After Zheng Xiye finished speaking, Xu Fangfei didn’t respond.
She simply lowered her head in silence and quietly looked at the road beneath her feet. This main street was paved with asphalt. On both sides, the sidewalks were laid with grass and planted with small green plants and flowers, which caught the eye and conveyed a sense of vitality.
Xu Fangfei looked at a few unknown little flowers by the roadside and felt that their vivid, lively colors were like they had grown wings, fluttering straight into her heart.
Along with that, her heartbeat also lost its normal rhythm.
Xu Fangfei thought that perhaps she should ask Zheng Xiye why he had deliberately explained his relationship with Xiao Qi, and why he had told her “don’t overthink it.”
But the roadside flowers were blooming so beautifully that she couldn’t bear to break the moment by speaking.
In the end, Xu Fangfei didn’t ask anything.
The two of them maintained their intimate posture and walked together for a while longer. A fork in the road appeared ahead. Zheng Xiye held Xu Fangfei and turned the corner. In the blink of an eye, his arm had already withdrawn from her body.
Her shoulder still faintly retained the warmth of his palm. Xu Fangfei suddenly thought of something, lightly pressed her lips together, and a trace of gentle worry appeared between her brows.
After hesitating for a moment, she turned her head to look at him and said, “Do you know someone called Liu Dafu?”
Zheng Xiye thought about it and said, “I vaguely have some impression.”
Then he turned his head to look at her as well. “How do you know this person?”
Xu Fangfei replied, “My mother has cooperation with their company.”
Zheng Xiye nodded and didn’t say much more. When people get along, a sense of boundaries is especially important. If she didn’t take the initiative to explain something, he wouldn’t pry.
Xu Fangfei continued, “Last night, after my mom got home, she told me that Liu Dafu asked her about you.”
Zheng Xiye said, “What did he ask about me?”
Xu Fangfei’s index fingers tapped against each other unconsciously, her anxiety obvious. “Nothing else. He just took out your photo and asked my mom if she knew you. My mom didn’t know what he was trying to do, so she answered that she didn’t know you.”
Zheng Xiye noticed her small movement. He lifted his gaze slightly, his eyes shifting from her hands to her fair, clean face.
“Got it.” When he spoke again, his expression unconsciously softened a little as he said, “You don’t need to worry. After I go back, I’ll have someone look into it clearly. I won’t let you and your mother run into trouble.”
Xu Fangfei froze when she heard this and stopped walking.
She realized that he seemed to have misunderstood something. She frowned slightly and said, “The reason I told you about this isn’t because I’m afraid you’ll bring trouble to us.”
Zheng Xiye looked into the girl’s clear eyes. “Then why?”
Xu Fangfei took a deep breath. “I wanted to remind you that someone might intend to harm you. I hope you’ll be careful in everything.”
Suddenly, a delivery scooter sped past nearby. The wheels rolled over a small puddle, and a few drops of dirty water splashed up.
Xu Fangfei couldn’t dodge in time, and two drops of black water splattered onto her shoes.
Last month, the west-side vegetable market posted a notice saying it would be relocated as a whole to the east side of the city. Many shops couldn’t move all their goods, so they simply banded together and held a massive clearance sale. These shoes were something Qiao Huilan had picked out for Xu Fangfei at that clearance market.
It was said they were branded goods from a big mall. Because the source channels couldn’t be brought to light, they ended up flowing into small vegetable market stalls and being sold cheaply.
The crescent-colored mesh sneakers were breathable, cool, and easy to match with clothes. Xu Fangfei liked them a lot.
Looking at her little white shoes that had been dirtied, she felt both distressed and upset. She puffed out her cheeks, took out a tissue from the side pocket of her schoolbag, squatted down, and carefully wiped at the spot with her fingertips.
Just then, a shadow passed over her head.
Xu Fangfei paused, lifted her eyes in surprise, and saw that Zheng Xiye had actually squatted down with her.
He lowered his gaze and looked at the surface of her shoes a couple of times, his tone as usual. “Dirty water soaked into the mesh. You won’t be able to clean it like this. The more you wipe, the dirtier it’ll get.”
