As she emerged from the administration building, Lan Yucheng’s gaze was fixed on her phone. She was swiftly typing a reply to Qing Xinxue’s probing message.
Her fingertips danced across the screen as she carefully weighed each word, seeking a tone that would both placate and deter any further encroachment.
The campus was bustling with students, and the afternoon sun cast dappled light through the leaves. Everything appeared calm and utterly ordinary.
However, this tranquility shattered in an instant.
A hand, strong and sharply defined, shot out from behind her, seizing her wrist with an unyielding grip! The force was brutal, making her wrist bones ache and almost causing her phone to slip from her grasp.
Lan Yucheng’s heart leaped. She snapped her head up, meeting the gaze of an unfamiliar young man whose face held a mix of aggression and urgency.
He was tall, dressed in a cheap, trendy T-shirt, and his hair was dyed an unnatural shade of yellow. His eyes darted nervously, betraying a reckless, unruly air.
“Finally found you! Come with me!” the boy growled, his voice low and forceful, allowing no room for argument. He yanked her, dragging her towards a less crowded corner of the campus.
“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Lan Yucheng shrieked, struggling against him. But his hand was like an iron clamp, the stark disparity in strength between them painfully evident. Her struggles were futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, only intensifying the pain in her wrist. Some students cast curious glances their way, but the boy glared back fiercely, his eyes warning them away. Most chose prudence, quickly averting their gaze.
“Cut the crap! If you don’t want to make a scene here, just come quietly!” the boy threatened, leaning close to her ear. His hot breath carried the stale scent of cigarettes.
Lan Yucheng’s heart sank. She swiftly assessed the situation: fighting back was impossible, and calling for help might only enrage him further. Before understanding his true intentions, it was best not to escalate things. She forced herself to calm down, ceasing her fruitless struggles, allowing him to half-drag, half-pull her away from the main path.
She was forcibly led into a slightly dilapidated laboratory building. After several twists and turns, she was shoved into an old classroom filled with dusty, discarded desks, chairs, and equipment. With a resounding clang, the boy slammed the door shut, muffling the faint sounds of the outside world.
The classroom was dimly lit, reeking of dust and mildew. The boy released her wrist, then stood blocking the door, arms crossed, head tilted as he scrutinized her. His expression was a mix of greed and disdain.
Lan Yucheng rubbed her reddened wrist, quickly retreating two steps to create distance. Her back pressed against the cold, dusty podium, her eyes cold as she studied him. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Who am I?” The boy sneered, as if she had uttered something amusing. “Miss Lan is truly forgetful, aren’t you? Or did your illness rot your brain? Debts must be repaid, it’s only right! Before your dad ran off, he borrowed fifty thousand from me, in black and white! A daughter repays her father’s debt, understand?”
‘Dad? Debt?’
Lan Yucheng’s mind raced. Was this part of the system’s background story? Her family had such trouble? She knew nothing of it! No wonder this boy was so brazen; he had clearly latched onto the original owner’s weakness.
Her face remained impassive, but her brain was working at high speed, formulating a countermeasure. Should she admit it? Absolutely not, she knew no details, and a single conversation would expose her. Deny it? He clearly believed her to be the one, and angering him would gain her nothing.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Lan Yucheng responded, choosing a deliberately vague approach. Her voice remained steady. “After my illness, I don’t remember many things. You say my father owes you money? Do you have an IOU?”
“An IOU?” The boy seemed amused, yet also enraged by her ‘feigned ignorance.’ He took a threatening step closer. “Lan Yucheng, don’t try that with me! You were there when your dad borrowed the money! Now you want to renege on the debt?”
He scanned her from head to toe, his gaze lingering on her simple yet well-made clothes. His tone grew more confident. “Looking at you, it doesn’t seem like you can’t afford to pay. Just hand over the money, and I’ll leave immediately, never to bother you again. Otherwise…” He let out a cold laugh, his eyes turning dangerous. “I have ways to make sure you can’t stay in this school, or perhaps, to make you ‘remember’ other things.”
He meaningfully glanced around the enclosed, deserted classroom.
Lan Yucheng’s heart skipped a beat. She had no doubt about the threat in his words. Thugs like him were capable of anything. She did have some money on her, but certainly not fifty thousand. Moreover, once she opened this door, there would be endless trouble.
Resisting head-on was impossible, but yielding and paying was even worse.
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the panic rising within her. She had to find a way to stall, to buy time.
