Chapter 26: Tonight, the Hotel Goes Dark Part 1

Jelly turned out to be so agreeable that she accepted without a fuss.

With the weather the way it was, exercising outdoors was out of the question. Luckily, the suite had a fresh-air ventilation system. The gym had clean, circulating air, and the system kept the air quality and composition in check. It wasn’t any worse than exercising outside had been.

Tang Danqing said there were three main things Jelly needed to learn: shooting people, escaping a grapple, and running away.

If there was danger, draw the gun and lay down suppressive fire. A gun was the most lethal and useful weapon around.

Learning to escape a grapple would keep someone from controlling her arms. Running away would let her put distance between herself and her opponent so she could keep shooting.

Forty minutes after breakfast, Tang Danqing set up the treadmill. She had Shang You warm up first while she explained things beside her.

“If you’re holding a gun, you have to stop people from getting close enough to take it from you. If there’s a wall nearby, don’t stand with your back to it. Someone who can run up a wall and kick you could hit your wrist or arm while you’re aiming. Your hand would go numb, and you’d drop the gun.”

“Look at the wrist joint here, and the Neiguan and Waiguan pressure points. If someone hits them hard enough, your hand will go numb and you won’t be able to hold on to anything… Don’t rush. Use the breathing technique I taught you and run slowly.”

Shang You watched Tang Danqing explain things from in front of the treadmill.

She already knew some of the basics. She hadn’t learned them from theory, but from experience.

Still, she watched Tang explain everything as if she knew nothing. The confusion in her eyes had less to do with her lack of experience than her inability to understand Tang Danqing.

Once the treadmill stopped, a light sheen of sweat had appeared on Shang You’s forehead. Tang handed her the water she’d prepared.

“Take a two-minute break, Jelly. Stand up and catch your breath.”

Tang Danqing lowered her eyes to check the distance between their toes. It was just right.

“Now, if you’re holding a handgun, don’t stay this close to your opponent. You need more distance. At least this much—”

Tang took a step back to demonstrate, then walked back toward Shang You.

Shang You asked, “What’s the difference?”

“At this range, you’re vulnerable from above and below. You’re so light that the other person can trip you easily. For example, this is a hook kick. This is a sweep. This is a leg trap. This is a rising kick. And this is a low front kick.”

As she listed the moves, Tang’s foot circled around Shang You’s calf, demonstrating several kinds of kicks.

Her shin brushed Shang You’s calf. Tang’s firm muscle pressed against the softer flesh.

Shang You knew that if Tang didn’t pull her leg back, she’d go down at once.

Though Shang You usually preferred to hide somewhere people couldn’t reach her: high up in a building, deep in the back of a truck, or in some other concealed corner.

“If you fall, the other person will see the gun in your hand. Their next move will be to crush you under their weight or stomp on your hand.”

If someone heavy landed on Shang You’s slight frame, it could easily be fatal.

Shang You was an attentive student. “Then what should I do?”

“I’ll teach you some footwork, how to roll, and how to get back up quickly. That way, you can stay out of your attacker’s reach.”

“You also need to learn how to break out of a hold. If someone grabs you, you need to know how to defend yourself and get away.”

As long as she could still move and keep her arms free to shoot, a gun would be enough to handle ninety-nine percent of people.

Tang promised, “I’ll teach you everything, little by little.”

“Danqing, you know so many things.”

Tang said, “Oh,” and thought about it. She’d started martial arts class when she was four. “I’ve been training for twenty-two years. It’s normal to have some experience. I’d have wasted all those years if I didn’t know this stuff.”

They sat on the floor mat. Shang You asked softly, “Danqing, what was that dangerous job you mentioned?”

“I’m a stunt performer. The dangerous part of my job is doing all kinds of stunts.” Tang smiled. “You wouldn’t have guessed, huh?”

When she’d first started working as a stunt performer, she’d sent her résumé to all kinds of production companies. Even the martial arts directors hadn’t believed it when they saw her.

She was well-mannered and delicate, quiet as a mouse. She didn’t have the rough edge people expected of a stunt performer. Everyone had thought she was a pretty actress looking to stand out with a gimmick.

But Shang You nodded. “I can see it. So that’s how it works: when someone has a particular strength, it can become their job.” She smiled. “You’re amazing, Danqing.”

Tang’s eyes brightened. “Y-you think so?”

She couldn’t help smiling. She lowered her head and looked at the floor between their feet. “It’s nothing…”

“You know how to do everything. It must have been hard when you were training, right?”

Shang You’s gentle, concerned voice drifted over to her.

The warm air from the heater seemed to stir the hair at Tang’s temples.

No, actually, it was Jelly’s breath. She’d turned her head to speak.

Tang suddenly realized they were standing far too close. She jumped up and shook her head.

“You make the skills your own. The hard parts don’t matter.”

“Jelly, do some hill running and rowing. Get in forty minutes. I’ll set up today’s guns and targets, and scoop Little Red’s litter… Don’t slack off. Everything you learn now is something you might need to protect yourself later.”

