After sending Zheng Xiye that message, Xu Fangfei did not see him again for seven consecutive days.
Occasionally, when she passed by the door of 3206, looking at that tightly closed, mysterious door, she would also feel a trace of unfamiliar emotion. She wondered where he had gone and guessed what might have happened to him.
And, in addition, worried about whether he had gotten himself into trouble.
Fortunately, on the morning of the eighth day, Xu Fangfei vaguely heard familiar footsteps coming from the stairwell while she was still half-asleep.
Xu Fangfei snapped her eyes open.
The heart that had been suspended for days finally settled back into place.
From a young age, Xu Fangfei had been sensitive to sounds. Different frequencies, different tones. After hearing them a few times, she could recognize them without fail. Xu Fangfei knew that it was Zheng Xiye’s footsteps.
They carried a hint of casualness, lazy and unconcerned, yet the overall rhythm was steady and powerful.
Very distinctive, just like the man himself.
The corners of her lips curved unconsciously into a faint smile. Xu Fangfei turned over beneath the covers, closed her eyes, and sank back into sleep with a sense of reassurance.
When she woke up from this sleep, it was already well past midday.
Xu Fangfei scratched her hair, which had turned into a bird’s nest from sleeping, climbed out of bed, groggily folded the quilt, groggily slipped on her slippers, and groggily went into the bathroom to wash up.
Passing by the kitchen, she caught a whiff of fragrance filling the whole room.
Qiao Huilan had made braised pork ribs again, her signature dish. The glossy, richly colored ribs filled an entire pot, bubbling away.
After sleeping through the night and the entire morning, Xu Fangfei’s stomach was empty. The aroma instantly made her appetite surge. While Qiao Huilan was not paying attention, she quietly snatched a pair of chopsticks from the stove and stole a piece of rib from the pot.
However, just before the rib touched her tongue, Qiao Huilan noticed. She turned around and flicked her daughter’s forehead with her knuckle.
Xu Fangfei yelped in pain.
“You haven’t even washed your face or brushed your teeth,” Qiao Huilan scolded her playfully. “No sneaking food.”
Xu Fangfei deflated, her narrow shoulders drooping. She gave up the rib that was about to reach her mouth and slunk off to wash up.
Listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, Qiao Huilan added some dark soy sauce to the pot and casually reminded her, “Don’t study too late at night either. Mom knows you work hard, but your body is your capital. You have to develop the habit of going to bed early and getting up early.”
Xu Fangfei had always done well academically and had never caused her family worry after starting school. Occasionally, staying up all night and sleeping in the next day was always assumed to be because she was studying too hard.
Feeling guilty, she naturally did not dare tell her mother the truth about her insomnia. She only responded vaguely, “Mm, I know.”
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Xu Fangfei neatly put away her toothbrush and cup, wiped her mouth, and walked back into the kitchen.
She happened to see Qiao Huilan holding a spatula, scooping a generous portion of steaming hot ribs into a thermal lunch container.
Xu Fangfei pointed at the container. “Mom, who are you sending food to?”
“You take it downstairs to the neighbor brother,” Qiao Huilan said briskly. She sealed the container, picked up a clean wet tissue, carefully wiped the grease from the edges, and handed it over. “It’s lunchtime anyway. We made plenty of ribs at home. Let him have some too.”
Xu Fangfei nodded. “Okay.”
She picked up the lunch container and went downstairs.
At noon, every household was cooking lunch. This barren stretch of Xiwang Street also showed a bit more vitality thanks to the lively smell of everyday cooking.
Xu Fangfei stopped at the door of 3206, inhaled, exhaled, quietly took a deep breath, then raised her arm and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
Before long, the sound of slippers on the floor approached from afar. Then the door in front of her was pulled open from the inside.
Zheng Xiye appeared at the doorway.
He leaned slantwise against the doorframe, eyelids lowered as he looked at her, the emotions in his eyes unreadable.
A black tank top that had been washed many times clung to his lean, taut, tall body. It was completely different from the deliberately bulked-up physiques in gyms, instead brimming with vitality and raw strength. Along his arms, waist, and back, faint scars of various kinds could be seen among the muscle lines, each mark chilling to behold and making it hard to imagine his past.
Zheng Xiye spoke first. “You needed me for something?”
His voice was slightly different from before, low and hoarse, rough with a sandy texture. It sounded oddly sexy, like the lingering nasal tone after a cold. Flat and uninflected, it slid straight into Xu Fangfei’s ears.
Her heart trembled for no apparent reason. She cleared her throat, quickly adjusted her breathing, and handed over the lunch container, steadying her voice. “My mom made braised ribs. There were extras, so she told me to give you some.”
