Bai Lian looked down at her phone. No drivers were accepting her ride request. She gripped her phone, rested her hand on the car window, and lowered her head. The night wind tousled her bangs as she asked Xu Nanjing, who looked surprised: “Are you busy right now?”
Her downcast eyes held coldness.
Xu Nanjing answered reflexively: “…No.”
“Good,” Bai Lian opened the passenger door and got in, fastening her seatbelt. Her fingers gripped tightly, knuckles turning white: “Please take me somewhere, thank you.”
Her tone made Xu Nanjing step on the gas instinctively.
Bai Lian left in a hurry, sending Ji Heng a quick WeChat message before looking up Yang Lin’s address.
At Qingshui Street intersection.
In a silver business car, Xiao Jie watched the red sports car with a “CML Club” sticker drive away with Bai Lian inside.
He glanced at Ji Heng standing outside. Ji Heng had been frowning but relaxed somewhat after checking his phone.
“Where is she going so late?” Xiao Jie started the car while checking the rearview mirror.
Shen Qing’s mouth was open too. This was her first time seeing such a sports car in Xiangcheng. She replied, “She must be going to study.”
Besides studying, Shen Qing couldn’t think of what else Bai Lian would do.
After all, Bai Lian used to study at the library until closing time every day.
Going to study in a sports car this late? Butler Lou and Xiao Jie found it strange, though they felt this family seemed to trust Bai Lian inexplicably. But it wasn’t surprising – if they hadn’t seen Bai Lian talking to two strangers that night…
Butler Lou would have thought Bai Lian was just a pretty bookworm.
Neither said much more, though Butler Lou mentioned, “It’s not safe for girls to be out so late.”
Shen Qing thought of how Bai Lian had lifted Principal Jian’s 28-inch suitcase with one hand – a suitcase that took two people to carry – and fell silent.
West City.
Yang Lin’s home was two streets behind the school in a run-down area barely touched by Xiangcheng’s development. The streets were lined with small stalls, garbage, and wastewater.
Nearly seven o’clock.
The fire-red sports car stopped at the street entrance. Bai Lian got out and asked someone for directions before walking down an unlit alley.
“Hey—” Xu Nanjing hurriedly sent Jiang Fuli a message before chasing after her, his flashy features now tense with throbbing veins, “What are you doing here?”
If anything happened to her here, he’d have to pay with his life to Young Master Jiang.
Bai Lian stood before a tenement building, comparing it to the photo on her phone. She looked up, the building’s lights reflecting in her eyes as she said coolly: “Looking for someone.”
Fourth floor.
Yang Jianping had fallen asleep after two glasses of baijiu.
Yang Lin sat in her room with the lights off. Moonlight streamed through the window, coldly illuminating the gleaming dagger in her hands.
When all was quiet outside, she walked out and looked at Yang Jianping passed out on the sofa.
She was good at biology.
She lightly traced Yang Jianping’s collar with the knife, right where the heart was.
“Bang—”
The door was broken open.
Yang Lin’s knife tip pressed against Yang Jianping’s heart, seemingly feeling its frantic beating. She instinctively looked toward the door.
Her injuries were too severe to see clearly, but she felt a shadow fall over her before a warm hand grabbed her right wrist.
“Classmate, give me the knife,” she heard a gentle voice say, “Your hands can do much more in the future.”
Bai Lian took the knife from Yang Lin’s hand.
She hadn’t been able to stop Zhang Shize.
Yang Lin seemed to recognize the person before her. The warmth of the hand was similar to what she’d felt before. She released the knife, her face pale. Having stayed conscious only through desperate determination, she now fainted as her resolve crumbled.
Bai Lian caught her, then turned to look at Xu Nanjing who had just entered, “Quickly take her to the hospital.”
Xu Nanjing surveyed the surroundings and lost his smile. Seeing she had no intention of leaving, he said gravely: “Come with me.”
Bai Lian lazily spun the knife in her hand, then kicked aside a beer can and bent to pick up a trampled lily by the sofa.
