At around two-thirty, Zhan stepped out of the car, holding a small bag, and scanned the busy motor park. Everyone was rushing about....there was a heavy storm brewing over the city.
The driver's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he asked if Zhan had any luggage in the trunk. Zhan shook his head and walked toward the exit he'd noticed others using.
He stood by the roadside, clutching his bag, while the wind picked up. He watched the passing cars, ignoring the rickshaw drivers who kept asking where he was headed. Before long, the first drops of rain began to fall.
Looking around for shelter, Zhan spotted a small phone accessories and point-of-sale shop. He dashed over just as the rain intensified, but the shop's awning was too small....water was already soaking through.
The shop owner, seeing this, called out, "Come inside, mister, you'll get drenched out there."
Zhan quickly stepped in. "Thanks."
The man pointed to a plastic chair for him to sit. The rain pounded for long, only letting up slightly around four-thirty. At one point, the shop owner even dozed off, but Zhan just sat quietly, shivering from the cold, exhausted, and feeling lightheaded. He knew these symptoms.....low blood pressure.
The shop owner stirred awake. "Mister, I can call you a rickshaw since the rain has eased a bit. Looks like you're cold, and it doesn't seem like this storm will stop anytime soon."
Zhan hesitated, then replied softly, "I'm a student. I just arrived in the city today, don't know anyone, and I'm looking for a student-type apartment. I have no idea where to start."
The man asked, "The university here in Guangzhou?"
Zhan nodded quickly.
The man frowned. "Finding a place here is tough.....and expensive. If you'd said Foshan, I could've helped right away. I'm from there, my family still lives there, and I know how to get a good place. But Foshan's a little far for you from here, and the transport costs would add up."
Zhan quickly said, "If it's not too far, I don't mind."
"All right," the man replied. "When I get home, I'll ask around for you. It's my hometown, so I know the right people."
Zhan said quietly, "Thank you very much. If you find something, I'll pay to have it secured for me."
"No problem," the man said. "But for now, are you heading to the university? Looks like the storm's getting worse again."
Zhan glanced at the darkening sky. "Yes. Please help me get a rickshaw."
The man stepped out into the drizzle, flagged one down, negotiated the fare, and returned. "It's sorted. Just pay him directly."
Zhan stood. "Thanks a lot."
"Give me your phone number so I can call you if I find a place," the man suggested.
"My phone's dead," Zhan replied. "I'll come by tomorrow to check."
"That's fine. Take care."
Zhan left, the cold biting into him, and climbed into the rickshaw. After a short ride, he asked the driver softly, "Is there a hotel in the area we're going?"
"Plenty," the driver said.
"Take me to one, please."
"No problem."
They stopped outside a modest hotel. "This one's nice—I see a lot of young people staying here," the driver said.
"Thanks," Zhan replied, glancing up at the building. The rain started pouring again, so he quickly paid the driver from his backpack and hurried inside.
At reception, after confirming his payment, they handed him the key. He went straight to his room, turned off the air conditioning, and wrapped himself in the blanket, trying to shake off the chill.
He stayed that way until nearly six, cramps beginning to set in....a worrying sign. Restless, he got up, went into the bathroom, and found his thoughts drifting to Yibo, his eyes stinging as tears threatened to fall again.
***
Ever since Qiren finished reading the paper Xuxui handed him, he had been sitting in the sitting room in silence. He hadn't said a word, only replaying the scene in his mind over and over. Xuxui, still standing where she was, remained quiet too. Finally, she simply turned and left the sitting room.
For the third time, Yibo's call came through to Qiren's phone. He picked up and asked calmly,
"Where are you right now?"
"I'm still at the hospital," Yibo replied. "Mama refused to listen to me and just left. She didn't even wait for me to drive her."
"There's no one else at the hospital?" Qiren asked.
"Just a few of her cousins who arrived a short while ago," Yibo said.
"Alright, come home right now," Qiren instructed before hanging up. Yibo didn't understand why he was being told to come home in the middle of everything, but he headed to the hospital parking lot and began driving, hoping nothing worse was happening.
Despite his unease, Qiren called his friend, a high-ranking police officer, and briefly explained the situation.
"Which division is handling it?" the officer asked.
Qiren, distracted and on edge, gave an uncertain answer. "I… I don't really know."
