Chapter 57

Baldhead turned to him. “Wanna hit the john first? You coming?”

It was obviously more than just taking a leak.

Everyone in the room knew that much.

Xu Jinghe hesitated visibly.

He didn’t want to go.

But he couldn’t refuse.

Baldhead wasn’t one to take no for an answer. He grabbed Xu Jinghe’s arm and yanked, his intentions unmistakable.

“I don’t need to pee,” Xu Jinghe protested, struggling against the grip.

Baldhead clamped down harder on his arm. “None of that ‘don’t need’ bullshit. What’d you say when we walked in here?”

With that, he dragged Xu Jinghe toward the bathroom.

Meng Bai and Miao Bai exchanged a quick glance.

Oh, showtime.

The bathroom was tucked inside the private room. The moment Baldhead hauled Xu Jinghe through the door, Meng Bai snatched up the camera and slipped in after them.

The space was cramped and dim.

Baldhead wasted no time, lunging at him the instant the door clicked shut.

Xu Jinghe was tall, but he couldn’t match the man’s brute strength.

“Aren’t we here to pee?” Xu Jinghe yelped.

Baldhead’s grin turned sly and predatory. “Pee? Like hell I’m peeing. Hurry up—I’ll fuck you senseless.”

Laughing, he fumbled with his zipper.

Xu Jinghe recoiled on instinct, stepping back as some ugly memory flashed through his mind. His face drained of color, fear etching deep lines into it.

“No.”

Baldhead licked his lips. “No what? We had a deal. I finish quick, and I’ll spot you five hundred for net time. Buy all the points coupons you want.”

“No,” Xu Jinghe said flatly.

“One thousand then. One thousand work?” Baldhead pressed.

Xu Jinghe met his gaze steadily. “No.”

Rage twisted Baldhead’s features. “You didn’t get enough of a beating last time, did you, you little shit?” He lunged, hand shooting straight for Xu Jinghe’s crotch.

Xu Jinghe clapped his hands over himself and twisted away.

That only fueled Baldhead’s fury. He hadn’t expected any fight back—he went in hard now, ready to force the issue.

Out in the room, Meng Bai panicked and whipped around to Miao Bai. “Miao Bai, what now?”

Miao Bai stayed cool as ice. “Keep the camera rolling. Get it all on tape. I’ll handle it when the moment’s right.”

She trained the lens.

Every move Baldhead made toward Xu Jinghe was captured in stark clarity.

The way he clawed at his pants. The groping hands. The stream of filthy words pouring from his mouth.

His face filled the frame—high-definition evil, every twisted expression preserved.

A thrill of satisfaction surged through Meng Bai.

Xu Jinghe dodged and weaved the whole time, but Baldhead’s mouth ran wild:

“I, your father, am doing you the honor of paying to fuck you. Don’t you dare act all high and mighty.”

The words had barely left his lips.

Then, in the tight confines of the bathroom, water roared to life from the sink faucet.

The sound was unmistakable, rushing loud and clear.

Baldhead frowned in confusion. He peered past Xu Jinghe’s shoulder into the basin.

He shouldn’t have looked. The instant he did, his face went slack with horror, eyes bulging in shock.

A woman’s head floated in the sink!

A woman’s head!

Submerged in a basin brimming with blood!!

Her eyes locked onto him, unblinking and intent.

Baldhead’s knees buckled. Terror turned his limbs to jelly.

“Fuck,” he muttered, slapping his own forehead and blinking furiously, as if he couldn’t trust his eyes. He shoved Xu Jinghe aside. “You see that? You see it?!”

Xu Jinghe turned to look. The sink was empty.

From Baldhead’s perspective, though, the woman’s lips curled into a sinister smile. Blood began to weep from her eyes.

“Fuck me, a ghost! A goddamn massive ghost!”

Any thought of his twisted plans evaporated. Scared out of his wits, piss streaming down his leg, Baldhead bolted for the door.

The bathroom door flew open with a bang.

The second he burst out, Baldhead screamed at the top of his lungs. “I saw something nasty! Fuck, I saw something nasty!”

His body shook on the verge of total breakdown.

What the hell was going on…

The private room had transformed into a nightmare. The woman’s face leered from the tabletops, the sofas, even the hanging lamps.

