Chapter 27

  In the morning, Dao Jing was still feeling tired from a sleepless night. He had just gotten up and washed his face when Hu Meng'an walked in again. He was wearing a handsome coffee-colored suit, carrying a large leather bag in one hand and holding a bouquet of bright red roses in the other.

  "Good morning! Miss Lin, you're up?" He bowed deeply, put the fresh flowers in a glass vase, and stood by the door smoking a cigarette, glancing at her sideways.

  Dào Jìng looked at the bunch of fresh "flowers", her face flushing bright red. She couldn't wait to throw this ugly thing out the door. But she restrained herself. She bent her hands behind her back, tightly clenched into fists.

  They stood facing each other, neither of them speaking for a while.

  "Yesterday, I saw that you weren't in a good mood," Hu Meng'an said, as if he had gotten tired of standing and moved a chair to sit down. He leaned back on the "sofa", looked at Daojing slowly and said, "So we didn't finish our conversation and I left. Today you should have calmed down, let's talk properly." He lit another cigarette, tilted his head back, closed his eyes and thought for a moment before turning to look at Daojing who was still standing motionless on the ground. "Lin Daojing, my family has known yours for generations, so I'm really concerned about you," he said with a smile. "Not to mention what's between us - love is free, I won't force you. But I need to declare: I've been deeply in love with you all these years, not a single day has passed without me thinking of you." He paused and continued, "You might not want to hear this, so let's not talk about it for now. I believe that sincerity can move mountains, and you'll slowly feel my loyalty and devotion. Now, let's talk about the urgent matter at hand. Last night, Jiang Xiaoxian called again to ask about your situation, he's very concerned and has a tight grip on things, so I had to come early to warn you." He took two strong puffs of his cigarette before throwing away the half-finished butt, closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then opened them with a smile. "Lin Daojing, the situation is really urgent! You have to believe me, believe that I'm coming from a good place. You're still young, you don't understand how complex and dark society can be. The *** party has been deceiving many young people with its slogans of saving the country, saving the people, and saving the world, and has harmed many young people! Can the world be saved by just a little bit of blind enthusiasm? Can China's rotten society be saved by children like you who are full of passion?"

  "Nonsense! No one listens to you!" Dao Jing could no longer bear it, she felt a buzzing in her ears and an unbearable pain in her heart. She shouted, but she didn't know what she was shouting.

  Hu Meng'an leaned back in his chair, smiling nonchalantly: "Lin Daojing, don't be a hero! What's the fun in that? Many young people who were just caught would play this game of being unyielding and stubborn, thinking it's fashionable, but actually, they're fools, big fools!" He shook his head regretfully, his raised foot also swaying gently, as if expressing his regret. After a pause, he looked at Lin Daojing, who remained silent, and continued, "Jiang Xiaoxian is ruthless, last night he executed fifteen *** Party members, all of whom were good young people, in the prime of their lives, like flowers in bloom. Among them were three women. Lin Daojing, think about it, is it worth it? Why sacrifice your precious life for nothing? Will the world really become a utopia just because a few people die?"

  "A humble soul can never understand what a noble cause is! Mr. Hu, please speak directly if you have something to say. If Chiang Xiaoxian has sent you to arrest me, then I'll go with you!" Dao Jing's eyes had been fixed on the window and door, but now she spoke relatively calmly.

  "Haha, Miss Lin, don't joke around. I didn't mean it that way. If it were up to me, everything would be fine, but unfortunately, you fell into Jiang Xiaoxian's hands. It was only because of my guarantee that you were able to get out. However, I'll think of a way, definitely think of a way to save you."

  He stood up and picked up the leather bag on the table, pulled out a wad of cash, grasped it in his hand, and slowly walked over to Lin's side. He stretched out his hand with the money, nodding repeatedly, "Leave this bit of money behind, make some nice clothes. Miss Lin, life is short, like autumn leaves... Ah, I've seen many beautiful women, but none compare to you... Don't laugh, it's just a small token."

  Dào Jìng's face turned pale, like a stone statue standing still and motionless.

  "Next, I want your 'jade' hand to personally continue..." Hu Meng'an slanted his eyes and took hold of Dao Jing's hand.

  With a loud smack, the wad of cash hit Hu Meng'an's proud and thin face. The bills flew all over the place, and Hu Meng'an was stunned for a moment.

