We parted ways, but my route immediately changed. Instead of heading home, I pulled up the navigation on my phone and typed in Rose Bar.
Following the directions, I arrived at a spot flickering with neon lights in the night.
The words Rose Bar glowed with a seductive, pink light, exuding an aura of cheap intimacy. It was already operating hours, and men and women, scantily dressed and walking intimately together, entered in twos and threes.
I was somewhat intimidated by the light. In my mind, a bar was a vile place of debauchery, a gathering spot for lecherous men and loose women. I had always approached such places with avoidance, and although I was here now, I didn't dare get close. The light at the entrance was too bright and carried a strange threat; I felt that another few steps and I would be dragged inside.
I scanned the surroundings, not for Mu Feipeng himself, but for his car.
I wanted to confirm whether he had left, so I searched the parking lot.
My heart was faintly pounding, accelerating my breath and heartbeat. I took a few low, deep breaths and quickened my steps. This feeling was strange and exhilarating. Hidden in the darkness, my bulky body was concealed, and I felt like I was shouldering a unique mission, about to execute a special task. This scenario, usually reserved for movies, was now fantasized about by me, making me feel a rush of excitement.
If Li Zhishang had told me this story before, I would have discussed it with him, laughed, and moved on, but I certainly wouldn't have gotten involved.
However, after all the recent turmoil, my mindset had shifted. I felt a strange conviction that this lead was different; clarifying it might serve a useful purpose.
The parking lot had plenty of luxury cars, mostly BBA models, but I didn't see the tall vehicle. I kept searching, thinking he couldn't have left so soon.
Fortunately, I found the car Li Zhishang had mentioned. Thanks to its tall, large size, towering over the others, I found it quickly. I wasn't entirely sure it was the car, or if Li Zhishang was mistaken or playing a joke on me, but I chose to believe him and had acted on it. I found even my own actions a bit ridiculous.
However, after finding the car, my heart calmed slightly, and I settled down to wait by the bar entrance.
All kinds of men and women came and went at the bar entrance. I stood outside, hidden in the shadows, often seeing drunk women being embraced by men before getting into a taxi and speeding off. It was obvious what they were going to do.
The sheer frequency of these scenes was a shock to me. The women varied in age, some willingly baiting, others deliberately getting drunk, and some even looked like they were drugged, being led away by one or several ill-intentioned men. The men's eyes were filled with lust, lingering on the women's private areas, sometimes even reaching out to grope them.
A few men dragging one woman away instantly brought to mind disturbing images that wouldn't leave my head. Sweat beaded on my forehead. I felt a mix of anxiety and fear, tinged with a strange regret. I knew what I was fearing and regretting, but I was powerless to stop it. Who was she? Who was I? What right did I have to interfere?
Although the internet constantly talked about the materialistic age and how relationships between men and women were just for fun, and I parroted those ideas, in reality, I was still a virgin who hadn't even had his first experience. Despite being theoretically experienced, my practical experience was zero. Only when these depraved, sinful acts were laid bare before me could I truly feel the unstoppable force of it all. Watching these scenes, my conscience slightly trembled and struggled, and my heart was a knot of agony, even though I had no connection to these women.
I leaned against a hidden spot where the light was blocked by a tall building, leaving a large shadow. Crouching by a tree in the darkness, I felt weak all over, breathing heavily and uncontrollably. I desperately tried to reassure myself: These women don't belong to me, I don't know them, this is their own choice.
But I couldn't stop thinking about the two figures who haunted my mind, the one big and the one small, the most important people in my life. I instantly suppressed the thought. They would never come to a place like this. How could I imagine that?
However, when I saw a pure, sweet-looking, extremely young girl being carried into a car by a menacing-looking bald man, my heart felt like it had been sliced open. Inexplicable anger surged up, almost consuming me. I clenched my fists, staring fiercely at the man, feeling like I was about to rush out and fight him.
But until the car sped away, I remained rooted to the spot, my feet seemingly grown into the ground. I made no move.
