After parting with Xu Wen, Wang Cheng checked the time and discovered only an hour and a half had passed. It was just four-thirty, still half an hour earlier than the time he had given Yuan Xia, so he called him. Yuan Xia had no classes that afternoon, but he still had assignments to grade and was at the university. He needed another half hour. Although Yuan Xia had a driver’s license, he normally did not drive to campus, so Wang Cheng offered to pick him up at Shanhai University. Yuan Xia hesitated before agreeing.
Shanhai High School and Shanhai University were neighbors. Wang Cheng could have found the high school where he had spent three years with his eyes closed, so finding Shanhai University was hardly a problem.
Before going, Wang Cheng called Chu Yifeng and told him they might not eat dinner together that night, then briefly explained what was going on with Yuan Xia.
His lover was abandoning him to accompany another man instead?
Chu Yifeng decided this clearly meant he was not doing a good enough job as a lover.
Wang Cheng tossed out a promise that he would find another chance to spend time with him and hung up, then called home.
Chu Yifeng was easy to deal with. Mama Wang was not. If Wang Cheng was not coming home for dinner, this call was absolutely necessary, and he had to explain everything clearly enough that Mama Wang would believe he really was just having dinner with his friend Yuan Xia. Wang Cheng spent a great deal of effort convincing her and only got permission after promising to come home once they finished eating. In the past, Mama Wang might still have worried about the late trip, but since the asphalt road had been built, driving from the city to Guanjia Village took less than an hour. Even if he left at nine, he could still be home before ten-thirty.
Wang Cheng parked outside the gate of Shanhai University. The school was not as strict as Jing University, but vehicles belonging to non-alumni were still not allowed inside, even if they were only visiting a friend. Wang Cheng therefore called Yuan Xia and told him he had arrived.
Five minutes later, Yuan Xia appeared at the gate. After greeting the elderly guard, he hurried straight toward Wang Cheng.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Yuan Xia said as he got into the car.
“It was only a few minutes.” Wang Cheng shrugged.
Just as the car pulled away from Shanhai University’s entrance, however, a camera lens poked out from behind a large tree nearby and began snapping photograph after photograph of the car. The steady clicking never stopped, yet neither person being photographed noticed a thing.
Wang Cheng took Yuan Xia to a place the two of them used to eat at regularly. Only then did he learn that Yuan Xia’s partner had been away from Shanhai City for some time. He had gone to the capital to handle business and had already been gone for around half a month. The two only spoke on the phone occasionally.
Yuan Xia was good-looking and had a gentle personality. Logically, he should not have had trouble making friends at the university, yet somehow he had never managed to find anyone he could truly confide in.
The reason was not especially complicated. Yuan Xia was the youngest lecturer at Shanhai University. Most teachers his age were still teaching assistants. Someone who had attained the rank of lecturer so young was unprecedented in the university’s history, which naturally invited jealousy. Among students, however, Yuan Xia was very popular.
Yuan Xia had not wanted to contact Wang Cheng either. Wang Cheng had not called him in quite a while, which meant he was probably busy. But today Yuan Xia could no longer endure it alone and finally called. Unexpectedly, his luck was good and Wang Cheng happened to be in the city.
“I didn’t want to trouble you, but I really couldn’t find anyone else, so I could only call you.”
“What trouble? We’re friends. Just tell me what happened.” Wang Cheng spoke frankly. He did not have many people he could genuinely confide in either, and Yuan Xia counted as one of them.
Yuan Xia looked around, then lowered his voice. “Actually, lately I keep feeling like someone is following me. Especially near my apartment, it feels as if someone is watching. Several times I even heard footsteps behind me, but whenever I turned around, there was nobody there. I didn’t dare tell him because I was afraid he’d worry, but I can’t keep going like this forever.”
Wang Cheng stared at him. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? You should’ve told me right away. Did you forget that someone nearly abducted you last time? Even if whoever is following you hasn’t done anything yet, you can’t just ignore it. Maybe they’re waiting for a better opportunity.” He had endured this for so many days before saying anything. Wang Cheng almost wanted to crack open his skull and see what he had been thinking.
Yuan Xia faltered and could not come up with a rebuttal. He knew his sense of danger was far too weak.
“Here’s what we’ll do. After dinner, I’ll go home with you.” Wang Cheng’s tone allowed no refusal. He wanted to see exactly who this mysterious person was, though he still had the strange feeling he was forgetting something.
