The next morning, Wen Tingli had just gotten out of bed when Gao Xiaowen’s call came through.

“How are you up so early today?” Wen Tingli could hardly believe her ears.

Gao Xiaowen yawned repeatedly on the other end.

“Only because I knew if I waited any longer you’d already be out the door. There was something I wanted to tell you last night, but I was worried it might cause a misunderstanding with young Mr. Lu, so I held off—that day I saw Qiao Baoxin.”

So that was what Gao Xiaowen had been hemming and hawing about last night.

“Hello, are you listening, Wen Tingli? Actually, Qiao Baoxin and I aren’t that close, but we’ve always known of each other. A few days ago my brother and I went to visit the Meng residence, and that’s when I found out Qiao Baoxin’s been hiding out at her cousin Meng Qiguang’s place lately. She said after finishing her college entrance exams she’d originally applied to a university in Shanghai, but couldn’t stand her parents’ controlling ways anymore, so she changed her application at the last minute to a university in Beiping.”

Gao Xiaowen took a sip of water on the other end, then continued. “Well, this set off a firestorm at the Qiao household. Her father suspects she must have fallen in with bad company outside the house to dare defy him like this, and in a fit of rage confined her to the house, forcing her to reapply to a Shanghai university, and even arranged for her to meet a few well-matched young men from good local families. Qiao Baoxin naturally won’t have it—she’s recently taken up with a young lawyer from Beiping, surname Tong, and the two of them seem to be secretly seeing each other.”

“Does Mrs. Qiao know about this?”

“Qiao Baoxin hasn’t told anyone—I only found out by accident, walking in on her hiding his photo in her room. As for now, she’s fighting her family under the banner of opposing early betrothal, and it just so happens her uncle Meng Qiguang is on her side in this too, so she’s taken the chance to hide out at the Meng residence. She says her parents can control everyone else, but there’s nothing they can do about her uncle—as long as her parents won’t agree to let her go study in Beiping, she’s not going back to the Qiao house. Oh, and she asked me about how you’ve been doing too—she’d heard you’ve been having a rough time lately, and she’s been quite worried about you.”

“Who told her I’ve been having a rough time?”

“I’ve no idea where she heard that from. Qiao Baoxin’s always been a genuinely simple, straightforward person—maybe it’s because of what happened with her brother that she’s always felt guilty toward you. Unless things are going perfectly well for you, she’ll always feel bad about it somehow.”

Wen Tingli thought to herself, Mrs. Qiao probably forbade anyone in the household from even mentioning her name—Baoxin had always been kept under strict watch at home. A young lady practically cut off from the outside world like that would have had nowhere to hear news of an old classmate.

“She seems to have some urgent matter she wants to see you about. I was worried you wouldn’t want to see her, so I didn’t give her your new home phone number.”

Wen Tingli, however, was quite open about it. “Go ahead and tell her—I’ve been thinking of her too.”

“I’ll call her right away, then.”

No sooner had Wen Tingli finished washing up than Qiao Baoxin’s call came through.

“Tingli, how have you been lately?” Qiao Baoxin’s tone carried a note of concern.

“I’m doing well,” Wen Tingli said with a smile. “How about you?”

“Could we meet up? Last month I went back to Xiude for the graduation ceremony, and Teacher Huang had some of the certificates we’d won back then reframed—there are also a few group photos from performances we did together back in the day. I thought you’d want to keep a copy for yourself. And there’s something else I’d like to give you personally—I might be heading to Beiping soon, and after that it’ll be hard for us to meet again.”

Wen Tingli stood there, stunned for a moment—memories of the past drifted through her mind like shadows. Before Mrs. Qiao and the school board had schemed to drive her out, everything about Xiude Middle School had been dear and warm to her. Especially Teacher Huang and her classmates, who’d spared no effort helping her through her difficulties back then.

Come to think of it, it had been a while since she’d seen Teacher Huang and the others. She agreed at once. “All right, let’s meet this afternoon at the café near Xiude—I’ll drop by and see Teacher Huang too while I’m there.”

Qiao Baoxin sounded troubled. “I really can’t go out these days—the moment I step outside, my father’s people will drag me straight back. Would you—would you mind coming to the Meng residence instead?”

As if anticipating Wen Tingli might refuse, she added quickly, “Don’t worry, my uncle’s out during the day, it’ll just be the two of us at home. I just want to see for myself with my own eyes that you’re doing well.”

Hearing this, Wen Tingli began to suspect Qiao Baoxin might know about her and Meng Qiguang—but she’d known Qiao Baoxin long enough to know she’d never once scheme against anyone. After a moment’s thought, she set aside her suspicion.

Still, she didn’t agree to Qiao Baoxin’s request outright.

“Why don’t we wait until you’re a bit freer and go to Xiude together? Or, the day you leave for Beiping, I’ll come see you off at the station—the truth is, I really can’t spare the time these days.”

