Beyond the Rift (Campus 1V1) - 11.

11.

The first time Yi Chuan bothers Ling Jia at Qianchuan, she wants to stuff him back into his mother’s womb or into the men’s restroom.

Although the method now differs, seeing Yi Chuan’s furious expression feels like another kind of venting.

Zong Min’en kindly lends her his jacket. He grins like a lunatic.

He holds back a bellyful of words. He finally claps his hands.

“Ling Jia, you’re simply a genius.”

Ling Jia looks at his air gun.

“Had enough fun?”

Zong Min’en pulls a steel pellet from his pocket. He waves it at her with a smile.

“I’m just getting started.”

Honestly, in all his life, Zong Min’en never sees such a rundown building.

He seriously doubts if anyone actually lives here.

Ling Jia tells him to wait; in five minutes, Ling Dachang returns home with liquor and snacks.

Zong Min’en holds Raven by its tail. He says meaningfully.

“You’re asking me to commit a crime, deskmate.”

“I sign a forgiveness agreement for you.”

Ling Jia reaches out. She takes Raven, which sways in his hand. Raven is clearly dizzy. It immediately slithers to her wrist. It obediently acts as an ornament.

Zong Min’en looks at her.

“You’re so ruthless—I don’t see that coming. Does my brother know you’re like this? I’m quite interested in telling him, so he’s not kept in the dark.”

The night is pitch black.

The streetlamp in front of them flickers. It barely glows. It’s dimmer than its companions.

“Does he listen to you?”

Ling Jia is in such dim light. She looks at Zong Min’en. She smiles lightly.

“You don’t seem to get his ear at all.”

Zong Min’en sadly realizes Ling Jia’s personality perfectly suits Zong Du’s taste.

When they were kids watching cartoons together, he noticed Zong Du prefers two-faced characters.

His pet choices prove it—forget this opportunistic stupid snake.

Zong Du’s silly lizard masters two-faced behavior. It reacts completely differently to Zong Du than to others.

Poor Yan Xue only learns the surface.

He toys with the air gun. He sees a drunken man carrying a white plastic bag stumble into view.

Ling Jia looks at him.

He sighs.

“Fine, fine. But I need to make it clear—this isn’t a game.”

He loads.

He aims.

Bang—

The pellet hits Ling Dachang’s abdomen.

His hoarse scream echoes through the old district.

He collapses into a pile of uncollected vomit.

Zong Min’en doesn’t skip his signature move.

He blows on the gun’s barrel. He smiles at Ling Jia.

“I’m helping you.”

All of Zong Min’en’s bad deeds since childhood

Have Zong Du’s silent approval.

He looks at the bite marks on Ling Jia’s collarbone. He says prophetically.

“You’re in for trouble.”

–

The living room has no lights on.

Ling Jia walks in. She sees a massive black beast at Zong Du’s feet.

It looks like a small dinosaur from ancient times.

On closer look, it’s a huge lizard.

Its body is entirely black. It lies docilely at Zong Du’s feet. It doesn’t move.

“Drake.”

Zong Du raises his hand; a spider rests on its back.

“This is Scarlet.”

Black Dragon Monitor.

Fire Rose Spider.

Along with the black king snake on Ling Jia’s hand.

All are Zong Du’s pets.

He looks at the male jacket on her shoulders. His face is expressionless.

Ling Jia removes her shoes. She walks barefoot toward him.

Drake moves its eyes. It doesn’t sense its master’s rejection. It flicks its tail and continues sleeping.

Scarlet crawls from Zong Du’s fingers to the sofa. It quickly vanishes into the dark.

Ling Jia tosses the jacket on the floor. She sits on his lap.

Raven on her wrist rubs affectionately against Zong Du’s arm. Zong Du pats its head; it obediently slinks off the sofa.

“Zong Du, the dress you gave me is ruined.”

Ling Jia tries to turn. She lets him see her exposed back.

The zipper, torn apart.

Zong Du’s gaze deepens. He sees the bite marks on her collarbone.

“Tell me what happened.”

Ling Jia looks into Zong Du’s eyes. She seems startled by his expression. She lowers her head. She looks at her fingers resting on his thighs.

“I don’t know Yi Chuan is in the lounge…”

After recounting everything that happens at the grand hall tonight,

Zong Du is clearly intrigued by Zong Min’en playing with the air gun.

As for who it hits, he doesn’t care.

Guns are indeed something he hasn’t touched in a long time.

To be precise, Zong Min’en learns to play with guns from him. He just never masters it.

What he uses is always real guns.

When Ling Jia goes out with Zong Du, she still feels confused.

She doesn’t know what Zong Du plans to do.

Maybe settle scores with Yi Chuan.

But the box he carries piques her curiosity.

Her instinct to read situations is honed since childhood. It keeps her from asking.

Until the car stops at a villa’s entrance, honks twice. A handsome girl with a buzz cut walks out.

“I get you a tattoo.”

Zong Du’s fingers repeatedly rub the marks on her collarbone. He then lifts her chin to make her look into his eyes.

“Are you afraid of pain?”

