I stood in front of a group of beauties, and some voices came from this closed room, ringing only in my ears. All the people who came to our place were beauties, no matter what they looked like when they walked in from the street. In fact, I hated this. This is a kind of falsehood, but all the cities I know are popular with falsehood. In the face of huge falsehood, you can only keep a little truth in the depths of your mind. You must hide this truth well, because it is often closely related to your fate.
Standing in front of these girls who looked extremely beautiful at the moment, I couldn't see their true faces behind their makeup. I turned on the effect light of the floor-standing flash, and some dim yellow light hit their faces. They showed their true colors under the light. Their teeth and smiles are like those of stars. I say they look like stars, but they are definitely not stars and will never become stars in the future. These girls try to use money to retain their beauty at this moment. Every time I see them, I do see beauty, the same beauty. I don't feel sorry for them, they only see their own beauty, and that's enough for them.
The heavily made-up girls automatically posed in attractive poses under the lights. They asked me if we could start now. They were shy, even some middle-aged women who were no longer young. . Their eyes are always cautious when they look at me, and some of them have vigilant and flattering expressions. When a woman sees her own unprecedented beauty in the mirror, her whole mind will become unpredictable in an instant. Although I I find it ridiculous, but I can understand it. The only thing that makes me uneasy is facing those flattering looks. I am destined to disappoint them.
At this time, I would suddenly realize something and ask, "Are you all ready?" After getting a positive answer, I would smile apologetically and say, "Please wait a moment. I will go call the photographer."
The photographer in the studio came from Taiwan, and he liked to go to the toilet before taking pictures.
I'm not a photographer, I'm just a handyman in the studio.
Two years later, I came to this city called "belly" alone and rented a room on Minzhu Road in the back streets of the old city. More than a week later, the things I ordered by mail arrived. After I picked them up at the post office, I Outside the room, I hung a sign that read "Red Flame Photography Studio". I started writing in this city and taking artistic photos for many young girls to make a living. Strictly speaking, I am not Photographer, I am a writer. Or maybe I am nothing. My identity is tinged with mystery in this small town. I think this is the main reason why my workshop is booming. Let's explore my background. My current identity in this city is a businessman. Although many girls who have come to "Red Flame" call me an artist, I guarantee that they can't tell the difference between an artist and a down-and-out ruffian. the difference. An old lady from the street where the "Red Flame" is located has come to my room several times. She certainly didn't come to take artistic photos, nor did she find out that I had done anything illegal. She just felt uneasy about a long-haired outsider like me. The man looked unreliable, not to mention that the old lady was a street director who was very vigilant and responsible. Later one day, when the old lady came again, she was followed by the household registration police in the area. I felt uneasy. If a pretty-looking girl hangs around you all day, you'd feel uneasy even if you didn't do anything. I mean, if you're facing a guy in a police uniform.
Another reason why I felt uneasy that day was that there was a girl named Chu Hong in my room. She was a decent girl, and you must not mix her with the other women who hang out with me all day. The first time she came to the Red Flame with her sister Chu Qing, they were caught in a rain on the way, so their clothes were all wet when they came in. When the two of them hid behind the curtain to change clothes, the rain I opened the door and a gust of wind blew open a corner of the curtain. I saw Chu Qing had stripped herself naked, while Chu Hong was still wearing wet clothes, sitting cross-legged on the ground, holding her Her cheeks were slender, and her long hair hung down on both sides, making her look very sad.
The rain started to fall again in the middle of the night. I woke up to the sound of rain, thinking of a girl named Chu Hong. Chu Hong did not leave her image here with me. She accompanied Chu Qing to take pictures. I was in the last I offered to take two photos for her, but she refused. I thought on this rainy night that it was her sadness that rejected me. I like sad women, so I knew I fell in love with Chu Hong.