Tang rattled off her instructions as she hurried to the gym door.

Then she left.

Shang You sat on the mat for a moment, watching Tang walk away with the same severe, unyielding expression as ever.

Shang You couldn’t make sense of her.

The day before, Tang had been wary of her and kept her guard up. Shang You remembered clearly that the wariness in her eyes had been real.

The sight of Tang “escaping” with her blanket was still vivid in her mind. Shang You couldn’t have mistaken it.

She’d thought that once Tang Danqing’s game became reality, the two of them would be at odds under the same roof.

But if Tang was afraid of her, why was she teaching her so earnestly today?

She looked completely sincere about helping Shang You learn to protect herself.

Then, when Shang You was confused and doubtful, Tang had put her guard up and run away again. Just now.

Shang You didn’t understand her.

That woman couldn’t have two personalities, could she?

The look on Shang You’s face was cool and faintly sullen. She took an M60 revolver out of her space, hooked her thumb through the trigger guard, and spun it once. The gun dropped neatly back into her palm, where she settled her finger on the trigger. Then she opened the cylinder and felt the steel rounds inside.

If someone got close, she could use this one to fire at point-blank range, too.

If Shang You recovered a little more, she could protect herself as well as Tang Danqing could.

But would the other woman really want that…?

Shang You put the gun away. For now, she’d keep playing the canary in a cage.

While she made braised pork for lunch, Tang Danqing put on some calm, meditative music.

It was like finding a quiet retreat in the middle of the howling snow. She pressed down on the meat with her chopsticks and turned it, letting it soak up the sauce.

Tang flipped the pork over and left it to simmer. Then she took her phone off the rack.

The assistant director from the film crew had sent her a few messages. Tang tapped them open.

The assistant director had asked:

“Are you at the hotel? What happened to your leg?”

“Why didn’t you tell the crew? I didn’t even see you when you got back.”

…

Tang glanced at the concerned messages, baffled. Who’d been spreading rumors?

She had a feeling there was more to it, so she avoided the question and asked instead:

Tang Danqing: “Who told you I hurt my leg…?”

A little while later, the assistant director replied, “Your assistant has been coming down for your meals. I wondered why you weren’t coming yourself, and only found out this morning that your leg was injured.”

After reading the message twice, Tang understood.

The meals at Yanyun Hotel were rationed by the number of guests. While Tang had been gone, Mengmeng had been collecting her portion, too.

Mengmeng had never asked where Tang had gone. She hadn’t even seemed to care that Tang had disappeared.

Tang knew she and her work assistant weren’t close outside of work, but she’d always thought she treated Mengmeng fairly. The sudden indifference—and the way Mengmeng had taken advantage of her—left Tang stunned and hurt.

Tang replied to the assistant director, “It’s all right, Sis. I’m doing much better now. / hug”

It would be foolish to storm out and challenge or lecture Mengmeng. That would only expose her and put her at a disadvantage.

Tang smiled faintly, made a note of it, and pressed the button on the speaker to change the music.

The assistant director’s last message was a reminder:

“Are you following the hotel’s public account? The Yanyun Hotel branch on Qingtian Road in Yunhu District, Capital City posts the daily meal list. You should check what you’re supposed to get.”

“Your assistant is picking up two meals, so I’m worried she might leave something out.”

The assistant director put it delicately. What she really meant was that she worried Mengmeng might be skimming some of Tang’s food.

Tang took her advice and followed the hotel’s account.

She also wanted to see what the hotel had been serving. Maybe she’d find out something else about what was going on there, too.

As soon as she saw the daily meal list, the problems began to surface.

The portions were barely enough for a child or a small, slim adult. They might keep someone like that from going hungry.

But for adults who weighed a little more or burned through food quickly, the portions wouldn’t come close to filling them up.

And that wasn’t just a problem for the stunt performers who’d come with the film crew. Even the hotel security guards were tall and lean, the kind of people who needed a lot to eat. They’d start getting hungry by that night.

Hunger was a match that could set the line between good and evil ablaze.

Tang wondered what the hotel would be like tonight.

Would it be a quiet night?

She played with her phone for a while, then put it away.

She served up the steaming bone broth and braised pork, along with the brown rice she’d cooked. Then she took a plate of mixed vegetables out of her space and called Jelly to eat.

The afternoon was for shooting practice and training. Tang’s hand wound still hadn’t healed, so she worked on her waist and legs instead. The rest of the time, she coached Shang You through the movements while kicking the hanging bag until it looked black and blue.

Thudding blows filled the gym.

While Shang You rested, she stood nearby and watched Tang Danqing.

Tang talked to her as she kicked the bag.

“This is the Gengzi Leg Technique. Jelly, if you see someone kick like this and they’re coming after you, shoot them right away. If you miss and they get close, put the gun away. Surrender, negotiate, or make a deal. Your safety comes first.”