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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Seventieth: Red Light District
"Of course there's something going on. Let me tell you, after May Day, I'm going to work in D City. I'm planning to visit you this weekend." After a pause, she added, "And your girlfriend, Jiang Xue, she has come out, right?"
Zhang Qiu was surprised. "Sister, your news is quite up to date."
Liu Fangfei smiled proudly. "You think it's just talk? I've put in quite a bit of effort. This weekend, you better thank me properly."
Hearing this, Zhang Qiu was taken aback, and all the questions that had been lingering in her mind were suddenly answered. No wonder Jiang Xue could come out. It turned out that it wasn't just Meng the Boss's intervention; Liu Fangfei's mysterious backer seemed to have taken action as well. With so many people helping her, Zhang Qiu felt incredibly lucky.
"Sister, thank you so much! When you come, I will definitely treat you well," Zhang Qiu said excitedly. Liu Fangfei had done her a huge favor; no amount of gratitude would be enough.
"Great! See you this weekend then. I won't chat with you too much now. Bye!" A peal of laughter like silver bells came from the other end before the call ended.
After hanging up, Jiang Xue asked, "Sister, which sister?"
"Liu Fangfei, the reporter from the city."
"Oh, it's her. Is she coming?"
"Yes, she's coming to see us this weekend. After May Day, she will be working in Sanjiang City."
Jiang Xue nodded thoughtfully and said, "Then we must treat her well; she has helped you."
Zhang Qiu smiled and replied, "She has helped you too."
"Really? How so?" Jiang Xue asked curiously. She had heard about Liu Fangfei reporting on Wang Guodong's deeds from Zhang Qiu but couldn't recall when she had helped her.
Zhang Qiu leaned closer to Jiang Xue and whispered, "It seems Liu Fangfei's father is a high-ranking official in our H Province. She asked about you on the phone and implied that I should thank her for you. Doesn't that mean her dad helped?"
Jiang Xue stared at Zhang Qiu in disbelief as if she were dreaming. It was too incredible; a high-ranking official helping an ordinary person like herself was something that hardly happened in reality.
Zhang Qiu wasn't too shocked; she smiled slightly and said, "When we meet this weekend, we'll have a good chat and everything will be clear. After all, she's my sister helping my wife; isn't that how it should be?"
Zhang Qiu's playful demeanor earned her an eye roll from Jiang Xue as she scolded, "Stop messing around; there are people watching."
Zhang Qiu looked at Song Weidong, who was kissing Sun Siyu nearby, and said, "Look, does he have time to pay attention to us?"
Jiang Xue turned her head to take a look and blushed. When she turned back, she found Zhang Qiu approaching her with a mischievous grin. Jiang Xue shyly shook her head and said, "Stop it, okay?"
Zhang Qiu nodded in agreement. Song Weidong and Sun Siyu had finished kissing and were now fixing her hair. "I think we should all just go our separate ways now."
Song Weidong laughed, "That's exactly what I was thinking. So let's call it a night?"
"Yes, let's call it a night and head home."
Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue bid farewell to Song Weidong and Sun Siyu at the intersection. As they were leaving, Song Weidong shot Zhang Qiu a knowing glance that only men understand.
"Shall we head home?" Jiang Xue asked as she gently caressed Zhang Qiu's cheek.
"Do you want to walk around some more or go home?"
Jiang Xue checked the time and replied, "Let's go home; it's already nine o'clock, and we have school tomorrow."
"Alright."
By the time they walked from West Ring to the place where Zhang Qiu received a call from Zhang Zhi Hua, it was already half past nine. Of course, they were not far from Zhang Qiu's home; they just needed to cross the bumpy north-south road beside Old County Hospital to get back.
Old County Hospital was also included in the old city renovation project. Once New County Hospital was in use, the decades-old Old County Hospital would be demolished and turned into ruins. The new building had not yet been constructed, and only a few bare streetlights surrounded the area, casting dim yellow light. Further south, shops began to appear on both sides of the road, but they were all closed for the night.
Jiang Xue tightened her grip on Zhang Qiu's arm and looked around cautiously. "This place feels so eerie."
Zhang Qiu glanced around and indeed found it strange; in the distance, trees of unknown names swayed in the night wind like ghosts. Fortunately, they soon reached a more populated area. On both sides of the road, shops with lights on began to appear; although they had no signs, various colored lights illuminated them.
Some women dressed provocatively sat at the entrances; some crossed their legs while others smoked slender cigarettes. They all seemed to be watching passersby. The streets became busier with groups of people gathering together; many others walked alone at a leisurely pace, occasionally glancing around.
Zhang Qiu sighed; he never knew this place existed until now. This must be the infamous Red Light District? He recalled the sisters he saved while buying roast duck; the older sister seemed to work here and was affiliated with Sister Hua. So did that mean everyone here was under Sister Hua's control?
Lost in thought, Zhang Qiu was suddenly interrupted by Jiang Xue's question: "What kind of place is this? There are so many people out here at night."
