As soon as I stepped out of the exam hall and picked up my phone, the screen was filled with more than a dozen missed calls.
It was Su Yi calling. Shen Moyu gasped. Why was her uncle calling so urgently? Had something happened to Su Jinning?
He hurriedly dialed back, and in less than ten seconds, Su Yi's words completely stunned Shen Moyu. He felt a chill in his heart, and his blood turned icy cold.
"What?! Missing?!"
Su Yi hurriedly explained on the phone, "When I got home at noon, he was nowhere to be seen. I called him but he didn't answer, and then his phone was switched off the next few times. Since you were all taking the college entrance exam, I could only look for him in the places he usually goes, but I couldn't find him. I'm afraid he might do something stupid..."
Shen Moyu took a trembling breath, trying to calm Su Yi down: "Uncle, don't worry, maybe he's thought things through and went out to clear his head. Wait for him at home; he might come home soon. I'll get some friends to help look for him, and if all else fails, we'll call the police."
"Okay!"
Shen Moyu stood by the window, trying to calm herself amidst the mocking crowd, before dialing Chen Hang's number.
When Shen Moyu arrived at the door to hail a taxi, Chen Hang had just run over looking disheveled, not even having had time to put on his coat, with Song Wenmiao following behind him.
"What on earth happened?" Chen Hang was so anxious he could barely breathe. Before Shen Moyu could answer, he asked again, "Are you sure I didn't hear wrong? Brother Ning is missing?!"
His nostrils seemed to be telling a story of disbelief.
Shen Moyu flagged down a car by the roadside, his phone still dialing Su Jinning's number. Without looking up or opening his eyes, he said, "I'll tell you later. Get in the car first."
The taxi drove to Sakura Road. Shen Moyu first searched the fish ball shop, but it wasn't there. He then searched the alley where the two of them had met before, but still nothing. The three of them then checked the school and nearby bars and internet cafes, but still nothing. His uncle kept calling, but Su Jinning remained unreachable; her phone was always switched off.
"Where else could he go?" Chen Hang sniffed, his eyes still red, and kicked the public bench next to him in frustration: "Damn it! What kind of shit is this?!"
Song Wenmiao, feeling somewhat disheartened, leaned back on the bench and sighed, "I still can't understand... how could Auntie..."
He didn't finish his story; instead, he buried his face in his hands, feeling overwhelmed.
"If I were Brother Ning..." Chen Hang turned his head away, wiping his face, "I'd leave too."
"Alright." Shen Moyu was now extremely anxious. "Let's find someone first. If all else fails, we'll have to call the police."
Chen Hang lowered his head, completely at a loss for what to do. "Let's call the police... We've already searched all the places we can think of, and he only frequents these few places."
Shen Moyu gritted his teeth and lowered his head. He still didn't believe Su Jinning would do anything foolish; with his intelligence and skills, it was impossible for him to do anything wrong. His phone was always off, and he almost always carried a power bank with him, so he was definitely deliberately avoiding them.
Shen Moyu shook his head: "Let's think again, is there anywhere else we can look?"
The three of them sat on the bench for a long time, thinking. Suddenly, Chen Hang grabbed Shen Moyu and almost shouted, "I remember now! Song Wenmiao, do you remember that pool hall we used to go to with Brother Ning?"
Song Wenmiao frowned and thought for a moment, then slapped his thigh: "Oh right, he also said that playing pool there can help you relax when you're in a bad mood!"
——
The sounds of the ball clattering and the noise were unbearable, making the three people in school uniforms stand out as oddities among the group of middle-aged men and the energetic young men with cigarettes in their mouths.
Chen Hang also ran into a few acquaintances there, and after asking around, he learned that Su Jinning was indeed upstairs.
The three of them practically flew up, and as soon as they reached the second floor, they saw Su Jinning playing pool at the pool table near the stairwell.
