125. There Is Always a Sliver of Light Spreading Through the Heart (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Bai Haonan really did look like an uncle. He had always worn a beard, and now his hair had grown long as well. His clothes were a mess, too. He felt that he ought to adopt an uncle’s attitude and show concern for the younger generation, though in the past he had always done so in a different way.

“Li Lin, do you understand the dangers of pyramid schemes now?”

Who could have guessed that the sophomore would instantly turn scarlet, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s.

“I understand.”

Teddy Nan still had no idea what exactly she had understood. All he could do was sigh helplessly.

“That’s only part of it. The entire pyramid scheme is a closed-off gang of swindlers. Every single person in it is a con artist. Under those circumstances, the sort of sexual chaos that happens there is merely a by-product. The real point is that pyramid schemes are fraud. They can leave you destitute and destroy your entire family. Do you understand?”

Li Lin’s eyes showed that she was still thinking about that blindingly white scene. She did not meet Bai Haonan’s gaze; her eyes drifted about unnaturally.

“Yes. I understand.”

Bai Haonan still wanted to make the danger clearer.

“Why did I keep you here by yourself?”

At last, Li Lin gave him a quick glance. Her face grew even redder.

“You’re not a good person either!”

Bai Haonan wanted nothing more than to smash the back of his head against the wall behind him. He grew irritated.

“Bullshit!”

The college student seemed startled by his tone, like a frightened little lamb.

“You’re so fierce! What are you doing?”

Under normal circumstances, the girl could speak standard Mandarin perfectly well. But the moment she was frightened, a northeastern accent came rushing out, and she did not even realize it.

Bai Haonan nearly burst out laughing again.

“Damn it, don’t speak with a northeastern accent!”

Li Lin lowered her eyes obediently, but her upbringing—or lack thereof—showed in the way she whispered without the slightest respect for her seniority.

“You’re not allowed to swear, either.”

Bai Haonan once again felt the urge to drag her over and spank her. He took a deep breath and warned himself:

“I saved her. I saved her. I saved her. She deserves it. She deserves it. She deserves it!”

His emotions truly calmed down somewhat. He softened his voice as much as he could.

“Let me tell you what would happen if you didn’t leave. Eating old duck soup is only the second day of the whole scam. On the third day, if you hand over sixty-three thousand eight hundred, you’ll begin a new course of study. You’ll learn how to trick the next person into joining—your classmates, parents, friends, relatives. All of them will be deceived and made to follow the same pattern as you. A week later, they’ll give you eighteen thousand back. That’s meant to make you trust the scheme even more. Then…”

Bai Haonan went through the entire bonus-distribution system—the one Little Man and the others knew all too well—for Li Lin.

“Do you understand?”

Li Lin looked up. In that instant, he saw the confused, childish expression in her eyes and knew that everything he had just said had been a complete waste of breath. She was an idiot.

Then she borrowed one of Bai Haonan’s favorite phrases.

“Why… why are you telling me so many profound principles?”

Bai Haonan wanted to throw himself headfirst onto the floor.

Of course, he did not know that classical expression. In any case, he simply wanted to slam his head against the ground. What the hell was he telling this idiot all that for?

Was it just because she was pretty? Why waste so many words on her? If he wanted her, he should simply take her. If he did not, why bother talking to her so much? If she got conned by someone later, she would have only herself to blame.

Damn it. But any reasonably normal man who saw such a pitiful, lovely idiot would feel the urge to teach her a few lessons about life. Even if he could not bear to touch her himself, he still would not want some scumbag to get her pregnant.

Somehow, Bai Haonan calmed down again.

“In short, I’m not a good person. Those women escaped from the fraud gang, too. It’s just that perhaps we have a tiny bit of conscience left. So give me your parents’ phone number. I’ll ask them to come and take you home. I’ll pay for the journey. All right?”

He hypnotized himself with the thought that it was like visiting a nightclub and tipping a girl. This girl was worth several thousand, after all.

