Under Clear Chapter 13: You Really Didn’t Know?

Chapter 13: You Really Didn’t Know?

Translated by Fefe of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

At ten sharp that night, Tang Heng turned off his laptop and dialed a number.

“Wang-laoshi,” he greeted the other. “Are you feeling better?”

“Thanks for your thoughts. I was discharged yesterday. Nothing big.”

“That’s good.”

“Xiao Tang, really grateful for you this time.” Wang Shan sounded a bit apologetic. “I didn’t expect to get hospitalized at this critical moment. We had no choice but to call you over with short notice… How are things? Pretty smooth, right?”

“Yes, it’s smooth. It’s mostly Director Xu and Sun Jihao who do the tiring work.”

“Haha, they’re experienced, so you can learn from them.”

“But there’s one thing.”

“Oh?”

“How come the officials here don’t give me money?” Tang Heng sounded extremely offended. “Director Xu and my shixiong and shijie all got red envelopes, but I didn’t.”

Wang Shan stopped speaking as if a cat got his tongue. Tang Heng continued, “We’re all here from Macao. I don’t think it should be like this. Please help me out here. Did I do something to offend them? Or they don’t think I’m high-level enough?”

“Oh, this, well…” Wang Shan stammered and had trouble forming words. “Xiao Tang, don’t think so much. Maybe they think—you’re the new guy. They aren’t sure about your attitude. What if you refuse the money and lose your temper?”

Tang Heng was speechless for a moment before chuckling. “I didn’t expect that.” Didn’t expect this to be so “profitable.”

“It must be so. Don’t overthink it, alright? Director Xu sees the effort you put in,” Wang Shan comforted him. “Plus, this place is so poor. How much money can they fork out? It’s just a few thousand at most!”

“But it’s unfair.”

Wang Shan tsked and said contemplatively, “You’re young. There’ll be more chances in the future.”

Tang Heng ended the call and expressionlessly saved the audio recording.

 

He picked up a chair and placed it by the door. Sitting down, he rested his head against the wooden door. The room was silent. It was silent outside too. Everything was serene, as if it was truly an exhausted night after work and everyone was deep asleep. Tomorrow, they’d dress up and start work again. They’d still be the powerful officials from Macao, still the teachers respected by the students, still the hope of the helpless villagers—they can resolve any problem that are reported to them.

Tang Heng still remembered how Sun Jihao once said that his home was a rural village near Shandong—the Yimeng Mountain area. Poor as a church mouse. He’d said that he’d studied in Nanjing University for four years, but the first time he ate at the Nanjing dapaidang food stalls was after graduation. It was delicious, really delicious, and it was when he’d decided that one of his life goals would be to eat many, many gourmet cuisines.

Tang Heng pressed his ear against the crack of the door. His mind was in a mess and he thought of many things. During this time, his phone buzzed once. It was a text from Guiyang.

 

At midnight, Tang Heng heard footsteps. The hallway wasn’t carpeted, so he could hear the sound. The person approached at a comfortable pace and stopped at some point.

A door opened, then closed.

Tang Heng got up and went to the glass door. This door divided the living room and balcony. Tang Heng lifted the heavy curtains and peered through the sliver of glass. The balcony next door was still dark. There’d been light around nine PM—light from the living room had passed through the window to the balcony—but the balcony darkened around 40 minutes later and was still so.

There were two possibilities. One was that Sun Jihao indeed turned off the light. The other was that Sun Jihao had pulled the curtains and blocked all light sources. No matter what, it couldn’t explain why Manager Qi went to Sun Jihao’s room two nights in a row. Fixing the air conditioning was an excuse. What hotel had their manager fix the aircon personally? Was it to gift him bribe money? But they didn’t have to pay by installments.

Tang Heng opened a drawer and took out the wrench he’d bought last night from the city supermarket. He placed it in his fanny pack and tied it to himself. He carried the chair with one hand and pushed open the glass door with his other hand. He crept onto the balcony.

Just as he was about to step onto the chair and climb onto the fence, his phone rang inside his room.

Perhaps because the night was too quiet, the ringtone was like thunder. Tang Heng’s heart shuddered and his palms became clammy with cold sweat. He went back and picked up the phone.

“Is it Teacher Tang?” It was a girl. She spoke rapidly.

“Yes, and you are?”

“I—I’m Wang Di, Li Yuechi’s friend!”

“…The one who picked him up that day after dinner?”

“Yes, that’s me!” Wang Di was so anxious that she was almost screaming. “Are you still in Shijiang? Can you help Li Yuechi?”

“What’s wrong?” 

“People from the village took him away! After you visited him, the next morning, people came and took him away. His mom and I can’t contact him. It’s been two days and we… we don’t know what to do.”

“He was taken away.” Tang Heng fell into his bed. “Don’t worry. Answer me—did he go with those people, or did he get taken away by force?” 

“His mom said the mayor and secretary brought people over and called him out to talk. Then he went inside to pack some clothes and left with them.”

“Did he say anything?”

