The beer bottle shattered against Zhao Yimin’s head. Glass fragments scattered all over the floor, mixed with spilled beer and blood, turning the ground into a muddy, filthy mess.
Zheng Xiye glanced at the bloodstained floor. The expression on his face did not change in the slightest.
The other men also remained relaxed, watching with keen interest as Brother Chui Shui taught his underling a lesson.
Zhao Yimin was smashed until his head split open and blood flowed freely. He let out a wailing scream and collapsed to the ground, clutching his head as his body convulsed.
Streams of blood kept seeping out through the gaps between his fingers.
Zhao Yimin was terrified out of his wits. Afraid that this cousin might really take his life to protect himself, his heart completely unsteady, he wailed and begged nonstop, pleading for mercy. “Brother, brother, I was wrong. I won’t dare again. I really won’t dare again…”
After smashing the bottle, Brother Chui Shui was still not satisfied. He slapped Zhao Yimin hard twice more and cursed loudly, “Damn it, you little bastard. You don’t know shit from piss and stir up trouble all day, making me clean up after you. Is Brother Ye’s woman someone you think you can touch?”
Zhao Yimin was beaten until stars burst before his eyes. His knees went weak, and he could barely keep kneeling. He reached out to brace himself against the coffee table, barely managing to support his body. Crying in pain, he looked up at Zheng Xiye, snot and tears streaming down his face. “Brother Ye, I was blind and stupid. From now on, Xu Fangfei is my grandaunt. I’ll burn incense and offer fruit to her every day and worship her like an ancestor. Please spare me one more time. Please, spare me just this once…”
“Still won’t learn your lesson!” Brother Chui Shui climbed up and kicked this good-for-nothing cousin twice in rage. “Still won’t learn your lesson!”
Zhao Yimin had already lost too much blood, and Brother Chui Shui was a trained fighter, all brute strength and thick muscle. There was no way Zhao Yimin could withstand such a beating. Before long, he did not even have the strength to dodge. His whole body collapsed onto the ground like a pile of mud, barely breathing, with more air going out than coming in.
A moment later, Zheng Xiye impatiently lifted his chin.
The two young men beside him immediately stepped forward and stopped Brother Chui Shui, whose eyes had gone red. One on each side, they bent down, hoisted Zhao Yimin up like a dead pig, and silently dragged him out of the private room.
Outside the door, the woman in the red dress with the butterfly tattoo on her chest was leaning lazily against the wall, playing with her phone. Hearing the door open, she turned her head to take a look, knew things inside were finished, and gave her people a look.
The group understood at once and quickly picked up mops and buckets of clean water and went into the private room.
Someone pointed at Zhao Yimin and asked, “Sister Butterfly, what should we do with this kid?”
“Send him to the clinic next door.”
From beginning to end, Xu Fangfei’s eyes had been covered by Zheng Xiye, her vision nothing but darkness. Only after quite a while did her sight finally return.
She looked around.
Zhao Yimin was no longer there, and the shattered glass and bloodstains on the floor had somehow already been cleaned completely.
Zheng Xiye sat back down on the sofa. With a flick of his metal lighter, a flame sprang up.
He lit a cigarette.
Brother Chui Shui was drenched in cold sweat from head to back. Standing a few steps away, he put on a flattering smile and said, “Brother Ye, I scolded that little bastard and beat him too. Please calm down.”
“Brother Chui Shui, your cousin is a grown man, yet he goes after two little girls.” Zheng Xiye lowered his gaze and casually flicked ash from his cigarette. “If this gets out, it won’t look good on you either.”
Brother Chui Shui sighed and began playing the pity card. “My aunt is in poor health. She took hundreds of ovulation-stimulating injections just to have such a useless son. This time, please consider it as doing me a favor and show mercy. Let Ah Min off.”
Zheng Xiye said, “Whether he’s let off or not isn’t up to me.”
Brother Chui Shui froze for a moment upon hearing this. His gaze shifted, hesitantly landing on Xu Fangfei standing beside the sofa. Seeing that this girl looked young and tender, with a small, youthful face, at most seventeen or eighteen.
Brother Chui Shui frowned.
He had been out on the streets since fourteen and was, at the very least, a figure with some standing. Lowering his head to someone like Zheng Xiye was unavoidable. But bowing and scraping before such a yellow-haired girl, he simply could not bring himself to do it.
So he stood there stiffly, several seconds passing without speaking or moving.
Zheng Xiye did not urge him at all, relaxed and at ease, lazily watching the show.
About another minute passed.
