‘Hmm? What does that mean?’
“Well, it’ll be announced soon enough. Just wait a moment.” The girl turned her head, her gaze sweeping towards the center of the ballroom.
Simultaneously, the excited chatter gradually subsided. Every eye in the hall converged on the spot where her gaze had landed.
“Ladies and gentlemen, are you enjoying this evening’s banquet?”
Without a hint of warning, a man wearing a clown mask materialized in the very center of the floor, striking a comical pose.
“Oh!”
At his grand entrance, a wave of thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
“This guy is truly popular.”
“That’s because his appearance signals the climax of the banquet is about to begin.”
“But he looks so silly,” Luo Tianchen remarked.
“That ‘silly guy’ controls a sixth of the slum district,” the girl stated calmly. “His empire encompasses all the entertainment venues here, as well as several bars and nightclubs within Xingjiang City.”
“He’s Wei Feihong?” Luo Tianchen felt a slight shock. ‘Truly, one should never judge a book by its cover.’
“Don’t speak. He’s about to make the announcement.”
“And now, as always, our lucky guests for this evening are… Gorilla, Tiger, and… Masked Rider!”
Accompanying his hoarse shout, spotlights pierced the darkness, illuminating three distinct areas. They landed on three individuals, each adorned with the masks he had just named.
Ah, the light had fallen upon Luo Tianchen.
Immediately, the crowd’s gazes converged on him, filled with a mixture of envy and fervent curiosity.
‘This doesn’t feel good.’
“Hey, what’s going on?” Luo Tianchen whispered.
“What incredible luck! You’ve hit the jackpot,” the girl said with an envious sigh. “This is one of the inherent parts of the banquet. Most guests come here specifically for this game, and three lucky guests are chosen, granted special privileges like a luxurious suite, the right to choose a partner who cannot refuse, and even the ability to make a wish to the organizers afterward.”
“Wait a minute, what’s this about choosing a partner and a suite?” Luo Tianchen felt a sense of dread creeping in.
“Huh? You mean you don’t even know that? Of course, it’s for heading to a room,” the girl replied, as if it were the most obvious thing.
‘This really is an orgy party, isn’t it?!’
‘No, now isn’t the time for regret. I need to find Bingying, quickly…’
“What, looking for your girlfriend?” The girl instantly saw through Luo Tianchen’s thoughts, a smile playing on her lips. “Don’t overthink it. It’s precisely for more thrilling experiences that the organizers require everyone to wear masks. Otherwise, how would it be different from simply booking a hotel room normally? Besides, with so many people here, and everyone having changed clothes, even if you did try to find her, you might not succeed.”
As she spoke, the girl leaned her body closer to Luo Tianchen, her voice laced with undeniable seduction. “How about it? This is a rare opportunity. Why not choose me? I’m confident that among everyone here, I’m absolutely exceptional, you know? Forget about your little girlfriend. Everyone who comes here is looking to indulge themselves. Who knows, maybe she’s already found someone else?”
‘No, Bingying wouldn’t be like that. But…’
In that instant, Luo Tianchen’s gaze flickered to a woman wearing a mask with a wide, laughing expression.
‘There was no mistake; that had to be Yao Xinchang.’ He was certain.
‘Should I use this privilege to intercept her and get some answers?’
‘If it were Bingying, surely, it wouldn’t be a problem, right?’
Not far away, a sudden commotion rippled through the crowd.
‘What happened?’
“Oh my, it seems a newcomer doesn’t understand the rules and is resisting a lucky guest,” the girl remarked with amusement.
‘Could it be?’ Luo Tianchen looked towards the source of the disturbance.
In the spotlight, a man wearing a gorilla mask slowly advanced towards a girl in a raccoon mask.
That was Bingying.
He recognized her instantly.
On the other side, Yao Xinchang was already engaged in conversation with another man. It looked as though they were about to leave the venue for a private room.
‘Bingying, or Yao Xinchang?’
‘What should I do?’
****
‘My heart feels so uneasy.’
To be separated from Luo Tianchen so suddenly, and in a place like this, was disorienting. Although she had visited similar venues with her father a few times before, this place felt entirely different.
There was a pervasive feeling she couldn’t quite articulate. On the surface, everyone here appeared amiable, yet beneath their polite facades, she sensed a greedy beast lurking within each person, ready to be unleashed from its cage at a single command, eager to devour everything in sight.
‘No, I must calm down. Hadn’t I already decided not to rely on him for everything?’
After she politely declined yet another invitation, the crowd inexplicably fell silent.
‘No, now isn’t the time to worry about that. I need to find Luo Tianchen, quickly.’
For some unknown reason, the crowd suddenly erupted into a commotion once more. A spotlight landed on Bingying—no, it landed on the man in the gorilla mask standing directly in front of her.
“What do you want?” A surge of unease welled up within her.
“My dear lady, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to a private room?” He bowed like a gentleman, yet his words were utterly crude.
‘How could I possibly agree to such an invitation?!’ Concealing her inner revulsion, Bingying maintained a composed demeanor as she spoke. “Didn’t I just refuse you? I’m in a hurry, please don’t block my way.”
At her reply, the man first froze, then burst into roaring laughter. The onlookers joined him, their mirth echoing through the hall, leaving Bingying utterly bewildered.
“Seriously? Is this her first time here?”
“Ah, what a waste. Look at her figure, tsk tsk. Why couldn’t I be a lucky guest?”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”
‘Unease, deep unease. To prevent the situation from escalating, I must leave immediately.’
