The bell rang, signaling the end of class.
Almost instantly, the once-quiet hallway erupted with noise. Students poured out of their classrooms, heading to the restrooms, refilling water bottles, or seizing the brief ten-minute break to kick a ball around on the playground.
Jiang Ting slowly packed up her desk, taking out the textbook for her next class. A familiar female classmate approached from behind, tugging at her arm. “Tingting, come with me to the bathroom.”
Jiang Ting smiled and nodded, “Sure.”
The two girls walked arm-in-arm down the hallway. The classmate glanced at Jiang Ting’s face, “What’s been going on with you lately? You always seem so gloomy.”
Jiang Ting shook her head, “It’s nothing.”
Leaning in closer, her friend whispered conspiratorially, “Did you start dating someone?”
Jiang Ting felt both amused and annoyed. She playfully swatted her friend’s shoulder, “Don’t be ridiculous.”
As they passed by Class 4 of the second-year students, Jiang Ting slowed her pace, peering through the glass window into the classroom. Most of the students were away from their desks, but one empty desk stood out starkly.
Jiang Ting stopped, staring at the vacant desk. Her friend, confused, urged her on, “Come on, what are you looking at?”
Unsure how to respond, Jiang Ting gently pushed her away, “You go ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”
The friend muttered “Weird” under her breath and walked away, clearly annoyed.
Just then, a male student carrying a water bottle approached, eyeing Jiang Ting curiously. “Hey, who are you looking for?”
Startled, Jiang Ting stammered, “Oh, I… I’m not looking for anyone.”
The boy looked puzzled but turned to enter the classroom. Suddenly, he heard Jiang Ting call out behind him.
He faced her again. The girl bit her lip, hesitantly pointing at the empty desk.
“Whose… whose seat is that?”
“It belongs to a… a girl in our class,” the boy replied, surprised by the question.
“Where is she?”
“She transferred, or maybe dropped out… I’m not sure. We haven’t seen her for days.” The boy looked Jiang Ting up and down, “Do you know her?”
Jiang Ting’s face grew increasingly pale. “What’s her name?”
“Su Lin.” The boy paused, then asked cautiously, “What’s this about?”
Jiang Ting shook her head.
Their conversation at the doorway had caught the attention of students inside the classroom. Several gazes turned their way. Jiang Ting instinctively felt that some of those looks were far from friendly.
It was the pretty girl with chestnut-colored curls and her two friends.
The pretty girl’s gaze darted between Jiang Ting and the boy, her eyes filled with wariness, hostility, and a hint of panic.
Jiang Ting began to feel overwhelmed. She nodded to the boy, muttered a quick “Thank you,” and turned to walk back to her classroom. Just as she reached her classroom door, her friend caught up with her, playfully tapping her shoulder.
“Well, well, and you said you weren’t dating anyone,” she teased, pouting. “Keeping secrets from me, huh?”
Jiang Ting was momentarily confused, “What?”
Her friend gestured behind them with her thumb, “Look, he’s watching you leave.”
Instinctively, Jiang Ting turned around and saw the boy leaning against the doorframe, his face serious as he gazed at her.
Throughout the entire afternoon, Jiang Ting remained distracted. During breaks, the three girls from Class 4 gathered outside Class 1, pointing and whispering about her through the glass window. The pretty girl with chestnut-colored hair maintained a cold expression, her gaze piercing Jiang Ting like arrows.
Although they weren’t in the same class, Jiang Ting had heard about this girl. Rumor had it that her father was wealthy, and she had a difficult personality, making her one of those students others dared not cross. Moreover, after witnessing them beating up the girl called Su Lin, Jiang Ting felt even more fearful. So, as soon as school ended, she abandoned her usual dawdling and rushed out of the classroom with her bag.
However, she had barely reached the staircase when the two girls blocked her path. One of them grabbed her arm without explanation, “Come with us. Someone wants to talk to you.”
