Class ended at exactly six. It should have finished at five-thirty, but because she had been teaching Beth color mixing, they had gone half an hour over.
The hostess had already prepared dinner and asked Meng Shuyao to stay and eat before leaving.
She kept declining, not wanting to impose too much, but she couldn’t withstand the sisters’ persistent coaxing.
“Big sister, please eat before you go. My mom’s cooking is really delicious.”
“Yeah! Mom’s cola chicken wings and mashed potatoes are super tasty.”
With both hands being tugged by the two of them, Meng Shuyao couldn’t leave even if she wanted to, so she could only agree.
The meal was quite amusing.
As the younger sister ate, she began plotting something. “Mom, I need to tell you something. Don’t get mad, okay?”
“What is it?”
“I accidentally broke your tablet.”
The hostess’s expression changed. “What? You broke my tablet! Are you looking for a beating?”
“Wait.” The younger sister swallowed the chicken in her mouth and licked her lips. “I also accidentally broke your lipstick.”
“Forget the lipstick for now. Tell me honestly how you broke the tablet. Haven’t I told you many times not to mess with my things? I need that for work.”
Beth cut in, “Mom, she’s lying to you. The tablet isn’t broken.”
The younger sister added in a small voice, “But the lipstick really is broken.”
“You—” Only then did the hostess realize she had been tricked by this little girl. “You little brat.”
The younger sister smiled in triumph.
The hostess had no intention of letting her off. “Eat an extra half bowl of rice today, and I won’t be angry.”
The younger sister immediately stopped smiling. “Half a bowl? Isn’t that too much?”
“Don’t bargain with me.”
“…Fine.”
Meng Shuyao felt like a bystander peeking in on someone else’s happiness.
Such a plain and simple life was what she dreamed of having.
After dinner, she said goodbye and left.
Having briefly experienced a family atmosphere filled with warmth and love, once she pulled herself away from it, her heart suddenly felt empty.
It wasn’t easy to get a taxi around here, but there was a subway station nearby, seven or eight minutes away on foot.
There was no direct route. Transferring would be a bit troublesome, so Meng Shuyao planned to ride four stops, then get out and take a taxi.
There weren’t many people on this line, but the crowd was mixed: slovenly Black men, ragged homeless people, alternative-looking delinquent youths… all kinds of people jumbled together.
There was an indescribably unpleasant smell in the carriage. This was why she rarely took the subway in Chicago.
This city had two extremes: the prosperous commercial center, and the decaying impoverished areas shaped by racial segregation.
After enduring it for ten minutes, Meng Shuyao hurriedly got off as soon as the train reached the station.
Behind her, a Black man also followed her out of the station.
Meng Shuyao was replying to Winnie’s message and didn’t notice.
After coming out of the subway entrance, she walked a stretch forward. Belatedly, she realized there had been a man’s footsteps behind her the whole time.
A strong sixth sense told her that she was being followed.
She gripped her phone tightly, not daring to look back, and quickened her pace toward a more crowded area. The footsteps behind her also sped up.
Meng Shuyao’s nerves were stretched taut. At last, she spotted a taxi in the distance and was just about to raise her hand to signal it when someone suddenly shoved her. A pair of thick, dark arms forcefully snatched the bag from her shoulder, and the man turned and ran.
“Ah—”
She staggered and fell to the ground. Her elbow scraped across the concrete, blood seeping out.
A burning pain spread across her skin.
There were no passersby around. Meng Shuyao watched the man vanish into the distance, left with only helplessness.
Her identification documents and some cash were in the bag. Though there were no valuables, if she lost her documents, she wouldn’t be able to go to New York the day after tomorrow.
The only thing to be thankful for was that her phone was still with her.
At that moment, Winnie called.
Enduring the pain, Meng Shuyao got up from the ground and pressed answer.
On the other end, Winnie was lying lazily on her bed. “Why did you stop replying to me? What are you busy with?”
Meng Shuyao’s voice was dull. “My bag was just snatched.”
Winnie let out a shocked “Ah.” “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Meng Shuyao brushed the dust off her pants.
“Have you called the police?”
“I was just about to.”
“Did you lose anything valuable?”
“My documents, and a thousand dollars.”
“Forget the money. Losing your documents is the real trouble. I heard the police over there are really inefficient.”
The robbery rate in parts of Chicago was very high. The police precincts had a huge backlog of cases, and some had no results even after three to five months.
Winnie offered her an idea. “Why don’t you ask Mr. Pei for help? As long as he says something to the police station, your things will be found very quickly.”
Connections were the easiest shortcut.
Meng Shuyao lowered her eyes. “He and I… aren’t in contact anymore.”
Winnie was puzzled. “Why? Don’t you like him?”
Meng Shuyao stared at the tips of her shoes. “He doesn’t like me.”
Besides, he had someone he was supposed to marry through a family alliance. How could she disturb him again?
“Then what are you going to do? Reissuing your documents will take at least ten days to half a month. Don’t you still have your internship?” Winnie suddenly thought of something. “Wait. I’ll figure something out for you. Send me your location.”
Before Meng Shuyao could ask what method she had, the call was hung up.
Winnie called Zhao Hesong.
The person on the other end asked, “What do you need me for?”
“I want to ask you for a favor, okay?”
“What favor? I never help for free.”
“This is urgent. Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, Young Master Zhao.”
Zhao Hesong lifted the corner of his eyes. “Is it that serious?”
“It really is.” Winnie made it brief. “Meng Shuyao got her bag snatched over on Second Street in the West Side. She’s a girl, and now she’s outside without a penny on her. It’s very unsafe.”
Zhao Hesong found it funny. “You’re asking the wrong person, aren’t you? For Meng Shuyao’s business, you should be looking for Pei Yuzhou.”
Winnie said, “Who knows whether he’s in Chicago or not? Weren’t you the first person I thought of?”
Zhao Hesong said, “He’s been here these past few days. Have her go look for Brother Zhou.”
-
Meng Shuyao called the police and explained the situation.
After waiting by the roadside for twenty minutes, police officers arrived at the scene to file a report. They also reminded her, “This road hasn’t been safe lately. It’s best not to go out alone at night.”
“Mm.” Meng Shuyao rarely came to the West Side and hadn’t known public security here was this bad.
After registering her information, the officer said, “We’ll contact you if there’s any news.”
Meng Shuyao nodded. “All right. Thank you.”
In her heart, she knew clearly that there was no telling when that would be. She would definitely have to reapply for her documents.
The officer asked if she needed any other help. Just then, Zhao Hesong’s car arrived.
“My friend is here. I’ll be heading back first.” With that, Meng Shuyao walked toward the Porsche by the roadside.
She opened the rear door. Zhao Hesong was leaning lazily back in the seat.
Meng Shuyao greeted him as she got in. “Mr. Zhao, I’m sorry to trouble you to make this trip.”
Zhao Hesong smiled. “It’s fine. I happened to be nearby.”
The car door closed. The driver released the brake and stepped on the accelerator, picking up speed.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
Meng Shuyao glanced at her arm. “Just a little scrape.”
“There are quite a few robbery cases in Chicago. They used to be concentrated in the South Side. I didn’t expect them to spread to the West Side too,” Zhao Hesong said. “You’re a girl, and so pretty at that. It isn’t safe for you to go out alone anywhere.”