Qiao Baoxin’s tone was full of regret. “You’re busy, you’re busy—write down my room’s phone number. Whenever you’re free, and I’ve got a bit more freedom on my end, give me a call.”

Wen Tingli jotted down the number.

She was just about to head out when the phone rang again.

Even Zhou Sao was surprised. “Quite a lot of activity this morning—could it be Mr. Lu?”

She went to answer with a smile.

Wen Tingli’s thoughts drifted back to the memory of kissing Lu Shicheng in the theater last night, her face flushing hot instantly. Before Zhou Sao could reach the phone, she snatched up the receiver first.

“Hello…” she answered, her voice soft.

But the voice on the other end was a steady, gentle woman’s voice.

“Sister Ping?!” Wen Tingli felt a flicker of disappointment. It was Li Chengying.

Seeing Zhou Sao had gone into the kitchen, she lowered her voice. “I tried calling you last night, but couldn’t get through.”

“So sorry about that. I meant to call you back afterward, but was worried I’d disturb your sleep. As for this Deng Tianxing you mentioned—my people have already dug up a bit of information. He has indeed been secretly investigating you, going several times to Si Malu to hire people to buy information from reporters. I’ll fill you in on the details when we meet—let’s find time to get together in the next day or two.”

Wen Tingli was deeply grateful, and quickly agreed. “All right.”

“There’s also another matter I wanted to ask you about today—I need to ask a favor of you, if you don’t mind, regarding someone we’re trying to locate.”

“Sister Li, please, don’t say that. If it weren’t for you stepping up last time, Lu Shicheng and I might never have escaped the Bailong Gang’s clutches. Whatever I can do to help, just say the word.”

“One of our associates from Beiping has gone missing without a trace. We’ve been searching for him all night. Before he disappeared, it seems he’d been seeing a female student from Xiude—you know how it is with young women, most are reluctant to talk openly about romance, so we haven’t been able to find out which girl he was with before he vanished. I thought since you studied at Xiude before, you’d have an easier time getting information out of the girls there than anyone else we could send.”

“I’ll try right away. Tell me what you know about him.”

“His surname is Tong, twenty-four years old this year, graduated from the law department at Yenching University, just arrived in Shanghai from Beiping this past March.”

After she said this, Li Chengying waited a long moment without hearing any response from Wen Tingli.

“What’s wrong?”

Wen Tingli snapped back to herself. “Is the situation very urgent?”

“Extremely urgent. He’s carrying some important documents he needs to hand over to us, and we need to reach him as soon as possible. We already have people out asking around, but the fastest way would be to go directly to the girl he’d been seeing and ask her, since that child is very likely the last person to have seen Lawyer Tong. Unfortunately, right now it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack.”

“I understand.” Wen Tingli quietly filed this information away in her mind, then dialed Qiao Baoxin’s number the moment she hung up.

As soon as Wen Tingli got off the set that afternoon, she hailed a rickshaw and headed straight for the Meng residence.

Tomorrow she had to return to the company for the Beauty of the South screen test, and tonight she was going out to dinner with Lu Shicheng, so all things considered, this afternoon was the only free window she had to see Qiao Baoxin.

She resolved to make it quick.

They hadn’t gone far when the rickshaw puller suddenly turned to look back, puzzled.

“What is it?” Wen Tingli asked.

“I keep feeling like there’s a rickshaw following us.”

Wen Tingli feigned nonchalance and glanced back—sure enough, there was another rickshaw not far behind. But the moment she turned to look, it veered off onto another street.

Both Wen Tingli and the rickshaw puller let out a breath of relief.

The Meng residence was a bit off the beaten path—it took nearly an hour to get there.

Wen Tingli kept a firm grip on the pistol in her bag the entire ride. Upon arrival, she carried a wrapped bundle as she got down from the rickshaw. This was her first time visiting Meng Qiguang’s private residence—through the black wrought-iron gate, she could make out an impressive, slightly aged red-brick Western-style mansion, built in the English style, with a broad front courtyard.

The moment she rang the bell, dogs began barking furiously somewhere in the garden.

After a moment, a proper-looking older maidservant in a white jacket and black trousers came to open the gate.

“You must be Miss Wen? Please, come in.”

Wen Tingli didn’t step inside right away, instead standing at the gate with a smile. “Is Mr. Meng home?”

“He’s not home, sir left early this morning.”

Wen Tingli quietly breathed a sigh of relief—it wasn’t as though she flattered herself into thinking Meng Qiguang still pined for her, but showing up alone like this to visit a bachelor’s residence could too easily invite misunderstanding. It was for the best that he wasn’t home.

Once inside, Wen Tingli did her best to keep her eyes forward, but couldn’t help catching a glimpse of the paintings and carpets in the entryway—Meng Qiguang’s taste wasn’t bad at all; the interior decor exuded an air of understated elegance throughout.

