Chapter 6: The Calm Before the Storm

Stepping out of the underground server room, the scorching afternoon sun was so blinding that one could barely keep their eyes open.

Xu Yuan followed behind Jiang Yi, maintaining a distance of three paces—a gap that was neither too far nor too close, yet clearly defined.

He did not look back, and she did not speak.

Silence, like a damp, suffocating fog, wrapped tightly around them both.

Xu Yuan had expected him to shake her off and head toward some corner unknown to her. Yet, he didn't. He simply strode forward with those long legs, at an unhurried pace, heading toward the library.

Just like that, he tacitly accepted the presence of his "tag-along."

On the third floor of the library, it was the same corner by the window.

He sat down, opened his laptop, and put on his headphones, instantly retreating into that isolated kingdom constructed of code and logic.

Xu Yuan took the seat opposite him, pulled a book at random from her bag, spread it open, and pretended to read.

But she could not take in a single word.

Her entire focus was centered on the boy across from her.

His profile, as he typed, was focused and cold. Sunlight filtered through the glass, casting a small shadow over his thick lashes, giving his excessively pale skin a texture that felt almost translucent.

It was hard to imagine that this very boy might soon be caught in a violent incident and bullied.

Xu Yuan’s heart felt as though it were being clutched by an invisible hand, pulsing with dull, sharp stabs of pain.

Her hand, hidden beneath the table, was clenched into a tight fist. Inside her palm, her phone was slick with sweat.

She desperately wanted to call the police right now.

But on what grounds?

To say that someone was going to be verbally humiliated at a KTV? Even if the police arrived, what could they do upon seeing a group of students drinking and singing? It would only alert the enemy, causing Li Wenfeng and his gang to vent all their resentment on Jiang Yi, making his future situation even more dire.

She had even considered calling her best friend, Lin Feifei, to ask her brother—who supposedly had connections in both the underworld and the legitimate world—to step in.

But the thought was fleeting and she extinguished it immediately.

Jiang Yi’s pride was more important to him than his life.

If he knew that he had been "protected" by a woman in the very way he despised most, it would likely be worse for him than death.

Time slipped away, second by second, in this suffocating silence.

He never once looked at her, as if she were nothing more than air.

And she could only play the role of a cold-blooded "creditor," waiting quietly and anxiously for the bloody judgment that was destined to arrive.

...

At six in the evening, Xu Yuan’s stomach let out an uncooperative growl.

She had to return to the dormitory. She needed to change her clothes and, more importantly, steel herself for what was to come.

"I... I'm going back to prepare," she said, standing up, her voice dry.

Jiang Yi’s typing paused for a moment. He didn't look up, but a faint, nasal sound of acknowledgment escaped his throat.

"Seven-thirty, see you at the school gate," Xu Yuan said, then fled the library as if escaping.

Back at the dorm, Lin Feifei was sitting cross-legged in her chair with a face mask on, playing a video game. Seeing Xu Yuan walk in, looking utterly distraught, she immediately pulled off her headphones and let out an exaggerated shriek.

"Oh my god, Xu Yuan, why is your complexion even worse than it was this morning? You spent... the whole day with that Jiang Yi?"

"Yeah," Xu Yuan replied absentmindedly, opening her closet to rummage for clothes.

"What did you two do? You’ve been acting all mysterious all afternoon." Lin Feifei leaned in, her soul of gossip burning bright. "Wait, why are you digging through your clothes? Are you going out with him again tonight?"

Xu Yuan’s hand paused.

She pulled a simple black hooded sweatshirt and a pair of jeans from her closet.

"We... we need to go to a place tonight to collect material for the competition." She kept her head down, not daring to meet Lin Feifei’s eyes, and told another lie.

"Collect material? Where?"

"A... KTV."

"What?!" Lin Feifei’s voice spiked an octave, the face mask on her face nearly falling off from the sheer force of her yell. "A KTV? Just you and Jiang Yi? At night? Xu Yuan, have you lost your mind? Is that the kind of place students should be going to? And with him, of all people!"

Lin Feifei grabbed her hand, her expression uncharacteristically grave.

"Yuanyuan, tell me the truth. Have you actually fallen for Jiang Yi?"

"No!" Xu Yuan denied it instantly, her reaction so sharp it even startled herself.

Lin Feifei looked at her suspiciously. "Then what is going on? Let me tell you, Jiang Yi is a pit of fire! He’s offended Li Wenfeng and his group; whoever gets close to him is asking for trouble! Don't throw your life away just for those hundred thousand yuan!"

"I know..." A wave of warmth washed over Xu Yuan’s heart, accompanied by an even deeper sense of guilt.

She couldn't tell her the truth. This secret was too heavy, too absurd; she had to carry it alone.

"Feifei, trust me, I know what I'm doing." She forced a smile. "We’re just going to film some things; we’ll be back soon."

