Innocence

The lighting inside the KtV¹ was dim. There was just a ring of ambient light above the glass coffee table, which was filled with drinks and snacks. A rowdy group of girls and boys sat around the room chatting and laughing.

Gu Tuantuan sat in a far corner. Her small body sank into the plush leather sofa chair; she was looking down, engrossed in her phone.

Someone was belting out Deng Ziqi’s song, “Bubbles”. Occasionally, Gu Tuantuan would hum along to a verse or two.

For the past few days, she had been living at her grandma’s house. She did homework during the day and went to bed early at night. Life with her grandma was very consistent and balanced.

Because of that, she was able to finally finish her summer homework. Actually, Jiang Ye also made considerable contributions, especially in the subject of mathematics. She got a headache just looking at all the symbols on the page, and she was too lazy to figure it out. If there was something she didn’t understand, she’d just take a photo and send it to Jiang Ye. She didn’t have to wait long before he’d send the correct answer back to her. This was even better than Homework Helper!²

Originally, she was supposed to stay at her grandma’s house for a few more days… But it was the class rep’s birthday, and he invited everyone to celebrate at the KtV. Her grandma’s house was too far away from the venue, so she went home early.

Ding!

A message from Mama Gu popped on the screen. Gu Tuantuan tapped on it.

Mama Gu: [I won’t be home tonight. If you’re hungry, there are wontons in the fridge.]

Mama Gu: [There is also milk and bread. You can have that for breakfast. I’ll be home by noon.]

A short while later, another line popped up.

Mama Gu: [No takeout!]

Gu Tuantuan pursed her lips. Her mom knew her too well. She was indeed just thinking about getting takeout.

At that moment, a round-faced girl sat down next to her with a bottle of Rio³ in her hand. She nudged Gu Tuantuan with her elbow and asked, “Hey, what are you doing all the way over here? Why don’t you sing a song?”

Gu Tuantuan wasn’t interested. “I don’t want to sing,” she replied nonchalantly.

“What did you say?” The girl shouted back. The private room was too noisy, and the round-faced girl couldn’t hear her clearly.

Gu Tuantuan shook her head at the girl.

She’s not someone who didn’t like to sing at a KtV, but today, in addition to her classmates, there were also a few people she didn’t know. They’re probably past classmates and friends of the class rep, but they didn’t look like serious students. Some even had tattoos on their arms like delinquents!

These kinds of situations made her very uncomfortable. She just wanted things to end quickly, go home, and play video games.

The round-faced girl was familiar with Gu Tuantuan’s personality, so she didn’t try persuading her again. After sitting with Gu Tuantuan for a while, the round-faced girl grew bored and ran back to romp with the rest of her friends.

The murky air inside the room made her throat feel dry. Gu Tuantuan picked up a drink from the table to take a sip. The cool liquid soothed her throat and made her feel a little better.

Taking a look around, she saw that everyone else was having fun. There were people playing drinking games with a pair of dice, there were people shout-singing at the top of their lungs…

She was the only one who seemed out of place.

Just then, she noticed a young man standing alone in the corner. He was one of the class rep’s friends who she didn't recognize. He had his sleeves rolled up to reveal a tattoo on his forearm, and he was holding a lit cigarette between his fingers. The smoke clouded the small room, and the ashes flickered in the dim light.

As if sensing her gaze, the young man turned, and their eyes met. The young man sent her a vulgar smile.

Gu Tuantuan turned away immediately, but her gut told her that he was still looking at her.

A sudden sense of unease gripped her heart. She hesitantly decided to get up and walk out of the room. First, she wanted to get away from the young man, and second, she needed a breath of fresh air. The air inside was way too stuffy.

The door closed behind her, and the noise from inside was completely cut off. She sighed in relief at the newfound peace. Outside the room was a long hallway. There were lights placed every few feet, and the air was cool and refreshing.

Gu Tuantuan paced down the hall. What if she just kept walking. Maybe no one would notice if she snuck away quietly.

A door opened behind her and a burst of loud music disrupted the peace then cut away again.

“Hi, pretty lady,” a husky voice, like that of a male duck’s mating call,⁴ sounded from behind her.

Gu Tuantuan turned to see the young man with the tattooed forearm from earlier. He had a fake smile plastered across his face, “What’s up? Coming out here all alone, did you want something?”

He followed her! Gu Tuantuan felt her heart skip a beat, but kept her voice calm, “No, it’s too stuffy inside, so I came out to stretch my legs.”

“Oh, good,” The young man with the tattoo smiled widely and walked up next to her. “I need to stretch my legs too, let’s go together.”

Gu Tuantuan didn’t respond. She just turned around and walked towards the exit.

The young man followed right behind her and rambled nonstop, “You’re Zhang Yifeng’s classmate right? So you’re starting your second year, right? How many people are there in your class? Do you have a boyfriend?”

No matter what he said, Gu Tuantuan just turned a deaf ear and continued walking without saying a word.

Gradually, the smile on the young man’s face waned and he became more and more impatient. Grabbing her arm, he growled, “What the hell is your problem? I asked you a question, didn’t you hear me?!”

Gu Tuantuan stood frozen in shock by his sudden outburst. Her anxiety showed in her expression. She had wanted to find a waiter or employee for help, but the hallway was empty; there wasn't a single soul in sight.

“Are you mute?!” The young man with the tattoo growled again. He noticed that Gu Tuantuan was avoiding his gaze, and he became angry, “Stop pretending bitch! Fuck!”

He yanked on Gu Tuantuan’s arm and threw her against the wall.

Her elbow hit the hard surface, and she almost cried from the pain.

“Fucking bitch. I was being nice…”

The young man with the tattoo raised his hand as if to hit her…

But in the next second, his vision went dark as a large hand covered his face, and he was thrown onto the ground.

He had no power to resist. The opponent was too strong.

His head slammed against the marble floor, and he howled in pain. Snarling, he spat, “Who the fuck are you?”

“My name is Jiang Ye.”

¹ KtV stands for karaoke television

² Homework Helper is a phone app… for helping with homework…

³ Ready to drink "alcopop" (according to Wikipedia). FYI, the drinking age in China is 18.

⁴ The phrase used was 公鸭嗓 or “male duck throat”. It’s a derogatory term for someone who has a low, husky voice (Baidu)

"My name is Inigo Montoya JiAnG Ye. You touched my girl, PREPARE TO DIE."

XX Umi Yuki