“Is Baoxin still upstairs?” she asked, standing at the foot of the stairs and looking up.

“Our young miss will be right down.”

“Would you mind announcing me? I’d like to go straight up to find her.”

Remembering the rickshaw that had followed her earlier, Wen Tingli added, “And could I trouble you to use your telephone?”

She’d just finished her call to Li Chengying when Qiao Baoxin came downstairs.

“Tingli.” She’d grown quite a bit taller, and thinner too, her complexion a bit pale, looking as though she were carrying a great deal on her mind. The moment she reached the bottom of the stairs she took Wen Tingli’s hands. “Come, let’s talk in the small sitting room here.”

With her back to the servants, Wen Tingli quietly opened the bundle in her arms to show Qiao Baoxin.

Qiao Baoxin blinked, startled, then broke into a radiant smile, immediately pulling Wen Tingli upstairs without hesitation.

Wen Tingli had brought along a costume and wig discarded by the film crew. The moment they got into the room, the two of them set to work.

“You haven’t been out in quite a while,” Wen Tingli said, fitting the black curly wig onto Qiao Baoxin’s head. “I figured since it’s rare for us to meet, it’d be no fun just holed up here talking the whole time—why don’t we go out for a walk, get some air. Don’t worry, dressed like this even your father’s people wouldn’t recognize you.”

Qiao Baoxin laughed. “Hey, hey, don’t pin my hair too tight, I won’t be able to take it apart myself when I get back.”

Next, Wen Tingli dug out the pale foundation the crew used for male actors and applied it to Qiao Baoxin’s face—back in their Xiude days, the two of them had performed in plenty of school plays together, and were quite experienced at this kind of transformation. In no time at all, Qiao Baoxin had transformed into a sallow-faced middle-aged matron.

The two of them exchanged a glance in the mirror and burst out laughing.

“So ugly!”

“How else could I go out without being recognized?”

Fussing and laughing the whole while, by the time they were done Qiao Baoxin had regained much of her old liveliness. The two girls walked out hand in hand—then Qiao Baoxin suddenly remembered something. “Oh, if my uncle gets back and finds I’m not home, he’ll worry. Let me call him first. Also, I forgot to bring the things I wanted to give you—wait for me in the entryway a moment.”

Wen Tingli went downstairs first. The servants apparently felt it wasn’t proper hospitality to leave a guest standing in the entryway, and showed Wen Tingli to the small sitting room on the right to sit down, soon bringing over a cup of flower tea as well.

Suddenly she heard voices from the front entrance—someone had come through the door.

“We have a guest?” It was a young man’s voice.

The servants quickly answered, “Yes, it’s the young miss’s classmate. She’s sitting in the small parlor now, we’ve already served tea.”

“Baoxin’s classmate?” Meng Qiguang’s tone was casual. “Where is she?”

As he spoke, Meng Qiguang had already crossed through the entryway, and, apparently curious as to which classmate had come to see Qiao Baoxin, glanced idly into the small parlor as he passed.

Seeing it was Wen Tingli, he stopped abruptly in his tracks.

Wen Tingli had no choice but to rise and greet him. “Mr. Meng, hello.”

Meng Qiguang studied Wen Tingli sidelong, and after a moment said, evenly, “So it’s Miss Wen. It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while,” Wen Tingli replied, composed.

Meng Qiguang’s lips curved slightly, and he turned to the servant beside him. “See that Miss Wen is well looked after.”

With that, he turned to head upstairs—only to look up and see a strange middle-aged woman in a blue cloth qipao coming down the stairs, giving him quite a start.

“It’s me, Uncle!” Qiao Baoxin, stifling a laugh, hurried down to Meng Qiguang. “Even you didn’t recognize me?”

“What is this supposed to be?” Meng Qiguang scoffed. “You just gave me a scare.”

“I want to go for a walk with Tingli,” Qiao Baoxin said mischievously. “There was no way to go out without dressing up like this.”

Meng Qiguang thought to himself, this idea must have come from Wen Tingli. Turning his head, he shot her a long, meaningful look, but didn’t call her out on it, only turning back to Qiao Baoxin instead. “Do you need the car? I’ll have Xiao Gao drive you.”

“No need—we’re just going to walk around nearby, we’ll be back soon.”

Meng Qiguang didn’t say anything more, and had someone see them out, then went upstairs himself.

Once they were out of the Meng residence, Wen Tingli couldn’t help but ask Qiao Baoxin.

“Will Mr. Meng tell your mother about today?”

“Don’t worry, my uncle’s never been one to gossip—otherwise I wouldn’t have come to hide out at his place in the first place.”

Wen Tingli nodded. Mrs. Qiao still held quite a grudge against her—if word of this got out, there was no telling what she might say to Lu Shicheng about it. Lu Shicheng would surely think nothing of it, but Wen Tingli didn’t want to give anyone a chance to stir up trouble between the two of them at all.