Hearing this, Xu Fangfei lowered her head again and carefully stared at the dirty spot on her shoe. Sure enough, not only had the two small stains not shrunk, they had even faintly spread outward a little.
She immediately grew anxious. “Then what should I do?”
Zheng Xiye looked at her brows and eyes. “You really like these shoes?”
Xu Fangfei didn’t hide it and nodded hard at him. “Mm. These are new shoes. My mom just bought them for me last month.”
Zheng Xiye was silent for a moment, then said, “When you get home, take off the shoes and bring them down. I’ll wait for you at the door.”
Xu Fangfei hadn’t reacted yet. She blinked her big eyes in confusion and asked, “Bring them down… bring them where?”
“Of course, to my place.” Zheng Xiye pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, lifted his eyelids helplessly, and looked at her. “I’ll wash them for you, and then I’ll return them to you.”
*
When Xu Fangfei got home, Qiao Huilan was still busy in the kitchen, not sure what she was doing.
Xu Fangfei took off the white mesh sneakers that had been splashed with dirty water. Her feet slipped into cartoon slippers like loaches. Then she bent over quietly, carefully opened the shoe cabinet, found a cloth bag inside, opened it up, and stuffed the white shoes into it.
Just as she finished packing them, Qiao Huilan suddenly spoke from the kitchen. She raised her voice and called out, “Since you’re back, hurry up and wash your hands and eat. What are you dawdling around at the front door for?”
“Oh, I’m coming right away.” Xu Fangfei raised her voice in reply.
After answering, she poked her head out to glance toward the kitchen. Seeing that Qiao Huilan was still busy at the stove with no time to pay attention to her, she hugged the bag with the shoes against her chest, stood on tiptoe, and slipped out quietly and stealthily.
She kept her footsteps light all the way, sprinting to the third floor without even triggering the motion-activated lights.
Xu Fangfei lifted her eyes. In her field of vision, the entire third-floor corridor was dimly lit. Only a sliver of light spilled out from the half-closed door on the fourth floor, faintly illuminating the surroundings and barely allowing her to see clearly.
Zheng Xiye was standing right outside the door of 3206, his back against the wall, one hand lazily fiddling with his lighter. The expression in his eyes was unreadable.
Xu Fangfei handed him the bag with the shoes. Her voice was reduced to little more than a breath, like a thief’s whisper. “Sorry to trouble you.”
Zheng Xiye took the bag and was about to reply when, as soon as he opened his mouth, his lips were suddenly sealed by something.
Zheng Xiye’s gaze darkened slightly, his eyes instinctively shifting downward.
In the darkness, a slender strip of snowy white caught the eye. The touch was smooth and soft, bonelessly, lightly pressing against his lips. It was the girl’s pale right index finger.
“Sorry.” Her fingertip rested against his lips, cool and soft. Xu Fangfei’s small face flushed bright red as she steeled herself and continued whispering, “I was afraid you’d speak too loudly and my mom would hear. Could you keep your voice down?”
Zheng Xiye stared at her, his pupils dark and bright, shimmering like a galaxy of stars.
He slowly nodded.
Only then did Xu Fangfei withdraw her hand and ask in an extremely soft voice, “Then when can I get my shoes back?”
Zheng Xiye lowered his voice to match hers and replied, “At ten-thirty, I’ll put the cleaned shoes at your door. How does that sound?”
“Mm, mm, okay.”
As Xu Fangfei spoke, she kept glancing upstairs from time to time, afraid that Qiao Huilan might discover she had sneaked downstairs. Then she remembered something and hurriedly added, “Oh, right. What were you about to say just now?”
Zheng Xiye stared straight at Xu Fangfei for a few seconds, then raised his hand and crooked his finger at her, signaling her to come closer so he could speak.
Xu Fangfei tilted her head and curiously leaned her ear over.
Zheng Xiye’s thin lips drew close to her. In a volume only she could hear, he said in a low voice, “Actually, when we were heading back today, I knew you were trying to remind me to be careful.”
