Volume One: High School Days Chapter Forty: News of Xiaoya

That afternoon, they went out to have fun, visiting a famous tourist spot. They climbed a mountain and took a boat ride. No matter how exciting or entertaining it was, Ren Xiadong remained listless and dispirited.

The three of them had dinner that evening at their hotel’s restaurant.

“After dinner, I have to go out for a while. Don’t say I never give you two a chance—tonight I’ll be back very late!” Ren Xiadong announced.

Hearing this, Liu Sheng quickly asked, “You still have the energy for that?”

Ren Xiadong put down her chopsticks, stretched lazily, and replied, “Do you think I only think with the lower half of my body? I made a promise, and a person shouldn’t break their word!”

With that, Ren Xiadong turned and left, not wasting any more time on Liu Sheng and Liu Meng.

After watching Ren Xiadong disappear, Liu Sheng and Liu Meng also returned to their room. Upon entering and seeing how the hotel staff had tidied up the place, Liu Sheng remarked, “There’s nothing like a big hotel. Ren Xiadong trashed this room into a pigsty, but in just one afternoon, it’s spotless again.”

“You’re one to talk. Isn’t it because of what you two get up to out there, flirting with college students? Is it really that satisfying?” Liu Meng retorted.

Liu Sheng was caught off guard by this question and replied, “Ask Ren Xiadong. How would I know?”

As Liu Meng watched Liu Sheng about to return to his room, she quickly said, “It’s still early, and I’m not tired yet. Why don’t we chat for a bit?”

Liu Sheng sat down on the sofa and said, “Go ahead. I’ve got nothing else to do.”

“What do you really think of me? Everyone assumes we’re a couple—why do you never correct them?”

Liu Sheng suddenly looked at Liu Meng and said, “I don’t know. When I was at my lowest, you were always there for me. I don’t know if I should be with you or not.”

They talked on and on until nine o’clock, when Liu Sheng’s phone, lying on the table, rang. Ren Xiadong’s name flashed on the screen.

Liu Meng saw it and said, “Go on—there are three lovely ladies waiting for you.”

At those words, Liu Sheng directly hung up the call.

But the phone rang again—it was still Ren Xiadong.

“Hurry and answer. Something urgent might have happened,” Liu Meng urged.

Liu Sheng quickly picked up.

“Liu Sheng, Liu Sheng, come quickly! I just saw Xiao Ya!”

Hearing news of Xiao Ya, Liu Sheng dashed out. Liu Meng, left alone in the living room, had overheard the call. Watching Liu Sheng leave without even shutting the door, tears slid silently down her face.

When Liu Sheng got out of the elevator on the first floor, his phone chimed with a location pin from Ren Xiadong via WeChat. He caught a cab, gave the address, and the driver sped straight to the spot.

Getting out, Liu Sheng saw he was in front of a karaoke club. He called Ren Xiadong.

“I’m here! Where’s Xiao Ya?”

“I’ll come get you. Let’s talk face to face.”

When Ren Xiadong ran out to meet him, Liu Sheng grabbed him, his voice trembling, “Where is she?”

“Come inside, and I’ll explain.”

“I’m asking you, where is Xiao Ya?!”

Seeing how agitated Liu Sheng was, Ren Xiadong knew he wouldn’t go in without some answer. “She works here. I just saw her. Come in and I’ll tell you everything.”

Liu Sheng followed Ren Xiadong into a private room, where three women were sitting—the same three who’d been with Ren Xiadong the day before.

Ren Xiadong pulled Liu Sheng aside and had him sit. “Listen to me. Don’t get worked up. I checked everything just now, so hear me out.”

Liu Sheng, impatient, pressed, “Where is Xiao Ya?!”

“I went to the bathroom just now and saw Xiao Ya in the next room. Someone slapped her. At first, I was just watching, but the longer I looked, the more familiar she seemed. Then she ran out crying, and I realized it was her...”

Before Ren Xiadong could finish, Liu Sheng snatched a wine bottle from the table and stormed into the neighboring private room. Inside were three middle-aged men and six female hostesses. The men were groping the women and were startled by Liu Sheng’s sudden intrusion.

“Who are you? What do you want?” one of the men demanded, rising to his feet.

Liu Sheng had intended to ask who had hit Xiao Ya, but on seeing the man stand, he changed his mind, thinking, “Doesn’t matter if it was him or not, I’ll just beat him up first!” He swung the bottle at the man.

The six hostesses tried to flee, but Liu Sheng shouted, “Sit down! Don’t move! I have questions for you later!”

The other two men began cursing and gesticulating but didn’t dare intervene. When Ren Xiadong arrived, he strode over and broke a bottle over each of their heads. “Big men, all talk and no action! You whine like a bunch of women!”

Soon, several staff members appeared at the door. Seeing Liu Sheng brandishing a shattered bottle, they didn’t dare enter. From outside, they called, “We’ve called the police! None of you are leaving tonight!”

Liu Sheng ignored them and turned to the six trembling hostesses. “Where is Xiao Ya?”

When none of them answered, he raised the bottle threateningly. “I’m asking you...”

Before he could finish, one of the women blurted out, “Her boyfriend picked her up!”