I came to this small town in the south of the Yangtze River from a big city in the north, largely because this city has a group of "primitive zone" artists that have become famous in China in the past two years. I said I am not a photographer, I am Writers. The “primitive zone” attracted many writers like me to come to the town from afar. During the two years I was in the town, I walked through every street and alley in the city and asked all the people who looked like I never found the men and women with a bit of artistic taste. Later, when I left the town, I thought, how could the "primitive zone" exist in such a city? What kind of city is this? I felt the inner life of a woman, and touched its heartbeat through a group of equally beautiful women. When I left the town, it became blurred in my mind again, and the memories accumulated over two years vanished in an instant. Of course, I felt a little sad. For this city, and for so many girls in this city, and more because the girl named Chu Hong is getting farther and farther away from my heart, and finally there is no trace of her. You don't have to understand my sadness, my sadness does not affect I went to another city, where my "red flame" still attracted many girls. Girls are not my life, but they are my stage. If one day after I die, you see my novels and the ghost stories I have experienced in the films I have made, they must be inseparable from women. That day, the old lady director of the street came to my "Red Flame" with a young household registration policeman. Later, the old lady left, and the household registration policeman hesitated for a long time before explaining his purpose. Before I tell you his purpose I want to tell you one more thing first, which is a story about a man riding a motorcycle and a traffic policeman. I later suspected that the man riding the motorcycle was one of the people in the "primitive zone" I was looking for.
A traffic policeman stopped a motorcycle at an intersection. The owner of the motorcycle may or may not have violated traffic regulations. We are all used to such things. If it were you or me, the only thing we could do in the face of such a situation would be to Just show us a humble smile in front of the traffic police. The traffic police are very arrogant. In front of people driving motor vehicles, especially in front of some drivers in the county. What's more terrible is that he will salute you when he walks up to you. , as if he still respects you. That day, the traffic police stopped the motorcycle and walked over with a sullen face as usual, asking to see the driver's license. There may have been some disputes between the two. It was the motorcyclist who insisted that I had not violated any rules, so why did you stop me instead of others? I won't go into details about what happened in between, as we can all imagine it. What I want to talk about here is the last motorcyclist In a word, this sentence later became widely circulated in this small Jiangnan city called "Belly".
"Why are you so arrogant? If you take off this skin, you are just a bastard, right?"
In many southern cities, the word "辉子" is a derogatory term for northerners. It has the same meaning but has different connotations in certain specific areas. In the "belly" cities, it specifically refers to people in the suburbs and several neighboring counties. People in small towns like to use this word to scold those country people who become arrogant when they succeed, implying that they should go back and wash their necks clean.
I don't want to know what happened to the motorcyclist, but I later heard many people say this on different occasions. I can't understand why this sentence became so popular so quickly. Although I am not from a small town, I am a native of the north, and a typical northerner, but no one has ever accused me of being a northerner. Many people who know me know that I come from a famous big city in the north, which is big enough for many people in this small town to The natives feel guilty.
I thought of the traffic policeman because there was a guy in police uniform in front of me. In my eyes, he was exactly the same as the traffic policeman who looked like a gangster when he took off his clothes, and he was more vivid than the legendary character.
The household registration police asked me a lot of questions, such as where I came from, the purpose of coming to the small town, my source of income, my occupation, my daily routine, etc. During this time, his face was as if covered with paste. When she smiled at me at the end, I started to feel a chill down my spine.
He said, "Don't be nervous. I don't have any evidence against you. I came here to make friends with you." When he said this, he put his hand on my shoulder, just like how familiar we used to be. of.
I don't want to make friends like this. When he said this, I could tell at a glance that he must have a purpose for coming here. But I really didn't expect that his purpose was to ask me to look for a girlfriend for him when I have time.
I know there are many girls coming to your place. He said. When he said this, he glanced at Chu Hong who was sitting cross-legged on the ground with a sad face. I naturally stepped forward to block him. He smiled and put his mouth close to my ear. He said, that's your girlfriend, she looks pretty good, but I don't like this type, she is too thin. I want you to help me pay attention to the mature and plump girls.
At first I never thought of introducing him to a girlfriend, but his last words reminded me of Chu Qing. Chu Qing was the kind of woman the household registration police had mentioned, and I could see that she was also getting anxious. Thinking of getting married.
Chu Qing was the first girl in this city to enter the "Red Flame". Later, she helped me a lot. In short, she kept bringing some girls with the same profession as her to shoot films during that half year. She was a beautiful girl. Later, when I fell in love with her younger sister Chu Hong, I still said that she was prettier than Chu Hong.
