Wei Zhi had assumed that, at the very least, the pinhole camera behind her workstation had been installed by Ji Qikun.
That wasn't the only thing she had guessed wrong.
She had considered many possibilities, but she had never imagined that the person monitoring her was Tan Mengyan, a man with whom she had no grievances. Until a month ago, they had barely spoken more than a few times.
What about the remaining GPS trackers?
Were they the work of one person, or was someone else involved?
And what was the purpose of monitoring her?
Wei Zhi felt as if she had stepped into a disorienting fog—a cold, cloying mist that clung to her like a venomous snake, slowly tightening around her neck.
Had this mist only appeared now? Or had it existed from the very beginning, only for her to notice it at this moment?
After work, Ji Qikun had a social engagement in the evening. Wei Zhi used the excuse that she had forgotten to change her shipping address and that a package had been delivered to a station near the Wei family home. She went alone to that street, a place etched into the very fabric of her life.
The courier station was as it always was, a mountain of piled-up packages. the shopkeeper sat lazily behind the counter staring at his phone; even when someone took a package, he didn't bother to look up.
If someone could slip a tracker into her knock-off bag without anyone noticing, it could only have happened at the courier station. Management was lax, and packages were taken without verification. Even if someone took the wrong one, it could be returned to inventory with a simple word.
Wei Zhi walked up to the counter and said, "Hello, I can't find one of my packages. I'd like to check the surveillance footage."
"The packages are all over there. if you can't find it, it's not here," the man said impatiently, his eyes never leaving his screen.
"I really couldn't find it. May I see the footage? I'll look through it myself; I won't trouble you."
"No," the man refused without a second thought.
"Please, the contents of this package are very important to me. Please, just this once—"
Wei Zhi handed over a hundred-yuan bill.
The man’s eyes finally shifted from his phone. He accepted the hundred yuan with a look of feigned reluctance and opened the ancient laptop on the desk. He pulled up the surveillance feed and pushed the computer toward Wei Zhi.
"See for yourself."
The station was cramped. Wei Zhi stood by the counter, leaning over to manipulate the timestamps and progress bar. At first, the man watched with a hint of curiosity, guiding her on how to operate the software. Within ten minutes, however, he yawned and slumped back into his chair to resume playing on his phone.
Wei Zhi focused intently on the footage from before she had picked up her package.
Every entry and exit of a package was recorded. Wei Zhi checked the tracking number for the bag she had bought. Unsurprisingly, every package had multiple entries and exits. She specifically looked for the times it was checked in and out before its final pickup and cross-referenced them with the video. Soon, a suspicious individual was locked in her sights.
A man over 1.8 meters tall, always wearing a hooded jacket or sweatshirt that obscured his face. Whenever a courier delivered a package for Wei Zhi, he would appear uninvited, silently take her package, and then return it half a day later as if nothing had happened.
"Do you remember this person?" Wei Zhi showed the surveillance frame to the shopkeeper.
"Oh, him—he's always taking the wrong packages. It takes me forever to re-inventory them every time. Why? Did he take yours?" the man asked.
"Do you remember what he looks like?"
"A man, very tall, very sturdy—"
Wei Zhi pulled out a photo of Tan Mengyan she had surreptitiously taken at work that day and showed it to him alongside a photo of Ji Qikun.
"Is it one of these two?"
"...What exactly are you here for?" The man suddenly became wary.
Wei Zhi pulled out another hundred-yuan bill and pressed it into his hand.
"Is it one of these two?"
The man gripped the money, his gaze circling the two photos before he pointed firmly at one of them.
"It's him."
The man’s finger rested on Tan Mengyan’s photo.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. He takes the wrong package every time; I'm sick to death of him. He’s so big and intimidating that I didn't dare say anything, but I memorized that face long ago—"
Wei Zhi put her phone away. "Thank you."
She turned and walked out of the courier station.
Why was Tan Mengyan going to such great lengths to monitor her?
Twenty-three GPS trackers with audio recording, a pinhole camera aimed at her workstation screen—he was so calculating. What did he want?
