Chapter 13: The Truth Revealed

In He Fei’s internet café, a third of the patrons were truant students. When the political education directors led their teams inside, the entire café erupted into chaos. He Fei was in a private room, fondling Wu Lihong when the commotion outside caught his attention. Furiously slamming the table, he shouted, “Damn it! Which bastard dares to cause trouble here?” Wu Lihong’s expression changed sharply. “Could it be Chen Xuewen?” she asked. He Fei was momentarily stunned. “No way, that kid’s got guts to come here?” Just then, one of his underlings pushed the door open. “Brother Fei, bad news! Several political education directors from nearby high schools have come to round up students.” Hearing this, He Fei shuddered in fear. “Damn, how did it come to this?” Usually, no one bothered this shady internet café, but now with so many directors raiding the place, this was serious. If things escalated, the law enforcement teams would surely get involved, and that would be trouble for him. Hastily, he opened a drawer, pulled out several packs of premium cigarettes and a stack of bills. “Let’s go see what’s going on.”

Wu Lihong intended to accompany He Fei, but as she reached the door, she spotted Director Wang from her former school. Her face immediately paled, and she quickly retreated into the room. “I... I’m not going out.” She had been disciplined by Director Wang many times during her school days, and even though she wasn’t a student anymore, being seen now would be embarrassing. He Fei nodded in understanding and didn’t want her to go out either, fearing the conflict might worsen. He and a few of his men hurried over, smiling and making polite conversation with the political education directors. Meanwhile, the students caught inside the café cowered in fear, trembling silently by the walls. The attention of everyone in the café was focused on this tense scene. It was under these circumstances that Chen Xuewen stealthily slipped in from behind and approached He Fei’s private room. Wu Lihong, hiding behind the door, was quietly watching the directors outside and didn’t notice anyone approaching. Chen Xuewen gripped a bone-cutting knife tightly, silently creeping forward. With one hand, he covered Wu Lihong’s mouth; with the other, he pressed the knife against her pale neck. “Don’t make a sound, or I’ll kill you!” His voice was icy cold. The blade cut through her skin, and blood trickled down her white flesh.

Wu Lihong shivered in terror as she looked at the man with bloodshot eyes before her and could only nod in submission. Chen Xuewen wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pressed the knife against her waist with the other, pulling her out through the back door as if they were lovers. The bone-cutting knife remained at her side; if she showed the slightest resistance, he would kill her instantly. Whether out of fear or resignation, Wu Lihong offered no struggle and was easily led out of the café by Chen Xuewen. Night had fully fallen. They walked along a pitch-dark path, avoiding crowded areas. The journey was relatively smooth, and Chen Xuewen eventually brought Wu Lihong to the abandoned brick factory they had been to before. Only then did he finally exhale in relief. He roughly threw Wu Lihong to the ground, holding the bone-cutting knife and towering over her. In a low voice, he said, “Do you know who I am?” Wu Lihong slowly sat up, catching her breath. Her heaving chest trembled slightly, adding an unexpected allure.