“Who do I like?”
Jiang Wen’s eyelids were half-closed, his gaze still somewhat unfocused, drifting off to look elsewhere; he gave a slight nod.
Feng Ning giggled, teasing him back: “So who do you like?”
“Who do you like?” He insisted she answer.
“Me?” A smile hung at the corner of Feng Ning’s mouth as she said, unhurried, “I like the stars, I like the moon, I like the sun, I like the ocean, I like the beach, I like Nietzsche, I like Dazai Osamu, I also like Guo Degang — how about that, satisfied?”
Meng Hanmo passed by carrying two crates of beer, wearing a black tank top and a face mask, only his eyes showing, sweat covering his neck and arms. He glanced at Feng Ning. “What are you doing?”
Feng Ning turned her head, giving a perfunctory sound. “Coaxing a kid.”
“Your classmate?” Meng Hanmo leaned in to take a look, nodding almost imperceptibly. “This kid’s pretty good-looking. Take your time coaxing him.”
East Street’s night market had never been particularly safe, and with Jiang Wen dressed head to toe in gleaming brand names, dead drunk and unconscious, he was practically the perfect lamb for any pickpocket’s eyes. Feng Ning ended up taking pity on him after all, going to the kitchen to get a bowl of plain vegetable congee to let cool, and stayed guarding the little lamb, smoking a cigarette while she waited for Zhao Binlin to show up.
The moment she saw him coming, she stubbed out the cigarette.
Zhao Binlin craned his neck, glanced at Jiang Wen slumped over the table, and laughed. “Thanks, Feng Ning.”
Feng Ning gestured with her chin. “There, feed him the congee. He’ll throw up in a bit and be fine after that.”
“Got it.” Zhao Binlin held his breath, straining with all his might, working his arm under Jiang Wen’s armpit, and finally managed to prop him up. His eyes went wide with the effort. “First time I’ve seen him drink this much. He’s dead weight, can’t even drag him. No good, I need Xi Gaoyuan too, I can’t handle this alone.”
A phone rang.
Jiang Wen’s head still hung down. Zhao Binlin struggled to fish the phone out of his back pocket, and without checking the caller ID, answered it directly, shouting loudly: “Hey, who is it, who is it? I’m busy right now, what time is it, don’t call if it’s nothing important, that’s it, hanging up, hanging up.”
Two or three seconds of silence, then a female voice on the other end, quite familiar: “Why isn’t Xiao Wen’s phone getting through? Are you all together?”
The next second, Zhao Binlin’s face changed color; his whole body froze solid.
He sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly stammered out an ingratiating laugh: “Sister, Sister Jiang, so it’s you, right, Jiang Wen’s with me, we just finished a late-night snack, yes, we’re heading home right away. He and Xi Gaoyuan are both sleeping at my place tonight, you can rest completely assured.”
The voice on the other end brooked no argument: “Send me the location, I’m coming to pick you up now.”
The call ended.
Zhao Binlin took a step forward, grabbing Jiang Wen’s shoulders with both hands, shaking him wildly, his face contorted. “Young master, Brother Wen, top dog, wake up! I’m begging you, I’m begging you, wake up! Can you hear me? Your sister’s coming! Do you still remember who Jiang Yuyun is?! She’s about to be here! If you don’t sober up, we’re both done for! Bro! Wake up, bro!!”
Jiang Wen’s eyes stayed closed, motionless, his face pale, though his lips and the corners of his eyes were redder than usual.
Zhao Binlin was like an ant on a hot pan, no better off. He lifted the congee bowl, wailing, “Bro, dear bro, drink a couple mouthfuls, will that wake you up?”
Jiang Wen forced his eyes open, mumbling something like “leave me alone,” and swatted his hand as if shooing away a fly, knocking the whole bowl of congee to the ground.
Feng Ning stood off to the side, arms crossed, watching this whole farce, amused. “What’s wrong, what are you panicking about?”
Zhao Binlin really was starting to panic. He said, face full of misery, “This guy’s sister is coming. You have no idea how vicious she is. Universe-level ruthless. If his sister finds out we were out here messing around, we’re all finished.”
After all that fuss, Jiang Wen was still no better than a puddle of mud.
“Move aside, watch me!” Feng Ning shouted loudly. “Jiang Wen, if you don’t sober up right now, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
He heard her voice and lifted his head groggily.