Precisely because she didn’t want to linger at the Meng residence any longer than necessary, she’d come up with the idea of disguising Qiao Baoxin in the first place.

Meng Qiguang had probably guessed her intentions at a glance—no wonder he’d looked at her that way just now. This man really was frighteningly perceptive.

He was probably laughing at her in his head for being so presumptuous—well, it made no difference either way.

The two of them planned to find somewhere quiet near the park to sit and talk, but worried about running into acquaintances, they discussed it and decided instead to take a rickshaw to a nearby church school.

That church school had been closed for years, the area far more desolate than the earlier neighborhood—hardly a pedestrian in sight on the street, not a single café to be found. After some searching, they finally found a small eatery on a street corner, its storefront rather grubby—but this environment suited Qiao Baoxin’s mood perfectly, and the two of them went straight in to find a table.

Qiao Baoxin hadn’t been free to go out for quite some time, and once seated, simply gazed wistfully at the street corner in a daze. Wen Tingli, meanwhile, kept a careful eye on their surroundings. After a while, Qiao Baoxin tilted her head to study Wen Tingli.

“Have you really been doing well lately? You’re not lying to me, are you?” She took hold of the back of Wen Tingli’s hand.

Wen Tingli asked, curious, “Who exactly told you I wasn’t doing well?”

Qiao Baoxin looked sheepish, but told her the story straight anyway.

“I heard it at Luo Shuhong’s place. You know Luo Shuhong’s been in films, right, she knows a lot of people in the arts and literature circles. That evening, someone mentioned that Golden Film Company’s about to start filming a big production, and somebody brought up your name—said your role was about to be recast, and that it wasn’t at all surprising for this kind of thing to happen to a newcomer like you. I figured after preparing for so long, suddenly losing the role must have upset you terribly.”

“That’s absolute nonsense—how could I not even know if I’ve been recast? Who said this?”

Probably Deng Tianxing. Qiao Baoxin shook her head. “He was mixed in with a whole crowd of male guests at the time, I never got a clear look at his face. The smoke over there was too thick for my liking, so I was only half-listening from a distance—then my uncle came over and the man suddenly stopped talking. I didn’t think to press the matter after that.”

Wen Tingli wanted nothing more than to rush straight back to the company right then, but she still had real business to attend to today, and had to hold herself back for now. She squeezed Qiao Baoxin’s hand instead. “Tell me about how you’ve been. Why have you gotten so thin? Has it been really rough with your family lately?”

Qiao Baoxin’s tone suddenly turned indignant. “I can’t stand staying in that house one more day! It wasn’t enough for my grandfather to control my brother’s marriage—now he’s coming for mine too! I won’t let them have their way this time! I absolutely have to get to Beiping!”

Wen Tingli’s eyes filled with sympathy—she understood and fully supported Qiao Baoxin’s determination on this. But she didn’t think things would go as smoothly as Qiao Baoxin herself imagined—after all, even her own brother Qiao Xingchu hadn’t managed to win out against the family, and Qiao Baoxin was still a student now besides—how could she possibly fight her elders on this? A traditional household like the Qiao family would never allow its children to have minds of their own.

Still, she said seriously, “If there’s anything I can help with, just tell me. Do you have friends in Beiping? Have you already arranged for a school? Running off like this so suddenly, I only worry you’ll suffer for it. How about this—let me help find some trustworthy friends for you in Beiping.”

Qiao Baoxin said, touched, “Tingli, you’re so good to me. But you don’t need to worry about that—my school’s already been arranged through a friend. My exam scores are good enough for the Women’s Normal University, and the admissions office there has already reviewed my file and agreed to accept me.”

At this point, a suspicious flush crept across Qiao Baoxin’s cheeks.

“A friend? You have a friend in Beiping?”

And a fairly close friend at that, judging by how much effort it must have taken just to help with school applications and paperwork.

Qiao Baoxin apparently realized there was no hiding it from Wen Tingli, and nodded shyly. “His surname is Tong, graduated from the law department at Yenching University—he’s the one who helped arrange the school for me this time.”

Under Wen Tingli’s gentle prodding, Qiao Baoxin shyly recounted how she’d come to know Tong Zhaohui.

She’d first heard the name Tong Zhaohui from Teacher Huang. Once, the school had invited a law professor from St. John’s University to give a lecture, and afterward, Teacher Huang, quite moved, mentioned a poor neighbor of hers who’d recently gotten tangled up in a lawsuit—clearly the other party was in the wrong, yet the neighbor couldn’t afford to fight the case, and was about to lose their meager savings entirely, leaving everyone terribly anxious. A young lawyer surnamed Tong, who lived nearby, heard about the situation and stepped forward to help Teacher Huang’s neighbor win the case for free. Lawyer Tong had only just graduated and had little money of his own, yet was remarkably principled, and this hadn’t been the first time he’d taken on a case pro bono either. Later, one time when Qiao Baoxin went to deliver something to Teacher Huang’s house, she happened to run into Tong Zhaohui in the lane.