  Dào Jìng swung her arm and threw out the banknotes; at the same time, that bunch of beautiful roses also flew into the courtyard. Then she rushed into the courtyard. But when she was about to run out of the gate, a burly man standing outside the gate blocked her way: "You're not allowed to go out!"

  Another plainclothes agent with a gun stood at the main gate, and she couldn't run out. She subconsciously retreated a few steps, leaning against the shadow wall of the second gate. After catching her breath, she took a few more steps back and stood under a lilac tree in the courtyard. She looked around blankly at the doors of each house, how much she yearned to have a place to hide at this moment! However, all the doors were tightly closed - people apparently knew that something had happened in the yard, and they locked their doors without making a sound.

  Knowing there was no possibility of escape, she calmed down instead and stood in the courtyard, quietly waiting for what was about to happen.

  "Stop! Don't move!" Hu Meng'an picked up the banknote and jumped into the courtyard. The gentle and elegant demeanor was gone, he held a Browning pistol like a highwayman aiming at Dao Jing, while his two eyes flashed with fierce flames, and his mouth let out a sharp howl like a wolf, "Good! Good! Good!..." He shouted in a trembling voice. After a pause, he gritted his teeth, shook the pistol and said, "You stinky woman! Do you know you're an important criminal of *** Party? You stinky woman! I saved you with good intentions... You, you don't know how to repent, you... shameless!"

  Dao Jing still stood under the lilac tree. The morning glow cast a pale light on her expressionless face. She was neither frightened nor angry. She didn't think or feel anything. If the executioner had fired at this moment, she would have fallen down just like that. But he didn't. Hu Meng'an's Browning pistol only gestured at her twice, and looking at her stubborn and numb expression, he coldly laughed: "What a big nerve! Hit someone! Dare to hit someone!... Today, since you're a young 'woman', I'll spare you for now. You have three days - if you still haven't shown remorse in three days..." He glanced at Dao Jing sideways, spat out a mouthful of saliva, and said: "Miss, then don't blame me, Hu Meng'an!" After finishing speaking, he walked away with his leather bag, the sound of his boots echoing loudly.

  Watching the annoying snake slither away, Dao Jing didn't return to the house until a while later. She sat down listlessly in a chair, feeling an unprecedented sense of loneliness and weakness. The small house seemed vast and cold. Looking around at the messy room and the cigarette butts scattered all over the floor that Hu Meng'an had left behind, she couldn't help but bury her face in her arms on the table and cry.

  "Don't be sad, what's wrong with that thing bullying you?" Suddenly a warm little hand gently stroked her. Dao Jing was surprised and looked up to see four or five people standing in her room - both men and women, all of whom were fellow tenants in the courtyard, mostly students from Beida University. The one stroking her was a beautiful and slender female student, but she didn't know her name. The others looked at her with concerned expressions as well.

  "What kind of person is that? Why...?" The female student asked anxiously again; the other four male students also looked at her with equally eager inquiring eyes.

  In an instant, Dao Jing felt relieved and emboldened. She stood up to let them sit down, wiped away her tears and told the neighbors in the same courtyard about what had happened over the past two days. The female student heard this and first shouted angrily: "Bastard! How despicable!"

  A man in his thirties, wearing a long gown and glasses, shook his head and puffed out his cheeks, saying indignantly: "How can this be? Threatening someone with a gun, you can take him to court!"

  "Alright, you're always discussing with the ancients, how would you know about current events?" Another young student smiled slightly at the previous remark, "Not to mention going to court to sue him, even if we go to the Nationalist government, they'd still be in cahoots. The society nowadays is truly dark and corrupt."

  The young people in the house looked at each other in dismay. They sympathized with their unfortunate neighbor, but no one could think of a good solution.

  "Thank you," Dao Jing said in a low voice, "I'm not the only one who has had such an experience..."

  "Yes!……" Someone sighed softly, and then several students walked out with a sigh. Only the "female" student remained in the room, she enthusiastically pulled Dao Jing's hand and said: "Do you want me to go find Wang Xiaoyan to discuss it with her? —— I know you're very close to her. You don't know, my name is Li Huaiying, and I'm a classmate of Wang Xiaoyan."

  "I'll go myself."

