Seventy

Chapter 11

Huang Qi saw Jin Jing as she stepped out of a bar on the pedestrian street, still dressed in her usual spaghetti strap top and hot pants. The evening lights were just coming on after dinner, and she was already tipsy, wobbling unsteadily in ten-centimeter platform heels, her legs stumbling. Accompanying her was a boy in his twenties, gaunt and pale, with silver-dyed hair and a row of piercings in his ear. He grinned as he went to support Jin Jing, his hands resting on her bare shoulders, seemingly caressing them, only to be angrily shrugged off and pushed aside by Jin Jing.

Then she spotted Sha Zhouyin, hand in hand with Huang Qi. The flush hadn’t left her cheeks, but the drunken haze vanished instantly. Ignoring the boy clinging to her, she strode straight toward the pair.

“Who is she?” she demanded, pointing at Huang Qi with fierce intensity, her gaze fixed not on Huang Qi, but directly on Sha Zhouyin.

Huang Qi couldn’t help but reflect on whether she simply looked too unremarkable—after all, she’d just met Miss Jin the night before, yet today Jin Jing seemed to have forgotten her completely.

Sha Zhouyin’s reply was the same as yesterday: “She’s Huang Qi.”

“Who cares what her name is!” Jin Jing jabbed at Huang Qi through the air. “I’m asking what she means to you! What’s your relationship?”

Huang Qi felt awkward under her jabbing, wanting to let go of Sha Zhouyin’s hand, but as soon as she loosened her grip, he caught her hand again, intertwining their fingers tightly. “She’s my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Jin Jing squeezed out the words through gritted teeth. “If she’s your girlfriend, then what am I to you?”

Sha Zhouyin said, “Jingjing, I’ve always—”

“Don’t tell me you only see me as a sister!” Jin Jing shrilled, cutting him off. “We’re not related, who’s your sister?”

Sha Zhouyin replied helplessly, “Alright, I never saw you as a sister.”

“Then why are you so good to me!” Jin Jing’s voice broke with tears. “If you don’t like me, you should have said so! Why be so good, why let me bully you without fighting back, why let me insult you without retorting, if you don’t like me, why yield to me?”

“Jingjing, your father’s always spoiled you. We work for him, and even if not for your sake, we respect him. You’re so much younger than us; who would ever fight back when you cause trouble? Is that the same as romantic feelings?”

“But you treat me better than anyone else…” Jin Jing began to wipe away tears. “I don’t believe you don’t like me at all…”

“There are many ways to be kind to someone. At least, I’m sure I’ve never done anything that would make you misunderstand my intentions. Think carefully, is there a difference between how I treat you and how your father treats you?”

Huang Qi quietly tugged at his sleeve. Telling a girl “I only see you as a sister” was hurtful enough—did he really have to say, “I don’t even see you as a sister, it’s more like a father-daughter relationship”? That was too much…

“I don’t care,” Jin Jing sobbed. “Good is good, why make distinctions? I only know my dad is good to me, you’re good to me, we’re family, isn’t it nice to stay this way?”

Huang Qi realized this girl still had the temperament of a child, pampered from a young age, unable to distinguish between the roles of father, brother, and boyfriend.

She glanced up at Sha Zhouyin, whose expression was equally helpless and powerless. Jin Jing cried, and neither Huang Qi nor Sha Zhouyin could comfort her or leave her behind—they could only stand nearby and watch.

Huang Qi had dressed up in heels today, and her feet ached from standing so long. She shifted her stance discreetly. Somehow, this tiny movement further provoked Jin Jing. She wiped her tears, reddened eyes glaring at Huang Qi: “It’s all your fault! Where did you come from, stealing my Brother Yin, shameless!”

On the busy pedestrian street, two girls had just come out of a nearby McDonald’s, holding large cups of cola and sipping through the lids. As they passed Jin Jing, she suddenly snatched a cola from one girl and splashed it at Huang Qi.

