Chapter 21

Yan Qing's phone battery had dropped to zero. She was extremely anxious and rushed to the school without stopping.

Pushing open the dormitory door, Gu Feimeng was leisurely eating sunflower seeds and watching a variety show.

"You're back?" Seeing Yan Qing's hair dripping wet, he quickly handed her a dry towel. "You got caught in the rain again."

Yan Qing, ignoring the rain, asked, "Has anyone come looking for me?"

"No, I hardly saw anyone in the entire dormitory building, just me."

Hearing that everything was normal, Yan Qing felt a little relieved.

"But I actually ran into an acquaintance today."

Yan Qing immediately perked up her ears, alert: "Who?"

“Zhuge Xiaoxiang. I passed by the playground this afternoon and saw him sitting by the basketball court. I had seen his picture in the mountaineering club's brochure before, and I recognized him at a glance.” Gu Feimeng's tone became infatuated as she said this, “His face is so abstinent, and his body is so sexy! He kept looking outside, like he was waiting for someone.”

"Maybe he has friends at school." Yan Qing took a towel and went into the restroom, not continuing the topic.

After washing up, Yan Qing lay in bed, her heart still pounding. Feng Xin's threat echoed in her ears. She knew this uncle, who wasn't related to her by blood, all too well—a complete scoundrel; he wouldn't give up until he got money. But Qiao Yi needed money too. During her trip back today, she noticed that Qiao Yi seemed even worse than before. He tried to hide his weakness, but Yan Qing saw it all clearly. What would happen in the future?

One trouble after another came rushing in. She turned to the side, hiding herself in a corner against the wall. She'd figure something out tomorrow; she was too tired now. Soon she drifted off to sleep.

She woke up to bright daylight. She moved slightly, and the pain returned. Touching her head, the swelling was still noticeable; the bump from yesterday had been quite severe. She tried to check the time, then remembered her phone was charging on the table; she hadn't brought it to bed.

I got out of bed. My phone had dozens of unread messages, the first being from Feng Xin and Meng Xianglan, their chat windows positioned one above the other, each with a prominent number in the upper left corner. The last message was sent around 3 a.m. It seemed they were still worried about not getting the money, so they bombarded me with messages all night.

Feeling annoyed, Yan Qing locked her screen and deliberately avoided looking at her phone.

Shen Hanyang waited all night but did not receive a reply from Yan Qing.

Yesterday in the emergency room, he followed Yan Qing and overheard her talking on the phone with a man named Feng Xin. From her few words, he pieced together some information, but it was all just speculation.

He returned to the emergency room before the less-than-pleasant phone call ended, because Secretary Gao had brought Cheng Jiaming with her.

His condition wasn't serious; the doctor did a quick check-up and, finding nothing seriously wrong, sent him home. Secretary Gao urged him to go home and rest, and Cheng Jiaming kept saying he didn't want to stay in the hospital anymore. But he lingered outside the emergency room, reluctant to leave.

Finally, Cheng Jiaming's patience wore thin, and he started to throw a tantrum. Shen Hanyang calmed him down and went to the stairwell. But Yan Qing was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, but to no avail. He tried calling her on WeChat voice, but there was no answer. He then dialed her mobile number, but it was switched off.

In the bad weather, the hospital was no different from usual, filled with hurried footsteps and painful groans. Outside the lobby, the rain formed a dense curtain, through which people constantly passed. The world operated in a chaotic yet orderly fashion, but he felt that something was off track.

Normally, Shen Hanyang was a very energetic person; except when his stomach ailment flared up, he rarely felt weak. But this day, he returned home unusually exhausted. Wu Yanying directed the chef to make him soup and had the maid take his rain-soaked clothes to wash, keeping her extremely busy. Cheng Jiaming, oblivious to everything else, called Huang Yanxiang to report on the latest developments in the novel he was reading.

Shen Hanyang found the whole thing noisy, so he sent everyone away and lay down in the bedroom alone.

His bedroom has a typical minimalist, austere style. Back then, Ren Ruiyun was in charge of decorating both Tan Chen Mansion and Binjiang Jiuli, and the two have similar styles. Looking at it now, this style does indeed suit Ren Ruiyun's personality and aesthetics—cold and hard, devoid of any warmth.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to rest, but felt inexplicably irritable. This summer was unusually hot, with temperatures repeatedly breaking historical records. Shen Hanyang turned the air conditioner down low, covered himself with the blanket, but could still smell a faint chemical reagent odor in his nose.

He recalled that it was the smell unique to the emergency room.

He woke up before five o'clock the next day and couldn't fall back asleep.

The air conditioner was on all night, and the indoor air was still chilly.

He got up and stared at his phone screen for a long time. He scrolled down to the first message in the chat window; the other person was sending messages one-way, as if talking to themselves. He had actually seen those messages, but either because he was busy, interrupted by something, or because he felt it was unnecessary, he had never replied. At the bottom were several voice calls he had sent. One was from a while ago, answered by a strange girl, who gave him a string of "sweet" words. The others were calls he had made last night, but none of them had received a response.

There was nothing to worry about in this matter, but he just felt a sense of suffocation, as if he had been hit by a boomerang.

He wasn't sure if it was because the air conditioning was too cold, but his stomach started to feel a little uncomfortable. He took out two pills and swallowed them.

He lay down for a while longer when he heard Cheng Jiaming shouting outside. He glanced at the time; it was eight o'clock. He was shocked to realize that he had been overthinking for so long.

