Sitting around waiting for things to fall apart was never Shu Yan’s style.

The fact that Ye Zhiqiang and Li Jiaojiao were constantly going out together was already damning enough—but unfortunately, no one was going to testify for her. Their social status was worlds apart, and finding a witness was nearly impossible. That left her with only one option: physical evidence.

She needed to find someone like a private investigator to secretly take photos of Ye Zhiqiang and Li Jiaojiao being intimate—ideally, catching them in the act. Ye Zhiqiang wasn’t just a womanizer, he also cared a lot about his public image. With photos in hand, the power would shift to her.

Based on the timeline, Li Jiaojiao should already be pregnant—that’s probably why she was so eager to push Ye Zhiqiang into divorcing. Shu Yan needed to find out which hospital Li Jiaojiao had gone to for her check-up. If she could get her hands on the medical report, that would be even better.

She didn’t have much time. Ye Zhiqiang was pressing hard for a divorce, and there was no telling what he might do. As a construction foreman, he had a group of men under him. When a man decides to be ruthless, he won’t care about love or marriage—let alone that you gave birth to his children.

Shu Yan got up immediately to change and go find help, but the moment she stood in front of the full-length mirror, her fighting spirit took a hit.

She’d never considered herself particularly pretty, but she wasn’t ugly either—just average. With a bit of grooming, she could get a few compliments here and there.

But the woman in the mirror?

Barely 5’2″, clearly overweight—at least 130 pounds. Her stomach bulged like she was seven or eight months pregnant. Her skin was dark and rough, and her face was covered in pregnancy spots. Her messy hair didn’t help either; she looked like she was in her forties. The only small comfort was that her facial features had decent bone structure, but no amount of good features could survive that kind of neglect.

She quickly turned away, frustrated. First thing after the divorce—lose weight, fix the skin, get rid of those spots. No need to become a beauty queen, but at least look fresh, youthful—like a 25-year-old should.

There weren’t many clothes in the wardrobe, so Shu Yan picked out a casual outfit and slipped on a pair of popular plastic sandals before heading downstairs.

The house had five floors. The first floor was the living room and kitchen. The second floor had two bedrooms. The front room belonged to the original Shu Yan and Ye Zhiqiang—though he rarely came home. Usually, she and Ye Tianbao stayed there. The back room was Ye Jingjing’s. Floors three to five were only coated in white paint—unfinished and undecorated.

This house had been given to Ye Zhiqiang as payment for an unpaid construction debt. It was currently worth around 150,000 yuan. But in 2019? A house like this would easily sell for five to six million—if you could even find one for sale.

Shu Yan gave the place a quick once-over. The house was quiet. Both kids were still with their grandmother in the countryside, which gave her space and time to focus on gathering evidence.

According to the original’s memory, the city was called Xicheng. Its geography, language, and customs weren’t much different from Shu Yan’s hometown in her past life. That was a relief—it wouldn’t feel completely unfamiliar.

But the moment she stepped outside, she froze.

Right… this is the early ’90s. No cell phones. No internet. How the hell do you even find a private investigator?

The original version of her had been a housewife. And Shu Yan herself had lived an ordinary life too—she’d never had any contact with those kinds of people. For a moment, she was completely stumped.

Then, a lightbulb went off.

In the original’s memory, the youngest son of her eldest uncle had always been a local troublemaker in Xicheng. Word was, he’d become a real street boss now. Last year, when their uncle got beaten up by someone, this cousin showed up with a gang of people and forced the other side to pay a hefty sum to settle the matter.

In a rural area, anyone who didn’t work a proper job was already frowned upon—let alone someone who made a name for himself as a gangster. No one dared say anything to his face, but behind his back, gossip was everywhere. Shu Yan’s own parents had always warned their children to stay away from that cousin. In the year she’d lived in Xicheng, the original Shu Yan had never even spoken to him. That showed just how distant the relationship was.

The original Shu Yan had looked down on her cousin, thinking he was just a thug and not someone to associate with. But Shu Yan didn’t see it that way.

According to the memories, this “cheap” cousin of hers had actually been very protective of his younger relatives growing up. Anyone who dared bully his cousins at school had ended up getting beaten up by him. Even now, if a family member was being bullied and asked him for help, he’d show up with his people right away. He was also filial to his parents and grandparents—last year, he’d even taken their elderly grandparents to the city for a full check-up. In the countryside, that was almost unheard of. Her grandparents were probably the first to ever get a physical exam. Compared to her own brothers, this cousin was a hundred times better.

Of course, reaching out to him still carried some risk. The divorce couldn’t be known back home under any circumstances.

Shu Yan wandered around the city first, hoping for a miracle. There were clothing shops, food stalls, and general goods stores—but not a single sign of anything like a private investigator. Not even a small ad.

She spotted a photo studio and hesitated for a moment before walking in.

“Looking to have your picture taken, comrade?” the man behind the counter asked. He looked to be in his thirties, with a little mustache and shoulder-length hair, practically radiating the vibe of a tortured artist.

“Ah, no, I’m just looking around,” Shu Yan replied politely and stepped back out.

No way she could tell him she wanted photos of someone cheating—he’d probably accuse her of defiling his art. Forget it. On to the next one.

The next shop was run by an old man who didn’t have the artsy look, but he was old enough to be her grandfather. Shu Yan had hoped she could find a skilled photographer and offer extra money to help her take the pictures, but it was clear that wasn’t going to work either.

Still, the man was a local and clearly knew his way around. In this era, being able to operate a camera was a rare skill. Shu Yan decided to ask for information.

“Excuse me, sir, do you happen to know if there are any private investigators in Xicheng?”