"Which neighborhood did it happen in?" the officer asked. "I'll contact that division immediately."
Qiren told him the neighborhood where Yibo's house was located.
"Alright, give me a minute," the officer replied before ending the call.
Qiren wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, got to his feet, and began pacing the sitting room. He glanced again at the paper for what felt like the hundredth time, then sank into a chair and rested his head in his hands.
He had never felt this angry at Lan Yi before. Minutes later, his phone rang again.....it was the officer.
"Good news," the officer said. "After making a few calls, we've located the division. They'll release her, and it's best to settle this matter at home since the injured party is already responding to treatment. It's a family matter....no need for further escalation."
"Thank you very much," Qiren said quietly.
They ended the call, and Qiren resumed pacing. Just then, the door opened and Granny Ai entered, sweating heavily. He watched her silently as she approached.
"Qiren, the police have arrested Fang Yu Jie," she said, before breaking into tears. "They should have taken me instead and let her go, but they wouldn't listen. I walked here on foot, completely shaken, and didn't even close her home. The neighborhood was full of people; then I saw Jie in the police car. I've never seen such chaos in my life. Imagine....her in-laws called nearly ten police officers to arrest her!"
Qiren cut her off; her rambling was making his headache worse. "I've made some calls....they'll release her," he said flatly.
Granny Ai sobbed harder. "If it weren't for you, she would have spent the night in a cell. They didn't even pity her age; they dragged her all the way to the gate. And the one leading the charge? Shu."
Yibo entered the sitting room, heading toward Qiren. He looked at him but said nothing. Qiren handed him the paper, shaking his head. His voice was tight with pain.
"You, your brothers and your mother has failed me."
Then he walked upstairs, leaving Granny Ai staring at the paper in Yibo's hand.
Yibo began reading the first three lines, recognizing Zhan's handwriting instantly. His legs felt weak, and he dropped into a chair, heart pounding.
"This… this can't be real…" he whispered.
Granny Ai, alarmed, asked, "What is it, Yibo? What's in that letter?"
He didn't answer....just held his head in his hands.
Meanwhile, Auntie Fen and her companions were in the car heading back to the hospital where Min had been admitted. Fen's husband had instructed that Granny Fang Yu should not be granted bail until Shu was also apprehended.
When Auntie Fen's phone rang, she saw it was her husband. She answered quickly:
"Mei's dad, we're on our way to the hospital. Please make sure they don't grant that woman bail until they catch that troublesome girl."
He replied, "Actually… you might have to let it go and settle this at home. A senior officer I deeply respect called me just now. Apparently, the woman they arrested is his friend's mother-in-law. He's asking for the matter to be dropped."
Auntie Fen bristled. "Let it go? Do you even know how badly Min was hurt? Or do you need me to send you a picture?"
"I've already told you," he said, "I respect this man, and I've even called the DPO to release her."
"If we agree to this, I'm a fool," Auntie Fen snapped. "We're taking this to court....let the judge decide."
She hung up and muttered, "Release her, he says? Over my dead body. If it comes to it, I'll call Wei Gege and have Shu taken straight to the military barracks. Or my name is not Fen."
- - - - -
Lan Yi had been going from one police station to another searching for Granny Fang Yu. She would get into one taxi, get out, take another, and continue the search until, eventually, she arrived at the division where Granny Fang Yu had been taken.
Granny Fang Yu was sitting in front of the police officers, wide-eyed. When she spotted Lan Yi, she broke into bitter tears. Lan Yi rushed over to her, crying as well.
A policewoman explained, "We brought this elderly woman here almost two hours ago, but no one came for her. She seemed to have no one looking out for her."
Through tears, Lan Yi said, "I've been out since earlier, checking station after station because I didn't know where she'd been taken. If I'd been home, this wouldn't have happened....there's no way I'd have let her go through this alone."
The policewoman shrugged. "Well, you can take her home now. The case is closed. Just go and settle things among yourselves."
Lan Yi replied, "Thank you very much, we appreciate it." She took Granny Fang Yu's hand, still trembling from the humiliation of having been brought to the station in a police car.
