Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After a few hours of sleep, at half past ten in the evening, Tang Qiu woke up right on time to her alarm.

She changed quickly, stashed all her gear on her, then used the darkness to dodge the cameras and silently disappear into the night.

Tang Qiu kept to the camera blind spots until she reached the edge of her usual area, then hailed a taxi and paid cash to get to Guhe Bend Road.

She didn't have the driver stop directly at the bar entrance, but a few hundred meters away. She strolled with her hands in her pockets, looking like she was just killing time, until the pounding music and rowdy crowd from the bar pulled her in, and she moseyed inside.

She bought a drink with cash, not really caring what it was, but didn't drink it. Instead, she stood in a dark corner, watching Cui Yueyi shine brilliantly on stage.

Unlike her plain daytime look, on stage Cui Yueyi wore exquisite makeup, a dazzling top and shorts studded with rhinestones and crystals that refracted brilliant light. Her bare, fair skin was covered in wild tattoos. As she sang and danced, her superior voice, paired with the passionate music, whipped the whole bar into a frenzy, just like she'd planned.

Except for a few people sitting or standing in the distance watching the commotion, most people crammed up front, waving their hands like crazy and grooving along, punctuated by excited screams and whistles.

Under the shifting colored lights, Tang Qiu also saw some young guy in the crowd who'd gotten so into it he'd ripped off his shirt, dancing shirtless in the spring chill.

Tang Qiu took in the excitement, but inside she felt nothing. She was just waiting for Cui Yueyi to finish her set, then she'd follow her and find out where she lived.

From what she'd already pieced together, from the afternoon chat between Cui Yueyi and the girl in the white dress, Tang Qiu learned that Cui Yueyi was basically a freelancer who performed through an intermediary, often going out at night and returning home late at night or in the early morning. The death time prophesied by Fate's Prophetic Eye for Cui Yueyi was at noon on the 26th. According to Cui Yueyi's daily routine, the life-threatening crisis she faced would most likely occur indoors, at her home. That's why Tang Qiu decided to tail her to find her home address.

Tang Qiu was extremely patient. She acted like a music enthusiast—neither dancing nor drinking, just standing quietly. Except for occasionally observing the bar's layout and exits, most of the time she focused on Cui Yueyi.

After an unknown amount of time, with people flowing in and out of the bar, yet the crowd remaining lively as ever, Tang Qiu keenly sensed someone staring at her.

It was a stare, not a glance. Tang Qiu couldn't describe it precisely, but her intuition warned her that someone had been watching her for a long time with more than casual curiosity—a gaze of scrutiny or even investigation.

Tang Qiu didn't react outwardly, but she used her peripheral vision to scan her surroundings. Soon she pinpointed the source: another dark corner about ten meters away, where a blurry figure lurked in the shadows like her.

Realizing that someone meant her harm, Tang Qiu shed her calm and casual facade. She slowly straightened up, turned her head toward that corner, her face expressionless but her eyes filled with vigilance.

As if sensing Tang Qiu's hostility, the figure moved, stepping out of the darkness into the flickering lights.

He seemed to indicate he meant no harm. He didn't approach Tang Qiu but walked into the light, raising his hands in a gesture of picking up a glass while showing his palms openly, allowing Tang Qiu to examine him.

The colorful lights flashed on and off. It took Tang Qiu more than ten seconds to vaguely make out the man's features.

He was of average height, with an ordinary face, but his limbs were thick and he looked sturdy—a middle-aged man.

His features were so unremarkable they left no impression, but combined with his square face, he had an oddly honest look, out of place in the bar's atmosphere.

Tang Qiu looked at him, and he calmly met her gaze.

After a moment, the man raised his glass toward her in a gesture, smiled, and then slowly retreated back into the corner, letting the darkness conceal his figure.

A man with inexplicable behavior, Tang Qiu judged inwardly. Noticing that he no longer stared at her, she relaxed her body again, leaning against the wall in the corner.

Tang Qiu pretended to be normal, but in her mind, she repeatedly recalled the middle-aged man's appearance and behavior logic.

She didn't believe that anyone would stare at another person for no reason.

There were so many people in the bar, and she was hidden in the dark. A normal person wouldn't fix their gaze on her instead of the crowd in the bright lights. No matter how she analyzed it, it seemed like a pervert.

Could he be scouting a target? Putting herself in his shoes, Tang Qiu quickly drew that conclusion.

She glanced down at her outfit today—still a sportswear set designed for ease of movement. Indeed, it was different from the others in the bar, more ordinary and less noticeable.

But if it was really because of her ordinariness, that meant the middle-aged man had noticed her from the moment she entered the bar. And Tang Qiu had been completely unaware.