“We… we’ve known each other ever since. When we first started seeing each other, he had no idea at all about my family situation. One day he heard that my family was forcing an arranged marriage on me against my wishes, and was quite taken aback. I had no choice but to tell him about my pain and worries, and he immediately helped me get in touch with a university in Beiping. He encouraged me to go out and broaden my horizons, urged me to focus on my studies—he said only by establishing myself in society early could I stop being controlled by others at every turn.”

Hearing this, Wen Tingli was genuinely happy for Qiao Baoxin, though she teased, “He’s got some nerve, isn’t he worried your family might charge him with abduction?”

“He’s not afraid of anything. He’s the most free-spirited, courageous person I’ve ever met—he’s already prepared to fight my family alongside me. He said if my family cuts off my finances, he’ll cover my tuition and living expenses himself—he’s already started earning an income, after all. Tingli, you have no idea—no matter what he does, he has his own set of principles. His father teaches at a middle school in Beiping, so does his mother—their family may be quite poor, but the household atmosphere is remarkably open-minded and free.”

It was clear Qiao Baoxin was deeply fond of Tong Zhaohui—her eyes brimmed with tenderness as she spoke.

“Listening to the way he talks, and then listening to those young men my father’s been arranging for me to meet—I simply can’t stand it for even a moment. Some people are that intelligent and insightful, while others have nothing but eating, drinking, and pleasure-seeking in their heads. After meeting someone like Tong Zhaohui, how could I possibly agree to marry one of those empty-headed playboys! Tingli, you…”

Her voice dropped low. “Do you understand how I feel?”

“I understand, of course I understand. Sounds like he’s already got everything arranged for you in Beiping—when are you planning to leave? Will Lawyer Tong be going with you?”

A shadow suddenly crossed Qiao Baoxin’s face.

“I can’t reach him. These past two days it’s like he’s vanished into thin air—he used to call me two or three times a day, but these past two days, not a single call. Tingli, do you think something’s happened to him?”

She anxiously wrung her hands together, looking as though she might burst into tears any moment. Wen Tingli steadied herself and comforted her. “Don’t worry. You know Sister Yaqiao, right, she also studied law—ever since she went to work at Bao Yaren’s law office, she’s constantly being sent out of town for cases. We often can’t reach her for stretches either. Maybe Lawyer Tong’s in a similar situation. I’m sure he’ll call you the moment he wraps up whatever he’s dealing with.”

“But—”

“Tell you what,” Wen Tingli said earnestly, “you’re stuck at home and can’t move around freely—let me go ask around for you. Do you remember what Lawyer Tong said in his last call? Did he mention going anywhere, or being with anyone?”

Qiao Baoxin thought back, lowering her head.

“The day before yesterday he called around eight-thirty in the morning. I could hear a lot of noise on his end, so I asked where he was. He said he was at the Chen family market in Nanshi, said he’d just had a bowl of scallion oil noodles by the roadside alone, and joked that the scallion noodles in Nanshi were much better than the ones downtown. I asked what he was doing in Nanshi, and he said he had a client living there, and the two of them had arranged to meet that morning.”

“Was he alone at the time?”

“Should have been—I didn’t hear him talking to anyone else, anyway. After telling me all this, he said he had to go, and hung up the phone. And then after that—nothing. At this rate, I’ll have no choice but to ask my uncle to help look for him, but even though my uncle’s discreet, he is my mother’s younger brother after all—something as serious as me secretly dating Tong Zhaohui, he wouldn’t dare take it upon himself to keep it from her. If my mother finds out I’ve secretly gotten myself a boyfriend, there’ll be no end of trouble. Tingli, I really don’t know what to do anymore.”

Wen Tingli quietly committed all this information to memory, and comforted Qiao Baoxin. “I’ll ask around quietly when I get back. I’ve recently made some friends at the newspapers—they’ve got wide connections and know how to keep their mouths shut. With their help asking around discreetly, I’m sure we’ll have some leads soon. Don’t worry, not a whisper of this will reach your family before we find Lawyer Tong.”

Qiao Baoxin said, her eyes reddening, “I only meant to catch up with you, and instead I’ve gone and made you worry along with me.”

The two of them parted ways outside the café. Qiao Baoxin, worried her uncle would be anxious if she stayed out too long, hurried off in a rickshaw first, while Wen Tingli stayed behind to find a public telephone.

This area was truly too desolate—she searched high and low and couldn’t find a telephone exchange anywhere, finally locating a public phone at a Cantonese trading firm across the street. It was an old established business, specializing in seafood and bird’s nest, though trade wasn’t particularly brisk—the staff inside seemed to outnumber the customers.

