The stairwell was cramped, narrow, and dark, plastered with various messy advertisements. Everywhere showed rough, rusty traces and the atmosphere of life at society’s bottom. Garbage from other households was piled in the corner turns. Qing Ye climbed to the fourth floor in one breath, where a long corridor connected all the residential units, densely packed like an ant colony.

Qing Ye saw the group’s silhouettes appear opposite her. She turned down the corridor, navigating around piles of household waste, and walking toward the crowd.

Probably because the room was small, not all of Xing Wu’s people had gone inside – three or four remained outside. Qing Ye walked up behind this group.

As soon as she arrived, she heard a voice: “Listen, Wu Zi, we’ve always kept to ourselves, and you’re not one to look for trouble. How come you’re repeatedly standing up for women lately? This isn’t like your style.”

Qing Ye found this voice familiar. Peering through the men into the doorway, she saw Da Cao sitting in the center of the living room, with four or five brothers beside him. Du Qiyan stood crying between Da Cao and Xing Wu, with obvious hand prints on both sides of her face, the red swelling eye-catching. Qing Ye clenched her jaw, hearing Xing Wu reply coldly: “You know very well she works at my shop.”

Da Cao immediately laughed: “Your shop’s employee? Manager Xing is quite righteous, even meddling in employees’ private lives. What business is it of yours when a couple of fights and breaks up?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Quan Ya directly kicked up a nearby stool and hurled it at Da Cao. A tall man beside Da Cao was quick to kick away the stool that had already flown to Da Cao’s face. Instantly, the atmosphere in the room became explosive. Da Cao’s previously casual expression suddenly turned dark.

At this moment, Xing Wu walked toward Da Cao, startling the people opposite who collectively stood up, watching him warily.

Xing Wu stood before Da Cao, looking down at him, and said: “I’m not here to cause trouble. Your friend playing with someone’s feelings is one thing, but fucking scamming money from a girl – is that something a human does? Think carefully about the consequences of protecting him.”

Da Cao narrowed his eyes, looking up at the tense-muscled Xing Wu. Though he hadn’t interacted much with Xing Wu, having grown up in this area, he knew enough about Xing Wu’s character. If he nodded, Xing Wu’s fists would show no mercy the next second.

Da Cao was a smart man. He wasn’t afraid of Xing Wu, but there was no need to get himself in trouble for an insignificant friend.

Everyone had their reputation to maintain outside. If today’s events got out – that he, Da Cao, stood up for a man who scammed women for money – where would he put his face? In their world, reputation was crucial – without it, how could one command respect and authority? How could one survive?

After weighing the pros and cons, Da Cao crossed his legs, swaying his flip-flops, and said with a fake smile: “Did I say I was protecting anyone?”

At these words, a man standing diagonally behind Da Cao suddenly became anxious, calling out: “Brother Cao!”

Da Cao maintained his casual demeanor and said to Xing Wu: “If you have evidence, bring it out and resolve this. If not, leave quickly. Having so many people rush to my place late at night, looking all dramatic – people might think our An Zhi and your An Zhong conflict again.”

Da Cao’s words seemed to suddenly enlighten the man behind him, who burst out aggressively: “Yeah, you say I scammed her money – where’s the evidence? Show your evidence!”

Du Qiyan’s head drooped even lower. Qing Ye finally got a clear look at this legendary “widower,” and her heart trembled. This man’s face was covered in acne that rivaled the moon’s surface – the density completely blurred his features, making people overlook his actual facial features. It was truly painful to look at.

The moment Qing Ye saw him clearly, she began questioning life itself. What exactly had Du Qiyan seen in this widower? With looks like these, he might as well have been widowed.

Xing Wu turned his head to Du Qiyan and asked: “Did he write an IOU?”

Du Qiyan remained silent, and Xing Wu already knew the answer.

Da Cao let out an exaggerated “Ha ha,” lowering his crossed leg and stretching his arms: “Take care, Wu Zi.”

Xing Wu’s expression instantly darkened, but without any evidence, even beating up Da Cao’s group wouldn’t put them in the right.

At this moment, a clear voice suddenly appeared from behind the crowd: “I have evidence.”

All eyes turned to the doorway, where they saw Qing Ye squeezing in from outside.

Qing Ye wore a pure white casual outfit, simple yet fashionable, one hand in her casual pants pocket as she walked in unhurriedly. Xing Wu stared at her with a glare, which Qing Ye completely ignored, and directly asked the widower: “What’s your name?”

The widower hadn’t met Qing Ye before, but as she walked into the room, the previously tense atmosphere seemed to instantly brighten. Qing Ye saw him staring at her in a daze, and gave him a gentle smile, asking again softly: “Handsome, what’s your name?”

Seeing Qing Ye’s attractive smile, the widower blurted out: “Yang Gang, why?”

Looking at his weak appearance, Qing Ye couldn’t see anything “strong” about him despite his name meaning “strong.”

