It was already a quarter past nine when Haibaihe arrived at Huayang Club. The place was packed with people, and as soon as she walked in, she spotted Liangxiao sitting at the bar. He held a glass of liquor, his gaze slightly deep as it followed the performance of Diya on stage, singing "Miss Dong."
Perhaps it was because the bar had dimmed its lights, Liangxiao himself didn't know how much affection was reflected in his eyes.
But what does it matter? Haibaihe thought. Liangxiao would never turn back again. If he didn't regret even at the moment of life and death, how could he possibly regret in the future?
So she quietly approached him and blew a breath into his ear. Liangxiao suddenly snapped out of his daze, and Haibaihe clung to his arm, acting coquettishly, "The traffic was so bad that I had to park the car on the roadside and walk here. You won't blame me for being late, right?"
Before Liangxiao could respond, she placed a finger on his lips. "Alright, I know I was wrong. How about I punish myself with a drink?"
With that, she grabbed the glass from his hand and downed it in one gulp.
Liangxiao chuckled. "When did I say I blamed you?" He wrapped his arm around her waist, and Haibaihe glanced around and realized there were no seats available. Without hesitation, she sat on his lap, and Liangxiao looked down at her. "You're quite ladylike today."
Haibaihe's attire wasn't revealing, but it had a touch of sensuality. Whether it was a hollowed-out back or exposed shoulders, she had a hint of allure. But today, she surprisingly wore a sky blue dress, still adorned with lace socks, but in a fresh and innocent Japanese style.
"This is my 'bestie' outfit." Haibaihe leaned closer, her eyes sparkling. "But I have bunny ears at home."
"Don't be like this." Liangxiao whispered in her ear. "I can only leave after the performance."
Haibaihe complained, "I didn't do anything. Am I not obedient enough?"
While the two were whispering to each other, the song came to an end, and Diya bowed off the stage, making way for the Hurricane Band. She had just put down her guitar, preparing to take a sip of her drink and relax, when she noticed Liangxiao sitting with a girl on his lap. Their intimacy made it clear they weren't newly acquainted.
She was momentarily stunned, but surprisingly, she didn't feel much surprise. With Liangxiao's charm, how could there be a lack of girls around him? Besides, they had already broken up officially, so it was only natural for him to find new love.
The only unexpected thing was that the girl happened to be an acquaintance. When she saw her approaching, she even waved at her. "Miss Di, I'm here. Your song was amazing."
"Thank you." Diya smiled in response, concealing her true thoughts from the subtle expression on her face.
Haibaihe admired their acting skills. Actors can redo a scene if they perform poorly, but undercover agents only have one chance.
Liangxiao raised an eyebrow. "Do you know each other?"
"I went rock climbing that day, and Miss Di was really impressive. I didn't expect you to sing so well too." Haibaihe praised her. "Let me treat you to a drink, Miss Di."
Diya responded graciously.
"I accept your offer."
In the time it took to finish a drink, Haibaihe had already discovered Diya's identity. It couldn't be ruled out that she was deliberately cooperating.
After the Hurricane Band performed two songs, Diya was about to go on stage again. Haibaihe turned to Liangxiao with a smile. "You said you'd treat me to a drink, but it seems like I'm the one earning money for you. Next time, I'd rather go busking."
"Playing the blame game? I invited you, and you ignored me, then started chatting with someone else." Liangxiao pushed his glass toward her. "You're fickle."
Haibaihe tilted her head and laughed. "Are you jealous of beautiful women?"
Liangxiao pointed behind her without saying a word.
Haibaihe turned her head and saw Zhuang Yijian approaching. She didn't show any embarrassment as if she was caught red-handed and waved at him cheerfully. "Long time no see, handsome."
"One soda, please. Thank you." Zhuang Yijian sat in the spot Diya had just vacated. "Long time no see."
He was good-looking, but his demeanor was a bit cold, making it difficult to have a conversation. Haibaihe was about to retreat when Zhuang Yijian unexpectedly asked, "You haven't been here for a long time."
Haibaihe involuntarily glanced at Liangxiao, who was drinking his liquor, seemingly fully focused on watching Diya's performance. But if the faint smirk on his lips was a bit less obvious, it would be even more perfect.
"After final exams and internships, I just came back recently."
Although Zhuang Yijian wasn't good at engaging in small talk, having worked in a bar for so long, he could understand subtle cues. Haibaihe was no longer interested in him.
He felt a dull discomfort in his heart and said quietly, "I see. That's why."
With those words, he turned and left.
Haibaihe muttered to herself, "..." Huh? What does that mean? It makes me feel like I'm the scum of the earth.
Liangxiao teased her, "Finished chatting? A few days ago, I even heard him asking about you. I thought you two were old acquaintances."
"Just because you sound jealous?" Haibaihe picked up a French fry, dipped it in ketchup, and fed it to him. "Once you've eaten my fries, you're mine. No more being mad."
