It was a completely dead night at the laundromat, just me and the endless roar of the massive drying machines, which was honestly how I liked it. I was scrubbing some mysterious, sticky residue off the folding table, totally lost in the comforting silence and my thoughts about the growing money in my hidden shoebox. I was focused and calm, just getting through the grind, until the front door chimed, and I looked up. My stomach instantly dropped right down to the floor, but I forced myself to stay completely still, gripping the cleaning rag so hard my hand ached. It wasn't Liang Xu, but it was almost as bad: it was Marcus, one of the richest, nastiest jocks who used to hang out with him all the time.
Marcus walked in carrying a ridiculously huge laundry bag made of expensive canvas, looking completely out of place in our dingy, smelly laundromat. He was wearing clothes that probably cost more than my entire year's wages, and he had that lazy, entitled look that all of Liang Xu's friends had. He clearly didn't recognize me at first as he tossed his heavy bag onto the counter, but then he looked closer at my tired face and the uniform I was wearing. His eyes widened a little bit, and then his whole face twisted into this sickening, arrogant smirk. "No way. Song Liu?" he drawled, his voice loud and echoing in the empty space, making me feel like a pathetic insect under a spotlight.
I didn't panic and I didn't flinch. I just stood there, my expression completely blank and cold, waiting for him to finish his stupid humiliation game. Marcus just laughed, a cruel, short sound. "Wow, man. Heard you dropped out, but I didn't think you actually ended up here," he sneered, looking around the run-down laundromat with obvious disgust. "Is this where the big online classes meet? Washing my underwear?" He thought this was the funniest fucking thing he had ever seen, clearly enjoying the power he had over me now. He didn't even care that he was talking to me about my personal life while I was doing his job.
He then dropped a huge, crumpled bill on the counter—probably way too much for the wash—and said, "Well, enjoy your new career, Scrub. Tell Liang Xu I saw you—he'll be interested." Then he just turned and walked right out the door, leaving me standing there next to his dirty clothes. My heart was pounding, but I wasn't shaking with fear; I was shaking with controlled hatred. The encounter was absolutely humiliating, but that feeling didn't break me; it just solidified my resolve. That rich prick had been sent to check up on me, and now he knew exactly where I was, which only reinforced the terrifying feeling that I was still a prisoner, even outside of school.
I slowly gathered up his ridiculously expensive laundry and tossed it into a machine, staring at the swirling water. Every time I ran that machine, I swore that the energy I spent was another small step toward leaving this town and getting my family out of their reach. Marcus's smug face and his humiliating laughter were just more fuel for my fire. I would calmly endure the pain and the shame, and I would wait. Liang Xu and his friends had just made my decision to escape even more urgent.