Xu Fangfei turned in confusion and met Zheng Xiye’s eyes. Inside them lay an endless stretch of darkness and loneliness, deep and dangerous.
Her chest tightened inexplicably. “Then why did you say I was afraid of getting into trouble?”
He said, “I did it on purpose.”
She asked, “Why?”
“Because at that moment, I suddenly really wanted to.” The shattered dark light fell between Zheng Xiye’s brows as he said calmly, “To hear you say it to me yourself, that you were worried about me.”
Xu Fangfei: “……”
Xu Fangfei froze. Two pretty red clouds drifted across her face. Not knowing what to say, she could only shift her gaze elsewhere.
Zheng Xiye stared at her for a while longer, then curved his lips slightly and said, “Go back.”
“Mm. Sorry to trouble you.” She replied softly. In the end, she still didn’t have the courage to look at him again. She turned and jogged upstairs.
*
Click.
Xu Fangfei went up to the fourth floor, returned home, and gently closed the door.
Qiao Huilan came out of the kitchen, casually wiping her wet hands on her apron. Her brows knit slightly as she asked in confusion, “Feifei, did you go out again just now?”
“No.” Xu Fangfei cleared her throat hard. “The signal inside was bad just now, so I went outside to talk on the phone with Yang Lu.”
Qiao Huilan sounded a little suspicious. “So late at night, what were you talking about on the phone?”
“Just… just discussing homework. What else could it be?”
Xu Fangfei had always been thin-skinned by nature and couldn’t lie. If she were questioned any further, she might slip up at any moment. Her cheeks grew hot. As if to hide something, she quickly turned away, avoiding her mother Qiao Huilan’s probing gaze.
She twisted the faucet open. Water rushed down with a loud splash.
She rubbed soap over both hands, scrubbed and scrubbed, then held them under the tap to rinse.
Qiao Huilan stood at the doorway watching her daughter’s profile as she washed her hands. The crease between her brows didn’t ease for a long while. Suddenly, she spoke tentatively, “Feifei, you didn’t go to see the neighbor brother again, did you?”
Xu Fangfei’s heart skipped violently.
Fortunately, the panic lasted only an instant. She quickly shook her head and answered as calmly as she could, “No.”
Qiao Huilan let out a sigh. Her expression softened somewhat. “Good, as long as you didn’t.”
Xu Fangfei dried her hands with a towel. After thinking for a moment, she finally couldn’t hold it in and spoke up for him. “Mom, the neighbor brother in 3206 is actually a pretty good person. Don’t form opinions about him just because of Liu Dafu. He’s helped us so many times. You and Dad both taught me that as a person, you should repay kindness.”
The little girl had been gentle and mild since childhood, like a shallow stream under moonlight. In Qiao Huilan’s memory, she rarely talked back to or questioned elders like this. Qiao Huilan was slightly surprised, then looked completely baffled. “What’s wrong with me?”
Xu Fangfei realized her tone just now hadn’t been good. A sense of guilt toward her mother rose in her heart, and her voice lowered as she muttered, “He was sending ribs one moment and buns the next, and then suddenly you say we shouldn’t have contact anymore[1]“bringing ribs and buns” is not an idiom, but a colloquial way to list concrete acts of goodwill. The phrasing emphasizes that he had been actively helping and showing kindness, making the sudden … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1544160_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1544160_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. He’s so smart. How could he not tell you have something against him?”
“Hey, let me make this clear first. I don’t have any problem with that young man.” As she spoke, Qiao Huilan untied her apron and hung it on the wall. “Not letting you associate with him is purely for your safety.”
Xu Fangfei looked steadily at Qiao Huilan and said in a low voice, “Is that really true?”
“Why would I lie to you?” Qiao Huilan brought the dishes from the pot to the table and set out a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. She felt so speechless that she almost rolled her eyes. “Your mom has lived for over forty years. I still have this much judgment about people. That young man may look cold, but he’s warm-hearted. He’s not a bad guy.”