Zheng Xiye did not stand on ceremony. He reached out and took the container. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” The girl smiled at him. “Eat more. If it suits your taste, I’ll bring you some again next time.”
Zheng Xiye looked at the girl in front of him and saw her brows curve gently, faint dimples blooming on her cheeks, like a pure flower opening in a dim world.
An innocent girl, untouched by the ways of the world, unable to hide her feelings. In front of him, she was like a blank sheet of paper, every emotion visible at a glance.
Zheng Xiye studied Xu Fangfei’s delicate, smiling face and suddenly asked, “You’re in a very good mood today?”
Xu Fangfei froze and instinctively covered her cheeks. “Why would you ask that?”
Zheng Xiye said, “You look like you’re in a good mood.”
Being so easily read made Xu Fangfei feel a sense of shy exposure. Afraid he might notice more, she quickly changed the subject. “By the way, did you go far away recently?”
Zheng Xiye replied, “I went to a neighboring city to take care of something.”
“Oh.” Xu Fangfei nodded slowly and muttered to herself, “No wonder I didn’t see you these past few days.”
The speaker had no intention, but the listener did.
Zheng Xiye caught the implication in her words and fixed his gaze directly on the girl’s joy-filled face.
After a moment, he bent slightly at the waist and leaned closer to her. Putting the context together, he made a reasonable guess. “Your good mood today wouldn’t happen to be because you saw me, would it?”
Xu Fangfei: “……”
Thump, thump.
In the narrow stairwell, she suddenly heard her heartbeat speed up.
His presence was strong and clean, lingering at her nose, completely overwhelming the smells of cooking drifting from the surrounding homes. Female instinct warned her that danger was approaching.
And yet, the man’s expression was calm, his breathing even, and the way he looked at her carried not the slightest hint of lewdness.
Her breath caught for an instant. Panic climbed into her chest.
Heat rushed to her cheeks, as if a stone were pressing down on her chest, making even breathing difficult. Her feet retreated unconsciously, half a step, then another step, until she finally put a relatively safe distance between them.
“After you finish the ribs, just leave the lunch container by the door. I’ll come get it this afternoon.”
The girl’s snow-white face burned red as fire, her speech rapid. After tossing out those words, she did not wait for his reply, turned around, and ran up the stairs.
Tap, tap, tap. The light footsteps quickly faded away. The upstairs door shut tight.
Zheng Xiye held the lunch container in one hand and stood there for a moment, then turned and went back into his room.
Room 3206 had poor lighting. Even in broad daylight, the entire space was dim, like a tomb.
When he had bought this place, the agent had shaken his head like a rattle drum, repeatedly urging him to reconsider, saying the feng shui was bad, the layout was inauspicious, and the place never saw sunlight year-round.
Zheng Xiye had not cared at all.
Years of lying low had shaped his habits. He was used to quiet and used to darkness. Yet for reasons unknown, at this very moment, this familiar gloom suddenly irritated him.
With a swish, Zheng Xiye pulled the bedroom curtains fully open.
Long-absent sunlight, bright and warm, finally poured in through several strands.
In a flash, a delicate figure surfaced in his mind, slender and pale, overly fragile, as if it would shatter at a single touch.
Every time he interacted with her, the result was the same. The little brat would get frightened and run away.
Zheng Xiye sat back on the bed, his back against the wall, his long left leg casually propped up. His gaze shifted idly and landed on the mirror beside him. Reflected in it was a young face, handsome and ruthless, unrestrained.
Indeed, he did not look like a good person.
After a moment, Zheng Xiye lit a cigarette, lowered his eyes, and let out a soft, self-mocking scoff.
Pretty, timid, obedient, fragile. That glass-like little girl.
*
At five thirty in the afternoon, Xu Fangfei finished her homework and reviewing. After hesitating for a while, she dawdled downstairs to retrieve the lunch container that had held the ribs.
At the door of 3206, she found that the lunch container had already been washed, spotless like new. It was placed in a bag and hung from the doorknob.
A trace of surprise surfaced in Xu Fangfei’s eyes.
Whether it was returning her underwear last time or returning the lunch container this time, that man who looked anything but decent had shown a side of himself that was well-mannered, meticulous, and gentle.
Xu Fangfei curved her lips slightly, took down the lunch container, and brought it home to put away.
It was nearly eight in the evening.
After dinner, Xu Fangfei was washing dishes in the kitchen when she suddenly felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, urgent and insistent, like a death knell.
Xu Fangfei looked at the caller ID. It was an unfamiliar string of numbers.
Without warning, a sense of foreboding rose in her chest. Her fingers paused for several seconds. Only after a long moment did she hesitantly slide to answer.