Chen Hang felt a sharp pain in his heart and rushed forward to hug Su Jinning without saying a word.
Not only Su Jinning, but all the boys at the table were stunned.
"Brother Ning!" Chen Hang released him and grabbed his wrist urgently: "Why didn't you answer our calls? We've been looking for you for ages!"
Shen Moyu stood at the bottom of the stairs and stared straight at Su Jinning, who still had a cigarette in his mouth. His hair was a little messy, his eyelids were swollen, and the bloodshot eyes looked like they hadn't slept for a long time. There was also some stubble on his lip, and he exuded a sense of decadence from the inside out.
Su Jinning finished her cigarette, calmly tossed it into the trash can behind her, and watched her two brothers frantically trying to make a scene. She simply patted them on the shoulder, a smirk playing on her lips, and said, "What's the rush? Do you think I'm going to run away?"
"What are you doing if you're not running away?!" Chen Hang punched him in the shoulder.
A boy with a black short-sleeved shirt and a pompadour walked over and put his arm around Su Jinning's shoulder: "Hey Ning-ge, who's this?"
The way that guy acted like he knew Su Jinning so well, while treating Chen Hang and his brothers like outsiders, successfully infuriated Chen Hang, who was already in a bad mood. He yelled at the boy, "Who are you?"
The boy was taken aback at first, then raised an eyebrow dismissively: "Dude, are you out of your mind? Why are you talking so aggressively?"
Su Jinning sensed the awkward atmosphere and quickly pulled the person behind her, saying apologetically, "It's just two of my friends. They're in a bad mood, so please don't take it to heart."
The boy sized Chen Hang up and down, as if he could see right through him, before flashing a fake set of white teeth: "Hey, Ning-ge's friend is our friend!" He bent down and picked up a cue stick: "Come on, let's play a couple of rounds."
Chen Hang ignored him and grabbed Su Jinning, asking, "Didn't you fucking say you'd never come to a place like this again?!"
Perhaps she had hurt him, because Su Jinning started to get impatient: "Are you crazy? Why are you so nosy? What's wrong with me playing ball?"
"Playing ball?" Song Wenmiao narrowed his eyes: "Because of playing ball, you'll miss the exam, won't answer the phone, and even disappear?"
Su Jinning clicked her tongue in annoyance and poked Song Wenmiao's chest: "Stop worrying about so much. Either play a couple of rounds, or you two better go find somewhere cool and stay there."
It's unclear what words ignited Song Wenmiao, but in front of everyone, he grabbed Su Jinning by the collar, his teeth clenched with a ferocity that seemed to want to devour him: "Does your aunt know what kind of pathetic thing you're doing?"
Su Jinning looked up at him, her eyes flashing with sparks. Before Song Wenmiao could react, she kicked him away, sending him crashing into the pool table behind him.
The entire second floor fell silent almost instantly. Seeing this, Shen Moyu quickly pulled Su Jinning away: "Are you fucking crazy?!"
"Don't touch me!" Su Jinning waved her sleeve, trying to shake Shen Moyu off, but he wouldn't budge an inch.
Su Jinning looked at him coldly, her eyes filled with unfamiliarity: "I told you to let go."
Chapter 73 Letter
Shen Moyu's jaw muscles twitched, and he grabbed Su Jinning's wrist and pulled her downstairs.
Pushing open the door to the billiard hall, the sweltering heat of the evening hit her. Just as Su Jinning was wondering how he could have such strength, he was forcefully pushed and thrown to the ground.
Shen Moyu said through gritted teeth, each word distinct: "Are you satisfied?"
Seeing the resentment in his eyes, Su Jinning felt a surge of anger rise within her: "Why don't you just say he's speaking like a human being?!"
"Is he wrong?" Shen Moyu's tone was so soft it could kill.
Su Jinning clenched her fist and turned her head away, perhaps because the light from the street lamp was too dazzling, or perhaps because Shen Moyu's gaze was too piercing.