Her heart tightened. She tried hard to recall, but since all her attention had been on Cui Yueyi tonight, no matter how she thought, she couldn't remember whether someone had been in that corner when she first entered.

Though surprised, Tang Qiu wasn't afraid. Using the darkness as cover, she slowly moved her hand to her lower back, feeling the hard outline of the dagger through her jacket.

She also quickly confirmed the list of items she had brought out tonight.

She had brought the Confusion Mask, and it was properly attached to her face.

She had a weapon—only a dagger, but it was enough for Tang Qiu.

She had also brought rubber gloves, now in the left pocket of her jacket. Coupled with the hat on her head and the wig that completely covered her original hair, even though things had happened suddenly, for Tang Qiu, it counted as being prepared.

For the rest of the time, Tang Qiu continued standing in that corner, outwardly watching Cui Yueyi's performance, but most of her attention was on the oddly behaved middle-aged man.

However, the middle-aged man had also chosen his spot well. Even when lights shone on him, they only illuminated his body, not his face, making it impossible for Tang Qiu to see his expression. Plus, people moved between them from time to time, so she could only confirm that the man stayed there.

The invisible standoff between Tang Qiu and the middle-aged man didn't end until he left.

He acted as if the earlier incident had never happened, walking past Tang Qiu with natural, unguarded movements.

This time, exposed under the lights again, only a few steps away from Tang Qiu, she finally got a clear look at the man's full appearance.

His features were indeed ordinary, giving a first impression of honesty. But the scar on the side of his face and the faint outline of a weapon under his jacket revealed that he wasn't an ordinary person.

His stride was unhurried but steady, his build stocky, his arms thick and strong. Tang Qiu quickly judged that he was someone with combat experience and skill.

Birds of a feather flock together. From the corner of her eye, Tang Qiu observed him, suspecting that this man had likely killed before—more than one.

This made his earlier inexplicable staring even more suspicious. Watching the man push through the door and leave, Tang Qiu silently raised her vigilance against him another notch.

After the door swung shut again, Tang Qiu withdrew her gaze and continued watching Cui Yueyi, who was still singing and dancing. She felt a bit regretful.

If only she could have another Fate's Prophetic Eye item. Even though there was a high chance of failure, at least she could confirm that this person was indeed the murderer and also learn his exact name.

It wasn't until 3:30 in the morning that Cui Yueyi's performance at the bar ended. The near-frenzied crowd dispersed somewhat, but a small group still lingered in the bar.

Tang Qiu confirmed that the bar had two doors: the front door, facing the main road, and a back door leading to a narrow alley that was a dead end, only going one way. Trash cans were often left uncleaned, and the nearby ground was sticky with sewage.

Tang Qiu assumed Cui Yueyi was unlikely to leave through the back door, so she waited in a corner near the front door.

It was late at night, but since the bar hadn't completely emptied, many people loitered outside—some smoking and chatting, some flirting, and some drunk, squatting by the roadside vomiting in various poses.

Tang Qiu stood in the corner, blending perfectly into the crowd, completely inconspicuous.

To be safe, as she came out, Tang Qiu also took a quick look around, confirming that the middle-aged man wasn't lurking in the shadows. Then she waited patiently.

This time, the wait was short. Less than half an hour later, Cui Yueyi emerged arm in arm with a girl in a red dress, the two of them intimately linked.

Behind the two girls followed several men, clearly hostile to each other. In just a few steps, they glared and bumped into one another incessantly.

The two girls paid no attention, chatting among themselves.

The girl in the red dress asked excitedly, "How was it? How was it? With tonight such a success, did the boss look at you differently and let you stay permanently?"

Cui Yueyi slung her sliding backpack back onto her shoulder, first putting on a solemn expression and saying, "I don't know yet." Then, seeing the red-dressed girl's surprised and dissatisfied face, she burst into laughter and said, "Just kidding. Although it's only verbal for now, at least I'll be performing here for the next month. If things go smoothly, I should be able to stay permanently."

"Great!" the red-dressed girl's eyes widened with joy. "With a fixed performance spot and such a hot venue, maybe one day a video of you will go viral. When that happens, don't forget about me, okay? I'll be waiting for you to get famous and support me."

Cui Yueyi's eyes curved into crescents as she pinched the red-dressed girl's cheek. "Alright, alright, you too. Don't forget me when you strike it rich. If you get rich, you support me."

The two of them giggled and chatted, as if forgetting the men behind, and walked ahead cheerfully.

Tang Qiu stepped out from the corner, dodged a drunkard rushing over to barf, pulled down the brim of her cap, and slowly followed the group ahead.

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Author's note:

I'm on my period, so updates will be irregular for the next few days.