After hearing her mother’s words, the gloom in Xu Fangfei’s heart instantly cleared. She sat down at the dining table, the corners of her lips curving upward. “I knew it. Mom, you’re the most reasonable.”
“Criticize first, then praise. You, little girl has gotten clever.” Qiao Huilan scolded her playfully, curled her fingers, and tapped her daughter’s forehead. “Hurry up and eat. After you’re done, go write your homework.”
Xu Fangfei stuck out her tongue. “Okay.”
Just then, a phone call suddenly came in.
Xu Fangfei had just put a piece of greens into her mouth and was chewing with puffed cheeks. Hearing the ringtone, she took out her phone and glanced at the caller ID. It was “Yang Lu.”
Xu Fangfei answered, “Hello?”
“Have you finished today’s chemistry homework?” Yang Lu went straight to the point, very direct.
“Yeah, I finished it at school. Why?”
“Come on, send me the answers for the multiple-choice questions and the fill-in-the-blank ones.” Yang Lu yawned. “I’ll just copy them.”
Xu Fangfei frowned slightly at the words and said hesitantly, “The college entrance exam is coming up. You should still try doing it yourself. Once you’re done, if there’s anything you don’t understand, I can explain it to you?”
“I don’t want to do it.” Yang Lu combined whining with threats. “Hurry up and send them. Are you still my best friend or not?”
Yang Lu had grown up in a well-off family and was spoiled by her parents. She had never taken studying seriously. Xu Fangfei knew her friend wouldn’t listen to advice. With no other choice, she sighed and agreed.
After hanging up, Qiao Huilan gave her a suspicious look. “Weren’t you just on the phone with Yang Lu? Why is she calling you again?”
Xu Fangfei felt awkward. She coughed dryly twice, guiltily lowered her head, and replied vaguely, “Who knows.”
*
At ten-thirty that night, Qiao Huilan and Grandpa were already asleep. Xu Fangfei quietly opened her bedroom door, lowered her head, and a pair of small white mesh shoes appeared at the doorway right on time.
Clean and like new.
Zheng Xiye had brought back the washed shoes for her.
At that moment, for some reason, Xu Fangfei thought of the pumpkin carriage at midnight in fairy tales. She felt like Cinderella who had received a gift, a hidden joy surging in her heart.
This good mood lasted so strongly that the entire next day, Xu Fangfei’s lips carried a happy upward curve.
After school.
Xu Fangfei packed up her textbooks and materials, slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, and left the classroom. She had barely taken two steps when someone called out to her.
It was a pleasant, clear teenage voice, and it wasn’t unfamiliar. It was Zhao Shuyi.
Xu Fangfei turned around. “Do you need something?”
The girl’s bright smile was especially lovely. Zhao Shuyi looked at her and felt as if he were bathed in the spring breeze. He swallowed lightly and smiled as well. “Nothing else. I just wanted to ask if you want to—”
Xu Fangfei smiled with some helplessness. “You’re going to offer to walk me home again?”
Zhao Shuyi saw that his thoughts had been seen through. Feeling embarrassed, he scratched his head, gave a few awkward dry laughs, and a faint flush rose on his cheeks. “If you don’t want to ride in my dad’s car, then forget it. How about we walk together to the school gate?”
Xu Fangfei didn’t refuse this suggestion.
The two walked forward side by side.
Zhao Shuyi’s gaze lingered on Xu Fangfei, almost unable to look away. After going down two flights of stairs, he finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked, “Xu Fangfei, you’ve been smiling all day today. You seem really happy.”
“Have I?” Xu Fangfei raised her hand and rubbed her face. “I didn’t notice.”
Zhao Shuyi praised her sincerely. “You look really nice when you smile.”
Xu Fangfei felt a little embarrassed. “Thank you.”
“Oh, right.” Zhao Shuyi hesitated for a moment, then said, “That neighbor who lives downstairs from you. You and him… are you pretty close?”
Xu Fangfei nodded. “Mm. We’re on pretty good terms.”
