Chapter 63

Let’s see if you can hold on for a moment.

That night, after Xusui clarified things with Zhou Jingze, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Jingze, such a proud person, probably wouldn’t actively lower himself to find her again, right?

Xusui was busy every day at the hospital. When she returned home at night after washing her hair, her phone on the table kept vibrating continuously, showing incoming messages.

She sat on the sofa, tilted her head to use a towel to dry her wet hair, and casually picked up her phone to check the messages. The notification showed a new comment reminder on her answer in Zhihu.

It was still the question she answered impulsively years ago—during her school days, what was the funniest thing you did when you had a crush?

There were still people liking it and commenting under her answer.

She scrolled through the questions with her thumb gliding across the screen, reading through the lines.

1: It’s like I saw another version of myself, but he’s married now, to someone else, and doing well. I hope the answerer can find her own happiness.

2: Do you still keep in touch with him?

3: Miss, do you still have feelings for him now?

…

Xusui stared at these questions for a good three minutes. Water droplets trickled down her hair ends, dripping onto her neck. She leaned over to grab a tissue to wipe her neck clean.

In the end, she chose to hide the answer.

The answer turned into a blank space.

Putting down her phone, blow-drying her hair, skincare routine, lighting aromatherapy, and finally a good night’s sleep.

On Wednesday night at nine o’clock, Xusui had just finished surgery. She took off her surgical gown and gloves, walked into the disinfection room, and heard her white coat vibrating on the side.

Xusui ignored it, turned on the faucet, washed her hands, then reached into her pocket for her phone. She answered the call when she saw it was Liang Shuang. She smiled and asked, “Hey, what’s up?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone, followed by suppressed sobbing. Xusui opened the door, frowned upon hearing her cry, and spoke gently, “What’s wrong? Who’s bothering you?”

Liang Shuang still didn’t answer, continuing to cry.

Xusui patiently continued to ask her questions, soothing her while checking the time, “I’m almost done here. How about I accompany you to have your favorite Singaporean food later?”

Perhaps it was Xusui’s overly gentle voice. Liang Shuang couldn’t hold it back anymore, bursting into tears on the phone, causing her voice to sound nasal, but her tone was agitated and broken:

“I can’t believe it! Tan Wei cheated on me!! The bastard, he said he loved me the night before, and the next day… he went to a hotel with an older woman. I must teach them a lesson!”

“Huh?” Xusui sounded surprised. She removed her white coat as she responded, putting on her jacket. “Don’t cry. Where are you now? I’ll come find you.”

Liang Shuang sniffed and said pitifully, “I’m near the rendezvous of those cheating scum. I’m here today to catch them in the act. I even brought a camera and live streaming tools. Tan Wei is a bit of a minor celebrity, right? Today, I’m going to expose him and give those cheaters a lesson, to show them I’m not someone to mess with!”

Xusui’s eyelid twitched. She said, “Don’t act rashly. I’m coming to you right away.”

Xusui stuffed her phone into her pocket without changing into flats, quickly walked out of the hospital, and drove off.

Liang Shuang was always impulsive and hot-tempered. Xusui was worried that she might do something reckless, so she stepped on the gas pedal and rushed towards the location she mentioned.

Langqiao Gui Club. When Xusui arrived nearby, she tried calling Liang Shuang again, but no one answered. She honked her horn to attract attention and spotted a girl in a light apricot windbreaker and a black octagonal cap waving at her not far away.

Xusui parked her car, took out the keys, and went to find her. As she approached Liang Shuang, she noticed her eyes were swollen. Xusui quickly looked for tissue, but Liang Shuang waved it off, saying, “This club is for members only. How do we get in without a card?”

“Are you really going in? What if something bad happens?” Xusui spoke in a rational tone.

“I just feel so wronged. Why should I be so good to him, only to be cheated on quietly? Just a few days ago, I used my salary card to buy him a watch…” Liang Shuang’s eyes began to redden again.

Xu Sui couldn’t bear to see Liang Shuang like this, quickly wiped her tears, and spoke softly, “Don’t worry, I’ll think of a way.”

Cars kept pulling into the parking lot behind them. Today, Xu Sui wore a black and white checkered mohair coat with high-waisted jeans and boots. She concentrated for a moment, slightly nearsighted, and took out glasses from her bag. She fastened the open coat neatly, tied her hair low, wiped off her lipstick with a tissue—now resembling a modest woman just off work.

Seeing Xu Sui heading towards the parking lot, Liang Shuang watched her calmly converse with a middle-aged man. She didn’t know what agreement they reached, but finally, she nodded and smiled at him.

Five minutes later, Xu Sui returned. She spoke up, “It’s settled. We’ll follow him in later; he has a card and will help us swipe the elevator.”