The first time she walked into Red Flame, she told me, "I have been to all the photo studios in our small town, and I can't find a female photographer to take pictures for me." I said, "What does it matter whether the photographer is a man or a woman?" The girl thought about it and smiled as if she had suddenly realized something. “Yes, it doesn’t matter. I was just making excuses for myself.” Chu Hong’s excuses were crucial in my later relationship with her. However, that time I just thought it was just a girl's shyness. You would have thought so when you saw her taking off her clothes one by one in front of me like a silkworm.
When Chu Qing came to pick up the film, she was stunned by her own beauty. She asked me if I was still as beautiful as before. I took the photo from her and looked at the girl's silky skin and bright eyes. Smile, I admit that I was a little obsessed with this mature and beautiful girl at that moment.
Finally, I said that it takes courage for a girl to make a film like this.
I saved my courage for the last moment. Chu Qing said, I saved my greatest courage for death.
I am persistent and determined to find the "primitive zone" in the small town. This is not an ordinary creative group. Each of their works has made new explorations on sex. Sexuality should generally exist in the dark. Many people I read a lot of "primitive zone" works in crudely printed pamphlets. Because they let sex spread freely under the sun, they were suppressed not only in this small town, but also in the whole country. They are a group of unfortunate writers who have touched upon the truth of some things and are therefore destined to become victims.
Night fell in darkness.
Chu Hong and I sat in the dark box of the "Jin Yi Wei" teahouse waiting for a victim. A week ago, I received a letter from a person who claimed to be a member of the "Original Zone". In the letter, he mentioned this "Jin Yi Wei" Teahouse. In addition to tea, there are many other services in the teahouse now. Chu Hong and I can even feel the hostile gazes from all directions in the dark. The hostility is directed at Chu Hong, and the hostility comes from a group of women living in the dark. Any foreign woman who stepped into such an occasion would face this kind of hostility. In such darkness and hostility, Chu Hong and I both seemed anxious and uneasy.
The person who asked me to meet was called "Chief". I told Chu Hong about it. Chu Hong asked curiously, "Is he the chief of the primitive area?" I nodded. Chu Hong said, "Then he must have painted his face with oil paint and had a hat on his head." So that night, she accompanied me to the "Jinyiwei" to wait for the chief with painted face and feathers in his hair.
Chu Hong fell asleep in my arms at about one in the morning. That night, we didn't see the paint or feathers. The chief deceived me and also deceived a girl's imagination. So, I vowed to find him.
Don't be influenced by what I said before about Chu Qing. Topics related to death always seem as heavy as the night. Chu Qing is actually a cheerful and lively girl. She was just in a bad mood during the days when she entered the "Red Flame". Later, she mentioned death to me again. This temporal contingency once confused me and you. Until she walked into my studio again, everything changed.
I have parted with death. She said this as soon as she entered the door. You saved me, you are my benefactor.
From the beginning, I didn't believe the death that this mature girl said. Although death is a person's shadow, you can't get rid of it once you are born. But how many people in this world have thought about their shadows, or even become obsessed with them? More Yes, it appears in our sight when we least expect it, its charm seduces us, like a flower withering at its most beautiful. The suffering of life becomes a feat here, and its entire content is just to complete a process. All of this happened in an inadvertent moment, and then there was a noise in front of us, and our eyes easily left the shadow and looked forward. The proposition of shadow or death was stranded again.
Chu Qing later became a frequent visitor to my place. She not only brought her colleagues to take pictures, but also asked me to take a few pictures for her whenever she was in a good or bad mood. The pictures I took for her were enough to hold a film exhibition. I knew she was supporting my life. The money she earned from filming was used to buy food, cigarettes, and to stay in the small town for more than two years. So, I really showed deep pain when she died later. .
It was me who harmed her. Starting from that dinner table, I pushed her to our shadow.
The young household registration policeman showed his extremely immature side when facing such a girl. During the whole meal, I kept asking them not to put down their chopsticks. After I had enough food and drink, I realized It was time for me to leave. At this time, Chu Qing pulled my clothes from below. I didn't leave, so I stayed.
When I said the household registration policeman was immature, I mainly meant that when he looked at girls, his eyes were as if he wanted to eat them up. This fully demonstrated his sexual hunger, and I began to worry about Chu Qing.
The young household registration officer had hinted several times that I should leave, but Chu Qing wouldn't let go of my clothes. I didn't want the household registration officer to see me, so I had to play dumb. That meal took a long time to finish in my memory. We didn't leave until a waiter came up to say it was closing time. When we parted that day, Chu Qing left with me and left the household registration police on the street.