She had applied for the financial accountant position when the gallery was first founded, and Tan Mengyan had started as a security guard around the same time. Before that, she didn't know him at all. She couldn't think of a single reason why he would do this.
Filled with doubt, Wei Zhi opened the door to Ji Qikun’s home. Ji Qikun’s leather shoes in the entryway caught her attention, and her mind immediately snapped from distraction to high alert.
She entered the house and, as expected, saw Ji Qikun on the sofa in the open-plan living room. He sat on the soft, light-gray sofa, his silk shirt pulling into an elegant line across his thin back. His long legs, clad in black trousers, were lazily crossed. His left hand rested on his knee, and a gold, diamond-encrusted watch on his wrist reflected a cold, icy light under the bright incandescent lamps.
"Qikun, you didn't go to your engagement?" Wei Zhi calmly changed her shoes and walked into the living room, leading with a smile.
Ji Qikun locked his phone screen, placed it on the coffee table, and stood up.
"I thought about it and decided not to go. Your mother just left not long ago; I should spend more time with you right now."
"...I'm fine now," Wei Zhi said. "I don't want to affect your work because of me."
"Where is your package?"
Wei Zhi’s heart skipped a beat—the revelation of Tan Mengyan’s surveillance had consumed her entire mind; she had completely forgotten to prepare an excuse for Ji Qikun.
"I unpacked it and threw the box away on the spot," she quickly organized a lie in her head. "The item is here. I bought a lip balm."
She pulled a lip balm from her bag. She had bought it last month and used it a few times, but she trusted that Ji Qikun wouldn't notice the signs of use.
Ji Qikun took the lip balm, twisted it open to look, and then handed it back to her.
"Your mental state has been very poor lately. I'm worried about you." He looked at her with gravity.
"I'm not..."
"You're always spacing out, do you know that?" Ji Qikun said. "You're not focused at work either. I'm not the only one who noticed; even your colleagues are complaining."
Wei Zhi froze.
She often became lost in thought, but she had never reached the point of being distracted during work. As for complaints, it was possible that Xiao Cai or the other accountant might complain, even if she hadn't affected the workflow.
But had someone actually complained?
Only Ji Qikun knew the answer to that.
"Although I've been keeping it from you because I didn't want to affect your mood, this really isn't the way forward." Ji Qikun placed his hands on her shoulders, speaking to her with patience and focus. "In fact, our relationship has already had a negative impact on the workplace. Many people are saying... that I can't separate public and private matters, and your colleagues have significant grievances. You must have sensed it to some extent, right?"
"...Then what should I do?"
"Starting tomorrow, you don't need to go to work anymore."
"You're firing me?"
"Who could fire the boss's wife?" He flashed a sly smile, his thumb lightly stroking Wei Zhi’s cheek, his eyes filled with a sea of tenderness. "It's just a temporary rest for a while. Even though you said the wedding doesn't matter, there are still many things that need your personal decision. By the time we're married, I'll be moving into the Group to work, and the gallery will likely be sold off. Once I've arranged things at the Group, you can come work there. Everything will be the same as before."
He gave her a charming smile and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"What's for dinner? I'm already looking forward to it."
Ji Qikun’s words signaled the end of the topic; the matter was settled.
Wei Zhi lowered her eyes and obediently walked toward the island in the open kitchen.
*"Wei Zhi is the person I chose. Her background is poor, but she is obedient and smart. I am the only one she can rely on."*
Outside the window, the city's clamor gradually sank into the boundless darkness. The night sky was like a piece of silk soaked in ink—deep, heavy, and devoid of light. Distant neon lights struggled to flicker in the dark, like dying fireflies emitting a faint glow in the endless night.
She had never forgotten why she was chosen. Until everything was over, she would be exactly what he wanted her to be.
Moonlight flowed along the edges of the high-rises. Amidst the lights of ten thousand homes, there was one room where no lights were on. Weng Xiuyue sat on a bed covered in lace sheets, flipping through Mei Man’s old phone by the faint moonlight.