The old man gave her a curious look, then shook his head. “Girl, you’ve been watching too many Hong Kong movies. We don’t have anything like that around here.”

They definitely exist, Shu Yan thought, people just don’t know about them.

She thanked the old man and left. It was clear now—her only real option was to find her cousin.

After checking out several dance halls, she finally found him—playing cards with a group of people.

“Who did you say is looking for me?” Shu Jianyang asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he squinted suspiciously at the person who brought the message.

“She said she’s your cousin—name’s Shu Yan.”

They both had the surname Shu, so it probably wasn’t a scam.

“Third Brother, really your cousin? Is she pretty? Introduce us sometime!”
The bleached-blond guy sitting across from Shu Jianyang teased with a grin.

Shu Jianyang shoved him aside with an annoyed wave.
“Get lost. Lao Wu, you play for me. I’m going to meet my cousin.”

When he saw Shu Yan standing at the entrance, Shu Jianyang raised an eyebrow. This cousin usually looked at him like he was the plague. What, did the sun rise in the west today? She actually came to him on her own?

“Third Brother,” Shu Yan greeted him right away, recognizing the man as her so-called “cheap” cousin. “I came today to ask you for a favor.” She got straight to the point.

After a full day of searching with no luck, she’d decided this cousin was her only option.

This version of Shu Yan surprised Shu Jianyang even more. He never imagined she’d be the one coming to him for help.

“Wait a sec, let me say something to them first.” He didn’t ask any questions—just gave a few instructions to the people behind him and then led Shu Yan to a teahouse nearby.

The staff there clearly knew him well. One of the waiters greeted him with a big smile and personally led them to a private room on the second floor. It was obvious Shu Jianyang was a regular.

“It’s safe here,” he said, patting his thigh as he sat down. “You can speak freely.”

Probably just wants me to help save face or scare someone a little, he thought. How serious could it be?

“Before I tell you, Third Brother, can I ask you one thing first?”
Before coming to see Shu Jianyang, Shu Yan had already thought things through. He was open-minded, kept his word, and the type who responded better to softness than force.

Shu Jianyang frowned slightly.

“It’s nothing difficult,” Shu Yan added quickly. “I just don’t want anyone back home to find out about this—especially not the family. If you think it’s too much to ask, then just pretend I was never here.”

Shu Jianyang was a little surprised. He looked her over carefully. It was definitely Shu Yan, but her demeanor felt completely different from before.

“Alright, I promise. Go ahead.”

Tears welled up in Shu Yan’s eyes as she spoke. “Third Brother… Ye Zhiqiang has a mistress. He wants to divorce me.”

“What?” Shu Jianyang’s expression darkened immediately.

He may not have been close to this cousin, but there was no way he’d let an outsider bully one of his own.

He’d seen Ye Zhiqiang a few times at the nightclub. Having a few girls around while entertaining business clients wasn’t unusual—but keeping a mistress and pushing for a divorce? That was another level.

“This is huge. Why are you keeping it from the family? What’s really going on?”
By all rights, Shu Yan should be going to her parents or brothers—not him. Why come here in secret?

Shu Yan shook her head, her voice choked with emotion.

“Third Brother, you know what my parents and brothers are like. If they find out, they’ll never let me get a divorce.”

“You want a divorce?” Now that caught Shu Jianyang off guard. He stared at her in shock.

He had assumed she’d ask him to scare Ye Zhiqiang off, to make him break things off with the other woman and come back to his senses. The last thing he expected was for Shu Yan herself to want the divorce.

“It’s Ye Zhiqiang who’s forcing it. He’s dead set on leaving me. For that woman, he’s even willing to abandon our two children—so of course he doesn’t care about me,” Shu Yan said bitterly, wiping her nose. “I’ll agree to the divorce—but there’s no way I’m letting him walk away clean. If he wants out, he’s leaving with nothing.”

Staring at the fierce determination on his cousin’s face, Shu Jianyang swallowed hard.

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned—this girl is not playing around.

“What do you want to do?”

“Third Brother… you’ve seen private detectives in those Hong Kong movies, right?”
Shu Yan waited for his nod before continuing, “I need you to help me find someone like that. I want photos—lots of them. The more intimate, the better. If we can get audio, even better. And if there’s any way to catch them in the act? That would be perfect.”

“Ahem…” Shu Jianyang took a sip of tea, cleared his throat, and asked a bit dazedly, “Anything else?”

“The woman Ye Zhiqiang’s keeping… she’s pregnant. Third Brother, can you help me find out which hospital she had her check-up at? If we can get the medical report, it’d be very useful evidence.”

Shu Jianyang didn’t say anything right away. Shu Yan, though anxious, kept a calm expression as she waited. After a long moment, he finally nodded.

“Alright. Leave it to me.”

“Thank you, Third Brother.”

Shu Yan let out a quiet sigh of relief and pulled out a small roll of cash from her pocket.

“I came in a hurry and didn’t get a chance to go to the bank. This is what I have for now—please use it to get started.”

“Put that away.” Shu Jianyang’s expression darkened, clearly displeased.

Shu Yan shook her head. “This isn’t something you can do alone. You’re my cousin—of course I wouldn’t ask you for payment. But your guys will need to be paid. It’s not much, but please take it… don’t make it harder for your little cousin.”

Seeing how insistent she was, Shu Jianyang sighed and took the money.

“Alright, but this is enough. Don’t bring me any more next time.”

Relieved he’d accepted, Shu Yan smiled and nodded.

“When do you plan to act? Is there anything I need to do?”

“No rush. Once everything’s in place, I’ll let you know when it’s time to catch them in the act,” Shu Jianyang replied with a smirk, his voice tinged with a dangerous chill.

=^_^=