Wei Zhi returned to the farmers' market with the new pen and the RF detector tucked in her handbag, feigning a hurried pace as she headed back to the spice shop.
"Oh, you're finally back! Looking for your phone, right? Here it is!"
The helpful shopkeeper had already set aside the "lost" phone. Seeing Wei Zhi return, she produced the device from beneath the counter without the slightest suspicion.
"Thank you so much! I would have been in such a bind if I’d lost it," Wei Zhi said with a grateful smile.
Since her location was pinned at the market, she felt compelled to buy some groceries to cook a meal, even though she had no appetite and her mind was entirely occupied by the RF detector in her bag.
Two minutes later, she walked toward the market exit carrying a bunch of celery and some tomatoes she had bought at random. The aisles between the stalls were narrow and perpetually slick with foul-smelling wastewater. Wei Zhi carefully avoided the rotting vegetable leaves underfoot. As she turned sideways to navigate a crowded stall, the stalks of celery protruding from her plastic bag brushed against the back of a hanging hand.
The person turned around.
"Sorry—" Wei Zhi apologized instinctively, but as she looked up, she found herself staring at a familiar face.
He had likely just finished his shift; he was still wearing his deep blue security uniform. In the surging crowd of the market, his tall, sturdy frame seemed even more robust compared to the average passerby.
"Make way, make way—" Someone behind them pushed a foul-smelling cart through. Wei Zhi didn't react in time and was pulled aside by Tan Mengyan. A scent, both unfamiliar and yet strangely recognizable, wafted into her nose.
Since moving into Ji Qikun’s home, it had been a long time since Wei Zhi had smelled this kind of old-fashioned laundry detergent.
"Be careful," Tan Mengyan said.
"I'm sorry..." Wei Zhi smiled. "What a coincidence to see you buying groceries here. Do you live nearby?"
Tan Mengyan let out a noncommittal grunt from his throat and turned to the vendor. "Is it weighed?"
"All set!"
The vendor handed over a bag of long cucumbers. Just as Tan Mengyan was about to take it, Wei Zhi spoke up.
"Wait a moment."
Tan Mengyan looked at her.
"Boss, the cucumbers you picked look a bit dull. Let’s choose some others," Wei Zhi said.
The vendor gave a sheepish laugh. "Suit yourself."
Wei Zhi lightly squeezed the remaining cucumbers on the stall, selecting a few that were bright green and firm before handing them back to the vendor.
"Eight yuan."
Tan Mengyan paid the bill and took the bag of cucumbers.
"Do you need to buy anything else?" Wei Zhi asked.
"No."
"I'm done too. Let's head out together," she suggested with a smile.
Tan Mengyan nodded and followed her silently toward the exit.
The labyrinthine market was teeming with people, mostly office workers stopping by after work, but they all instinctively gave a wide berth to the grim-faced, muscular Tan Mengyan. Even Wei Zhi, walking beside him, benefited from the space and avoided being jostled.
"Thanks," Tan Mengyan said suddenly.
"For what?" Wei Zhi was startled.
"The cucumbers."
Wei Zhi couldn't help but laugh. "It’s nothing. You’ve helped me before."
Tan Mengyan didn't respond. He was as taciturn as ever, but Wei Zhi felt much more relaxed. She continued, "When picking cucumbers, you have to look at the color and feel the firmness. You don't want anything yellow or mushy; those aren't fresh. If you don't pick them yourself, many vendors will take advantage of your lack of knowledge and shove the stale ones on you."
Though Tan Mengyan didn't reply, Wei Zhi could tell he was listening, even if his expression remained indifferent.
"Do you live alone? Is that enough to eat?" Wei Zhi glanced at the meager selection of produce in his hand.
"More would be a waste," he said succinctly.
The two walked through the bustling market to the open space outside the main gate. The late summer sun was like molten gold spilling from a furnace, slowly pouring across the sky and draping everything in a warm coat. Even the stray black hairs falling over Tan Mengyan’s eyes seemed to dance with a warm, golden light.
Wei Zhi bid him goodbye and headed toward Ji Qikun’s home. She checked the time; she was still within a reasonable window for a grocery run.
She hadn't gone far when she suddenly heard a commotion behind her.
"Someone fainted!"
Wei Zhi stopped instinctively. Her eyes searched the crowd for that deep blue figure, but she couldn't find him. She checked the time on her phone, hesitated for two seconds, and finally turned back.
She managed to find a gap in the gathering crowd and squeezed her way in.
Tan Mengyan was slumped on the ground, his face pale. Cucumbers and apples had rolled out of his bag. He was struggling to push himself up from the pavement, but his solid biceps seemed to have lost their strength.
Wei Zhi rushed forward, grabbing his arm to help him pull himself up.
Finally, he managed to stand. Wei Zhi could hear his labored breathing.
