Chapter 40

At half past five in the afternoon, Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang arrived at a restaurant near the entrance of Xiayang University of Technology. A few minutes later, Wang Yue appeared in front of Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang.

The three of them chose a table in the corner of the restaurant and sat down. Wang Yue said to Qin Lang, "I never expected you to invite me—by the way, who is she? Is she a cop?"

This Wang Yue was actually the "No. 13 Yueyi" that Qin Lang had met at the Chunmei Bay Club. However, the current Wang Yue was not wearing a miniskirt or makeup. She was dressed in a long-sleeved floral shirt with the sleeves rolled up, paired with a pair of washed blue jeans, and wore a pair of black-framed glasses, looking like a very quiet college student, which made people feel good.

"Cop?" Qin Lang shook his head slightly and smiled, "There's no such beautiful cop. Let me introduce you, this is Zhou Lingling's teacher. You know Zhou Lingling, right?"

"‘Yalin’ is my good sister, I know her real name," Wang Yue nodded.

"Zhou Lingling, she—has had an accident," Qin Lang said. He and Tao Ruoxiang had decided to keep the fact that Zhou Lingling was still alive from Wang Yue.

"What happened to her?" Wang Yue became visibly nervous, clearly she considered Zhou Lingling as her sister.

"She—committed suicide!" Qin Lang put on a pained expression.

"What!" Wang Yue's face was filled with shock. After a moment, she finally calmed down, trembling as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, put one in her mouth, and then looked at Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang, "I need to smoke a cigarette, do you mind?"

Wang Yue lit the cigarette, took a deep puff, and then sighed, "She didn't listen to my advice."

"What did you advise her?" Qin Lang asked.

"I told her that since she had already taken this path, she might as well accept it to avoid unnecessary trouble, because I am the best example."

As she smoked, Wang Yue began to talk, "I told her that even if she didn't take that path, what would going to college change? For someone like me, going to an ordinary university doesn't offer much of a future. In college, it's impossible to remain a virgin; eventually, some scumbag will get her body, and all she'll get in return is a few chocolates, some flowers, and ultimately heartbreak and despair! Those scumbags talk about love, but once a woman strips and lies in their bed, they forget all about love. It's better to sell yourself while you're young and make some money, and after graduation, the club can still arrange a good job for you."

"It sounds like your club offers pretty good benefits," Qin Lang smiled faintly, "But what about getting addicted to drugs? Even if you can quit drugs, what if you get a sexually transmitted disease or HIV? You know, once you get those, your future and dreams are over. And at that point, will the club still care about your life?"

"You mean, Zhou Lingling got a sexually transmitted disease? Those bastards!" Wang Yue couldn't help but curse, then she crushed the cigarette butt in the ashtray, "I don't know why you're investigating this, but you'd better be careful. I've been there for over two years, and I know that the people who go there have some background in Xiayang City."

"Thank you for the warning," Qin Lang said calmly, "I'm investigating this to seek justice for Zhou Lingling."

"Justice?" Wang Yue snorted, "There's no such thing as justice these days! Two years ago, right after the college entrance exam, I went to sing KTV with my classmates all night. I was drugged, and when I woke up in the morning, I found myself in bed with a nearly dead old man in his sixties. I went to the police station to report it, but the police treated me like a prostitute and fined me! From that day on, I stopped believing in any kind of justice!"

"I'm sorry, Wang... Wang Yue, for bringing up your painful memories," Tao Ruoxiang had intended to call Wang Yue "Miss Wang," but she realized that Wang Yue would certainly be offended by that, so she quickly changed her words, "Since you are also a victim, can you help us once, so we can seek justice for you all?"

Wang Yue seemed hesitant, as she didn't fully trust Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang.

"Zhou Lingling, she died a terrible death!" Qin Lang decided to tell a white lie to move Wang Yue, "She was determined to die, and when she jumped, her head hit the ground, and she... well, it's indescribable. On the day she jumped from the school, she was wearing her school uniform, which was completely soaked in her blood. The last text message she sent to Teacher Tao read: Goodbye, this beautiful world; goodbye, my dear parents; goodbye, my teachers and sisters... Let it end this way, at least my soul is still pure!"

When Tao Ruoxiang heard Qin Lang's lie, she was speechless, thinking to herself that this guy was really good at making things up. However, Tao Ruoxiang knew that Qin Lang's words were very moving, so she quickly pretended to be immersed in grief, reaching for a napkin on the table, but her fingers accidentally touched Wang Yue's. Wang Yue's eyes reddened, and she gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eye, mustering up the courage, "For her, I'll believe in justice one more time! They have a tight organization and a whole set of procedures, which is actually similar to a pyramid scheme—"

"For example, once they completely control me, they would encourage me to recruit pretty friends into this business, and if successful, I would get a substantial income. Of course, this is just an example; I never did such a thing. However, Zhou Lingling was sold by her so-called friend through this method. In short, that's the general process. In addition, they use some small-time thugs from inside the school to lure female students into the business, then further get them addicted to drugs, and finally completely control them."

Wang Yue recounted the evil deeds of Chunmei Bay, and after hearing her, Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang were filled with righteous indignation. However, both knew that what they needed most now was evidence, so Qin Lang asked Wang Yue, "Where can we find these scumbags and thugs who are trying to ruin their friends?"

"Many schools in Xiayang City have such people. Even inside and outside the university, there are such people, because I know I'm not the only one who works at Chunmei Bay. However, the largest number is at Xiayang Health School and Art School, especially outside the Art School. If you go there, you should be able to find some clues. Well, I should go now. I hope you can seek justice for Zhou Lingling. But be careful!"

Wang Yue was clearly afraid of the boss of Chunmei Bay, so she left immediately after saying these words.

Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang didn't want to waste time and planned to head to the Art School immediately.

"Hey, you're just going to leave like that?" Just as Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang reached the restaurant door, they were stopped by the owner, "You're just going to leave like that?"

"We didn't eat anything," Tao Ruoxiang said calmly, "Do you want to charge us?"

"You used my napkins, drank my tea, and sat at my table, and you didn't order a single dish or leave a single cent. Do you think my place is a free teahouse?" the owner said angrily.

"Damn Sun Sanniang! You're trying to extort us, but you don't know who you're dealing with!" At that moment, a muscular man walked into the restaurant, glaring fiercely at the owner, and respectfully called out, "Brother Qin," scaring the owner into quickly apologizing to Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang.