We went to a karaoke place in the city. Dali’s true nature was unveiled as he tried his best to sing Jay Chou’s Love Confession in front of Xia Mengmeng.
I was just playing with my phone on the side, feeling relieved that everything had worked out. Now it was all up to Dali.
Zhang Yan suddenly came over and said to me and whispered, “Hey handsome, you’re actually single, aren’t you? How come you’re out alone? Why didn’t she come with you?”
“She’s busy,” I replied.
“You’re lying! Can you sing?”
“No,” I shook my head.
“Come on, come on, let’s sing a Marry Me Today, okay?” Zhang Yan took my arm.
I suddenly got gooseb.u.mps and glanced at her face that was covered in a thick layer of makeup. I realized that she was the female version of Dali! In fact, she was probably even more unrestrained than Dali.
Fortunately, something occurred at this moment that temporarily s.h.i.+fted Zhang Yan’s attention away from me. Ye s.h.i.+wen stopped the song that Dali was singing. The two started to quarrel. Ye s.h.i.+wen accused Dali of hogging the microphone, and Dali argued that since no one else was singing, what was wrong with him singing a little bit more?
I quickly got up and warned them, “Stop fighting. Why don’t each of you just sing a song?”
Ye s.h.i.+wen snorted and pulled out a cigarette. He glanced at Xia Mengmeng and went out to smoke.
Dali handed the microphone to Zhang Yan and wondered aloud, “Why have the drinks not arrived yet? I’ll go check our order at the bar.”
Ten minutes later, Dali drinks and snacks in tow.
“Oh, Dali! You even ordered fried chicken?” cooed Zhang Yan.
“Eat up! Don’t worry about it. I’ll get more if it’s not enough!”
“But the food here is extortionately expensive, Dali! How generous of you!”
“Haha… don’t mention it.”
We picked up our drinks and were about to enjoy them. Suddenly, Ye s.h.i.+wen pushed the door in and shouted, “Mengmeng, stop! Don"t drink that!”
Everyone was stunned. Ye s.h.i.+wen took the cup of cranberry juice from Xia Mengmeng and lifted it up against the light. He showed it to us and stated, “Don’t you see it? There is a small pill in it!”
Then he slammed the gla.s.s down on the table, spilling a lot of it. He pointed to Dali and crowed, “I just saw this b.a.s.t.a.r.d sneak something into the drink when I went to the bathroom. You low-life maggot! How dare you do such a thing to Mengmeng!”
Zhang Yan fell for it, of course. She checked her drink straight away while yelling, “How could you do such a thing, Dali?! You’re trying to drug Mengmeng?”
Xia Mengmeng was paler. She covered her mouth and looked at w.a.n.g Dali with shock.
Dali’s eyes widened and he was so stunned he was speechless. He looked at me with pleading eyes. I knew him very well. I knew that he would absolutely not do anything like this.
Ye s.h.i.+wen took the opportunity and was about to take Xia Mengmeng away. Dali looked as if he was about to cry. If I didn’t stand up for my friend now, it would be too late!
“Do you have any evidence to prove that Dali put the pill in the drink?” I asked.
Ye s.h.i.+wen snorted. “Evidence? He’s the one who bought the drinks and brought them here! No one else ever touched the gla.s.ses!”
I smiled wryly, “But this makes no sense. Is he trying to make Mengmeng faint in front of everyone? What’s the purpose of that?”
“How would I know?” shrugged Ye s.h.i.+wen. “It’s not my fault your friend is a brainless idiot!”
Dali jumped up to his feet and shouted, “Who are you calling brainless, Ye s.h.i.+wen?!”
“You dare to raise your voice to me? After what you’ve done?”
“I did nothing! I swear to G.o.d, this is not the kind of thing I’d ever think of doing!”
“Oh, it’s useless swearing to G.o.d now. The truth is clear.”
The longer they fought, the more the situation escalated. I was afraid it would blow up into a physical fight, so I interrupted them with, “Both of you, stop fighting! It’s no use fighting with words. Just let the evidence speak for itself!”
