We drove to a KTV in the city. Wang Dali's mic-hogging nature was in full display. Plus with the goddess in front him, he went all out singing Jay Chou's "Love Confession".
I was playing on my phone, feeling relieved of burden and letting him shine.
Zhang Yan suddenly leaned over and asked me: "Handsome boy, you must be single right? How could you be out having fun if you have a girlfriend?"
"She's quite busy," I replied.
"Hmm, you're just tricking me. How come you're not singing?" Zhang Yan asked.
"I'm no good at singing," I shook my head.
"Come on, let's do a duet of 'Marry Me Today', okay?" Zhang Yan pulled my arm and acted cute.
I suddenly got goosebumps all over. After glancing at her powder-caked face, I thought: she's a female version of Wang Dali! An adventurous player casting a wide net. No, if she were a guy, she'd be even more uninhibited than Wang Dali!
Luckily a small interlude happened then which temporarily distracted Zhang Yan's attention from me. When Wang Dali was singing passionately, Ye Shiwen cut in and changed the song. The two started bickering. Ye Shiwen said Wang Dali was mic-hogging. Wang Dali said since no one else was singing, what's wrong with him singing a few more songs?
I quickly stood up to mediate: "No need to argue over this. Just one song each, problem solved."
Ye Shiwen snorted, took out a cigarette, glanced at Xia Mengmeng and went out to smoke.
Wang Dali handed the mic to Zhang Yan, "I'll go to the bar to hurry the drinks."
Ten minutes later, Wang Dali came back with drinks and snacks, warmly greeting everyone. Zhang Yan said, "Smells so good! Wang Dali, you even ordered fried chicken?"
"My treat, as supper. We can order more if not enough." Wang Dali bragged.
"KTV fried chicken is so expensive! Wang Dali you're so generous!" Zhang Yan exclaimed.
"Haha, just a little something!"
We each picked up our drinks, ready to drink. Suddenly Ye Shiwen burst in, "Mengmeng, don't drink yet!"
We were stunned. Ye Shiwen took the lychee juice from Xia Mengmeng's hand, held it up against the light, then showed it to us: "See, there's a small pill fizzing inside!"
He then heavily put the juice back on the table, splashing quite a bit. Pointing at Wang Dali, he yelled, "I just saw this bastard sneakily putting something in the drinks when I was in the bathroom. How disgusting, trying to drug my Mengmeng!"
Zhang Yan was shocked too. She quickly checked her drink, "Wang Dali, how could you do this, drugging Xiaoxia!"
Xia Mengmeng turned deathly pale, covering her mouth in disbelief as she looked at Wang Dali.
Wang Dali's eyes were wide open. He kept pleading for help with his eyes. Knowing him, I was certain he wouldn't dare do this.
Ye Shiwen gloated, ready to leave with Xia Mengmeng. Wang Dali looked like he was about to cry. As his buddy, I had to stand up for him now!
I said, "What evidence do you have that it was Wang Dali?"
Ye Shiwen sneered, "What more evidence do you need? He brought the drinks. No one else touched them but him."
I smiled wryly, "That's completely illogical. Drugging a girl in front of so many people wouldn't accomplish anything. It would backfire."
"Well I don't know. Maybe your buddy here is an idiot," Ye Shiwen said helplessly.
Wang Dali jumped up furiously, "Ye Shiwen, who are you calling an idiot? It must be you up to some trick!"
"Damn, you dare spray people with accusations! Clearly it was you!" Ye Shiwen yelled angrily.
"I swear to heaven I would never do this!"
"Humph, swearing is useless. The facts are here."
The two got more and more heated. I felt my head would explode. So I advised, "Stop this. No proof in mere words. Let's talk with evidence!"
"Evidence?" They were both stunned. Ye Shiwen asked, "Isn't this evidence enough?"
"What evidence? Were the pills tested for ingredients? Were the fingerprints on the cup checked? At minimum check the surveillance footage. That'll make it clear." I analyzed.
Ye Shiwen sneered, "Check footage? What are you, the police?"
"You guys sit first. I'm going to the bar."
I left the room. Ye Shiwen suddenly called me from behind, "Hold it!"
Sensing something odd in his tone, I immediately understood. This was his trap. Ye Shiwen probably thought a student like me couldn't possibly access the surveillance footage. So he didn't say what he was about to. Instead he turned and went back into the room.
Fine, I'll make you cry soon enough!
I went to the bar and directly told the server, "Where's your surveillance room? I want to see footage from around 9:30 at the bar area."
The server impatiently said, "Who are you? Surveillance records aren't for anyone to view casually."
I took out my police badge and briefly showed him the cover. The server's attitude did a 180. He apologized for his rudeness, then said he wasn't authorized to approve this. He had to check with the manager. He also asked if I was investigating a case. I just sternly told him, "No chit-chat. I'm investigating a suspect. Take me there, now!"
I picked this up after dealing with police frequently. Sometimes acting tough works better than anything.
The server quickly called a staff member to take me to the surveillance room, treating me very respectfully along the way. These entertainment places have shady dealings they don't want exposed. They're like rats seeing a cat when they see cops.
I watched the bar footage from about 10 minutes ago. Wang Dali ordered drinks, then went to the other side for fried chicken. Just then, a tall, bespectacled guy approached the bar. His hand hovered over the cups for a bit. Though the image wasn't very clear, you could see him put something into the cup.
I sneered. Ye Shiwen, aren't you so clever!
I told the staff, "Copy this segment for me. Got a USB drive? Let me borrow one, I'll return it right away."
"Sure, sure, officer. Just a moment." The staff quickly made a copy for me.
I took the USB back to the room. Ye Shiwen and Wang Dali were still arguing fiercely. Xia Mengmeng had her bag on, ready to leave. I shouted, "Everyone quiet. Watch this."
I plugged the USB into the TV's port. When it played to that part, Ye Shiwen tensed up and reached to turn off the TV. I blocked him and sneered, "What are you doing?"
Ye Shiwen turned deathly pale, lips quivering nonstop.
I said, "Nothing to fear if you've done no wrong. Sit down!"
He sat back down very awkwardly.
When that segment played, Zhang Yan shrieked, "Oh my god! How could you do something so disgusting! I was so wrong about you!"
Ye Shiwen's face kept shifting from pale to green. He suddenly let out an awkward laugh.
"Let me explain..." He took out a sheet of pills from his pocket, missing one. "Actually I was just playing a little joke on you guys earlier. It wasn't a drug, just my vitamin pills. See, I'll drink it to show you..."
He did actually take a big gulp from the cup, "See, no problem right? Just a little joke..."
Before he finished, a cup of juice suddenly splashed over his face. Xia Mengmeng held the empty cup in her hand. She was so angry her face had turned blue. She slammed down the cup and stormed off without looking back.
"Mengmeng, let me explain!"
Ye Shiwen was about to chase after her when Wang Dali threw a punch at him. The two wrestled on the sofa. Zhang Yan shrieked and jumped up, yelling shrilly, "Stop fighting!"
I was exasperated. Wang Dali still didn't get the point. Such a good chance to send Xia Mengmeng home, yet here he was starting a fight.
It was late and worrying to let Xia Mengmeng go back to school alone. I couldn't stop these two so I ran after her!