“Then do you know what kind of work he does? Or is he just unemployed?” A trace of concern surfaced on Zhao Shuyi’s face. After a brief pause, he added, “I speak pretty directly, and you might not like hearing it… but I still want to remind you to be more cautious with people and situations. Bad people these days have gotten smarter. On the surface, they treat you well, but behind your back, who knows what they’re really like?”
Xu Fangfei’s expression darkened slightly, and her tone cooled a bit. “I understand. Thank you for the reminder.”
The two talked for a while longer about the afternoon’s in-class physics exercise. When they reached the school gate, Xu Fangfei said goodbye to Zhao Shuyi and then turned around and left without looking back.
Zhao Shuyi watched her retreating figure. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed silent.
Xu Fangfei left the boy’s unspoken feelings behind her.
She walked lightly under the streetlights. The wind brushed gently past, and the leaves quietly spun. She felt like a happy little bird, wrapped in the loneliness and tenderness of the night.
Just then, a van drove out from around the corner and stopped by the roadside.
Xu Fangfei sensed something. Her expression stiffened, and just as she was about to quicken her steps, it was already too late.
Two bald-headed men in black had already gotten out of the van and were striding straight toward her.
Xu Fangfei was startled and turned to run. “Help—mmph!”
A towel laced with drugs was pressed tightly over her mouth and nose. Her eyes widened in terror. In just a few seconds, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.
*
Xu Fangfei had a very vivid dream.
In the dream, she seemed to have arrived in the underworld, escorted by Ox-Head and Horse-Face to an execution platform. Below was a boiling oil cauldron, with countless little ghosts thrashing and wailing inside.
Xu Fangfei was so frightened that her legs went weak. She wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. Someone shoved her hard from behind, and she fell into a bottomless abyss—
“Why hasn’t she woken up yet?”
“No idea.”
“You didn’t use too much of the drug and kill her, did you, damn it?!”
“That’s impossible. This drug is a new batch that Third Master bought from Old Shou. It was so expensive. Would that old man dare cheat our boss?”
“That’s hard to say. Duoshou Fo and Old Jiang have hated each other for years. Third Master is Old Jiang’s man. Isn’t it only natural for Duoshou Fo to screw him over?”
“Shh! This girl’s waking up!”
Her head felt like it was splitting apart. Xu Fangfei slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision was pitch black. The tips of her eyelashes seemed to brush against something covering them, with not the slightest bit of light getting through.
She realized it then.
Someone had covered her eyes.
Fear was like a spiderweb, tightly woven as it crawled over her limbs and drilled into her nerves. Xu Fangfei’s whole body trembled uncontrollably. She tried to tear away the covering over her eyes, only to discover that her hands were bound behind her back.
Her lips quivered as she was about to speak, but a sound came to her ears.
The door lock turned.
Someone opened the door to the room.
“How is it?” The one asking was one of the two men who had been whispering earlier.
The voice answering was very unfamiliar, rough and domineering. “Still talking. Fuck. Third Master wants the one surnamed Zheng to leave Lingcheng, but that Zheng hasn’t made a sound at all and hasn’t paid Third Master any attention. Third Master’s furious. He said to bring the person out first and let him show his face.”
“Got it.” The buzz-cut brute nodded, reached out, grabbed Xu Fangfei by the collar of her school uniform, and lifted her up like a little chick, heading straight out the door.
“Who are you people? Why did you kidnap me?” Xu Fangfei struggled and demanded loudly.
“Shut up.” The buzz-cut man barked harshly. “If you don’t want to suffer, behave yourself.”
*
At a certain entertainment club, the dance floor was packed with men and women shaking their heads and bodies in search of fun. The DJ worked the decks and led the crowd, the music deafening.
Inside a private room called “Lan Palace,” however, it was a world apart.
Completely different from the decadent, indulgent atmosphere outside, this private room truly lived up to the word “elegant.” It was spacious and open. A folding screen stood across the entrance, painted with ink landscapes of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. A beast-eared incense burner released sandalwood fragrance, steeped in classical charm.