She gently blew off the dust and straightened its bent petals, “Can your car fit a third person?”
“Don’t worry,” she turned around, looking down at Yang Jianping on the sofa, “I’ll call the police.”
She dialed 110.
In the dim hall light, Yang Jianping was awakened by a bucket of cold water. He looked up warily to see a pretty girl in a school uniform standing before him.
“Awake?” Bai Lian let go of the steel basin, letting it clatter to the floor.
She slowly bent down, her uniform still stained with Yang Lin’s fresh blood, a smile curving her lips.
Yang Jianping, used to rough behavior, raised his hand to strike at Bai Lian.
But she blocked it easily with two fingers.
Under Yang Jianping’s terrified gaze, she smiled slightly and grabbed his throat, lifting him up: “How can there be someone like you here…”
She tossed him to the ground. Yang Jianping, his forehead covered in cold sweat, trembled as he got up.
Bai Lian approached, using the knife tip to force him step by step toward the door.
Her smile was gentle. Though she wasn’t using much force, and the knife tip didn’t even touch Yang Jianping’s body.
With each step back he took, the terror in his eyes grew stronger.
Finally stopping at the stairwell.
Bai Lian looked at the stairs behind him, slowly moving the knife tip up Yang Jianping’s face until it stopped at his eyeball, “Is this where my classmate ‘accidentally’ fell before?”
Yang Jianping’s eyes suddenly went wide.
West City’s tenement area was chaotic. When Jiang Fuli arrived, Bai Lian was standing under the only streetlight.
She had her head slightly lowered, lazily leaning against the lamp post in the moonlight, a lily in her pocket, playing with a lighter in her hand. Her pale fingers would press down, making a crimson flame leap up.
Her blue and white school uniform hung open, still stained with fresh blood.
Jiang Fuli’s lips showed no curve of a smile. He closed the car door and strode over. In the interplay of artificial light and moonlight, his ink-black coat tails rustled in the wind, his aura sharp and piercing like the coldest gleam of a blade.
“Ah,” Bai Lian looked up, her fingers stopping, “Wait, this is Yang Lin’s blood.”
She spoke up.
Jiang Fuli pressed his lips together, and after confirming, nodded, “Xu Nanjing is at the hospital.”
“I called the police,” Bai Lian looked up, “They haven’t come yet, I’ll wait a bit longer.”
“No need,” Jiang Fuli glanced behind her coldly, taking the lighter from her hand, “Someone will handle the remaining matters.”
Bai Lian stared at her lighter and made a soft sound of acknowledgment.
The best hospital in Xiangcheng was quite far from Yang Lin’s place.
After passing through the ring road and taking the new Wutong Avenue, fortunately there was no traffic at this hour. When Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli arrived, Jiangjing’s Third Young Master Xu was being scolded by the attending physician.
“She’s malnourished and so severely injured – you didn’t bring her in immediately, we almost couldn’t save her!”
The distinguished Young Master Xu had never been scolded like this by anyone except Jiang Fuli in his life.
He bit his cigarette and glanced at the emergency room, smirking—
He’d remember this.
Bai Lian was talking with the doctor.
In the hallway, Xu Nanjing took a drag of his cigarette. The nurse looked at him but didn’t dare stop him.
“Who is she?” He tilted his head to look at Jiang Fuli.
Jiang Fuli watched Bai Lian’s direction and said unhurriedly: “Her classmate.”
Xu Nanjing raised an eyebrow, “I see.”
Right, just an ordinary classmate of Bai Lian’s could break Young Master Jiang’s principle of loving experiments.
After Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli left, Xu Nanjing took out his phone, took a photo of their backs, and sent it to his mother.
—[Who’s that beside him?]
Xu Nanjing: [Little sister Bai Lian]
In just two days, Xu Nanjing had gotten used to calling Bai Lian “little sister.”