The telephone was located in the washroom at the end of the second-floor corridor.

Upstairs, Wen Tingli gripped the receiver, glancing warily around her. The entire corridor was empty except for herself. After looking around for a moment, she relaxed somewhat. Once the call connected, she lowered her voice and relayed everything about Tong Zhaohui’s circumstances before his disappearance to Li Chengying, one detail at a time.

Li Chengying was overjoyed, as if she’d struck gold.

“He went missing in Nanshi?! No wonder! Thank you, Little Wen, we finally have a lead.”

Wen Tingli knew full well just how capable Li Chengying was — that time the Bailong Gang kidnapped Mrs. Zhu’s mother, it was Li Chengying who’d tracked down Mrs. Zhu’s whereabouts in an incredibly short time and successfully rescued her. Hearing Li Chengying say this now, she believed that as long as Tong Zhaohui was still alive, they’d find him soon — but what she feared was—

“The moment you have any news, call me right away — my classmate here is worried sick.”

Li Chengying agreed. “Is that rickshaw that was following you still around? Our associate ran into some trouble on the way and might be a bit late. Why don’t you find somewhere with plenty of people around and wait there — once our people arrive, you can join us. This time, we’re catching whoever’s been following you red-handed, no matter what!”

Wen Tingli’s heart warmed at this. Finishing the call, she was about to head downstairs when, glancing up idly, she noticed that the windows of this trading firm actually offered a view of a corner of Suzhou Creek.

She thought of the Lixin Bank, the Lu family’s bank, right on the banks of Suzhou Creek.

So this place was that close to him after all… She leaned against the windowsill, gazing out.

No — actually, it was still quite far. At the very least, she couldn’t make out the Lu family’s building at all from here.

What could Lu Shicheng be doing right now… A restless little itch stirred in her heart, and she turned back to dial the number for Lixin Bank.

“Young Master Lu left around noon, are you Miss Wen?” The manager on the other end was remarkably warm. “Would you like me to help connect you with Mr. Kuang? Mr. Kuang would certainly know where Young Master Lu is.”

“Oh, no need.” What would that make her seem like—as if she were keeping tabs on him.

Besides, they’d already agreed to meet at six-thirty at the entrance of Hujiang University; there was no need to call again for nothing.

Wen Tingli, in good spirits, headed for the exit. She’d just reached the second-floor stairwell when she suddenly heard the sound of a door slamming behind her, coming from the public washroom, followed immediately by the sound of urgent footsteps rushing straight toward her.

In the past, Wen Tingli would never have been able to react and respond in time — but for one thing, she’d already sensed twice today that someone was following her, and had been on guard beforehand.

For another, from her recent training in marksmanship and basic combat techniques with Li Chengying and Head Nurse Liu, she’d picked up some experience in how to respond to a sudden attack. Sensing something was wrong, she quickly sidestepped away.

Her attacker clearly hadn’t expected Wen Tingli to have such quick reflexes, and caught off guard, went tumbling headfirst down the stairs.

Wen Tingli was silently cheering her luck, when the man, taking advantage of his height, suddenly reached back and grabbed her arm, dragging her down the stairs along with him.

Startled, Wen Tingli could only use her hands to protect her head and face, tumbling down several flights of stairs in a chain reaction. She only barely managed to stop herself, her vision swimming with stars, her whole body feeling as though it had come apart at the joints.

Fortunately she’d protected her face in time — had she fallen face-first, she’d certainly have knocked out a couple of front teeth at the very least, or torn open a large gash on her face, ruining her looks entirely.

The man was built solidly; though he’d fallen at the same time, unlike Wen Tingli, who lay stunned for a good while, he staggered right back up.

Wen Tingli’s gaze turned sharp; she pulled out her pistol, aiming for his ankle, ready to put a bullet in him.

Just then, the shop staff came rushing out, asking, “What happened?”

Wen Tingli had no choice but to tuck the gun back beneath her body, saying bitterly instead, “He stole something from me, quick, help me catch him!”

The staff bravely gave chase, but soon came back looking defeated. “He’s long gone. Even the bicycle parked outside the shop is missing. Little miss, what did you lose — that thief clearly had this planned out.”

Thinking back on what had just happened, Wen Tingli was certain it wasn’t Deng Tianxing — the man had worn a flat cap and wrapped a scarf around his face, but she’d caught a glimpse of the bit of his features that showed — his complexion was quite dark, but nothing else was distinguishable.

Two concerned matrons came over to help Wen Tingli up.

Wen Tingli wiped the cold sweat off her face, only to find her hands sticky and damp — looking down, her palms and elbows were covered in blood. She guessed that in her panic she must have grabbed the carved railing of the staircase, and gotten cut open by some sharp edge.

Bearing the pain, Wen Tingli pulled some money from her bag and handed it to one of the matrons.

