Chapter 52 A Plan Comes to Mind

“Don’t go around assuming things,” Xie Yan paused, then added with a gentle smile, “She’s wearing a bright red scarf today, with two braided pigtails all tied up. I wonder if she’ll be cold on her way home.”

Li Xinren shivered immediately in his thick black coat. Ugh, how mushy. Xie Yan used to be the coldest guy around—even when girls from the compound brought him flowers, he wouldn’t take them. Now he even remembers what his girl’s wearing. The last time he saw them in Xie Yan’s office, they didn’t seem that close—now, just a few days later…

As a bachelor, it wasn’t easy for Li Xinren. All he wanted was a drink, but instead he got smothered in Xie Yan’s romantic nonsense.

“Bro, I live alone. Spare me the sweet stuff. But seriously, how do you remember all that about her?” he asked casually, figuring he might as well learn a thing or two for when he got a girl.

Xie Yan replied, “If you care enough, you’ll remember. When you meet someone you really like, it just comes naturally.”

“And thanks for the heads-up. If something really happens to her brother, things between me and Dadai will only get worse.” He was honestly grateful to have a brother like Li Xinren looking out for him.

Li stuffed his hands into his sleeves for warmth, took a puff of his cigarette, and sighed. “It’s all fishy, though. I looked into the lead, but I couldn’t trace where it came from. You’ve seen the headlines—those black market bosses getting paraded around. They made the most money, and now they’re hiding. The ones arrested were just to set an example. Someone’s taking advantage of the chaos to target Xue Yongkang. Helping him is really helping themselves. But if they’ve got the wrong guy, my position’s screwed too. One mistake and I’m done.”

“There’s plenty of jealousy out there,” he added. “If you make money, don’t get too cocky. Xue Yongkang’s always been lowkey except when buying things for his sister. Something’s off. Keep an eye out.”

The two of them stood in the shadows, voices low, watching each other with caution.

Xie Yan clapped Li’s shoulder. He couldn’t afford to linger. Things had only just started going well. One wrong step and it could all fall apart. Holding power was like walking a tightrope—there was no room to relax.

“Where’d you see her? If it’s really Dadai, I’m not eating with you. It’s cold, I should get her home.”

Li Xinren didn’t feel like drinking anymore either. Work still weighed on his mind. He pointed toward a dimly lit spot. “Over by the empty lot next to the Da Li grocery—where they sell buns. Huh? That really is a red scarf. Let’s go check it out!”

—

Zhao Meiqin: “Xue Qingdai, you must be feeling smug lately. Xie Wei’s calling you ‘little aunt.’ That revenge must feel sweet, huh?”

“Xie Wei used to ignore you completely. Who’d have thought you’d go so far for payback—marrying a man who can’t even have kids.”

Seeing Xue Qingdai stay silent, Zhao Meiqin felt even more certain she’d hit the mark, thinking she’d uncovered all of Xue’s secrets.

Lately, Zhao Meiqin hadn’t been doing well. Her classmates mocked her as Xie Wei’s lapdog. Ever since she got into college, he’d changed—getting angry with her constantly, blaming her for everything, while she wasn’t even allowed to criticize him back.

If he wasn’t still useful to her, she would’ve burned it all down already. She and her mother were still relying on the ten yuan a month Xie Wei gave them to get by. She was counting on marrying him and getting a stable, enviable job to finally turn her life around.

But someone like Xue Qingdai—with her spoiled personality—shouldn’t be living such a good life. She must be hiding her flaws well if the Xie family hadn’t noticed.

At first, Zhao Meiqin had felt insecure arriving in the capital—tight on cash, nervous to spend. But seeing Xue Qingdai’s confident profile sparked a fresh wave of self-assurance.

After all, wherever Xue Qingdai went, she brought enemies with her. That contrast only made Zhao look more obedient and sweet. She’d used this trick back in the village all the time. Xie Wei always pitied her whenever Xue Qingdai bullied her.

The people in this alley were normal. Zhao was just about to fake a fall—her old tactic—

But Xue Qingdai pulled out a notebook and started writing, speaking as she did:
“My bicycle cost 350 yuan, plus the ticket I had to get for it. Let’s round it up to 500. If you damage it, you pay full price—no negotiations. I’m a simple person, I only deal in cash.”

“If you make me sick today, I’ve always been frail—medications and tonics would cost around 45 yuan. I’ll round it to 50.”

“These rice rolls are handmade with premium ingredients—3 yuan each, five of them, let’s say 20 total.”

“Zhao Meiqin, if you really fall, think hard—can you afford all that?”

“Oh, and my Yan-ge knows people at the station. Don’t even think of running. You know my temper. I’ll go to your university and make sure everyone hears about it—so don’t forget to pay me a publicity fee.”

“Don’t think just because you and Zhao Sanhua came to the capital together, you can gang up and bully me.”

She never acknowledged Zhao Meiqin’s earlier accusations. If she did, it’d be like admitting they were true.

This was the original plot of the book—one she was trying her hardest to avoid. She wasn’t a love-struck fool. She was just a simple girl who wanted to go home and nest in a cozy bed.

As for Zhao Meiqin—jealous, broke, and unwilling to work—talking money to her was like slicing her with a dull knife. It went straight for her pride.

Xue Qingdai considered things carefully. With a flick of her finger, she launched a tiny gray pill into Zhao Meiqin’s mouth just as she was about to speak. It melted instantly and reeked like a sewer.

This was her latest invention, customized for Zhao Meiqin. She’d taken her breath-freshening pill and modified it into a “bad breath bomb.” Perfect match for someone like Xie Wei.

Zhao Meiqin stomped her foot but couldn’t bring herself to fake the fall. She barked, “Xue Qingdai, if I tell Xie Yan’s uncle all about how you used to chase Xie Wei like crazy, your good days will be over!”

“Stay away from me!” Xue Qingdai was overwhelmed by the stench and almost shoved her. “Always yapping. If you’ve got the guts, go for it. If not, get lost.”

Her clear eyes gleamed—she had an idea.

Xie Yan clearly didn’t want to break off the engagement—he’d been playing deaf and acting sweeter. But if Zhao Meiqin really told him something like that, and it made him want to break things off, that’d be perfect.

Whenever she tried to bring up breaking off the engagement or talk about their relationship not working, Xie Yan suddenly turned deaf. She just couldn’t reason with a man pretending not to hear.

Xue Qingdai looked at Zhao Meiqin with a sudden softness, genuinely hopeful.

“Zhao Meiqin, go for it! Be sure to tell Xie Yan tomorrow—say it just like you did today. It’s very believable.”

Zhao Meiqin: “???”

This must be one of Xue Qingdai’s new tricks!

She was terrified!