On both sides of the redwood sofa, four tall, burly young men stood guard. Each wore a suit, their expressions cold yet respectful.
Zheng Xiye sat in the main seat of the sofa, smoking. His face behind the haze of smoke was blurred, no emotion discernible.
On a grand wooden armchair by the screen, Chen San drained the Longjing tea in his cup in one gulp. With a bang, he set the cup down, then unhurriedly took out a string of red sandalwood Buddhist beads from his chest and began counting them in his hand.
No one spoke in the private room. It was dead silent.
When Chen San’s beads reached the eighteenth one, he suddenly looked up, tugged the corner of his mouth toward Zheng Xiye in a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, and said, “Brother Ye, since you don’t want to talk about business, let’s put it aside for now. Let’s talk about something else.”
“A few days ago, my little brother Ah Kai took a fancy to a kitten. Feisty as hell. A few swipes and she nearly clawed Ah Kai’s left eye blind. I heard this kitten has some connection with you, so tonight I invited her over. Take a look for me and see if you recognize her.”
Zheng Xiye lowered his eyelids, expressionless, and didn’t make a sound.
Chen San raised both hands and clapped twice. Not long after, the door of the private room opened again.
A young girl was dragged in by two burly men. She was petite and slender, still wearing Lingcheng High School’s uniform. Her eyes were covered with a piece of black cloth, and a faint bluish-purple bruise could be seen at the corner of her mouth.
Like a pure white little flower stained with blood and mud, she fell out of place into a filthy swamp.
Zheng Xiye’s expression remained unchanged. He lowered his gaze and stubbed out his cigarette.
Chen San studied Zheng Xiye’s face, trying to catch even the slightest clue from it. Putting on a show of surprise, he laughed. “What’s this, Brother Ye? Don’t tell me you don’t recognize her?”
As soon as his words fell, a sharp “scrape” suddenly sounded in the private room. It was the harsh noise of a chair leg dragging across the floor.
Zheng Xiye moved, standing up unhurriedly.
Everyone in the private room was confused, unable to understand why this man had suddenly stood up, especially with an ashtray still in his hand.
While everyone was still baffled, Zheng Xiye had already taken a few long strides straight toward the school-uniform girl.
The brute standing behind the girl saw Zheng Xiye and was cowed by his presence. How could he dare say no? He could only retreat sullenly to the side.
Xu Fangfei’s eyes were covered, her world pitch black.
But she smelled a familiar, clean, slightly cold scent in the air. She recognized it as the scent that belonged to Zheng Xiye alone.
The heart that had been hanging in midair settled a little. She relaxed slightly and let out a soft breath.
In front of her.
Zheng Xiye first untied the rope binding Xu Fangfei’s hands, then removed the black cloth covering her eyes.
Suddenly stimulated by the light, Xu Fangfei instinctively raised her arm to block it and squinted. When her eyes adjusted, she finally saw the man’s face in front of her.
Zheng Xiye looked at her, his dark eyes bottomless, calm like two ancient wells.
They met each other’s gaze for a moment.
Zheng Xiye reached out, his thumb pad gently brushing over the small purplish bruise at the corner of the girl’s mouth.
His fingertip was rough. Even though his touch was extremely light, Xu Fangfei still felt a faint sting. Her body instinctively leaned back, she drew in a small breath, and shrank away slightly.
Zheng Xiye’s fingers stiffened. He withdrew his hand without showing it and asked flatly, “Who did this?”
His expression was indifferent, without a trace of extra emotion. Yet just hearing those three words, Xu Fangfei felt a bone-chilling cold. Her spine went icy. She shook her head instinctively and replied in a small, hesitant voice, “They used a sedative to knock me out. I lost consciousness. I don’t know.”
Zheng Xiye said, “I wasn’t asking you.”
Xu Fangfei froze.
The next second, Zheng Xiye weighed the white jade porcelain ashtray in his left hand, turned and lifted his gaze, sweeping his eyes across the entire room. His eyes were ruthless, killing intent surging. From his thin lips came words frozen with frost. “Who the fuck hurt the corner of her mouth?”
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