I am not Ximen Qing.

Chen Guangyuan deliberately created opportunities for Zhang Sheng, but Zhang Sheng thought this man was just a lecherous fellow, merely making a casual joke. How could he possibly introduce his roommate, a delicate, high-class "little dinosaur" girl, to Zhang Sheng? He finally discovered the captivating beauty of Lin Xiaoqing, a girl from the Wushan region of Shu, possessing the alluring charm unique to the Shu region, reminiscent of Lady Huarui of Later Shu. It's said that the Wu and Yue regions produce beauties like Xi Shi, Da Qiao, and Xiao Zhou Hou, whose beauty could destroy kingdoms. Zhang Sheng was also a little worried; Lin Xiaoqing's beauty seemed identical to Jane Eyre's—any hint of budding beauty, any release or birth of beauty, was breathtaking. Zhang Sheng knew at a glance that this girl was no easier to handle than Yingying from the West Chamber. Lin Xiaoqing had also told him about her family; her parents were both middle school teachers from the Shu region.

"Teacher?"

"Don't you believe it?"

"Of course it doesn't resemble it at all."

"Are you laughing at me?"

"No, no, that's not true at all."

"That's pretty much it."

"Don't you like being at school?"

“I understand, you know what? I like to take risks. Staying at home and studying is boring. All the employees in the company are brought from our manager’s hometown.”

"So we don't even have a chance to have a Ueshima Coffee together?"

"Yeah, I can't help it. He said big cities are too chaotic and that we girls should be more mature. But I don't see anything chaotic about Beijing."

In truth, Lin Xiaoqing's beauty is the same as Jane Eyre's at the beginning. Her beauty is like the delicate fragrance of lotus blossoms in full bloom on the Su Causeway of the Summer Palace in summer, a subtle and alluring beauty hidden in a handkerchief. Both *Jin Ping Mei* and *Dream of the Red Chamber* emphasize the beauty of girls, sharing a similar theme: true girlish beauty is often a manifestation of nature's bounty. Think of the beauty of peonies, lilacs, lotuses, chrysanthemums, crabapples, forsythia, magnolias, and peonies. Of course, there's also the beauty of Xiu Chun and Chun Mei, naturally found in the landscape paintings, in portraits of beauties and ladies. Lin Xiaoqing's beauty is like Boule de Suif in Maupassant's painting, emerging from the mud unsullied—a true lotus bud rising from the mud, pure and untainted.

Zhang Sheng imagined himself as a dragonfly, like Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly, wanting to have a fleeting, playful kiss. Men are just pets living for beautiful women and the world; think about why Qin Shi Huang only went as far as Qinhuangdao, and Cao Cao's "Song of Qinhuangdao." And Song Yu and Chu Xiang had "The Lustful Rhapsody of Deng Tu Zi," and the Goddess of Wushan—they were beings of beauty akin to the goddess Nuwa.

These emperors were all lecherous men, and their appreciation of beauty was that of an artist. Their amorousness was natural and not deliberate, unlike the heavily made-up, glamorous beauty of a top saleswoman from Tsinghua University. Their styles were completely different. In fact, alluring beauty is quite nice, like a rose that attracts attention and is envied. The high frequency with which she changed boyfriends only proves her charm and beauty. Not getting married and having many boyfriends is actually quite good.

An unexpected surprise! Volcano Disco, like a volcanic eruption, evokes the flames of love and the melting of lava, the restless stirrings of love within the earth. The neon lights and vibrant energy of this magnificent city at night are a stark contrast to the student bars near the Yanyuan campus. Volcano Disco, with its giant red neon lights and shimmering rainbow bridge of love, simply creates a space for love and passion. At least here, you don't have to suppress the burning flames of love in your heart. Go for the disco performance, jump and dance! Become a soulful urban Faustian rock youth, and search for the archangel! The archangel, having traveled from Paradise Lost to the space-time of Volcano Disco, is like Don Juan meeting his long-lost Don Garcia, searching for love, the clown of love, and the orange stripe in this urban paradise of love.

Love and romance are the cross that redeems the soul; this is the surging and restless energy of the Qiantang River tide, a mirage-like dream of Penglai. The moon and earth are far apart, but the tide of love still erupts like a volcano, its crimson glow like flowing lava. Love is something that can be encountered but not sought, and this is the source of its eternal charm. The passionate youthful energy in the crowds, the youthful fire of men and women, is merely a temporary release of illusions within the city's men and women. The fervor and breathtaking beauty of Beijing's nightscape lie entirely in this surging, hot life of love and romance.