“Once we’re inside, hide your camera well and don’t act rashly, or you’ll end up worse off.”

“Okay,” Liang Shuang nodded vigorously, then asked, “But Xu Sui, how did you get that man to agree to help us get in?”

Xu Sui seemed a bit uncomfortable with her hair tied so low. She lowered her head and adjusted it, “That man looked like he had kids at home, so I appealed to his parental empathy. I told him my younger brother was rebellious, refusing to go to school and insisting on working here as a waiter, which made our parents sick with worry. I came to persuade him to go back.”

Liang Shuang grabbed her arm, her eyes welling up again, “Sniff, you’re so clever.”

“Alright, wipe your tears. Let’s go inside,” Xu Sui patted her arm.

The middle-aged man in a blue suit, accompanied by his assistant, led the two into the Guihui Club via the corridor bridge and smoothly swiped the elevator to room 2070.

In the hallway, the half-open door of a private room leaked sounds of flirtation between a man and a woman, while next door, dice games mixed with conversation, indulging in revelry.

Liang Shuang stood at the door, fists clenched, fingertips trembling slightly.

“Sui Sui, I’ll take care of stopping them; once I’m done snapping photos, we’ll leave,” Liang Shuang said.

Many things turn out differently from how we imagine them. When Liang Shuang pushed the door open and saw the scene before her, reason fled, and all plans were forgotten.

As soon as the door opened, the KTV machine’s songs, selected but unsung, became their background music. Tan Wei was shirtless, his sweatshirt tossed aside. The two were entangled on the sofa. The woman was nearly 40, and Tan Wei closed his eyes, performing enthusiastically. He even called her “baby.”

Liang Shuang was furious. Forget taking photos, she hurled glasses from the table and a vase from the corner at them while yelling:

“You dogs, in ancient times, I’d have thrown you both into a pigsty! Tan Wei, you scoundrel, can you face me?”

Xu Sui stood aside, pulled out her phone, and discreetly snapped a few photos.

The woman hastily dressed, and Tan Wei pulled up his pants, looking flustered and trying to explain. But Liang Shuang kept throwing things, shouting:

“Don’t call me! Are you making an art film or what?”

At first, Tan Wei endured it, but when Liang Shuang threw an ashtray at him, hitting his forehead, blood streamed down. He stopped pretending, grabbed Liang Shuang’s arm, his eyes sharp:

“You have limits, you know. Just because I don’t hit women?”

Tan Wei’s hand rose, his face cold. Liang Shuang jumped back in fright, avoiding him. A cold and firm voice rang out: “Let her go.”

Xu Sui stood nearby, holding her phone, waving it at him, thumb on the screen: “What you did just now and what you’re doing to Liang Shuang now, I don’t mind emailing these photos to the media, forums, and your company.”

When you hit someone, aim for the seven-inch spot. When throwing stones at others, be sure of your aim.

Tan Wei’s expression changed suddenly. He quickly let go, looking ingratiating, “Sister Xu Sui, our relationship has come to an end…”

Xu Sui was focused on him when suddenly a strong force pushed her. Uncontrolled, she stumbled forward, her phone flying out of her hand. She crashed onto the coffee table, her elbow hitting something with a sound like breaking porcelain.

“What are you doing threatening my husband? Without knocking…” the woman scolded.

She immediately rushed over and deleted the photos on the phone with practiced speed.

“Why did you push my friend?”

Liang Shuang exploded in an instant, rushing over to grab the woman’s hair, and they started grappling with each other. Xu, struggling to get up from the coffee table, regretted her moment of weakness in accompanying Liang Shuang and should have handled it rationally.

Tan Wei, seeing the shattered porcelain pen holder on the ground, felt devastated. He shouted at the fighting women, “Why did you push her? The gift for the director is all broken.”

He had spent over a month buttering up the rich woman to buy this antique from the Ming Dynasty to impress the director for more screen time. Now it was all shattered.

“You make her compensate,” the woman pointed at Xu.

The scene was chaotic. Xu felt a headache and noticed a bruise on her arm. She picked up her phone from the ground, intending to call the police.

Just as she dialed ‘1’, the door burst open. Several policemen walked in, “Don’t move. We received a report of illegal activities here. Please cooperate with our investigation.”

Well, no need to call the police; trouble had conveniently arrived.

Xu and the others were escorted out. The police investigated each room and took suspicious individuals for questioning. Cheng You just came out of the bathroom, whistling. He caught sight of Xu at the corridor corner with a group of people.

He snapped a photo of her, then hid behind a pillar, texting Zhou Jingze. Finally, he got a reaction out of him.

“Boss, guess who I saw?”

Zhou Jingze had just finished showering at home. He opened a bottle of wine, picked up his phone, and replied, “Whoever you see has nothing to do with me.”

Seeing this response, Cheng You thought, “Let’s see how long you can hold back.” So he sent the photo of Xu.

Sure enough, within three seconds, Zhou Jingze called back. Cheng You answered, hearing Zhou Jingze dressing and rummaging for keys.

“Where is she?”

Cheng You told him what happened here.

At the police station, Xu and the others gave statements. The fight incident was resolved quietly.

Xu needed someone to come and sign for her release. Accustomed to being alone, she didn’t have many friends around, especially not in the north.

Xu hesitated as she looked at her phone log. Finally, she pressed Li Yang’s business card. Before she could dial, a clear hand grabbed her phone, and a shadow fell over her.

Turning, she saw Zhou Jingze in a black parka, half-open against the cold wind. He nodded to the police. The captain brought a thermos over, pleased to see Zhou Jingze.

“You actually came,” said the captain.

Zhou Jingze politely nodded and signed something with a stern expression. The captain then chatted with him.

Xu was momentarily stunned. How did Zhou Jingze appear here? How did he know about all this? These questions swirled in her mind.

After signing, Zhou Jingze was about to leave when the woman snapped, sarcastically, “Leaving so soon? Aren’t you responsible for the broken porcelain pen holder?”

“Yeah, Xu, there’s surveillance,” added Tan Wei, blocking their way.

Liang Shuang was fuming. She pointed at them, “I’ll pay! And for what you did, just wait and see.”

“That’s a different matter, but Xu did break the porcelain,” said someone.

Xu was about to burst out laughing at their logic and audacity. She brushed Liang Shuang’s hand away, calmly saying, “You pushed me first, and I got injured. That’s also compensation.”

Seeing them about to argue further, Xu put her hands in her pockets and stepped back, “At most, I’ll pay one-sixth of the porcelain’s price.”

But that was still a significant amount.

Tan Wei gritted his teeth. Given the situation and his recent financial strain, he could use any amount.

Xu and Liang Shuang stepped aside, calculating the money they could pool together to compensate Tan Wei.

Zhou Jingze, still on the phone, pushed open the glass door. The cold wind swept in. His broad back stood firm as he continued his conversation. Liang Shuang had just gotten a new car but was short of funds. Xu was struggling. And then Zhou Jingze walked in again, nonchalantly asking, “How much? I’ll compensate for her.”

Around midnight, Zhou Jingze drove Xu Sui home. Exhausted from a long day’s work compounded by Liang Shuang’s matters, she fell asleep leaning against the car window. She had intermittent dreams. When she woke up, realizing she had been sleeping in the car, Xu Sui rubbed her eyes and cleared her throat, asking, “How long was I asleep?”

Zhou Jingze, seated at the driver’s seat, reached into his pocket for a box of pressed candies, took two into his palm, and replied, “Not long.”

Xu Sui took out her phone from her pocket, a strand of hair falling onto her forehead, and asked, “What’s your account number? I’ll transfer the money to you later.”

Zhou Jingze unwrapped a candy, popped it into his mouth, and said leisurely, “No rush.”

“As long as I remember that I owe you.”

Xu Sui hesitated momentarily and said, “Anyway, thank you tonight. I’ll repay you in installments.”

After Xu Sui left, Zhou Jingze sat in the car and smoked a few cigarettes. The flickering of the flames on his fingertips was distinct. The night grew deeper, the dew heavier. With the car window partially open, he looked up and saw warm yellow lights upstairs suddenly turn on with a snap.

He threw the nearly burned cigarette butt into the damp soil and then drove away.

Back home, Zhou Jingze tossed his keys at the entrance, leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes for a moment, and just as he was about to continue drinking the untouched alcohol, the doorbell rang.

Opening the door, he saw Sheng Nanzhou.

Carrying two bottles of wine, Sheng Nanzhou glanced at the alcohol on the table and said, “Wow, quite in sync, bro.”

Zhou Jingze tossed him a can of beer, opened one for himself, and they quietly drank. Sheng Nanzhou didn’t say a word, just drank with him.

“Hey, bro, what did you borrow money from me for just now?” Sheng Nanzhou asked.

“Aren’t you a super-rich second-generation? Aren’t you loaded? Why would you borrow from me, especially after all those years of flying salaries you’ve had?” Zhou Jingze remained silent.

Sheng Nanzhou kicked him lightly and persistently asked, “Hey, answer me?”

Zhou Jingze crushed the beer can in his hand, tapped his left cheek with his tongue, and lazily replied, “Xu Sui got into some trouble, I have to deal with it.”

The air grew heavy, followed by silence. Then suddenly, Sheng Nanzhou jumped up from the sofa, grabbed his collar, and exploded, “So you borrowed money from your brother to chase women!”