Chapter 28
I drifted in and out of consciousness, plagued by nightmares, my mind endlessly replaying the image of my mother naked on a bed, her alluring body contorted with a seductive expression as she was surrounded by countless men of all shapes and sizes, their faces a blur.
Drifting further and further away from me.
I lay at home in this dazed state for a whole day, feeling anxious and sweating profusely.
It wasn't until dusk that I finally got up and took a hot shower. A glance in the mirror showed how thin and haggard I'd become after just one day and night.
The thought that Mom was probably still with Yao Liang at the hotel sent a sharp pang through my heart.
But I just couldn't escape this torment.
I grabbed my keys and headed out, planning to find a restaurant to fill my rumbling stomach.
Once outside, I checked my phone. It was already past 12 AM. I saw that Yao Wei had called me ten times, the screen was filled with missed calls.
Just then, my phone rang, the screen displayed "Yao Wei." She was calling again.
Seeing her name, I was reminded of Yao Liang and a wave of jealousy and hatred filled me that extended to Yao Wei as well. I immediately rejected the call.
To my surprise, she called back a moment later. After several repeated calls, I couldn't stand it anymore and answered.
"Are you trying to die, Xiao Bin? Why do you keep hanging up on me? I've been looking for you all day," Yao Wei's coquettish, angry voice came from the other end.
Normally, I would have found her voice sweet and charming, but now it was just endlessly disgusting and irritating.
"What do you want?" I asked, my tone harsh and annoyed.
"What do you mean what do I want? I miss you! I just got back from the hospital. Dad's condition has improved a bit. Let's meet up and get something to eat. I've been cooped up for ages," Yao Wei said.
I yelled into the phone, "Meet up? Meet your mother! Go to hell! There isn't a single decent person in your Yao family. You're all a bunch of fucking idiots!"
"What did you say?"
Yao Wei's voice on the other end was one of disbelief. My heart was filled with jealousy, resentment, and hostility toward Yao Liang, and now I was unleashing it all on Yao Wei.
"What did I say? Can't you fucking understand me? There isn't a single decent person in your Yao family. Your idiot father tried to swindle my family's assets back in the day, causing my dad's marriage to fall apart. Now he's in the hospital, why doesn't he just hurry up and die? And your idiot brother, and you too! Your whole Yao family is a bunch of bastards, a bunch of fucking idiots!!!"
I continued to scream, my voice echoing through the night streets. Passersby looked at me with expressions of shock and fear, keeping their distance.
"You... Zhou Bin... what's gotten into you? What happened?" Yao Wei's trembling voice came from the other end of the line.
"What could be wrong with me? I'm fucking great! Now get lost!" I yelled, then hung up the phone.
After hanging up, I actually felt a strange satisfaction, as if I had gotten revenge on Yao Liang.
I wandered aimlessly down the street. Most of the restaurants were already closed, with only some barbecue and late-night food stalls still open, though I didn't know where they were located.
Before I knew it, I had walked for a long time and found myself on a street ablaze with neon lights.
My mind was still foggy, and my steps felt unsteady.
I slowly walked toward it. It wasn't until I was inside the street and saw young girls in revealing clothing standing in small groups and the bright neon signs lining the street that I dimly realized I had wandered into a red-light district.
I never knew such places existed so close to where I lived.
I couldn't believe it myself and quickly slapped my head to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
I walked to a street corner and was hesitating about which way to go when a cheap perfume scent wafted over. A young woman wearing a revealing off-shoulder top and a miniskirt walked up to me and said in a syrupy voice, "Hey handsome, wanna go have some fun?"
I turned to look at her. The girl's face was caked with thick makeup, but I could still tell she was very plain-looking. Her cheap, revealing top exposed a modest chest, and her legs, peeking out from under her denim skirt, were clad in slutty fishnet stockings.
Despite her cheap appearance, I had an overwhelming urge to ravage and fuck her. All the grievances I held from my mother's side came rushing to the surface. A boundless lust was waiting to be unleashed. I roared, "Let's go. Take me upstairs."
The girl was almost frightened by my outburst. A few other streetwalkers nearby also looked over at me, as if I were some kind of monster.
"What's wrong? Let's go. I've got plenty of money!" I said to the girl, pulling out a wad of cash and stuffing it into her exposed cleavage.
The girl froze for a moment before reacting. She quickly stuffed the cash from her chest into her pocket and said with a charming smile, "Come on, handsome. I guarantee I'll show you a real good time."
With that, she came over and affectionately took my arm, pulling me toward a small building nearby.
Just as I was in a daze, about to vent my animalistic desires on this girl, Yao Wei's phone call came through.
I was about to reject it, but then I had a change of heart. I decided to hear what she had to say. Filled with a sense of grievance, I answered the call.
"Xiao Bin, what's wrong with you? What happened? Can we talk?" Yao Wei's soft voice came from the other end, tinged with a sob.