Lin Feifei looked at her, seeing her forced show of strength, and finally sighed. She knew Xu Yuan’s temper; once her mind was made up, not even nine oxen could pull her back.

She reached into her drawer, pulled out a pink, lipstick-sized object, and shoved it into Xu Yuan’s hand.

"Take this."

"What is this?"

"Pepper spray." Lin Feifei’s expression remained serious. "High-concentration capsaicin. Forget about people; one spray could take down a bear. Remember, if something feels wrong, spray first, then run, and don't look back! You hear me?"

Xu Yuan gripped the small but substantial bottle of pepper spray, feeling her eyes grow hot.

"Thank you, Feifei."

"Don't thank me, just come back alive." Lin Feifei put her headphones back on, though she kept muttering, "Girls really are beyond control once they grow up; throwing their lives away for a man..."

Xu Yuan changed her clothes and tucked the pepper spray—along with her own uneasy heart—into the pocket of her hoodie.

...

At seven-thirty in the evening, at the entrance of Binhai University.

Night had already fallen, and streetlights stretched the shadows of passersby, making them flicker between long and short.

Jiang Yi was already waiting there.

He was still wearing the same gray hoodie from the day, standing alone in the shadow of a streetlamp like a sculpture forgotten by the world, radiating an icy, "stay away" aura.

Seeing Xu Yuan approach, his gaze lingered for a moment on the black hoodie she wore, a flash of imperceptible mockery in his eyes.

"Dressed like this," he suddenly spoke, his voice unusually clear in the cool night breeze, "planning on attending a funeral?"

Xu Yuan’s steps faltered, her heart feeling as if it had been pricked by a needle.

She knew he was deliberately using words to sting her, trying to force her to retreat.

She lifted her head, meeting his icy stare, and tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Maybe," she said softly. "But who's funeral it is, remains to be seen."

Jiang Yi’s dark pupils contracted sharply.

He hadn't expected her to say something like that.

He looked at her small, pale face under the streetlamp, at her eyes—eyes that were clearly terrified to the core, yet insisted on holding his gaze—and a wave of inexplicable, undefinable irritation surged within him.

He didn't speak again, turned, and walked straight toward the bus stop across the street.

Xu Yuan followed immediately.

The two of them, one in front and one behind, boarded the bus in silence.

The carriage was empty, and they chose seats in the last row, with an empty seat between them.

Outside the bus window, the neon lights of the city retreated rapidly, colorful and bizarre. Inside the carriage, however, it was deathly still.

Xu Yuan pressed her face against the cold window, watching the prosperous world outside that didn't belong to her, her hand in her pocket clutching the pepper spray tightly.

She could feel that the boy beside her was also looking out the window.

They were looking at the same world, yet they seemed to be in two entirely different dimensions.

Ten minutes later, the bus stopped at a bustling street intersection filled with lights and revelry.

"We're here." Jiang Yi stood up, his voice devoid of inflection.

Xu Yuan followed him off the bus, and a wave of night-time clamor—a mixture of alcohol, barbecue, and perfume—rushed toward her.

She lifted her head and saw that massive, flickering, dazzling neon sign:

[Imperial Dynasty KTV]

Those three words were like three burning brands, searing themselves into her retinas.

This was the place from her dreams.

It was the entrance to the hell that was about to swallow Jiang Yi, and perhaps her as well.

Jiang Yi stopped at the entrance and turned, looking down at her. Half of his face was hidden in the shadow of the sign, while the other half was bathed in the flickering, erratic neon light, his expression obscure and unreadable.

"Last chance." His voice was as low as cello strings, yet carried a lethal danger. "If you turn back now, there's still time."

Xu Yuan looked at him, at his eyes, which were shockingly bright in the darkness.

In those eyes, she saw the madness of self-destruction, the final struggle of a beast backed into a corner.

He wasn't giving her a chance.

He was looking for an excuse for himself—an excuse that would allow him not to drag her into the abyss with him.

Xu Yuan’s heart suddenly went quiet.

She reached out, and in the midst of his shock, she grabbed the cuff of his hoodie, gently but with unwavering firmness.

"Let’s go." She tilted her head up and gave him a smile that was harder to watch than crying. "This is my 'investment,' I need to watch it myself to feel at ease."

Jiang Yi’s body stiffened imperceptibly. He looked down at her small hand, which was gripping his sleeve so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, and his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.

In the end, he said nothing. He simply turned, strode forward with his long legs, and was the first to walk into those revolving glass doors that seemed capable of devouring everything.

Xu Yuan clutched his sleeve, like a prisoner about to step onto the gallows, took a deep breath, and followed him inside.

The moment she crossed the threshold, the deafening music of the KTV and a blast of luxurious, dizzying warm air instantly engulfed her.

Subconsciously, she gripped his sleeve even tighter.

And Jiang Yi, walking before her, only paused for half a second before pulling her along toward that dim, narrow corridor leading into the abyss, without ever looking back.