Bad Kids Read online

  “Oh, and, Daddy, I need to get a calligraphy copybook. Our calligraphy teacher told us to buy one but I forgot last time,” Jingjing carried on, not noticing her father’s distraction.

  “OK, we can get it after we find the classics.”

  Zhu Yongping took his daughter’s hand and guided her up the stairs. He stole a glance at Chaoyang and was surprised to find him gazing back at him. Zhu Yongping coughed and looked straight ahead. Chaoyang felt trapped in his own thoughts.

  “That’s your dad?” Pupu asked.

  The question brought him back to the present. He nodded and then buried himself in his book. He did not know if she would empathize with him or feel sorry for him. Maybe she was completely indifferent to his problems—indifference seemed to be her natural state.

  “Careful, your book,” Pupu said before turning back to her own.

  Chaoyang looked down. He had bent back the pages of his book without even noticing.

  *

  When they finally decided to go home, Chaoyang said little. Pupu avoided talking about the murder but Ding Hao would not stop going on and on about it. The other two gave him noncommittal responses and hoped he would let it go for now.

  17

  4 JULY

  The next day, Chaoyang suggested going to the Children’s Palace, a six-storey building that offered classes and activities. It had been renovated a few times since its opening in the 1980s, but it still looked tired. Inside there was a free science museum, a sports hall for table tennis, a library, and dozens of classrooms.

  When Chaoyang said there was an amusement park next to the Palace, Ding Hao was thrilled by the idea of lots of rides. Pupu thought the park sounded fun, but she was conscious of spending more of Chaoyang’s money. He convinced her that it would be nice to do something while they still had the chance, because they would be leaving soon. Plus, he was happy to spend a hundred yuan if it meant he could delay the conversations about dealing with the murderer.

  Even though it was a hot day, the amusement park would be pretty comfortable thanks to the shade provided by mature trees. There was a train ride, a carousel, bumper boats, a small roller coaster and a few other rides. The prices were reasonable, which made them popular, so they could expect a long line next to every ride.

  The three kids got off the bus and headed in the direction of the amusement park. It was crowded. Ding Hao was already charging ahead when Pupu noticed a girl at the entrance and grabbed Chaoyang’s arm. He looked to where Pupu was pointing and spotted Jingjing and her mother, Wang Yao. It was so strange that just last week he barely knew what his half-sister looked like, and now that they met he had seen her three days in a row! Wang Yao was handing a bookbag to Jingjing and reminding her to do something. The little girl waved her mother off impatiently.

  Chaoyang watched as Jingjing walked into the Children’s Palace by herself. Finally he said to Pupu, “Come on, let me show you the best rides.”

  “Don’t you want to get revenge?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but it’s impossible,” he said meekly.

  Ding Hao had noticed that his friends weren’t following him and came back. “Come on, guys! Don’t you want to get on a ride?”

  “We just saw Little Bitch!” Pupu said.

  “Aww, don’t let it ruin your day, Chaoyang,” Ding Hao sympathized.

  Chaoyang nodded.

  Pupu scowled at Ding Hao. “Didn’t you say you wanted to teach her a lesson? This is our chance.”

  “Yeah, I did,” Ding Hao said awkwardly. “But… what do you want me to do?”

  “Torment her until she begs for mercy,” Pupu spat.

  He gaped at her. “No way, there’s too many people, someone would see us!”

  “Her mother just left. Let’s follow her; maybe she’ll be alone at some point. Then we can show her who’s boss.”

  Blood pumped hard through Chaoyang’s veins, but still he wanted to convince them to give it up. “She would definitely tattle on us. If my dad found out, we’d be toast.”

  “Ding Hao can beat her up, and you can watch from a safe distance. Then you won’t get into trouble,” Pupu said, a smile spreading across her whole face.

  “Pupu, it’s unfair for me to beat up a little girl,” Ding Hao protested.

  “She’s not a little girl, she’s Little Bitch,” Pupu corrected.

  “Fine, fine. Little Bitch. Still! It’s not the honourable thing to do.”

