012 I Think I Know Who Stole My Photos...
Zeng Keqin was startled, leaning back, frowning. "You're awake?"
He was indeed awake, but not at this moment. It was after she had entered the room and he heard the jeering and threatening voices that he gradually regained consciousness. He had wanted to get up and help, but his body wouldn't cooperate. To his surprise, she remained calm and composed, confronting them with measured words, and managed to get him out of there. She was smarter than he had imagined.
No, even braver.
Jiang Shiyu moved, sitting up straight, and asked hoarsely, "You brought me out?"
Zeng Keqin nodded.
He turned his head to look out the window, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Don't come again in the future."
Zeng Keqin, still shaken, said, "You think there'll be a next time? Even if you ask me to come, I won't." This time had really scared her.
Fortunately, those people weren't too bad, and with the help of that guy named Zhang Kang, they managed to leave safely.
"Why did you go to that place?"
Jiang Shiyu's gaze remained fixed out the window. He only said, "Driver, stop up ahead."
The driver braked and pulled over.
Jiang Shiyu pushed open the door, staggered out of the car, and walked into the convenience store next door.
Zeng Keqin hesitated, then paid the fare and followed him out.
By then, Jiang Shiyu had bought a bottle of water, tilted his head back, and downed most of it in one go. Water droplets trickled down the corner of his mouth into his collar.
Zeng Keqin asked patiently, "Can you tell me now?"
Jiang Shiyu wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, closed his eyes, and caught his breath.
He opened his eyes, the black orbs tinged with red, the alcohol not yet faded.
"I told you before, I have a friend who just got out."
"Zhang Kang?"
Jiang Shiyu paused. "You really guessed that."
"He helped me out in the KTV, it wasn't hard to guess."
Jiang Shiyu's mouth twisted bitterly. "He's always been like this. In our sophomore year of high school, we were young and hot-headed. We got into a gang fight to back up a brother, and that's when he got locked up. Three years."
Zeng Keqin pressed her lips together. "Sophomore year? You must have been seventeen. Unless it was a first-degree injury, it wouldn't be that serious as to warrant prison time."
"We were seventeen, but Zhang Kang had already turned eighteen. The victim was certified as having second-degree serious injuries."
Zeng Keqin nodded.
"Jin Yong is his current boss. He said if I finished all the drinks on the table, he'd consider letting Zhang Kang go."
"You believed him?"
"No. But I wanted to try. What if it was true?"
Zeng Keqin looked at him.
He leaned against the wall, his red hair slightly messy from the wind, the scar at the corner of his mouth fading. He didn't look frail, but at that moment, he seemed unstable.
"But this isn't a solution."
"Then what do you suggest? Call the police?" A trace of sarcasm flashed in Jiang Shiyu's eyes. "They're just for show."
"I don't know why you distrust the police so much, but if you keep acting like today, you'll only end up in trouble yourself." She paused. "And I risked my safety to save you, not to hear you throw a tantrum."
Jiang Shiyu was silent.
After a while, he slowly lowered his head.
Three words floated in the air.
"I'm sorry."
Zeng Keqin thought she had misheard. Seeing him with his head down, she cleared her throat and looked away. "If you really want to help Zhang Kang, it's best to meet him and talk face to face. Don't be so tough, and don't make decisions for him under the guise of caring. Listen to what he wants..."
Jiang Shiyu raised an eyebrow, teasing, "Giving up on being a lawyer to become a counselor now?"
Zeng Keqin was momentarily speechless. She turned and walked away. "Ungrateful brat."
Jiang Shiyu caught up in a few steps, walking lazily beside her. "Alright, alright, I'm a dog." He tilted his head to check her expression, and seeing that her tight lips had relaxed a bit, he said seriously, "Thank you for today."
Zeng Keqin turned her head, meeting his dark eyes, which had shed their usual nonchalance and were now sincere.
"Don't do it again."
"I'll walk you back to the dorm."
*
Zeng Keqin pushed open the dormitory door, and Wang Chunyue immediately jumped up from her bed.
"Qinqin! You know we almost called the police! You have to explain yourself!"
Zeng Keqin put down her canvas bag. "A friend drank too much, I went to pick him up."
"What friend? Male or female?"