Saturday evening, before Jiantang had even opened for business, Feng Ning lay sprawled boneless across the counter.

After resting a while, the delivery guy brought the shipping container back and set it down at the shop entrance. Feng Ning was called over, did an on-site inventory, and expertly sorted the liquor by type — spirits, aperitifs, sweet wines, fruit wines, fresh milk — lining them up in order, placing them into the grid shelves of the cooler.

She chatted on and off with Tongtong.

Tongtong, holding a damp cloth, briskly wiped down the bar counter and workstation, and seeing Feng Ning looking so listless, asked, “Is it your time of the month?”

“Yeah.” Feng Ning said weakly, jotting down orders as she spoke. “Must’ve been that ice cream bar yesterday that did it.”

Her period was irregular, and the first and second days were usually especially painful. Sometimes it hurt so badly she wanted to just stab a knife into her stomach and be done with it.

Glancing at the wall clock, figuring it was about time, Feng Ning turned on all the shop’s mood lighting.

Before long, a group came in, gathering noisily at a corner table.

A young guy came up to the front counter and asked Feng Ning, “Do you have hookah here?”

“Yeah, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberry, blueberry — which one?”

“Any recommendations? What flavor do girls usually like?”

Feng Ning thought about it. “Watermelon, probably. How many hoses?”

“Four.” The young guy fidgeted, saying a bit awkwardly, “Also, could you help boil some hot water? My girlfriend’s on her period, she wants to drink with us, but I’m worried something cold will hurt her stomach, so I wanted to warm the alcohol with hot water.”

Feng Ning smiled. “Pretty thoughtful of you.”

She grabbed an electric kettle, filled it with water, picked up the glass bowl full of crushed ice, and carried it upstairs to their table. She plugged in the kettle and instructed, “Once it boils, pour the water into this bowl. If you need more, come find me downstairs.”

The young guy thanked her.

Spherical spotlights swept 360 degrees across the room, casting colorful, ambiguous light everywhere. Feng Ning took a sip of hot brown sugar water, zoned out for a moment, and suddenly felt someone kick her foot.

She looked up. “What.”

Tongtong, who’d just delivered a fruit platter, was blushing slightly, pointing toward the entrance. “Some people are looking for you.”

They were waiting on the steps — Zhao Binlin in a flashy purple T-shirt, chewing gum.

Seeing only four people, Feng Ning asked, “Where’s Meng Taoyu, not coming?”

“Her parents wouldn’t let her.” Xi Gaoyuan pointed at the girl next to him. “I brought my girlfriend along.”

“Welcome, come on in and sit.”

Under the bright lights, Jiang Wen looked tall and lean. His outfit today was simple and clean-cut, clearly signaling a well-off family.

Tongtong’s handsome-guy radar activated, staring at him longingly, unconsciously blurting out a comment. “Oh my god, that guy is so hot.”

Feng Ning said casually, “Isn’t he? Wipe your drool a bit, it’s about to reach your chin.”

Tongtong, snapped back to reality by the comment, was still wistful. “Ugh, is he your classmate? Does he have a girlfriend?”

“Yeah.” Feng Ning, not paying too much attention, arranged the plates as she spoke. “And not just handsome — good grades too, rich family, girlfriend’s a total knockout too, sooo beautiful~”

“I— wow, that’s too perfect.” Tongtong’s cheeks flushed pink, her whole face full of admiration. “I don’t even know which part to be jealous of.”

Feng Ning personally made a yogurt fruit bowl.

She picked out a few good-tasting fruit wines and brought them over, setting out plates, napkins, and small lamps for them, saying with a smile, “You all have fun for now, I’m still busy, I’ll come keep you company once I’m done.”

Jiang Wen leaned back lazily, one arm draped over the edge of the table.

Xi Gaoyuan’s girlfriend, Lin Ru, asked curiously, “She works at a place like this?”

Xi Gaoyuan didn’t think much of it. “What’s wrong with a place like this.”

“Nothing, just feels a bit…” Lin Ru trailed off. Having watched them play cards for a while, she got up to use the restroom.

On her way back, a man with slicked-back hair stopped her, trying to chat her up. “Hey there, can I get your WeChat?”