“Would you mind going up to the second floor to make a phone call for me? Just say my surname’s Wen.”

The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only the kind matron who’d helped her out to the front. There were two rattan chairs outside the shop entrance for customers to rest on; she helped Wen Tingli settle into one.

“Why don’t I call you a car from the rental agency.”

“No need, my friend will be here soon. I’ll just hail a rickshaw to the hospital myself.”

The matron waved her hand. “Little miss, you don’t understand—this is right around when the foreign firm managers along the Bund get off work, all the rickshaw pullers have rushed over that way to pick up fares. It’ll be a good while before one comes by this way—”

“Wen Tingli!” Someone came running toward her from the roadside — it was Qiao Baoxin. Earlier, both of them had been so preoccupied that Qiao Baoxin hadn’t even noticed she’d left her handbag behind at the little eatery, but luckily she’d remembered it quickly and gone back for it. Just as she was about to hail a rickshaw back to the Meng residence, she was startled to spot Wen Tingli sitting outside a shop by the roadside, her hands covered in blood.

“What happened here?” Qiao Baoxin was alarmed and anxious in equal measure.

Wen Tingli said bitterly, “Someone ambushed me.”

Seeing that Wen Tingli’s friend had arrived, the matron, relieved, went back inside the shop.

“You look badly hurt, I’ll take you to the hospital right away.”

“How could you go to the hospital looking like that? Aren’t you worried your mother will drag you home the moment she spots you? I’ve already called for a car, don’t worry.”

Qiao Baoxin stamped her foot, worried. “It’ll take a while for the car rental agency to get here — why don’t you come back to the Meng residence with me first, I’ll have my uncle drive you to the hospital himself.”

Wen Tingli shook her head. “I already called another friend a moment ago, a car will be here soon. I’m fine, it looks worse than it is, really — just some scrapes.”

Qiao Baoxin stamped her foot again, and simply ran off toward the street to find a car herself, dashing past several intersections before finally managing to flag down a rickshaw on a main road. She hopped in at once and told the puller to circle back for Wen Tingli.

Then it occurred to her — the nearest hospital was on the other side of Suzhou Creek; at a rickshaw’s pace, it would take at least half an hour to get there. At this rate, it would surely delay Wen Tingli’s treatment — but with a car escort, it would only take about ten minutes, and besides, her uncle usually had connections at the major hospitals.

In a rush, she told the rickshaw to head straight back to the Meng residence instead.

Wen Tingli continued waiting where she was. The initial shock of the fall had faded, and now, calming down, she felt aches everywhere — a gash on her arm, her shoulder bone feeling badly jarred too. She’d been relieved earlier that she hadn’t scraped up her face, but looking at the state of her injuries, even if her face was unmarked, this would still affect tomorrow’s screen test.

So her attacker really had been targeting her over Beauty of the South.

The thought filled her with anxious urgency, and she looked toward the street corner. Earlier, the person she’d asked the matron to call hadn’t been anyone else — it had been Lu Shicheng. In a moment of danger, he was the very first person she’d thought to call.

Though Lu Shicheng wasn’t at his office right now, the manager had personally said he could connect her with Kuang Zhilin — and now all she could do was hope that the moment Kuang Zhilin got her message, he’d send a car for her right away. With Kuang Zhilin’s capabilities, he’d surely be able to get her to the nearest hospital for examination without delay.

She knew that with an external injury like this, the sooner it was treated, the less severe the consequences would be — no matter what, she had to be in her best possible condition for tomorrow’s screen test.

Wen Tingli wiped the sweat from her cheek, watching the street corner unblinkingly.

The moment Qiao Baoxin walked through the door, she called out urgently, “Little Uncle!”

Meng Qiguang happened to be on the phone in the living room, and turned back absently at the sound. “What is it?”

Qiao Baoxin, without further explanation, tugged at Meng Qiguang to pull him outside. “Little Uncle, come with me quickly, right now.”

Meng Qiguang pulled his arm back, frowning. “Go on, can’t you see your uncle’s on the phone? What’s this sudden urgency about?”

“Wen Tingli was just attacked on the street.” Qiao Baoxin was so anxious her words came out in a jumble. “Her wound was still bleeding when I left her. Little Uncle, please, drive her to the hospital right away.”

Meng Qiguang’s expression darkened. He dropped the phone he was holding and grabbed his coat off the sofa without another word.

“Where is she?”

Wen Tingli had been waiting in the rattan chair for a while now, with still no sign of any car arriving.

Perhaps Kuang Zhilin was busy too, or maybe even that manager had already left for the day.

She couldn’t keep waiting foolishly like this. She’d have to go back inside and ask the shop staff to help call her a car.

