of having one meal and no next meal.”

"Then you should go find the police." The old man said calmly.

Caroline said: "Didn't I agree not to talk about the matter itself, but just to listen? Okay, it's your turn, old man."

The old man frowned, hesitated for a while, and then said slowly: "I can still work, but there is something wrong with my work. This will have a great impact on my son. So he fired me privately offered me a job and sent me here. If I didn’t agree, life in a nursing home would be waiting for me.”

Caroline said: "A friend of mine unfortunately died not long ago, but I appeared at the murder scene inexplicably. They all regarded me as the murderer."

The old man's eyes narrowed slightly, and his face darkened as he looked at this delicate-faced young girl.

Caroline was ready to run away at this time, but the old man stared at the lake blankly, "I...I killed a lot of people. A long time ago, because of my willful actions, things happened at work. The accident, and then all the colleagues I worked with died in the accident. This even included one of my most admired students, who was also my son’s wife.”

"No wonder your son treats you badly..." Caroline said in shock.

The old man frowned: "Didn't you say you won't talk about it?"

"I'm sorry." Caroline shrugged, then looked up into the distance, "I lied to someone. Although I don't know if she is good to me, but she is still willing to give me the last thing. But I still I deceived her, deceived her with others... deceived her of her hope."

The old man said: "I was also deceiving, deceiving my relatives around me, deceiving my grandson... I didn't dare to tell him what I really wanted back then, and I worked hard to maintain the family. But we all know that the longer I cheat, the harder it is to wait for what I really want. When that day comes, the pain will brew even more intensely.”

Caroline was silent.

The old man was also silent.

After a long time, Caroline suddenly said: "I have no future."

The old man also said slowly: "My dream is dead."

a long time.

Caroline sighed and stood up, shook her head and said, "It turns out I'm not happy at all."

The old man also smiled bitterly.

"Let's go." Caroline shook her head and patted the old man's shoulder casually...a simple comforting gesture.

However, the moment her palm touched the old man's shoulder, Caroline's brain suddenly seemed to explode, and a strange scene flashed before her eyes.

The white bed, covered with white sheets, clearly looked like this old man. He seemed to be dead, right in the ward...and beside him, there was a middle-aged man with a complicated expression, and a crying little boy.

"You...you will die." Caroline muttered.

She suddenly shuddered and woke up. She saw the old man looking up at her in astonishment. Caroline quickly said: "That's not what I meant, I just...just..."

"Maybe." The old man shook his head, thoughtfully, "Maybe if I had died back then..."

"I mean, in the future you..." Caroline finally swallowed her words.

The old man also stood up, put on his hat, and turned around to leave. Caroline turned to his back and said, "How about you go home later?"

The old man carried Caroline on his back and waved goodbye.

…

After Caroline watched the old man leave completely, she walked back listlessly along the same route. Maybe she could get back to the dormitory before Arnold came back from get out of class.

She didn't stop along the way, but when she reached the downstairs of the dormitory, she entered a convenience store and bought a bottle of beer. The money was taken from the table in the dormitory. It was just some loose money, which probably only bought a bottle of beer. look.

When Caroline walked out of the convenience store, she saw Arnold walking by with his head lowered. Caroline wanted to call him to stop, but she saw him quickly go around to the back of the convenience store.

Caroline frowned and followed quietly without saying anything.

Arnold stopped in the alley behind the convenience store, and there were several young men waiting here early... These people should be students from the school, and Caroline saw one of them still carrying a schoolbag.

Arnold seemed to be particularly cautious. They were talking about something, and those guys who looked like students suddenly took out the money and handed it to Arnold's hand.

After Arnold clicked on it, he took out something from his body and handed it into the hands of these students.

Caroline opened her mouth and turned away quickly, with a bit of panic in her eyes... She suddenly turned pale. Caroline subconsciously covered her mouth, but her fingers touched the glasses on her face.

Caroline whipped off her glasses - there were no lenses.

Arnold is short-sighted, but these glasses...

This person... is not Arnold!

…

…

Later in the evening, an old man was welcomed on the stairway.

He was holding a strange black card in his hand, with a confused look on his face... He seemed to be looking for something, looking around constantly.

The old man looked clean and tidy, and his clothes should be of a good brand.

This aroused some covetous eyes in the neighborhood - although there are rules not to rob locals, in fact, many times, not many people really care about such rules.

The old man didn't know that he was following two people quietly.

His eyes suddenly brightened at this time, and he walked towards a grocery store on the stairway - from the eyes of the two people who wanted to see the robbery, the old man was indeed walking in this direction.

"Where are the people?"

"Weren't you still here just now? Why did you disappear all of a sudden?"

"Look quickly..."

…

club.

The old man looked up at the door of the ancient shop, and then reached out to push open the pine door.

The old man was extremely surprised to see such a luxurious yet stylish shop in a slum.

I don’t know where the lights are installed, but there is bright warm light in the lobby, which is soft and not dazzling.

"How can I help you?"

The old man heard the sound and looked over. It was a woman wearing a black and white maid uniform. She was sitting quietly on a chair in the corner.

"I..." The old man subconsciously raised the black card in his hand: "It seems...it brought me here. But I can't remember when exactly this thing appeared in my hand... We, Have we met somewhere?"

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with, Dr. French?" the club maid asked again.

The sound was not loud, but it reached the old man's ears clearly, and passed into his heart, as if it had endless magic power... Countless things flashed through the old man's mind.

The old man... Dr. French was not surprised that his name was called out in an instant. He just had an impulse in his heart.

"I think……"