  “But you said you wanted to teach her a lesson.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “I see how it is. Even if nobody else sees you doing it, you’re more concerned about your reputation than your friend. Then I’ll do it, but you better have my back if things get ugly.” Pupu’s tiny hands curled into fists.

  “Chaoyang?” Ding Hao looked towards him for the voice of reason.

  “I think…” he began. He stopped and remembered all the unfair things that happened in his life. His parents divorced when he was only two. If that woman had not stolen his dad, he would have a happy family. Being a child of divorced parents had caused him to be the target of bullying at school, and there was nothing he could do about it. If his parents were still together, he would have had a normal upbringing—surely then Mrs Lu wouldn’t assume that he was acting out. If his parents were still together, they wouldn’t have to worry about money all the time. His mum had lost her job and it took her ages to get another one through a government scheme. But the new job at Sanmingshan meant that she was away from home much of the time because it was so far away. They had to count every last penny, while that evil woman had everything she wanted.

  It was all his stepmother’s fault. He deserved a good life, but she took it away. Suddenly the image of his father holding Jingjing’s hand and looking down at him in the bookstore flashed before him. He made up his mind and said quickly, “Let’s get her. But don’t let Little Bitch see me—you go first.”

  Ding Hao led the way to the Children’s Palace, Pupu followed, then Chaoyang.

  “Thank you,” Chaoyang said softly to Pupu.

  “I’m the same as you, remember?” she said simply.

  18

  Chaoyang knew the Children’s Palace well and guessed that Jingjing would not be doing any of the activities offered on the first two floors. He kept a good distance away from his friends and avoided looking at them. The three went to the second floor, and while Chaoyang loitered in the men’s toilets, Pupu and Ding Hao looked for Jingjing. They entered each room pretending to be interested in checking out the class, took a quick look at the students and left as soon as they were sure Jingjing was not there. They combed the second floor. Nothing. Then they scanned the third and the fourth floors. Still nothing. They went to the fifth floor.

  Compared to the other floors, this one was nearly deserted. Just when Chaoyang was ready to give up, Pupu said, “I think I hear kids in the classroom back there. You stay here, I’ll check it out.”

  She poked her head in and came back quickly.

  “Yup, it’s her,” Pupu said.

  “Are there lots of people?” Chaoyang asked.

  “Not that many. They’re doing calligraphy, and there’s only one teacher.”

  “We can’t just grab her, the teacher would stop us. How will we get her out?”

  “Let’s just wait in the corridor. Maybe she’ll come out, maybe we won’t get a chance to get revenge today,” Pupu said calmly.

  “OK, let’s wait by the stairs,” Chaoyang said.

  “What exactly are we gonna do?” Ding Hao sounded uncharacteristically apprehensive.

  “We shouldn’t hurt her. Let’s just make her cry,” Chaoyang suggested.

  “Just make her cry?” Pupu scoffed. “We can’t let her off that easy.”

  “Pupu…” he said.

  “OK, how about we stick her head in a toilet. She’ll cry but she won’t get hurt!”

  “Genius!” Ding Hao exclaimed.

  “This is going to be awesome!” Chaoyang wa
s so excited he almost clapped his hands.

  “There’s just one thing,” Pupu said, her eyes glinting.

  “What?” Chaoyang asked.

  “We need a toilet with poop in it.”

  “I can take care of that!” Chaoyang said a little too eagerly. He dashed to the men’s toilets while Ding Hao and Pupu watched the door to the classroom from their hiding spot by the stairs.

  “I got eyes on Little Bitch,” Pupu said in a low voice, moments later.

  “She’s coming this way! Looks like she’s going to take a leak!” Ding Hao whispered.

  “And she’s by herself. Let’s grab her and drag her to the men’s loo,” Pupu said.

  Jingjing had to walk past the stairwell to get to the toilets. Pupu and Ding Hao were ready for her.

  “Stop right there,” Pupu said, grabbing Jingjing’s ponytail.

  Jingjing yelped in pain and surprise. She turned around to see older kids who meant business. “Hey! What are you doing?”

  “What can I say? It’s your unlucky day,” Pupu sneered. She grabbed her ponytail again and yanked.

  “Oww! Stop it!” Jingjing cried.

  “Or what?” Pupu asked. She jerked the ponytail a third time.

