The brightly lit and boisterous venue pulsed with the energy of the dance floor, a throng of people swaying their limbs and heads in sync with the infectious, rhythmic music.
Amidst the crowd moved a man with a gentle demeanor, clad in a t-shirt adorned with cartoon characters. His already small, doll-like face seemed even smaller beneath the whimsical print, making him appear to be caught somewhere between a man and a boy.
He drifted through the throng with a blank expression, his gaze methodically scanning every visible inch of his surroundings. The people around him seemed to exist in a separate world, their enthusiastically gyrating bodies occasionally bumping into him.
A white beam of light swept across the crowd, abruptly landing on the man. The light, emanating from directly in front of him, shone into his eyes. He tilted his head slightly to avoid the glare, revealing the sharp lines of his neck. His unassuming appearance, coupled with the vulnerable exposure of his neck, inexplicably evoked a sense of sadism in many onlookers. Though only for a few seconds, this moment drew whistles from various directions.
As the light moved on, he seemed unfazed, his gaze continuing to wander through the crowd. Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a specific spot.
"Found you."
A faint, almost imperceptible smile spread across his expressionless face.
Wen Bai chose a spot some distance from his target and approached the bar. "A glass of something a bit stronger, please. Hmm..." He paused, "Something that might make me a little more… exhilarated."
The bartender smiled. The person before him looked young, ordering without even glancing at the menu. Such a request suggested it was their first time in a place like this.
Within minutes, the bartender placed a fruit wine, not particularly strong, on the counter and gently pushed it over. "Your drink."
Before Wen Bai could touch the glass, a hand from beside him reached out and covered it.
"This Sidecar probably isn't quite what you're looking for," said a man who, despite being decent-looking, exuded an uncomfortable aura. He then turned to the bartender, as if speaking for himself, "Get him a Long Island Iced Tea."
Wen Bai frowned. "I don't want tea."
Both the bartender and the man chuckled. The man leaned closer. "Don't worry, this one won't disappoint you." With that, he tentatively rested his hand on Wen Bai's arm on the bar, his fingers lightly brushing the back of Wen Bai's hand before quickly withdrawing.
The bartender was accustomed to such displays, but the man before him seemed too harmless, drawing his attention. Wen Bai didn't resist, his silent gaze fixed on the hand that had just been touched. The bartender felt a pang of hesitation. The man beside him had a rather poor reputation and was a regular, always targeting seemingly naive and easily deceived individuals. There had even been an incident here before. In a place where people came to have fun, such things were common, and since the person involved showed no reaction, it was difficult for the bartender to intervene.
The bartender pushed the prepared drink forward. "Your Long Island Iced Tea."
The man smoothly slid the glass towards Wen Bai and picked up Wen Bai's initial order, tapping the rim of the new glass. "Aren't you going to try it?"
Wen Bai picked up the glass of dark brown liquid filled with ice. He took a sip, savored it, then took another large gulp, downing half the glass in one go. His brow furrowed slightly, and he placed the glass back on the table, not touching it again.
The man glanced at the remaining half glass, a hint of malicious intent in his eyes. "What, you don't like it?"
"It's sweet," Wen Bai replied, his tone indicating dissatisfaction after contemplating the taste.
"Oh?" The man turned back to the bartender and tapped the counter. "Another Black Russian, please."
Soon, another drink was placed on the counter, and the man pushed it towards Wen Bai again. Wen Bai took a large sip. "Much better than that one."
The man proceeded to order several more drinks, all with a high alcohol content, which Wen Bai consumed one after another. By the time he looked up again, his gaze was somewhat unfocused. The man finally felt it was enough.
"I have better tasting alcohol at my place, want to try some?" the man asked, reaching out to tentatively stroke Wen Bai's hand and then giving it a squeeze.
Feeling the warm, moist palm on the back of his hand, Wen Bai finally looked up and glanced at the man. "It's too crowded here," Wen Bai murmured.
The man eagerly replied, "Then let's go somewhere quieter." He led Wen Bai not towards the bar's main exit, but towards a small path behind the establishment, which led to a dead-end alleyway. It was a place seldom visited, but those who went there understood its purpose.
It was the height of summer, and everyone was dressed lightly.
Li Yi, a university student from the vicinity, had found this part-time job through a friend's recommendation. He watched the bustling crowd, too busy to pay much attention as a server, taking orders and delivering food and drinks. During a brief respite, he noticed a man sitting in a corner with a long, prominent scar on his neck. The scar was too noticeable, stretching from his left carotid artery and disappearing under his clothes. The man sat still, staring in one direction. Li Yi followed his gaze and saw a sleazy-looking man by the bar making advances on Wen Bai, who appeared incredibly young and naive, looking even younger than Li Yi himself.
