Chapter Eighty-six: Life in Purgatory

  "I'm at Layya Bar!" Zhang Xiaoting said, her tone was filled with sorrow.

  "Alright, you wait there for me, I'll be right over." Pang Guang hung up the phone and hastily changed into casual clothes, not even having time to shave off his several-day-old stubble, before rushing to Laya Bar.

  "Xiao Ting, what's going on?" The bar hadn't yet reached its peak hours and there weren't many customers, so as soon as Pang Guang walked in, he immediately found Zhang Xiao Ting and went over to sit beside her and ask.

  Zhang Xiaoting looked at Pang Guang, her lips moved but she couldn't say a word, after sobbing for a long time, her eyes were red and swollen like two ripe cherries.

  "Xiao Ting, speak up, has someone bullied you?" Pang Guang anxiously grasped Zhang Xiao Ting's shoulder and asked: "Tell me who it is, I'll beat him to death!"

  Zhang Xiaoting shook her head desperately, and her eyes suddenly became like a leaky bucket, tears gushing out freely. "Don't ask me anything, I just need a shoulder to lean on right now. Don't ask if anyone bullied me or what happened, even if you asked, I won't tell you. Pang Guang, can you hug me?"

  Pang Guang was stunned, and before he could respond, Zhang Xiaoting had already buried her face in his chest and burst into tears. Pang Guang's hands hovered awkwardly, unsure of where to place them, until finally, after a long time, he tentatively rested them on Zhang Xiaoting's hair and gently stroked it: "Okay, I won't ask, just cry your heart out, you'll feel better afterwards."

  Zhang Xiaoting cried for a long time before finally stopping her tears, sniffing her nose and saying to Pang Guang, "Thank you, every time I'm most unhappy, you're always by my side."

  "What's the point of saying these things, fool?" Pang Guangjun's face was radiant with a soft glow, a complete reversal from his usual icy demeanor. He himself didn't know why he always became a different person in front of Zhang Xiaoting. She had scolded him, ridiculed him, and ruthlessly crushed his self-esteem countless times before. Each time, he would clench his fists and vow to never think of her again, but each time he failed. He discovered that even though he didn't fully possess Zhang Xiaoting's heart, he was already suffering from lovesickness. Zhang Xiaoting always seemed to be elusive and ethereal, disrupting his peaceful life like a dream. When he thought of her, she would ruthlessly strike him down; when he vowed to forget her, she would gently caress him with the tenderness of rain on pear blossoms.

  "Xiao Ting, you're a shining star, you should have your own life. We were destined to be two parallel lines that can never intersect. Just let me go." "Xiao Ting," Pang Guang sighed, not knowing why his inner world had become so turbulent in an instant, as if he had a split personality. His voice was very gentle as he said: "We're living in two different worlds. I'm glad you still think of me when you're unhappy..." Before he could finish speaking, he felt something strange on his lips. Zhang Xiao Ting's moist lips suddenly pressed against his, and the thousands of words in Pang Guang's heart were silenced by Zhang Xiao Ting's murmurs.

  After a long time, Zhang Xiaoting's scorching lips finally left Pang Guang's dry and cracked lips: "Pang Guang, I don't dislike you, but I can't. What I want, you can't give me, do you understand?"

  Pang Guang gazed at Zhang Xiaoting, seeing the tears sparkling on her clean face. He lowered his head and kissed away the tears, then trembled again as he held her: "Xiaoting, I understand what you said, I understand everything, so I succeeded. You know, in the final exam, I got second place."

  "Really?" Zhang Xiaoting raised her head, revealing a relieved expression, with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "Congratulations, you succeeded too. Promise me, you must take the Shanghai Mountain University exam, don't forget, I'm waiting for you." After finishing speaking, Zhang Xiaoting happily closed her eyes.

  In reality, Xiaoting was very lost and helpless. Zhao Hankui was no longer just a pervert; last night, she had been called to a yacht by his phone call while still in her sleep. When she arrived after hastily getting dressed, Zhao Hankui was playing cards with several new film investors' representatives. She sat bored on the side, waiting, not expecting this to be the start of a nightmare. The perverted Zhao Hankui actually suggested using her as a bet; the winner at the card table could drag her into a small dark room on the yacht and do whatever they wanted, as long as they didn't kill her.

  Zhang Xiaoting took a deep breath and was about to make a run for it, but except for the cabin door, she looked around at the endless sea and found no way to escape. The surroundings were all water, and she didn't have the courage to jump in. Just as she was hesitating, the ruthless Zhao Hanquan had already dragged her back into the cabin like an eagle catching a chicken. Since she couldn't escape, she chose to accept her fate. She could only endure the torture again and again, tears streaming down her face. By the end, her whole body had gone numb, and she mechanically responded to one pervert after another, screaming in agony time and time again, only to be met with Zhao's criticism of the unfairness of fate. Her heart was hollowed out, and her vision was blurred. She stared blankly at the top of the cabin, her pupils dilated as if her soul had already left her body. There was no feeling anywhere on her body.