  “Ow! Who are you? What are you doing? Help!”

  Ding Hao quickly covered her mouth, but Jingjing bit down ferociously. He shouted and pulled back his hand, which was bleeding. Jingjing struggled, trying to return to the classroom, but Pupu grabbed her firmly around the waist. The younger girl wasn’t going anywhere. Tears streamed down Jingjing’s face. She tried to spit on them but missed. She scratched Ding Hao’s arms, leaving long marks, and he panicked, slapping her in the face. Jingjing cried for help, but the classroom was too far away. Her cries were indistinguishable from the general noise of children singing and playing—no one came.

  Chaoyang walked out of the men’s toilets without realizing that Jingjing was just outside.

  “Pupu, Ding Hao, what—? Oh!”

  Chaoyang never expected that his friends would catch her so quickly. He reacted too slowly and Jingjing recognized him.

  “You! You’re making them do this!” she shouted, anger replacing her fear.

  “No, I’m not.” Chaoyang sounded unconvincing as he tried to figure out how to get away.

  Jingjing pointed a finger at him. “My mother told me who you are! She says my dad fooled around with a fat woman and they had a mistake. You’re that mistake!”

  Suddenly everything went quiet for Chaoyang. He pushed Jingjing’s forehead with one finger. “You’re the mistake! I’m Zhu Yongping’s son!”

  Jingjing gave as good as she got. “Mummy says you’ll always be a shrimp because your mum is short and fat. She made Daddy promise that he’ll never give you money ever again! She says you’re… you’re a bastard!”

  Pupu let go of her and slapped her, hard. Jingjing wailed and Chaoyang dragged her to the men’s toilets by the ponytail.

  When they were inside, Chaoyang picked her up and put her on the ledge of the large open window that faced an inner courtyard. Suddenly he was no longer interested in just dunking her head in a toilet. Jingjing struggled with all her might, but he was older and stronger.

  “Let me go! You’re crazy! Let me go!” she shouted and stood up. She balanced her toes on the bottom of the windowsill and held onto the top. Surprisingly, her precarious position did not prevent her from screaming at Chaoyang.

  Ding Hao could see that it was all getting out of control. “Chaoyang, get her down. She could fall.”

  Chaoyang only wanted to scare her into submission. He reined in his emotions and held onto her to make sure she would not fall. Still, he had to win this argument, once and for all. “Call me a bastard one more time and I’ll push you.”

  Jingjing was beyond reason at this point. “You’re a bastard! Dirty bastard! Help! Help!”

  Chaoyang did not want her to attract attention, especially not where people in the courtyard might see her. He reached his right hand up to try and cover her mouth. “You are so stubborn!”

  Jingjing tried to bite him and he moved his hand away.

  “I told you she was a bitch,” Pupu said drily. “She bites just like a dog.”

  Ding Hao stretched out his hand for Chaoyang to see. “She drew blood, can you believe it?”

  “I dare you to bite, Little Bitch!” Chaoyang raged.

  “You’re crazy!” Her face was wet with tears, but she wouldn’t stop abusing him.

  He slapped her and she shrieked and cried but she would not yield. Chaoyang was beside himself. He wasn’t going to push her off the windowsill, but he didn’t know how to bring this to a satisfactory end.

  “I know! Ding Hao, come here!” Pupu shouted. He stepped towards her and she whispered in his ear.

  Ding Hao listened to her, and his face showed displeasure. “Isn’t that a little…?”

  “We have to do something!” Pupu was firm and Ding Hao reluctantly agreed.

  Chaoyang watched Ding Hao reach into his trousers and grab a few pubic hairs. He pushed them next to Jingjing’s mouth.

  “Open up! Who taught you to bite like that, huh?” Ding Hao feigned toughness as he forced the girl’s mouth open and stuffed the hairs inside.

  Chaoyang was horrified. He never would have thought to do something like that. Then he looked at Pupu, the one with the brilliant idea—never in a million years would he think that a girl could come up with something so vile.

  Jingjing started coughing and then heaving, but Ding Hao had her mouth covered so she couldn’t spit it out. Finally she was fully aware of the precariousness of her situation, so she stopped being aggressive and started to shiver as she pleaded, “Please, Big Brothers and Big Sister. Please, let me go. I won’t do it again. I was wrong.”

