Chapter 20: Meng Bai’s Beautiful Dream

Meng Bai had a beautiful dream.

It was a dream she’d never experienced before. In it, the sky turned soft and fluffy, and she floated along, drifting and drifting for what felt like forever.

Until Lin Li knocked on the door that morning.

“Little Meng, you up yet?”

Meng Bai jolted awake in an instant, tumbling from dreamland back to reality, her mind still foggy and dazed.

“Aren’t you heading to class today?”

“Uh, what time is it?”

“Almost eight!”

“Oh, coming right up!”

She had no idea how she’d overslept like that. In a flash, she threw on her clothes and hopped off the bed.

Rubbing her head, Meng Bai suddenly remembered—Miao Bai had stopped by last night.

Ah, they’d barely started chatting when she conked out. She’d planned to ask a ton of questions, but ended up sleeping like the dead.

No time to dwell on it now. She dashed out to splash water on her face, grabbed a steamed bun from the main room, and headed for her bicycle.

Lin Li chased after her from the kitchen, calling out, “Take it easy, take it easy—you’ve got plenty of time!”

Meng Bai took a big bite of the bun. “No time, no time—gotta go!”

She swung onto the bike and pedaled off into the breeze.

The morning air carried the faint, fresh scent of grass from the fields—a subtle, earthy aroma.

Her rickety little bicycle rattled happily down the path. Meng Bai took a deep breath. Truth be told, she rather liked these small-town mornings.

Quiet and serene, filled only with the soft whisper of tires on dirt.

Off to see Zhou An—

That was Meng Bai’s biggest goal for the day.

She was sure Zhou An wouldn’t turn her away. Once they met, she’d get straight answers to everything.

She pedaled and pondered all the way, and as always, the school gate came into view unchanged. Students munched on breakfast out front, a few wheeling bikes through the entrance, while most carried lunch from home.

Plenty of kids didn’t eat well—pickled veggies with rice was par for the course.

Eight out of ten were probably left-behind children.

“Meng Bai!” Someone at the gate spotted her right away and called out cheerfully.

Meng Bai smiled and nodded. “Early bird today, Xu Zhou.”

Xu Zhou had on a pair of blue jeans and a gray jacket—an outfit that clashed a bit with her fair, delicate face.

“My brother’s clothes.” She zipped up the jacket. “Mine aren’t dry yet, so I borrowed these.”

“Oh. Breakfast?”

Xu Zhou fished two eggs from her pocket. “School just passed them out—I snagged one for you. Want it?”

Meng Bai shook her head. Eggs were the last thing she wanted right now.

“Any word on Zhou An?” Xu Zhou started peeling one, the milky white protein gleaming smooth. She took a big bite, chewing as she glanced at Meng Bai. “Hmm? Didn’t you say you had some super capable friend on the case?”

The question left Meng Bai a little conflicted.

Should she tell Xu Zhou or not?

After a moment’s thought, she went with a white lie. “Not yet, but should be soon.”

She’d always wondered why Xu Zhou cared so much. Was it just because she’d been a victim too? Meng Bai wasn’t sure.

“Honestly, I’m pretty worried about her.” Xu Zhou polished off the egg in a few bites and shot Meng Bai a sidelong, appraising look. “You seem awfully calm about it. What, you not scared she’s trapped up in the mountains, starving to death?”

“I am worried.” Meng Bai thought back to how frantic she’d been—until she learned Zhou An was safe at Teacher Xu’s place.

“How about we head up the mountain again today? Can’t have her turning into a mummy.”

Meng Bai’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Pfft—it’s not that dire, is it?”

Xu Zhou gave her another close look. “Your vibe’s off. You’re way too chill. Wait—do you already know something and just not telling me?”

She fixed Meng Bai with a stare that made her squirm.

It was genuinely awkward. Meng Bai had never been a good liar, and her eyes darted away just a touch.

“Hey, what’s with you?” Xu Zhou leaned in close, dropping her voice. “Did you find her?”

“No.”

“Really no?”

“Don’t lie—we’re allies here.”

Meng Bai swallowed hard and met Xu Zhou’s gaze. “Yeah, really nothing. I’ll let you know the second I hear.” She turned the tables. “But you—aren’t you taking a little too much interest in Zhou An?”

It was a casual toss-out, half-hearted at best.

But Xu Zhou’s face flushed red.

The kind of blush that shyly bloomed from her cheeks all the way to her ears.

Meng Bai: “?”

Xu Zhou: “Uh—”

Meng Bai stared for a couple seconds. “Why’s your face turning that shade of red?”

It struck Meng Bai as odd. Xu Zhou looked just like someone whose secret crush had been called out—embarrassed and flustered.

But that was weird. Of course it was.

Xu Zhou was a girl through and through, from her looks to her everything. The only remotely boyish thing was that jacket—her brother’s, she’d said.

Zhou An was a girl too. Girls didn’t like girls, did they?

Meng Bai ran through the logic in her head, and once it clicked, Xu Zhou’s blush seemed even stranger.

“My face just flushes easy!” Xu Zhou spun on her heel and marched ahead, clearly done with the topic. “C’mon, class time!”

Meng Bai watched her retreating back for a moment, then shrugged off the confusion.

