Chapter 33
The echo of that slap reverberated in Lu Baiyan's mind all night. The glaring red mark on Xu Nianlei's face and the cold hatred in her eyes burned at his reason like a brand. He couldn't wait any longer. Gentle persuasion and indirect help were like scratching an itch through a boot in front of a complete scumbag like Xu Jianguo.
On Sunday morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lu Baiyan left home. He didn't go to the library, nor to any familiar places. He rode his bicycle to a relatively chaotic neighborhood on the outskirts of the county town, a place lined with internet cafes, billiard halls, and small hotels, a melting pot of all sorts of people.
He walked into an old-fashioned internet cafe, filled with smoke and the sounds of keyboards clattering and game audio. He turned on a computer in the corner, skillfully using encryption software and a virtual IP address to log into an illegal, anonymous underground information trading forum. This was a gray area he had inadvertently discovered in his previous life while investigating Xu Jianguo's background.
He knew Xu Jianguo was a compulsive gambler and owed a considerable amount of money to loan sharks. But he needed more precise information about the exact amount owed and who the creditors were. This kind of information was difficult to obtain through legitimate channels, but on the chaotic internet, clues could always be found if one was willing to pay the price.
He cautiously posted an encrypted bounty, seeking detailed information about "Xu Jianguo's" debts and major creditors (including approximate age, physical characteristics, and areas he frequented), and left encrypted contact information.
After doing all this, he cleared all browsing history and cache, and left the internet cafe like a ghost. Throughout the entire process, his heartbeat was steady, and his eyes were frighteningly calm. For Xu Nianlei, he didn't mind venturing into these gray areas.
For the next two days, Lu Baiyan went to and from school as usual, but only he knew the anxiety in his heart. He kept a close eye on Xu Nianlei's condition—the redness and swelling on her face had subsided, but her eyes were more stagnant, like a pool of still water, and she hardly communicated with anyone, responding very reluctantly even to Li Yue and Zhang Xiao's attempts to talk to her; all the while, he waited for a reply from the other end of the internet.
On Tuesday night, he sneaked into the internet cafe again and received an encrypted reply. The message was detailed: Xu Jianguo mainly operated in an underground casino in the west of the city and owed a loan shark nicknamed "Scarface Liu" nearly 50,000 yuan, with the interest compounding to an alarming level. "Scarface Liu" was a notorious local thug, known for his ruthless methods.
Fifty thousand yuan! For a family like Xu Nianlei's, this was undoubtedly an astronomical figure. Lu Baiyan's heart sank, but at the same time, a resolute determination rose within him. The opportunity had arrived.
Without hesitation, he immediately used another untraceable virtual number to compose a text message and sent it directly to a debt collection number left by "Scarface Liu" (provided in the message). The message was concise:
"Xu Jianguo, residing in Unit X, XXX, XX Community. He will receive a sum of money this Friday at 8 PM (implying he stole his daughter's tuition fees). No waiting after this deadline."
Sending successful. Lu Baiyan immediately destroyed the SIM card and the temporary phone.
This was a risky move. He had precisely sold Xu Jianguo to the most ruthless creditor. He couldn't predict what "Scarface Liu" would do, but he was certain that Xu Jianguo would suffer greatly. This would not only teach Xu Jianguo a lesson he would never forget, but also prevent him from harassing Xu Nianlei and Wang Xiuqin in the short term, giving them some breathing room. More importantly—it would save the tuition fees.
Having done all this, Lu Baiyan walked out of the internet cafe. The cold night wind blew on his face, carrying a faint, metallic smell of blood. He looked up at the dark night sky, feeling no relief, only a cold heaviness. He had ultimately resorted to such extreme measures.
Leilei, don't blame me. Some demons are beyond reasoning with. Only by fighting evil with evil can I carve out a glimmer of hope for you.
On Friday night, Lu Baiyan returned home late again, claiming he was going to a classmate's house to discuss competition problems. Instead of going to his classmate's house, he quietly went to the vicinity of Xu Nianlei's building and hid in a secluded corner.
At 7:50, sure enough, Xu Jianguo was seen humming a tune and staggering back drunkenly, with a hint of smugness on his face, as if he thought that robbing money was such a great thing.
At exactly eight o'clock, a dilapidated van without license plates silently pulled up at the street corner. Three men in black jackets with hostile expressions got out of the van. The one in the lead had a hideous scar on his face; he was none other than "Scarface Liu."
They went straight to the apartment building where Xu Jianguo lived.
Soon, loud banging on the door, a man's roar, and Xu Jianguo's pig-like screams and pleas for mercy came from upstairs.
"Where's the money? Damn it, you dare to play me for a fool!"
"Brother Liu... Brother Liu, please spare me! My wife took the money... really!"
"search!"