After they paid the bill, Yuan Xia insisted on treating. Wang Cheng could not argue him out of it, so he let him pay. They left the restaurant and walked toward the parked car while talking. Suddenly, Wang Cheng stopped. Apparently it was not his imagination. He could feel someone watching them too. Alert, he showed nothing outwardly. After driving Yuan Xia to his apartment building, Wang Cheng told him to go upstairs first, then headed toward a particular corner. Yuan Xia knew something was wrong the moment he saw Wang Cheng’s posture and refused to leave. By the time he hurried over, an unfamiliar man suddenly fell sprawling in front of him as though he had been kicked there, and Wang Cheng came walking up behind him.
“This guy is probably the one who’s been following you. Want me to take him to the police station?”
Before Yuan Xia could answer, the man shouted first.
“Don’t! I’m not a bad person.”
“What bad person would admit he’s a bad person?” Wang Cheng crossed his arms, amused.
The man stood up and looked at Wang Cheng with a trace of fear. “I’m telling the truth. My name is Dongzi. Mr. Jiang sent me to protect Mr. Yuan.”
Yuan Xia froze. “When you say Mr. Jiang, do you mean Jiang Xuan?”
“That’s right. Mr. Jiang Xuan. He was worried that after going to the capital he wouldn’t be able to look after you, so he told me to protect you in secret in case someone tried to harm you.”
“So you’re the one who’s been following me these past few days?”
Yuan Xia did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had never imagined it would be something like this. If that was true, then he had frightened himself for nothing all this time.
Dongzi nodded. “Yes. You can call Mr. Jiang and ask him.”
Wang Cheng finally remembered who Jiang Xuan was. The name had sounded familiar the moment he heard it, but too much time had passed and he had not immediately placed it. Jiang Xuan was Shen Yuan’s business partner. That night they went drinking at the bar, when Wang Cheng got drunk in front of Chu Yifeng for the first time and took shameless advantage of him, Jiang Xuan had been there. Who would have guessed he was Yuan Xia’s lover? Then again, there had been clues. Jiang Xuan was the chairman of Hongyu Group, and Yuan Xia had once taken Wang Cheng to Hongyu Group’s offices.
“Sorry, Wang Cheng. I made you come all this way for nothing.” Yuan Xia could not blame Jiang Xuan for meaning well and understood why he had done it. Before, Yuan Xia had been uncomfortable with someone following him, so at Yuan Xia’s request Jiang Xuan had promised not to send anyone again. But after what had happened, Jiang Xuan still worried he might be in danger and had secretly arranged someone to follow him anyway.
Wang Cheng shook his head. “A misunderstanding is better than something actually being wrong. Coming all this way was nothing. As long as you’re safe, I can relax.”
Yuan Xia still felt guilty.
Wang Cheng told him not to overthink it and said they could have dinner again when they had time. Before leaving, he solemnly advised the man, “Dongzi, right? Find some time to relearn how to tail someone. Your technique is terrible. It’d be harder not to notice you.”
Dongzi’s face filled with shame.
Seeing that Wang Cheng still remembered to tease someone before leaving made Yuan Xia laugh. The tension that had weighed on him for days finally eased. At that moment, however, he had no idea a much larger storm was waiting for him. Later, Yuan Xia called Jiang Xuan to ask about Dongzi and confirmed the man really had been sent by him. His words carried some reproach, but even more relief and happiness.
Wang Cheng returned home before nine. After parting with Yuan Xia, he had taken food bought from the restaurant to the company to see Chu Yifeng. Knowing Wang Cheng was having dinner with Yuan Xia, Chu Yifeng had simply stayed late at the office and worked overtime. When Wang Cheng called after dinner, he was still there. But Wang Cheng had promised Mama Wang he would return early, so he did not remain at the company long.
Mama Wang was waiting in the living room.
Papa Wang had been forced to sit there and wait with her.
Several days had passed. Although mother and son were no longer fighting as fiercely as before, Papa Wang still had no idea what secret the two of them were dancing around. A single “You’ll know later” was all they gave him, and at times Papa Wang felt like crying from frustration.
Wang Cheng was not surprised to see them. He told them that renting the storefront had turned into buying it instead. At the same time, he hinted that starting tomorrow he would become very, very busy and would need to go into the city from time to time. Mama Wang probably understood that he was an adult with his own judgment. Watching him closely might work temporarily, but in the long run she would still have to rely on him to keep his word, so she did not bring the issue up again. The purchase had not gone according to their original plan, but it was still a good thing. The price written in the agreement was especially far below what they expected. Both his parents were clever enough to see immediately that Wang Cheng had gotten the better side of the deal. Assuming that was his own accomplishment, they were delighted.
After getting Mama Wang’s approval, Wang Cheng felt much lighter. He had barely gone upstairs, however, when Mama Wang followed him. One look at her posture told him she had something else to say.