“I don’t know you,” Jiang Ting said frantically, struggling to break free. “I’m not going anywhere…”
“Shut up,” the other girl seized Jiang Ting’s other arm. “Don’t make us beat you right here in the hallway!”
“What are you doing?” Jiang Ting’s voice trembled with tears. “I’ll tell the teacher…”
Her resistance and threats were futile. The two girls dragged and pushed Jiang Ting along the corridor to the auditorium connected to the teaching building.
The auditorium was empty. Jiang Ting whimpered softly as the two girls shoved her through rows of seats, up onto the stage, and into the rehearsal room behind it.
Only a small lamp illuminated the dim rehearsal room, casting vague shadows on the objects within. The girl with chestnut-colored hair sat on a wooden box, arms crossed, her gaze sharp.
Jiang Ting was pushed in front of the chestnut-haired girl. Not daring to look up, she rubbed her sore arms and whispered, “What do you want? I don’t know you.”
The chestnut-haired girl stared at her for a few seconds. “I’m Ma Na. You’re from Class 1, right?”
Jiang Ting nodded.
“What did you say to Yang Le today?”
“Yang Le?” Jiang Ting was bewildered. “Who’s Yang Le?”
Before she could finish, she felt a kick to the back of her knees from one of the girls behind her. A shrill voice rang out, “Stop playing dumb!”
Ma Na remained motionless, her eyes fixed on Jiang Ting. “Who were you asking about?”
Jiang Ting lowered her head, silent.
“Last Wednesday, in that neighborhood,” Ma Na stood up, stepping closer to her, “it was you, wasn’t it?”
Jiang Ting caught a whiff of her strong perfume and saw the growing hostility in her eyes.
She took a step back, turning her head away.
“Why are you asking about Su Lin?” Ma Na glared at Jiang Ting. “Is she your friend?”
Jiang Ting forced out two words through gritted teeth: “She’s not.”
“I thought so,” Ma Na chuckled. “How could that poor wretch have any friends?”
“Are we done here?” Jiang Ting squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. “I need to go home.”
“Did I say you could leave?”
Just as Jiang Ting was about to speak, she felt Ma Na grab her hair. A sharp pain shot through her scalp, followed by a stinging slap across her face.
“This has nothing to do with you,” Ma Na shook Jiang Ting’s head, enunciating each word. “Don’t be so curious. Do you understand?”
Jiang Ting clutched at Ma Na’s hand, her upper body swaying with the motion, but remained silent.
“Answer me! Do you understand?”
Ma Na raised her hand to strike again. Suddenly, a male voice called out from the rehearsal room door.
“What are you doing?”
Ma Na turned to see a shocked Yang Le striding into the room.
She instinctively released Jiang Ting’s hair and straightened her clothes. “What are you doing here?”
Jiang Ting covered her head, letting out a low moan. Yang Le looked at her, frowning, “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing,” Ma Na put her hands on her hips, tilting her head. “Just settling a personal score.”
“You’re crazy!” Yang Le turned to Jiang Ting, “Are you okay?”
Jiang Ting didn’t respond, turning to walk towards the rehearsal room door.
“We’re not finished with you!” Ma Na shrieked. “Don’t you dare walk out that door!”
Jiang Ting’s body trembled, her steps slowing. Yang Le glared at Ma Na, then took Jiang Ting’s hand and strode towards the exit.
Ma Na, enraged, screamed hysterically, “Yang Le!”
Yang Le opened the rehearsal room door and turned to look at Ma Na. “What? Go ahead and get someone to beat me up.” With that, he led Jiang Ting out of the rehearsal room.
As soon as they left the auditorium, Jiang Ting shook off his hand and hurried down the corridor.
Yang Le chased after her for a few steps. “Wait up!”
Jiang Ting broke into a run, not stopping until she was out of the teaching building. Yang Le finally caught up with her on the playground.
