As soon as the shadow outside the door disappeared, I quickly pushed her hands away and got out of bed.
"I'm leaving now. Do as I told you. I'll find a chance to see you next Sunday."
"Wait!"
She jumped off the bed and rushed to me, tears in her eyes. "What's your name?"
Without looking at her, I said, "Ping'an, meaning safe and sound."
"Then you must keep me safe!"
She threw herself into my arms, crying softly.
This time, I didn't push her away.
Next time we meet...
There might not be a next time.
After a while, she left my embrace, wiped her tears, and said, "Thank you, Ping'an! You're a good man, and I'll remember you forever!"
My throat tightened, and my heart ached.
Not daring to make any promises about helping her escape, I opened the door and left without looking back.
"Remember to come see me. I'll be waiting for you here," she shouted after me.
I didn't turn around and walked quickly downstairs.
As I reached the corner on the first floor, I saw Liu Shiyi casually leaning against the wall, smoking.
"Supervisor, sorry for being late," I said, scratching my head awkwardly, worried he might have noticed my tricks.
"It's understandable. Young men are full of energy and might take longer.
When I was 20, I was the same. Couldn't get out of bed when I saw a pretty girl..."
Liu Shiyi blew smoke in my face and patted my lower back with a lewd smile.
"Control yourself. There's a tournament on Mid-Autumn Festival. No matter the reason, I don't want you to lose."
"I will, Supervisor." I felt speechless, pretending to be exhausted.
Wait a minute, didn't he say he was bent a long time ago? How could he still boast about his virility?
I've heard rumors about Liu Shiyi being bent, and they involve a guy known as Wrench.
Could it really be Wrench who bent him?
As I imagined them "sword fighting," I shuddered.
No way, Wrench couldn't have done that...
"Let's go! They're coming!"
Liu Shiyi, thinking I was reminiscing about the bed, didn't care and patted my shoulder.
"Okay."
I glanced at the stairs and followed him out of the casino through the back door.
Liu Shiyi had a good night, winning hundreds of thousands in chips, which he exchanged for cash, grinning from ear to ear.
Local big shots can come and go from the casino as they please, win or lose.
But outsiders, whether businessmen or gamblers, can only leave in their dreams, unless they leave their lives behind.
The casino exploits outsiders, making locals happy and rich.
If it weren't for business at the park, Liu Shiyi would have taken us to a massage parlor.
Blackie seemed to enjoy himself, walking with a spring in his step.
His smug look annoyed me, but as long as he didn't provoke me, I'd leave him be.
No need to create extra trouble.
After leaving the casino, Liu Shiyi changed his mind and had us switch cars. I took his car while he got in the SUV with Chen Weiqiang.
The other thugs stayed in their places.
I had no objections.
As we got into our respective cars, the driver started the engine, slowly driving out of the gambling street.
Little did we know, we were being watched.
"Be careful, don't get followed," Wrench warned the driver as we left the street.
"..." I looked at him, confused.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
Wrench seemed puzzled, touching his face, thinking there was something on it.
"Bro, be honest. Did you and, um... him..."
I couldn't say it outright, so I vaguely pointed to Liu Shiyi in the car behind us.
"What him? Who are you talking about?"
Wrench looked even more puzzled, not understanding what I was saying.
"You know, him! The one who bent him!"
I pointed to the car behind us, hinting furiously.
"What the hell? I'm Wrench! Did you mess up your brain with that girl?"
Wrench turned my head away, annoyed, and checked the rearview mirror.
"I swear, I didn't mess up with her. She tried to mess with me. Ah, no! She didn't mess with me, but she wanted to. I didn't let her, and I..."
I babbled nonsense, not knowing how to explain, making the driver and bodyguard in the front seats dizzy.
They exchanged glances, then gave me a meaningful look.
It felt like they were saying, "This kid's definitely bent."
"Hey, what's with those looks? Explain it to me."
I gave up on explaining "who messed with whom" and asked them to explain their looks.
"Oh my God, Chinese is too complicated. I don't understand," the bodyguard, a local, said, shrugging and smiling awkwardly.
I didn't believe him. "Really?"
"As real as it gets."
He used the phrase perfectly, leaving me speechless.
"What about you? You gave me that weird look. Were you mocking me?"
I grabbed the driver, not letting him off.
The driver turned around, delivering a perfect counter, "Hmm, I don't understand too well, but I get the gist.
You mean the girl wanted to mess with you, but you couldn't handle it. Then you worried Wrench would misunderstand, so you explained you were bent and couldn't mess with her..."
"Pfft!"
I almost spat blood. When did I get bent?
What kind of twisted logic is this!
"Ha ha ha, serves you right!"
Wrench burst out laughing, almost rolling on the floor.
"Get lost! Want me to bend your neck? See this, the girl kissed me just now. Anyone who says I'm bent, I'll... snap!"
I had no words, so I pretended to snap an invisible neck in frustration.
"Chinese friend, if you can't handle it, don't scare us. I won't play with you anymore."
The driver shook his head, ignoring me.
"Oh my God, I don't want my neck snapped. I'll say nothing. I don't speak Chinese, only Burmese!"
The bodyguard in the front quickly shut up, rubbing his neck while sneaking a laugh.
I sarcastically said, "Your Burmese is so good; it almost sounds like Chinese."
"Ha ha ha!" Wrench and the driver burst out laughing.
I rolled my eyes at them, ignoring them. Communication was impossible.
Severe language barrier.
Blame the complex beauty of Chinese characters, so profound.
"Get serious, stop laughing!" I growled at Wrench, who was still laughing.
"You say... pfft!"
Wrench couldn't stay serious for a second and burst out laughing again.
The driver and bodyguard couldn't help but laugh, too.
"Can't stand you gossiping men, always twisting my words."
I rolled down the window, looking at the desolate village outside...