She was still wearing the suit skirt she had worn to the trial that day. Her ruined makeup looked like a ghostly mask, caught between a cry and a smile.
Just today, the long litigation had come to an end with the fall of the judge's gavel.
"This court hereby announces that due to insufficient evidence, the plaintiff's claims cannot be established. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the 'Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China,' this court rules against the plaintiff, who shall bear the corresponding litigation costs."
She had sat in the plaintiff's seat, watching helplessly as that scum who murdered her daughter stood up and bowed to the judge. His expression—a mix of gratitude and a hint of guilt—was a performance better than any actor's.
Accompanied by the defense lawyer, he had hesitantly walked up to her. She had used every ounce of her reason to suppress her emotions, keeping herself perfectly still.
"Auntie Weng, about Mei Man... I'm truly sorry. I wanted to pay you back with my own life, but this trial made me realize one thing: if I were to accept this guilt just to let you vent your anger, my family would be hurt as well."
"Auntie Weng... let go of the anger you're taking out on an innocent person. Don't let the law become a tool for your personal vendetta. That's what Mei Man would want to see."
"Don't you dare mention my daughter's name!"
Reason was overthrown by emotion in that instant. Weng Xiuyue lunged upward, her hands clawing at Ji Qikun. She was held back by the prepared plaintiff's lawyer, and the security personnel who had been watching immediately swarmed in.
"How do you have the face to say my daughter's name?! You killed her! Even if you don't admit it, even if no one else admits it—I know you killed her!"
"Because I am her mother! I know it was you—you killed my daughter!"
Weng Xiuyue’s tears fell like rain as she screamed heart-wrenchingly. That near-shriek pierced through the high ceiling of the courthouse.
"Auntie Weng, you need to calm down—"
Many hands grabbed her body; she could no longer tell which one was his. She was like a fish hauled onto a boat, struggling fruitlessly against the deck and the nets.
Amidst the chaos, she heard his mocking voice whisper in her ear. That murmur, low as a sigh, was like a sudden thunderclap on a summer night, shattering her entire soul.
"I did kill her. So what?"
She could not accept this result, but even with a second appeal, there was no glimmer of hope.
The thousands of photocopied chat records scattered on the floor had become meaningless.
The thin moonlight crawled in from the window, stroking the wrinkles on the paper where tears had soaked through. The black-and-white text recorded the most vivid cruelty.
**Master:** "Go look online. Who's going to believe you lost your virginity just by riding a bicycle?"
**Kitten:** "But before you, I really never had a boyfriend."
**Master:** "Is there proof? Without proof, it's just your word. I want to believe you, but who's going to compensate me for my pain?"
**Kitten:** "How do you want me to compensate you?"
**Master:** "You owe me something you can never give me in this lifetime. This will always be a thorn in my heart."
**Kitten:** "Don't be angry anymore..."
**Master:** "We'll talk when we meet."
...
**Master:** "Every time I think of you, I feel both happy and pained. I wish you could understand this feeling."
**Kitten:** "I love you very much too. I have that feeling of being happy and pained as well."
**Master:** "No, you don't understand at all. If you did, you wouldn't let the person who truly loves you become a pathetic wretch."
**Kitten:** "Is that membrane really that important?"
**Master:** "That's just self-deception. Do you dare swear a poisonous oath that you don't care about it at all?"
...
**Master:** "Why are you getting so close to your advisor?"
**Kitten:** "When?"
**Master:** "I saw it myself, and you're still making excuses?"
**Kitten:** "I wanted to ask him a professional question. I left after five minutes at most."
**Master:** "It has nothing to do with time. You promised me you wouldn't talk to any man other than me."
**Kitten:** "Then what do I do if I have a question for my advisor?"
**Master:** "Tell me what you want to ask. I'll ask for you."
**Kitten:** "Isn't that a lot of trouble..."
**Master:** "You are my exclusive kitten. Everything about you belongs to me. You are not allowed to say no to me."
**Kitten:** "...Okay."
...
