On the late night of the 2009 Lantern Festival, while most people had drifted into dreams after their family reunions, Zhang Kaiyang stood in his uniform before a steaming food stall, huffing warm breath into his frozen palms.
The streets were nearly deserted, save for the bright lights emanating from the gates of the police station across the way.
"Your two bowls of tangyuan are ready!"
The stall owner briskly snapped the lids onto the takeout containers, placed the steaming bowls into a plastic bag, and handed them to Zhang Kaiyang.
He paid, lifted the bag, and walked back toward the station.
Perhaps because of the holiday, even the usual drunks and troublemakers were few and far between. Only one person sat at the service window. In the office area behind the main hall, only Zhang Kaiyang and another officer named Wang remained on duty.
As he pushed open the door to the interrogation room, he happened to catch Weng Xiuyue’s voice.
"I only believe in myself."
Her tone was like an icicle hanging from the eaves—straight, sharp, and devoid of emotion, utterly at odds with the heated room.
"You only believe in yourself, so you think you can just go out and break the law?!" Officer Wang slammed his pen onto the table, glaring sternly at Weng Xiuyue. "Do you have any idea that repeatedly going to someone’s school and home to cause a scene, and incessantly harassing them with calls and texts, constitutes a criminal offense?"
Zhang Kaiyang silently took the empty seat beside Officer Wang and placed the two containers of steaming tangyuan on the table.
"The reason you haven't been prosecuted is that the other party was sympathetic to your situation and didn't want to press charges. We at the station also understand your hardship, which is why we’ve been trying so hard to persuade you. Don't be so stubborn that you end up sending yourself to prison!"
Weng Xiuyue didn't speak, but a loud, mocking sneer escaped her throat.
"You—"
Zhang Kaiyang stopped the rising anger of Officer Wang, handing him one of the bowls of tangyuan.
"Don't be angry, Brother Wang. Let me try to talk to her. Why don't you go take a break?"
Holding the tangyuan and a plastic spoon, Officer Wang shot an indignant look at the "ungrateful" Weng Xiuyue before stroking out of the room.
Once Officer Wang was gone, Zhang Kaiyang picked up the remaining bowl and walked over to Weng Xiuyue.
"Eat. It's the Lantern Festival," he said, placing the bowl in front of her.
Weng Xiuyue stared numbly at the empty table ahead, ignoring him.
"I know you want to do something for Mei Man, but if you don't watch your methods, you'll only end up looking like the one who's being unreasonable," Zhang Kaiyang said.
"...Do I still care what others think?" Weng Xiuyue continued to stare forward, speaking in a daze. "Everyone says I'm only making a scene because I want compensation money."
"Not everyone," Zhang Kaiyang said. "The people who say that only do so because they don't know the truth of what happened."
"And what if they did? Wouldn't you all still let a murderer go free?" Weng Xiuyue sneered.
It wasn't something he could control, yet Zhang Kaiyang said without hesitation:
"...I'm sorry."
His sincerity caused Weng Xiuyue’s rigid body to slump. The frozen, icy mask on her face began to crack, giving way to a flicker of emotion and pain.
Her eyes reddened instantly, but she bit her lower lip, stemming the leak of her vulnerability.
"I don't want anyone's apology. I only want Ji Qikun to get what he deserves."
That bowl of tangyuan remained on the table until the moment she walked out of the station.
That was the last time Zhang Kaiyang saw her.
Not long after, Ji Qikun went abroad to study, and Weng Xiuyue vanished.
Eight years passed like a heavy, swirling snowfall. People still remembered that the artistic director of the OCEAN Art Center was the nephew of the famous local entrepreneur Ji Zhongyong, but a twenty-two-year-old girl in the prime of her life remained forever buried beneath the snow.
He didn't know what the right thing to do was, but he knew what was wrong.
On the Ghost Festival of 2016, Zhang Kaiyang watched Wei Zhi’s retreating figure from the gates of the police station, determined not to let history repeat itself.
***
On the day they were to register their marriage, Wei Zhi woke up early to do her makeup.
Facing the mirror, she carefully brushed mascara onto her curled lashes and painted her lips a full, vibrant red. She studied the "gentle lamb" in the mirror and practiced her smile for the photos.
At six o'clock sharp, Ji Qikun got out of bed.
At seven o'clock, having finished an hour-long jog on an empty stomach, Ji Qikun drank a cup of coffee brewed by Wei Zhi and ate two slices of whole-wheat toast.
At eight o'clock, Ji Qikun, now in a suit, left the house with Wei Zhi.
The moment she had dreamed of had finally arrived, yet everything felt surreal.
When they reached the Civil Affairs Bureau, Ji Qikun pulled into a parking spot but didn't immediately open the door. He gripped the steering wheel as if bracing himself for something. Seeing this, Wei Zhi remained in the passenger seat, watching him until he finally spoke.
"Xiao Zhi," he said, "are you marrying me for my money?"
"Of course not." The well-rehearsed lie slipped out; Wei Zhi didn't even need a second to think.
"Then sign this. Prove it to me."
Ji Qikun pulled a stack of documents from the glove compartment. The bold heading at the top clearly read: *Pre-nuptial Property Agreement*.
Wei Zhi’s drifting heart finally hit the ground.
Compared to smooth sailing, a "dragon's den" felt much more real to her.
She took the documents and flipped through the clauses page by page.
