Waterbound Love - Chapter 3

Watching the smoke from her cigarette drift lazily into the air, Du Bai felt an inexplicable sense of comfort. She couldn’t remember when she had quit smoking, probably since she had started dating Yunyun and saw her frown whenever she lit up a cigarette. But now, Yunyun was gone. She hadn’t just left her side; she had gone to a place where Du Bai could no longer see her. Du Bai couldn’t quite grasp what was happening.

She glanced at her watch. The results of today’s examination should be out by now. It was almost amusing to her. She already knew the outcome but still clung to a sliver of hope, only to hear the doctor pronounce it again and feel the despair closing in.

Even though she had prepared herself, hearing the results again left her feeling desolate. Du Bai had no interest in anything at this moment, but Sisi refused to be ignored and chased after her. Wei Jia, who was with Sisi, was curious but didn’t dare to approach when she saw Du Bai’s dark expression. Picking up the medical report that Du Bai had flung aside in her attempt to shake off Sisi, Wei Jia had a gut feeling that this would work to her advantage. While Sisi wasn’t paying attention, she secretly slipped it into her bag.

“I’m so mad! She won’t even look at me because of that woman. I’ll make her regret it someday,” Sisi complained loudly to Wei Jia, stomping her foot as she watched Du Bai walk away.

Wei Jia kept her usual calm smile as she softly reassured her, “Haven’t you already made her regret it?”

Sisi pouted, “Sure, I managed to get Lian Yinyun away from her, but I haven’t gotten close to her either. It’s infuriating just thinking about it. Let’s go visit my mom.”

As she watched Sisi walk ahead, Wei Jia maintained her gentle smile, but upon closer inspection, something unsettling lingered in her expression-a quality that was hard to pinpoint but unmistakably discomforting.

The bar was filled with an alluring chaos, the noise deafening. The reason? None other than Du Eldest, who, unwilling to remain in the quiet of her private room, had reemerged on the scene to challenge others to drinking contests. Known far and wide, anyone who had spent some time in that circle knew of her reputation. In her heyday before she had retired, beautiful women clung to her like imported tomatoes in a supermarket-always in stock, always fresh and dazzling. Drinking was a regular ritual for her, and she had never lost to anyone.

Once, there was a guy from the north who was overly bold and didn’t believe a woman could be a drinking god. He challenged Du Bai on the spot. That scene was unforgettable for everyone present; seven people came, and six were downed before Du Eldest calmly lit a cigarette on the sofa and said, “Buddy, I’m barely warmed up yet. Take them back home.” Since then, no one dared to challenge Du Bai’s drinking prowess.

After knocking down a few people tonight, Du Bai felt bored and decided to start drinking with Tinna. Originally, she wanted to find Shen Yan, as Tinna wasn’t part of their circle and involving her wasn’t ideal. But clearly, Tinna had no sense of avoiding potential crises.

Shen Yan had been acting strangely for a while, but recently she seemed to have recovered, likely having been rescued from her heartbreak by some new lover, happily starting a new chapter in her life. Later, Du Bai often wondered if knowing who this new lover was at the time would have induced alcohol poisoning and killed her on the spot. But that’s a story for another time.

The two drank in a daze, with no idea how much they had consumed. Initially, the crowd was surprised, but as time passed, they grew accustomed to it, seeing the two drink as if it were water, endless and unremarkable. Even the cheering had waned.

Who was Du Bai, after all? She was the life of any party, her greatest strength being her ability to liven things up and get everyone excited.

“Shh,” Du Bai placed her glass at her mouth and signaled the crowd to quiet down. “How about we do a live show? The winner gets to eat for free at Somn for a year, plus one wish granted.” Du Bai tossed her hair and looked down at the crowd. She knew these kids had money and that the real incentive was the wish.

The kids in the crowd murmured among themselves, and Du Bai smirked. “If you want to sign up, come on up. I’ll tell you what to do afterward. If you don’t want to join, don’t spoil the fun.”

Seeing Sisi and Wei Jia on the stage, Du Bai sneered. The bait had only been thrown out a little, and they were hooked already? It seemed she had overestimated them.