"What's wrong? Do you need to go to the hospital?" she asked.
"...No need," he panted.
He pushed Wei Zhi away and tried to lean down to pick up the fallen produce. He looked like an old tree swaying in a gale, his heavy branches bending precariously, as if he might lose his balance and collapse into the dust at any moment.
Wei Zhi had never seen such a weak side of him at the gallery.
The job of a security guard didn't require a degree, but it did require physical fitness. If he had a major illness, he shouldn't have been able to get the job in the first place.
Was it just a sudden, random bout of sickness?
That answer didn't convince Wei Zhi. However, Tan Mengyan had no intention of explaining. After picking up his groceries, his expression returned to its usual coldness.
"I'm fine. You should go."
Tan Mengyan pulled his cap lower and turned to walk in the opposite direction, his pale face flashing past Wei Zhi.
Wei Zhi couldn't linger there too long herself. She watched Tan Mengyan disappear into the crowd before continuing toward Ji Qikun’s house.
At the front door, Wei Zhi pressed in the entry code.
The door opened softly. Two pairs of slippers sat quietly in the entryway. Wei Zhi stepped inside, placed her handbag on the cabinet, and reached into her pocket to quietly switch on the RF detector.
The moment she flipped the switch, the detector began to vibrate in her pocket.
She had been prepared, but she hadn't expected results so quickly.
Using the excuse of changing her shoes, she carefully scanned her surroundings.
"Where are pinhole cameras usually installed?" Wei Zhi had asked the curly-haired youth at Eagle Eye Security.
"In places where people won't notice, of course!" the youth had said. "Sockets, power strips, air conditioning vents, smoke detectors—the best spots are places that already have holes. That's for cameras. If it's a recording device, there aren't nearly as many restrictions!"
She didn't find anything suspicious in the immediate vicinity.
She finished changing into her slippers, picked up her groceries, and walked into the living room with her bag.
The detector in her pocket continued to vibrate tirelessly.
She set her bag on the sofa and carried the vegetables to the island in the open kitchen. The vibration in her pocket gradually weakened until it went silent.
At least the kitchen was a safe zone.
Wei Zhi calmly washed her hands and started cooking, preparing a simple meal of one dish and a soup for herself. She couldn't let Ji Qikun know she had discovered the surveillance. To marry him, she had to act as though she knew nothing—at least until the wedding.
After washing the dishes, she paced through the house as if taking a casual stroll.
To her surprise, the hidden room and the study—the places she worried about most—elicited no reaction. However, the walk-in closet, a place she thought would be the least necessary to monitor, triggered a violent vibration from the detector.
Ji Qikun’s choice of surveillance locations filled her with doubt.
The entryway was understandable, but why monitor the walk-in closet?
Knowing the locations allowed her to avoid the cameras to some extent, but finding the exact spots without alerting the owner of the devices would be difficult. For now, all Wei Zhi could do was be extremely cautious with her words and actions in those two areas.
After nine o'clock, Ji Qikun returned home smelling faintly of alcohol. His expression was the same as always, showing no signs of intoxication. Wei Zhi greeted him at the door, and before he could even change his shoes, she wrapped her arms around his firm waist.
"What is it?" Ji Qikun asked, holding her.
"I missed you," Wei Zhi whispered.
Ji Qikun smiled, clearly pleased. "I missed you too, baby."
They were lovers deeply in love. At least, that was the performance until the curtain fell.
***
The next day, Wei Zhi and Ji Qikun went to the gallery together. They parted at the entrance; Ji Qikun drove his Bentayga into the underground garage while she walked through the main doors.
Behind the revolving doors on the first floor, she encountered Tan Mengyan on patrol.
His complexion had returned to normal. Their eyes met; he nodded to her first, and she returned the gesture with a smile.
Wei Zhi took the staff elevator to the second floor. When she entered the finance office, it was empty.
She sat at her workstation, took the new pen from her bag, and lightly tucked it into the pen holder on her desk.
The grain-sized black hole on the pen clip was pointed directly at the potted plant diagonally behind her.
"How long can a pinhole camera run?" she had asked the curly-haired man.
"Hard to say. Depends on whether it's wired or wireless! If it's plugged in, it has power forever. If it's wireless, it depends on the battery capacity—anywhere from a few hours to a few days!"
Wei Zhi had already inspected the area around the plant; there were no suspicious wires. If there was a device hidden in the pot, it had to be wireless. Whether it lasted hours or days, the battery would eventually run out.
As long as he came to change the battery, the camera in the pen would capture the moment. And Wei Zhi only needed to keep her back to the plant and hold the pen to her chest to swap the battery inside the cap.
After work, Wei Zhi waited at the gallery entrance for Ji Qikun to drive out.
"The car is out of water. Buy a small case of mineral water," a message from Ji Qikun appeared on her phone.
