Chapter 5: A Shopping Disaster

Around six, someone from the hotel brought dinner to my room. They certainly knew how to look after a guest.
Jiajia called after seven. Apparently, all hell had broken loose at home.
“You’d better go back,” she said anxiously. “Something terrible’s going to happen.”
“What could possibly happen? I’m perfectly fine. I’m just giving them a little scare.”
After hanging up, there was nothing to do, so I went to bed early.
Breakfast arrived the next morning, too. By noon, though, staying in that room was driving me mad. Bored out of my mind, I called Jiajia and told her to take me shopping.
“There are people looking for you everywhere! Going out now would be walking straight into their hands.”
“What are you afraid of? Do you think I’m stupid enough to get caught that easily?”
First, the hair had to go. Those thick curls were my most recognizable feature. At my request, Jiajia brought a hat, and I piled my hair up beneath it. With that hidden, who would recognize me?
A tracksuit—nothing like my usual clothes—and a pair of sunglasses completed the disguise. Even a god wouldn’t have known who I was.
“How did you come up with that? If you’d walked up to me like this, I wouldn’t have recognized you.”
I grinned.
“Then let’s go!”
Arm in arm, we walked out without a care.
“Let’s go to Dabai Shopping Center. It’s my favorite, and it’s always packed.”
At a shoe shop, I tried on several pairs. Two caught my fancy, so why choose?
“Wrap up both of these.”
At the counter, my hand went out toward Jiajia.
“What?” she asked blankly.
“Your credit card!”
“Didn’t you bring yours?”
She began rummaging in her bag.
“They could track me through my card transactions.”
“Oh! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“How would you ever think of that?”
Once we’d paid, she suddenly sighed.
“What now?”
“Nothing. I just feel sorry for your brother and sister. They were supposed to get married today…”
“Shut up. Tong Xueyou isn’t good enough for Big Brother.”
“Well… I…”
Under her breath, she added, “I think they’re quite well matched.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
“Ah!”
A hand flew over my mouth. Grabbing Jiajia, I hurried away before she could ask what was wrong.
“Tong Xueyou. Speak of the devil!”
After running some distance, we glanced back.
Oh, no. She was coming after us!
Surely she hadn’t recognized me in this getup?
“Run!”
“Jiajia!” Tong Xueyou called from behind.
I dropped Jiajia’s hand, signaled her not to follow and slipped alone into the crowd. Tong Xueyou caught up with her and began talking.
A breath of relief escaped me. So it was Jiajia she’d been chasing.
They spoke for a little while, then Tong Xueyou left.
“What did she say?”
The answer was obvious, but I asked anyway.
“She wanted to know if I’d seen you. I said no.”
Smiling, Jiajia moved closer.
I kept my distance.
“No. Walking with you is too risky. We’d better stay apart.”
“What? How are we supposed to shop like that?” she groaned.
“I’ll go first. You follow. And don’t get too close.”
A few complaints followed, but so did she.
“You have excellent taste, miss. This bag is Mr. Luo’s latest limited edition. It’s the only one we have.”
A quick look in the mirror with the bag on my arm settled it. No need to ask the price.
At the register, Jiajia winced.
“That’s so expensive.”
“Carry it for me.”
They were taking forever to wrap it. I walked out.
“Wait!”
Several jewelry shops later, nothing had caught my eye. Then an old-fashioned antiques shop drew me in. A blue-green vase in the window looked just like the one at home.
Or rather, the one that used to be at home. Such a shame I’d broken it. Dad had loved it when it first arrived.
“I’ll take that vase. Keep it here for me for now. Jiajia…”
A glance over my shoulder showed no sign of her.
Honestly. That girl was so slow.
Turning sharply, I strode toward the door.
“Ow!”
Straight into a display stand.
It rocked from side to side, then steadied. Thank goodness.
Crash.
An unbelievably ugly red teapot hit the floor.
“Just my luck…”
A few curses accompanied me out of the shop.
“Miss!”
The shopkeeper came after me.
“What?”
“You broke my Yipin Hong teapot.”
