Wei Zhi’s sudden appearance right before Tan Mengyan’s eyes was clearly beyond his expectations. However, the shock in his eyes quickly gave way to a forced composure. They were so close that she could clearly see his Adam’s apple bob nervously beneath his bronzed skin.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tan Mengyan said.
Wei Zhi sighed. “You know how to stalk someone, but you don’t know how to lie?”
“Is it against the law to buy things at a supermarket?” he asked coldly.
Wei Zhi pulled out her phone, opened her photo gallery, and showed him the images with a thin smile—there he was, changing the batteries of the surveillance cameras in the accounting office under the cover of darkness; there he was again, taking her package from the delivery station only to return it later.
“Then tell me, is invading someone’s privacy against the law?”
Tan Mengyan fell into silence.
“I have videos too. I assume I don’t need to show those?” She tucked her phone away. “Shall we talk here, or find somewhere with chairs?”
Tan Mengyan’s gaze drifted, seemingly searching for an escape route. Though Wei Zhi maintained a gentle smile, her hand firmly gripped the hem of his hoodie, leaving him no opening.
After a long moment, he finally gave up.
“Let’s go somewhere else.”
There happened to be a McDonald’s on the first floor of the supermarket building. Thus, for the first time in her life, Wei Zhi sat across from a member of the opposite sex in a McDonald’s. The restaurant, filled with the aroma of fried food, had plenty of empty seats. Wei Zhi had intended to head straight for a corner, but Tan Mengyan said, “I’ll go order.”
“I’m coming too.”
Fearing he might bolt, Wei Zhi followed him to the counter immediately.
Tan Mengyan ordered a burger meal, while Wei Zhi only ordered a cup of milk. When it came time to pay, even though Wei Zhi had already pulled up her payment code, Tan Mengyan was quicker, paying before she could.
He seemed unaccustomed to being in such a setting with a young woman; from the moment they entered the McDonald’s, he avoided eye contact with her.
Once the food was ready, he picked up the tray without a word and walked away.
They sat in a corner near the PlayPlace, where no one else was around. As soon as he sat down, Tan Mengyan opened the burger box, took out the warm burger, and began taking large, ravenous bites.
Wei Zhi didn’t rush him. She watched him devour half the burger before she spoke.
“Speak. Who are you, who is your accomplice, and what is your goal?”
Tan Mengyan didn’t deny the existence of an accomplice, nor did he answer her other questions. Instead, he turned the tables, getting straight to the point.
“My goal is the same as yours. We can cooperate.”
He set the burger down and drank half a cup of Coke in one go. Then he leaned back against his chair, his sharp, dark eyes lifting to meet Wei Zhi’s gaze.
“And what do you think my goal is?” Wei Zhi asked.
“Money,” he said succinctly.
“And how do you think we should cooperate?”
“You help me find evidence of Ji Qikun’s crimes. As long as he’s sent to prison, you can claim his assets for yourself.”
“Our country’s marriage laws don’t work like that.”
“You’re an accountant. You surely know how to make it work.”
“Then you’ve guessed wrong,” Wei Zhi said. “Every single one of your assumptions is wrong.”
Tan Mengyan put the Coke back on the table, wiped the condensation from his palm onto his hoodie, and said nonchalantly, “Aren’t you curious why your entire family’s credit history appeared clean to Ji Zhongyong?”
“Of course I’m curious. How did you do it?” Wei Zhi asked.
“You don’t need to worry about that. You just need to know that the real records are still in our hands.”
“‘Our’?”
Tan Mengyan realized he had let a slip of the tongue occur and looked annoyed.
“Who else is there?” Wei Zhi asked.
“I can’t tell you,” he said.
“Then what *can* you tell me? That the real credit reports are still with you, so I have to accept your threats? Is that it?”
“I don’t want to threaten you,” Tan Mengyan said. “I just want to tell you that our goals are aligned; there’s no need for internal strife. If you don’t cooperate with us, how do you plan to break the deadlock of that prenuptial agreement?”
“Your information is certainly fast,” Wei Zhi said, laughing out of sheer frustration.
Tan Mengyan avoided her eyes and spoke in a low voice once more.
“...We are not enemies.”
“What grudge do you have against Ji Qikun?” Wei Zhi asked.
Tan Mengyan remained silent.
“You can’t say that either? Is this your idea of a cooperative attitude?”
“...I won’t lie to you,” he said.
“You know, every time my father finished beating my mother, he would say to her—‘I’ll never hit you again.’” Wei Zhi picked up the now-lukewarm milk, drained it in one gulp, and stood up. She said calmly, “I don’t believe a single word that comes out of a man’s mouth.”
“Wei Zhi—” This time, it was Tan Mengyan who stood up.
His tall frame towered over Wei Zhi, forcing her to look up to meet his angular face.
“There is one thing that exceeded my expectations, though,” Wei Zhi said. “I originally thought you would use more violent means to achieve your goal. I didn’t expect you to want to use legal means to send him to prison. Your actions are much gentler than your face suggests.”