The moment the call connected, heavy drumbeat music blasted from the receiver, chaotic and deafening.
Xu Fangfei pressed the phone tightly to her ear and did not speak first.
“Hello? Damn it, did it go through?” A man’s voice shouted from the other end, clamoring loudly. “Come on, bring that girl over. Let her say hi to her friend!”
“Let go of me! Don’t touch me with your filthy hands… Get away!” Then came a girl’s voice, angry and terrified.
Xu Fangfei’s heart plunged straight to the bottom.
It was Yang Lu’s voice.
“Yang Lu?” she raised her voice. “Yang Lu, is that you?”
“Hello.” The man who had spoken first snatched the phone back and chuckled. “Classmate Xu Fangfei, do you remember me?”
Xu Fangfei moved her lips, about to speak, but then remembered something. She closed her mouth, walked into the bathroom, shut the door, and only then lowered her voice to question him. “Zhao Yimin? What do you want?”
“I won’t waste words with you.” Zhao Yimin snorted coldly. “In half an hour, be at Benjamin Bar, booth number seven. One minute late, and I’ll strip one piece of clothing off your little friend.”
Xu Fangfei: “……”
“Move faster. I just checked. Yang Lu is wearing only one dress. Even if you count underwear together with it, it won’t be enough for my brothers to pull off.” Zhao Yimin burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, he paused and added, “Oh right, if you dare call the police, you’ll bear the consequences yourself.”
After the call ended, Xu Fangfei was already frantic like an ant on a hot pan.
She walked out of the bathroom and rushed toward the front door in a few quick strides, bending down to change her shoes.
Qiao Huilan had just finished massaging the grandfather and came out of the bedroom. Seeing this, she frowned. “Feifei, it’s so late. Where are you going?”
“Yang Lu signed up for a math competition. The exam is tomorrow, and she asked me to go to her place to cram with her,” Xu Fangfei said, forcing herself to stay calm.
“So sudden.” Although Qiao Huilan was puzzled, she trusted her consistently obedient and sensible daughter and said, “Then wait a moment. I’ll take you over.”
“No need, Mom. I’ll go by myself. Yang Lu lives nearby anyway.”
Qiao Huilan could only nod. “All right then. Be careful. When you come back, have Yang Lu’s father walk you home.”
“Mm.”
After getting past her mother, Xu Fangfei put on her shoes and rushed out the door. She ran down the stairs to the doorplate marked 3206 and anxiously raised her hand to knock.
Bang, bang, bang, several times. No response.
Not home?
Xu Fangfei did not dare delay. As she continued downstairs, she took out her phone, found a number in her contacts, and dialed it.
The busy tone sounded. No answer.
With no other option, frantic with anxiety, Xu Fangfei sent him a text message: [My classmate has been kidnapped. She’s at Benjamin Bar, booth number seven.]
After sending it, she clenched her teeth and tapped out the three digits “110” on the keypad. Just as she was about to press call, Zhao Yimin’s threat echoed in her ears again.
“If you dare call the police, you’ll bear the consequences yourself.”
Xu Fangfei’s finger hovered above the call button. Heaven and humanity waged war in her heart, and she hesitated.
*
Half an hour later, Xu Fangfei rode Qiao Huilan’s bicycle like mad, pedaling hard all the way, until she arrived at the entrance of the “Benjamin Bar” Zhao Yimin had mentioned.
Lingcheng did not have many rich people, but the gap between rich and poor was extreme.
Just a short distance from the slums stood the most high-end underground nightclub in the entire city, Benjamin. This place was a blur of neon lights and indulgence. There was no threshold and no questions asked. It did not matter who you were or where you came from. Emperors and beggars were treated exactly the same.
Several burly, powerfully built men were standing guard at the entrance.
For a well-behaved student like Xu Fangfei, this so-called “Lingcheng’s number one underground bar” existed only in rumors she had heard about.
Just walking up to the entrance was enough to make her legs tremble uncontrollably.
After a moment, Xu Fangfei steeled herself and stepped forward.
The burly men noticed this pure-looking girl, like a small jasmine flower. Their gazes immediately turned malicious as they looked her up and down.
One of them spoke with an oily grin, “Little sister, minors aren’t allowed inside to have fun.”
“I… I’m already an adult.” Xu Fangfei was so embarrassed that her face flushed red. She murmured, “I’m here to look for someone.”
“Who are you looking for?”
“I’m going to booth number seven.”
As soon as those words fell, for no obvious reason, the burly men exchanged glances, their expressions subtly changing. They did not stop her again, but instead stepped aside to make way.