Cheng Jiaming was complaining of hunger in the living room. It turned out that he had been chatting so enthusiastically with Huang Yanxiang yesterday that he forgot to eat, and had woken up hungry early this morning.

Shen Hanyang got up, drew back the curtains, and sunlight flooded in, instantly brightening the room.

He dialed Yan Qing's number. It rang twice before she answered. He thought she would scold him for leaving the hospital without saying goodbye last night, but inexplicably, his first words were: "Jiaming asked me about you. He said he wanted some snacks?"

Yan Qing, on the other end of the phone, then remembered that she had promised to bring Cheng Jiaming some Anchuan rice cakes. But she had rushed back to S City yesterday and completely forgot about buying the snacks.

She said apologetically, "Please explain to him that I really forgot this time, and I will definitely make it up next time."

“It’s alright,” Shen Hanyang said nonchalantly. “I’ll have someone go to Anchuan to buy it for him, and he can eat it today.”

"I'm so sorry," Yan Qing repeated.

“Actually, he would prefer you to come back to class,” Shen Hanyang said.

"About the class..." Yan Qing hesitated, remembering Secretary Gao's rejection of her.

"We'll talk about the classes later. Come have dinner with Jiaming on Friday, he misses you."

Having said all that, Yan Qing seemed to have no other choice. She heard herself say, "Okay."

In the afternoon, Gu Feimeng couldn't stand being cooped up in her dorm room any longer, so she dragged Yan Qing to stroll along Wuxing Street outside the East Gate.

Wuxing Street is the backyard of several nearby universities, boasting not only affordable supermarkets but also a wide variety of cafes, bars, and restaurants. Students love it, especially the Korean exchange students, who are easily recognizable by their fashionable clothes, sleek hair, and flawless skin. Although Yan Qing rarely shops on Wuxing Street, she enjoys strolling through it in her free time, finding joy simply in observing the attractive exchange students and soaking up the lively atmosphere.

Passing by a nail salon, Gu Feimeng suddenly decided to go in and get her nails done.

Yan Qing glanced at her Nine Yin White Bone Claw: "This hasn't been around for very long, has it?"

“I’m tired of the dark style,” Gu Feimeng said. “I want to try a sweeter style. Come with me.” With that, she pulled Yan Qing inside.

The nail salons around the school are affordable and the nail technicians are quite skilled. Yan Qing watched as a row of girls stretched out their ten beautiful fingers, which were then carefully polished and decorated by the nail technicians. Each nail technician had real skills, and each person's work was unique. Some were gorgeous and dazzling, while others were fresh and cute. Each had its own merits. Although she did not participate, she still found it pleasing to the eye.

A shop assistant brought over a booklet and recommended that Yan Qing choose a pattern she liked. Yan Qing smiled and politely declined.

The sales assistant said, "It's good to get some pampering done. Your hands are so beautiful, it would be a shame not to take good care of them."

Yan Qing simply smiled and shook her head.

Seeing that she was unmoved, the shop assistant changed tactics: "How about getting your ears pierced? We're having a promotion now, it's only eight yuan. Your face shape is perfect for earrings, let me get you a pair to try on."

The female shop assistant circled around the counter and quickly returned to Yan Qing's side, holding a pair of silver earrings in the style of ethnic minorities.

"Look, doesn't it suit you perfectly?"

Yan Qing looked in the mirror.

"It looks nice. How about I get my ears pierced? It'll only cost eight yuan."

The shop assistant's persistent persuasion failed to sway Yan Qing; what truly captivated her was her reflection in the mirror. The image she saw was refreshing. So this is how she looks with earrings!

"That looks great!" Gu Feimeng turned around to encourage her.

Yan Qing saw a faint smile appear on the lips of the person in the mirror.

Eight dollars, it's good to make a change.

After dinner, Gu Feimeng hid behind the bed curtains watching a variety show, laughing heartily. After some time, her laughter gradually subsided, and a long yawn came from behind the curtains.

She got out of bed to wash up. As she passed Yan Qing, she noticed her staring blankly at the lamp.

Gu Feimeng rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked, "Aren't you going to sleep yet?"

"I'll go to sleep," Yan Qing replied.

She didn't tell Gu Feimeng that Feng Xin had just sent her his location, near L University. He also sent a photo of the main gate of Leju Residential Complex. The implication was clear. Huang Qian and her family of three lived in Leju Residential Complex, and Huang Yanxiang often played there.

Two months ago, Feng Xin asked her for 10,000 yuan, claiming it was for Feng Yiming's vocational high school tuition. She has been delaying paying it.

She hated Feng Xin and feared him. He was a rat—insidious, cunning, and insatiable. He had already embezzled the meager amount of money Yan Qing's mother and grandmother had left her, and that wasn't enough. Ever since he learned that Yan Qing had been admitted to university and could support herself, he had begun using various means to coerce and threaten her, extracting money from her. Yan Qing's student loans, scholarships, and part-time wages had all been drained by Feng Xin and Meng Xianglan. She was powerless to stop it. She had even reported it to the police, but nothing came of it.

Yan Qing's hand trembled as she held her phone. Feng Xin had no bottom line when it came to money; if she didn't satisfy him, he might do something desperate, and she didn't dare to imagine the consequences.

Below Feng Xin's chat box was Zhuge Xiaoxiang. An hour ago, he sent a photo, clearly taken on the playground, showing a bright moon in the night sky, with the caption: "Very beautiful."

Yan Qing was in complete disarray. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

Finally, she pushed open the dormitory door and walked alone towards the playground.