“Well, not bad. With so many people, we need to play something special,” Du Bai said, pretending to be in deep thought. She half-closed her alluring eyes and tapped her forehead with her fingers, exuding a charm that could make people want to throw caution to the wind and lose themselves. In reality, Du Bai was feeling a bit of a headache and took the opportunity to rest.

“Kissing would be good.” As expected, the suggestion caused a stir. Du Bai raised her hand to signal for silence. “Everyone can kiss, but it’s also a skill. It has to be passionate, heartfelt, and beautifully intoxicating. The top two will compete against each other.” The moment she finished speaking, it was like dropping a depth charge into the bar; it exploded with excitement.

Once everything was set, Du Bai admitted to manipulating the situation a bit by pairing Sisi with someone who was quite unconventional in appearance. The prize must have been too tempting, because despite her strong aversion, Sisi didn’t make a fuss. As for the “ugly duckling,” who resembled Popeye with exaggerated features, the thought of enjoying such an unexpected fortune must have seemed like a highlight in his otherwise minor role in life.

Wei Jia looked at the man in front of her, someone she’d seen a few times at gatherings. He had a certain charm and was known to be a bit of a playboy, so his kissing skills were probably decent. She quietly assessed her chances of winning, weighing the pros and cons. Would it be worth winning if it meant losing the image of the delicate woman she presented to others?

Following the crowd’s demand, Du Bai was to give a special demonstration. Planning to follow through with her original idea, she hesitated when she thought of a pair of crescent-like smiling eyes that flashed in her mind. With a bitter smile, she chose Tinna instead.

Truth be told, kissing was a piece of cake for them. For Du Bai and Tinna, kissing was as simple as saying hello to a friend. But to onlookers, it was something entirely different. Angry, envious eyes fixed on the two of them could almost light the way home for lost children.

The results of the contest were surprising to most but expected by Du Bai. Sisi, after slapping the living daylights out of the real-life “Popeye,” was the first to be eliminated. The winners were Wei Jia and Jason. Du Bai’s seductive eyes, now filled with a chilling intensity, flashed a cold, knowing smile. The game had only just begun.

Du Bai glanced at Jason, who shrugged and whispered something to Wei Jia. Wei Jia took a quick glance at Du Bai, her smile reaching her eyes.

In the end, Jason got a year of free food and drinks at Somn, and Wei Jia secured a wish.

As there was nothing more to watch, and it was getting late, the crowd began to disperse.

Tinna, puzzled at first, understood when she saw Du Bai’s cold smile. “Du Bai, why are you and Wei Jia acting like characters from a romantic drama? Don’t tell me your next line is, ‘As long as it doesn’t go against my conscience or justice, I’ll agree to anything you say.’ And then Wei Jia dramatically demands, ‘Promise you’ll always be there for me.'” Tinna joked, subtly pressuring Wei Jia.

Sisi glared at Wei Jia, ready to curse but stopped when Jason pulled her back, remembering this wasn’t her scene, and reluctantly held her tongue.

Tinna, having faced many storms, wouldn’t let Du Bai take a loss. By saying this, even if Wei Jia had feelings for Du Bai, she wouldn’t dare make it her request.

Wei Jia appeared uneasy, wringing her hands and lowering her head. It was a pitiful sight that went unnoticed by those present, who each had their own agendas. Du Bai, however, remained quiet, leisurely smoking while reclining on the sofa, her elegant fingers holding the cigarette in a way that seemed detached from the world.

Tinna rolled her eyes at her, thinking, we’re all tangled up over this, and you’re just sitting there doing nothing.

Looking around, Wei Jia bit her lip. “Can I keep this wish?” Her voice was soft, trembling as if she might cry, yet it carried just enough for everyone to hear.

Du Bai’s lips curled into a smile, her bright eyes narrowing slightly, making it seem like the game just got more interesting.

It was supposed to be a bright morning, if not for the abrupt phone call that was impossible to ignore. Du Bai wondered who was being so reckless. “Who’s the idiot disturbing me this early?” she muttered, grudgingly answering the phone.

