Xu Nuo took Lai Hui to the resettlement area in City A, where narrow alleys were littered with garbage, sewage flowed freely, and crushed tomatoes smeared the ground with red juice. Lai Hui walked as if traversing mountains and rivers. The residents mostly left their doors open, dim lights inside revealing iron bunk beds, with some selling cheap shampoo and body wash at their doorsteps, but few were interested, preferring to play cards shirtless. Deep in the alley, Xu Nuo turned into the stairwell of the second building. The concrete stairs looked as if they had been hammered, with each step either pitted or holed, the handrail rusted, and steps covered in rust flakes. On the third floor, a long corridor led to a room with an aluminum door ajar, covered in dirty hand and footprints. Xu Nuo pushed the door open with a tissue, and a stench of decay hit them, making Lai Hui cough as she followed inside. The room was dark like a cell, with a small window high on the wall casting a dim blue light, where mosquitoes danced. Xu Nuo found the switch, and the bulb hanging from the ceiling lit up. Lai Hui gasped; on the bed lay a disheveled woman, her pillow and blankets stained beyond recognition.
“Is that…?” Lai Hui was in disbelief. “It’s Xiang Qing!” Xu Nuo cleared some garbage with her foot, placed a tissue on a plastic stool, and sat down with Lai Hui. “Looks like she’s asleep. Let’s wait for her to wake up and chat.” “How did she end up like this? What about her family?” Lai Hui looked at Xiang Qing, now skeletal and filthy, a stark contrast to the Xiang Qing she remembered. Xu Nuo scoffed, “Do you really think her parents were high-ranking officials? Let me tell you, her father was sentenced to life imprisonment when she was in middle school, still in jail now, and her mother was just a low-class prostitute. I found out all this after you left school.” Seeing Lai Hui’s shock, she added with a mix of contempt and pity, “She ended up like this because of drug addiction, but I guess it’s her karma!”
“Karma!” Lai Hui vaguely guessed something but waited for Xu Nuo to elaborate. “You were sold for ten thousand by her, to a small-time gangster. If Mr. Zhou hadn’t suddenly wanted you, the consequences would have been unthinkable.” Xu Nuo glared hatefully at the bed. “I heard she said that initially, Mr. Zhou didn’t want to intervene, but for some reason, he later paid several times the amount to the gangster, and then you ended up with him.” Lai Hui stared blankly at the dirty woman on the bed, who was once their best friend in college. How could she not know any of this? Xu Nuo put her hand on Lai Hui’s shoulder. “Do you remember someone named Mr. Jiang?” Xiang Qing said he was her father’s friend, and she tricked you into going to the nightclub that night? That man was her lover.” Lai Hui lowered her head in recollection, remembering a balding, fat man who had slapped her. His face was greasy, and his murky eyes were always filled with malicious intent. It was because of that man that she met Zhou Yuqian. The reason she went to that nightclub was because Xiang Qing said her father had a friend deliver some things for her, and since she didn’t have time, she asked Lai Hui to go and pick them up. When she called Old Jiang’s mobile, he said he was busy outside and told her to go downstairs at the nightclub. She went to the designated address as instructed. When Old Jiang saw her, he smiled like a Buddha, saying the items were with his secretary, and told her to wait upstairs first. Thinking it was Xiang Qing’s uncle, Lai Hui hesitated but followed him upstairs. She was always cautious, and once inside the private room, she kept her lips tightly closed, not drinking or speaking, until she urged Old Jiang several times, and he impatiently brushed her off. Someone then began to touch her inappropriately, and she realized something was wrong. Zhou Yuqian was also in the room; from the moment he entered, Lai Hui had noticed him—it was hard to ignore someone with such an aloof demeanor. As she struggled with Old Jiang, she cast several pleading glances at Zhou, but he ignored them all. When she was cornered, she realized that man wouldn’t help her; she could only rely on herself to escape. Giving up on seeking help, she grabbed a wine bottle, intending to smash it and threaten suicide. After all, it was a nightclub; no matter how bold they were, they wouldn’t dare cause a fatality. Only then did Zhou Yuqian intervene. Lai Hui considered the possibility of jumping from the frying pan into the fire, but ultimately chose to trust him. So, when Zhou Yuqian put his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the room, she offered no resistance. Downstairs, Zhou Yuqian let go of her, and Lai Hui, clutching the collar of her shirt which had lost three buttons, bowed her head and thanked him repeatedly. Zhou Yuqian only glanced at her with the corner of his eye, instructed the bodyguard behind him to take off his jacket and toss it to Lai Hui, then asked indifferently, “Which school do you attend?” Lai Hui quickly put on the jacket, hesitantly mentioned the name of her school, but was reluctant to get into the car. Zhou Yuqian, waiting for a while in the car, sarcastically remarked, “Get in, let’s see how you look first.” Looking in the car mirror, Lai Hui saw her face—half of it swollen and red, her hair in a messy bun at the back of her head, utterly disgraceful. Feeling humiliated, she picked up the hair tie that had slipped to the end of her hair, combed her hair with her fingers, and said, “Thank you. That man is a friend of my classmate’s father; I didn’t know he was like that. Luckily, you helped me.” Her gratitude received no response; Zhou Yuqian merely stared coldly out of the window as if there was no one else in the car. When they reached the school gate, Lai Hui returned the jacket to the driver, got out of the car, and Zhou Yuqian handed her a business card through the window, saying, “If you need money, you can be my short-term secretary. Before I leave City B, help me organize client data and gather supplier information.” Lai Hui took the card, knowing he had misunderstood her, and her other cheek also turned red as she hastily explained, “I’m really not that kind of person; that was truly my classmate…” The car had already sped away, leaving only the sound of the wind in response.
Chapter 27