**Kitten:** "I've been very upset lately."
**Lili:** "What's wrong? Is it because of the President again?"
**Kitten:** "I want to break up with him, but he won't agree."
**Lili:** "Are you crazy? The President is so outstanding. What are you dissatisfied with?"
**Kitten:** "He's very controlling in private..."
**Lili:** "That's so charming! I wish I had a boyfriend who would control me."
**Lili:** "And nobody's perfect. The President is so perfect, what's wrong with being a little controlling? If he didn't love you, he wouldn't care what you did."
**Kitten:** "Is that really how it is..."
...
**Anqi:** "Is he from the seventies? How can someone still get physical during an argument? Are you hurt?"
**Kitten:** "I'm okay. the swelling on my face went down quickly."
**Anqi:** "Tell me the truth. Were those strange phone calls also forced by him?"
**Kitten:** "Yes..."
**Anqi:** "I really couldn't tell he was such a pervert! Break up with him quickly!"
**Kitten:** "I'll say it tonight."
...
**Anqi:** "How did it go?"
**Kitten:** "He committed suicide. I'm going to find him now."
**Anqi:** "Are you stupid? He's definitely lying to you!"
**Anqi:** "Don't go!"
**Anqi:** "Where are you?"
**Anqi:** "Mei Man!"
...
**Kitten:** "Mom!"
**Mom:** "I'm here."
**Kitten:** "I have a good friend who wants to break up with her boyfriend, but he threatens suicide whenever she brings it up. What should she do in this situation?"
**Mom:** "Stay away from people like that and focus on your studies."
...
**Master:** "I want you to get a tattoo. Tattoo 'J’s Cat'."
**Kitten:** "My mom won't let me get a tattoo..."
**Master:** "Whose kitten are you?"
**Kitten:** "Yours."
**Master:** "Then go get it, if you really love me."
...
**Kitten:** "I used to think I was very strong and wouldn't regret things I'd already done, but now I regret it so much."
**Lili:** "What?"
**Kitten:** "I shouldn't have learned to ride a bike. If I hadn't ridden that bike, none of this would have happened. I feel so sorry for him."
...
**Master:** "I'll take photos of you tonight. I brought a camera."
**Kitten:** "Photos of what?"
**Master:** "Of you."
**Kitten:** "I don't want to..."
**Master:** "You don't love me?"
**Kitten:** "It has nothing to do with love. I'm afraid of someone seeing them..."
**Master:** "Don't worry, I'll keep them safe. You don't trust me?"
...
**Kitten:** "You hit me again."
**Master:** "I'm sorry. I just lost my mind for a moment."
**Kitten:** "I can't go on like this. Let's break up."
**Master:** "I was wrong, Kitten. Don't leave me."
**Kitten:** "Let's break up."
**Master:** "I'm downstairs at your dorm. Come down."
...
**Kitten:** "I really can't hold on anymore. Please just let me go..."
**Master:** "Do you not love me anymore?"
**Kitten:** "You know better than anyone that I love you more than anyone else."
**Master:** "You hurt me like this and then just want to break up and walk away?"
**Master:** "I love you, Kitten."
**Master:** "I can't live without you."
**Master:** "I'll change, believe me. You're my only kitten."
...
**Master:** "Fine, I can break up with you."
**Kitten:** "Really?"
**Master:** "I'm tired too. I can't keep you, so I can only let go. But I have one condition."
**Kitten:** "What condition?"
**Master:** "You lost your most precious thing, and I have nothing. Don't you think that's too unfair?"
**Kitten:** "What do you want?"
**Master:** "Get pregnant with my child, then abort it. Bring me the abortion certificate, and I'll break up with you."
**Kitten:** "That's impossible..."
**Master:** "Then go to the hospital and get sterilized. Leave your fallopian tubes to me as a souvenir."
**Master:** "This won't do, that won't do. I can see it now—you don't actually want to break up with me."
**Master:** "Admit it, you can't leave me for the rest of your life."
**Master:** "A kitten who leaves her master has no ability to live independently. Could you even survive without me now?"
**Master:** "Face reality. Only I can protect you."
...
