She's My Sister

Chen Yuan was woken by his phone ringing.

He was lying on the sofa, with no idea when he had fallen asleep.

Moving had left him drenched in sweat, so he had taken a shower. He had only meant to lie down for a while, but his eyelids had grown heavy and he had drifted off.

His phone vibrated on the coffee table, buzzing away. The screen lit up, casting a patch of white light across the dim living room.

Chen Yuan rubbed his eyes and sat up. He glanced out the window. It was already pitch-black outside.

Why wasn't Sister Ezi back yet?

He picked up his phone. It was an unfamiliar number, local to Deep City.

"Hello?"

It was noisy on the other end, music and voices all mixed together.

A woman's voice came through, urgent and fast:

"Hello? Is this Chen Yuan? I'm Xiu'e's friend, Sister Wang."

Chen Yuan snapped awake. "Sister Wang? What's wrong with Sister Ezi?"

"She drank too much and can barely walk. Could you come pick her up? We're at Cashbox KTV in Futian. Do you know it?"

Chen Yuan was already on his feet, looking for his shoes. "I'll take a cab. Is she all right?"

"She's fine, she's fine. Just had too much to drink. Call me when you get here, and I'll come out to get you."

After hanging up, Chen Yuan pulled on his shoes, grabbed his phone and keys, and headed out.

He flagged down a taxi downstairs and gave the address. The driver nodded, stepped on the gas, and shot off.

Deep City's nightlife was only just getting started. With all the cars and traffic lights, they kept stopping and starting.

Chen Yuan sat in the back seat, watching the neon lights flash outside the window, feeling anxious.

After more than twenty minutes, the taxi stopped in front of a building.

Chen Yuan paid and got out, then looked up at Cashbox KTV. Its neon sign flashed pink and purple in turn. A row of little bulbs hung beside the large "Cashbox" lettering, but several had burned out, leaving a dark stretch.

A red carpet covered the entrance, and "Welcome" was pasted on the glass doors.

A security guard stood on either side of the doors, dressed in black uniforms and carrying radios. Both were leaning against the wall, smoking.

Chen Yuan pushed the door open and went inside. The lobby was small, its dim purple lighting giving people's faces a sickly tint.

Two young women behind the reception desk were looking down at their phones. Neither looked up at him.

Singing drifted out of the corridor. A man was belting out "Love Even in Death," his voice cracking on the high notes like a pig being slaughtered.

He took out his phone and called back. It rang five or six times before someone answered.

The noise on the other end was even worse now. Music, conversation, and shouting all blended into chaos.

Sister Wang's voice came through in broken snatches:

"Chen Yuan? Are you here?"

"I'm here, in the lobby. Which room are you in?"

"We're in..."

A sudden commotion broke out on the other end. Someone was arguing loudly, but he couldn't make out the words. Sister Wang's voice moved farther away, then closer again:

"Hold on..."

Then came a burst of muffled noise, as though someone had covered the phone. He could barely hear anything.

Chen Yuan frowned and pressed the phone closer to his ear. "Sister Wang? Sister Wang? What's going on?"

No one answered.

Someone was shouting on the other end, loud and aggressive. It wasn't Sister Wang, but a man, and Chen Yuan couldn't make out what he was yelling.

Then another man's voice sounded, even harsher, as though he was swearing at someone.

Chen Yuan's heart rose into his throat, and his voice grew louder. "Sister Wang? Where's Sister Ezi?"

Still no answer!

The other end was a jumble of noise. Something seemed to crash to the floor with a bang, followed by a woman's scream.

Panicking, Chen Yuan strode toward the corridor. "Sister Wang! Sister Wang! Say something!"

Just as he was about to hang up and rush inside to look for them, Sister Wang's voice finally came through again, urgent and trembling:

"Chen Yuan, hurry! Someone's blocking us from leaving. He's insisting on taking Xiu'e away! We're in..."

Before she could finish, the call cut off.

Chen Yuan clenched his phone and strode farther inside.

He didn't know which room Sister Ezi was in, but the corridor wasn't long, and he could see the corner at the far end.

He had only taken a few steps when two security guards came around the corner. Seeing Chen Yuan rushing inside, one tossed his cigarette butt onto the floor and stuck out an arm to stop him.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? Who are you looking for?"

Chen Yuan didn't stop. He drove his shoulder forward, striking the guard's outstretched arm.

The guard pitched sideways and hit the wall. His cap fell off, and his radio hit the floor. Its battery popped out and rolled a long way down the corridor.

The other guard froze for a moment, then reached for his shoulder. "You—"

Before he could finish, Chen Yuan had already passed him. A slight brush of Chen Yuan's shoulder sent the guard stumbling backward several steps before he landed on his backside, looking utterly bewildered.