“I know,” I said airily. “I’ll pay for it.”
“The money.”
He held out his hand.
“You’ll get it in a minute.”
What a fuss over nothing.
Up on tiptoe, I searched the bustling crowd. Still no Jiajia. Where had she gone?
Just as I was about to leave, his hand clamped around my arm.
“You haven’t paid.”
“I will when I find my friend.”
“Your friend? Where is she? Are you trying to run away?”
“Run away? Take a good look at me! Do I look like someone who’d run away over one lousy teapot?”
Fuming, I pulled out my phone and called Jiajia.
A few rings, then: “Sorry, the person you are calling is not answering. Please try again later.”
What?
Another call.
“Sorry, the number you are calling cannot be reached at the moment.”
Again.
“Damn it, Jiajia. Answer!”
The shopkeeper looked ready to burst into flames.
“Well? Where’s your friend?”
“Couldn’t get through.”
Not that he frightened me.
“Then give me your home number. Have your family bring the money.”
His eyes bored into mine.
“What’s the number?”
“Don’t know.”
That earned him my haughtiest tone.
“Well! Never seen anything like it.”
He turned to the passing shoppers.
“Come and look at this! Breaks my things, won’t pay, and still gives me attitude. Young people these days…”
A crowd gathered at once, whispering and pointing.
“No manners at all!”
“What did you say? How dare you insult me?”
“See? Look at her! Have you ever seen such an ill-tempered girl?”
“You…”
My fists clenched. One punch would have served him right.
Then a familiar figure came into view.
Big Brother.
He’d just stepped off the escalator and was heading this way, several people behind him. More people looking for me, probably.
Panic took over.
A hard shove sent the shopkeeper backward. His grip loosened, and I tore away.
“Thief! Thief!”
In my headlong rush, I collided with a stroller, sending it careening several yards away.
Its mother screamed, her face draining of color. Voices rose all around us. Fortunately, someone caught the stroller.
I headed for the stairs.
“Stop!”
The shopkeeper was still right behind me.
“Damn it.”
Down the stairs I flew, around one corner and then another—until my foot missed a step.
“Ah!”
“Thief!”
There was no time to worry about the pain. Scrambling up, I ran into a large supermarket and dodged between the shelves.
Let him try to find me now.
He searched the aisles several times without success. Finally, he gave up and left.
After waiting long enough for him to get well away, I came out.
At the exit, he appeared from nowhere.
What an infuriating man.
Right beside me stood dozens of shopping carts, lined up neatly. In a burst of temper, I heaved one at him.
He stumbled backward several steps and barely dodged it. Then a whole line of carts went rolling toward him.
“Help!”
Off he fled.
Dusting my hands with satisfaction, I called after him, “Follow me again and you’ll be sorry!”
A rush of footsteps sounded behind me.
The supermarket guards.
Oh, no. Run!
Only a short distance ahead, the antiques dealer appeared with the shopping center’s guards, all bearing down on me.
I wheeled around.
People behind me. People ahead.
The only way out was the staircase between them. Down would take me straight to the ground floor.
My steps faltered for an instant.
Then I turned and ran up.
“She’s got nowhere to go!”
At the top, I rounded the corner and sprinted along a long corridor, turned again and kept going to the very end.
The pursuers were closing in.
“We’ve got her!”
Off came my shoes.
One leap, and cries of alarm broke out behind me.
A graceful free fall through the air—
Splash!
Deep into the water I went, sending spray everywhere.
One thing had slipped my mind: it was late autumn.
Freezing water closed over me. It was like plunging into an ice pit.
Somehow, I fought my way out of the pool. My legs shook so badly they could barely hold me up.
The hat had vanished. Soaked curls hung in a tangled mass around my face, like a headful of seaweed. All that water made them heavier than ever.
A moment earlier, I’d suddenly remembered the water park at the back of the building. That was why I’d run upstairs. Going down, there was no telling whether I could outrun them. Even if I could, it would have been a struggle.
Jumping from above had brought me straight to the ground floor and left them far behind.
Just one little detail I’d overlooked.
It wasn’t summer.