“Boyfriend? Xiao Ya has a boyfriend?” As this thought raced through Liu Sheng’s mind, a group of police officers entered, pinning Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong to the ground.

At the police station.

“You little punks, do you know who I am? How dare you lay a hand on me!” raged the man Liu Sheng had hit.

“Boss Huang, why waste words on them? Once we’re out, I’ll make them pay!” another chimed in.

Boss Huang turned and snapped, “Get out of here! What did you do back there? Coward! All you do is talk big!”

Liu Sheng sat with his head bowed, preoccupied by the thought of Xiao Ya having a boyfriend, and said nothing. Ren Xiadong, however, spoke up: “All you can do is yap. What else are you good at? You think you can take us down? With that big mouth of yours?”

“Enough! Do you want to settle this privately or officially?” barked a policeman.

“Officially! They need to be taught a lesson!” Boss Huang declared.

The officer flipped through the files. “They’re just students. They did hit you, but your injuries don’t amount to a crime. We can only mediate.”

Boss Huang quickly interjected, “Compensation! Twenty thousand!”

He smiled inwardly, thinking, “So what if they’re students? Hit me and you have to pay. Not getting out of here for less than twenty thousand.”

The officers, feeling sympathetic towards the two students, thought they were just kids who’d made a mistake—they should be educated and not repeat it. Twenty thousand was far too much for two students.

So the officer said, “They’re just students here on vacation. How could they have so much money? You’re adults—be more generous, talk things out. Would they have resorted to violence otherwise? And you two, as students, why did you attack someone?”

Liu Sheng still kept his head down and said nothing. Ren Xiadong answered, “Officer, we’re students. We’re taught to stand up for justice. We saw someone being beaten and crying, so we stepped in to help.”

The officer said, “You’re quite the talker! Boss Huang, why not take a step back and resolve this peacefully? It’s late; go home and rest. The New Year is coming, and if anyone gets hurt, it’ll ruin the whole holiday for their family.”

Boss Huang lit a cigarette and said, “Have them bow and apologize, and we’ll call it even. I don’t care about the medical bills!”

Liu Sheng, who hadn’t spoken until now, stood up and asked, “How much did you want?”

Boss Huang, seeing Liu Sheng’s expressionless face, cooled slightly and said, “Bow and apologize with a good attitude, and you can leave tonight.”

“I asked, how much do you want?” Liu Sheng repeated coldly.

Ren Xiadong, seeing Liu Sheng’s demeanor, grew anxious. Every time Liu Sheng looked like that, trouble followed—but this was the police station.

Nervously, Ren Xiadong said, “Twenty thousand, twenty thousand it is. How do you want it?”

Boss Huang, thinking he’d scared them into submission, replied smugly, “Twenty thousand, plus an apology!”

The officer, unable to bear it any longer, slammed the table. “You’re all adults—why bully two kids?” Then he turned to Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong. “Admit your mistake. You did hit them. Take this as a lesson and study hard from now on.”

Liu Sheng replied, “I hit you to get justice for Xiao Ya. We’re even. I won’t give you a cent, and I won’t apologize!”

“So it’s all for a hostess? You’d bust my head for her? This isn’t over!” Boss Huang shouted.

The officers, seeing the situation escalate, began to pressure both sides.

“Fine, get some people in here and lock them up separately. But Boss Huang, let me remind you, they’re students—it won’t be a big deal for them. You, as a businessman, your own affairs might need further investigation.”

Boss Huang, hearing this, quickly changed his tune. “Forget it. No medical bills, no apology. Let’s just be done with it, alright?”

The police, satisfied with the resolution, let everyone go after finishing the paperwork.

At the door, Boss Huang threatened, “Don’t let me catch you two again!”

Concerned for their safety, the officer personally escorted Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong back to the hotel. At the entrance, he said, “I see you two are well-off. Which family in Xinghai are you from?”

But inwardly he thought, “Two students staying at the most luxurious five-star hotel in the city—either they have connections or they’re rich.”

He handed each of them a business card. “There are all sorts of people here. If you need help or if those three cause trouble again, call me.”

Liu Sheng glanced at the card: “Fang Po” was written on it. “Thank you, Officer Fang. If we trouble you again, don’t think we’re a nuisance.”

After a brief exchange, Officer Fang drove off.

Liu Sheng watched Ren Xiadong about to enter the hotel and asked, “It’s only midnight. Have you had enough fun?”

Ren Xiadong looked at him unhappily. “Of course not.”

“Come on, let’s go back.”

Without thinking, Ren Xiadong hailed a taxi. Once inside, he messaged the three women, telling them he’d be there soon, then turned to Liu Sheng and asked, “You’re going to ask about Xiao Ya, aren’t you?”

Liu Sheng didn’t answer, just closed his eyes and retorted, “Are you sure it was her?”

Ren Xiadong lit a cigarette, handed one to Liu Sheng, and replied, “No doubt about it. It was definitely her.”

When they returned to the KTV, Liu Sheng booked the largest, most expensive suite and told the manager, “Bring in all the women who witnessed the fight earlier.”

As the manager was about to leave, Liu Sheng asked, “Is Xiao Ya here?”

“She left after being slapped. Wait here, gentlemen, I’ll bring in the women you requested.”

After the manager left, Ren Xiadong added, “And bring the three who were with me today as well.”