She grinned down at him.

Her voice echoed his own words from her countless mouths:

“Don’t be ungrateful…”

“Don’t be ungrateful…”

“Don’t be ungrateful…”

Baldhead’s legs gave out. He collapsed ass-first to the floor, vision tunneling to black as he passed out cold.

~~~

“Boss!”

“Boss!!!”

The others, caught up in their revelry, froze in terror.

No one knew what had come over Baldhead to make him faint like that straight out of the bathroom.

Someone rushed over to pinch his philtrum. Nothing.

Zhang Gou shot a glance toward the bathroom doorway, where Xu Jinghe stood looking just as bewildered.

“What the hell are you all standing around for?! Get the boss to a hospital! Now!!” Zhang Gou bellowed.

Chaos erupted.

The party mood shattered. No one felt like sticking around.

Xu Jinghe seized the chance to slip away in the pandemonium.

Zhou An and Xu Zhou had been waiting downstairs. When Xu Jinghe came barreling down, they rushed to him. “You okay? What happened?”

He was gasping for breath. “Not okay. Not even a little. And I never saw Meng Bai.”

“Did they hurt you?” Zhou An asked.

Xu Jinghe paused, then shook his head. “Nah. Close call, though.”

Zhou An exhaled in relief. “Close is good. As long as they didn’t touch you.”

Xu Zhou shot her a look. “Watch your mouth.”

Xu Jinghe brushed it off. “Where’s Meng Bai? She was supposed to be taking pictures. I never spotted her.”

“She was,” Zhou An said. “You just didn’t see her. She’s got a knack for staying hidden.”

“So what went down up there?” Xu Zhou asked.

Xu Jinghe shrugged. “Beats me. That guy just lost it—full-on breakdown. Kept saying he saw something, but I didn’t see a damn thing.”

Saw something.

Zhou An pieced it together in a flash. Illusion Technique.

Miao Bai had to have cast an Illusion Technique. No other way that creep would’ve freaked like that.

Truth be told, wiping the floor with these lowlifes was child’s play for Miao Bai.

But letting them lose their minds and off themselves? Way too merciful.

“Alright, let’s head out. No point hanging around here.”

“What about Meng Bai?” Xu Jinghe asked. “We’re not waiting?”

“Nah, she’s got backup.”

Meanwhile, up on the KTV’s second floor, Meng Bai let out an awed whistle. “That was badass!”

Watching Baldhead flee in abject terror felt damn good—even if it wasn’t punishment enough.

Miao Bai glanced her way. “Want to go after Zhang Gou next?”

Meng Bai’s eyes lit up. “Hell yes! Put him down!”

She bit out that last word, her hatred for Zhang Gou plain as day.

Out on the balcony, Zhang Gou was on his phone, voice laced with irritation.

“Yeah, he just up and fainted out of nowhere. We were just hitting our stride, man.”

He still had no clue what had spooked Baldhead so bad.

He spoke into the phone:

“I have no idea what’s going on. Yeah, we took him to the hospital. He’s probably just been working himself too hard lately.”

He hung up after just a few words.

After ending the call, Zhang Gou stood on the balcony, letting the breeze ruffle his hair. He looked utterly relaxed, even pulling out a cigarette and lighting up.

Clearly, he didn’t care much about their so-called boss.

Then a soft voice called from behind him:

“Uncle Zhang…”

Zhang Gou froze solid, the cigarette pinched between his fingers unmoving. Goosebumps erupted across his skin.

“Uncle Zhang, are you still going to take me into the city to buy clothes?”

It was Ye Hong’s voice.

Zhang Gou scowled and spun around. Nothing.

He took a deep drag, tossed the cigarette to the ground, and ground it out under his heel.

Damn it, too much booze tonight. Must be hearing things.

Ye Hong was long dead. No reason for her to call him Uncle Zhang.

“Uncle Zhang, do you still want to touch me?”

Ye Hong’s figure flickered right in front of him.

Zhang Gou’s heart slammed in his chest. “Fuck off with that shit!” he bellowed.

“Uncle Zhang…” Her voice was soft and laced with sobs, growing raw and tearing. “You hurt me so bad. So, so bad.”

He heard her, but saw nothing.

Zhang Gou took a step back, glancing left and right. Had to be the alcohol.

Then, by sheer coincidence, his eyes landed on the building across the way. A figure plummeted from it.

Bang—

Ye Hong hit the ground in a vivid spray of red.

It felt so real—reminding him of that morning, that flower bed. He could even smell the blood.

Leaning over the balcony, he peered down. “Fuck!” Ghosts.

There she was, lying on the pavement, smiling up at him.

As her lips curved, a shrill voice pierced the air: “I watch you every night. You… can you even sleep?”

Terrified, Zhang Gou stumbled backward a good distance—and crashed right into someone.

It was a colleague from GM Engineering.

“Brother Zhang, you okay?”

“Saw… saw a ghost.” Zhang Gou’s face was as white as a sheet. “This place is fucking haunted.”

The man gave him a puzzled look. “What’d you see?”

What did he see?

He couldn’t say.

It was all his fault. No way was he spilling about Ye Hong.

The guy shrugged it off, clapping Zhang Gou on the shoulder. “Come on, we all had one too many tonight. Let’s call it a night.”

A chill wind swept through just then, leaving Zhang Gou shivering.

He didn’t dare look back—or anywhere, really. Afraid of what else he might glimpse.

A guilty conscience turns every night road into a shaky ordeal.

