"Damn!"
Tang Baiqing stood frozen at the door for a few seconds, still in shock. He finally snapped back to reality and rushed to the girl's side, lifting her head with both hands, calling her name urgently, "Xiao Ying, are you okay? Xiao Ying!"
As soon as his hands touched her head, they were soaked in blood. The girl's body jerked violently, her convulsions becoming more pronounced as blood and foam mixed with saliva poured from her mouth and nose.
Tang Baiqing's face turned pale with fear. Struggling, he propped her up and turned to Da Xiong, shouting, "What are you waiting for? Help me!"
Da Xiong, standing at the doorway, had already been completely stunned. His eyes wide, he asked, "W—what happened?!"
"Don't ask! Hurry up!" Tang Baiqing yelled.
Seeing the girl in such a state, Da Xiong didn't ask any more questions. He dropped the food bags, pulled out his work gloves, and, after putting them on, ran to her side. Together, they lifted her by the legs.
"Quick, get her to the car!" Tang Baiqing urged.
The two of them carried the girl, pushing open the door to rush outside. But just then, the girl, still convulsing, let out a loud gasp, and her body stiffened. Her wide-open eyes became motionless.
Both Tang Baiqing and Da Xiong could feel her body go rigid as they lifted her.
"Bang!"
Da Xiong's back pressed against the door, creating a small gap.
"Don't… don't move!" Tang Baiqing suddenly shouted.
"She… she's gone," Da Xiong said quietly, his voice firm and certain, not a question.
Tang Baiqing swallowed hard. "Put her down, just put her down."
Da Xiong didn't argue. He didn't say anything more but gently placed her body on the floor. He then moved to the far corner of the room, standing still.
Tang Baiqing crouched down, his eyes scanning the room in terror. He saw that the object he had grabbed earlier, the one he used to hit her, was a small hammer designed for fixing speedboat anchors.
"God damn it!" Tang Baiqing gritted his teeth, standing up abruptly. He looked at Da Xiong and snapped, "Help me carry her out and dump her in the sea."
Da Xiong didn't budge. "I... I can't throw her away."
"Dammit!" Tang Baiqing's eyes filled with rage as he marched toward Da Xiong. "I told you to help me!"
Da Xiong remained still, habitually squatting down against the wall.
Frustrated, Tang Baiqing kicked Da Xiong twice, then grabbed the hammer and looked down at the girl's body.
For a moment, he hesitated, torn, and stood there, staring at the girl's lifeless form. After what felt like an eternity, he dropped the hammer in defeat and turned toward the interior of the room, pulling out his phone.
"Hello?" The phone rang for a few seconds before being answered.
"Dad... Dad... I've gotten myself into trouble."
"What happened? What's going on?" A calm voice from the other end of the line asked.
"I… I accidentally killed someone…" Tang Baiqing's voice trembled as he spoke, his head bowed.
There was a long silence on the other end, followed by a steady voice asking, "Where are you?"
"I'm at a third-floor unit near the station. It's just me and… a smuggler working here." Tang Baiqing glanced at Da Xiong with a look of desperation. "I... I didn't mean to."
"Tell me the location."
"At Haiyan Pit…" Tang Baiqing gave the exact address.
"Wait there!" The line went dead.
Da Xiong, standing under the dim light, looked at Tang Baiqing and asked quietly, "Do… do you want to call the police?"
Tang Baiqing shot him a look. "If we call the police, don't you dare say anything!"
Da Xiong nodded obediently, not saying another word.
Half an hour later, Tang Baiqing had chain-smoked more than a dozen cigarettes, his mind a whirlwind of panic and confusion.
"Creak!"
Finally, the door to the third floor creaked open. A man in a suit, standing in the shadows, gestured for Tang Baiqing to come out.
Hearing the signal, Tang Baiqing immediately stood and walked out of the room.
After he left, Da Xiong, still shaken, looked at the body on the floor. He instinctively moved toward the window, closer to the light switch.
Outside, the storm continued to rage. Tang Baiqing crouched low as he made his way to his father's car.
Inside, in addition to Tang Baiqing's father, there was an older police officer in pajamas, who looked tired.
The driver stood outside in the pouring rain.
"Dad, I… I didn't mean it. She scratched me, so I hit her, just once!" Tang Baiqing pleaded, desperately trying to explain.
Slap!
Tang Baiqing's father slapped him hard across the face. A flash of complex emotions passed across his eyes. "Playing with women… and it ends in murder? You've got the brains of a pig!"
Tang Baiqing's cheek swelled from the slap, but he didn't dare speak.
"Old Yang, can we fix this?" Tang's father turned to the officer in pajamas.
The officer thought for a moment, then looked at Tang Baiqing. "Did anyone see her when she came to find you?"
"Yes, we were playing cards," Tang Baiqing nodded.
"Anyone else in the room?" the officer asked.
"Yeah, there's a smuggler worker who stays here," Tang Baiqing answered truthfully.
"Just a slap?" The officer's eyes narrowed as he pressed.
Tang Baiqing immediately nodded. "It was really just one slap, Uncle Yang!"
"Do many people know about your relationship with her?"
"A lot. We met at a party, and a few people in our circle know we're together."
The officer rubbed his hands together, then turned to Tang's father. "Without going through official channels, this could easily turn worse. The moment she showed up, someone might have seen her. And if she leaves and spreads rumors…"
Tang's father was silent.
"If we dig deeper, it'll be harder to control," the officer said, his tone gentle but firm. "The best option is to handle this privately. If it gets out, it's no longer a case of mutual fighting leading to accidental death, understand?"
Tang's father clenched his fists and stared at his son, thinking for a long moment before nodding. "Alright, we'll handle it your way."
"Can you take care of the worker?" the officer asked, turning back to Tang Baiqing.
"I know his boss, I can sort it out. He won't talk, and I didn't do anything wrong," Tang Baiqing nodded.
"You need to make sure he doesn't speak when we get there," the officer warned, furrowing his brows.
"I understand. I understand!" Tang Baiqing quickly nodded.
"Old Tang, you head home. I'll make a call to wrap this up," the officer said.
"Okay," Tang's father agreed.
Around 11 p.m., the sound of sirens broke the storm's roar. Six or seven police cars parked in front of the building.
Tang Baiqing and Da Xiong were taken by officers and driven away, while the woman's body was placed in a police van.
Inside the police car, Tang Baiqing's mind was blank. His heart raced, and he had a horrible premonition of what was to come.
His future was destroyed. Prison was inevitable.
At around 4 a.m., Yu Mingyuan's call rang on Su Tianyu's phone. "Get up and go to the third floor. There's been an incident. Get the boat ready, arrange the shipment for 8:30 a.m. before the police start work. Hurry!"
Su Tianyu shot up, his heart pounding. "What happened?"
"Tang Baiqing got too high and accidentally killed someone," Yu Mingyuan's voice came through.
"Damn it! What's wrong with him?" Su Tianyu cursed, getting out of bed.