Her sweet, girlish voice was melodious and moving, and it softened my heart for a moment. But then I thought of that bastard Yao Liang and the despicable things he had done with my mother, and I was filled with rage again. "Nothing happened. I just don't want to talk to you anymore. And I don't want to have anything to do with anyone named Yao."
"What... what did my family do? Dad's still in the hospital. Is it because I haven't been in touch these past few days... are you angry with me?"
"Angry with you? Give me a break. The very thought of you disgusts me. Your father had better hurry up and die in the hospital. The world would have one less evil person then."
"How can you say that about my dad? What did he ever do to you? He's always been pretty good to you, hasn't he? If it weren't... if it weren't for us, my dad wouldn't be in the hospital."
My temper flared. Looking at the girl beside me, who was waiting patiently to take me upstairs, I laughed maniacally into the phone and yelled at Yao Wei, "Good to me? Give me a fucking break. I think he wishes everyone in my family was dead. He's already halfway there. Let me tell you something. I fucked you in your house on purpose, just so he would know. I fucked his slutty daughter right in front of him, to let him know what a slutty, whorish daughter he has. He had better just hurry up and die in the hospital."
Yao Wei burst into loud sobs, crying uncontrollably on the other end of the line.
"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. Let's break up. I'm not interested in your Yao family, and I don't want anything more to do with you all. That's it."
I hung up the phone, my expression cold and emotionless.
"Ooh, breaking up with your girlfriend, handsome? It's okay, forget about her and come have some fun with me," the prostitute said, giggling as she pressed her chest against me, enjoying the show.
Suddenly I felt disgusted by her too, I didn't even want to touch her. I shoved her arm away and walked off.
The girl, who had my money laughed behind me. "Look, didn't even have to break a sweat," a few of the other girls giggled, seemingly mocking my pathetic state.
I walked through the darkened streets. The city of Jingzhou was still ablaze with colorful lights, but there was no place that could make me happy.
The thought of what my mother had said to me, and the images of her and Yao Liang enjoying their debauched pleasure together made my heart throb with pain.
As I walked, I arrived at a spacious area. Looking up, I saw majestic, grand gates on both sides and in front of me, a silver, dragon-shaped sign glowed brightly with the words "Jingzhou University."
How did I end up here?
I checked my phone. It was already past 2 AM, well into the middle of the night.
I had been wandering aimlessly for over two hours. The summer night was pleasantly cool, without a hint of chill.
Since I had nothing better to do, I walked straight toward the main gate of Jingzhou University. I didn't know what I was going to do in there, I was just completely at a loose end and figured I might as well take a look around.
The guard at the gate, seeing I looked like a student, didn't say much. I went straight in through the open side gate. The campus was quiet at night, with only the streetlights illuminating the paths.
It was summer vacation now, and the students had all gone home. There probably weren't many people staying on campus. I wandered around for a bit. I had been here a few times before, so I was somewhat familiar with the place. The streetlights were bright, and there were clear signs everywhere, so it was impossible to get lost even at night.
As I roamed, I came to a building called "Tongyue Tower", which I remembered as one of the locations on the map my father had left me. The last time I was here, I had planned to investigate it, but by a strange twist of fate, I had run into Zhu Yun.
Thinking of Zhu Yun, that beautiful mature woman, sent a thrill through me, and my heart started to race. The night I spent with her was truly magnificent. The amorous passion of a voluptuous mature woman was something a young girl couldn't compare to. That night, I had been too enthusiastic and had exhausted myself, and it took me a long time to recover.
Just thinking about it made my head spin, and I even felt an urgent desire to sleep with her again.
I shook my head, the cool night breeze clearing my mind a little. I walked beside the "Tongyue Tower" and saw that a room on the third floor was still lit. Someone was in there at this hour.
I recalled this place was supposed to be a somewhat obscure library. Logically, there shouldn't be any research offices here. Why would someone be working overtime so late at night?
I wanted to go in and take a look, but I found the door downstairs was locked tight.
I walked around the grass lawn surrounding the building and noticed that the balcony on the second floor from the side was quite low, and the glass door inside didn't seem to be the kind that locks.
I climbed up from a nearby tree and easily jumped onto the second-floor balcony, then went in through it.
Inside was a corner of the library. I had been here before.
It was completely silent at night.
Only the moonlight shone in through the windows, giving the place a slightly eerie feeling.
I started to feel a little scared. What was I doing, sneaking in here for no reason? What if I got caught and mistaken for a thief?
But seeing that no one was around, and figuring that few people would be in this remote building during summer vacation anyway, I relaxed a little. I walked out of the library and saw the stairs leading to the third floor. The light was coming from an office in the middle of the third floor.
I crept upstairs, slowly inching my way toward the office. The entire building was silent and the atmosphere felt sinister and strange, with only that faint light from upstairs. I suddenly became extremely nervous, breaking out in a cold sweat.
When I reached the office, I saw a sign on the door that read "Administrator's Office." So this was the administrator's room. The door was wide open, and several streams of light spilled out. I could faintly hear the sound of files being rustled inside.
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