  “You gonna bite me again, little doggie?” Ding Hao threatened.

  “No, I promise.” She shivered again.

  “So now you know you were wrong,” Pupu said with a smug look. “You have to say sorry.”

  Jingjing continued whimpering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Let me go, please.”

  “Looks like she won’t bother you again, Brother Chaoyang. Get her down,” said Pupu.

  “Yeah, we should probably quit now,” Ding Hao said.

  Chaoyang was still angry but had his emotions under control. “You know you were wrong? OK, I’ll let you go.”

  “I was wrong, Big Brother. Please let me down,” Jingjing said.

  At the words “Big Brother”, Chaoyang’s heart softened. He was her half-brother, after all. He threatened her once more for good measure. “Remember, you’re the bastard, not me! If you say anything out of line, I’ll get you!” He gave her one more thump.

  The last punch scared her, and Jingjing was back to crying in an instant. “Help! I said sorry and he still wants to hit me! Ahhh! I’m gonna tell my daddy!”

  “You!” Chaoyang felt like a huge bucket of dirty cold water had been poured on his head. The world stopped. “I wish you would DIE!” he roared.

  He pushed her with all of his might, and the girl fell backwards. Ding Hao tried to grab her but was too late. They heard a sickening sound as the body hit the concrete below.

  19

  Chaoyang couldn’t stop shaking. His feet were rooted in place. Ding Hao and Pupu went to the window. They saw a large pool of blood and a twitching form. At that moment, screams and shouts of alarm erupted from the lower floors. People ran over to the body, then looked up to the windows. The two instinctively moved away out of sight.

  “What do we do, what do we do?” Ding Hao asked Chaoyang.

  Chaoyang stood stock still.

  Pupu quickly assessed the situation and pulled him towards the door. “Run first! Talk later!”

  They raced down the hallway and started running down the stairs. By the time they reached the first floor, people came out of the classrooms to see what the commotion was. Chaoyang stopped and looked at Pupu and Ding Hao. “This is all my fau
lt. Clear out of here, I’ll deal with this.”

  “What’ll you do?” Ding Hao asked urgently.

  Chaoyang tried to smile. “You two have nothing to do with this. You should leave before you get in trouble.”

  Ding Hao was ready to mix with the crowds and escape. He pulled Pupu’s arm, but she did not budge, saying, “Are you scared?”

  “Scared?” Suddenly Chaoyang looked much older than his years. “I knew she would tell my dad. I was going to die anyway if he found out, so my life is over. There’s no point in being scared—it is what it is.”

  “What are you going to do now?” she persisted.

  “Turn myself in.”

  Ding Hao spoke in a low voice. “Your mum will be all by herself.” Chaoyang was dumbstruck. His eyes rimmed with tears and he hung his head.

  “Maybe she didn’t die. If she didn’t die, she’ll squeal, there’s nothing we can do. If it looks like she fell to her death, and nobody saw us…” Pupu murmured.

  “Let’s go to the courtyard and see,” Ding Hao suggested.

  “If she’s not dead and she sees us, we’ll get caught!” she warned.

  Chaoyang exhaled. “I’ll go down and see. You aren’t related to her and she doesn’t know your names, so nobody will suspect you. You guys can watch me from that window. If I’m arrested, you both should get out of here. Just mingle with the crowds going out. If I get out OK, we’ll meet behind the building.”

  They agreed to the plan, which seemed sensible enough. Pupu and Ding Hao squeezed in next to all the other children looking out the window and waited for Chaoyang’s signal.

  Staff members circled Jingjing’s body in order to keep the other children away. Parents hurried away from the brutal scene, pulling their children with them. But the curious and morbid types approached the body to get a better look.

  Chaoyang was small and couldn’t see anything except backs. To try to get a closer look, he pushed against people until he reached an open space, but he still couldn’t see. Then he looked up towards Pupu and Ding Hao, and she made an OK gesture. Chaoyang left the Children’s Palace and went around to the back. Pupu and Ding Hao exited a minute later.