The girl kept her head down, walking briskly. Yang Le called out to her several times, but she didn’t respond. Left with no choice, he stepped in front of her to block her path.
“Please, wait a moment,” Yang Le panted, out of breath from running. “I need to ask you something.”
Jiang Ting remained silent, sidestepping him and heading straight for the school gate.
Yang Le grabbed her arm. “Just give me a few minutes.”
Jiang Ting forcefully shook him off, walking faster.
“Why were you asking about Su Lin?” Yang Le shouted after her. “Do you know something?”
Jiang Ting suddenly stopped and then broke into a run again.
Just then, an argument broke out at the school gate. Jiang Ting looked up to see her mother pushing past Old Li from the reception room, running towards her.
Jiang Yushu rushed to her daughter’s side, pulling her behind her protectively. “What’s going on?”
Without waiting for Jiang Ting’s response, she turned to Yang Le. “Who are you? What are you doing?”
Yang Le stood awkwardly. “Auntie, I…”
“Why are you grabbing at her?” Jiang Yushu’s emotions flared. “Which class are you from?”
“Mom, it’s nothing,” Jiang Ting tugged at her sleeve. “Let’s go home.”
“Is he your classmate?” Jiang Yushu scrutinized her daughter. “What did he do to you?”
“He didn’t do anything,” Jiang Ting turned away. “Let’s just go home.” With that, she released her mother’s hand and walked towards the school gate.
All evening, Jiang Ting locked herself in her room, skipping dinner. Despite Jiang Yushu’s knocking, commands, and even pleas, Jiang Ting refused to open the door. Resigned, Jiang Yushu sat on the living room sofa, waiting. Near midnight, Jiang Ting’s bedroom door suddenly opened. She tiptoed out, heading straight for the bathroom.
Jiang Yushu, who had been dozing, was startled awake and called out to her. Jiang Ting, head down and arms limp, whispered, “Mom, I need to use the bathroom.” Jiang Yushu sighed and waved her on.
Feeling relieved, Jiang Ting emerged from the bathroom to the aroma of food wafting from the living room. She rubbed her empty stomach and obediently sat at the dining table.
Though the meal was simple, Jiang Ting ate ravenously. Jiang Yushu sat across from her, patiently waiting for her to finish. After swallowing the last mouthful of rice, Jiang Ting pushed away her bowl and chopsticks, about to leave. Jiang Yushu’s sharp voice stopped her: “Sit down.”
Jiang Ting flinched, reluctantly returning to her seat.
Jiang Yushu quickly composed herself, striving for a gentler tone. “What happened today?”
Jiang Ting kept her head down, fidgeting with her fingers. “Nothing.”
“Who was that boy?”
“From another class. I don’t know him.”
“Then why was he bothering you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you dating someone?”
“No,” Jiang Ting looked up, her expression a mix of amusement and exasperation. “How could that be possible?”
“Why would he be after you for no reason?”
“How should I know?”
Jiang Yushu paused. “Tingting, don’t lie to your mother.”
“I’m not,” Jiang Ting stood up, heading towards her bedroom. “I’m going to bed. I have school tomorrow.”
“If you won’t tell me the truth, I’ll have to ask your homeroom teacher.”
Jiang Ting stopped, turning around with furrowed brows. “Why?”
“Because I need to know what’s happening to you!” Jiang Yushu stared at her daughter. “Don’t you think you’ve been acting strange lately?”
“How am I acting strange?”
“You’re always preoccupied. Sneaking out alone in the middle of the night.” Jiang Yushu counted on her fingers. “And now suddenly there’s this boy…”
She suddenly gaped, staring at her daughter—under the ceiling light, Jiang Ting’s fair face showed several dark red marks.
“What happened to your face?” Jiang Yushu rose, rushing to her daughter’s side. “Did you get into a fight?”
She turned Jiang Ting’s face to examine it closely, but her daughter pushed her hand away.
