Chapter Sixty-Five: Mad Revenge

Watching the two women beside me, neither uttering another word, both locked in stiff smiles as they stared at each other, their hands never ceasing—whenever one raised her glass, the other would follow suit and drink without a moment’s hesitation... What on earth was happening! The scene was so bizarre that a sudden tension began to creep into my chest.

“Um, you lovely ladies, please enjoy your drinks. I have something to attend to, so I’ll head out first…” I awkwardly waved my hand, rose to leave, determined not to get caught in the crossfire of whatever battle was brewing between these women.

“Stay right there,” Luo Qing called out, sipping her wine. She set her glass elegantly on the table, gazed at Zhao Ke Wen, then spoke to me in a slow, deliberate tone, “Yang Chen, haven’t you always wanted to spend some time at a bar? Why are you leaving just when you’ve arrived?”

Before Luo Qing finished, Zhao Ke Wen leaned in with a soft, teasing smile. “That’s right, little brother. Didn’t you say just now that you missed your big sister?”

What nonsense was this! My head throbbed instantly, cursing myself for speaking too much. The attention of these two peculiarly behaved women suddenly shifted toward me, and under their dual assault, I had no choice but to obediently return to my seat, wary of provoking more questions that would leave me flustered.

“Come now, Miss Luo, drink up. Last time you left in such a hurry, I didn’t get a chance to chat with you properly. Today you’ve graced us with your presence… Even if you’re really here to see Yang Chen, you’ve shown me respect. Surely you won’t retreat now, will you?” Zhao Ke Wen winked at me, as if hinting something, but I frowned, unable to decipher her meaning.

Luo Qing listened, her brows knitting slightly. After a pause, she swept her hair from her shoulder, smiled naturally, and said, “Then I’ll stay and accompany you to the end tonight!”

A true heroine’s bearing! I quietly wiped the cold sweat from my brow. Neither of them was easy to deal with, but I guessed Luo Qing wouldn’t be a match for Zhao Ke Wen. If she ended up vomiting everywhere later, it’d leave me with nothing but regret.

“Ke Wen, Luo Qing can’t drink much, her health isn’t great.” I quickly tried to rescue Luo Qing, pressing her glass to prevent her from pouring more.

“Oh?” Zhao Ke Wen looked at me with a knowing smile. “If she’s not well, then let it be.”

But Luo Qing’s emotions seemed ignited by Zhao Ke Wen’s words. She shoved my hand aside, filled her glass to the brim, and downed it all in one go.

Seeing Luo Qing’s cheeks flush, I no longer tried to stop her. I knew with her temperament, persuasion would only fall on deaf ears. She was docile and adorable when calm, but if something rubbed her the wrong way, she became the very definition of stubbornness.

From then on, the two women repeated their strange ritual: staring at each other, smiling stiffly, drinking. I, bored, lit a cigarette and watched them amuse themselves.

In truth, I didn’t want either of them to get drunk. Alcohol, whether remedy or poison, depends on the mood of the drinker. But inevitably, it’s just ethanol flowing into the stomach, bringing nothing but discomfort and suffering.

By the time my third cigarette burned out, Luo Qing’s body had grown soft, swaying as she clutched her glass, her gaze hazy as she looked at Zhao Ke Wen. She pointed at me and said, “You have helped me in some matters, but I know your intentions very well. Don’t cling too tightly, or you’ll only hurt yourself.”

Surprised by this sudden statement, I sat dumbfounded, my mind spinning at lightning speed.

Luo Qing seemed drunk now, pointing at me as she spoke. Was she trying to warn me? I recalled everything that had happened between us; it all seemed natural, but where was the flaw?

Suddenly, a thought struck me—there was indeed something odd. I stared at Zhao Ke Wen, her brows furrowed in apparent displeasure at Luo Qing’s words. But why was she acting this way?

It all went back to the day Luo Qing found me singing in the underground passage. That was the issue: how did she know I was performing there, and managed to locate me in such a vast city? Statistically, it was nearly impossible. I changed locations daily, rarely staying in one spot for more than a day. Her chances of finding me were minuscule. I remembered asking her afterward how she found me, and she never answered. The conclusion was obvious: Zhao Ke Wen must have told Luo Qing about me.

