The Darling Girl Only Loves Messy, Rugged Men

Beneath the grime lies a rose Before my brother died, he left me a tattoo shop, along with a burly employee covered in tattoos from shoulder to wrist. On the first day after the shop opened, a delicate young lady came in, pinching her nose. “How much to remove the tattoo on my body? I’ll pay anything.” The burly man glanced at the rose on her bare back, cigarette dangling from his lips. “Can’t remove it. If you want it covered... the new design will have to be bigger.” She asked nervously what he would cover it with. He stubbed out his cigarette and smiled. “You’ll have to get my name tattooed.” Three months later, she lay on the bed, crying and cursing. “You’re a liar!” He bit her earlobe and whispered, “Can’t help it. Your brother told me before he died...” “Make sure his most hated little sister gets a taste of what it’s like to be bullied, too.” The rolling shutter stuck halfway up, letting out a piercing squeal like a chicken being strangled. Chen Mo muttered a curse and gave the rusty metal door a measured kick. With a rumble, it finally rolled up, as if against its will. Dust swirled in the afternoon sunlight like a long-delayed snowfall. The shop was stuffy with the stale mixed smells of disinfectant, ink, and tobacco. His brother, Chen Feng, had left him this rundown tattoo shop as casually as tossing him an old, worn-out jacket, along with the mess inside and several dusty tattoo chairs with cracked leather in the corner. A few unwashed work shirts were piled on the most conspicuous chair, giving off the sour smell of overnight sweat. Chen Mo switched on the old radio and tuned it to a deafening rock station, then grabbed a rag and carelessly wiped the dust off the glass counter. As he moved, the dark ink on his forearm grew denser