Wen Tingli forced herself up, gripping the back of the chair for support, when her left shoulder suddenly felt as though it had been struck hard by something — a searing, piercing pain shot through her. And having gotten up rather too abruptly on top of it, the whole world spun dizzily around her. Her heart lurched in panic — if she fell again like this, she could forget about tomorrow’s screen test entirely. Just then she heard footsteps behind her, and someone rushed up to steady her from behind. Startled, she turned to look — and found herself flooded with both shock and delight.

It was Lu Shicheng.

“How did you get here so fast.”

Lu Shicheng’s forehead was covered in sweat, his expression grim in the extreme. He hurried to help Wen Tingli settle back into the chair, then crouched down himself to carefully examine her injuries.

“Someone ambushed me.” Wen Tingli’s eyes welled with tears, telling him her grievance with utter helplessness. “I was making a call inside just now, and a man in a flat cap pushed me down from the second floor — no, don’t go after him, he’s already long gone.”

Fury surged violently in Lu Shicheng’s eyes, though he managed to rein it in, and carefully helped Wen Tingli to her feet, asking her with his gaze, lowering his brow.

[Can you walk?]

“I can walk.” Wen Tingli had already spotted Lu Shicheng’s car parked by the roadside, and hurriedly leaned on his arm, managing a few steps forward — only to hiss in pain.

Without a word, Lu Shicheng scooped her up and carried her forward.

Wen Tingli stiffened for a moment, but didn’t resist, only blushing as she let her head fall naturally against Lu Shicheng’s chest.

She could hear his heart pounding rapidly — clearly he was genuinely worried.

Yet her own heart felt utterly steady and at peace.

“Where did you rush over from? How did you get here so fast? Was it Mr. Kuang who called you?” With her heart settled, the questions came tumbling out.

Across the street, Meng Qiguang brought his car to a stop, watching this whole scene in silence.

Qiao Baoxin had already frozen in place — that was Lu Shicheng.

No wonder Wen Tingli had absolutely refused to let her help call a car earlier.

Of course — the Lu family’s Lixin Bank was somewhere not far from here.

Still, the speed at which Lu Shicheng had arrived left her a little astonished. He must have dropped whatever he was doing the moment he got word and rushed straight over, heedless of everything else.

Only someone who held a person deeply dear could act like this — she was both surprised and touched. Just when had the two of them become—

Looking at Wen Tingli’s state, it was plain she trusted and adored Young Master Lu just as much — the moment he’d appeared, Wen Tingli had fixed her full attention on him alone, otherwise she surely would have noticed her uncle’s car by now.

Meng Qiguang, expressionless, pulled a cigarette from his pocket and put it to his lips — then, remembering Qiao Baoxin was beside him, took it back out, and, somewhat irritably, snapped the cigarette in two and tossed it out the window.

“All right, your good friend has an escort now — can your uncle go home?”

Qiao Baoxin studied Meng Qiguang’s expression carefully, then said with an awkward smile, “I still want to see for myself before I can be at ease. Little Uncle, you’re really so kind. Let’s go home.”

Meng Qiguang didn’t respond, driving back along the same route with a cool, composed expression — then suddenly slammed on the brakes.

Just then, a car came speeding down the road across the way. The moment it stopped, two middle-aged matrons jumped out to cross the street — but upon spotting Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli, they visibly relaxed, and without a word, quietly got back in the car and drove off.

Meng Qiguang glanced in the direction Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli had gone, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

“Little Uncle, what are you looking at?”

Meng Qiguang smirked faintly. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

Wen Tingli lay flat on the hospital bed, but her attention was entirely fixed on Lu Shicheng outside the door.

The doctor was busy reporting her condition to Lu Shicheng.

After examination: her left shoulder was dislocated, with minor scrapes on her arm and the front of her lower leg.

Her shoulder had now been set back into place, and her wounds treated, but she would need to remain under observation at the hospital overnight.

Wen Tingli glanced around the room — it was piled with fruit, pastries, and drinks, and there was also a dedicated nurse stationed by her bedside to look after her.

The room had already been set up like this by the time she got back from treatment.

Her heart felt as sweet as if she’d been drinking honey — Lu Shicheng really was thoughtful to the point of leaving nothing to be said.

But it wasn’t any of this that made her happiest — it was that he’d arrived so promptly today. Thinking back, the last time he’d been ambushed, she too had been the first one to arrive on the scene. This, she thought, must be what they called a meeting of hearts.

She kept twisting around to peek outside — why wasn’t Lu Shicheng coming in yet, she had so much she wanted to say to him.

Suddenly she remembered Qiao Baoxin, and quickly told the nurse, “Would you mind making a call for me? Just tell her I’m at the Red Cross Hospital now, nothing seriously wrong, and ask her not to worry.”

As for Sister Li, there was no need to report in specially anymore — she’d already spotted their people while still in the car earlier.

The nurse came back and said, “Miss Qiao says she already knows. She says for you to rest well and take care of your injuries.”