Lan Yi had managed to find them a taxi and kept trying to comfort her, but Granny Fang Yu wouldn't stop crying....if anything, she seemed to get even more upset. In a shaky voice, she said, "Don't take me back to that neighborhood. I can't face the people there after this disgrace. Me.....at my age and with my standing.....being treated like this! Even if that girl were the last person on earth, Yibo should never live with her again."
Lan Yi didn't know what to say. If Granny Fang Yu refused to return to her home, where could she take her? If it were her own house, she'd simply bring her there, but it wasn't. The thought brought fresh tears to Lan Yi's eyes. She turned to the taxi driver and said, "Just take us to this neighborhood, Yibo's house."
Before they arrived, she called Yibo. When he answered, she asked, "Where are you?"
"At home," Yibo replied, clutching the papers his father had given him.
"Which home? We're on our way to your place now. Mother says she won't go back to her house. What should we do about the keys?"
"It's unlocked," Yibo said quietly.
Lan Yi hung up. He hadn't even asked what had happened. They arrived at his place in silence, her heart heavy. No one....neither Yibo nor his father.....seemed to care about what Granny Fang Yu had just gone through.
Once inside the sitting room, Granny Fang Yu sat down and began crying anew.
"Please, try to calm down," Lan Yi said gently.
Through sobs, Granny Fang Yu poured out her frustration. "What hurts me most is that no one even tried to understand what caused all this in the first place. We came here, and Min.....Yibo's wife—nearly attacked Shu. If she hadn't been unlucky enough to hit the wall, I swear she might have killed Shu. And if Min had been the one to kill Shu instead, what would they have said then? What would I tell her father's family after they entrusted her to me?
I see it now...Yibo's wife is nothing but trouble. Always saying this about Zhan, that about Zhan....Zhan insulting her, accusing her, surrounding himself with his friends in her house who would shout and cause a scene, while I know full well this is not how we raised Zhan. Everyone knows he's a calm, well-mannered person. But that malicious woman kept poisoning our ears.
Yibo's life with her should be over. We were fine before she came and destroyed our family. Less than three months after marrying her, everything was ruined. And if we trace it back, she was the one provoking Shu as well..... feeding her lies about Zhan. Shu never used to be like this, especially since she barely even stayed in Beijing. She and Zhan only exchanged greetings; they never meddled in each other's business. It makes my head spin....this is not the Zhan I knew. I thought maybe he had changed after learning he wasn't our blood relative, but no—it's clear that woman set everything up.
Thank goodness the truth came out before we wronged Zhan further. But Yibo must divorce this disaster of a wife. He should sign the divorce papers and hand them to her while she's still in the hospital bed, before this goes any further. I've never been humiliated like this in my life....being put in a police car like a criminal. I will remember this disgrace until my last day."
She began crying harder, adding, "If Zhan hadn't been taken from here when she was, that woman might have killed him. Only fate knows why all of this happened."
Lan Yi kept her head down, listening in silence, tears falling.
Granny Fang Yu wiped her eyes and said, "Whatever wrong you've done to Zhan, he's like your own child. No one can blame you for not standing by him. A child can never truly resent their mother's.You didn't give birth to him, but no one knows his pain better than you do. And no one.... neither your children nor your husband...loves Zhan more than you. As for Qiren, he's always intended to remarry; you just didn't realize it. While you were at home, he found his widow to pass the time. Then, when this problem came up, he quickly married her and used the situation as an excuse. I could swear he always planned it, but didn't know how to tell you. I'm no child....I can see it clearly."
Lan Yi said nothing, keeping her eyes lowered as her tears fell.
Granny Fang Yu removed her headscarf, wiped her face, and said, "Get me some hot water so I can bathe and take a painkiller. My whole body aches."
Lan Yi felt she couldn't bring herself to step into the kitchen....what reason did she have to be in Yibo's wife's house, let alone cook here? The last time she'd been in this house was nearly a year ago, before it was even fully furnished. She took out her phone, stepped out onto the balcony, tears slipping down her cheeks, and dialed Yibo again.
When he answered, she steadied her voice before speaking. "Please… bring Zhan here."
Yibo said nothing. He was already at the gate of the house when she called. He opened it, and as soon as Lan Yi saw him, she hung up. Just as she was about to return to the sitting room, her phone rang again.....it was Qiren. Her heart skipped a beat. It had been a month since he'd last called her. She answered without saying a word.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