Chapter 55: Turbulent Thoughts Like Vines, Growing Wildly in the Night

Turbulent thoughts sprouted like vines, growing savagely in the darkness.

Without realizing it, Miao Bai’s mind drifted back to the past.

To the woman who sang opera.

She had never been able to embrace an opera singer openly.

Everything required restraint.

Restraint when they met, restraint when expressing affection, restraint even in their glances—nothing that could arouse the slightest suspicion in anyone.

So many years later, whenever Miao Bai recalled that romance, she felt it hadn’t been worth it.

And Meng Bai seemed to be her complete opposite.

At least Miao Bai could sense her sincerity.

She was brave—braver than most.

Being lovers with her probably wouldn’t bring these kinds of worries.

The thought flickered through Miao Bai’s mind, and her hackles rose.

It was a strange notion. A dangerous one.

Forget it. No point dwelling on it.

Miao Bai rarely felt sleepy. She had little desire for sleep at all.

Only in a state of utter comfort might she slip into a light doze.

Perhaps it was because she felt utterly at ease around Meng Bai that her eyelids soon grew heavy, and she closed her eyes.

~~~

In the early morning, sunlight seeped through the cracks in the window, spilling onto the aged plaster of the walls. Rays pierced every crevice, banishing shadows from the world.

Miao Bai opened her eyes and immediately sensed tension throughout her body. Glancing down, she saw a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

She tried to pry Meng Bai’s hands loose, but it was no use—and it woke her up.

Meng Bai blinked awake in a daze. Their eyes met, and Miao Bai spoke first.

“Sleep well?”

Meng Bai curved her lips into a smile. “Yeah. Really well.”

Miao Bai patted her wrist. “Loosen your grip a little. You’re holding me too tight.”

She assumed that would do the trick, but instead, the embrace only tightened.

“Might not be able to.” Meng Bai nestled into Miao Bai’s shoulder, rubbing her chin against it restlessly, making no effort to hide her feelings. “I’m about to get up. Then I won’t see you for a while.”

The implication was clear: hug now or miss out.

Miao Bai shifted uncomfortably. “You don’t have to tie me down like a rope.”

Meng Bai clearly liked the comparison and burst out laughing. “Can I? Can I tie you up?”

Miao Bai: “…”

She wasn’t sure whether to treat her like a child—her words were anything but childish.

They lingered in bed a little longer before finally rising.

They agreed that Meng Bai would attend classes as usual during the day, and they’d meet up that evening to see what Zhang Gou was up to.

When Miao Bai left, Meng Bai watched her go with obvious reluctance.

She wished she could spin the clock straight to nightfall, so they could pick up right where they left off.

“See you tonight.” Meng Bai sat on the bed, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Miao Bai’s retreating figure.

“See you tonight.”

Miao Bai’s silhouette was like a blot of black ink, slowly diluted by the daylight until it vanished completely.

Meng Bai sat there on the bed, a little dazed.

Only then did she flop back down, rolling over to hug the pillow Miao Bai had slept on. It still carried her scent…

She hated to see her go. Meng Bai thought she was being overly sentimental.

~~~

Life carried on as usual, unchanged.

Lin Li seemed perfectly accustomed to the routine: up early to cook, waiting for Meng Bai to head off to school.

Sometimes Meng Bai wondered what would happen once she started university. Would Lin Li still rise at dawn like this?

The answer was obvious.

After breakfast, Meng Bai wheeled out her red-and-white mountain bike and gave the bell a cheerful ding-a-ling.

“I’m off!”

“Come home early.”

Meng Bai paused and glanced back at Lin Li. “I’m doing homework with Zhou An tonight, so I might be late.”

Lin Li shook her head. “You probably shouldn’t go to her house. That Carpenter Zhou…”

“No, not her place. We’re heading to Xu Zhou’s.”

Seeing Lin Li’s puzzled expression, Meng Bai added, “Xu Zhou’s a new friend we made recently. Don’t worry—I’ll be home on time.”

In her rush to leave, the brief exchange ended there.

