As they walked inside, Yumeng came up beside me and linked her arm through mine. “I’m so sorry, Xia Ning. I didn’t expect them to be like this…” Yumeng said, looking genuinely apologetic.

　　“Shh! It’s okay. No need to worry. Let’s just head in,” I said, trying to stay upbeat. Since we were here, we might as well make the best of it. If it got too uncomfortable, we could always leave early.

　　The karaoke place was fairly quiet at this time. I noticed a group of men sitting on the right side, on some sofas. They had various hair colors and tattoos, and were loudly playing cards.

　　“Don’t move, don’t move. I’m putting down six bets!” The clatter of cards hitting the table was loud.

　　They were playing multi-deck Landlord with several people. From the direction of the main hall, I could hear a man singing out of tune, attempting “Moonlight on the River.”

　　I was starting to feel a bit out of place.

　　Deng An and the others were at the front desk, chatting with the manager. When Deng Rong saw us come in, she greeted us with a smile, “Do you two want anything to eat? My brother’s treating us; he’s quite the big spender.”

　　“Just order whatever. Xia Ning and I aren’t picky eaters,” Yumeng said, still with her arm around mine.

　　“Xia Ning, don’t be shy. Just get whatever you like,” Deng Rong said warmly.

　　I could only smile and nod in response.

　　Before long, Deng An and the others came back from the front desk, each carrying a plastic bag of snacks.

　　“Let’s head to Room 102,” Deng An said with a grin as he approached us.

　　As we followed them, I cast one last curious glance at the card players. They had suddenly gone silent, and when I looked over, I saw them openly staring at us. One young man with yellow hair and an earring even gave a sleazy grin.

　　I quickly turned away.

　　Once we reached the private room, Wu Jia immediately dashed to the karaoke machine, grabbed the microphone, and started fiddling with the controls.

　　The rest of the group gathered around the coffee table, distributing snacks. Sunflower seeds, hawthorn slices, and pistachios were poured into bowls.

　　Yumeng and I sat on the left side of the sofa. She handed me a handful of sunflower seeds.

　　“Xia Ning, are you going to sing a song later?” Yumeng asked, munching on seeds.

　　“I’m not really sure how…”

　　Yumeng leaned in and whispered with a laugh, “Neither do they. Their singing is pretty awful.”

　　I covered my mouth, trying to stifle a laugh.

　　Just then, the massive speakers roared to life, making the room shake. I felt the floor and sofa vibrating with the beat of Wang Sulong’s “SpongeBob.”

　　The song was decent, but Wu Jia’s rendition transformed it entirely. She was dancing and bouncing around, clearly at ease in this kind of environment.

　　The rest of the group didn’t seem to mind at all. After the song, the door to our private room opened, and two waitstaff came in—one carrying a box of Snow Beer and the other with wine glasses and some red wine.

　　Once the staff left, everyone gathered around the coffee table. Deng Rong ushered us over, and Deng An began pouring drinks, including some red wine that seemed to be for the women.

　　I felt uneasy about drinking, and Yumeng appeared unsure as well.

　　“To our new friends, let’s toast!” Deng An said, raising his glass and looking around. His gaze eventually landed on me.

　　The two guys across from us raised their glasses cheerfully.

　　“Yumeng doesn’t drink, so don’t pressure her,” Deng Rong said loudly, lifting her glass.

　　I felt a bit better about her after that—she seemed genuinely considerate. But I wasn’t much of a drinker either.

　　Well… I might as well go along with it for now. If they push, I’ll just refuse later. I had no interest in getting drunk.

　　So, under everyone’s watchful eyes, I raised my glass, clinked it with theirs, and took a sip.

　　“Wow, so many beauties! Hahaha!” A stranger’s voice suddenly rang out from the door.

　　I glanced toward the entrance and noticed the door had been pushed open at some point. With the loud music, we hadn’t heard it.

　　Four or five young men were standing at the door, looking at us with amusement. One of them was whistling, and the leader, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt with a dragon tattoo on his arm, was smiling with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

　　Seeing that we hadn’t reacted, the leader pointed at the karaoke machine. One of his followers went over and hit the pause button, and the room fell silent.

　　“Who are you? What are you doing in our private room?” Deng An stepped forward, flanked by two of the guys.

　　“Nothing much, just coming to have some fun with all these pretty girls!” The leader took a long drag on his cigarette and blew the smoke toward Deng An.

　　His lackeys moved in closer.

　　“You better behave, or I’ll break your leg!” one of the young men said threateningly, poking Deng An’s chest with his finger.

　　Deng An’s fists were clenched, his face tense.

　　The leader stopped his subordinate with a hand: “Hey… remember, we’re not unreasonable!” He then turned to Deng An: “As long as you keep out of our way, everything will be fine. I’m just here to find a girlfriend among you guys and then we’ll leave!”

　　Hearing this made me anxious. Yumeng squeezed my hand, her palm sweaty and clammy.

　　“Is this really how you look for a girlfriend?” Deng An asked, pointing at the five men.

　　The leader chuckled: “Haha, it’s not just me looking. My buddies are too!”

　　“Hahaha…” The five men on the opposite side laughed loudly.

　　“Big brother, it looks like there are only four girls here.”

　　“Ah? Well, in that case, you guys will just have to share one girlfriend!”

　　“Hahahahaha!”

　　In the midst of the laughter, one of the lackeys lunged at Song Yuan, who didn’t have a chance to react. He kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing into the wall and falling to the ground.

　　Song Yuan cried out in pain, curling up. His phone fell beside him.

　　“Damn it, give me your phone. Dare to call the cops?” The lackey snatched the phone from him.

　　Just as Deng An was about to move, a fruit knife was pressed against his throat.

　　“Don’t move!” The leader said, smiling as he tapped the back of the knife against Deng An’s neck.

　　Deng An raised his hands slowly, trembling with nervousness.

　　By now, everyone could sense that the situation was escalating badly.

　　Crash!

　　The sound of glass shattering filled the room as Deng Rong smashed a beer bottle on the coffee table, glaring at the intruders. “Who are you? Let my brother go!”

　　Wu Jia screamed and huddled in the corner.

　　“Oh, you’ve got some guts. Who I am is none of your business,” the leader of the group sneered with a cold smile.

　　“Call the police right now!” Deng Rong demanded.

　　“Go ahead, I dare you!” The leader pressed the knife even harder against Deng An’s neck.

　　“Brother…”

　　“If anyone dares to call the cops, I’ll make sure they bleed!” The leader growled, his voice dripping with menace.

　　I pulled Yumeng behind me, fixing my gaze on the intruders with a cold stare. Surprisingly, I felt no fear at all.

　　“Xia Ning…” Yumeng’s voice shook with anxiety.

　　“Don’t worry. I’m here.”

　　“Hand over all your phones! Don’t force us to get rough!” The guy who had paused the music earlier stepped closer.

　　“Xia Ning…” Yumeng’s voice was tight with fear.

　　“Give it to him.”

　　“What?” Yumeng didn’t catch that.

　　“Give him your phone!”