Madam Xu on the other end was clearly surprised: [She’s wearing a school uniform, looks very well-behaved]
Xu Nanjing thought for a moment: [She studies all day] This was what Ming Dongheng had said – he’d never seen anyone who loved studying more than Bai Lian.
Xu Nanjing hired a caretaker to look after Yang Lin.
Yang Lin didn’t wake up until the next afternoon.
It was a private room Xu Nanjing had ordered, with its own reception area. When Bai Lian arrived, he was sitting in the outer room with a paper in hand, legs propped on the coffee table, with the Deputy Bureau Chief beside him.
“How did she fall down the stairs?” Xu Nanjing smiled at the Deputy Bureau Chief, very politely, “Do you need me to demonstrate? Or are you suspecting me?”
The Deputy Bureau Chief wiped his sweat – this young master seemed approachable, but somehow felt more pressuring than Bureau Chief Chen.
“No, no, not at all.” He smiled awkwardly.
Yang Jianping had many prior offenses and was now suspected of trafficking – the Deputy Bureau Chief was just following procedure.
“People are still openly trafficking these days,” Xu Nanjing threw the paper on the table. He was used to being arrogant, “What has Chen Yongkun been doing these past six months?”
Until Bai Lian came in.
Only then did Xu Nanjing put away his ambiguous smile, looked up and smiled at Bai Lian, also greeting Lu Xiaohan beside her.
“Your classmate is really cool, hasn’t said a word or eaten anything,” Xu Nanjing concluded, frowning slightly: “Might be psychological issues.”
He always maintained an approachable attitude toward Bai Lian that didn’t feel distant.
Xu Nanjing lowered his head and saw the rolled paper in Bai Lian’s hand with Xiangcheng First High School’s logo still visible: “This is…”
“Practice papers from school,” Bai Lian answered leisurely, “I brought them for her.”
Xu Nanjing: “…”
Who would bring this kind of get-well gift to a patient? The Deputy Bureau Chief beside him wiped his sweat, finally relieved.
What kind of people were in this Xiangcheng?
He looked up and recognized Bai Lian when he saw her face – that girl from last time.
The Deputy Bureau Chief quickly lowered his head.
After Bai Lian went in, Yang Lin still had her eyes closed, but her eyelashes trembled when she heard Bai Lian’s voice, and she opened her eyes.
She lay in the hospital bed with most of her head wrapped in bandages.
“Your practice papers. Saturday I’ll be studying in the library with Ning Xiao and the others.” Bai Lian put the papers beside her and looked around the room.
Yang Lin said softly: “Thank you.”
Xu Nanjing leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, raising an eyebrow – well, seems this girl’s silence was selective.
Of course, he didn’t know that in Xiangcheng First High School, Yang Lin was even more unapproachable than Ning Xiao.
Bai Lian just sat down in a chair beside her and calmly told Yang Lin: “Also, 12,870 yuan – remember to pay me back.”
Yang Lin smiled and said softly: “Okay.”
She was transferred to a regular ward that day.
Xu Nanjing rubbed his nose at the door, watching Bai Lian but not daring to speak.
The Deputy Bureau Chief hurriedly left the hospital.
He ran into Ren Qian.
Ren Qian’s position had recently been taken over, and he was facing retirement. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately, with dark circles under his eyes.
Seeing the Deputy Bureau Chief, he quickly stopped, “Bureau Chief Wang, what brings you here today?”
“Following up on a case.” Although only a deputy chief, Wang felt very pleased hearing Ren Qian call him Bureau Chief, so he said a bit more.
Ren Qian naturally noticed the document folder in Deputy Chief Wang’s hand.
What kind of case would bring him personally to the hospital? “Has something major happened in Xiangcheng?” Ren Qian feigned surprise.
However this time, Deputy Chief Wang just smiled at Ren Qian, “Old Ren, take care of your health. I have matters to attend to.”
After he left, Ren Qian tilted his head slightly, “Find out who’s staying in the hospital.”
That evening, Ren Qian invited Chen Gang over and casually brought up this matter at dinner.