The agreement stipulated that pre-marital assets remained individual property and outlined the distribution of assets after marriage. If they divorced, Wei Zhi could only take what she had earned before and during the marriage.
With her background in finance, she had naturally considered the possibility of a pre-nup while planning her post-marital asset transfers.
However, she hadn't expected Ji Qikun to hold out until the very last second.
For a brief moment, she had almost deluded herself into thinking he loved her enough to share everything equally.
"Where's a pen?" she asked, her expression relaxed.
Ji Qikun scrutinized her, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Wei Zhi took a pen from the glove box, signed both copies of the agreement in the car, and handed them back to him.
"I thought you’d want more time to consider," he said, taking the paper and pen. He signed his own name on both copies and handed one back to her.
"Nothing is as important as your place in my heart." Wei Zhi used her practiced smile ahead of schedule.
They had arrived early, so there was no line at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Wei Zhi pushed their prepared documents through the service window.
"Do you have your own photos?" the clerk asked from behind the glass.
"Yes," Wei Zhi said.
The clerk pulled their pre-taken wedding photo from the stack of materials. Against a red background, the two of them leaned close together, looking like a match made in heaven.
That photo soon appeared on Wei Zhi and Ji Qikun’s marriage certificates.
As the embossed seal came down, they officially became husband and wife in the eyes of the law. The clerk pushed the two brand-new red booklets through the window. When Wei Zhi picked them up, she felt as if the red covers weighed a thousand pounds, burning hot in her hand.
Back in the car, Wei Zhi checked the time. It was only ten o'clock.
"Qikun, where are we going now?"
"To buy wedding candy. I’ll hand them out to my new subordinates when I go to the head office to get familiar with the environment." He started the car, speaking casually. "Shouldn't you change how you address me now?"
"Change it to what?"
"What do you think?" Ji Qikun gave her a pointed look, his eyes dancing with a playful, half-smiling light.
"...Husband?" Wei Zhi’s face flushed slightly.
"Good girl." A smile touched Ji Qikun’s lips. "My dear wife."
He drove with one hand, using the other to clasp Wei Zhi’s hand. His hand was large and warm, no different from any other person's—neither cold nor unnaturally smooth. Wei Zhi could feel the lines of his palm pressing into the back of her hand.
"Will you love me forever?" she asked.
"Of course," Ji Qikun said without hesitation.
"Me too," Wei Zhi said.
She stared straight ahead at the withered leaves swirling outside the windshield, thinking: *The ultimate lies and the ultimate truths require no thought at all.*
At Jiangdu City’s largest wedding supply market, Ji Qikun bought over a dozen types of wedding candy. He seemed even more high-spirited than he had been during the registration, because later that day, he was officially reporting to Ji Zhongyong’s conglomerate.
That was his primary goal in getting married. Compared to the empire Ji Zhongyong had built over half a lifetime, a small gallery was insignificant. The gallery had been sold the previous week, though the name "OCEAN Art Center" was being kept. He had heard the new owner was also an ocean enthusiast.
After buying the candy, Ji Qikun dropped Wei Zhi off at a large supermarket near their home. She needed to buy some household supplies, while he sped off in his Bentayga toward the corporate headquarters.
Wei Zhi spent half an hour wandering the supermarket, picking up dish soap and other household essentials.
As she stood in the checkout line, idly glancing around, her gaze suddenly locked onto a phone repair counter just outside the checkout area.
Through a polished metal panel, she saw herself—and the crowd behind her.
A man in a black hoodie was pretending to browse the shelves, but his eyes were fixed unblinkingly on her.
Tan Mengyan.
After resigning from the gallery, he had appeared by her side once again.
His stubble had grown thicker, visible beneath the shadow of his hood. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight; the hollows beneath his cheekbones were striking. Combined with the heavy dark circles under his eyes, he looked utterly haggard.
The people in front of her finished their transactions, and it was Wei Zhi’s turn to bring her cart to the counter.
Wei Zhi looked away, pretending she hadn't noticed a thing, and calmly unloaded her items.
After paying, she walked out of the supermarket carrying a large plastic bag full of goods.
Tan Mengyan immediately followed through the "no purchase" exit. He hurried out the main doors, only to find he had lost track of her.
He looked left and right, his brow furrowing.
As he turned to leave, he nearly collided with Wei Zhi.
On the bustling street, Wei Zhi grabbed the fabric of his hoodie just above his belt, preventing his instinctive retreat. She wore a sweet smile, identical to the one on her marriage certificate—even though Tan Mengyan looked shocked, to any passerby, they appeared to be an intimate young couple.
"You can't run away," Wei Zhi said with a smile.
"I'll give you one minute to think about how you're going to lie to me."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 翁秀越 | Weng Xiuyue | Mei Man's mother/relative. |
| 元宵节 | Lantern Festival | Traditional Chinese festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. |
| 中元节 | Ghost Festival / Zhongyuan Festival | Traditional festival for honoring the deceased. |
| 季钟永 | Ji Zhongyong | Ji Qikun's uncle, a wealthy entrepreneur. |
| 婚前财产协议 | Pre-nuptial Property Agreement | Legal document signed before marriage regarding assets. |
| 结婚证 | Marriage Certificate | Official document proving a legal marriage. |
| 喜糖 | Wedding Candy | Traditional candy distributed to celebrate a marriage. |
| 添越 | Bentayga | A luxury SUV model by Bentley. |
| 民政局 | Civil Affairs Bureau | Government office where marriages are registered in China. |
