Chapter 56

Meng Bai had been pretty distracted lately.

Especially when it came to her studies.

If not for her solid foundation, her grades might have really tanked.

She returned to the classroom, passed out the test papers, and sat down at her desk. She glanced toward Xu Jinghe’s seat.

Xu Jinghe was still lost in space.

So Meng Bai asked Zhou An, “Is he usually like this? I haven’t really paid attention to him.”

Zhou An replied, “Not usually. He talks more on a normal day, but he’s always been pretty quiet, with his mind somewhere else.”

Xu Jinghe was one of those boys with refined features—clean-cut but not effeminate, tall and lanky.

He loved online games and was probably a pro at them, but his grades were just average.

Quiet, but with a rebellious streak.

His looks were decent enough. No wonder that pervert had targeted him at the KTV.

These were all Zhou An’s observations.

Xu Zhou leaned in to join the conversation. “You know him that well? You think he’s cute too?”

Zhou An gave Xu Zhou a light shove. “Buzz off.”

After hashing it out, the three of them decided to talk to him after school.

No more need for placeholders—his name was Xu Jinghe.

~~~

After school, the three waited for Xu Jinghe at the classroom door.

“Hey, Xu Jinghe.” Zhou An spoke up first.

Xu Jinghe didn’t think she was calling him and kept walking straight ahead. Impatient, Zhou An stuck out her foot to block his path. “I’m talking to you.”

Xu Jinghe said, “What?”

“Let’s chat.”

Xu Jinghe started to walk away again.

Zhou An called after him, “Running won’t do you any good! We already know!”

Xu Jinghe bristled instantly and started cursing. “Fucking hell, I knew it! Zhou Chuxing’s got a big mouth!”

“But he didn’t tell anyone else. Just the three of us know.”

The classroom was empty, just the four of them now. An awkward silence fell.

Finally, Meng Bai broke the ice. “Have you taken a shower?”

Xu Jinghe said, “Yeah, ages ago.”

Meng Bai shot Zhou An a glance and sighed helplessly. “Well, shit.”

Xu Zhou turned the question on Xu Jinghe. “So, what’s your plan?”

Xu Jinghe sounded annoyed. “Can we drop it? I already took the L.”

Truth was, he had no clue what to do.

He felt humiliated—screwed over by a man, and he had no one to tell. After all, he’d gone looking for cash first.

Not to mention how outrageous it all was.

He had no idea what people would think if they found out.

“Just took the L…?” Meng Bai echoed, then prodded him. “You can really swallow that? Fool me once, shame on you. Next time, it might happen again.”

“What am I supposed to do? Anyone got my back?”

He wasn’t wrong. People in the Small Town were used to eating dirt—swallow it down and move on, no matter how bitter.

It was like folks at the bottom were expected to bow their heads to those on top. They wouldn’t even call something like this an “insult.” Nah, just “taking a loss.”

“This isn’t getting swept under the rug.” Meng Bai met his eyes. “Want revenge?”

“What are you planning?” Xu Jinghe took a step back, shaking his head. “Don’t blow this up. I don’t want anyone else knowing.”

“No cops yet. We’ll gather evidence for you, then file an anonymous report. But you have to play along.”

“What can you do? They’re adults. We’re just kids…”

Meng Bai pulled a camera from her backpack. “If you trust us, head back to that KTV tonight. They’ve got an event. Tell him you’re short on cash again, need it for gaming, and want him to do the same thing as before.”

“The same thing? You’re nuts!”

They explained patiently. “We’ll be there. He won’t get what he wants. We just snap photos. At the critical moment, we’ll call for backup, and you bolt.”

Xu Jinghe was still skeptical. He didn’t think Meng Bai and her crew could pull off much when it counted.

But—

Those guys.

So fucking gross.

He couldn’t dwell on it without feeling sick.

That revulsion fueled a burning hatred.

If—if there was even a 0.01% chance that bastard could get what was coming to him…

“I’ll think about it.”

Xu Jinghe figured just this once.

Why not trust them? What if it worked?

“See you tonight.”

~~~

Eight o’clock at night, and the Small Town lay peaceful and serene.

Some twenty kilometers away in the nearest town stood an old-school KTV, built back in the nineties and still kicking.

It was a bit shabby, but they were trying hard to keep up that seedy, decadent vibe—like with the garish, flashing neon lights.

The main entrance was plastered with tacky posters.

Zhang Gou led the pack, a bunch of guys slinging arms around each other’s shoulders as they sauntered in.

One man, swaying and grinning, said, “Boss Zhang, you’re a beast! Two bottles of baijiu down and you’re walking rock-steady!”

Zhang Gou tugged at his mustache and bellowed a laugh. “Damn right. Gotta save some steam for the real fun later.”

The seven or eight men, all buddy-buddy, filed inside.

Miao Bai and Meng Bai watched from a shadowed corner.

“Where are Zhou An and the others? And Xu Jinghe?”

They hadn’t originally planned to loop in Zhou An and Xu Zhou, but in the end, they’d decided against keeping secrets.

Meng Bai kept glancing around, checking the time. “Xu Jinghe’s not bailing on us, is he?”

Yeah, the odds of him chickening out were pretty high.

He didn’t trust them, after all.

Just then, Zhou An and Xu Zhou showed up late—Miao Bai and Meng Bai were already on the verge of heading in.

Zhou An asked, “Xu Jinghe didn’t show?”

Meng Bai shook her head. “Nope.”

Zhou An groaned. “Unbelievable. Dropping the ball right when it matters!”

Meng Bai sighed. “Whatever. We can still make it work without him. It’s understandable he doesn’t trust us.”

Miao Bai patted Meng Bai’s shoulder, giving her the go-ahead.