Chen Yuan rounded the corner, and the space ahead opened up.

It was a lounge with several rows of leather sofas. Sunflower seed shells and fruit peels littered the coffee tables, and the chandelier overhead was dazzlingly bright. A crowd stood there, divided into two groups facing off.

He spotted Sister Ezi at once.

She was leaning against a woman, her head hanging down, her face as red as a boiled shrimp. Her eyes were closed, and she was mumbling something he couldn't make out.

Two young women supported her, one on either side, with her arms draped over their shoulders. Her legs were weak, and she could barely stand, her whole body sagging toward the floor.

Several men and women stood nearby, all looking frightened. They huddled together, afraid to step forward.

Seven or eight people stood opposite them.

Their leader was a burly man of thirty-five or thirty-six, over six feet tall and built like an ox. His neck was as thick as a thigh, and his chest muscles bulged beneath a tight black T-shirt. A dragon was tattooed on his arm, its open-mouthed head peeking out from his sleeve, looking menacing.

Seven or eight young men stood behind him, some fat, some thin, some tall, some short. They all had their hands on their hips and their heads tilted, looking as though they were enjoying the show.

The burly man was pointing right in Sister Wang's face and cursing. "Who the fuck do you think you are? You think you can ignore what I say?"

Sister Wang looked thirty-seven or thirty-eight and wore a floral blouse. She stood in front of Zhang Xiu'e, her face flushed and her lips trembling, but she still refused to back down.

"She's my colleague. I'm taking her away. What's it got to do with you?"

"You're taking her away?"

The burly man laughed, exposing a mouthful of tobacco-yellowed teeth, the heavy flesh on his face shaking.

"You think you can just take her away? Where does that leave me?"

Sister Wang's voice shook, but she held her ground:

"She's had too much. She can't drink any more. If you want someone to drink with, I'll stay and drink with you."

The burly man looked her up and down, then sneered:

"You? Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

The men behind him joined in the laughter, which echoed through the corridor.

Sister Wang's face went pale. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't get a word out.

Chen Yuan ran over to Zhang Xiu'e.

He checked Sister Ezi first. Her face was bright red, her breathing heavy, and she reeked of alcohol.

She wasn't awake, but she didn't seem hurt, just drunk. The weight lifted from Chen Yuan's chest, and he turned to Sister Wang.

"Sister Wang? I'm Chen Yuan. What happened?"

When Sister Wang saw him, it was as though help had finally arrived. Her eyes reddened at once, and her words came fast and urgent:

"After the welcome party, everyone suggested coming to KTV to sing for a while. Everything was fine, but this man ran into Xiu'e in the corridor and insisted on dragging her to his room for drinks. She refused, so he blocked us from leaving."

Chen Yuan listened without any change in expression, but his fingers tightened around his phone.

Hearing the commotion, the burly man turned to look at Chen Yuan.

He scanned him from head to toe: T-shirt, casual trousers, sneakers. Just an ordinary young guy. The corners of his mouth turned down, and he scoffed.

"Who are you?"

Chen Yuan ignored him and turned to Sister Wang. "You all go ahead. I'll take Sister Ezi home now."

The burly man's expression changed. He stepped forward and blocked Chen Yuan's path like a wall.

"I'm fucking talking to you. Are you deaf?"

Chen Yuan looked up at him. "She's drunk. I need to take her home."

The burly man stared at him for two seconds, then laughed. He turned to glance at the men behind him, and they laughed too.

When he finished laughing, he turned back and looked down at Chen Yuan.

He was half a head taller than Chen Yuan and towered over him. He lowered his voice, but every word carried a vicious edge:

"You're taking her away? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Chen Yuan didn't shrink back. He stood his ground and met the man's eyes.

"She's my sister."

The burly man laughed again, even harder this time. He reached out and patted Chen Yuan's shoulder, each heavy slap treating him like a child.

"Little brother, your sister's spending tonight with me. Tomorrow, I'll take her home myself. Don't worry. She won't lose a single hair."

The men behind him burst out laughing again, and someone whistled.

Sister Wang's face went white. She opened her mouth to speak, but someone beside her held her back.

Chen Yuan said nothing.

He removed the burly man's hand from his shoulder, neither hurried nor slow. The man's expression changed.

He tried to pull free, but couldn't. When Chen Yuan let go, a red mark remained on the man's wrist.

He looked down at his wrist, then back up at Chen Yuan, his gaze changing.

His joking grin vanished. The corners of his mouth turned down, and something hardened in his eyes.

"All right, you've got a little skill." The burly man flexed his wrist and stepped closer. "But you'd better understand where you are, and who calls the shots here."