Brother Chui Shui clenched his teeth in secret and finally turned to face Xu Fangfei, speaking unwillingly. “Little sister, I apologize to you on my brother’s behalf. I promise there won’t be a next time. Please forgive him.”
Zhao Yimin was a bastard, and how much better could his cousin be? These two brothers were cut from the same cloth. This apology was nothing more than being forced, without even a shred of sincerity.
Xu Fangfei knew very clearly that if not for Zheng Xiye’s intimidation, this Brother Chui Shui would never have shown her even the slightest apology.
Suppressing her anger, she did not respond to him at all and only demanded, “Where is my classmate Yang Lu?”
Brother Chui Shui raised a hand and pointed toward the inner compartment of the private room. “She’s lying inside.”
Hearing this, Xu Fangfei immediately hurried over, crossing the distance in a few strides, and rushed into the compartment. Inside, she found it was a lounge-like area with dim lighting, furnished with two massage beds that easily stirred inappropriate thoughts.
Yang Lu was lying on the outer bed, eyes closed, cheeks flushed, her whole body reeking of alcohol.
Xu Fangfei’s heart sank. She immediately checked Yang Lu’s clothes.
Standing at the entrance of the compartment, Brother Chui Shui rubbed his nose, eager to clear himself. “Hey, let me make this clear first. We didn’t do anything. Before she even came into this bar, she was already drunk.”
Xu Fangfei reached out and shook Yang Lu’s arm. “Yang Lu? Yang Lu?”
“…Xu Fangfei?” Yang Lu frowned and opened her eyes. Seeing the face in front of her, she was completely confused. “Where is this?”
Seeing that Yang Lu was only drunk and not harmed, Xu Fangfei finally let out a breath of relief. She helped Yang Lu sit up and asked worriedly, “It’s so late. Why did you drink so much?”
“I was out playing with a few friends. They said a bar had just opened tonight with a big promotion, all drinks were twenty-five percent off. We ordered several sets of alcohol and were playing games. Later…” Yang Lu struggled to recall, then suddenly remembered something, her expression changing drastically. “Later, we ran into Zhao Yimin!”
At the mention of that name, Yang Lu looked as if she had seen a ghost. Panic-stricken, she grabbed Xu Fangfei’s hand, her voice trembling and slurred. “He said he often saw me at school, saw me walking with you, and asked if I was your friend. I snapped back at him because I was drunk, and then he dragged me away…”
“It’s okay now. It’s okay.” Seeing Yang Lu’s terrified expression, Xu Fangfei felt both guilty and heartbroken. She wrapped her arms around her, gently patting her back and head. “Zhao Yimin is gone. No one will hurt you anymore.”
She soothed her again and again.
Yang Lu gradually calmed down and allowed Xu Fangfei to support her as they walked out of the compartment.
Her head was still spinning. She lifted her gaze and looked blankly at the room full of unfamiliar people. After a moment, Yang Lu frowned, shook her head hard, and asked Xu Fangfei with a thick tongue, “W-who are all these people?”
Xu Fangfei was just about to answer when a burst of voices suddenly erupted outside the room, chaotic and disorderly.
In the next instant, the door to the private room was kicked open from the outside.
Several men and women in police uniforms stormed in.
Seeing this, Brother Chui Shui’s face darkened instantly. He cursed under his breath, “Damn it, how did the cops get involved?” Then he slipped straight into the inner compartment to hide.
“All of you!” The one walking at the front was a fair-skinned young police officer who looked very young, likely not long out of the police academy. He said in a deep voice, “Everyone, take out your ID cards!”
“Officer, we’re all legitimate businesspeople. We pay a lot of taxes every year.” The girl with the butterfly tattoo on her chest let out a coquettish laugh. “You barging in like this will scare the customers and seriously affect my bar’s business.”
The young police officer snorted coldly. “Cut the slick talk!”
Zheng Xiye expressionlessly exhaled his last smoke ring and stubbed out the cigarette.
At that moment, another tall figure slowly stepped out from the back of the team. His posture was upright, his expression cool and restrained, and beneath the brim of his police cap, his features were strikingly handsome.
His gaze swept the room once before he asked, “Who called the police?”
A few seconds later, a thin, hesitant voice rang out. After clearing her throat hard, she answered haltingly, “I did.”
As soon as the words fell, the room fell deathly silent.
Everyone turned their heads in unison, their gazes converging on one spot. It was actually that little girl who still looked like she had barely grown any hair.
Xu Fangfei’s heart was pounding wildly at this moment as well.