Chu Qing told me, I am afraid. I said, what is there to be afraid of. Chu Qing said, I am afraid anyway, I don't want to see this person again. I smiled and said, the way he looks at people is like a wolf, But once he becomes your husband, he won't look at you that way anymore.
Chu Qing said, he will not be my husband, no.
Before I introduced Chu Qing to the household registration police, she had experienced two failed relationships. At that time, I had been hanging out with her sister Chu Hong all day. She had repeatedly expressed her desire to find a man to marry in front of me. She did When she reached the age to get married, I introduced her to the household registration police, not only because I thought the household registration police were really good, but also because of my current relationship with Chu Hong. Without Chu Hong, everything that happened later would have to start all over again.
Chu Qing didn't want to interact with the household registration police, and I had no choice but to tell the young household registration police the truth. How could it be that the household registration police looked disappointed.
Because of your wolf-like eyes. I said.
The matter seemed to end here, I mean the matter between the household registration police and Chu Qing. However, a month later, Chu Hong came to me and said, "Do you know, there is a new household registration police in our area who has nothing to do all day long?" It sneaked into our house like a dog and couldn't be driven away.
I immediately thought of Trina.
Chu Qing has moved out to avoid the household registration police, Chu Hong told me.
I started looking for Chu Qing. It seemed that Chu Qing had disappeared in this city. Even Chu Hong didn't know where she was. I went to a shopping mall where she worked, and the people there said that she hadn't come to work for more than half a year. This was a new problem. Even Chu Hong didn't know that she had been fired. I didn't see any of the colleagues she brought to "Red Flame" to film in the mall. At this time, I realized something. But I couldn't believe it.
Finding Chu Hong became the most important thing in my life during that period.
I hid in the dark, and through the large glass window facing the street across the street, I could see the young household registration police sitting with a group of people drinking. I had been following him for two days, and I didn't find anything suspicious in him. I think I have lost my patience tonight, I will wait for the household registration police to come out and punch him hard in the face.
In fact, I just rushed out of an alley and the household registration police found me. He punched me and made me fall backwards and I couldn't get up again. I am very sad. Force is the most direct way to deal with it in most cases. 's strength, but I don't have a strong body.
The young household registration police officer opened the lighter and saw my face clearly and cursed me fiercely. I just kept saying, "Don't bother Chu Qing anymore—Don't bother Chu Qing anymore."
The young household registration police officer smiled contemptuously, spat in my face, and turned away.
Searching is a kind of mission in life. I came to this small town to find the spiritual "primitive zone", but Chu Qing later became my target. I clearly recall the days when Chu Qing disappeared. I remembered her many hints in front of me, which disappeared only after Chu Hong intervened. All this was because of Chu Hong's damn sadness. Between beauty and sadness, I chose the latter, which was also the reason why Chu Hong The main cause of death among young people.
The next day, I hid in the "red flame" to think. Chu Hong was still sitting cross-legged on the floor, sad. I wondered if her sadness was for Chu Qing. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I saw , Chu Hong's sadness changed color.
The visitor was a customer of Red Flame. She came to pick up a 24-inch film. This woman had come with Chu Qing two months ago and had not appeared in the past two months. I thought she would never come again, so I asked Chu Qing about it. Chu Qing said she went to another city and I didn't know when she would come back.
When I saw this woman, my eyes lit up. Before she could speak, I said, "Take me to find Chu Qing." I don't know her current situation. I just came back from another city, the woman replied.
But at least you have done it with her. What did we do together? I didn't say, and Chu Hong beside me didn't ask. The woman thought about it, looked at me and Chu Hong, and finally nodded.
At this moment, I saw that the sadness on Chu Hong's face deepened a little bit.
Finally, let’s talk about Chu Hong’s sadness.
Have you ever seen inexplicable sadness? The longer I stayed with Chu Hong, the less I could see her clearly. This was a girl with a simple experience. After graduating from university, she went straight to work in an office in a public institution. Compared to her, she is a little more superior. However, a simple experience does not mean that her mind is simple. One day, I read her palm lines, and I could not see the familiar lines from her messy palms. Any line related to fate. According to the physiognomy book, people with such lines have the most complicated thoughts. Later I thought, is this the source of her sadness?
