A midnight call

Wang Xiaoliang's distrust was practically written all over his face.

Liu Xinyu noticed.

He did not get angry. Instead, he smiled, drained the rest of his drink, then set the glass down heavily on the table.

"My family's been in business for three generations."

His very first words left Wang Xiaoliang stunned.

"My grandfather started out trading grain and cloth ration coupons. My father opened factories and went into foreign trade. Growing up, everything I saw and everything in my head was business."

Liu Xinyu spoke slowly, brimming with confidence. He seemed like a completely different person from his usual self.

"Trust me. My business instincts are more reliable than anything you'd get from reading a hundred books in the Library."

"I don't do business at school because my dad won't let me." He gave a self-deprecating smile. "One of his dreams is for our family to produce a proper scholar. Preferably someone who can become an official and bring honor to the family."

Wang Xiaoliang listened in silence.

So that was why.

No wonder Liu Xinyu kept such a low profile. Nothing about him suggested he came from a wealthy family.

"Then why does he want you to go home and help now?" Wang Xiaoliang asked the question on his mind.

"Maybe he feels like he's getting old." Liu Xinyu's wistfulness seemed genuine. "He suddenly changed his mind this year, and he was very firm about it. He wants me home helping out as soon as I graduate. He won't even let me consider graduate school or the civil service exams anymore."

With that, Liu Xinyu turned his attention back to Wang Xiaoliang.

This time, his expression became solemn.

"Xiaoliang, if you don't have a better option, you can come work with me."

"As long as you keep up this drive, I guarantee you won't have to worry about making a living. You'll definitely do better than most of our classmates."

The offer was incredibly tempting.

An heir to a wealthy family, whose business ability had already been proven, was personally inviting him.

For any college student about to graduate and facing an uncertain future, it was a gift they could hardly refuse.

Wang Xiaoliang was genuinely tempted.

But almost immediately, he thought of his Book of Fate.

The Book of Fate's hints were vague, yet crucial.

It had guided him into starting seemingly insignificant "ventures" like selling drinks and collecting scrap.

The Book of Fate's logic was to go with the flow, allowing the "ventures" he had already established to keep growing.

Walking away on a whim to work for someone else would mean abandoning his own ventures.

Although those foundations now seemed unstable, even a little ridiculous, they belonged entirely to him.

That sense of control gave him a security money could not replace.

Wang Xiaoliang thought for a few seconds, then made his decision.

"Thank you, Xinyu. Really." He spoke sincerely. "But I still want to try making it on my own first. Here at school, or here in this city. I want to see how far I can get."

He paused, then added, "If I really can't make it after six months or a year, I'll come to you. Just don't turn me away then."

Liu Xinyu was neither surprised nor upset by the rejection.

He simply gave Wang Xiaoliang a long look, then nodded.

"All right."

"You'll do well," Liu Xinyu said with certainty. "Maybe we can even work together someday."

A server came over and politely reminded them that the restaurant was closing.

Liu Xinyu stood and left the private room to pay.

Wang Xiaoliang bent down and deftly picked up the empty beer bottles scattered beneath the table, carefully placing them one by one into a beer crate in the corner.

He did it naturally, without the slightest embarrassment.

When Liu Xinyu returned after paying, he caught Wang Xiaoliang putting the last bottle into the crate and preparing to lift it.

Liu Xinyu said nothing.

He did not mock him or laugh, nor did he show even a hint of surprise.

He simply walked over in silence and gave Wang Xiaoliang a thumbs-up.

They left the restaurant carrying a crate each.

The evening breeze brushed their faces. The alcohol went to their heads, leaving their steps a little unsteady.

Back in the dorm room, Li Jun's bed was still empty, his quilt neatly folded.

He'd probably gone to an internet café for the night.

Wang Xiaoliang gave it no further thought. He shoved the beer crate under his bed, then took his toiletries to the washroom.

After washing up, he practically collapsed onto his bed.

The alcohol hastened his drowsiness.

He soon fell asleep.

Some time later, an insistent ringtone jolted him awake.

Still groggy, Wang Xiaoliang fumbled beneath his pillow for his phone, barely able to open his eyes.

"Hello?"

"Is this Wang Xiaoliang?" A stern male voice came from the other end.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I'm from campus security. Get dressed and come downstairs right now. I'm driving over to pick you up."

Campus security?

Wang Xiaoliang jolted, suddenly much more awake.

Surely selling a few drinks and collecting scrap wasn't enough to get campus security involved?

Even if they wanted to stop him, why come pick him up by car in the middle of the night?

Something wasn't right.

"Sir, may I ask what this is about?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"You'll find out when you come down. Hurry." The man's tone brooked no argument, and he hung up immediately.

Puzzled and faintly uneasy, Wang Xiaoliang nevertheless scrambled out of bed and hastily pulled on his clothes.

He hurried downstairs.

The dormitory entrance, which should have been locked, was actually standing ajar.