Before leaving, she had gone through an intense internal struggle and ultimately still made the call to the police. After all, the radiant and righteous image of the People’s Police was deeply rooted in every child’s heart.
But now, at this critical moment, truly facing this group of shining figures, Xu Fangfei suddenly regretted it.
While her thoughts were in a mess, the leading officer had already walked up to her.
He said, “Hello, student. I’m Jiang Xu from the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Lingcheng Public Security Bureau.”
Xu Fangfei replied, “Hello, Officer.”
Jiang Xu turned his head and, without drawing attention to it, glanced at the cold, stern man sitting on the sofa. “You reported that someone had kidnapped your classmate. What’s going on?”
Cold sweat beaded on Xu Fangfei’s forehead. She lowered her head and thought for a moment before replying, “I’m sorry, Officer Jiang. I made a mistake.”
Jiang Xu looked at her, his sharp gaze almost piercing straight through her. “Do you know the people in this room?”
Under such scrutiny, Xu Fangfei was close to breaking down. She forced herself to answer, “Yes. They’re all… all my friends.”
Just then, a soft chuckle suddenly rang out.
Jiang Xu and Xu Fangfei both followed the sound and looked over.
Zheng Xiye walked over and stopped beside Xu Fangfei. A lazy curve hung at the corner of his lips. His whole demeanor was steady and unhurried, languid and casual, without a single flaw. “Officer, my kid here doesn’t know any better and wasted so much police manpower. Sorry about that.”
The two men’s gazes met in midair.
One was indifferent. The other was assessing. It was like blades clashing silently.
After a moment, Jiang Xu calmly asked, “Student, who is he to you?”
“He’s my…” In the dim private room, standing beside Zheng Xiye, Xu Fangfei’s face flushed uncontrollably red. “My older brother. A very close older brother.”
Jiang Xu extended his hand and said in a businesslike, cold tone, “Please show me your identification.”
Zheng Xiye took out his ID card from his wallet and handed it over.
Jiang Xu lowered his eyes and examined it briefly. Finding nothing unusual, he tugged at the corner of his mouth in a smile that did not reach his eyes and returned the ID. “Sorry, Mr. Zheng. We disturbed you.”
“No problem.” Zheng Xiye gave a faint smile. “Thanks for the trouble, brothers.”
*
The disturbance came without warning and faded away just as silently.
The police left.
Zheng Xiye’s gaze swept over the room full of shady characters and finally settled on the two young girls. One was wearing a very short skirt, dizzy and drunk, barely able to stand on her own. The other was dressed conservatively with a bare face, anxiously supporting the first.
Looking at the girl who stood out starkly from her surroundings, Zheng Xiye asked, “How is your friend?”
As soon as the question fell, Yang Lu’s mouth suddenly mumbled something indistinct, her enunciation extremely unclear.
Xu Fangfei did not catch what she said. She tightened her grip on Yang Lu to steady her, leaned her head closer to Yang Lu’s glossy, glass-coated lips, and asked, “What did you say?”
Yang Lu’s head was spinning badly. After struggling for a long time, she finally straightened out her tongue and whispered in Xu Fangfei’s ear, “M-my head hurts. I don’t want to drink anymore. Can you… take me home?”
“Okay, okay.” Xu Fangfei nodded repeatedly. “I’ll take you home right now.”
Yang Lu’s drunken eyes were hazy. In her blurred vision, she vaguely saw a clean little face full of worry. Recognizing it as Xu Fangfei, she relaxed, her body going limp as she leaned against her friend’s shoulder.
Yang Lu was tall and slender, a little over one meter sixty, weighing just over a hundred jin, genuinely slim. But Xu Fangfei had thin arms and legs and little strength. Even on a normal day, carrying someone weighing over a hundred jin would be nearly impossible for her, let alone now that Yang Lu had been drinking.
A drunk person could not exert any strength. Her body was like it had been filled with lead, several times heavier than usual.
Xu Fangfei staggered, barely managing to support Yang Lu with all her strength. Just as she was about to leave with her, she suddenly remembered something. She turned her head toward the man not far away and said with effort, “Thank you for tonight. We’ll be going now. Goodbye.”
Zheng Xiye said instead, “I’ll take you.”
As soon as those words fell, the men in the room exchanged glances in unison, surprise flashing in their eyes.
On the other side, the words Xu Fangfei had been about to refuse reached her lips, then were swallowed back down.
She did not want to trouble him again and again, but…
It was already very late, and this area was not a peaceful place to begin with. Taking Yang Lu out alone really would not be safe.
After hesitating for several seconds, Xu Fangfei finally nodded. “Okay.”