“Wait, miss, this path is closed,” the man said, raising a hand to block her way.
Though he wore a mask, his intentions were now laid bare for all to see.
The beasts within everyone present had been unleashed, stirred by the words of the man on stage.
“Get lost!” In a fit of internal desperation, Bingying kicked the man directly in front of her, sending him flying. A fresh wave of commotion rippled through the crowd.
“Whoa, is that for real?”
“This chick’s got some fire!”
‘Now’s my chance…’
“Miss, please wait a moment.”
Her body was seized.
Two burly black security guards appeared from nowhere, firmly pinning her limbs.
‘Damn it, I can’t break free at all.’
“Let go of me, you bastards! Do you know who I am?!” she shouted, desperately trying to mask her inner panic.
‘Someone, please save me…’
“Damn, this little chick’s feisty!” The man she had kicked earlier ripped off his mask, his face a dark scowl as he stalked towards her. “I don’t care who you are! Here, the rules are king!”
A heavy punch landed in her stomach.
Her abdomen twisted in agony, her mind blurring from the intense pain.
“It seems I’ll have to execute justice right here and now!” the man sneered, then tore at her evening gown.
“Whoa!” He let out a gasp of admiration. “Looks like I really found a treasure! This reaction… Hey, you’re not still a virgin, are you?”
“Do her! Do her!” The entire crowd seemed to boil over, shouting loudly.
“Save me… Luo Tianchen…”
“What are you muttering about? Your boyfriend?” The man scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Your man probably ran off with another woman ages ago, didn’t he? Who knows, maybe he’s one of the ones shouting right now?”
‘No, he wouldn’t. He said he would come find me…’
“Well then, everyone’s impatient, aren’t they? Let’s get this started!”
“Do her! Do her! Do her!”
‘No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!’
‘I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen! I don’t want to be seen!’
Everything before her eyes blurred. In a daze, she felt as though she had been transported back to the past, the faces of the people before her morphing into the very images of those she loathed and feared.
“Hey, hey, seriously, look at her body, it’s so creepy!”
“Is she a monster?”
“She must be! And an ugly monster at that!”
“Ugly monster!”
“Ugly monster!”
“Ugly monster!”
‘That’s right, it’s just like back then.’
‘No one will come to save you,’ a voice whispered. ‘Because you have no value.’
‘Yes, because I… don’t deserve to be saved?’
‘Wouldn’t it be better to just give up? Why prolong this suffering?’
‘Yes, if only I hadn’t existed in the first place…’
“Hey, ‘ugly monster, ugly monster,’ aren’t you guys annoying? Are you broken record players or something?!”
“Eh?”
Her memories seemed to fracture.
A boy, his face indistinct, stood in front of her.
“Me? I just can’t stand seeing others bully the weak, you know,” the boy said casually.
‘How strange. I distinctly remember this scene never happening.’
“You, who are you?” The leader of the group of children asked, fearfully.
“Me? I’m an ally of justice, of course.”
Incredibly, the boy effortlessly sent the gang of children scattering.
“Run! There’s a lunatic here!”
“Lunatic!”
“Lunatic!”
“Lunatic!”
“Damn it! That’s why I hate kids the most!” The boy, himself a child, turned to face Bingying.
‘No, at least don’t let him see this ugly body!’ For some reason, this thought sprang into her mind, and she frantically tried to cover herself with her tattered clothes.
“So, are you alright?” the boy asked.
“Eh?” Incredibly, she saw no contempt, no pity, no fear in the boy’s eyes. Only a calmness as serene as a lake.
She nodded instinctively.
“Is that so? Then stand up on your own. You mustn’t cower before these people. Hit them hard, even if you can’t win, hit them until they fear you. In this world, at the end of the day, a strong fist speaks the loudest.”
Though she didn’t fully grasp his meaning, she understood he was trying to comfort her.
“Um,” she said, a hint of hesitation in her voice. “You saw, my body, didn’t you?”
“Ah, that.” Unexpectedly, he seemed to blush slightly. “That was… right, an irresistible force! Still, I ended up seeing a girl’s body… so, I’m sorry!” He bowed deeply.
Completely bewildered as to why he was apologizing, she asked with some confusion, “Then, aren’t you scared?”
“Scared? Why?”
“Because my body is so ugly…”
“What? That’s just a small thing,” he said dismissively.
“It’s not a small thing at all!” Bingying suddenly exclaimed, agitated. “It’s precisely because of this that everyone is afraid of me, that they bully me…”
“Hey, listen to me,” the boy said, crouching down and looking calmly into her eyes. “I can see things that ordinary people can’t, you know. While your body might indeed be a bit unsightly, I can see your soul, and it’s very beautiful.”
For the first time in her life, she had been complimented.
“So, you must protect your soul well, and don’t let it be stained by external things,” he said, before turning and walking away.
‘…This guy really is a lunatic, isn’t he?’
“Um, excuse me! Could you tell me your name?!” she couldn’t help but call out to him.
“Hmm? Just call me God.”
“God?”
“That’s right. I’m an almighty deity, you know,” he said with a smile.
This was her encounter with the boy who called himself God.
Memory ended, and the scene switched back to the present. The leering man was still slowly approaching, but she was no longer so afraid.
A hand landed on the man’s shoulder, stopping his advance.
“Hey, hey, what do you think you’re doing to my girlfriend?”
The scene from her memory had merged with reality.