65: Chapter 65 Song Qian, Contract Beast?

Su Bai's brows furrowed slightly.

He couldn't hear clearly what was being said on the other end, but from Song Qian's tone and the words that occasionally drifted over, he could roughly guess some of it.

Gambling debts, younger brother, pay back money?

Song Qian's voice was kept very low, but her emotions were becoming increasingly agitated.

"I have no money left!"

"This month's tutoring fee hasn't been paid yet, and I only have a few hundred yuan on me."

"You want me to go borrow? Borrow from whom?!"

She paused, her voice suddenly turning angry, "Mom! Do you know what you are saying?! Do you want me to sell myself to pay off your son's gambling debts?!"

The other side said something else.

Song Qian fell silent.

She leaned against the railing, her back looking so thin and frail.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice as weary as if it had been fished out of water.

"I'll find a way, but this is the last time."

"Did you hear me? The last time!"

The other side said something else, and she hung up.

She didn't come in immediately.

She just stood there on the balcony, facing away from the living room, motionless.

The cold wind blew over, lifting her strands of hair, fluttering in the dim yellow light.

After a while, she took a pack of cigarettes from her coat pocket, pulled one out, and lit it.

The smoke dispersed in the cold air, blurring her silhouette.

Su Bai watched her back for a few seconds.

Then he stood up and walked toward the balcony.

Pushing open the door, the cold wind rushed into his face.

The chill of the winter night instantly enveloped him, carrying the scent of smoke and the hustle and bustle of the distant city.

Song Qian turned her head, saw him, and was stunned for a moment.

Her eyes were a bit red, but her expression had already returned to calm.

She gestured with her eyes to the pack of thin cigarettes and a lighter placed on the railing beside her.

"If you want to smoke, take one yourself," she said, her voice a bit hoarse.

Su Bai looked at her.

He looked at the cigarette in her hand, the dash of scarlet between her fingers, and the tear that hadn't completely faded from the corner of her eye.

He furrowed his brows, reached out, and took the cigarette directly from her mouth. Then he placed it in his own mouth.

Song Qian was stunned. She stared at him with wide eyes, unable to react for a moment.

Su Bai took a puff. The smoke entered his lungs, carrying a faint minty taste. He exhaled slowly, the smoke dispersing in the cold air, blurring his face.

Song Qian finally came to her senses and glared at him with mock anger. "What are you doing?"

Su Bai looked at her with an innocent expression. "Didn't you say, Sister Qian," he pointed to the cigarette pack beside them, "if you want to smoke, take one yourself?"

Song Qian was choked up by him. "That one has been in my mouth!"

Su Bai took another puff. "It's fine, I don't mind."

Song Qian glared at him, not knowing what to say for a moment. She knew Su Bai was trying to distract her.

After a few seconds, she sighed. The sigh was light, but it carried too much weariness and helplessness.

"If only my younger brother could be as sensible as you."

Su Bai leaned against the railing and turned his head to look at her. "Your younger brother?"

Song Qian fell silent for a moment. "Yes." She gazed at the distant night view. "My own brother."

Su Bai didn't speak, waiting for her to continue.

Song Qian hesitated for a moment before speaking, "He is the same age as you, eighteen this year." Her voice was very light, "Since last year, he started hanging out with a group of people, learned to gamble, play cards, bet on soccer, and later, the kind on the internet... that kind of gambling platform."

She paused with a sense of helpless frustration, "At first, it was small losses, a few hundred yuan."

"Later, the more he lost, the more he owed—thousands, tens of thousands, and even more..."

Su Bai took a puff of the cigarette, "How much have you paid back for him?"

Song Qian gave a bitter smile. "I can't remember clearly." She shook her head, "From last year until now, at least thirty or forty thousand."

"All my savings, plus what I earned from part-time jobs, have all been poured into it."

She turned her head and looked at Su Bai. "Do you know what the most ridiculous thing is?"

Su Bai didn't speak.

