Chi Yan pinched her thigh hard, her eyes instantly reddening. She looked at He Liu for help, murmuring in a low voice, "Brother Liu, can you do me a favor?"
Before He Liu could answer, she whispered into his ear. He Liu began to laugh with a malicious glint in his eyes. "Why on earth would I help you with something that could land me in a labor camp if I’m not careful?"
Chi Yan felt a surge of anger. She wanted to tell him to forget it and never come looking for her again, but since He Liu was the only one around, she realized that if she offended him, she might never find anyone else to help her carry out this scheme.
Forcing herself to swallow her disgust, she bit her lower lip and looked at him. "Don't you want to chase me? If you pull this off, I promise to be your girlfriend for a month."
She would worry about the rest later. Besides them, there were no witnesses behind the sofa; if she stubbornly denied it, there was nothing He Liu could do to her. To ensure he agreed quickly, Chi Yan leaned into his arms, sending a wave of desire through him.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in close to her ear. "Are you sure? She is your sister, after all."
"She had the nerve to come to the Xingchen Cabaret and spread rumors about me; what kind of sister is that to me? Do you dare do it or not? If not, I’ll find someone else." Chi Yan feigned anger and pretended to stand up, but He Liu grabbed her waist and pulled her back into his lap.
As she sat back down, He Liu lowered his head and took a breath near her chest. "I, He Liu, have never failed at anything I set out to do. Just you wait—by tonight, I’ll have you as my girlfriend."
Watching He Liu head toward the entrance of the cabaret, Chi Yan’s lips curled into a triumphant smile. *Chi Yin, just you wait. I will pay you back double for the humiliation you’ve caused me today!*
Chi Qiang hadn't taken the debt seriously at first, but he hadn't expected Chi Yin to be so tough, even using Chi Yan to threaten him. He couldn't possibly let Chi Yan pay his debt. Yet, he knew he was in the wrong, and if this turned into a bigger scene, it would only hurt him in the end.
*Fine,* he thought. *I'll just figure out a way to pay her back within these two months.*
Chi Qiang added a note to the bottom of the IOU stating that if he couldn't pay within two months, she could collect the debt from Chi Yan. Chi Yin checked it, found no issues, and folded the paper into her pocket.
She tossed the empty bottle aside and started to leave. As she reached the center of the dance floor, she stopped and announced loudly to the crowd, "Apologies, everyone. My brother and sister were so rebellious that they stole my life-saving money to squander here at the cabaret. I had no other choice but to track them down. I’m sorry for ruining your mood, but it's all settled now. Chi Qiang has signed an IOU, and he’s promised that if he can't pay me back in two months, I can collect from Chi Yan."
Chi Yin was doing this on purpose. It was just a slip of paper; what if Chi Qiang tried to deny it in two months? If it ever went to the Police Station, these people would be her witnesses.
As soon as Chi Yin left, the local street hoodlums gathered around, pointing and whistling mockingly at Chi Qiang. "Chi Qiang, you have no shame, using your own sister's life-saving money to play the big shot?"
Chi Qiang hurriedly explained, "Don't get the wrong idea! That’s not what happened. I gave her money earlier, but when I saw her using it to subsidize her husband’s family, I asked for it back."
"Keep dreaming! If it were really your money, you wouldn't be too scared to even go to the Police Station. Who’s going to believe that?"
Chi Qiang replied, "It’s a family dispute, it's easily settled between us. Why would I need the Police Station?"
The hoodlums sneered. Anyone with a brain knew better. Chi Qiang was the type to puff himself up and act rich, often ordering drinks and food for everyone only to feign sleep when it came time to pay. Now, they ignored him, openly mocking him for having no backbone and disgracing all men.
Feeling too humiliated to stay, Chi Qiang stood up and left. He regretted coming to the Xingchen Cabaret tonight. These bastards were insulting him to his face; he couldn't imagine what they were saying behind his back.
*It’s all Chi Yin’s fault!*
In the past, she had never bothered to check if her money was stolen. She would even secretly slip him a few notes if she saw him asking their parents for money. But now, she was willing to make him lose face in front of his friends over a mere fifty yuan.
Chi Qiang was furious. He ripped off his new leather jacket and threw it on the ground. Seeing Chi Yin turning into a dark alley, he gave a cold, mocking laugh. "Fine, Chi Yin. If you don't care about our sibling bond, then I won't either."
He picked up a wooden stick from the ground, wiped his face hard with his sleeve, and started walking toward her.
Chi Yin did not linger. She left the Xingchen Cabaret and rushed toward her rented room. She hadn't eaten all day; the chocolate she’d consumed earlier had been burned up during her confrontation with Chi Qiang. She was not only starving but also suffering from heartburn brought on by the beer. She forced herself forward, stumbling into a shortcut alley.
She chose the shortcut not just because she was worried about the two children staying at the hotel alone, but because she feared the landlord might grow impatient and change his mind about renting to her.
In Yanhe County at the end of the eighties, only places like hotels and cabarets had streetlights. It was nearly midnight, and the alley was pitch black. Occasionally, the cry of a crow echoed, chilling even the brave Chi Yin.
Suddenly, a faint, flickering light appeared two meters ahead—someone was smoking. Chi Yin frowned. No decent person would be standing in an alley smoking at this hour. She instinctively turned around, planning to take another route.
The moment she turned, she saw Chi Qiang appearing behind her.
Chi Yin’s heart sank. She realized he wanted to steal the IOU. Her neck was already cut, and she had drunk quite a bit of alcohol. Normally, she wouldn't have been afraid of a drunk like him, but now—her strength was almost completely gone, her stomach was burning from the alcohol, and her head felt light and dizzy.
She was trapped between them. Was this IOU going to be shredded?
Refusing to give up, she decided to tread lightly and sneak past the man smoking against the wall. Five meters, three meters...
The alley was two meters wide. The man was squatting on the ground, puffing on a pipe. Chi Yin figured he was probably just an old man, so she kept her gaze straight ahead and tried to walk past.
As she got closer, something felt wrong. Was she seeing things? Why did this scrawny man seem familiar? A face covered in scars, wearing a loose floral shirt—
Alarm bells rang in Chi Yin’s head. She suddenly remembered: this man was the one who had been standing closest to her when she was confronting Chi Qiang at the Xingchen Cabaret.
He wasn't dancing; he was squatting in this alley, smoking—could he be waiting for her?
Chi Yin clenched her fists tightly against her sides, biting her lip to keep herself alert. She took a long stride to hurry past.
He Liu lunged forward, grabbed Chi Yin by the heel, and yanked hard, causing her to fall face-first to the ground.