Meng Bai pedaled off, and only then did Lin Li turn back toward the house.

Meng Bai sped straight ahead.

At the intersection with the main road, Zhou An jumped out in front of her. “Brake!!!”

Meng Bai squeezed the brakes hard, her heart leaping into her throat. She was about to chew Zhou An out when she spotted the person standing behind her.

It was Yellow-Haired Zhou Chuxing.

She hadn’t seen him in a while.

His hair was still that blinding yellow—deeper than before, no doubt because he thought it made him look stylish.

Meng Bai was just about to ask what was going on when Zhou An beat her to it. “Oh my god, I’ve got some explosive news for you!!!”

Meng Bai: “Out with it.”

Zhou An yanked Meng Bai off the bike and dragged both of them behind a cluster of bushes. She poked Zhou Chuxing’s arm. “You tell her.”

Zhou Chuxing shot Meng Bai a cheeky grin, his tone all casual swagger. “So yesterday, my bro went to shake down that one guy for protection money, right? And then later…”

He kept circling without getting to the point.

Meng Bai had no patience for it. “Spit it out—we’re going to be late.”

“My bro told me about this one guy from your class.” Zhou Chuxing dropped his voice. “Looks like he got stabbed.”

“Stabbed?!” Meng Bai’s eyes went wide. “Did they take him to the hospital? Is he in danger?”

Zhou An tsked and shoved Zhou Chuxing aside. “Get outta here! You make it sound all wrong. Let me explain!”

After making sure no one was around, Zhou An leaned in and whispered, “Not stabbed with a knife. He means the other kind of ‘stabbed.’ Like… he got assaulted.”

Assaulted?

A boy?

Meng Bai’s mind went blank for a moment.

Zhou An nodded, understanding her shock. “Yeah. I thought it was insane too—totally gross. But it’s true. Those guys really don’t discriminate, huh?”

Zhou Chuxing chimed in later to explain how he’d found out. The boy was covered in bruises, like he’d been beaten badly.

Sure, these street punks talked a big game, but it was all bluster. Something felt off, so they pressed him.

At first, the boy clammed up. But eventually, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and spilled everything.

It all started because he’d gotten hooked on this online game. He’d sneak off to a shady internet cafe to play. The hourly fees were one thing, but he really wanted to top up for better gear.

Problem was, he had no money.

Game withdrawal was brutal. He couldn’t borrow any, couldn’t steal it, and his family was dirt poor.

A middle-aged man had shown up out of nowhere, asking the boy if he wanted to head into the city. He said it was to sell drinks to the KTV bosses, run some odd errands—two hundred bucks for the night, with food, lodging, and even transportation covered.

Two hundred bucks! Do you have any idea what that meant? It was enough to top up a hundred at the internet cafe and still have another hundred left to burn.

The boy figured it was a no-brainer and agreed on the spot.

But once they got to the KTV, things took a turn for the bizarre.

A bunch of rough-looking guys were pounding drinks, with women keeping them company—hands wandering here, pinching there. But one middle-aged man wasn’t partaking in any of that.

The moment the boy walked in, the man waved him over to sit by his side.

No errands, no drink runs. Instead, the man grilled him about his family life, like he was filling out a census form.

He even asked if the boy drank.

At first, the boy said no. But the man pressed: “This stuff’s expensive, you know—thousands per bottle. You sure you don’t want a taste?”

The boy thought, I’m a guy—what’s the worst that could happen? Get a little buzzed, maybe? So he took a sip.

And then things spiraled out of control.

“My God…” Meng Bai’s eyes widened in horror. “So he was straight-up assaulted. He should report it to the police. When did this happen?”

“Last week, I think.”

Last week. The boy had probably showered by now—any evidence long gone.

She vaguely recalled Meng Xingzhong mentioning a day off once. Someone’s birthday at GM Engineering, he said. They were throwing some kind of event.

No way…

“So, who was the boy? Can you tell us?”

