When Xiao Qi received Mo Yu's text message, he was already asleep in his rented apartment.
The bar was closed for the past few days, so he could go to bed early, which was rare for him. Although he never had the habit of going to bed early, and should have taken advantage of this leisurely time to play games at the internet cafe, ever since Mo Yu came, his mind was filled with the image of that girl. He didn't know why he felt this way; so many beautiful girls came and went in the bar every day, but none of them had ever given him this kind of heart-fluttering feeling.
He had originally planned to Mo Yu out for a late-night snack, but the girl seemed to be in a bad mood; that bastard Jiang Deqian had hurt her too deeply. Xiao Qi had tried his best to comfort her, but he knew that such emotional trauma wouldn't heal in a day or two.
The proprietress told him not to rush and suggested that he invite Qingmu and the four of them go shopping together tomorrow, which would give him and Mo Yu a chance to be alone.
Shopping always involves buying something, and after a long day of shopping, it's time to eat. He was already planning what to buy for Mo Yu tomorrow and where to have lunch. He remembered a very charming restaurant on Yangtze River Road called "No Words, No Speech," a name that seemed tailor-made for Mo Yu.
Just as he was happily fantasizing about their sweet future, his phone rang. Mo Yu had sent a text message: " Xiao Qi, thank you for your concern, but I am no longer a pure person and don't deserve this treatment from you. You are a good person and will be happy."
Xiao Qi's heart sank from the clouds to the bottom of the sea; everything was dark and gloomy, devoid of light.
He immediately dialed Mo Yu's cell phone, but it was already switched off.
He called the landlady again, and she said Mo Yu was already asleep and asked him to wait while she went to check on her. After a while, the landlady called back and said Mo Yu was missing.
He rushed back to Liuying Lane, went into Ruhua Bar, and showed the text message to the proprietress. Bi Shenghua handed Xiao Qi a piece of paper and said, "This was found on her bedside table."
Xiao Qi glanced at it; it was a note addressed to the landlady, containing nothing more than words of thanks and apology—basically, a message of leaving without saying goodbye.
Xiao Qi asked anxiously, "Could it be that she's thinking of doing something drastic?"
Bi Shenghua wasn't sure either, and could only comfort her, "It shouldn't be that bad. What Jiang Deqian said isn't necessarily true."
Xiao Qi said, "Then she wouldn't go to Jiang Deqian, would she? Oh dear, wouldn't that be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den, delivering herself right to its doorstep?"
Bi Shenghua said, "No, even if she were to have suicidal thoughts, she's not stupid. I bet she went back to school."
"What should we do? Should we call the police?" Xiao Qi was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Bi Shenghua said, "We're not her guardians, why would we call the police? They won't care. Maybe we should go to her school to look for her, but unfortunately we don't know where she lived before. I heard she rented a place."
Xiao Qi slapped his thigh and said, "I know, we were chatting about it a couple of days ago. I think it's in Building 11 of Spring Moon Garden, but I don't know which floor or room."
Bi Shenghua said, "Then let's go first and see. If necessary, we can knock on a few more doors and ask."
They hurriedly closed the bar door. Bi Shenghua took a small pot of Echeveria elegans and placed it by the back door, with a key underneath. She muttered to herself, "That idiot probably doesn't have a key. This should be conspicuous enough!"
The two hailed a taxi and arrived at Spring Moon Garden in about half an hour.
Spring Moon Garden is considered a high-end residential area, and you need a card to enter the gate. Xiao Qi was a little apprehensive and hesitated, unsure of what to do. Bi Shenghua saw a woman walking her dog towards the gate, gave Xiao Qi a wink, and followed behind the woman.
As she walked in, she complimented the woman's dog, asking what breed it was and where she bought it. The woman swiped her card while happily telling her about her "son's" origins. The two chatted and laughed as they entered the house, but Xiao Qi, who was following behind them, was stopped by security.
"Hey, where are you from?" the security guard asked.
"I... I..." Xiao Qi stammered, unsure how to answer.
Bi Shenghua reached out to stop the door from closing automatically and called out to Xiao Qi, "Hey, hurry up! My computer really needs to be used!"
Xiao Qi had a sudden inspiration and understood, saying, "Oh, right... right away." He then pretended to stammer and said to the security guard, "I... I'll fix... fix the electricity, ah, the electricity..."
Bi Shenghua smiled at the security guard and called out, "Computer repairman!"
The security guard returned the smile, waved to Xiao Qi, and let him in.
After entering the gate, Bi Shenghua said, "Not bad, you reacted quickly."
Xiao Qi Chao Bi Shenghua gave a thumbs up. "The boss lady is really amazing!"
After searching around the neighborhood, I discovered that Building 11 was actually a row house.
"That's quite extravagant!" Bi Shenghua knew that the rent for townhouses in this area was not low.
The terraced house looks a bit old; the front door and exterior walls are very worn, and there's no video intercom at the entrance, just a regular doorbell.
Xiao Qi pressed the button, and a ringing sound came from inside. Then he heard a woman's voice ask, "Who is it?"
Is Mo Yu here?
"Who are you?"
"We work at the bar. She suddenly left today, and we're worried about her, so we came to look for her."
"From the bar?" The woman's voice paused for a moment. "Oh, she's back already, don't worry."
"Can we go in and see her?" Xiao Qi asked.
The woman said, "She's already asleep. Come back tomorrow."
Xiao Qi was still worried and asked again, "Is she alright? Could you go check on her? Maybe she's not asleep yet. Just tell her we've come to see her."
The woman said, "Hey, what's wrong with you? I told you she was asleep, why would I lie to you? You guys go." Then there was a click, probably from hanging up the intercom.
Xiao Qi was still unwilling to give up, Bi Shenghua said, "Forget it, forget it. If they won't let you in, do you think you can just barge in?"
Xiao Qi said, "Then I'll sit at her door and wait; she'll wake up eventually."
Bi Shenghua said, "What are you doing, acting like a lovesick fool? How stupid!"
Xiao Qi left dejectedly with Bi Shenghua.
I had only walked a few steps, less than fifty meters from house number 11, when a man approached while talking on the phone. "What exactly happened? Do you know that guy surnamed Jiang almost killed me?"
Xiao Qi was looking down, seemingly lost in thought. Bi Shenghua tugged at his sleeve, gestured towards the man who had just walked past them, and then quietly followed him.
The man said, "Are those broken mirrors of yours even effective? You're finally back, don't let anyone run away again this time!"
The man stopped where they had just rang the doorbell and said, "Alright, I'm at your door now. Open the door. This time I'm going to teach that girl a lesson. She really didn't listen to reason!"