  "It's okay, I'll go instead. There might be others outside. Just a while ago, there were several people standing at the entrance of our courtyard." Li Huaiying waved her hand and smiled lightly at Dao Jing before flying away like a swallow.

  Dào Jìng didn't eat lunch or dinner. When night fell, she didn't turn on the lights and kept lying on the 'bed' like an ant on a hot pot, with terrible hallucinations filling her mind. She felt that things were serious now, not as simple as she had thought in the detention center that one night. At that time, she simply thought of death - wouldn't dying solve everything? But now...now it was much more complicated. She no longer wanted to die; she hated that dog, that venomous snake, and wanted to strangle him, to fight back. However, how weak and powerless she was! Alone, with no comrades or family members. Lú Jiāchuān and Xǔ Níng had been captured; Dài Yú came and went like a ghost, leaving no trace - what could she do?

  The door opened, followed by a faint sound of footsteps, and then came Li Huaiying's gentle low voice: "Why didn't you turn on the light? Are you in a hurry?"

  Dào Jìng turned on the light and grasped Lǐ Huái Yīng's icy hand.

  "We've found Wang Xiaoyan," said Li Huaying in a low voice, "she's very anxious and can't do anything. Later, I went with her to find Xu Hui, who was an officer of our student union before, and that's when we got the idea. Xu Hui told me to come to my place tomorrow afternoon to meet you. Look, this is a letter from Xiaoyan for you."

  "Xu Hui? I know!……" Dao Jing was overjoyed when she heard that Xu Hui was coming to find her. She thanked Li Huaiying and wanted to ask about Xu Hui's situation in detail, but Li Huaiying said: "I'm going back. It seems like there are detectives outside all the time. Xu Hui told us to be careful with our words and not to gather together often. It's best if you don't go anywhere - including Xiao Yan's home."

  The next afternoon at five o'clock, just when students were leaving the dormitory after class, a slender and lively girl student who was dressed up neatly came to Li Huaiying's room. Dao Jing saw her through the door crack, it was Xu Hui who had hit Yan Geng during the "March 18" memorial service. She hurried into Li Huaiying's room. Xu Hui jumped up and grasped Dao Jing's hands, smiling and saying: "Lin Daojing, long time no see! I didn't expect to run into you here..."

  At this time, Li Huaiying closed the door and jumped outside the big gate to buy sweets.

  Dào Jìng grabbed Xú Huī's hand, too 'excited' to say a word.

  Xu Hui looked at her and smiled, saying: "Lin Daojing, you asked Wang Xiaoyan to help you distribute the flyers, didn't you?"

  Dào Jìng's eyes lit up. A flush of red appeared on her worried face. She nodded gently: "It was me - did you help spread it?"

  "No! Don't mention that for now. Tell me about how you were caught this time." Xu Hui's eyes suddenly became sharp and bright like a cone.

  Then Dao Jing told Xu Hui about his capture and encounter with Hu Meng'an. Xu Hui listened intently, shaking her head and smiling at times, and patting Dao Jing's shoulder while furrowing her brow. After Dao Jing finished speaking, she criticized him like an old friend: "Lin Dao Jing, don't mind me saying this, but your courage in struggle is not bad, and your personality is straightforward and lovable. However, your strategy is too poor. Why were you so honest with the executioner? It's simply stupid. You shouldn't have admitted to distributing the flyers. And another thing, what was the reason for your capture? Have you figured it out yourself?"

  Dào Jìng tightly held onto Xú Huī's hand, gazing into her bright and intelligent eyes that shone like two small lanterns. Her face flushed as she said: "Sister Xú, I'm really stupid - extremely stupid! As for the reason I was caught, I truly don't understand either. It's all a blur. Now you tell me what I should do?"

  "Hmm..." Xu Hui fell into deep thought. "What are you planning to do yourself?"

  "Wants to escape but doesn't know how."

  Xu Hui smiled.

  "That's right, we should do it this way. We must help you." Just then, Li Huaiying came back with a bag of peanuts, melon seeds and dates. As soon as she entered the door, she whispered to Dao Jing: "Xiao Lin, someone is looking for you outside."

  "Who?" Dao Jing was startled.

  "I don't know." Li Huaiying shook her head.

  Dao Jing quickly stood up, looking at Xu Hui with a burning gaze, as if asking her: "What to do?" But Xu Hui calmly leaned in and whispered a few words in her ear, and Dao Jing smiled.