  Finally, Zhao Hankui and others had enough of their antics, and they sent her back to shore in a yacht. She was physically and mentally exhausted, on the verge of collapse. She was so tired, she wanted to cry, and she desperately needed a warm hug. So she found comfort in Pang Guang's spiritual support, otherwise, she would have gone crazy. Zhang Xiaoting firmly believed that Pang Guang could do it for her, and indeed, as soon as he received the call, he rushed over immediately. His concern was evident on his face, which moved Zhang Xiaoting deeply, and she couldn't help but kiss him.

  Zhang Xiaoting and Pang Guang stared at each other, both in a state of near-hypnosis. After a long time, they slowly came to their senses. Zhang Xiaoting whispered: "Pang Guang, you are always the best person for me, understanding me, respecting me, I have no pressure when I'm with you." Zhang Xiaoting's words were so gentle that they shattered Pang Guang's heart: "Xiaoting, I'm not as good as you said, I just..." Before he could finish speaking, his mouth was covered by Zhang Xiaoting again. Her wet and red lips made Pang Guang's heart skip a beat, turning from passive to active, he leaned down and kissed her lips, her cheeks, her earlobes, and her neck. Zhang Xiaoting gasped for air, her face flushed like a drunk cherry blossom. In this moment, all the resentment, grievance, anger, and despair disappeared. Pang Guang's passionate kiss turned into Zhang Xiaoting's deepest heartache and most helpless sorrow.

  After a passionate kiss, Zhang Xiaoting knew she had to return to her own world. She was proud and arrogant, while Pang Guang was reckless and didn't think about the future. Their personalities made them two parallel lines that could never intersect. Zhang Xiaoting took a deep breath and quickly regained her natural strong temperament. The momentary passion earlier had alleviated her desperate mood somewhat, but even the most intense passion would come to an end. She couldn't keep going like this with Pang Guang for long; she had her own life, her own destiny. Yet, deep down, she yearned to continue walking with him, until old age, until their teeth fell out, until they turned into dust...

  Zhang Xiaoting's delicate red lips had been tasted by many people in her past struggles, but those people were all twisted and perverted. Pang Guang was different, he was always filled with deep emotions, careful and gentle, treating himself like a precious pearl, afraid that any sudden movement would hurt him.

  "Pang Guang, thank you!" Zhang Xiaoting's dark and deep eyes were like a gentle black night: "You've improved my mood, from now on I'll be stronger and not afraid of fear. Promise me that no matter where I go in the future, you'll still care about me like today, as if I'm a good friend. There are many dog gangs around, I can't stay in one place for too long, I have to go back. You should head back early too."

  "Good......" Pang Guang was stunned, having just said one word, his throat seemed to be blocked and he couldn't speak.

  Zhang Xiaoting saw that Pang Guang didn't keep her, so she smiled faintly and put on her sunglasses before standing up and leaving.

  "Good... good friend?" Pang Guang saw that Zhang Xiaoting had already disappeared, and only then did he come back to his senses. He licked his lips, which still lingered with Zhang Xiaoting's breath: "Was what just happened an illusion or did I mishear? Can a good friend kiss me for fun, and can I kiss her for fun too? This is my first kiss after all, definitely must have misheard."

  Back home, Pang Guang found only Kong Yue Mei alone at home, nodded slightly as a greeting, and then dived into the room to play games. Kong Yue Mei suddenly walked over and knocked on his already open door: "Pang Guang, I have something to ask you, can I come in?"

  Pang Guang was taken aback for a moment. He and Kong Yue Mei didn't talk much, and since she moved in, they might not have had more than ten conversations. Kong Yue Mei was very mindful of being a guest under someone else's roof, so she was always careful. Pang Guang also didn't have much to say to her, and the two of them basically didn't exchange many words. Although they lived under the same roof, usually they would just nod politely at each other. Suddenly coming over to knock on his door today really surprised Pang Guang.

  "What's going on?" Pang Guang asked.

  "Uh... do you know what Jun Yun has been up to lately?" Kong Yue Mei said, pinching the hem of her clothes: "Since the holiday, she's been going out early and coming back late every day, I don't know what she's doing. I asked her, but she won't say, always being mysterious and secretive, it's worrying me to death."

  Kong Yue Mei said that, Pang Guang remembered, Lin Jun Yun said he wanted to make some small ornaments and sell them at the night market, it's not like it's something shameful, so why didn't even his mother know? He used my pocket money to buy a bunch of strange things, saying he wanted to do some small business but didn't tell mom, being all mysterious and secretive, there must be a problem with this, 99% chance that he squandered my pocket money and then came up with an excuse about doing small business to calm me down.

  "Think about it," said Pang Guang, "Auntie, don't worry, I'll take you to find her."