Zhang Sheng sensed the difference here and the exotic atmosphere of the international student bars in Yanyuan. The taste of tequila was different; he didn't know what tequila was, but it was from Spain and Latin America, and there was also the wild beauty of love in Mexican detective stories. Two different vibes, the fiery passion of volcano disco, at least made him feel a certain sense of existence in his soul. Not everyone can find the feeling of Yurici. Living means already searching for hell and heaven. Is it really true that people either go to hell or go to heaven? If people only had two choices, hell and heaven, there would be no suffering. Going to hell and going to heaven are actually both liberations.

Volcano Disco has its own unique elements—something deep within the soul, something naturally familiar, a feeling of being completely captivated, quietly existing amidst the noise and restlessness. In Faulkner's world, in the hidden corners and private tables, one can enjoy a Faustian night. It doesn't matter, Helen is hidden in the lost paradise within the volcanic hell. Helen is a beauty within a volcano, a Sleeping Beauty who has slept for thousands of years, a beauty who retains the flames of Jupiter and Leddar's love and passion! This highest level of chaos—chaos is actually just a deceptive illusion, merely another transformation of order.

Witches, beauties, night queens—they've all evolved into shape-shifting beauties. Because love and romance in mythology have caused far too many tragedies, the human world only needs the formalism of masked love. The love of Juliet and Romeo, masquerading as they are, must be as hypocritical and deceptive as that of Almond's La Traviata to be captivating. This is the true paradise of love cocktails, a mix of different tastes and lustful men and women under the night sky, the whirlpool of sirens, singing the songs of masked women, the clowns of love like those in Phantom of the Opera. Never become a perfectionist in love; only by becoming a duke or viscount can you capture a young girl's heart.

Don the mask of Caliban and search for Miranda's love; this is truly a bizarre rock and roll love story. The drinks ordered at the masquerade ball were flawless: a pyramid of tequila. After giving the waiter a 200 yuan tip, he immediately replied, "Brother, brother, whatever you need, I'll satisfy you. Guaranteed, sir, brother, I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the service!" Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it. Jump, jump, jump, jump! Come on! Goddess, god, Apollo, sun god, the Three Graces—the goddesses will transform everything into wings, Dionysus and the sun god will conjure the sunlight of love, and fine wine will bewitch beauties' love—lazy flowers, love aphrodisiacs.

The DJ stood atop the catwalk, overlooking the restless and lost crowd of men and women on the dance floor. Two or three beautiful goddesses descended from the heavens—what a transformative painting of the dome! These beauties and goddesses floated dreamlike in the starry sky. They were angels of Faust's lost soul, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary; they had come to reality as three voluptuous women in short shorts, their breasts full and shapely, their boobs swaying. Each wore a strapless top, their full breasts a testament to the beauty of a pomegranate palace. Each had short, wavy red hair, their hips swaying like electric motors, their legs glowing with fluorescent light. They were Hera and Athena, beacons of light for the restless, vibrant, and sexually charged men and women of the city, a stream of consciousness of pure love and romance, a psychedelic world seeking liberation from love. In the space-time of volcanic disco, where smoke and lightning roared, why was there only an operatic chorus playing around?

Zhang Sheng knew nothing of the glory and splendor of Darius's Persian Empire, nor of the Pompeian tragedy of ancient Rome. At least Caesar was killed standing by Brutus, because Caesar's love with the Egyptian queen was suffocating; there were no romantic encounters, nothing at all. Zhang Sheng asked the waiter what else they had. He shouted at the waiter, "What song? What song?"

"Too serious, not fun at all, too serious." I just want to wander in the night.