Whatever.

~~~

Meng Bai spent the entire morning counting down to the end of school.

No math class that period, so Teacher Xu never showed up in the classroom.

She was lost in thought, of course—her mind racing with plans for tracking down Teacher Xu later.

Right—where was her dorm again?

She twisted around to ask Li Yue, who whipped out her workbook and sketched a route on the spot.

“Teacher Xu used to invite us over all the time, but lately she’s always ‘too busy’!”

Meng Bai took the doodle of a map—swirls and loops that were more confusing than helpful.

“So what’d you go there for before?”

“Free tutoring from Teacher Xu, duh. You don’t need it—you’re already a math whiz.”

“Oh. So she hasn’t been doing that lately, huh.”

“Yeah, she’s been really busy lately,” Li Yue said, pursing her lips. “She heads straight back to the dorm after class and even packs her meals from the cafeteria to eat there.”

Meng Bai curved her lips into a smile. “Mm, alright.”

After waiting so anxiously for what felt like forever, the school bell finally rang, dismissing them for the day. Everyone else dashed to the cafeteria with their lunch boxes in hand, but Meng Bai set off with the “map” Li Yue had given her.

The teachers’ dormitory was actually at the back of the school. Meng Bai had been there a time or two before, but never to visit a teacher’s apartment—she and Zhou An had just hidden out there to chat.

There weren’t many teachers at the school, fewer than ten in all. What they called the teachers’ dormitory was really just two isolated buildings.

One was a new white-painted structure, the other a small three-story brick house with red walls.

Most of the teachers had moved into the new building, leaving the old one mostly empty.

And Teacher Xu appeared to live in the old one.

Top floor, the leftmost room.

Meng Bai made a beeline for the building. It was an old structure, all right—the stairwell was dim the moment she stepped inside. She noticed right away that the teacher on the first floor had moved out; the door stood wide open, as if no one lived there anymore.

Meng Bai’s long legs carried her up to the third floor in just a few strides. Before knocking, she mentally rehearsed the lines she’d prepared in advance: Teacher Xu, I wanted to ask about filling out college entrance exam applications.

She even had a follow-up ready: Since you came from the city, you must know more about the schools there. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

With that, she raised her hand and knocked.

It was an old iron door, and her knocks rang out loud and clear—thud thud thud—echoing down the corridor.

Meng Bai knocked three times, then stood waiting at the door.

She had sharp ears and clearly heard footsteps moving around inside, but no one came to answer.

After a moment, she knocked again and called out, “Teacher Xu, are you home? It’s Meng Bai.”

Only then did the footsteps draw closer.

Xu Qin’s voice came through the door. “Meng Bai? Are you by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“What do you need from me?”

“I wanted to ask about filling out applications.”

There was a brief pause from inside, but then the door creaked open. A sliver of light slipped out first.

Xu Qin was dressed in a camisole, her hair pulled up into a messy bun, looking utterly casual. Once she confirmed Meng Bai was alone, she nodded. “Come on in.”

The building might have been old, but Teacher Xu’s apartment was far from shabby. Perhaps it was because she knew how to make a place feel like home—the living room even held a few vases of fresh flowers, pale blue blooms arranged in white glass bottles that added a lively splash of color.

“Have a seat.” Xu Qin poured Meng Bai a glass of water. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“Not yet.” Meng Bai glanced around the room, her gaze drifting toward the bedroom door, which stood slightly ajar. She could just make out the bed inside.

Was Zhou An in there?

“You silly thing, you should’ve eaten first. Going hungry won’t do.” Xu Qin stood up. “I’ve got some lunch in my room—here, it’s for you.” Noticing Meng Bai starting to follow, she added, “Just stay put here. I’ll grab it.”

“Oh.” Meng Bai halted in her tracks, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Zhou An was in there. She had to be.

Zhou An definitely had to be in there.

She’d heard Meng Bai’s voice, so why hadn’t she come out?

Xu Qin had only been in the bedroom for a couple of seconds.

Clang—

A lunch box hit the floor inside the bedroom.

This was her chance. Meng Bai hurried over, calling out, “Teacher Xu, is everything okay?”

She moved quickly; Xu Qin didn’t have time to stop her before Meng Bai reached the bedroom doorway.

And there she was—

Zhou An, squatting on the floor with a small spoon in her hand. Her eyes went wide at the sight of Meng Bai.

Meng Bai stared at Zhou An. Zhou An stared back at Meng Bai. After a moment, her gaze shifted to Xu Qin.

The three of them stood there, locked in an awkward standoff.

Xu Qin crossed her arms, let out a sigh, and rubbed her brow.

Zhou An still had a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth. “Uh, Meng Bai—”

“Do you have any idea how worried Zhou Chuxing and I were about you?!”

“I know.” Zhou An licked the rice off her lip, stood up, and reached out to take Meng Bai’s hand. “Of course I know.”

“Then why are you hiding out at the teacher’s place!” Meng Bai whirled to face Xu Qin, confusion burning in her eyes. “Teacher Xu, you must realize that the best thing to do in a situation like this is call the police. Otherwise, Zhou An’s a missing person! I was worried sick—honestly, worried to death!”

Xu Qin nodded. “I know.” She turned to Zhou An. “Tell you what, Zhou An—why don’t you explain everything to Meng Bai yourself, nice and slow.”