Lin Ru had a hot temper, used to looking down on everyone, rolled her eyes. “Move it.”

“How about I buy you a drink then?”

“Get lost, I don’t want a drink.”

Finally managing to shake him off, she’d just gotten back to her seat when the slicked-back-hair guy followed her over anyway, drink in hand, at his leisure. “Hey there, just offering you a drink, why the attitude?”

Behind slicked-back hair, several thug-looking guys trailed along, sitting down familiarly on their couch, hollering, “How many of you are there? Wanna hang out together?”

Zhao Binlin and the others exchanged glances.

Xi Gaoyuan, hearing what had happened to Lin Ru, flew into a rage. Without thinking, he grabbed a drink nearby and dumped it right on slicked-back hair’s face. “You bastard, who do you think you’re hitting on?”

Slicked-back hair’s expression froze for a moment, silent for two seconds.

The table was flipped over with a crash, glasses shattering into pieces.

Xi Gaoyuan, gasping for breath, had two people pinning down his shoulders from either side; he struggled fiercely, cursing, “You idiots, let go of me!”

Commotion erupted from a distance; Tongtong hurriedly pulled Feng Ning, who was talking with someone else, aside. “Ning-zai, this is bad, something happened.”

Feng Ning rushed over, and by the faint surrounding light, recognized someone in the group causing trouble.

A’Xin slapped Xi Gaoyuan across the face. “You little punk, pretty full of yourself, huh.”

The people at nearby tables didn’t know what was going on, but seeing the situation, instinctively backed off. Some watched the show, others pulled out their phones.

A’Xin pointed around at everyone, shouting loudly, “I dare anyone to film this.”

Servers came and went. After a while, the floor below had been cleared out, the once-lively bar now so quiet no one dared even breathe too loudly.

A’Xin, composed, was toying with a fruit knife. Tongtong, scared legless, quietly asked Zhao Huiyun, “Should we call the police?”

Zhao Huiyun, arms crossed, leaning to one side. “Calling the police won’t help — this group’s committed god knows how many crimes, always ready to bolt. Better not provoke them, or we’ll have more trouble down the road.”

Feng Ning stood alone in front of A’Xin. “Brother Xin, these are all my classmates, could you let them go?”

“Let them go — what about the tab for the drink dumped on my face?” A’Xin looked her over. “I know you, you’re Meng Hanmo’s sister? You know these people?”

Feng Ning nodded. “Yeah, but this has nothing to do with my brother tonight. I’ll take responsibility.”

A’Xin leaned back, arms folded, indifferent. “You’ll take responsibility? How exactly? How many people, you know the rules?”

“All four of them.”

A’Xin looked at her, thought it over for a couple seconds. “Alright, I’ll give Meng Hanmo face just this once — triple it, count it as twelve cups, how’s that?”

Feng Ning paused. “Fine.”

A’Xin instructed his men, “Go pick out the drinks.”

Tongtong went along with them. She tried to sneak in some low-alcohol fruit beers, but got caught by a half-smiling look from one of them. “Sis, trying to fob off beggars with beer?”

Tongtong broke out in a cold sweat, not daring to try anything else.

Soon, a whole table was covered with yellow, white, and red drinks, filled to the brim.

Feng Ning glanced over roughly, picked up one of the cups. “Is this enough?”

A’Xin lifted his chin. “Close enough.”

Before anyone else could say anything, she tipped her head back on her own and downed a whole cup in one go, gulping it down clean.

Tongtong watched Feng Ning go through cup after cup as if she felt nothing.

She thought of the girl who’d just been sweetly given warmed wine by her boyfriend, and her heart twisted.

A suffocating feeling rose up in Jiang Wen’s throat too; he was also being restrained. He struggled twice, unable to break free, hot sweat pouring down his back. “Let go of me! Don’t let her keep drinking!”

Lin Ru, who’d never seen anything like this, was crying, sobbing nonstop.

Feng Ning ignored it all, staring straight ahead, continuing to finish one cup, then reaching for the next.

Jiang Wen, his head pinned down, couldn’t catch his breath, feeling weak. “Stop drinking.”