She glanced at it, put the phone back in her bag, and turned toward the convenience store next to the gallery.
After asking the clerk for a case of small mineral water bottles, Wei Zhi went to the counter to pay. As she reached for her wallet, she accidentally brushed against the switch of the RF detector in her bag.
The detector began to vibrate.
Wei Zhi froze, her hand hovering near the switch.
The clerk, holding the barcode scanner, looked at her with confusion.
...Was it a false positive?
Wei Zhi left the vibrating detector alone in her bag and pulled out her wallet to pay.
She carried the case of water, using her body to push through the hanging PVC strip curtains of the convenience store. Even as she moved away from the store and the scanning equipment, she could feel the detector in her bag vibrating incessantly.
Wei Zhi’s pace slowed. She looked at the open space around her and the passing pedestrians, a sudden realization dawning on her. The handbag on her shoulder felt heavier than ever before. Her chest tightened as if a blast of icy air had surged from deep within, instantly freezing her blood.
Ji Qikun’s black Bentayga pulled up to the curb, honking twice to hurry her along.
She snapped back to reality, forced herself to look calm, and walked slowly toward the car.
Ji Qikun got out to help, loading the case of water into the trunk.
"What, did one case of water wear you out?" Ji Qikun teased.
Wei Zhi managed a strained smile.
She got into the car without turning off the detector, feeling the constant vibration against her side.
When they got home and stepped into the entryway, the vibration didn't stop.
She walked into the living room and stood between the sofas. Ji Qikun gave her a slightly surprised look before opening the coded lock to his study. Before closing the door, he reminded her not to disturb him until dinner was ready.
Once the study door closed, Wei Zhi set her handbag on the sofa and pulled out the black detector, gripping it in her hand.
She looked at the bag and took a step back.
The vibration in her hand weakened.
She finally understood what had triggered the vibration in the entryway yesterday. Consequently, another question was answered—
Why was there surveillance in the walk-in closet?
It wasn't that he had specifically set up surveillance there; it was that she had unknowingly gathered the sources of the signal in that room.
Wei Zhi walked slowly into the walk-in closet. A chill, carrying the scent of autumn, met her.
In the central freestanding display case, two entire shelves were filled with Ji Qikun’s mechanical watches, each one worth a fortune. Countless dials merged into a miniature universe; the sound of dozens of second hands ticking simultaneously was exceptionally clear in the quiet space. Each tick felt like a strike against an invisible wall, echoing hollowly.
Wei Zhi’s gaze swept over the once-familiar surroundings. The metal of the rows of watch faces reflected the cold light, creating a suffocating contrast with the silence.
The detector in her hand increased its vibration frequency significantly as she stepped further in, emitting a sound that was almost a hum.
The cabinets on either side of the closet stood like solemn, withered trees. Two rows held the counterfeit luxury bags Wei Zhi had used to replace the originals. They sat there quietly, the luster of the leather appearing even duller under the spotlights.
She picked up the bag she had purchased most recently from those two rows. She carefully pressed and felt every layer of the leather. Finally, in the lining at the bottom of the bag, she felt a strange, hard object.
She immediately grabbed the other bags and checked them using the same method. Every single bag had an identical circular object in the bottom lining.
Wei Zhi fetched a pair of scissors from the kitchen. She cut along the fabric at the bottom and pulled the object out—
A black, circular device.
She cut open the bottom linings of all the other fake bags. Every one of them contained the same thing.
*GPS Tracker.*
The term surfaced in Wei Zhi’s mind.
Because she had swapped real bags for fakes, Wei Zhi had been exceptionally vigilant. Every time she placed or took a bag, she maintained specific habits regarding their positions. She was certain that since she had brought these bags into Ji Qikun’s home, no one else had touched them.
Furthermore, given that he already had location tracking installed on her phone, why would Ji Qikun need to place GPS trackers in her bags?
When she first discovered she was being monitored by something other than her phone, she had assumed without a second thought that it was Ji Qikun’s doing.
But what if she was wrong?
What if there was another person she didn't know about, monitoring her plans from the shadows?
A chill rose from her back, seeping through every pore and wrapping around her heart, which was hammering against her ribs.
If there really was a third person in this game—
Then the entire board had been rewritten.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 射频探测仪 | RF detector | Radio Frequency detector used to find electronic surveillance. |
| 针孔摄像机 | Pinhole camera | A tiny camera used for covert surveillance. |
| 添越 | Bentayga | Refers to the Bentley Bentayga, a luxury SUV. |
| GPS定位器 | GPS tracker | A device used to track the geographic location of an object. |
| 衣帽间 | Walk-in closet / Cloakroom | A large closet or room for storing clothes and accessories. |
| 肱二头肌 | Biceps | The large muscle in the upper arm. |