“He told us not to worry. Said he’d be back in a few days.”

“…”

“Teacher Tang, please help us,” Wang Di said, growing close to tears. “Yuechi was in jail before, but he’s just running his shop these past two years… His brother still needs to be taken care of and his mom’s health is bad. His family will fall apart without him. Please…”

Tang Heng clutched his phone. His voice was abnormally calm. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back.” After two seconds, he added firmly, “Tomorrow.”

 

The balconies of the two suites were very close, but the fence was up to his chest and was hard to climb. Tang Heng used the chair to get over the fence. He leaned forward and grabbed onto the fence of the other balcony. At this moment, his upper body was upside down. His head was pointed at the grass below. He’d calculated this before—if he fell from the third floor to the grass, he probably wouldn’t die.

But he didn’t fall. Soon, he landed firmly on the balcony next door. He bent his legs and landed without a sound, like an agile cat. Tang Heng turned around and pressed his ear to the glass, standing soundlessly. He could hear some rustles, some sounds like pained hisses—just as he’d expected.

Of course, it was his first time doing something like this. If not for the call a few minutes ago, he might still be hesitant and nervous. His relationship with Sun Jihao would be over after he used the wrench, no matter what he saw. Of course, it wasn’t just him and Sun Jihao. His relationship with Lu Yue and Director Xu would be over too. He’d destroy this observation trip and many more things. But that call actually calmed him down. All the messy thoughts disappeared from his mind. All that remained was:

He had to destroy them all, for Li Yuechi.

It didn’t matter, even if he didn’t love him.

Tang Heng opened his pack a little to take out the wrench. He grasped it in his hand. Two minutes later, the heavy breathing in the room grew faster as if they’re getting to the climax—

Tang Heng smashed the glass with a crisp sound.

 

As expected, they didn’t turn off the lights. The warm yellow lights illuminated everything clearly: two interconnected bodies. They hadn’t even had time to separate.

Tang Heng calmly took a picture and put his phone back into his pack. Manager Qi—who’d been scared out of his wits—finally reacted. He rolled off the sofa with a clang and grabbed a t-shirt to cover his crotch. His face was deathly pale, trembling as he stammered, “You, how did you…”

“Shidi.” Sun Jihao put on his pants and rubbed his face. “Why’d you do all this? Couldn’t you have just asked?”

“Shijie is in the same building. The same floor.”

“Her?” Sun Jihao burst into laughter. “You think she doesn’t know?”

“Then I’ll call her over.”

“Enough, it’s midnight.” Sun Jihao glanced at Manager Qi. “You should go.”

Manager Qi scrambled out. Sun Jihao sighed and said, “Sit anywhere.”

Tang Heng remained standing, staring at the other man in a dazed confusion. Was this the Sun Jihao that he’d known for two years? He’d prepared mentally, but when he really saw this scene, the shock was still ineffable.      

Sun Jihao lit a cigarette and kept it between his fingertips, inhaling slowly. He was tall with broad shoulders, like most men from the north. But his expression as he leaned forward to smoke actually felt effeminate.

The difference was unfamiliar and even eerie to Tang Heng.

“Oh, you really couldn’t tell? I guess my acting was good.” Sun Jihao laughed. “I noticed the moment you came to the school. We’re the same kind of people. I was even worried that you’d notice.”

“You tricked her to marry you,” Tang Heng said.

“Tricked?” His smile grew even more exaggerated. “Tang Heng, how can you really say that? Does everyone from your talent have this… talent for being shameless? Me trick Lu Yue? She’s your uncle’s student and it was your uncle who pushed us together, and you say that I tricked her?”

Tang Heng froze. Why did he mention his uncle?

“Stop pretending.”

“What does it have to do with my uncle?”

“No way. You really don’t know?”

“Know what?”

Sun Jihao cackled. “Your uncle fucked Lu Yue before! She studied under your uncle for three years and got fucked for three years! Fine if others don’t know, but how come even you don’t know? Wow, Lao Tang’s secrecy is perfect!”

This instant felt like eternity. Sun Jihao’s words entered his ear canal, his brain interpreted the meaning of the words and then—By the time Tang Heng finally processed it, he was already strangling Sun Jihao, digging his knee into Sun Jihao’s chest.

“Say that again.”

“I’m not lying.” Sun Jihao’s voice was raspy but very calm. “At first, your uncle forced her to do it, but after they did it so many times, she got used to it. Actually, that’s how your aunt got married to your uncle, but it was even earlier.”

Tang Heng stared daggers at him, but his hands had started shaking.

“I’m not an angel either, but when I married her, I really planned on becoming a good person. But I turned out to be the aftercare. Your uncle is pretty interesting. He takes care of the marriage after he has his fill.”

Tang Heng stood up. He stumbled, his back hitting the wall.

“Didn’t a female student die a few years ago? I heard Lu Yue mention it before. She’s called Tian… Tian something, Tian Xiaojuan or Tian Xiaoqin?” Sun Jihao shook his head. “You really didn’t know?”