But Lord Huang was no ordinary person—agile and adept, a martial arts master. She had already anticipated Jin Jing’s mood, and as the cola flew toward her, she swiftly dodged aside, even pulling Sha Zhouyin with her. Neither of them was touched; the entire cup of cola drenched the boxwood in the flowerbed behind them.

A McDonald’s large cola was nearly a liter, and the forceful splash was substantial. The boxwood’s dense branches bounced back some of the liquid, splattering Jin Jing’s face.

Jin Jing froze, her expression alternating between pale and livid, still holding the cup in mid-splash.

This…was a rather unexpected turn of events.

Huang Qi wanted to laugh but forced herself to hold back. This girl’s temper was as bad as it was in childhood—if she dared laugh aloud now, a fight would surely break out.

Sha Zhouyin’s face darkened. “Jingjing, you’re over twenty now. Stop acting like a ten-year-old! Not everyone will indulge you like your father.”

The girl who’d had her cola snatched finally reacted, dumbfounded: “Damn, who snatches cola on the street? Are you nuts?”

Sha Zhouyin went over and apologized quietly: “Sorry, how much was your cola? I’ll pay for it. Or I can buy you another…”

Jin Jing had made a scene, and passersby paused to gawk at her cola-drenched embarrassment. She stiffened, seeing Sha Zhouyin’s back turned toward her as he apologized, ignoring her completely. She burst into tears and ran away.

The boy who’d been with her from the bar had watched silently; now he flashed a contemptuous smile and followed her direction.

Sha Zhouyin bought a new cola for the two girls and sighed as he took Huang Qi’s hand: “Let’s go.”

Huang Qi pointed in the direction Jin Jing had run: “You’re just going to let her go? Not worried about her?”

“She’s not a child anymore, how can I control her? Should I leave you to chase after her? If I went now, it would only make things worse. Let her calm down.”

After walking a while, Huang Qi grew more uneasy. “No, I really think we shouldn’t just leave her alone. That boy with her doesn’t seem trustworthy. It’s nighttime, Jin Jing’s been drinking and is emotionally unstable—what if someone takes advantage?”

Sha Zhouyin said, “You care that much? She just tried to splash you with cola.”

“She missed, didn’t she? Anyway, she’s just a kid, a quarter my age—I wouldn’t hold it against her. She’s a young woman, pretty and dressed so scantily, totally unguarded. If anything happened, wouldn’t it be our fault? You wouldn’t want that responsibility, right? Let’s go check on her.”

Sha Zhouyin gave her a sidelong look. “You’re really generous, pushing your boyfriend toward someone else.”

Huang Qi laughed and punched him. “Who said I’m pushing you toward her? Just making you check. Fine, honestly, I’m jealous as hell, but I’m scared her powerful father would blame me if something happened, okay?”

“Alright.” Sha Zhouyin agreed—Jin Jing’s temper could indeed lead to reckless behavior. “Come with me.”

“Why should I? That’s awkward!”

“I’d be just as awkward alone! She’s drunk and stumbling—if she falls and can’t walk, do I carry her or not? Are you really comfortable letting your boyfriend alone with a drunk girl to take her home?”

Lord Huang imagined her husband carrying Jin Jing, Jin Jing dressed provocatively and drunk, feigning madness and wrapping her arms around his neck… Her blood pressure spiked and jealousy surged, erasing any concern for awkwardness. “Fine, I’ll go with you. It’ll be faster with two.”

They turned back, Lord Huang still fuming, recalling Sha Zhouyin’s earlier words and feeling uneasy. “By the way, you said I shouldn’t trust you alone with a drunk girl—does that mean you might not be able to control yourself?”

Sha Zhouyin shot her another sidelong look. “Do you always twist people’s words like this?”

“Where’s the flaw in my logic? It’s straightforward.” Lord Huang grew even more jealous. “From now on, you’re not allowed to be alone with her! No heart-to-heart talks, no emotional exchanges, and definitely no physical contact! Got it?”

Sha Zhouyin shook his head and sighed. “A moment ago you were pushing me to go find her, now you’re forbidding everything. Women are truly fickle.” Annoyed, Huang Qi kicked him.