Most of the time when she was with me, Chu Hong sat on the floor and showed her sadness. I wanted to touch her heart through talking to her, but later I found that it was a futile task. Time passed, because I was obsessed with her sadness, so I didn't have time to look at some of the things behind the sadness. Every time, we hugged gently, I recited some excerpts from the "Primitive Zone" works in her ears. Later, I found the latest edition of "Original Zone" in her backpack. When I asked about the source of these ink-scented publications, Chu Hong said, "Have you not seen an old man with white hair and beard on the street at dusk?" ? The publication was hidden in his bag.
I ran tirelessly on the streets of the small town at dusk, but I couldn't see the old man with white hair and beard. Why was it an old man? In my imagination, it must be a group of young people who were younger than me. I came after them, but they rejected me.
Chu Hong, like me at the beginning, was madly obsessed with the works in the "Primitive Zone" magazine. In this way, her sadness had more shape than what I saw at the beginning. However, I still couldn't understand why her sadness Then one night when I was alone, I sat at the table for more than three hours without writing a single word. At this time, I saw the person in the mirror with a haggard face. Between his brows, I still I saw the same sadness as Chu Hong.
At that time, I thought I understood it, but I overlooked one problem, that is, what I saw in the mirror was the sadness of a writer. Could it be that Chu Hong’s sadness could have no place to attach to?
In a city like this, I won't be surprised no matter what happens.
The light illuminated the darkness. As Chu Hong and I sat in the darkness, we once again encountered the hostile gazes we had suffered in "Jin Yi Wei". Chu Hong and I sat far away in the music hall with warm tunes. At this time, we resolutely did not touch each other's bodies, although the atmosphere here was warm and moist.
Some seductive women were wandering in front of us, and I saw several familiar faces among them. They had all filmed at the "Red Flame" before, and when Chu Qing took them there, she told me that they were her colleagues.
The woman who brought us here had disappeared into the darkness. At this point, we no longer doubted that Chu Qing had once been a member of this place. I did not show my heartache. This was also a way of life, and I had already I had a premonition. The one who was truly heartbroken was Chu Hong. Her sadness was like a sharp sword piercing straight at me, piercing my body.
The women in the dark all look the same, just like the photo studios in the north where I used to stay. I can't see any faces behind the pale makeup. Chu Qing is not here, Chu Hong said, I can't smell her scent here. I said, let's stay for a while, after all, this is where Chu Qing once stayed. My words startled Chu Hong, and she began to tremble. She had sensed my premonition. Yes, I I had a premonition that something ominous was happening, and it all started when I brought the young household registration police officer to Chu Qing. It was only then that I really understood why Chu Qing was afraid of the household registration police. She was afraid It wasn't him as a person, including his wolf-like eyes, that really frightened her; it was the uniform.
Darkness covers us at night.
Several women in black came to us. They asked, "Are you looking for Chu Qing?" I said yes, I was her friend and she was her sister. I pointed to Chu Qing next to me. red.
Chu Qing has left, she no longer belongs to our group, you won’t find her here, the women said.
So none of you know where she is now?
Later, a girl who looked younger than Chu Hong said, "If you have time, go to the old town in the south of the city. I saw her in a supermarket there half a month ago." Looking through the large glass of the supermarket, although I couldn't see clearly, I believed it was her.
I said thank you and you are welcome to come to the "Red Flame" to shoot films when you have time, it's free.
The little girl grinned and told the ghost stories she had experienced , and her smile seemed somewhat sad in the darkness.
With the news from Chu Qing, Chu Hong and I stopped staying. The darkness here was suffocating us. When I was dragging Chu Hong away, she said, "Sit for a while. There are things we are familiar with here." I asked What is it? Chu Hong suddenly became impatient and said, "It's the damn "primitive zone" you told me about. We were wrong. Things in the dark must be kept in the dark. Even if there is no darkness, There are people who create darkness. There are a lot of people who make love in broad daylight, but not in the sun, you just draw the curtains and then darkness comes.
As I was thinking about Chu Hong's words, the darkness around me became much brighter.
It's raining outside. This is the first time I mention the weather. The small city in the south of the Yangtze River is about to enter its rainy season. I don't know what the rainy season will be like, but I packed my bags and left the city in the rain. One city, entering another city, with no beginning and end.