“...If I could, I would certainly use a simpler way.”
“It seems your accomplice is someone with a strong sense of legality.”
Wei Zhi spoke with intentional irony. Tan Mengyan said nothing.
“Answer my last question,” Wei Zhi said. “Since your target is Ji Qikun, why am *I* the one being monitored?”
“...”
“Can’t answer that one either?” Wei Zhi’s smile vanished, her expression turning cold. “Then I have nothing more to say.”
Wei Zhi turned to leave, but Tan Mengyan’s voice rang out behind her.
“Do you still remember that your credit records are in my hands? If you divorce now, you’ll get nothing.”
When Wei Zhi stopped in her tracks, he paused before adding:
“I don’t want to threaten you. You can think about it and give me an answer in a few days.”
Wei Zhi started walking again, leaving the McDonald’s without looking back.
After she pushed the door open and left, Tan Mengyan slowly followed. From a distance, he watched Wei Zhi carry her grocery bag past the neighborhood security post. Then, he walked toward a closed water delivery station across the street from the residential complex.
Tan Mengyan stood before the rolling shutter door, pulled out a key to open it, and then turned to pull the shutter closed behind him.
The landline inside the shop was ringing incessantly. Tan Mengyan walked to the desk and picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Is this the water station? Could you please deliver a barrel of water to us right now? It’s Building M5, Unit 303, Baisheng Gardens—”
“Deliveries are consolidated in the evening.”
“Evening? But we’re out of water right now!”
“Figure it out yourself.”
Tan Mengyan hung up and climbed the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor—a tiny, renovated loft. The second floor was a mess, with takeout packaging scattered everywhere. He picked up the trash piece by piece, stuffed it into a garbage bag, then pushed open the small loft window and tossed it directly toward the trash collection point behind the station.
The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant, intermingled with the faint scent of decay from several withered plants in the corner. A simple table stood in the center of the room, neatly arranged with various equipment and medications required for dialysis, their cold surfaces reflecting the light.
Tan Mengyan kicked aside the dumbbells and resistance bands on the floor, pulled off his black hoodie, and tossed it onto the bed, revealing a physique of sturdy, bronzed muscle.
He skillfully cleaned his skin and inserted the catheter. As the DIY dialysis machine started up, fluid began to flow through the transparent tubes.
He lay back, his dark pupils and clear whites staring fixedly at the damp ceiling.
The phone in his trouser pocket rang. Using his free hand, he pulled it out and answered.
“Hello.”
“What did you mean by that message?” a woman’s light, brisk voice came through the phone.
Tan Mengyan said, “...She found me out.”
“I thought you said it was foolproof?”
“...”
“Forget it, she would have found out sooner or later anyway. Did you say everything I told you to say?”
“I did. She needs time to think.”
“To think, huh? She should indeed consider it carefully. After all, if things go wrong, she’ll end up with nothing—I’m sorry, we’re out of the braised tofu. Would you like to pick another dish?”
In the employee cafeteria on the first floor of the Tianhe Building, which served the employees of the Ji Group, Zheng Tianxin was standing behind the serving window. She held her phone with one hand while smiling at the employee on the other side of the glass.
“So sorry! The braised tofu sold out too fast today! This stir-fried smoked bean curd is also very tasty, want to give it a try?”
After getting a nod of approval, she deftly served a portion of the bean curd.
The young employee outside the window praised her, “Auntie, can’t you make a bit more braised tofu next time? We all call you the Tofu Beauty!”
“Oh, my! Tofu Beauty? You young people certainly have sweet tongues! Here, let me give you an extra scoop of bean curd!”
Zheng Tianxin laughed so hard her shoulders shook, nearly dropping the phone tucked against her ear.
After seeing the customer off, she wiped her oil-stained right hand on her apron and spoke into the phone. “You didn’t say anything extra to her, did you?”
“No,” Tan Mengyan said.
“Really?”
“...If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Look at you, getting angry over a joke. How are you ever going to find a girlfriend?”
*Beep, beep, beep.*
the call was disconnected.
Unsurprised, Zheng Tianxin glanced at the ended call and tucked the phone into the pocket beneath her apron.
“Oh, welcome, welcome! We’re out of braised tofu, care for something else?”
She moved to greet the next customer at the window.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 郑田心 | Zheng Tianxin | A new character, works in the Ji Group cafeteria. |
| 天和大厦 | Tianhe Building | The building where Ji Group's headquarters is located. |
| 豆腐西施 | Tofu Beauty | A nickname for a beautiful woman who sells tofu; "Xi Shi" is one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. |
| 百盛家园 | Baisheng Gardens | A residential complex mentioned in the water delivery call. |
| 烧豆腐 | Braised Tofu | A dish mentioned in the cafeteria scene. |
| 炒香干 | Stir-fried Smoked Bean Curd | Another dish mentioned in the cafeteria scene. |
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