The twelfth cup — nearly at the bottom.

The others nearby were already stunned into silence; some looked away, not even having the courage to keep watching. A’Xin’s mocking expression slowly faded too.

Amid the dim, shifting shadows, every other sound seemed to fade away. Feng Ning heard nothing at all, until someone beside her suddenly snatched the cup from her hand. “Alright, that’s enough, stop drinking.”

She stopped, wiping the liquor off the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, forcing her voice steady. “Is this over now?”

Once A’Xin finally nodded, Feng Ning seemed to let out a breath of relief. She braced herself on something and headed out, stumbling unsteadily a couple steps, staggering out the door.

The people restraining Jiang Wen, caught off guard, were shoved aside as he broke free. Before the curses could even leave their mouths, he’d already turned and chased after her out of the bar without looking back.

Feng Ning, drunk, leaned against a tree trunk, retching. A puddle of vomit on the ground, white streaked with blood.

Her legs gave out, unable to stand, so she crouched down.

Jiang Wen reached out helplessly, wanting to touch her, not daring to. Clumsily, he patted her back.

She kept retching, until eventually her throat spasmed slightly and nothing more would come up. Feng Ning slurred out a bitter laugh, “Heh, turns out being a heroine isn’t so easy after all.”

Finally catching her breath, she struggled to get up, but fell backward instead.

Jiang Wen lowered his head, instinctively wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her from sliding down further.

Feng Ning had no strength left at all, limply letting Jiang Wen hold her in his arms.

In a hazy blur, his clothes were disheveled, his eyes full of panic. Even with her consciousness fading, she could still feel that uncontrolled force in his grip.

“Hey, you’re holding me so tight…” Feng Ning’s whole body trembled faintly, uncontrollably, still smiling.

Before she lost consciousness, she heard someone by her ear, saying sorry, over and over.

The night had turned bitterly cold, wind strong on the road. They finally flagged down a taxi; yanking the door open in a panic startled the driver. “What happened?”

Zhao Binlin shouted, “To the hospital!”

“Don’t panic, kid.” Feng Ning reeked heavily of alcohol; the driver, catching the smell, started the meter. “How much did she drink?”

Feng Ning’s collar was already soaked through with liquor, her lips pale and thin, fragile enough to be alarming.

Zhao Binlin sat in the car, turning to look at the back seat. From his angle, he could only see her held tightly in someone’s arms, pressed against his chest.

His gaze shifted to Jiang Wen’s face; he froze for a second before catching on. Silently, he turned his head, looking out the window instead.

Jiang Yuyun arrived at the hospital very late.

A few of the kids sat in a row outside, each looking dejected, guilt written all over their faces.

Seeing her arrive, Zhao Binlin stood up in a fluster, calling out, “Sis.”

Jiang Yuyun’s heart sank. “What happened? Where’s Xiao Wen?”

Xi Gaoyuan, on the verge of tears, recounted everything that had happened that day.

“Who the hell dared to bully my little brother — which bar?”

Jiang Yuyun was practically boiling with rage, gritting her teeth as she made a call. “Track down a few people for me — if I don’t have those thugs cleaned out by tomorrow, I’m not surnamed Jiang!”

Seeing her flare up, the bodyguards stayed silent, not daring to speak up.

After the call, she handed her phone to her assistant, took a breath to steady herself. “How’s your classmate doing, is she alright?”

Zhao Binlin shook his head, tense. “Had her stomach pumped, still lying inside.”

Standing at the doorway of the hospital room, Jiang Yuyun tilted her head slightly and glanced inside.

Her own younger brother was sitting by the bed, leaning forward, with immense patience wiping someone’s hand with a damp towel, from the knuckles to the back of the hand.

The person on the bed murmured something groggily.

Jiang Wen adjusted to her height, hair falling over his forehead, leaning in close, chest bent forward to listen to what she was saying.

With a soft click, the door creaked open; Jiang Yuyun paused for a moment.

The room was filled with the smell of disinfectant and medicine.

Jiang Wen sat by the bed, his gaze fixed on Feng Ning. He was still as a statue, indifferent to everything else around him.

She opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing, and quietly pulled the door shut behind her.