After that, neither Diya nor Zhuang Yijian approached them again. By the time it was eleven o'clock, the performance for the night had ended. As the owner, Liangxiao suggested that they all have a late-night snack before leaving.
Near the subway station not far from the bar, there was a night market street. Haibaihe said, "There's a place that serves excellent crayfish. People start lining up around five or six."
All members of the Hurricane Band agreed. They were a four-member band: lead vocalist and captain Zhuang Yijian, bassist Wang Dong, rhythm guitarist Xiong Baobao, and drummer Mao Xiao.
Among them, Xiong Baobao was a girl.
To better integrate into her role, Diya, though not very interested, agreed to join them. That made a total of seven people.
They decided to take the subway to have the crayfish and then each take a taxi home.
They took Line 4 of the subway, which wasn't a popular route. It was already past eleven, nearing the last train, so the
subway wasn't crowded.
They entered the subway car at the very end, and as the subway doors closed with a "beep, beep, beep," Haibaihe suddenly felt dizzy. Fortunately, Liangxiao grabbed her, jokingly saying, "Drunk already? Just now, you were boasting that you could have another round."
"I'm not drunk." Haibaihe had a very ominous feeling, but the distance between the two stations was only about three to four minutes. It shouldn't...nothing bad should happen, right?
As if to cater to her speculation, the subway lights suddenly went out, and the train abruptly stopped, motionless.
People familiar with subway travel knew that occasional temporary stops like this could happen, so no one paid much attention. They continued chatting and some took out their phones to browse. But having no signal underground was also a common occurrence, so after the train stopped for three minutes, no one noticed anything unusual.
Haibaihe's dizziness gradually subsided, and her expression became serious. If she remembered correctly, similar situations happened to her before—once in a car accident and once in a coma. However, at those times, one was due to motion sickness and the other due to an injury, so she didn't suspect anything.
But now... what about now?
By the faint light of sporadic phone screens, she could vaguely see the people in the subway car. Liangxiao held her hand and said, "Why is your hand suddenly so cold?"
"Look over there." Haibaihe pointed in the direction of the other subway carriages.
Liangxiao glanced and didn't see anything remarkable...wait, he gasped, "There's no light at all."
In modern urban life, how could anyone be separated from their phones? But besides the sporadic lights around him, the other side was completely pitch-black.
Diya also felt something was off. "It seems... there's no sound either."
The subway had been stopped for several minutes now, but there was no sound of people talking from the other side. The lights went out, and without natural light underground, it felt like an invisible monster was squatting on the other end of the subway car, watching them intently.
Unconsciously, everyone held their breath. Mao Xiao swallowed nervously. "W-what's going on? It suddenly got so quiet."
Diya walked towards the second-to-last carriage, then came back. "I checked several carriages, and there's not a single person. What should we do?"
Her question was very practical. The fact that everyone else in the subway car had disappeared and they were trapped underground—what should they do?
A timid girl spoke softly, "Honey, I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid." Her boyfriend tried to maintain his composure. "It's probably just a subway malfunction."
Zhuang Yijian suddenly spoke up, "I think we should leave this place first."
The young man who had been dozing off disagreed, "At a time like this, we should wait here for rescue."
Wang Dong agreed with Zhuang Yijian. "But now it doesn't seem like a subway malfunction. People suddenly disappearing...this..." If it were a fire, a collision, or even an earthquake, everyone would panic and be afraid, but deep down, they would have a sense of what was happening.
But when people suddenly vanished from other subway carriages, that was a bit fantastical, beyond everyone's understanding. It felt like the opening scene of a horror movie.
Diya glanced at Liangxiao, who said, "Or we could first check the subway to see if everyone is missing. If they are, then we can figure
out what to do."
The others hesitated, not immediately agreeing.
The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then said, "I think that's a good idea. Maybe something happened up ahead, and everyone rushed there."
Liangxiao surveyed the people in the carriage. Apart from him, Haibaihe, Diya, and the Hurricane Band, there were five others—a middle-aged man in a suit holding a briefcase, a young man dozing off with headphones on, an IT-looking guy with a laptop backpack, a couple who seemed like college students, and a bespectacled office lady in professional attire.
"Does anyone want to go with us?" he asked.
Diya said, "I'll go with you."
Zhuang Yijian also spoke up, "I'll go too." As he did, the three members of the Hurricane Band naturally joined.
The middle-aged man stood up, indicating his support with action. The IT guy and the couple had an air of indifference, not budging from their seats. The office lady with glasses shook her head, her face pale. It seemed like she was suffering from menstrual cramps.
But she still said, "You better go."
The young girl became a little upset. "Why should we go with you? If something happens, are you taking responsibility?"
"Because I have a bad feeling." Haibaihe looked out the window. "Just now, I seemed to see something run past."