“Has some big shot come to Xiangcheng?” Chen Gang was surprised – he knew nothing about it.
Seeing Chen Gang’s reaction, Ren Qian nodded. Chen Gang didn’t know either, so it wasn’t just him being marginalized, “Never mind, keep looking into it. Chen Zhu, after you and Wan Xuan finish eating, go study quickly – the college entrance exam is coming.”
At the dinner table, Chen Zhu nodded, though when he lowered his head, he remembered the cool motorcycle he’d seen at the school gate that day.
Saturday.
When Xu Nanjing woke up early, he saw Ming Dongheng carefully carrying a wooden box.
He sat by the table, gesturing for someone to bring his breakfast, “What’s that?”
Xiangcheng had no top-tier clubs, its only exciting feature was a mountain racing track.
Xu Nanjing was living an ascetic life in Xiangcheng.
“Miss Bai’s guzheng.” Ming Dongheng set it down and called the maintenance teacher.
The guzheng needed regular maintenance and care. Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli had gone to see Zhang Shize, so this task fell to Ming Dongheng.
“Guzheng?” Xu Nanjing had his leg slightly propped up, leisurely drinking tea. Hearing this, he smiled at Ming Dongheng, “Ming, little sister Bai Lian plays the guzheng?”
This was quite unexpected.
When he saw Bai Lian that night, she lived in a single-story house. After learning where she stayed, Xu Nanjing had severely criticized Jiang Fuli in his heart.
Her family circumstances seemed ordinary – she didn’t seem like someone who would learn guzheng.
“Yes,” Ming Dongheng wasn’t talkative, “She seems to really like the guzheng.”
They say Bai Lian even took her guzheng with her during that short trip to Jiangjing.
“Is that so.” Xu Nanjing picked up a dumpling while texting his mother, “Where did your Young Master Jiang go?”
He asked casually.
Ming Dongheng’s words were shocking: “Prison.”
“Cough cough,” Xu Nanjing rarely showed surprise, “Prison?”
“Miss Bai’s classmate is there.”
Xu Nanjing made an “ah” sound, feeling somewhat dazed – wait, these classmates of Bai Lian’s were all quite… explosive.
One wanted to kill with a knife, another was already in prison? How could such a well-behaved student have classmates like this?
Xu Nanjing couldn’t figure it out.
Jiangjing.
The class divisions in Jiangjing were very clear – without some power or background, it was impossible to enter these circles. When Madam Xu received Xu Nanjing’s message, she pondered thoughtfully, guzheng?
She put down her teacup and stood up, “Go ask if Old Master Chen has time recently.”
Beside her, the butler put down the water pitcher and quietly withdrew.
Everyone knew that Old Master Chen was elderly and in poor health, but he had always loved calligraphy and guzheng, though none of the Chen family members had inherited this talent.
Madam Xu’s mother had studied traditional opera, and she herself had graduated from Jiangjing Conservatory of Music.
When visiting Old Master Chen, she had met Principal Jian once at the Chen residence and knew that Old Master Chen and Principal Jian were friends.
The Xu family had good relations with the Jiang family, and everyone knew Xu Nanjing was Jiang Fuli’s brother. Though Old Master Chen didn’t know Madam Xu’s specific request, he didn’t immediately refuse.
Old Master Chen deeply respected Principal Jian. He knew that if he made this request, Principal Jian would never refuse, as he owed Old Master Chen a debt of gratitude for recognizing his talent.
So he gave Principal Jian’s contact information to Madam Xu.
In the residential area of Jiangjing Conservatory of Music, Jian Zhongyou had just woken up. Soft music played in his room when his phone showed an early friend request.
He didn’t add many people to this private number.
Looking down—
[Hello Principal Jian, I am Gao Yan.]
The person had added him through Old Master Chen’s shared contact card. Jian Zhongyou accepted.
Gao Yan: [Principal Jian, I have a young relative who loves the guzheng. When she comes to Jiangjing in the future, could you spare some time to give her guidance?]
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