Li Lin whispered, “I don’t want to go home…”

Bai Haonan could not understand her.

“From the way you look, your parents must dote on you. You have a happy family. Why don’t you want to go back? The world outside is chaotic and dark. A naive, honest, pretty girl like you is easy to deceive. All kinds of people will come after you. Go home!”

Li Lin was clearly accustomed to being complimented on her looks and made no attempt to be modest. She merely stole a glance at him before looking back at the floor.

“Don’t you know that every Northeastern person dreams of living somewhere tropical?”

What was she talking about?

Bai Haonan nearly choked.

“What did you say?”

Li Lin explained quietly.

“It’s freezing cold up there, so you just want to lie in the sun. To be able to bask in sunlight all year round… And you may not know this, but things haven’t been easy where we’re from these past few years. My parents have been asking favors everywhere, trying to find connections and beg someone to get me a respectable job that doesn’t require much worry. I watched them doing it every day at home and wanted to cry. I know they were doing it for my sake, but I always felt useless. I’ve never done well in school. I can’t do anything. I tried learning singing and dancing, but I was hopeless at everything. All I can do is stand there and smile foolishly.

“You know, this was the first time I secretly found a job outside as a model. I wasn’t even good at that. On my first day, I secretly cried several times. So when Swallow called me last night, I immediately became interested. She said it would suit me perfectly. She was absolutely right!”

When he heard the northeastern accent that surfaced at the end, Bai Haonan really did laugh.

“What about your parents? If you leave like this, won’t they worry?”

Li Lin shook her head.

“I sent them a text message. I send them one every day. Last night I even told them I’d found a job. I never imagined I’d end up here…”

She suddenly raised her head.

“Uncle Wang! Give me a chance. I’ll work hard. I like the south. I like the temperature here, and I like the feeling here. It’s different from my hometown, though I can’t explain how. Everything back home just feels lifeless. All the capable young people are heading south. Only those with connections stay behind. I want to accomplish something and show my parents that I can work, that I can be independent. I’m not an idiot!”

As she spoke, she reached out and grabbed Bai Haonan’s hand, shaking it lightly.

“Uncle Wang, why can’t I stay?”

That “Uncle Wang” nearly melted Bai Haonan. It sounded like a line from some palace drama—and one of the truths Jia Li had once spoken came to mind. With an ordinary face and a rough voice, no matter what she said, it would sound dull. But with a beautiful face and a lovely voice, even a northeastern accent could make a man weak in the knees.

Bai Haonan struggled to steady himself.

“Fine. Take out your phone and call your parents. Let me say a few words to them. Do you think they’ll be reassured just because you sent a text?”

Li Lin puffed out her cheeks in a sulk. Thanks to her wide mouth, she looked uncannily like a red-faced pufferfish.

If Bai Haonan had not recently been thinking about buying some kidney supplements, and if they had not been surrounded by glass with countless eyes watching them, he might have pounced on her with a howl. Instead, he resisted the impulse, pulled his hand away, and spoke sternly.

“Sit properly! Take out the phone, or I’ll have the others strip it from you!”

Li Lin seemed somewhat afraid of the other women. After thinking for a moment, she finally took an unimpressive phone from her pocket. She glanced at Bai Haonan furtively, then turned it on with an innocent expression.

“Oh no! The battery’s dead…”

Bai Haonan confirmed once again that she really was an idiot—an idiot so endearing that everyone wanted to take care of her. He had to pin down his restless right hand with his left to stop himself from touching her. In a low, strained voice, he said:

“Give it to me!”

Thinking he was angry, Li Lin pursed her lips and handed over the phone. There was indeed very little charge left. Bai Haonan skillfully opened her messages. Sure enough, she had been in contact with her parents, but her own messages consisted mostly of only a few words. Her parents, meanwhile, had sent long pleas begging her to come home. They were practically kneeling and crying for their daughter through the screen.

