To Sweep Across Like Wildfire - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A few days later.

Even though the sun had set by 6:00 PM, the ground, baked by the day’s heat, still radiated a lingering warmth.

Female Dorm Room 301.

A girl rubbed her bleary eyes and yawned as she climbed down from her top bunk. She didn’t react much to the sound of someone else in the room at first, but a moment later, she seemed startled. She whipped her head around to stare at the source of the noise—Meng Chi, who had also just come down from her bunk.

Meng Chi was wearing thin pajamas, looking very much like she had just woken up. She asked, “Are you heading out for dinner?”

The girl didn’t answer directly. Instead, she pointed a trembling finger at Meng Chi. “Shouldn’t you be at the library right now, locked in a passionate embrace with knowledge?”

Having been Meng Chi’s roommate for so long, she had never seen Meng Chi take a nap in the dorm, let alone sleep until this hour.

Meng Chi’s cheeks were tinged with a faint pink. A thin layer of sweat coated her fair skin, and there were slight damp patches around the collar of her pajamas.

The girl’s gaze swept over Meng Chi’s face, then she looked up at the air conditioner setting. She felt even more confused. “The AC is on. Usually, aren’t you the type who’s afraid of the cold but doesn’t mind the heat? Why are you sweating so much?”

Meng Chi lowered her head to gather her bath supplies, a flash of unease crossing her eyes. She said, “I don’t know. I felt hot while sleeping. I’m going to shower first. If you’re not starving, wait a bit and we can go eat together.”

The girl didn’t catch Meng Chi’s unease and didn’t think much of the answer. She said, “You’re the only one in the room without a bamboo cooling mat on your bed. You should really put one down so you don’t overheat.”

Meng Chi moved quickly, slipping into the bathroom.

After changing her clothes, the girl started applying her makeup out of boredom, calling out toward the bathroom: “Meng Chi, have you been feeling unwell lately? You used to rush to the library early every morning. Now, unless you have classes at 8:00 AM, you’ve been waking up quite late.”

A while later, Meng Chi emerged from the bathroom after her shower. She replied vaguely, “Maybe it’s just summer fatigue.”

Over the last few days, she kept dreaming of that woman—dreaming of that night.

Since there were no classes today, the other roommates had gone to the library early. Once they knew Meng Chi and the other girl were awake, they agreed to meet for dinner.

Canteen No. 5 was spacious, with long pale-yellow tables and chairs arranged on both sides. Although there were quite a few people at this hour, many empty seats remained since many students bought food and took it back to their dorms.

The two roommates coming from the library planned to head back to study, so the four of them decided to eat at the canteen.

There weren’t many blocks of empty seats together, so they searched around, wanting to sit as a group. Meng Chi trailed half a step behind her roommates, her mind wandering.

I wonder what that woman is doing. Has she had dinner?

Just then, one roommate spotted four or five adjacent seats and hurried over. After sitting down, she waved excitedly: “Over here! Hurry!”

Another roommate was close and walked over quickly. But just as she was about to sit, a girl wedged herself in, sitting directly opposite the two of them. She called out to a few friends still at the food counters: “I’ve claimed the spot! Come over when you’re done.”

By then, Meng Chi had reached her roommates.

The girl turned her face as if she had just noticed Meng Chi. She covered her mouth and widened her eyes in feigned shock. “Ah, Senior! I didn’t expect to see you here.”

This girl was a year below Meng Chi—the very girl Song Yuanzhe had cheated with.

Meng Chi’s roommates naturally knew who she was. They all frowned, and the two seated roommates started to stand up, intending to find a different spot.

The girl blinked at Meng Chi and said, “Senior, I’m so sorry, but I got here first. If I didn’t have class tonight, I would have let you have it.”

The two roommates who were about to stand were immediately annoyed. You got here first? Are your eyes deaf? Didn’t you see us sitting here? They clearly understood the subtext: I stole Song Yuanzhe, and I don’t plan on giving him back.

Meng Chi, whose mind had been occupied with the woman, looked down at the junior.

Just as the roommates were about to start an argument, Meng Chi spoke calmly: “No need to move. Sit.” Then, she set her tray down and sat directly across from the girl.

Seeing this, the other roommates followed suit, effectively sandwiching the junior in the middle.

The junior’s expression briefly turned extremely complicated.

After that, no one spoke; they just ate in silence.

Two minutes later, the junior couldn’t take it anymore. She picked up her tray and fled.

As soon as she left, Meng Chi’s roommates burst into muffled laughter. One laughed so hard she pushed her tray away and said to Meng Chi: “Meng Chi, how are you so amazing?!”

“How did you think of that? That was incredible, hahaha!”

“I was all ready to start a shouting match with her!”

“This is what they call ‘subduing the enemy without fighting.’ Pure genius!”

The roommates praised her one after another.

Meng Chi’s focus returned slightly. She stirred the rice on her plate and said, “You flatter me.”

She actually didn’t care about the junior. What she cared about most right now was how to find Shen Qingruo.

…

After dinner, Meng Chi didn’t go to the library but returned to the dorm to study. She studied until past 10:00 PM, then washed up and climbed into bed with her tablet.

Leaning against the headboard, she opened her drawing software. The sketch she hadn’t finished last night popped up: A woman in a tube dress, long legs crossed, leaning lazily against the soft back of a sofa.