“Evidence?” The two men screamed at the same time. Ye s.h.i.+wen asked, “Is this evidence not enough?”
“It’s lousy evidence you have here,” I countered. “Has the substance in the pill been tested? Have you checked the fingerprints on the gla.s.s? At the very least, we should check the surveillance videos!”
Ye s.h.i.+wen sneered, “Checking the surveillance videos? Hah! Do you think you’re a policeman?”
“Wait here. I’ll go to the bar and investigate!” I announced.
After that, I turned to leave and pushed the door open.
“Wait!” Ye s.h.i.+wen suddenly stopped me.
Seeing his expressions, I immediately understood that he was nervous. He then realized that a mere college student would never be able to obtain the surveillance video, so he changed his mind and sat back down.
Good, I thought. Let’s see how you’re going to explain yourself later.
I came to the bar and asked the waiter, “Where is the surveillance room here? I have to look at the surveillance video near the bar at around 9:30 pm.”
“Who are you?!” asked the waiter in a mean-spirited voice. “Do you think anyone can look at the surveillance videos if they want to see it?”
I showed him my police badge. The waiter’s att.i.tude changed a hundred and eighty degrees and he apologized for the rudeness earlier. Then he said that he had no right to show it. He would have to ask the manager first. He asked me what kind of case was I investigating.
“Stop wasting my time!” I spat. “I’m looking for a suspect! Take me there now!”
I learned this trick from being around police officers a lot. It worked. The waiter asked a staff member to take me into the surveillance room immediately. Their att.i.tude towards me was very respectful. These entertainment venues were often shady, so it wasn’t surprising that they acted as if they were mice that had seen a cat when they thought I was a policeman.
I checked the surveillance video. About ten minutes ago, Dali asked for a drink and then went to the other side to order the fried chicken. At this moment, a bespectacled guy who was close to the bar stopped near the gla.s.ses. Although the picture was not clear, you could still see that he had put something in the drink.
I sneered. Oh, Ye s.h.i.+wen, how stupid you are!
I said to the staff, “Copy this video to me. Is there a USB drive here? I’ll give it back to you later.”
“Yes, Officer! Give me a moment.”
I took the USB drive and went back to our private room. Ye s.h.i.+wen and Dali were still arguing till they were red in the face. Xia Mengmeng had already taken the bag and was ready to go. I shouted, “Everyone, calm down and let’s all take a look at something!”
The digital TV in the room had a USB port behind it. After plugging it in, we could easily watch the video. When he realized what it was, Ye s.h.i.+wen got nervous and tried to reach out and turn off the TV.
“What are you doing?” I jeered.
Ye s.h.i.+wen’s face turned white and his lips were quivering.
“If you didn’t do anything wrong, then don’t be afraid! Sit down, please.”
He sat back on the sofa, but he seemed restless.
As we saw the part where Ye s.h.i.+wen was slipping a pill into Xia Mengmeng’s drink, Zhang Yan shouted, “That’s awful! I totally mistook you for a nice guy!”
Ye s.h.i.+wen’s face was white for a while, but he suddenly laughed.
“Everyone, please listen to me.” He pulled out a bottle of pills from his pocket and said, “It’s just a practical joke, guys! It’s not a drug, just a vitamin pill! I’ll prove it by drinking it.”
He then picked up the gla.s.s and gulped it down.
“See? I’m fine! It’s just a practical joke…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Mengmeng splashed a drink into his face. Her face was pale, but she was obviously angry. She flung the gla.s.s away and ran out of the room.
“Mengmeng, please listen to me!”
Ye s.h.i.+wen was about to chase her, but Dali went straight up to him and punched his face. The two men were then embroiled in a fight on the sofa. Zhang Yan jumped up in shock and shrieked, “Stop fighting!”
I didn’t know what to do. I cursed at Dali for not knowing the most important thing to do right now, which was to send Xia Mengmeng home.
I hesitated there for a while, but realized that it would be dangerous for Xia Mengmeng to go back to college alone at this hour, so I ran out and followed her!