Weng Xiuyue pressed a voice message in her WeChat favorites. A suffocating silence, like seawater, flowed through the room that was as quiet as a grave.
After a long while, the man's voice finally came from the message.
"Speak."
A thin, refined voice, cold and sharp as a fishing line.
"I'm sorry..."
Mei Man’s sobbing voice rang out.
"Speak!"
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm... sorry..."
"Not enough."
After a silence, along with the repeated apologies, there was the sound of slaps to the face.
"Without me, you're just hated trash. A piece of filth like you—only I am willing to love you."
"You should be grateful for my love."
In the full sixty-second voice message, fifty seconds were filled with Mei Man’s repeated apologies and the sound of her slapping herself. Weng Xiuyue clutched the old phone to her chest, slowly curling her body into a ball as tears flowed uncontrollably.
She would never forget the disbelief she felt when she first heard this audio.
She could not accept that this girl, who was so submissive to Ji Qikun, was the pearl she had protected in the palm of her hand for twenty-two years.
She couldn't understand how her cheerful, smiling daughter had become like this.
Was it really as those people said—that her daughter had brought this on herself and deserved it?
No, it was clearly Ji Qikun who had driven her to her death.
Everyone knew it. But because he hadn't physically done the deed, and because they weren't family members, Ji Qikun—who had successfully slipped into the shadows of the law—didn't have to face any punishment.
What about Mei Man’s innocence and justice?
If even the law couldn't be relied upon, what was left?
From this day forward, she had fallen into an eternal night.
Clutching her daughter's old phone, Weng Xiuyue let out a beast-like wail.
The day after losing the lawsuit, to everyone's surprise, she stepped through the company doors right on time.
All along the way, people cast strange looks at her. She acted as if she didn't see them, keeping her head high. Her six-centimeter heels clicked crisply as she walked into the building, like a slap to the face of everyone who wanted to see her fail.
While changing into her uniform in the locker room, she heard faint voices outside the door.
"...As expected of a gold-medal salesperson. Look how stable her emotions are."
"Exactly. You'd never know her daughter died."
"If my own child died, I wouldn't have the heart to put on a full face of makeup every day and go out dressed so beautifully like her."
"She doesn't look sad at all..."
"Maybe she just wants to use the publicity to squeeze out a settlement. After all, the guy is Ji Zhongyong’s nephew—"
The conversation stopped abruptly as Weng Xiuyue, having finished changing, walked out with a cold face.
The two gossiping women awkwardly walked off in the other direction.
Just as Weng Xiuyue was about to leave, the general manager saw her and hurried over.
"Oh, you're here. I thought you wouldn't be coming in today."
"I don't skip work," Weng Xiuyue said stiffly.
"I know, I know, you've always been responsible—it's just that, under the circumstances, it might be better if you went back and rested for a while. This matter has caused quite a stir. You took frequent leave before, and I approved it all because I was being considerate..."
"I know. I won't be taking leave anymore."
"It's not about that... Now that you've lost the lawsuit, well, it doesn't reflect very well on the company. Some people have even called the office—" The manager looked troubled. "After going through such a big event, going home to rest for a while is best for everyone."
Weng Xiuyue stood there, numb.
The manager sighed, patted her shoulder sympathetically, and turned to leave.
Nine in the morning was usually when she would be handling work in the office. Now, she could only wander aimlessly through the streets.
She walked like a living corpse, not knowing where the true path to redemption lay.
Weng Xiuyue sat down randomly on a roadside bench. She stared blankly at the university students passing by. Many of the girls were young and beautiful, just like her Mei Man. Their lives were still long, while her daughter's life had ended.
At this very moment, Mei Man was lying alone underground, rotting bit by bit.
And the killer was free and happy, suffering no punishment.
Her tears washed away her eyeliner, flowing down her trembling face like black rivers.
She had been abandoned by the future.
At this moment, she clearly realized that she, like her daughter, was a deceased soul trapped in place.
Until Ji Qikun was punished, her time would never move again.
Otherwise, she would live forever, and ever, and ever in that hopeless despair where the sun never rose.
***