Seeing those messages, every improper thought in Bai Haonan’s mind vanished. He dialed the number at once and grumbled as he did so.

“I’m telling you, you’re being terribly unfilial. Look how worried your parents are…”

Li Lin pushed her lips out even farther. With her broad mouth, she somehow managed to capture the spirit of Donald Duck. Bai Haonan laughed and could not resist reaching for his own phone to take a picture of her.

At that moment, the phone rang only once before someone answered. A woman on the other end sounded on the verge of tears.

“Linny! Linny…”

Bai Haonan did not know whether it was jealousy or some other impulse, but he lowered his voice ominously.

“This is a pyramid-scheme fraud group in Southeast Asia…”

The woman immediately began wailing and shrieking in despair.

Right. Bai Haonan now knew that Li Lin’s intelligence was hereditary.

“Ma’am, I’m only joking. Li Lin is here with us. We just rescued her from a pyramid-scheme gang.”

Li Lin hurriedly said, “I’m not saying anything!”

The woman must have heard her daughter’s voice amid the sobbing and instantly became gentle.

“Linny?”

Bai Haonan kept it simple.

“We’re currently in the provincial capital of Western Gui Province. This isn’t a pyramid scheme. You can come and take your daughter home whenever you like…”

Like a little mountain goat desperate to bite someone, Li Lin sprang up and lunged for the phone. Unfortunately for her, she was facing Bai Haonan. One powerful arm blocked her.

“She’s being childish and wants to prove herself. We were originally rescuing other victims of the pyramid scheme and happened to save her along the way. You two can talk now.”

In truth, Li Lin was struggling uselessly against his arm as if she were clinging to iron bars. Her chest kept rubbing against his forearm, and she was quite generously built, though the foolish girl did not notice at all. Bai Haonan fiercely resisted the urge to let his arm declare its independence, handed the phone back to her, and dragged that unwilling arm out of the room.

As soon as he emerged, everyone outside greeted him with the same respectful enthusiasm.

“Good morning, General Manager Wang!”

Ada also put on the manner of a bootlicker and followed closely behind him.

Bai Haonan went straight to Kara.

“Do you think this arrangement will work?”

The big dark-skinned man chuckled.

“Of course it will. Why wouldn’t it? I trust you to handle things. I always knew you wouldn’t foolishly stay at the club playing football forever.”

Bai Haonan lowered his voice.

“You haven’t been involved with the football world these past few years? You didn’t hear that something happened to me?”

Kara shook his head.

“After retiring, I went back home, then came to China again. I stopped having anything to do with football. I’ve been running a small trading business in Canton, shipping goods back home, and occasionally playing pickup games. You Chinese can’t seem to get your football right.”

Bai Haonan could not have agreed more.

“True. But when I called, you came immediately. Didn’t you have a business to run?”

Kara smiled.

“But I love football. Elections and fighting have started again back home, and there’s nowhere to play. I originally planned to use the money I earned from football to return home and enjoy a comfortable retirement. Now I can only live abroad. And China is where I feel most comfortable living. I drink morning tea every day now. But after a few years, it really does get a little boring. I left the small business to my wife…”

Bai Haonan raised his eyebrows with the special air of masculine secrecy.

“Which wife?”

Kara looked proud.

“The wife here ships the goods. The wife over there receives them…”

Bai Haonan could only envy him.

“Damn!”

Kara also understood Bai Haonan.

“Boss Yu is pretty good, though she does like giving orders. I think this girl is better…”

He pointed toward Li Lin’s back as she knelt on the floor.

“Of course she is. Any man would think a girl like that was better. Even if his taste differed, one look at her smile would make him feel capable of enduring anything.”

At that moment, Li Lin stood up, turned around, spotted Bai Haonan, and came out to him. Her expression darted about uncertainly.

“My mother agreed!”

Bai Haonan could not be bothered to argue with an idiot who lacked the confidence even to lie properly. He pointed toward Mei Juan.