Soon they reached the entertainment district near the pedestrian street, where Jin Jing had run. Bars, nightclubs, arcades—this was a hotspot for young people, more avant-garde than the pedestrian street, with some ambiguous-looking hair salons and massage parlors. Fortunately, it was only seven or eight o’clock; most places had just opened, and the streets were brightly lit, making it easy to search.

Yet, after searching the entire street, they found no sign of Jin Jing. Huang Qi suggested, “Why not call her? If she’s awake and fine, we don’t need to worry.”

Sha Zhouyin called Jin Jing, but after two rings, the line went busy. “She hung up.”

Huang Qi, having spent time in unsafe countries abroad, was alert to danger. “It might not be her hanging up. What if someone else did? She could be in trouble—maybe unconscious and her phone’s been taken.”

Sha Zhouyin said, “Aren’t you overthinking? This is the bustling city center; she’s an adult, how could someone kidnap her?”

Huang Qi replied, “You claim to care for her like her dad, but you can’t apply a man’s logic to a woman’s situation. If it were you, sure, no worries. But these places are full of shady people; do you know what goes on behind those shops? The news always reports single women getting drugged in bars. Better safe than sorry. Try calling her from my phone; she wouldn’t hang up on an unknown number.”

Sha Zhouyin called from Huang Qi’s phone, but again, after two rings, the call was disconnected. Now he too felt uneasy, and they searched the shops one by one, but still found no trace of Jin Jing. Her phone never answered, and eventually was switched off.

Huang Qi asked, “Should we tell her father so he can send more people to look for her?”

Sha Zhouyin said, “We can’t be sure what happened—maybe she never came to this area.”

Huang Qi thought for a moment. “Do you have her photo? We could ask the shop owners if they've seen her.”

“I don’t have her photo saved, but she posts selfies online. Should be easy to find.” He searched Jin Jing’s social media and found recent selfies, including one in the outfit she wore today. Huang Qi saved the photo and started asking bar owners one by one.

After only two or three bars, she found a lead. The bartender said Jin Jing had come about half an hour ago, ordered two shots, and showed her ID when questioned about her age, leaving a strong impression.

Huang Qi immediately called Sha Zhouyin over and pressed the bartender, “When did she leave? Do you remember which way she went?”

The bartender replied, “Just ten minutes ago, left with a young man. Tried to hail a cab but couldn’t, so they headed east.”

“A young man? Was he skinny, with silver hair and lots of ear piercings?”

The bartender thought. “I don’t think so—just a regular-looking guy. The silver-haired one was with her at first, but disappeared at some point, replaced by another. I didn’t notice the new guy’s appearance, but it definitely wasn’t the same person.”

Things seemed to have gotten more complicated—another unknown man had appeared and taken Jin Jing away.

Sha Zhouyin arrived, and Huang Qi relayed what she’d learned. They searched the eastern crossroads, but with the heavy traffic, whoever they were looking for could have taken a cab anywhere. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Sha Zhouyin retrieved his car from the pedestrian street parking lot and drove aimlessly around the area, but found nothing. The phone remained unreachable. As time passed, he decided to inform Jin Biao, hoping he had contacts for Jin Jing's friends and could think of more ways to help.

He called Jin Biao’s home, and the housekeeper answered: “Mr. Jin hasn’t returned yet. Should I get Jing Jing to speak with you?—Oh, seems she can’t talk right now.”

Sha Zhouyin quickly asked, “Jing Jing’s home?”

“Yes, she just got back, threw up everywhere from drinking. I’ve given her some hangover soup, she should be asleep now. Is it urgent?”

“She came home herself?”

The housekeeper replied, “She couldn’t walk, so a young man brought her home by taxi, said he was one of Mr. Jin’s employees, surname Lu.”

There were many employees named Lu, and Sha Zhouyin couldn’t think which one it was at the moment. Luckily, Jin Jing was safe and home, a false alarm. Had she suffered any mishap because of him and Huang Qi, things would have been far more difficult to resolve.