“Du Bai, wake up, there’s trouble,” Shen Yan said gravely on the other end.

“Mm-hmm, not my problem. I didn’t curse you to have a kid with no butt,” Du Bai mumbled sleepily.

“What are you talking about? Just stay home; I’ll be right over,” Shen Yan knew it was pointless to explain further. Du Bai had this quirk-if she wasn’t fully awake, her brain would be in a shutdown mode. She’d answer anything but forget everything once you hung up. Tinna had often joked that asking for her bank PIN while she was half-asleep could be a get-rich-quick scheme.

It was a struggle to drag Du Bai out of bed and make her look at the computer screen. The page showed photos from the previous night of her kissing Tinna. The images were not very clear, probably taken secretly with a phone. The headline screamed, “The world is going downhill: lesbians are now so rampant.”

Du Bai studied the photo angles and smirked. “Not bad, not bad. Although the photography is subpar, our kissing skills make up for it. Look how beautifully evocative this is.” If it weren’t for her tightly clenched fists revealing her anger, her casual tone might have convinced anyone that she was indifferent.

“Who cares about that? Your family knows what kind of life you lead. But Tinna is different. She can’t just hang around with us all the time. Tinna and her father are both stubborn; they won’t let this slide,” Shen Yan pointed out.

Du Bai knew all this. She gripped her fists tightly and lowered her head in silence. Don’t worry, Tinna. I’ll make things right for you too.

“Let’s go, we’re going to Uncle Liu’s place. We’ll make him deal with this,” Du Bai said, her face hardening as she prepared to solve the issue.

“Wait, don’t go yet. This isn’t over. Look at this,” Shen Yan pulled Du Bai back. The real trouble seemed to be more than just the photos. She massaged her temples as a headache began to form.

Though reluctant to look, it was rare for something to irk Shen Yan so much. Du Bai glanced back at the screen, which displayed her painting “Desolate,” with a caption underneath: “Emerging young artist accused of hiring ghost painters; her own use of color is mediocre.”

Du Bai felt her blood boiling, her mind seemingly on the verge of exploding before it went utterly blank. The painting “Desolate” now looked painfully glaring. She remembered “Desolate” as one of her proudest works, using dark reds to convey a blend of suppressed calm and chaotic frenzy, like autumn leaves coldly fallen and their veins clearly outlined by the breeze. At this moment, Du Bai seemed devoid of the strength even to be angry, slumping onto the sofa in utter despair.

“Du Bai, what’s going on? I absolutely believe in you. I’ve looked into it-both articles originated from the same internet cafe. The person who posted them was sneaky, using a temporary ID. The owner only remembers it was a girl,” Shen Yan reported, hoping to get to the bottom of the matter.

After a long pause, Du Bai finally spoke calmly, “Shen Yan, help me find out which community Sisi lives in.” Her tone was even, without a ripple of emotion.

Shen Yan hesitated for a moment, furrowing her brow, before making a few calls.

“I found out. It’s in the vicinity of that internet cafe.” She paused, “You mean this…”

“I didn’t say anything. I’ll handle this,” Du Bai said, curling her lips into a smile, looking at Shen Yan with clarity.

“We’re just concerned about you. We found out Sisi was behind the last incident, but this seems unusual, don’t you think?” Shen Yan stopped Du Bai from leaving, frowning in confusion.

“Shen Yan, this is something I must handle alone. I understand more than you might think, but explaining it now wouldn’t be any fun. The game has just started, and I won’t let her end it so easily. Remember when we were kids? I told you that anyone who messes with one of us three will get it back double from me. Trust me, stay out of this.” Du Bai looked at Shen Yan calmly, giving her the eerie sense that Du Bai knew everything, causing a fleeting pang of guilt.

After a long while, Shen Yan sighed, “Let’s go to Tinna’s place first.” Du Bai grabbed her coat and walked out directly.

Interesting, Du Bai thought. Turns out the opponent isn’t so weak. Good. This makes the game last longer, the process more painful, and the ending more tragic.

You’ve woven this cocoon around yourself; you shouldn’t have touched the people I care about.

-Du Bai