The woman who walked into Second Chapter bookstore three days later was elegant, poised, expensive.
Wanyin recognized her immediately from photos.
Jiang Meilin. Shen Jingwei's wife.
Her heart stopped.
"Can I help you find something?" Mrs. Zhou asked, not recognizing her.
"Actually, I'm here to speak with Liu Yin." Meilin's voice was cultured, controlled. "If she's available."
"I'm here," Wanyin said, stepping forward. "What do you want?"
"Five minutes of your time. That's all."
They went to a small café next door. Wanyin texted Sister Mei her location before sitting down.
"I'll be direct," Meilin said once they had coffee. "I know who you are. I know about your relationship with my husband. And I know you've been running from him for the past month."
"If you're here to threaten me—"
"I'm here to help you."
That stopped Wanyin cold. "What?"
"I want a divorce. I've wanted one for years. But Jingwei has connections, resources. He's made it clear that if I try to leave, he'll destroy my family's business. So I've stayed. But you? You might be my way out."
"I don't understand."
"If I help you build a case against him, prove he's abusive and unstable, the courts will be more sympathetic to my divorce petition. I can protect my family's assets and get free." Meilin pulled out a folder. "I have evidence. Photos of injuries from when his control extended to me. Financial records showing how he manipulates people through money. Recordings of him threatening business partners."
Wanyin looked at the folder like it might explode. "Why would you help me?"
"Because you're not his first affair. You're just the first one brave enough to run. And I'm tired of cleaning up his messes, of pretending we have a real marriage while he parades his mistresses around." Meilin's voice was bitter. "I want him to face consequences. For both of us."
"How do I know this isn't a trap? That he didn't send you?"
"You don't. You'll have to trust your instincts." Meilin stood up. "Think about it. If you want my help, leave a message with the bookstore. I'll check back in three days."
After she left, Wanyin sat with the folder.
Inside were photos that made her sick. Meilin with a black eye. Meilin with bruises on her arms. Meilin looking terrified in what appeared to be security camera footage.
If this was real, Shen Jingwei was worse than she'd imagined.
That night, she showed everything to Sister Mei and Dr. Wang.
"This could be your smoking gun," Sister Mei said. "Direct evidence of abuse from his wife. A court would have to take this seriously."
"Or it's bait," Dr. Wang countered. "A way to lure you into a false sense of security before he strikes."
"So what do I do?"
"You meet with her again. But in a public place, with witnesses. You record the conversation. And you verify everything she tells you before you trust it."
Three days later, Wanyin left a message agreeing to meet.
They met at a busy restaurant during lunch rush. Wanyin had a recording app running on her phone in her pocket.
"You came," Meilin said.
"I need to know this is real. That you're not working with him."
"What would convince you?"
"Tell me something about him. Something only someone close would know."
Meilin was quiet for a moment. "He has a scar on his lower back. Motorcycle accident when he was nineteen. He's self-conscious about it, never takes his shirt off unless the lights are dimmed. He drinks jasmine tea every morning at exactly 7am. And he talks in his sleep when he's stressed, usually about his father."
Wanyin felt a chill. These were intimate details. Real details.
"Okay. I believe you."
They spent the next hour going through Meilin's evidence. It was damning. Years of control, manipulation, occasional violence. All carefully hidden from the public.
"Why didn't you leave earlier?" Wanyin asked.
"Same reason you didn't. He made it impossible. The difference is, you don't have a family business to protect. You could run. I couldn't."
"Until now."
"Until now. You're forcing his hand. Making him reckless. That gives me an opening."
As Wanyin left the restaurant, folder heavy in her bag, she felt something she hadn't felt in weeks.
Hope.
She wasn't alone in this. She had allies. Evidence. A fighting chance.
Shen Jingwei thought he held all the power.
But he was about to learn he'd underestimated the women in his life.