My clenched hands opened again, powerless. Looking at the departing BMW, I leaned weakly against the tree, feeling utterly depleted. This sense of powerlessness was unbearable. I felt that coming here tonight was a mistake. My slight sense of mission and excitement were completely washed away by the continuous torrent of evil, leaving only helplessness and anger, accompanied by a rising tide of endless fear.
I couldn't help but think of my sister's angelic face. She seemed so friendly to everyone, completely unguarded, always wearing a gentle smile—innocent and heartwarming. I forced myself not to make the connection, but the moment I thought of the vibrant, youthful face of the girl being carried into the car, uncontrollable anger and fear rose up, making me wonder: If she were ever in this situation, what would I do?
My palms clenched and released, mirroring my heart.
Coming to this place was like subjecting myself to torture, enduring endless psychological agony—I brought this suffering upon myself.
Finally forcing myself to relax, I lay under the tree, continuing to wait. I don't know how long I waited, but what I wanted still didn't appear. I had regretted coming here countless times, yet I couldn't leave. Perhaps I didn't want to give up, or maybe I felt that since I had waited this long, I might as well wait a little longer. Unknowingly, the night had deepened completely. I checked my phone. It was already past midnight.
"Ugh..." I sighed softly, weary and weak. "Just half an hour more."
Unexpectedly, that decision was the one that made me finally see him.
When a somewhat familiar figure appeared outside the bar, I couldn't believe it. I rubbed my eyes, looked closely, and finally confirmed his identity: it was indeed the school's Director of Moral Education, Mistress Extinction's husband, Mu Feipeng. Li Zhishang hadn't lied to me. I immediately snapped to attention.
He seemed to have had a lot to drink. His dark face was flushed, and a woman in stockings and a mini-skirt was tightly leaning on him, almost resting her entire body on him, utterly drunk. I could vaguely make out her attractive features and figure. The director, who was always so serious on the podium, was now red-faced, his hand—the "pervert's hand"—clutching the woman's waist as he slowly walked outside.
Seeing this, I quickly moved my stiff body and stood up, quietly approaching and pulling my phone out of my pocket.
I took one photo, looked at it, and saw it was too blurry. My phone's camera quality wasn't great; I needed to get closer.
I crept closer, hiding my body as much as possible, taking a few more steps forward. Then I raised my phone and took a few close-range shots.
I could feel my hands trembling, making the phone unstable. My heart was pounding with fear and excitement, and the resulting pictures were unsatisfactory.
I gritted my teeth, took a few deep breaths, and forced myself to calm down.
But it was no use; my hands were still shaking uncontrollably. Damn it, I cursed myself. To be this useless at the last moment—I was a complete failure.
I cursed myself a few more times. Seeing them about to reach the street to hail a cab, I gritted my teeth and walked directly out of the shadows. I found a parked car, crouched down, and braced my hands on the vehicle's hood. This finally stabilized me, but my heart was racing. I took several shots almost right under their noses.
Perhaps they were too drunk, or perhaps Mu Feipeng only had one thing on his mind, but they didn't notice me.
I looked at the photos. They were all very clear, making Mu Feipeng's identity undeniable. But I felt this wasn't safe enough, so I immediately switched to video mode and aimed the camera at the two of them. My heart pounded even harder, and my breathing grew ragged. As they approached me, I simply stood up, holding my phone as if nothing was wrong, and started walking toward the bar entrance.
The two didn't suspect a thing. They reached the doorway and flagged down a taxi that immediately pulled up. They got in, completely unaware that my phone had been recording them all the way.
As the car pulled away, I let out a profound sigh of relief. Then, I quickly fled the area.
After getting completely away from the place, I felt my body go weak, my steps turning soft and powerless. A huge sense of guilt surged through me, as if I had committed a terrible crime. This was my first time secretly taking a photo of someone, and it felt like I had committed a monstrous act.
I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to suppress this strange feeling, and headed home with increasingly heavy steps.
Finally climbing the stairs and reaching home, I collapsed onto the sofa. My body felt like it had given up, completely devoid of strength. I didn't want to move an inch.