“Go get familiar with the working environment. Try it out for now.”

Only after the foolish girl had walked away did he take out his own phone and dial the number he had memorized from earlier.

“Ma’am, I’ll give you the exact address. Whether or not she agrees to go home, you can come and take her yourselves. You can discuss it in person, and if necessary, carry her straight back. The girl is a little simple-minded. She thinks everyone in the world is a good person. Life doesn’t work that way. She was lucky this time—we happened to be rescuing people. Otherwise, she would have fallen straight into the pyramid-scheme trap.”

There was a strange silence on the other end. Then, unexpectedly, a man’s steady voice spoke.

“How should I address you?”

Bai Haonan did not want to invite further complications. He gave the man the address and his own name, even providing the location of the Jiazheng Building and telling him to look for him as soon as he arrived.

Kara gave him a vigorous thumbs-up.

“You’ve changed, damn it. You used to kill the wrong people rather than let anyone go!”

Bai Haonan did not know why he had changed.

“Some people deserve to be lucky all their lives. Where are you staying?”

Kara pointed upward.

“On the roof!”

Bai Haonan laughed and said he would take a look. He brought Qian Niu along.

Kara really was living on the roof. Two neat, attractive courts were enclosed by netting more than ten yards high to keep the balls from flying away. Beyond them stood a long, heat-shielded shelter several dozen yards in length, containing rest areas, a drink bar, and the like. At the far end were several tool rooms, and Kara had settled himself in one of them.

Bai Haonan found the place rather appealing.

“Then I’ll live next door to you. What about you?”

At last, Qian Niu showed a trace of a smile. Perhaps the sunlight outside had driven away some of his gloom.

“Of course I want to live with you.”

Bai Haonan looked at him with disdain.

“Aren’t you always getting in the way of my business?”

Kara truly understood Bai Haonan. He smiled and put an arm around his shoulders.

“Old Nan, I originally wanted to return home and teach the children to play football. Only football can make them forget all the disasters around them. Now I can’t even achieve that little dream. You’re Chinese. Do you know how fortunate you are?”

Bai Haonan rolled his eyes.

“Damn it, and you still think Chinese football is something to be happy about?”

Kara snorted twice. From his unlocked shelter, he nudged a football out with the tip of his foot. He opened the gate in the netting and stepped onto the artificial turf. Despite his enormous body, he began juggling the ball with surprising agility.

“Being free to play football—that’s happiness! Aren’t you the same? Come on, show me what you’ve got!”

Hearing a black man speak Chinese so fluently created a strange sense of temporal dislocation. Bai Haonan shuffled into the court in his sandals and kicked them off, going barefoot.

“You son of a bitch, come on!”

Even on a winter morning, the tropical sun still shone down with a faintly scorching heat. Yet it was precisely that fiery vitality, that warmth beneath his bare feet, that made Bai Haonan feel wonderfully at ease.

He lunged toward the black-and-white ball.

His professional skill and weight were enough to crush amateur players, but they were no match for someone like Kara, who possessed natural athletic gifts and had once played in the World Cup. And the fat bastard was astonishingly heavy now; the slightest lift of his backside could send Bai Haonan crashing to the ground.

Yet the feeling of rushing freely after the ball, fighting for it, colliding, playing, and sending sweat flying through the air—the feel of his toes brushing against the leather—made Bai Haonan unable to hold back a long, ecstatic shout.

Playing football freely. Doing what he loved.

It felt damn incredible!

Qian Niu leaned against the fence on his injured leg, grinning stupidly alongside Ada.

Far away, at a window on the twenty-sixth floor of the Jiazheng Building, a figure seemed to be standing with folded arms, watching the rooftop court. She gazed at the two tiny black-and-white ants running foolishly back and forth.

Behind her, every screen on the desk was filled with surveillance footage.

Jia Li was already planning to have a high-powered telescope installed there.