After that, Zheng Xiye turned back and gave his men a few instructions, then led Xu Fangfei and Yang Lu out of “Benjamin Bar.”
The car was parked in the open-air parking lot by the roadside.
Zheng Xiye unlocked the car and, like a gentleman, opened the rear door for the two girls.
Xu Fangfei wrapped both arms around Yang Lu’s waist and struggled to lift her into the car.
Seeing how laborious Xu Fangfei’s movements were, Zheng Xiye frowned slightly and was about to lend a hand. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Yang Lu’s skimpy clothing and paused, stopping in place without moving.
After quite a while, Xu Fangfei finally managed to shove Yang Lu into the back seat.
Yang Lu was startled by the commotion just now and sobered up a little. She opened her eyes, rubbed them, looked around in confusion, then let out a drunken burp and asked, “Xu Fangfei, where are we?”
Her friend was so drunk she could not tell east from west. She had rubbed her eye makeup all over with the back of her hand, smearing it messily across her delicate, pretty face, making her look like a little tabby cat.
Xu Fangfei could not help laughing. She comforted her, “We’re in the car. Sleep for a bit. We’ll be home soon.”
Seeing Xu Fangfei’s face, Yang Lu immediately relaxed, nodded, and fell asleep sprawled across Xu Fangfei’s legs.
Xu Fangfei took out a tissue and gently wiped the smudged mascara from Yang Lu’s lashes.
Zheng Xiye sat down in the driver’s seat and glanced back through the center rearview mirror, just in time to see this scene. Her lashes were lowered, slender pale fingers pinching the corner of the tissue as she wiped her friend’s face, her expression focused, tender, and gentle.
Zheng Xiye stared at the loose lock of hair hanging by her cheek. His thoughts stirred slightly before, after a few seconds, he calmly withdrew his gaze.
Zheng Xiye asked, “Where does your friend live?”
Xu Fangfei thought for a moment and gave him an address.
*
It was not until they came out of the residential building where Yang Lu lived that the tension in Xu Fangfei’s nerves finally eased completely.
The courtyard was deep and quiet. The night breeze scattered the lingering summer heat and brought a rare hint of coolness.
Xu Fangfei walked forward with her head lowered. Suddenly, she turned to look at the man beside her and asked tentatively, “Did I almost get you into serious trouble today?”
Zheng Xiye glanced sideways at her. “You mean those cops?”
Xu Fangfei nodded.
After a few seconds of guilty silence, she said again, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t reach you at the time, and I was afraid something would happen to Yang Lu, so I could only call the police…”
So many police officers had descended out of nowhere tonight. If he had not been calm and composed enough, she might really have gotten him killed.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. You don’t need to apologize.”
The corner of Zheng Xiye’s mouth lifted slightly. “On the contrary, you were very smart and very rational. You made the right choice.”
Hearing this, Xu Fangfei froze, and even her steps came to a halt.
Zheng Xiye stopped with her.
He lowered his gaze slightly. In the hazy moonlight, the young girl’s clear eyes reflected the light, glittering like they were studded with a sky full of stars. They were clear and pure, cleansing every one of his nerves.
Another breeze passed. A strand of hair slipped down beside Xu Fangfei’s cheek, floating softly.
Almost as if possessed, Zheng Xiye reached out and gently tucked that strand of hair behind her ear.
His fingers were long, the pads rough. Whether intentionally or not, they brushed lightly over the girl’s delicate, snow-white earlobe.
Xu Fangfei blushed. Her eyes flickered, her mind in chaos, and she instinctively tilted her head away to avoid him.
Zheng Xiye’s hand hung in midair, paused for a moment, then dropped.
He said calmly, “People’s hearts are hidden behind their bellies. It’s hard to tell good from bad. Don’t trust anyone easily. If you run into something like this again, calling the police is never wrong. They’re good people. No matter what happens, they’ll protect you.”
Xu Fangfei asked, “Then are you a good person?”
Zheng Xiye looked straight at her without speaking.
Xu Fangfei raised her eyes and gathered her courage to meet his gaze.
Another stretch of silence settled around them.
After a long while, Zheng Xiye lifted one eyebrow slightly. “What do you think?”
Xu Fangfei pressed her lips together and thought about what he had just said. Feeling that the logic did not add up, she could not help but argue softly, “If you’re not a good person, haven’t you still been protecting me all this time?”
Zheng Xiye replied, “Me protecting you is different.”
She did not understand. “How is it different?”
His eyes were calm, but the corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile. “You said it yourself that I’m your real older brother. Of course, you’re my precious little darling.”