“It’s nothing. I accidentally bumped into something during PE class.”
“Who did this?” Jiang Yushu grew frantic. “Was it that boy?”
“I told you, it’s nothing!” Jiang Ting grabbed her mother’s hands. “Mom, I promise, nothing happened.”
Jiang Yushu bit her lip. After a few seconds, her tone softened.
“I’m just worried about you.” She opened her arms, embracing Jiang Ting. “You’re my precious daughter. I can’t let anything happen to you.”
Jiang Ting nestled in her mother’s embrace, eyes half-closed, but her thoughts were on another person’s daughter.
He twisted open the sealed valve and pushed open the iron door, then froze.
The mattress was empty.
But the schoolbag was still there, along with the hardcover notebook and textbooks.
He stepped through the iron door, holding up the candle and looking around. Soon, in the flickering light, he saw a pair of legs intertwined.
The girl lay on her side on the cement floor a few meters away, in a crawling position. He walked over, crouched down, and looked at her right hand—an open compass clutched in her palm.
After a moment’s thought, he returned to the mattress and placed the candle in its “holder.” Then he went back to the girl, picked her up, and laid her on the mattress.
She was as light as a feather. Not like them.
With his movement, the girl seemed to regain brief consciousness, making a dream-like sound from her throat before falling silent again.
He took off his green canvas shoulder bag and rummaged through it. Finally, he pulled out a small white pill bottle and shook out a few tablets.
Then, from under his arm, he produced a plastic bottle. The hot water inside had once scalded him, but now it was just the right temperature.
He lifted the girl’s head, pinched her cheeks to part her lips slightly, and slipped the pills into her mouth. Then he tilted the plastic bottle of warm water to her lips.
As the warm water touched her throat, the girl instinctively began to swallow. Soon, her eyes fluttered open, and she actively took over from instinct, sucking from the bottle’s mouth.
She was truly parched. She drained the entire bottle of warm water.
He laid her flat on the mattress, noticing her breathing seemed to have steadied somewhat.
He stared at her for a while longer, then leaned in and unzipped her tracksuit jacket. The clothes were half-wet, and half-dry, and it took some effort to remove them. Then came the thin long-sleeved undershirt. As he pulled the girl’s arms out of the sleeves, she let out a loud moan, weakly swinging the compass in her hand, which eventually landed softly on his arm. He wrested the compass from her and tossed it aside.
Next came the pants. The earlier struggle had drained most of the girl’s energy, making it much easier to remove her pants.
Now, the girl lay on the mattress in only her underwear, looking even more frail.
He picked up the “candle holder” and carefully examined the girl’s body. Compared to her hands, feet, and face, her body was much cleaner. This made the few scrapes on her elbows, ribs, hips, and calves more noticeable. Her right calf, in particular, was swollen, the skin stretched taut and shiny.
He stood up, walked to the corner, and picked up one of the bottles from a row of liquor bottles. He shook it, discarded it, then picked up another, shook it, and returned to the girl’s side.
He poured some of the liquid from the bottle onto his palm and rubbed it on the girl’s scrapes. The pungent smell of baijiu filled the “room.” The stinging sensation from the wounds caused the girl to stir again, moaning a few times before breaking into violent coughing.
He quickly moved to the girl’s right calf. After wiping away the dirt, he saw a red, hot swelling. He set down the bottle and pressed hard on the swelling. Dark red fluid oozed from a pinprick-sized wound.
The girl writhed in pain, weakly twisting her legs, her moans intermittent. He held down her calf, continuing to squeeze until fresh red blood flowed from the wound.
Following the same method, he repeatedly wiped the wound with baijiu. The girl trembled continuously but no longer had the strength to struggle.
After finishing, he took off his military coat and covered the girl with it. Then he drank the last drops of baijiu from the bottle.
Blowing out the candle, he lay down beside the girl, quietly listening to the sound of another person’s breathing—a sound he hadn’t heard in a long time.