The elderly dorm attendant on duty was craning his neck to look outside.

A black Santana sat quietly beneath the streetlight outside the entrance.

Wang Xiaoliang pushed open the door and walked out. The car window rolled down.

The man in the driver's seat was the same security officer who had handled the arrangements after Old Third's death.

At least he was a familiar face.

"Get in." The officer tilted his head at him.

Wang Xiaoliang opened the rear door and climbed in.

The car pulled away immediately, without another word.

"Sir, what exactly happened?" Wang Xiaoliang could not help asking again.

The officer kept his eyes on the road, driving fast but steadily.

"Li Jun was arrested for soliciting a prostitute."

Li Jun? A prostitute?

So that was what he'd meant by two hundred a time, eight hundred a month.

"We're going to the police station to bring him back," the officer continued.

Wang Xiaoliang was utterly bewildered. "Why do I need to go?"

"I'm representing the school," the officer explained. "Li Jun specifically asked for you. Also..."

He paused and glanced at Wang Xiaoliang in the rearview mirror.

"Do you have any cash on you? There's a fine to pay."

"How much?"

"Two thousand."

Then the officer added in an exceptionally serious tone, "Remember two things. First, once we leave the station and return to campus, this stays between you, me, and Li Jun. No fourth person can know. Second, keep an eye on Li Jun over the next few days. Make sure he doesn't despair and do something drastic."

Wang Xiaoliang felt his throat go dry.

All he could do was nod mechanically.

The car soon arrived outside a police station.

At this late hour, only the duty room was lit.

The security officer led Wang Xiaoliang inside, clearly familiar with the place.

The moment he entered, Wang Xiaoliang understood.

The police station and the school must have reached some tacit agreement.

As long as a student's offense was not criminal, it would be handled internally. A fine was acceptable, but any record or disciplinary action would be quietly suppressed.

That was also why this had to be dealt with so swiftly in the middle of the night.

He spotted Li Jun in a corner of the office.

Li Jun must have sobered up considerably. Dressed in his own clothes, he huddled in a chair with his head buried deep between his knees, utterly motionless.

A young police officer received them.

The paperwork was completed quickly.

The fine was two thousand.

Li Jun raised his head and looked at Wang Xiaoliang, his eyes full of pleading.

Without hesitation, Wang Xiaoliang stepped forward and paid the fine.

After paying his rent and now this fine, he had little money left.

"Thank you... Thank you, Xiaoliang..." Li Jun looked at him, repeating the words over and over.

Once the paperwork was done, the police officer gave Li Jun a perfunctory lecture, then told the security officer, "All right, Old Huang. You can take him back. Let's grab a meal sometime."

Throughout the process, he had been friendly and had not made things difficult in the slightest.

The atmosphere in the car on the way back was unbearably oppressive.

Li Jun sat on the other side of the back seat, leaning against the window with his head still bowed.

As he drove, the security officer spoke to Li Jun.

"Li Jun, you should voluntarily withdraw from school. You won't be able to graduate, and you won't receive a degree."

Li Jun's body shook violently.

He neither argued nor pleaded. He only said in a barely audible voice, "Thank you... Thank you, sir..."

"Don't thank me." The officer sighed. "If you want to thank someone, thank Vice Principal Song. He told me to handle it this way. Keep it quiet and settle it quickly. He said one mistake shouldn't ruin a young person's whole life."

Wang Xiaoliang also murmured, "Thank you, sir. Thank you, Vice Principal Song."

The car returned to the dormitory.

The elderly dorm attendant was still awake. Seeing them return, he immediately grumbled at Li Jun, "You young people these days! Of all the things you could do, you had to get into a fight! Look where it got you-the police station! Think more about your parents next time!"

Wang Xiaoliang immediately understood that this was the cover story the security officer had prepared for Li Jun.

His regard for the officer grew further.

Back in their room, Wang Xiaoliang locked the door behind them.

Looking at Li Jun, who seemed utterly lost, like a walking corpse, he felt a thousand words lodge in his throat.

In the end, all he said was, "Get some sleep. Whatever it is, we'll talk tomorrow."

Li Jun obediently undressed in silence, climbed into bed, and pulled the quilt over his head.

Before long, the quilt began to tremble.

Li Jun was crying.

Wang Xiaoliang stood where he was, watching that curled-up outline.

He knew the dormitory windows had special safety fittings that prevented anyone from jumping out.

But he still could not rest easy.

He decided not to sleep that night, but to stay up watching over Li Jun.

Yet he had drunk too much that day and then made the long trip to the police station. Once the intense tension eased, exhaustion took over.

He leaned back in his chair, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

He did not last long before falling sound asleep.

An inexplicable pang of dread jolted Wang Xiaoliang awake.

He opened his eyes. It was already broad daylight.

Instinctively, he turned toward the bed opposite his.

Li Jun's bed was empty.