From Haidian Huangzhuang to the East Gate of Tsinghua University, road construction has already begun. Beijing is full of skyscrapers and roadworks. Now, strolling along Shuangqing Road, Volcano Disco is a noisy, circus-like spectacle. After drinking countless Carlsberg drinks, watching the three dancers on the catwalk twisting their hips and striking poses was too boring. In a daze, I felt a bit like I was dreaming. Dante's dream, Freud's dream, Dream of the Red Chamber, the Dream of the Southern Bough, Werther's dream, Faust's dream, and the Magic Mountain's dream—though a little disoriented, the neon lights at Volcano Disco's huge entrance were eye-catching. Entering the tiered birthplace of beauty, the waiter smiled and said that the best beauty is the encounter between a beast and a beauty; real-life love is dull and tasteless. Volcano Disco is a crossroads to a paradise of love; love is most fun when it comes with a mask, playing with the exchange of ugliness and beauty in a romantic encounter. The waiter disappeared. He was Virgil's mentor, and he met Hugo's Man of Laughter. The beauty of Queen Anne's first encounter was similar to the birth of Venus's first encounter, an oil painting, a psychedelic oil painting leading to the reality of the Meng River. Queen Anne was the true enchanting queen in the Roman baths, her openwork platinum silk inlaid with rubies, Bai Juyi's rainbow-colored dress, a beauty adorned with jewels, almost kissing the queen's hand. I don't quite like the queen's Roman-style blatant desire, it's too naked, lacking the philosophy of ancient Greek beauty.

The three goddesses of beauty and grace hoped Zhang Sheng would become Paris among them. But who among the three was the most beautiful? Zhang Sheng recalled a class on Homer's epic poem, Troy and Ulysses, during his university years. It seemed that Paris seduced Helen because of a prank the three goddesses had orchestrated for Troy. Humanity is like that; history is created from the beauty of beautiful people. He didn't want to become Paris—it was too tragic. So many people died for love; that wasn't the purpose of going to Volcano Disco. The three goddesses of beauty and grace transformed into Pan Jinlian, Li Ping'er, and Tang Chunmei from *Jin Ping Mei*. This was purely a farce of ideas and spirit, a farce about Ximen Qing. Perhaps they had read too much of Xia Jinshi's *Jin Ping Mei*. They understood they had traveled from the world of *Jin Ping Mei*. This was a dream, a dream of Xi Xiang's *Jin Ping Mei*, just a dream. Li Ping'er even forgave Pan Jinlian for all the evil she had done to him. Pang Chunmei said Chen Jingji was the real hidden Ulysses. This was part of the theatrical performance; they were too immersed in their roles.

The novel *Jin Ping Mei*, a tale that leaps from Homer's epics to the Ming Dynasty, from West to East, isn't a judgment of evil versus beauty, or beauty versus ugliness. Homer's epics are the wellspring of Socratic beauty. Similarly, *Jin Ping Mei* is merely a mythical tale of the Wanli Emperor's appreciation of material possessions in the Ming Dynasty—a mere manifestation of Chinese mythology. Ximen Qing is just a symbol. Wu Song is merely a shadow of demons and monsters from the deepest hell—it's too fantastical. *One Thousand and One Nights* is just as fantastical, with Pan Jinlian, Pang Chunmei, and Li Ping'er, forcing Zhang Sheng to admit he is Ximen Qing.

The waiter came out again, "Brother, don't be afraid, this is an encounter in search of Ximen Qing."

"I am not Brother Ximen Qing."

"Hey bro, have you seen The Matrix?"

"I've seen it."

"You've seen it, that's all. Pan Jinlian, Pang Chunmei, and Li Ping'er all think Ximen Qing is better, and they still want to go back to Ximen Qing's world."

"why me?"

“Brother, you have a talent for this. The world of Jin Ping Mei must exist. Now humans can travel through time like Leo, and travel to the world of Jin Ping Mei in the Ming Dynasty.”

"Spare me, this is absurd!"

From the Three Graces to the Jin Ping Mei of the Ming Dynasty, the imagination is incredible. "What about Sister You Erjie and Sister You Sanjie? You're not Liu Xianglian."

"You're not Second Sister You, or Third Sister You, are you?"

"Do you know what you said?"

"I don't know, I don't know what I'm saying? The environment here is nice, can I sleep here for the night?"

"Sure, why not? You can."

Didn't I speak English?

"He looks very educated. Is he a university professor?"

"Do you believe I'm a postdoctoral researcher?"

"Of course I believe it."

"From the Snow Country?"

"What snow country are you from?"

"The Japanese novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature."

"The snow country is in Changbai Mountain. Where is there a snow country in Japan? The Japanese are the best at fantasizing about the beauty of Chinese culture. But who cares about the beauty of China? Japan is just a parasite of Chinese aesthetics."

"I don't really like how dry it is here."

"I like it here. Where else is better than Beijing?"

"No, nothing compares to the beauty of Beijing."

"Yeah, the furthest I've gone is Beijing. Anyway, I'm not going anywhere else, I'll just stay in Beijing!"