~~~

It was deep into the night.

Zhou An and the others had headed home early.

After giving Zhang Gou a good scare, Meng Bai and Miao Bai doubled back.

Meng Bai chuckled. “Did you see his face? Looked like he was about to piss himself any second.”

Miao Bai nodded. “Guilty as charged. That’s why Ye Hong’s illusion hit him so hard.”

“She’s the one he got killed. The moment he saw her jump…” Meng Bai trailed off with a smirk.

She toyed with the camera in her hand, replaying the footage over and over.

“Tonight was a big win.” She glanced sideways at Miao Bai. “All thanks to you.”

Without Miao Bai, none of it would’ve happened.

Miao Bai nodded. “Tomorrow, make a copy for your math teacher.”

Meng Bai halted in her tracks. “Give it to her? You sure?”

Xu Qin was still an unknown—friend or foe? Why take the risk?

Miao Bai nodded. “I’m sure. She’s not a bad person. Just give it to her.”

Meng Bai wasn’t convinced. “You positive? Teacher Xu has a brother named Zhou Yizheng. He’s weird. I don’t like him—gives me the creeps.”

“I’m sure.” Miao Bai’s tone was rock-solid. “You don’t have to like her brother. Just give her the video. Do you trust me?”

Meng Bai didn’t trust Xu Qin. She sure as hell didn’t trust Zhou Yizheng. But Miao Bai? Absolutely.

She believed everything Miao Bai said.

“Should I back it up first?”

“Yes.”

“Got it. Whatever you say.” Meng Bai pocketed the camera again, then asked, “So when you gave me this camera… you planned on using it for something like this?”

Miao Bai answered bluntly. “Yeah.”

“Oh.” Meng Bai deflated a little, muttering under her breath, “Guess it’s not really my birthday gift after all…”

Her voice was tiny, but Miao Bai heard it clear as day.

“It is your gift. Why the long face?” Miao Bai smiled at her, her tone gentle, like soothing a child.

“I’m not unhappy.” Meng Bai talked herself around it. “It’s fine. Whatever you give me, I’m happy with it.”

“That watch—” Miao Bai grew serious. “You need to take good care of it. It’s been with me for years.”

“Of course. I’ll keep it under my pillow. On nights you’re not there to sleep with me, I’ll hug it instead.”

Miao Bai laughed. “Hug it to sleep? That’s not necessary.”

“It’ll make me feel closer to you. You wouldn’t get it.”

Wouldn’t she?

Miao Bai thought she did—but she wasn’t sure how to reply.

The sudden quiet made the wind howl louder around them. They walked side by side, their shadows nearly overlapping.

Meng Bai edged a little closer to Miao Bai and sighed softly. “You were incredible tonight. Just a flick of your finger—like it was nothing. But it had me stunned.”

As she spoke, she reached out and took Miao Bai’s hand.

Their palms met—one burning hot, the other cool as ice.

Caught off guard, Miao Bai’s heart skipped a beat, but she kept her composure. “Oh? Where was I incredible? Tell me all about it.”