Didn't Come (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Li Tong stood at the entrance of the newly opened restaurant at West Street Crossing, his hands tucked into his trouser pockets and a harmless smile plastered on his face.

He was flanked by two men—one bald, the other sporting a thick beard—both of them burly, thick-necked brutes with faces full of menace.

The two men wore grey cloth jackets with their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, revealing thick, sturdy forearms that marked them as hardened men who had practiced martial arts for years.

"Li Tong, is that kid you mentioned really worth that much?"

The bald man lowered his voice, his eyes scanning the street.

"A hundred silver dollars, plus two bolts of silk—if not more."

Li Tong's lips curled, his tone tinged with a hint of smugness.

"A gatekeeper's son comes into such a windfall; wouldn't it be wrong if he didn't cough some of it up?"

"Heh, that's true."

The bearded man licked his lips.

"But if we pull this off tonight, besides the fifty silver dollars, you'll have to let that new girlfriend of yours keep us company for the night!"

Li Tong straightened his collar, his smile deepening.

"No problem, but I get first dibs..."

"Fine, you go first..."

The bald man and the bearded man exchanged glances and grinned simultaneously.

Just then, Cuicui turned the corner, dressed in a school uniform with her hair tied into a long, pitch-black braid.

"Cuicui, over here."

Li Tong waved at her with a smile, his tone as sweet as honey.

Cuicui hurried over, her eyes darting to the two vicious men behind Li Tong, her expression turning nervous.

The way those two men looked at her was as if they were appraising a piece of merchandise; the naked possessiveness in their gazes made her deeply uncomfortable.

"Brother Tong, who are these two..."

"Oh, just friends. We happened to run into each other while grabbing a bite."

Li Tong made up an excuse on the spot and reached out to drape an arm around Cuicui's shoulders.

"Where is Fang Shuwen? When is he getting here?"

"He said he'd come after school; he should be here soon."

Cuicui lowered her head, her voice wavering as she felt an urge to go home.

Li Tong felt her shoulders tremble slightly and patted her back, his tone becoming even gentler:

"Don't be nervous. We're just having a meal and making friends. You made sure to tell your neighbor, right? Don't mess this up."

"I told him, he agreed."

Cuicui looked up and forced a smile.

Li Tong nodded in satisfaction.

The group then walked into the shop.

The sky darkened completely before long.

The shops along the street lit their lamps one by one, casting dim, yellow halos of light from their windows.

Customers in the restaurant came and went in waves.

The waiter had refilled their tea three times, and by the fourth, he could no longer maintain his smile.

Only the intimidating aura of the group kept him from urging them to leave.

The tea in Cuicui's cup had long since gone cold; she picked it up, took a sip, and set it back down.

"Brother Tong... why don't we stop waiting?"

"It's already nine o'clock. If I don't go back now, my mother will be worried!"

Her voice was very low, laced with a hint of pleading.

Hearing this, the smile on Li Tong's face had long since vanished, replaced by an impatient gloom.

He slammed his teacup onto the table with a sharp "clack."

"Wait a little longer."

The three words were hard and left no room for negotiation.

Cuicui shrank back, not daring to utter another word.

Li Tong's gloomy expression made him feel somewhat like a stranger to her.

At the same time, she inexplicably recalled Fang Shuwen telling her the day before yesterday that Li Tong was problematic and that she should stop seeing him.

Could what Fang Shuwen said be true?

The bald man and the bearded man sat at the table nearby, a small pile of sunflower seed shells accumulating in front of them.

The bald man yawned, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Li Tong and Cuicui twice, a vague, inscrutable smile hanging on the corners of his mouth.

Regardless of whether that person came or not, they certainly wouldn't be at a loss tonight.

After a moment of thought, he walked over to Li Tong and the girl.

"Li Tong, I'm asking you, is your friend coming or not? Our legs have gone numb from sitting."

"Exactly."

The bearded man chimed in, reaching out to tap on the table.

As the two spoke, their gazes remained coldly fixed on Li Tong.

Li Tong's complexion turned even uglier.

He glanced at the wall clock; the hour hand was already pointing at nine.

From the time school ended until now, a full three hours had passed.

If Fang Shuwen had wanted to come, he would have been here long ago.

The other party was definitely not coming.

Forget it, he would just have to sacrifice Cuicui.

She wasn't a virgin anyway, so even if he sold her for a bit less, there was still a profit to be made.

Li Tong stood up.

"No more waiting, let's go."

Cuicui hurriedly stood up as well, grabbing her schoolbag and preparing to head out.

"Cuicui."

Outside the shop, in the dim alleyway.

Li Tong called out to her, the gloom on his face receding slightly as he put back on that gentle smile.

At that moment, the bald man and his companion blocked her path.

"Don't be in such a rush to leave, little sister."

The bald man grinned, revealing two rows of yellowed teeth, and reached out to pat Cuicui on the shoulder.

"Your Brother Tong asked us to help out; you can't expect us to have made this trip for nothing, right?"

Cuicui's shoulder shrank under his touch, and she retreated half a step, her back bumping into the bearded man's chest.

"Exactly."

The bearded man lowered his head, his gaze roaming up and down Cuicui's body as he clicked his tongue twice.

"We waited for three hours without even a drop of water to drink. How about this, little sister? Let's find another place, you keep us company for a couple of drinks, and then you can go home. How does that sound?"

Cuicui's face turned deathly pale.

She understood in an instant what these two men wanted!

She whipped her head around to look at Li Tong.

"Brother Tong!"

Her voice was already laced with a sob.

Li Tong stood by the table, hands in his pockets, watching her.

He did not move.

The gentleness on his face faded bit by bit, revealing the cold, indifferent mask beneath.

There was no emotion in those eyes.

He didn't look like he was looking at a person.

Cuicui's heart sank, and a terrible premonition washed over her.

"Brother Tong... you... say something..."

Her voice trembled, and her eyes were already red.

Li Tong finally spoke.

"Cuicui, my two brothers have been waiting all night. It really wouldn't be right if you didn't have a drink with them."

His tone was flat, as if he were stating something perfectly natural.

Cuicui's tears gushed out instantly.

She shoved the bald man away violently and bolted toward the mouth of the alley.

The bald man grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

"What are you running for?"

His strength was astonishing; Cuicui was spun halfway around by his pull.

"Let go of me!"

Cuicui struggled, her voice turning shrill and distorted.

But in this alley, there was no one around.

And even if there were, in a situation like this, no one would dare meddle.

"Li Tong! Save me!"

Li Tong stood where he was, watching her with an expressionless face, as if observing a farce that had nothing to do with him.

The bald man gripped Cuicui's arm, using his other hand to cover her mouth.

"Stop screaming, it's useless."

"You didn't know, did you? This boyfriend of yours has more than just one girlfriend. And as for those other girlfriends of his, they were sold off to Shenghai long ago!"

In an instant, Cuicui's eyes widened in disbelief.

Fang Shuwen was right; Li Tong was truly not a good person!

At this moment, Cuicui felt immense regret for not listening to Little Fang.

But in an instant, resentment took its place.

If Little Fang knew Li Tong wasn't a good person, why didn't he come tonight!

If he had come, perhaps these people wouldn't have dared to touch her!