Chapter 8: Deception

"Gurgle~"

As He Li gazed at the food, her stomach couldn't help but growl. Instantly, she wore a look of embarrassment, unsure of what to say.

"Why don't we eat something while we chat?" Bai Yin suggested, taking a piece of bread from the package and biting into it.

He Li nodded and tore open her own package to eat. With Bai Yin nearby, she refrained from gobbling down her food and ate more gracefully.

Bai Yin took out a bottle of fine liquor from the new bag filled with food. At the same time, he explained his plan, saying, "I've put some medicine in this wine. Take it back with you and let them drink it."

Then, he opened another compartment of the new bag. Inside was a small iron box containing peppermints. He said, "I've mixed the antidote with these mints. After you return, take them with you and have them take it in advance. Not too much, just one per person. To prevent those scumbags from making you try poison or forcing you to drink."

"Alright... I understand," He Li nodded repeatedly, taking the iron box of peppermints.

Upon opening it, she found strange black powder mixed on the surface of the candies. "Is this powder the antidote?" she asked.

"What else could it be?" Bai Yin inspected the bottle of wine in his palm, rotating it. It was hard to notice a small hole pierced in the bottle cap unless one was very observant. That was the hole Bai Yin made when drugging the wine. Later, he sealed the hole with some red paint. The bottle cap was red, blending seamlessly with the paint.

"What kind of medicine did you put in?" He Li's heart was uneasy.

Bai Yin glanced at her, then put the white wine back in the bag. "A sedative that puts people to sleep, or a deadly poison. Which one do you prefer?"

He Li remained silent, momentarily lost in thought. Seeing her reaction, Bai Yin chuckled, "You're truly kind. Even at this point, you still care about the moral dignity of your teacher. Don't worry, it's just a sedative, it won't kill anyone."

"Phew..." He Li visibly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Bai Yin could tell that He Li wasn't ready to commit murder yet. He thought to himself, "This woman won't do..." At the same time, he completely abandoned the idea of becoming companions with her.

Bai Yin had already made plans. After dealing with those three men, he would part ways with He Li and the others. While finding someone to talk to was important, if the other party was too naive and their ideologies didn't align, then there was no need to force things.

---

Physical weakness isn't the problem. But mental and spiritual weakness are equally burdensome.

---

A loaf of bread quickly disappeared into He Li's stomach. Facing Bai Yin, who had only eaten half a loaf, she felt hesitant to take another one.

"Just eat if you want to, is there any need to worry about appearances at this point?" Bai Yin remarked.

"Um, okay..." She nodded softly, still feeling a bit embarrassed.

He Li ate the second loaf of bread more delicately than the first.

"If you're going back today, it's better to leave at dusk!" Bai Yin suggested.

"Why??" He Li was puzzled.

"Because humans are animals that sleep at night.. If you leave at dusk, it will be dark by the time you return to school. And those scumbags are most likely to be drinking at night. After all, what's more enjoyable than drinking and then sleeping? At least the chances of them drinking at night are much higher than during the day, right?"

"Oh, I see..." He Li suddenly realized, starting to anticipate.

"Thank you, thank you so much..." She expressed her gratitude, but Bai Yin didn't take it seriously.

"I'm going to the nearby store to see if there's anything useful. You stay here, don't go anywhere," Bai Yin instructed before leaving.

"Okay, be careful!" They briefly parted ways, and when Bai Yin returned, it was already dusk.

"Let's go. You walk ahead, and I'll follow behind!" They set off, but despite saying he would follow, Bai Yin's figure was nowhere to be seen when He Li looked back several times during the journey.

Feeling uncertain, He Li stopped and looked around.

"Ouch..." A small stone hit her head, causing He Li to cry out in pain.

At that moment, from behind a car, Bai Yin's voice came, slightly reproachful, "What are you doing standing there? If you don't hurry back, it'll be dark soon!"

Although Bai Yin's tone was somewhat exasperated, He Li didn't feel disheartened. Instead, knowing that he was still there increased her sense of security.

He Li brought the food back like this. By now, it was dark outside. The night market was lit by several candles. Under this flickering light, the three brothers looked at the food in the bag, their faces greedy.

 Li Lao Da seldom praised, "Not bad, really not bad. It seems worthwhile to have raised you. Oh right, did you find water?"

"I found it... There's a milk tea shop, and they still have water."

He Li repeated the prepared words, making Li Lao Da laugh heartily,

"Alright, we'll move tomorrow. Oh! And the wine?!!"

Li Lao Da, who hadn't drunk for a long time, picked up the bottle of white wine and eyed it greedily.

Meanwhile, He Li, crouching in the corner, smiled and said, "I found it while looking through a cabinet, so I brought it back!"

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad, really good!" Li Lao Da was pleased, throwing two loaves of bread to He Li and the others.

"Enjoy, it's a reward for you. I've said it before, as long as you behave obediently, you won't be mistreated."

Though these words were never actually spoken, it didn't stop Li Lao Da from saying them.

As He Li distributed the bread to the other three, she also gave each of them a peppermint from the tin.

"Eat, it's life-saving stuff..." He Li said softly, and the others didn't understand what she meant but still popped the candy into their mouths.

---

Li Lao Da took Li Lao San to drink.

He originally asked Li Lao Er too, but Li Lao Er said he didn't drink white wine, so he didn't bother going. Li Lao Da thought it was fine. It was better to have one person stay sober than for all three brothers to get drunk. After all, letting these four women escape would be too much of a loss.

So, Li Lao Da and Li Lao San drank heartily. Before long, the drugs took effect, and they collapsed one by one, unable to get up.

Li Lao Er, who didn't drink, caused He Li some trouble.

Hearing no sound from the room, Li Lao Er couldn't help but walk in.

At the same time, he wondered to himself:

Did Li Lao Da and Li Lao San's alcohol tolerance really drop so much?

---

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped into the room, the scene in front of him startled him.

Li Lao Da and Li Lao San were lying motionless on the ground, blood flowing from their seven orifices, their eyes wide open, contorted in pain.

Clearly, they were dead.

Yes, Bai Yin had deceived He Li.

As a professional killer, how could he have only put a sedative in the wine?

---

"Ahhhh!!"

The deaths of Li Lao Da and Li Lao San scared Li Lao Er into screaming.

At the same time, outside the small shop.

Someone lurking in the darkness was approaching slowly with an axe...