She turned and asked: “Hmm, Du Qiyan, how much money did Yang Gang borrow from you in total?”

Du Qiyan said between sobs: “About fourteen thousand.”

“Did he say he’d pay it back?”

Du Qiyan raised her head, nervously staring at Qing Ye. Qing Ye simply pulled her to her side, squeezed her arm to reassure her, and looked at her steadily: “What did Yang Gang say when he borrowed the money?”

Du Qiyan lowered her head and said: “The first time, he said his friend was in the hospital and needed five thousand yuan to save his life. He said he’d pay me back when his friend’s family brought money. I gave it to him. Later, for a while, I couldn’t reach him by phone. He said his phone was broken and he needed to replace it, otherwise it would be inconvenient to stay in touch. He borrowed three thousand to buy a new phone…”

As Du Qiyan continued speaking, Yang Gang suddenly interrupted her angrily: “Enough! When the fuck will this end?”

Qing Ye calmly raised her eyes to look at him: “Why such a big reaction? So you admit you borrowed all this money, huh?”

Yang Gang nervously glanced at Da Cao, who leaned back in his chair twirling his fingers, appearing unconcerned.

Qing Ye continued relentlessly: “Du Qiyan can remember every amount she lent you. How do you plan to deny it?”

Yang Gang suddenly found his courage and shouted: “Let me tell you all, even if I, Yang Gang, took the money, you won’t get a penny back from me. If you’ve got the guts, sue me with evidence. Without evidence, stop your fucking nagging.”

“Good,” Qing Ye’s voice rose as she took out her phone and pressed a button. Immediately, the phone said: “What’s your name? Handsome, what’s your name? Yang Gang, why? Hmm, Du Qiyan, how much money did Yang Gang borrow from you in total?…”

The complete recording from when Qing Ye entered played from her phone. The faces of those opposite changed dramatically. Qing Ye put her phone back in her pocket and said to them: “This is the evidence. The recording clearly shows both parties and the reason for the loan, and you’ve admitted to it. You have one week to gather the money and return it to Yan Yan, or you can explain your fraud to the police.”

In an instant, everyone was stunned, including Xing Wu and those who came with her.

Qing Ye had asked the widower’s name immediately upon entering, specifically to identify the borrower and leave him no room for evasion. Then she prompted Du Qiyan to state the loan amount and circumstances. Though she had no evidence before entering the room, she had now collected it.

When Yang Gang heard the jarring word “fraud,” he immediately exploded and charged toward Qing Ye. Xing Wu’s hand shot out, grabbed his collar, and threw him backward. Yang Gang fell awkwardly to the ground. Qing Ye lowered her head, pressed her phone a few times, then looked up at him coldly: “I advise you not to come looking for me later. I’ve already sent the recording to a lawyer friend, it’s not on my phone anymore. If anything happens to me, my lawyer friend will deal with you.”

The five or six men opposite looked at each other. Da Cao’s eyes remained on Qing Ye, showing slight surprise and interest. He suddenly started clapping, slowly standing from his chair with an ambiguous smile, pointing at Qing Ye and saying to Xing Wu: “Isn’t this that good student who just transferred to your school? How come you’re hanging out together even at night?”

“None of your fucking business,” Xing Wu shot back.

Da Cao’s smile remained, but his eyes instantly turned cold. Seeing the situation turn sour, Xing Wu’s brothers squeezed inside. The already small room suddenly held over ten people. Da Cao glanced at the imposing group behind Xing Wu, gave a cold laugh, raised his hand, and slapped Yang Gang’s head, cursing: “Trash, clean up your mess.”

“Brother Cao! I…” Da Cao had already sat back down and said to Xing Wu’s group: “Take care, no need to see you out.”

Da Hei directly dragged Yang Gang out. Da Cao’s group truly didn’t interfere further, but as Xing Wu turned to leave, Da Cao added: “Wu Zi, shall we compete at next year’s county sports meet?”

Xing Wu paused briefly to tell him: “I’m not participating in senior year.”

Da Cao laughed as if hearing a joke, responding: “I’ll wait for you.”

Xing Wu left without turning his head.

…

Downstairs, Xing Wu leaned against a stone post, with Qing Ye standing beside him watching Yang Gang, who had already been beaten once. He had been so arrogant upstairs, but now without Da Cao’s protection, he had completely crumpled, calling everyone “brother.”

Xing Wu lit a cigarette, his voice hoarse: “Lawyer friend?”

“A former senior sister who’s studying law. What if they come after me? I was just trying to scare them.”

She turned to look at Xing Wu, who smiled slightly: “So you know how to be afraid?”

“I’m not afraid of normal people, just abnormal ones like you.”

Xing Wu glanced at her: “What’s abnormal about us?”

Qing Ye said meaningfully: “Normal people want to have a future.”

Xing Wu smoked his cigarette, his smile fading slightly.

Nearby, Da Hei still wanted to beat Yang Gang, but Quan Ya pulled him back, pointing at the dazed Liu Nian: “You do it.”

