Ma Shangxi, dressed in a black suit, looked like a black bear as he walked through the trees.
Lin Jiang glanced at his watch. It was a little after ten in the morning.
'It's not even his lunch break yet. What's he doing out here?'
Muttering to himself, Lin Jiang quietly followed.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—
Just then, the phone in his pocket buzzed. It was a message from Xu Lin.
Xu Lin: "Do you believe in a married woman's intuition? Smirk.jpg."
Lin Jiang: "What's up?"
Xu Lin sent a photo of the herbal medicine shop across the street.
A red velvet cloth was draped over the counter. On top of it was a small sign that, when zoomed in, read 'Temporarily Closed'.
Lin Jiang replied with three question marks, not quite understanding what Xu Lin was getting at.
But in the next moment, a glance at Ma Shangxi up ahead made him understand instantly.
Lin Jiang: "Doing *this* in broad daylight? I thought it would be at night."
Xu Lin: "LOL.jpg."
[You have understood your female neighbor's intention. Comprehension +1]
Lin Jiang suddenly felt like he had searched high and low for something, only for it to fall right into his lap.
'This is going to work!'
Taking out his phone, Lin Jiang started recording Ma Shangxi.
They entered the loft apartment building together, but Ma Shangxi paid no mind to Lin Jiang behind him.
After all this time, Lin Jiang doubted Ma Shangxi would still recognize him.
But it was always better to be safe than sorry.
Soon, the elevator arrived. Ma Shangxi stepped in first, and Lin Jiang followed close behind.
Once inside, Ma Shangxi stood in the center of the elevator, while Lin Jiang stood by the door.
When Ma Shangxi reached for the buttons, Lin Jiang extended his hand as well, but he was intentionally a beat too slow, letting Ma Shangxi press first.
The button for the 23rd floor lit up. Lin Jiang pulled back his hand, creating the illusion that they were both headed to the same floor.
Soon, the elevator reached the 23rd floor, and Lin Jiang stepped out first.
That way, Ma Shangxi wouldn't think he was being followed—after all, he was the one who got off first.
'I'm a fucking genius!'
After exiting the elevator, Lin Jiang looked down at his phone, opened WeChat, and pretended to text someone, slowing his pace.
Ma Shangxi sped up, quickly passing Lin Jiang before turning right and taking a key out of his pocket.
Lin Jiang first glanced around, pretending to be unfamiliar with the floor and searching for a specific apartment.
Then, he casually turned the corner, activating his phone's video recorder to capture the entire scene.
Soon, he saw Ma Shangxi stop in front of apartment 2308, use his key to open the door, and quickly slip inside.
"He really knows how to have his fun, keeping a mistress in a love nest like this."
Phone in hand, Lin Jiang glanced toward the end of the hall, walked over, and leaned against the windowsill.
If Xu Lin was right, the woman in the cheongsam would be here soon.
If he waited here, he would be able to see her arrive.
He switched to the front-facing camera, aimed it down the entire hallway, and used his body to obscure the screen, leaving just enough of a gap so the lens wasn't blocked.
After pulling off that maneuver, Lin Jiang felt he deserved to reward himself with a chicken drumstick.
Sure enough.
Less than twenty minutes later, the woman in the cheongsam appeared, walking straight toward 2308 in a pair of two-inch heels.
Judging by her practiced ease, this was clearly not her first visit.
The woman had just reached the door when it swung open without her even knocking. They had obviously arranged this over the phone beforehand.
'What a fucking master of time management.'
The mission was now half-complete. The rest was just icing on the cake: gathering more evidence.
Lin Jiang left his phone in place, ready to record them leaving as well.
Once he had the evidence, he would have two options.
First, he could expose it on a short-video platform. But for a regular person, a post like that would have limited reach, so he'd need to pay for a local promotional boost. The effect would definitely be good.
The other option was a more targeted strike.
He could take screenshots from the video of the affair, print them as photos, and plaster them all over the entrance to the shopping center. The effect would be just as good.
But regardless of which method he chose, it meant the countdown to Ma Shangxi's resignation had begun.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—
Lin Jiang's phone buzzed. It was a message from Qin Youyou.
Qin Youyou: "Brother Jiang, are you at your shop? I was thinking of coming over to get something to eat."
Seeing the message, Lin Jiang felt this was a good chance to get closer to her.
Lin Jiang: "I can only make scallion oil noodles right now. Is that okay?"
Qin Youyou: "Yes, yes, that's perfect! That's what I was craving."
Lin Jiang: "Your foot hasn't healed yet, so don't move around. I'll bring it over in a little while."
Qin Youyou: "Oh, that's too much trouble for you."
Lin Jiang: "It's no trouble at all. It's the least I can do."
After replying, Lin Jiang repositioned his phone.
Just then, the door to 2308 opened, and a fully dressed Ma Shangxi walked out first.
Huh?
Lin Jiang glanced at the time.
He clearly remembered that they had gone in at 10:39. It was now 10:50. The whole thing had only taken eleven minutes.
If you subtracted the time it took to shower, undress, and get dressed again, there wasn't much time left for Ma Shangxi to do anything else.
'At this rate, he wouldn't even have to pay for parking if he did it in the garage.'
They left the room one after the other and headed for the elevator.
Looking at the evidence he'd captured, Lin Jiang felt it was more than enough. This was all he needed to nail Ma Shangxi.
A few minutes later, once he was sure they were gone, Lin Jiang took the elevator down as well.
Back at his little shop, Lin Jiang whipped up a fresh serving of scallion oil noodles, grabbed a bottle of Coke, and brought it all over to Qin Youyou.
Having changed out of her workout clothes, Qin Youyou was now wearing a beige slip dress. Since Lin Jiang was standing over her, the view was excellent.
"Brother Jiang, thank you."
"It's nothing."
After delivering the noodles, Lin Jiang wasn't in a hurry to leave. He helped Qin Youyou inside her apartment.
"Your scallion oil noodles are still the best."
"Well then, I'm counting on you to keep my business afloat."
"Hehe, no problem."
They made small talk, but all Lin Jiang could think about was how to complete his mission.
[Mission Objective: Make Mom give up on the idea of having you return home.]
'This one's pretty abstract.'
DING-DONG—
Just then, the doorbell rang.
"Brother Jiang, could you get the door for me? It's probably a delivery."
Lin Jiang nodded, walked to the door, and looked at the video intercom.
"It's not a delivery. It's a middle-aged woman, and she's dressed very elegantly."
"What?!"
Qin Youyou started to panic. "Brother Jiang, help me up. It couldn't be my mom, could it?"
"Huh?!"
"I told my sister I sprained my ankle. She must have told my mom."
"Well, you'd better come have a look. This is terrifying."
This scenario was second only to the husband of a cheating wife coming home. Lin Jiang didn't dare dawdle. He helped Qin Youyou up and brought her to the door.
"It really is my mom!"
"Um… is this a bad time for me to be here?"
"Brother Jiang, could I trouble you to hide somewhere for a moment? If she finds out I brought a man home, she'll kill me."
'That's just how parents are. What they don't see doesn't exist, but seeing it is absolutely forbidden.'
'Still, I'm familiar with this plot.'