But why? Zhao Ke Wen had previously sought me out alone, telling me not to be foolish and dismissing any possibility between me and Luo Qing. These two actions contradicted each other, didn’t they?

Puzzled, I looked at Ke Wen, hoping she’d give me a clear answer. It wasn’t particularly important, yet it gnawed at my nerves, making me imagine all sorts of possibilities.

Could Zhao Ke Wen and Luo Qing have known each other before Luo Qing’s birthday? Was everything that happened that day staged? I dismissed that idea, trusting Luo Qing’s straightforwardness. Her anger was genuine, not a performance.

That meant everything unknown to me happened in the days before the bar opened. What transpired between them to prompt Luo Qing’s words?

“Luo Qing, don’t forget what you promised me.” Zhao Ke Wen, still smiling, drained her wine, but couldn’t meet my gaze.

My mind was a mess, full of frustration. Whatever their relationship, I didn’t care. Whether friends or foes, how could it affect a nobody like me? My only fear was that one or both of them were deceiving me in certain matters. I could accept any reality, but could not endure the illusion of betrayal.

Luo Qing nodded, then shakily stood, whispering to me, “Yang Chen, let’s go home.”

“Alright.” I supported the tipsy Luo Qing, her beautiful cheeks flushed from the alcohol. I decided not to dwell on those vexing matters. If only I could erase these troubling conversations from memory.

“Little brother…”

I glanced, puzzled, at Zhao Ke Wen, who still sat with her glass.

She smiled mischievously, pointed at Luo Qing’s back, and mouthed something to me.

I pondered, repeated her lip movement, and finally understood, blushing in embarrassment—her words were: “Take her.”

Before we left the bar, Luo Qing bent over and retched. I hurriedly led her toward the restroom, resigned to her poor tolerance—women could be even more baffling than men at times.

“Show-off,” I scolded her, annoyed that she always did things more suited to men.

“Home…” Luo Qing mumbled, the alcohol clearly affecting her.

“There, there, we’re going home now.” I guided her into the restroom, where she leaned over the sink and vomited. I gently patted her back.

“Yang Chen…”

“Yes, I’m here.”

I waited for her to say more, but she simply called my name, nothing else.

As I worried about Luo Qing’s condition, suddenly five or six young men dressed as street punks burst into the restroom. Trailing them was a fat, familiar figure—the person I disliked most in the world, Qi Tian.

The uninvited guests immediately blocked the door. It was clear they’d planned this for some time.

“Luo Qing, move back,” I told her, eyeing Qi Tian’s contemptuous, icy gaze. I positioned myself between him and her.

Luo Qing, half-drunk, showed no fear at the sight of the gang, just frowned at them.

“Kid, not acting tough now?” Qi Tian swaggered to the front, jabbed his finger at me, and cursed, “You filthy pair, damn you!”

Luo Qing and I retreated to the farthest corner, me shielding her behind me, facing Qi Tian’s arrogant face. I said in a low voice, “If you have business, deal with me. Whatever you want, I’ll take it. She has nothing to do with this.”

“Nothing to do with it?” Qi Tian and his men moved closer, grinning lewdly. “Ha! She’ll have everything to do with it soon!”

“There are cameras here. What you’re doing is a crime.” Luo Qing’s voice was thick but remarkably calm. I silently admired her clarity. As long as we stayed within the camera’s view, Qi Tian wouldn’t dare do anything. Would he really risk his wealth for a vendetta against a nobody like me?

“You little brat, I’ve put up with you two long enough. Cameras?” Qi Tian laughed, “To hell with your cameras! Once I take photos of you naked, do you dare check the footage? I’d be more likely to get dirt on you!”

Luo Qing bit her lip, silent, while a chill ran through me. These scoundrels were planning to use the lowest tactics imaginable. No—I couldn’t let them succeed. I stepped forward, confronting Qi Tian’s repulsive face.

“Tonight, I’ll show you two what humiliation really feels like!”