Over the past few days, Meng Chi had occasionally gone back to that bar to sit for a while, but without exception, Shen Qingruo never reappeared.

Shen Qingruo was like a fish that navigated the sea of people with ease, vanishing instantly without a trace. Sometimes, Meng Chi doubted the reality of that night. Was Shen Qingruo just a figment of her imagination? A butterfly dream of Zhuangzi?

Meng Chi took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and continued adding details to the sofa in her sketch.

A moment later, a name slid into the notification bar: Song Yuanzhe.

He had sent three messages. Two were from twenty minutes ago—she wasn’t sure why she hadn’t received the alerts.

Song Yuanzhe: “Are you there?” Song Yuanzhe: “I just heard from Xiao Tang that you took her seat in the canteen tonight. I don’t think you’re that kind of person, so I came to ask.”

“Xiao Tang” was his mistress—the junior from earlier.

Since he hadn’t received a reply, he eventually lost his patience and sent a third message, which Meng Chi had just seen.

Song Yuanzhe asked: “Meng Chi, do you still care about me?”

Seeing these messages, Meng Chi didn’t even hesitate. Her slender fingers flew across the screen, sending a reply:

“It’s none of your business what kind of person I am.” “Also, you’re overthinking it.”

She didn’t care what the junior had told him, and she was too lazy to explain. After sending the messages, she blocked and deleted him immediately. She was a little surprised she hadn’t done it sooner; she had thought he was already gone from her contacts.

She drew for a while longer but found herself stuck on the architectural details of the bar. She figured she’d have to visit it again.

The next night, Jiang Sitian found out Meng Chi was at the bar and rushed over unannounced.

Clutching a new summer-style handbag, she flopped down next to Meng Chi. Gasping for air, she grabbed a beer from the table and downed a few large gulps before saying, “You heartless girl! You come out to a bar and don’t even call me!”

Meng Chi would order a few drinks every time she came, but she never actually drank them. She said nothing and continued drawing on her tablet.

Jiang Sitian didn’t mind the cold shoulder. She looked around and noticed the spot was very noisy, which didn’t fit her friend’s usual preference for quiet. However, this spot was very close to the bar’s entrance.

Three minutes later, Sitian noticed that every time the door opened, Meng Chi would glance toward it, whether intentionally or not.

Jiang Sitian asked, “Are you looking for someone?”

Meng Chi said slowly, “That night… I forgot to get that woman’s WeChat.”

Although she was embarrassed to admit her intentions, she knew Sitian would find out sooner or later, so she just said it.

Sitian understood then. Meng Chi was looking for that woman.

She thought about it and decided that moving on from the scumbag was the priority, so she didn’t object. She sat with Meng Chi for a while. Meng Chi was composed, drawing and glancing at the door every now and then.

She had the air of someone “fishing alone in the cold river snow,” waiting for the fish to bite. Jiang Sitian, however, didn’t have the patience of her ancestors. After a while, she got up and walked to the bar counter.

The bartender was shaking a cocktail mixer. Glancing at Sitian, he filled a glass with hot water and pushed it across the counter. The glass slid with a shh sound, stopping right by her hand.

The guy called out, “Sister, please don’t mess with me.”

Jiang Sitian gave an exaggerated “Wow” and said, “Buddy, you still remember me?”

The guy replied, “I call you ‘sister,’ you call me ‘buddy.’ How are we even supposed to figure out our seniority?”

“To each their own, it doesn’t matter,” Sitian said. “Let me ask you something. On the day we came, there was a very beautiful woman at that corner table on the second floor. Do you know her?”

The guy thought for a moment and gave a hum of affirmation.

“You know her?”

“No, I’m just agreeing with you. She was indeed very beautiful.”

Sitian got straight to the point: “Has she been back since?”

“I can’t disclose that. Professional ethics, you know.”

Sitian took a sip of hot water, her gaze drifting over the liquor cabinet. “How do your commissions work for selling bottles? That one at the top looks pretty good to me.”

Five minutes later, Meng Chi looked up from her tablet to see Jiang Sitian walking over clutching a bottle of red wine.

As Sitian approached, Meng Chi took the bottle with confusion. “Aren’t there already plenty of drinks on the table?”

Jiang Sitian grinned. “I liked the look of this one. We have a connection.” She added, “According to reliable sources, that person was also here for the first time that night and hasn’t returned. I suspect she’s just a nomad in the nightlife scene; this isn’t her usual haunt.”

Although Meng Chi had prepared herself for the possibility that Shen Qingruo might not return, hearing it from Sitian still brought a wave of disappointment.

Sitian said, “You don’t need to come here anymore. I told the bartender to call me as soon as there’s any news.”

Then, she shook her phone screen. “I’m in dozens of bar WeChat groups, covering almost every famous bar in North City. I’ve put the word out. The moment she shows her face, we’ll rush there. I guarantee we’ll be one step faster than the vice squad.”

“…” The gloom in Meng Chi’s heart was swept away.

Looking at the never-ending stream of messages on Sitian’s phone, she knew her friend liked to party, but she hadn’t realized she had such a powerful network. She wondered just how many bars Sitian had actually visited.

Three days later, Meng Chi had just stepped out of the library when she received a message from Jiang Sitian:

“No. 419 Changyang Street, ‘Chunfeng DO’ bar. Go, quick!” “The woman has appeared!”