She reached out and, with a crisp smack, slapped him hard across the face. “Awake now?”
Feng Ning’s expression turned fierce; with one hand she gripped his chin, lifting it up, and said word by word, “I’m Feng Ning, can you hear me? You’re about to see your sister. Pull yourself together right now, act normal, stop playing crazy and drunk here, understand? Open your eyes, wide!”
With that, she landed another smack, casual as could be.
At the crisp, clear sound of the slaps, Zhao Binlin was so stunned by her force that he fell briefly speechless.
Watching her raise her hand for another slap, Zhao Binlin rushed forward to steady the swaying Jiang Wen, begging, “Sister Ning, you — aren’t you being a little rough? Go easy when you hit him, our young master here has delicate skin, he can’t take much of this, ah.”
Feng Ning ignored him entirely, leaning in close to Jiang Wen’s face. “I’ll ask one more time, are you awake or not?”
Jiang Wen let out a couple of pained sounds, his voice tinged with a hint of grievance. “Stop hitting me, it hurts.”
Seeing him finally open his eyes, Zhao Binlin was overjoyed.
Feng Ning nodded approvingly. “Guess you know when to give in after all.” She picked up the water nearby and ordered, “Drink!”
Jiang Wen still looked dazed, tilting his head back slightly, giving her a blank look before obediently drinking it down.
Zhao Binlin stood off to the side, wanting to say something but holding back, both impressed and struck with sorrow, thinking to himself — this brother he’d been through more than a decade with, and here he was, hooked by a woman with a single finger, without a trace of reluctance. Such unequal treatment, truly a bone-deep kind of desolation. Bros just can’t be relied on, really can’t be relied on…
A red Ferrari pulled up on the street, immediately drawing plenty of attention.
Two people, one tall and one small, got out.
Jiang Yurou, wearing a white princess dress, wriggled free of her sister’s hand and pattered off toward Zhao Binlin and the others. “Brother, where’s my brother.”
Zhao Binlin pinched her cheek. “You saw me and didn’t say hi, where’s your conscience?”
Jiang Yurou, reluctant, mumbled a greeting. “Binlin-gege.” Then she quickly slipped past him, threw her arms open, and threw herself into Jiang Wen’s embrace.
Jiang Wen sat in the plastic chair, lazily stroking his little sister’s hair, then glanced up to see his sister approaching in high heels and couldn’t help but straighten up.
“Why did you come to a place like this.” Jiang Yuyun swung her car keys, looking him up and down. “Been drinking?”
Jiang Wen nodded.
“Not coming home tonight?”
Jiang Wen said nothing, just kept nodding.
Jiang Yuyun let out a laugh. “Afraid of getting scolded by Grandpa, and still dare to run wild out here.”
She turned to shoot a sideways glance, asking Zhao Binlin, “How much has he had?”
Zhao Binlin shrank his neck, smiling ingratiatingly. “Not much, really not much, sis, I was watching him, wouldn’t let Jiang Wen drink too much, look, he’s still totally conscious.”
Just then, Feng Ning came over with a broom and rag, rolling up her sleeves, briskly cleaning up the mess on the ground and table. As she cleaned, she turned her head and grinned. “You’re finally leaving, huh?”
Zhao Binlin cupped his hands together, coughing meaningfully. “Thanks for today, Miss Ning, our hero.”
Feng Ning, expression unchanged, gathered up the plastic tablecloth, tied it into a knot, pulled both ends taut. “No big deal, don’t worry about it.”
“What, you two know each other?” Jiang Yuyun asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
Zhao Binlin explained, “She’s our classmate, top student.”
“Oh.” Jiang Yuyun nodded. “Thanks for the trouble, little sister.”
Feng Ning smiled sweetly. “No trouble at all, they were good customers, and paid too, it’s the least I could do.”
As they got in the car, Jiang Yuyun commented, “That girl’s pretty interesting.”
She turned the wheel, glancing in the rearview mirror, and asked, puzzled, “Xiao Wen, what happened to your face, who hit you?”
Zhao Binlin, who had been quite serious, suddenly couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
Jiang Wen looked a little embarrassed, turning his eyes away in irritation.
As the car pulled off, he couldn’t help but glance back once more. In the deep summer night, the tall and short buildings crowded together, lit up and bustling — but her figure was already gone.