“I don’t have that much money on me right now,” she attempted to negotiate. “And, as you said, I don’t remember many things. Even if I were to repay a debt, I’d need to confirm its authenticity. Show me the IOU, or tell me the specific time, place, and witnesses. I’ll verify it. If it’s real, I’ll find a way…”
“Verify my ass!” The boy impatiently cut her off, clearly having no patience for her excuses. “I see you won’t cry until you see your coffin!” He suddenly kicked a nearby dilapidated chair with a violent thud, sending splinters flying.
Lan Yucheng flinched at the sudden burst of violence, a crack appearing in her carefully maintained composure.
“I don’t have time to waste with you!” The boy’s eyes were savage, his pretense completely dropped. “If you don’t give me the money today, you won’t be leaving here in one piece! I think your face is quite pretty. What if it got a few scratches, or if I took some ‘nice’ photos…”
His lecherous gaze swept over her, the threat unmistakable.
The crisis escalated abruptly!
Lan Yucheng’s back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. She realized he had lost his patience, and mere verbal maneuvering was useless. Her mind raced, desperate for an escape. Call for help? This place was too secluded. Fight? No chance of winning. Her phone… she thought it might have dropped when she was dragged in. Her gaze darted across the floor, and indeed, her phone lay quietly in the dust by the door, its screen still lit, paused on her chat with Qing Xinxue…
Qing Xinxue!
A risky idea flashed through her mind like lightning.
Just as the boy grinned menacingly and stepped closer, reaching out as if to grab her, Lan Yucheng abruptly recoiled. At the same time, her voice, though trembling slightly, was clear enough as she quickly spoke:
“Wait! I… I can give you the money!”
The boy’s movements paused, a triumphant smile spreading across his face. “Why couldn’t you have been this sensible earlier? Hand it over!”
“But I don’t have it right now!” Lan Yucheng’s words came faster, her eyes fixed on him. “The money is with my boyfriend! He’s waiting for me nearby! I… I can have him bring it over!”
“Boyfriend?” The boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “When did you get a boyfriend? Don’t try any tricks!”
“I’m not lying!” Lan Yucheng tried to make her eyes appear sincere and terrified. “He… his name is… his name is…” She deliberately feigned struggling to recall a name, her eyes darting nervously, while her peripheral vision locked onto the illuminated phone screen on the floor by the door.
Just as the boy grew impatient and was about to erupt again, she seemed to ‘remember,’ blurting out a name. Her voice, heightened by tension, echoed clearly in the empty classroom:
“His name is Qing Zhu! Yes! Qing Zhu! He’s waiting for me behind the library! He’s very powerful; if you hurt me, he will never let you off!”
She stared intently at the phone on the ground.
‘Please… Qing Xinxue, if you’re still looking at messages, if you’re astute enough… understand my hint!’
“Qing Zhu?” The boy frowned, seemingly trying to recall if such a person existed in the school. But Lan Yucheng sounded so certain, and the panic in her eyes didn’t seem feigned. He was half-convinced, half-skeptical. “Make him bring the money now! Don’t even think about calling the police!”
“My… my phone seems to have dropped earlier…” Lan Yucheng said, feigning weakness, pointing towards the door. “Can I use your phone to call him? Or… can you let me pick up my phone?”
She placed all her hopes on that un-extinguished phone screen and the name she had hastily fabricated. This was a gamble, betting on Qing Xinxue’s extraordinary possessiveness and decisive action.
The boy stared at her for a few seconds, seemingly evaluating the truthfulness of her words and the risks involved. Ultimately, the lure of money overshadowed everything. He cursed under his breath, then waved his hand impatiently. “Hurry up! Don’t try anything!”
Lan Yucheng’s heart steadied slightly. She cautiously moved her feet, walking towards the phone by the door. Each step felt incredibly long, and she could feel his gaze, like a venomous snake, clinging to her back, full of menace.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the cold phone on the dusty floor—
Bang!!!
The already flimsy wooden door of the old classroom was violently kicked open from the outside! Wood splinters flew, and the massive sound shook the entire classroom.
Dazzling sunlight poured in from the doorway. Silhouetted against the light, a petite figure, brimming with astonishing fury, appeared at the entrance. In her hand… she clutched a rusty metal table leg, found from who knows where!
Qing Xinxue’s chest heaved violently, her eyes like poisoned daggers, instantly locking onto the boy in the classroom. Her voice, sharp and distorted by extreme rage, pierced the air:
“Do you have a death wish?!”