Ling Jia instinctively shakes her head.

She quickly realizes this isn’t right.

Because Zong Du bites down, it covers the unhealed marks. It leaves a deeper bite.

The front-seat driver discreetly raises the partition.

The tattoo artist waits outside. Her back is turned.

Ling Jia’s dress lifts up.

With people in front and outside, this intimacy leaves Ling Jia at a loss.

Zong Du wants to tattoo her inner thigh.

He mentioned it before; she thought he forgot.

She didn’t expect him to remember.

“Don’t do this…”

Zong Du’s breath falls between her thighs. It makes her feel itchy.

In this setting, she dares not make a sound.

These days of intimacy already condition her to get wet when he’s close.

Now, her soaked underwear makes her feel even more ashamed.

It’s like exposing their private moments to everyone.

Her elbow rests on the seat. Zong Du looks up at her. His gaze is cold like a snake’s.

He finds no reason not to do it.

In fact, he feels genuinely irritated.

When he sees someone else’s mark on her body,

Perhaps her marks of him aren’t clear enough.

Zong Du’s nose presses against her wet underwear; with slight movement, her body starts trembling.

So sensitive,

It’s hard to feel at ease.

Zong Du bites down hard.

No one speaks during the tattoo process.

The tattoo artist looks about Ling Jia’s age.

She wears a mask. She focuses only on her work.

Zong Du stands behind Ling Jia. He covers her eyes; his palm gradually grows wet.

“Zong Du.”

“Hm?”

“It’s a bit unfair…”

Her eyelashes brush lightly against his palm.

Zong Du lowers his gaze. He looks at the top of her head.

“Then what do you want?”

The tattoo artist knows Zong Du for so long.

She never imagines her first time tattooing him is to ink a girl’s bite mark on his collarbone.

His skin is pale; the red tattoo looks like a lip print.

Zong Du leads Ling Jia out by the hand.

In the car, she leans over, pulls open his collar, and looks at the fresh red tattoo.

“Does it hurt?”

Zong Du squeezes her fingers.

“Does it hurt you?”

Ling Jia nods.

“When you bite me, it hurts a lot.”

“And when Yi Chuan bites you?”

Ling Jia doesn’t speak.

She sits back. She looks out the window. Moments later, she notices the direction is wrong.

This isn’t the way back.

The car drives to a villa; she recognizes it as Yi Chuan’s house.

Zong Du opens a wooden box on the side.

“Curious what’s inside?”

Ling Jia looks at him.

Her eyes glisten, bright,

Like they hold the moonlight.

Zong Du hands it to her.

She sees an elegant handgun engraved with rose patterns.

The second floor’s lights are on.

Night breeze pours through the car window.

Ling Jia’s long hair flutters. It sticks to her face.

Zong Du reaches out. He tucks it behind her ear.

“How does Zong Min’en’s gun feel?”

Ling Jia thinks for a moment.

“Very thrilling.”

“That’s thrilling?”

He chuckles softly. He extends his hand out the window.

His white shirt cuff folds up. It reveals a refined wrist bone.

His pale, slender fingers hold the gun like an artwork.

The dark barrel aims at the second-floor balcony.

“Ling Jia.”

She looks at his hand outside the window. She responds softly.

“Hm?”

“I show you something more thrilling.”

A loud bang echoes.

The bullet leaves the barrel.

Glass shatters instantly.

Distant dog barks and a maid’s scream follow from the house.

Zong Du lowers the smoking gun. Like flicking off a cigarette butt.

The shattered second-floor glass makes the curtains flutter.

A figure stands behind the curtain. It’s motionless for a long time.

Ling Jia thinks this is the end.

Her heart still races from the gunshot.

She lowers her head. She hides the excitement in her eyes with fear.

Her hand is hidden behind her. It trembles uncontrollably.

Zong Du, let’s go back.

Zong Du, don’t do this.

Perhaps she should say such lines.

But she really doesn’t want to. She bites her lip. She tries repeatedly. She still can’t convince herself to be a good person.

As she wrestles with herself, a warm hand ruffles her hair.

“Don’t miss it. After the appetizer, the main course comes.”

He lifts her head with his fingers. He makes her see his hand rise again outside the window.

He aims at the figure behind the curtain. He smiles lightly at her.

“He bites you. I get revenge for you, okay?”

Ling Jia doesn’t speak.

Before she sees anything, she hears his phone that was set aside rings.

The screen flashes Zong Zaichi’s name.

Zong Du ignores it.

The gun points upward. He pulls the trigger. The firing pin strikes the primer. The gunpowder in the casing ignites instantly. High-pressure gas propels the bullet through the barrel’s rifling.

Bang—

The figure behind the curtain drops to the floor before the bullet fires.

The front door finally opens.

The maid in a coat. Her voice is trembling. She speaks to Zong Du.

“I-I already call the police. Y-you don’t act recklessly.”

Zong Du cooperatively raises his hands.

The gun spins in his fingers like a nimble toy.

“You call the police? That’s truly terrifying. But madam, may I ask?

Which fucking police station accepts your call for help?”