Just like they’d tested yesterday: Miao Bai would turn Meng Bai invisible, and Meng Bai would sneak in with the camera to get proof.

But it all hinged on one thing—

They had to actually commit a crime.

“Screw it, let’s get started. We’ll know more once we’re inside.” Meng Bai wasn’t fully at ease. She turned to Zhou An. “If Xu Jinghe shows up later, you guys handle him.”

Then she and Miao Bai slipped over to a nearby tree. With no one paying attention, Miao Bai took Meng Bai’s hand. In an instant, the two of them vanished from sight.

Zhou An had watched the whole thing and patted her chest. “Holy shit. Not my first time seeing it, but it still freaks me out!”

Xu Zhou said, “Should we try holding hands? See if we go invisible too?”

Zhou An snapped, “Hold this!”

~~~

After turning invisible, Miao Bai stayed perfectly calm, but Meng Bai was still adjusting. She called out to Zhou An a few times, only to get no response whatsoever.

“Stop shouting. They can’t hear us. Let’s go.”

“Oh.”

The two made their way toward the KTV. It took some effort to reach the entrance, where they stood beneath the flashing neon lights. Meng Bai tugged at Miao Bai’s sleeve.

“Miao Bai, I’ve never been to a place like this. Have you?”

“Of course not.” Miao Bai glanced down at her. “But it doesn’t matter. No one can see us.”

Those words bolstered Meng Bai’s courage. “Yeah, I guess so.”

They climbed the stairs. The second floor was dimmer than expected, far larger and louder too. Meng Bai didn’t care for the vibe and edged closer to Miao Bai.

“Maybe you could hold my hand? I don’t feel safe…”

Miao Bai thought it was funny. “No one can see us—what’s there to be afraid of?”

“You’re waiting for me to be scared out of my mind before you’ll hold it, aren’t you?” Meng Bai realized Miao Bai truly didn’t get it.

On second thought, though, Miao Bai didn’t have those kinds of feelings anyway. No spark of romance there.

Miao Bai had no attention to spare for Meng Bai’s inner turmoil, and in the end, she didn’t take her hand.

They reached the door of a private room, and Miao Bai said, “They’re in here.”

Meng Bai hadn’t felt nervous before, but now tension gripped her.

She clutched the camera tightly and shot Miao Bai an uncertain look. “How do we take the pictures? I’m so nervous.”

“However you want. Want to go in and check it out first?”

“Okay.”

Meng Bai instinctively reached to push the door open, but her hand passed right through it.

!

Still not used to being invisible—she’d forgotten they could just walk straight in.

Miao Bai pulled her back. “Stay behind me.”

The moment they stepped inside, a thick wave of cigarette smoke assaulted them. A group of middle-aged men lounged on the sofas, their bulging bellies straining against their shirts.

The table was littered with bottles of booze amid the raucous noise—some were already playing drinking games.

A greasy man was goading Zhang Gou. “Come on, Brother Zhang! One shot, one more shot, another! You lost fair and square—don’t drink and you’re cheating!”

Zhang Gou shoved his arm away. “Where are the girls we called? They’re not here yet. What’s the point of drinking?”

“They’ll be here any minute.” The man scratched at his crotch. “You’re hornier than I am.”

Meng Bai raised the camera and snapped away at them. She started off restrained but soon stepped closer for better shots.

She captured Zhang Gou’s rough fingers, his fat, oily face, the stubble scraped clean from his chin, and those murky eyes.

She photographed it all.

Someone nearby piped up. “Same old games all the time gets boring, Old Gou. When are you gonna mix it up? Those female students from the school sound perfect.”

Zhang Gou took a swig, buzzed and loose-lipped. “You think I don’t wanna fool around with them? They gonna let me just ’cause I want to?”

The man grinned with malicious glee. “Aren’t you their Uncle Zhang?”

Zhang Gou spat on the floor. “Patience is a virtue. Some of those girls are sharp—rush it and you’ll get burned.”

The man sidled closer, his smile lecherous. “If you really wanna nail ’em, you can. Bunch of clueless idiots—just sweet-talk and they’ll come running.”

Meng Bai’s brow furrowed.

Disgusting. Filthy.

She switched the camera to video mode and recorded their next exchange:

Zhang Gou: “Target the ones from families that don’t give a damn—heavy on boys, light on girls. Or ones whose parents are off working somewhere. Easy marks.”

Sleazy One: “They’re not as tricky as you think. Flash some cash and it’s done.”

Revulsion churned in Meng Bai’s gut.

She kept the lens trained on whoever was speaking.

Then he added smugly, “GM Engineering’s never short on girls. They all love shiny things—doesn’t take much money.”

Heh.

Meng Bai zoomed in tight and captured every word.

Zhang Gou chuckled. “Damn, that’s tempting. Hahaha!”

Their conversation was heating up when the door swung open. All eyes turned.

In walked another middle-aged man about their age—bald, sporting tinted glasses. He was ugly but carried himself with confidence.

Sure enough, the group rose to greet him.

“Boss is here.”

“Boss.”

Baldhead nodded and scanned the room. “What’s the deal today, boys? Not playing? No company?”

By “company,” he meant women.

“Not yet. So, boss—what’s it gonna be tonight? Boys or girls?”

Baldhead let out a bark of laughter and reached back, yanking a young man out from behind the partition.

It was Xu Jinghe.

He’d arrived!

Grinning, Baldhead said, “This is Little Xu—you all know him. Carry on with whatever; we’re just gonna sing a song.”

Everyone exchanged knowing smirks. “You two have your fun.”

Xu Jinghe hesitated for a moment but followed him in.

Baldhead led the way, then turned. “Wanna hit the bathroom first? You coming?”