"Ah! Stop hitting me! I'll pay! I promise I'll pay! Please give me a few more days..."
The sounds of smashing, crying, and pleas for mercy were particularly jarring in the quiet night. Lights in the building gradually came on, and some neighbors opened their windows to look out, but no one dared to make a sound to stop them.
Lu Baiyan listened expressionlessly from the shadows. He could imagine the horrific scene inside. He felt no sympathy; Xu Jianguo deserved his fate.
The chaos lasted for nearly half an hour. It seemed that "Scarface Liu" and his gang had not found the money (the tuition fee had probably been hidden by Wang Xiuqin). Before leaving, they gave Xu Jianguo a severe beating, left a few harsh words, and drove away cursing.
The hallway fell silent again, save for Xu Jianguo's faint groans.
Lu Baiyan waited in the shadows for a long time until he was sure that "Scarface Liu" had really left and the surroundings were completely quiet before he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
He looked up at the dark window of Xu Nianlei's house. He wondered what the mother and daughter inside were feeling at that moment—fear, relief, or numbness?
But he knew that, at least in the short term, Xu Jianguo, the biggest threat, had been temporarily eliminated. He probably didn't have the ability or the guts to cause them any more trouble.
The next day was Saturday. Early in the morning, Lu Baiyan "passed by" Xu Nianlei's neighborhood again. He saw Wang Xiuqin carrying a vegetable basket as she left. Although her face was still haggard, her brows seemed to have lost some of their former fierceness, replaced by a look of relief after surviving a close call. Meanwhile, Xu Nianlei's windows remained tightly closed, and there was no sound.
Back at school on Monday, Lu Baiyan carefully observed Xu Nianlei. She remained silent, but the sense of despair that seemed to threaten to shatter at any moment appeared to have lessened somewhat. Her eyes were still empty, but the deep-seated hatred was gone, replaced by a profound weariness, and... a barely perceptible, deathly calm like the aftermath of a storm.
During break, Li Yue and Zhang Xiao came over and whispered to her.
"Nianlei, have you heard? There was a fight going on around our neighborhood on the weekend night, and it was really loud," Li Yue said, still shaken.
Xu Nianlei's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. She didn't look up, but simply gave a very soft "hmm".
"It seems like he was an alcoholic who owed money to loan sharks and was beaten badly by the debt collectors..." Zhang Xiao added.
Xu Nianlei tightened her grip on the pen, her knuckles turning white, but she remained silent.
Lu Baiyan sat beside her, pretending to read a book, but he knew in his heart that she knew. She might not be able to guess that it was him, but she certainly knew that her devilish father had received his retribution.
That's enough.
As school let out in the afternoon, a light drizzle began to fall. Students quickly opened their umbrellas. Xu Nianlei stood at the entrance of the teaching building, looking at the rain, somewhat hesitant. She seemed to have forgotten her umbrella.
Lu Baiyan opened his dark blue umbrella, walked to her side, and asked calmly, "Didn't you bring an umbrella?"
Xu Nianlei looked up at him, her expression complex and unreadable, and nodded.
"Let's go, it's on the way." Lu Baiyan tilted the umbrella towards her.
This time, Xu Nianlei did not refuse. She silently stepped under the umbrella, and the two walked side by side into the rain.
Raindrops pattered against the umbrella, making a soft, pattering sound. The space under the umbrella was quiet and cramped, and they could smell each other's faint scents. Xu Nianlei kept her head down, staring at the wet ground beneath her feet.
She walked for a long time, until she was almost at the bus stop she usually got off at, before she suddenly spoke very softly, her voice almost inaudible due to the sound of the rain:
"He...is hospitalized."
Lu Baiyan didn't stop walking, his expression remained unchanged, and he simply responded with a faint "Mm".
There were no questions, no surprises, as if they had known all along.
Xu Nianlei turned her head and glanced at him quickly. The rain blurred the outline of his face, making it impossible to see his expression clearly. But the inexplicable intuition in her heart grew clearer and clearer.
She didn't say anything more.
When they arrived at the bus stop, Lu Baiyan still tilted the umbrella completely towards her, watching her walk under the platform canopy.
"Thank you," she said softly, this time without adding "class monitor."
Lu Baiyan looked at her. Her eyes in the rain were like washed glass, still tired, but clearer.
"The rain has stopped, and the roads will be easier to walk on," he said meaningfully, then turned around, opened his umbrella, and stepped into the vast rain.
Xu Nianlei stood on the platform, watching the blue figure gradually blurring in the rain, her gaze lingering for a long time.
Was it him? The one who sent the devil to hell...?
She didn't know the answer. But she knew that after that slap, the heaviest cloud hanging over her head seemed to have been split open by a sudden, cold bolt of lightning.
Although it was accompanied by bloodshed and fear, at least a sliver of light could finally shine in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