How could they allow minors in here? Was he sneaking in? But the way he was ordering drinks suggested otherwise. When Li Yi's gaze returned, he saw the scarred man again. The man calmly averted his gaze, seemingly uninterested in intervening. His glance seemed to have caught the man's attention, so he quickly looked away and resumed his work. When he looked up again, the scarred man was no longer there. Li Yi prepared to find a security guard; the young man looked so vulnerable, he hoped nothing bad would happen to him. He looked back at the bar, and both men by the counter were gone. Just then, someone called him, and he turned to resume his duties, the incident momentarily forgotten in his busyness.
Entering the dimly lit alleyway behind the bar, the man stayed a few steps behind Wen Bai. He handed some money to the person guarding the entrance and said in a low voice, "Keep anyone from coming in until I'm done." The guard gave a knowing look, glanced at Wen Bai's retreating back, whistled softly, and took the money. The man impatiently closed the door and approached Wen Bai, who was looking around.
"No one will bother us here, right?" Wen Bai asked. So, not his first time, the man thought. He examined Wen Bai's face in the dim light, only able to make out his features. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became. He figured such a valuable find likely wasn't new to this, and he wondered who had gotten lucky before. "Of course, I've handled everything. Let's not waste any more time..." As he spoke, the man reached out to embrace Wen Bai, leaning in close.
Wen Bai took a step back and tilted his head slightly, a smile playing on his lips. "Could you wait for me for a moment?" The man, though impatient, was dazzled by Wen Bai's smile. He felt he needed to show more patience and gentlemanly demeanor towards such a tender lamb. Most importantly, the only exit was behind him, so he wasn't worried about the duck escaping. He nonchalantly took out a cigarette and lit it, guarding the entrance calmly. "Of course, you can be quick."
The alley was illuminated by a single, flickering dim yellow light on a utility pole, several meters high. It only lit the area directly beneath the pole, leaving the rest in darkness. Wen Bai surveyed the surroundings and walked into the shadows. It was a pile of discarded waste. After a brief search, he bent down and picked something up. Due to the poor lighting, the man couldn't see what Wen Bai was holding. However, as Wen Bai approached, the man's eyes widened in shock as he saw it. The cigarette dropped from his lips. He saw Wen Bai holding a discarded steel pipe.
"What is this..." the man asked numbly, not having time to finish his sentence before a blow landed squarely on his head.
"Fuck..."
It was a one-sided beating. With the intention of a romantic conquest, he had never expected such an encounter. He relied on his superficially kind appearance, which had always served him well here. When he had encountered someone uncooperative before, he had simply paid them off. The man was covered in dirt, blood streaming from his nose. From initial curses and shouts, he was now reduced to groans on the ground. Wen Bai, however, seemed oblivious, mechanically repeating his actions.
"If you hit him again, he'll die..." a cold, indifferent voice stated. The man on the ground seemed not to hear. There was no third person in the empty back alley. Wen Bai, whose adrenaline was rising, finally calmed down slightly and stopped. He threw the steel pipe aside. Seeing him stop, the man on the ground tried to push himself up, only to have his face stomped down onto the uneven ground with a thud.
"Fuck..." he muttered indistinctly. A handkerchief fluttered down before him as the person wiped the dirt from his hands.
"Satisfied?" he heard Wen Bai ask, his voice, though boyish, laced with ice.
"You bastard..." His face was again pressed firmly against the ground. The ground was damp and littered with stones, causing his face to sting. The man's heart filled with hatred, but he had no choice but to beg, "Satisfied... satisfied, satisfied... please stop stepping on me, you'll disfigure me..." The pressure on his face was released. Just as he felt a sliver of relief, the man on the ground heard a "click..." followed by several more. "Click... click..." These were the sounds of a phone camera. A sense of foreboding washed over the man. He forced himself to sit up and looked up. "He... what are you doing..." Seeing the man before him with sinister eyes and a blank expression, he quickly changed his tune.
"Taking pictures."
Wen Bai thought for a moment, then seemed to realize something was amiss, muttering to himself, "Something seems to be missing."
"Clothes," the voice said again.
"Ah... it's too many clothes." Wen Bai looked at the man's rumpled clothes, still stained with a bit of blood, and frowned as he bent down towards the man. The man watched in horror as Wen Bai approached, desperately crawling backward. "What... what are you doing?!"
Wen Bai ignored the verbose man.
"Ah! You... are you a pervert... Ah..." The man's uniquely terrified and enraged screams echoed in the alley, lingering for a long time.