Zhou Chuxing nodded. “It was XXX from your class.”

~~~

For now, XXX would serve as his codename.

All the way back, Meng Bai couldn’t stop thinking about him.

She’d never paid him much attention before. They weren’t in the same social circle. Classmates in name only—no real overlap.

When she got to the classroom, she glanced his way.

XXX was a far cry from his usual self. No energy, no chatter. Just sitting there, lost in a daze.

What was going through his head? Meng Bai wanted to talk to him, draw him out.

But approaching out of the blue would be too awkward.

Class began, and Teacher Xu Qin took the podium, diving into the math lesson as usual. She gripped the chalk and deftly sketched a circle on the board.

Meng Bai couldn’t focus for a second.

She pulled out a blank sheet of paper and jotted down the key events of late, in chronological order:

1. Xu Zhou escapes from the devil’s clutches.

2. Zhou An goes missing.

3. Ye Hong dies.

4. Teacher Xu Qin takes Zhou An in.

5. The thing with Teacher Xu Qin and Zhou Yizheng after tutoring.

6. Zhou Chuxing tells them about XXX’s assault.

Staring at the list, Meng Bai felt like she was stumbling down a foggy road, shrouded in mist.

She had no idea where it led. But something told her all these incidents pointed in the same direction.

That direction, she decided to call it by name: GM Engineering.

Miao Bai had said it before—what they’d seen was just the tip of the iceberg. People had been suffering like this for years.

“So, what does X1 + X2 equal? Meng Bai, why don’t you tell us.” Up on the podium, Teacher Xu Qin rapped the blackboard with her knuckle, calling on her.

Meng Bai’s head snapped up. The board was a mess of dense curves and equations. She stared blankly.

“Um?” Teacher Xu Qin prompted again, her tone growing stiff. “You’ve been spacing out a lot lately.”

“Uh, um—”

“So, what’s the answer?”

Meng Bai could only mumble, “I don’t know.”

Teacher Xu Qin gestured for her to sit. “We’ll talk after class.”

~~~

After the bell, Meng Bai grabbed her test paper and trailed Teacher Xu Qin to the office.

Xu Qin led the way, Meng Bai following close behind.

Teacher Xu had a slender frame, her steps quick and purposeful, carrying a youthful energy that whipped up a breeze in her wake.

But she moved fast—too fast. Meng Bai was practically jogging to keep up.

At the end of the corridor, Xu Qin halted abruptly. Meng Bai, caught off guard, bumped right into her.

“Sorry! Sorry, Teacher Xu!”

“What have you been up to lately?” Xu Qin turned, her expression shifting slightly. “Always drifting off in class?”

“Ah, no, nothing like that.”

The scrutiny in Xu Qin’s eyes was unmistakable.

“About Zhou An—how did that all shake out in the end?”

“Zhou An?” Meng Bai went on high alert. Not a word about that. “I don’t know. Didn’t her dad come pick her up later?”

“And nothing after that?”

There was a hint of reluctance in Xu Qin’s voice—or was there? Meng Bai couldn’t tell.

She was thoroughly confused.

What was Teacher Xu really after?

“You’d have to ask Zhou An about it.”

Xu Qin fixed her gaze on Meng Bai for a few long seconds, then let out a sigh. Her tone softened. “Fine. Just focus on your studies from now on.”

“Got it! Absolutely!”

“It’s nothing major. Head to the office and grab the homework notebooks—distribute them to the class.”

Meng Bai exhaled in relief. Looked like Xu Qin wasn’t digging any deeper. Probably just fishing about Zhou An.

She pointed toward the office. “So, I’m good to go?”

“Mm.” Xu Qin shot her an extra glance, as if words were on the tip of her tongue. But by the time Meng Bai had taken a few steps, she called out anyway. “Hold on.”

Meng Bai froze and turned. “Yeah?”

“You girls—” Xu Qin furrowed her brow. “No matter what you’re up to, your top priority is keeping yourselves safe. Understand?”

Xu Qin’s face was a complicated mask—impossible to read.

In that instant, Meng Bai had no clue how to peg her anymore.

It was all fog and haze, like she half-grasped it… and half didn’t.

She could only reply stiffly, “Okay. We got it.”