"Um..." Zhang Qiu couldn't think of how to respond for a moment.
Jiang Xue had always been the type of girl who was oblivious to the world outside, focused solely on her studies due to family reasons. Besides dating Zhang Qiu, she hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. Arriving in such a place, she naturally couldn't grasp its meaning.
"What are they doing?" Jiang Xue asked again.
Zhang Qiu's face was filled with embarrassment as he replied in a low voice, "This is... this is a street."
"What do you mean, a street?" Jiang Xue blinked, still not understanding Zhang Qiu's words.
"It’s where people come to work."
Work at what? Jiang Xue's mind went blank. Looking at the women sitting at the entrance, she suddenly understood and felt her face flush with shame. She scolded, "Why did you bring me to such a place?"
Zhang Qiu was speechless and helplessly shrugged his shoulders, saying, "This is the only way home."
"…"
"Then let’s hurry up and get through this place." Zhang Qiu grabbed Jiang Xue's hand and walked quickly forward. As they passed by a house with pink lights shining from inside, they heard knocking sounds coming from within. Zhang Qiu instinctively glanced over and saw a woman with long hair wearing only a bra waving at him from behind the glass door. He quickly turned away, reminding himself 'form is emptiness, emptiness is form' as he hurriedly walked away. A woman in a white nightgown stood inside.
"Hey, stop!"
Suddenly, several drunken young men stumbled out from a dark alley nearby, one of them holding a beer bottle.
Seeing them sway towards him, Zhang Qiu quickly shielded Jiang Xue behind him and confronted the young men loudly, "What do you want?"
The first one, a long-haired youth with a nose ring, leered at Jiang Xue and said to Zhang Qiu, "Hey man, I like this girl. Let me have her today, and you can find her again tomorrow. How about that?" He then approached Jiang Xue.
Jiang Xue screamed in fright; Zhang Qiu could feel her trembling. The long-haired youth stepped closer, and Zhang Qiu suddenly kicked out fiercely. The youth was caught off guard and stumbled back several steps before falling to the ground.
"Open your eyes and see clearly; this is my girlfriend, not the kind of person you think!" Zhang Qiu glared angrily at the group of young men. If anyone dared to come closer, they would be in for a worse beating. He would not allow anyone to harm Jiang Xue, not even verbally.
The long-haired youth got up from the ground, brushed off the dirt from his clothes, spat angrily, and said maliciously, "You dare hit me? Fine, I won't hold it against you. Regardless of whether she's working or not, if you let me have some fun with her, I'll let you both go. Otherwise... heh heh, I'll just take her right in front of you." The long-haired youth grinned lewdly while the others also showed perverted smiles as if his threat was about to become reality.
The dragon has a reverse scale; touching it leads to death. Zhang Qiu was about to make a move when Jiang Xue firmly grabbed his arm. "Let's run," Jiang Xue urged, pulling Zhang Qiu backward.
Zhang Qiu assessed the five individuals in front of him: two were overweight and three were thin, one of the thin ones holding a beer bottle. If it came to a fight, Zhang Qiu believed he had a good chance of winning, but that would mean he couldn't protect Jiang Xue. After weighing his options, Zhang Qiu decided to follow Jiang Xue's lead and run.
However, while Zhang Qiu hesitated, the young men had already surrounded them, trapping Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue in the middle. Escape was no longer an option. They would have to fight. Zhang Qiu crouched slightly, preparing himself.
The long-haired youth with a nose ring had a lewd glint in his eyes as he revealed an incredibly ugly smile, grinning widely. "I'll give you one last chance to make me happy; I guarantee you won't get hurt. Otherwise, heh heh heh, I can't promise you'll leave here on your feet."
As soon as the long-haired youth finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain at the corner of his mouth and reached up to find blood! It was only then that he realized he was hurt and shouted, "What happened? What did you do!"
Zhang Qiu ignored the long-haired youth, feeling distressed over his lost playing cards; they were gone now, and it would be hard to find replacements in such poor condition.
"Get him!" The long-haired youth commanded as Zhang Qiu ignored him. The four thugs charged at Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue simultaneously. Zhang Qiu kicked one of the youths in the side and pulled Jiang Xue through the opening created by the attack. He turned back to face another attacker. The three men surrounded Zhang Qiu, but he skillfully defended himself with punches and kicks, preventing them from advancing even an inch.
Suddenly, Jiang Xue screamed. Zhang Qiu turned around to see the person he had knocked down getting back up and lunging toward Jiang Xue. Zhang Qiu jumped back, breaking free from the scuffle with the three men and collided with the youth charging at Jiang Xue. With a solid hit, Zhang Qiu followed up with several punches, sending the youth crashing to the ground, groaning and motionless.
At that moment, there was a loud crack as the beer bottle exploded on Zhang Qiu's head, blood gushing down and obscuring his vision. Jiang Xue screamed as she rushed towards him.
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