We found Chu Qing, and I even witnessed her beautiful death. In the rain, she shed her clothes like a butterfly, and then danced like the wind under the smoky blue sky. The falling process reminded me of a flower withering. At least a hundred people witnessed Chu Qing's death at that time. Their eyes followed Chu Qing's figure from the sky back to the ground. Some The brightly coloured dresses were still floating in the drizzling air.
Another woman's voice rang in everyone's ears. Chu Hong fell to the ground before Chu Qing with a scream. I only had time to hug Chu Hong's petite body, and a dazzling red burst in front of my eyes. Qing disappeared from my sight, and she disappeared from everyone's sight. Only a blood flower was left, blooming where she landed.
Chu Hong in my arms said word by word with tears in her eyes: She – is – gone – I don't want to describe Chu Qing's death in detail here. I am a sinner. I thought my search could I helped Chu Qing get relief, but in the end, it was my search that led to Chu Qing's death. Searching could lead to such a big mistake, it made the goal that supported my entire spiritual world become vague and distant. I was there It was the first time that I thought of leaving the town.
However, I have one last wish before leaving the town.
You will see me wandering the streets on rainy nights with a sharp dagger in my pocket, my eyes sweeping through the elegantly decorated hotels, firmly looking for a young household registration policeman. We already know Chu Qing's fear. I would like to add that one night before her death, Chu Qing was taken to a room with iron bars by a group of uniformed men. This is where the fear of uniforms comes from. Chu Qing rented the top floor of a seven-story building in the old city in the south of the city to avoid the young household registration police. Chu Hong and I were finally able to walk through the closed door, and we saw It was filled with all kinds of canned food, most of which were still unopened. Chu Qing relied on these canned food to spend her last half month.
The young household registration policeman is my only enemy in this small town.
I saw my enemy in the alley where he had beaten me. My dagger flashed a terrifying edge in the darkness of the rainy night. The edge was now against the neck of the household registration police. I said, you killed me. Trina!
The young household registration policeman began to get scared, but he still did not forget to defend himself. I just like a girl, what's wrong with me? If loving someone is wrong, then everyone in this world has only one destination, that is It's prison.
My edge began to fade, and my heart felt more empty than that of the household registration police.
It was you who killed Chu Qing! The household registration police saw my weakness, and his voice echoed in the rainy night street. If you don't knock on the door, Chu Qing will come out after a while. It's you who killed him!
I started wandering in the rainy night again. It was my knock on the door that made Chu Qing climb up to the balcony. I witnessed her stunning and sad fall amid the exclamations of the crowd. I can't change this fact now, and I can't change it in the future. No. I will disappear in this small town in eternal fear.
I should leave. I thought to myself that I was an ominous wanderer.
My luggage has been packed. Chu Hong, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a sad face, suddenly said, "Don't you want to take a few photos for me before you leave?"
Chu Hong always refused me to take photos for her, which was something I could not understand during our relationship. The rainy season had not yet passed. During the rainy season, Chu Hong's only request to me was to take a few photos of her. Before this small town. She knew I would never come back.
I re-set up the lights and held my camera. Chu Hong made a brilliant appearance behind Weibu.
Chu Hong's naked face was covered with paint, and a few long feathers were inserted in her tall hair. She walked towards me with a smile in my astonishment, and I could no longer see the familiar sadness on her face. I looked at her frail body and pale skin, and tears flowed down my face…
I rushed to a hall with my bag on my back. I finally found the "primitive zone" I was looking for before leaving the town. Chu Hong, who was leaving, told me that she was going to attend the last "primitive zone" meeting held there today. Of course, Chu Hong's news came from that mysterious old man with white hair and beard. I had no doubt about it.
The synagogue was right in front of me, I could even hear the plaintive singing inside, smell the scent of oil paint and see the long feathers inside. My legs were already shaking when I pushed open the door.
The door was empty, no one was there. The singing was still ringing in my ears, the fragrance of oil paint was still lingering in my nose, and the long feathers were dancing in my sight, but this room was empty. No one.
When I stood in the middle of the room and closed my eyes, my face was covered with paint and a red and yellow feather hung from my head.
The small Jiangnan town named "Belly" disappeared from my world.
—All the wonderful ghost stories are in the Ghost House: guiguaiwu.com—