Everything that happened today was overwhelming. I, who had always preferred to stay in my small room, had received an unprecedented shock from the outside world, and I was struggling to cope. Yet, I didn't feel any regret. Although I was shaken, I felt a faint excitement deep down. I seemed to have acquired a useful tool, and I believed I had definitely matured a great deal.
I didn't know what I could use this for yet. I didn't know if I should expose it. I couldn't control something this destructive, or perhaps it was utterly useless.
After resting for a long time, I got up from the sofa, took a shower, and then lay down again.
In bed, I carefully reviewed the photos and videos I had taken. The photos clearly identified him—that was enough. Then, I slid to the video. The video was a bit shaky due to my panic, even with the bracing point I had found.
But the later part was excellent. When I pretended to walk into the bar, I had the camera right in their faces. The video clearly showed Mu Feipeng's coarse, red face and the woman's delicate, seductive appearance; even a part of her pale cleavage was visible. Their intimate posture definitively confirmed their illicit relationship.
After watching it, I put down my phone. Fatigue washed over me, and I fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning around eight or nine. Sunlight streamed through the window, hitting my blanket.
I watched the light outside, reflecting a golden halo on my blue blanket. A warm feeling rose in my heart. I couldn't help but reach out, opening my palm in the sunlight, as if cupping the warmth. The sensation was deeply comforting.
I took out my phone and captured the beautiful scene.
Then I got up to wash up. The thought that I had to go back to school this afternoon brought a wave of annoyance, but annoyed or not, I still had to go.
Since I had decided to cook for myself yesterday, I went downstairs and headed to the vegetable market.
I bought some meat and vegetables, didn't linger, and went home.
The kitchen in the house hadn't been touched; the stove hadn't been turned on since Mom left. When I entered, there was a fine layer of dust everywhere.
I grabbed a rag and wiped everything down, prepared the ingredients, and opened a video tutorial.
Honestly, today's video tutorials are incredibly detailed, showing you exactly what to do step-by-step. All I had to do was follow the instructions.
The rice was handled by the rice cooker; I just needed to stir-fry a dish.
I finished cooking in half an hour, tasted it, and the flavor was quite good. Aside from needing to improve the seasoning, everything else was fine.
"Maybe I'm actually a genius?" I smiled proudly. This gave me confidence. Truly, many new things aren't as difficult as you think; the hardest part is just taking the first step. The subsequent difficulty continuously decreases.
I ate until I was full, but there was a lot left over. Since I had no cooking experience, I had bought and cooked enough food for nearly three people, estimating based on how much money I used to spend on food outside. Besides, I was tired of takeout and restaurant food. The initial success made me decide to cook for myself from now on, which would also save money.
However, the leftovers likely couldn't be eaten. I was returning to school in the afternoon, and the food wouldn't last a week.
After hesitating, I took the dishes downstairs. There were stray dogs in the area, and I figured it was better to feed them than let the food go to waste.
I called the dogs while holding the food. Soon, two stray dogs came over. I set the basin down, and a few more joined them.
It was then that I noticed a particularly beautiful dog. It was quite large, its naturally snowy white fur stained with dirt, and a black collar around its neck. It didn't rush forward to snatch the food but stood at a distance, watching me with its dark eyes. It was strange, but I found it somewhat sweet-looking. Despite the dirt, it was still elegant, like a princess in distress.
Its reserve and beauty drew me in. I scooped out a little food and placed it in front of her. It didn't devour the food but looked at me, then lowered its head and ate slowly and methodically, a stark contrast to the other hungry strays.
"Whose lost dog is this?"
I examined the dog. Although I didn't know the breed, something so beautiful and elegant shouldn't be a stray.
I checked the lost dog notices around, but none matched its description.
"Maybe it was just lost, but I don't remember anyone in our complex having a dog this beautiful."
Though curious, I didn't plan on adopting it. I was returning to school shortly and only came home once a week. I didn't have the time.
After the beautiful dog finished eating, I went to collect the bowl, successfully petting its head. Then, I collected the other basin and went upstairs.
Around one or two in the afternoon, I left the house, put on my backpack, and headed toward the school.