Liu Nian looked around timidly: “Me?”

Quan Ya beckoned him over. Liu Nian walked over hunched, already skinny, and wearing baggy pants with a chain decoration at his waist that jingled as he walked, like someone jumping rope.

Quan Ya asked if Yang Gang had hit him earlier. Liu Nian nodded, and Quan Ya said coldly: “Pay it back.”

Liu Nian looked terrified, turning back to look fearfully at Xing Wu, who watched expressionlessly.

Liu Nian first turned around and gave Yang Gang a light punch, making Da Hei and the others burst out laughing: “What the fuck are you caressing him for?”

Liu Nian’s face reddened as he took a deep breath and gave Yang Gang a real punch. Then Quan Ya turned to Du Qiyan and said: “Little sister, come here.”

Du Qiyan had stopped crying but still looked uncomfortable and scared facing Yang Gang. Seeing Du Qiyan approach, Yang Gang started shouting again: “You dare touch me and see what happens, you ugly woman!”

Du Qiyan’s tears fell again. A pebble flew over and hit Yang Gang’s leg, making him yelp and stop cursing.

Xing Wu turned his head in surprise, cigarette between his fingers. Qing Ye dusted off her hands and said two words: “Asking for it.”

Xing Wu suddenly smiled playfully.

Du Qiyan hadn’t wanted to hit him, but his insults angered her. She raised her hand and forcefully returned the slap he had given her in front of everyone earlier, literally jumping up to deliver it.

Though the posture was quite comical, the sound was loud. The slap left Yang Gang dumbfounded, staring blankly at Du Qiyan.

Du Qiyan retreated to Liu Nian’s side. Liu Nian now stood straight, and in the moonlight, their postures suggested they had reached life’s peak.

Xing Wu checked the time – it was almost ten. He threw away his cigarette and asked Qing Ye: “Do you still need to do homework when you get back?”

Qing Ye nodded, and he called to Quan Ya: “I have something to do, I’m leaving. You guys wrap it up soon.”

Then he left the Target Factory with Qing Ye. The factory wasn’t far from Zhazha Pavilion. On the way back, Qing Ye asked Xing Wu: “Is Yang Gang also a student at An Zhi?”

“He dropped out, and now he just scams people for food and money everywhere.”

Remembering their reactions to the Target Factory, Qing Ye couldn’t help asking: “Are all the people at the Target Factory tough to deal with?”

Xing Wu stopped his Little Angel at Xuan Island’s entrance, opened the rolling door, and said to Qing Ye: “Around here, anyone with a bit of money is from the Target Factory. Money makes the world go round, and the Target Factory is protected by the Dark Hall.”

As Xing Wu walked into Xuan Island, Qing Ye raised an eyebrow and followed, saying amusedly: “What’s this Dark Hall thing? Do you mean like a gang? This tiny place of yours is so divided – why not establish Emei, Wudang, and Huashan sects while you’re at it?”

But Xing Wu turned back, pulled down the rolling door, and said to her: “Next time you encounter something like this, don’t get involved, understand?”

Qing Ye rarely saw Xing Wu so seriously and was momentarily speechless. Seeing her frown, Xing Wu sighed and repeated: “Understand?”

Though Qing Ye didn’t know exactly what the Dark Hall was, the fact that it made tough guys like Xing Wu change color at its mention suggested its complexity. She replied quietly: “I got it.”

Xing Wu turned to walk to the backyard. Qing Ye called out: “Hey, do you often stay there?”

Xing Wu stopped and turned back to look at her, not understanding her intent. Qing Ye lowered her head, spinning the barbershop chair, her gaze downcast: “That woman… is she your girlfriend?”

She looked up directly at Xing Wu, who showed no expression, simply telling her flatly: “Shu Han is Quan Ya’s half-sister. We all call her Sister Shu.”

Qing Ye sucked in her cheeks, the chair spinning silently in her hands. She said casually: “She likes you.”

It wasn’t a question but a statement. Though it was just a look, Qing Ye was sure she hadn’t misread it.

Xing Wu turned to face her fully, arms crossed, his face half-hidden in the flickering light: “And then?”

Qing Ye said nothing. Suddenly the rolling door opened behind them, and they both looked back. Li Lanfang had returned early today, finishing after two rounds, holding a cardboard box: “Qing Ye, your express delivery from Beijing. Zhao Mazi brought it back for you this afternoon.”

It was quite heavy. Li Lanfang put it on the ground and said to Xing Wu: “Wu Zi, help Qing Ye carry this.”

Xing Wu walked over unhurriedly. As he bent down, he saw three characters in the sender’s name: “Meng Ruihang.”

He glanced back at Qing Ye, who turned to go upstairs, saying: “Thanks.”

When Xing Wu carried the package into Qing Ye’s room, she sat at the foot of the bed staring at her phone, completely still, as if in a trance.

Xing Wu dropped the package heavily by her feet, but she still showed no reaction, just staring at her phone, seemingly suddenly not quite herself.