C9 Chapter 9

“Jing, stop. Don’t dig into this anymore. It has nothing to do with this dining hall. Forget about me, and live your life,” the guy said, shaking his head.

“No. I won’t!” Liang Jing screamed through her tears.

“Jing. Promise me you’ll take care of yourself—and Mom and Dad. I’ve been stuck here way too long. I can finally go.” A hint of relief flickered across his face, and then his body began to fade.

He’d only been able to linger in this world by clinging to resentment. The moment that resentment let go, his spirit would be pulled away.

“Bro… bro… bro…” Liang Jing sobbed and tried to rush forward. I grabbed her tight. Poor kid—there was no stopping it.

“Goodbye… and thank you, local…” His last words were meant for me.

Me: “...........”

Liang Jing watched him vanish completely, then collapsed into my arms, crying her eyes out.

I let out a long sigh. There are too many things in this world you can’t untangle. Most of the time, you don’t get to choose—you just wave goodbye through tears.

The next day, after orientation and class, I asked Liang Jing to meet up. I didn’t know if she could really bounce back after that kind of emotional whiplash. Feelings are complicated, and—

“Wu Xiaogang! Asking me out the second class ends? What, you trying to hit on me? Let me tell you right now—no chance! And don’t even think about it if you’re younger than me!”

Looks like I was wrong. She recovered faster than anyone.

I got back to business and put on my serious face. “Talk to me. What was really going on with your brother? What were you investigating?”

The moment I brought it up, Liang Jing went quiet. After a long pause, she finally looked up. “Fine. I’ll tell you.”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“My brother got into this school last year for one reason: to track down a drug trafficking ring. They ruined my dad’s life—left him partially paralyzed, stuck in bed. My brother was hunting for evidence, trying to get my dad justice.”

Last year, he found out the guy who ran this cafeteria was actually a mid-level player in a drug ring, so he gave up his shot at transferring to a better school and came here instead. No one knows what he dug up exactly, but somehow he got set up. After that, the cafeteria owner got replaced. And later on, I tested in and ended up here too. That’s it.”

Liang Jing finished and fell silent.

I nodded. “Your brother already told you to stop digging, which means he found something else—something that puts you in real danger. He told you to back off because he’s trying to keep you safe. If you ask me, you should listen to him.”

Liang Jing shook her head hard. “No way. I’m not giving up. I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”

“Oh, right!” She suddenly looked up at me. “Wu Xiaogang, you’re really something—you even catch ghosts! If I ever need help, I’ll come to you. No need to be polite!”

“Me…? Like hell. Don’t even think about dragging me into this mess. I’m telling you right now—I’m out. Everybody knows those drug crews are ruthless. Knives don’t miss, and bullets don’t care. I’m not about to die for nothing and waste the best years of my life. Back off.” I shot her down on the spot.

But Liang Jing blinked, and a faint, secretive smile tugged at her lips. “I’m afraid you’re already in it…” She pointed behind me.

I turned around and saw the same ugly guys from last time—the ones who’d been harassing Liang Jing on the street. The tall one was still in front. Only this time, behind them were… one, two, three… more than thirty guys…

Liang Jing leaned in and whispered in my ear, “The tallest one is the top dog in our department. His name’s Li Yifeng, but everyone calls him Young Master Li. I heard his uncle’s tied in with gangs and drugs. You crossed him—he’s not going to let it go. Perfect. We can use this and follow the trail all the way back to the people running the whole operation…”

I was drenched in sweat, shaking as I stammered, “H-Hell no... You really think I’m Iron Man or something—like I can take on forty or fifty guys by myself?”

Liang Jing’s eyes went wide. “You can’t?”

“Are you kidding me? When did I ever say I could?”

“Ah! If that’s the case, then... who are you? Why am I even with you? Sorry—I’ve got the wrong person...” With that, she slipped to the side and acted like she didn’t know me, staring off in another direction.

Me: “........” Like swallowing a mouthful of bitter medicine—hurting, but with nowhere to complain.

Li Yifeng walked up in front of me, and his guys immediately closed in, surrounding me.

I took one look—yeah, of course. They came armed with stuff in their hands.

My face hardened. “What, you here for payback?”

Li Yifeng lifted the metal baton in his hand. “What do you think?”

I pretended to stay calm and wiped my forehead. “This is the library. The school’s gonna get involved.”

“I beat the principal’s mom half to death yesterday...” Li Yifeng sneered, his grin twisted.

Inside, I was thinking, “I’m screwed. I’m so screwed. Liang Jing, you absolute—” I shot Liang Jing a glare and saw her calmly staring at a book in her hands like nothing was happening. She even quietly gave me a thumbs-up—like, You got this!

Yeah, thanks a lot.

I swallowed hard, about to beg for mercy, when another voice suddenly cut in—cool, high-class, and dripping with contempt.

“Whose mom did you beat?”