"The most ridiculous thing is that every time I finish paying it off for him, he cries and says this is the last time."

"And then, before long, he's in debt up to his ears again!"

Her voice was calm, but that calmness carried deep despair. "Today, he directly owed thirty thousand!"

"My mom said he lost on soccer betting, was blocked at the school gate by some people, and they threatened to break his legs if he didn't pay the money."

Su Bai furrowed his brows. "Was he set up?"

"I don't know." Song Qian shook her head. "He doesn't dare to say, and I can't be bothered to ask anymore." She reached out, "Give the cigarette back to me."

Su Bai handed the cigarette to her. Song Qian took it, inhaled, and exhaled slowly. The smoke drifted in the cold air.

"Sometimes I think," she said calmly, "if I hadn't been admitted to Jingzhou, it would have been better. If I had stayed in my hometown, watching him, maybe he wouldn't have turned out like this."

Su Bai looked at her. "You getting into Jingzhou University is your own capability. Your brother's affairs are not your fault."

Song Qian was stunned for a moment. She turned her head and looked at him. There were many things in those eyes. Weariness, helplessness, and a little bit of indescribable emotion.

"You certainly know how to comfort people," she said with a bitter smile.

Su Bai shrugged. "The truth."

Song Qian was silent for a few seconds. She turned around, resting her hands on the railing, gazing at the distant night scene. The city lights were scattered like stars, extending to the horizon. High-rise buildings in the distance flickered with neon, and the streets nearby were filled with flowing traffic. The cold wind blew over, lifting her hair.

"Tell me," she suddenly spoke, her voice very light, "what does it feel like to fly from here?"

Su Bai followed her gaze. The twelfth floor. Jumping down from here would indeed allow one to fly for a while.

"I don't know what it feels like to fly," he said, his tone very flat, "but I know that when you land, you'll just be a pile of mud, very ugly."

Song Qian was stunned for a moment. "That's true."

She was silent for a long time. Su Bai didn't speak either. The two of them stood on the balcony like this, looking at the distant night view, each thinking about their own worries. The cold wind blew in gusts, but neither of them went inside.

After a while, Song Qian spoke. "Su Bai."

"Yeah?"

"Do you know why I joined the Student Union?"

Su Bai thought for a moment. "To make it easier to find a job in the future?"

Song Qian nodded. "Half of it is," she said, "the other half... is to meet more people and see if there are any opportunities."

She paused. "That bottomless pit that is my brother cannot be filled by me doing tutoring; I have to find a way to earn more money."

Su Bai looked at her. "So that night..."

"Yes." Song Qian knew what he wanted to say, "Someone like Student Union President Qi Mingxing, I wouldn't normally pay attention to, but he said that day he could introduce General Manager Zhou Zhaolong to me, and said he could get me into Fengxian Construction..."

She shook her head. "To be honest, I was tempted."

Su Bai furrowed his brows. Song Qian took the last puff and stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray beside her. Then she stretched.

The collar of her coat was slightly open, revealing the black turtleneck sweater inside. Her waist was slender, and her curves were graceful. When she raised her arms, the hem of her coat was pulled up a bit, revealing a section of fair waist.

"Alright," she said, "go to sleep early."

She walked to the balcony door and stopped. Without turning back, she said in a trembling voice, "Su Bai."

"Yeah?"

"I know you are not as simple a boy as you appear." Her voice was very light, carrying a slight tremor, "Do you... do you know about Contract Beasts?"

Su Bai raised an eyebrow. "I do."

Song Qian was silent for a while. "If..." She paused, as if weighing her words, but eventually sighed, "Never mind, pretend I never said anything."

She pushed open the door to leave. "Sister Qian."

Song Qian stopped, turned her head, her face having a kind of broken beauty. Su Bai looked at her and grinned. That smile seemed somewhat radiant on the dim balcony.

"Although I really hope this day never comes," he said quietly, "but, if you want to sign a contract, you can come to me. I have plenty of money."