Once inside the bar, the lighting was decadent and the music deafening. Seductive women on the dance floor clung tightly to male patrons, their slender waists twisting like water snakes. Everywhere were men and women seeking pleasure, and everywhere was filled with crude, obscene profanity.
It was like a gigantic spider demon’s lair.
Xu Fangfei walked through the dim corridor, carefully avoiding drunk patrons to keep herself out of trouble. Just as she was struggling to locate the number “7” among the booth signs, a young woman approached her from the front.
The woman looked to be only in her early twenties, wearing a black body-hugging dress. Her figure was fiery, her lips a blazing red. On her chest was a sapphire-blue butterfly tattoo, vivid and seductive, as if ready to take flight.
She bent slightly at the waist and asked with a smile, “Little sister, are you called Feifei?”
Xu Fangfei nodded slowly in confusion, then asked warily, “You are…?”
The woman said, “Don’t be afraid. My boss asked me to come pick you up.”
Xu Fangfei’s expression darkened slightly. “Is your boss Zhao Yimin?”
“No.” The woman was clearly a little confused. “Who is Zhao Yimin?”
A few minutes later, still baffled, Xu Fangfei followed the butterfly-tattooed beauty to the door of a private booth. She secretly raised her eyes and saw two tall young men standing guard outside, like hired enforcers. They were dressed uniformly in black suits, their faces cold and unsmiling.
The two men reached out and pushed the door open.
The butterfly-tattooed woman maintained her flower-like smile, tilted her head toward Xu Fangfei, and said, “Go in.”
The private room was dimly lit, like a man-eating beast that devoured bones whole, its gaping maw ready to swallow the world.
At this moment, Xu Fangfei was terrified.
But she knew that Yang Lu had been kidnapped because of her. She could not retreat.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then opened them again.
Clenching her fists tightly, Xu Fangfei stepped forward and bravely walked inside. Looking around, she saw that the private booth was very spacious, furnished with genuine leather sofas, coffee tables, and liquor cabinets, along with entertainment facilities such as a pool table and a karaoke machine.
Dozens of young men gathered inside, some standing, some sitting. Some were drinking, others playing dice, laughing and chatting loudly.
The central sofa in the room was empty, untouched. Two men were kneeling on the floor in front of it.
From Xu Fangfei’s angle, she could vaguely make out that the two figures were trembling and shrinking in on themselves, but she could not see their faces or expressions.
While she was still puzzled, a sound of running water came from the direction of the restroom.
In the next moment, the water stopped and the door opened. A young man slowly walked out.
He was wearing a dark-colored shirt. Having just washed his hands, he lowered his eyes slightly and used a hand towel to leisurely wipe away the water. After drying his hands, he tossed the towel into the trash. When he turned back, he saw the extra girl standing in the private room.
Black hair, snow-white skin, bright and dazzling eyes.
Xu Fangfei’s mind exploded with a loud bang, like a thunderclap.
Her lips moved for a long time before she finally squeezed out a few incredulous words, “You… why are you here?”
Zheng Xiye bent down and sat back in the main seat of the sofa, looking every bit like someone who stood above all others.
He looked at her, his whole demeanor casual. “You texted me the address. Wasn’t that you asking me to come find you?”
Xu Fangfei: “……”
“At the time, it was urgent. I did want you to help.” Xu Fangfei still had not figured out what was going on. Confused, she asked, “But… where is Zhao Yimin?”
Zheng Xiye did not respond. He merely cast a glance at the two miserable dogs kneeling on the floor, crossed his long legs, leaned back against the sofa with careless ease, and said coolly, “Brother Chui Shui, your cousin has repeatedly come to harass my little one. How do you think this should be settled?”
Only then did Xu Fangfei clearly see that the school bully who had kidnapped Yang Lu and made all those brazen threats over the phone was now curled into a ball, kneeling on the floor like a quail.
The man kneeling beside Zhao Yimin looked to be in his early thirties, bald-headed, with his entire muscular body covered in tattoos, appearing extremely ferocious.
Zhao Yimin was already shaking like a leaf in the wind. He glanced sideways and tentatively called out, “Brother…”
Before the word had fully left his mouth, the other man suddenly grabbed a beer bottle from the table and smashed it viciously down onto Zhao Yimin’s head.
In an instant, flesh split open and blood splattered.
Xu Fangfei stood to the side, completely unprepared, stunned senseless by the horrifying scene. Before she could recover, darkness fell over her vision, and at the same time, a trace of crisp tobacco scent invaded her nose.
Zheng Xiye had appeared behind her at some point. He lifted his right hand slightly and covered her eyes.
Xu Fangfei’s long lashes fluttered faintly.
Then she heard the man speak softly near her ear, a hint of concern woven into his tone. “Did that scare you?”