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墨書 Inktalez
Zhang Yunxin had not noticed that I was following her.
She stood by the roadside for a while, looking at her phone, seemingly waiting for someone.
A few minutes later, she turned and walked into a tall building next to Xinchuan Company.
I took a closer look.
Hua Yi Hotel?!
It was a Friday afternoon, right in the middle of work hours. Why was Zhang Yunxin entering a hotel?
Moreover, this wasn't even the hotel where she stayed.
I had dropped her off before and knew where she lived.
So what was she suddenly doing at a hotel near Xinchuan Company?
A wave of unpleasant thoughts surged through my mind.
But I quickly dismissed them.
Perhaps I shouldn't think so poorly of her.
She might have come to the hotel for a meeting or some event, after all. Hotels aren't just places to rent a room and sleep!
I comforted myself.
I quickly stepped forward, ensuring that I could no longer see Zhang Yunxin in the lobby before hurrying to the front desk.
Feigning calmness, I asked the Front Desk Clerk, "Hello, I'm here for a meeting. Could you please tell me which floor the conference room is on?"
"Uh? Ma'am, you might be mistaken. We don't have a conference room here," the Front Desk Clerk replied, looking puzzled.
I paused for a moment and corrected myself, "Sorry about that. It should be the banquet hall, right? The event that's happening here today is about to start, and I can't find out which floor it's on."
"Ma'am, we don't have any events in our banquet hall today. You might have the wrong place. Why don't you double-check with your friends about the location?"
"Oh, I see..."
Hearing the Front Desk Clerk's response sent a chill through me.
There was neither an event nor a meeting. Zhang Yunxin had dressed so beautifully; she couldn't possibly just be here to use the restroom, could she?
The only remaining possibility struck me.
A wave of inexplicable pain twisted in my heart repeatedly.
But I still refused to give in.
Even if I were to die, I wanted to do so clearly and distinctly.
So, I found a discreet spot in the hotel lobby, ordered a cup of coffee, and sat down. I casually picked up a magazine that conveniently covered my face.
I couldn't focus on any of the models in the magazine, each one more alluring than the last.
My gaze slipped through the gap and landed at the doorway.
I fixed my eyes on that door, desperate to see if Xinchuan would appear from there.
But life often unfolds this way—
The more you fear something will happen, the more certain it is to occur.
Indeed.
Minutes later, I finally saw Xinchuan walk into the lobby.
He looked like he had rushed over from work.
The cuff of his right sleeve was still rolled up.
He had this habit because he was afraid of getting his cuffs dirty while writing.
Perhaps a beautiful encounter had made Xinchuan too impatient; after entering the lobby, he didn’t even glance my way and headed straight for the elevator hall.
His familiarity with the place suggested he had been here many times before…
A sharp pain pierced my heart once again.
It felt as if an invisible hand was tugging at my heart, tearing it apart.
I laughed at myself.
What kind of luck was I still hoping for?
So much evidence had hit me in the face time and again.
Why couldn't I accept the truth?
I should have long since secured that green hat on my head.
I said to myself with a bitter smile.
In the days following the installation of the dashcam, I kept a close eye on Xinchuan's movements.
However, I never saw Zhang Yunxin again.
For three or four consecutive days, aside from driving normally to meet clients, Xinchuan occasionally lay down in the car to rest but never had any other woman in the vehicle.
I even wondered if he had discovered my tampering with the car and was deliberately keeping Zhang Yunxin from getting in.
The problem was, I could see both inside and outside the car.
Wherever he went these past few days, it was all clear to me.
To my surprise, he hadn’t met with Zhang Yunxin at all during this time.
Since the last time I discovered they had gone to a hotel together, the two of them had not met again.
At least, Zhang Yunxin's figure had not appeared around Xinchuan's car, nor had she shown up in the private detective's footage.
I didn't let Xinchuan go home, so he stayed at the office. Aside from occasional client visits, he hardly moved his car at all.
Through the camera, I could see that Xinchuan had visibly lost a lot of weight.
He was never overweight to begin with. After these few days, he looked like he was on the verge of wasting away.
His sunken eye sockets and the stubble on his chin only added to his haggard appearance.
I even worried that he might suddenly be stopped by the police while walking down the street, suspected of drug use, and forced to take a urine test...
Days of fruitless searching left me feeling extremely frustrated.
The upheaval in my marriage was undoubtedly a heavy blow to me; I had no heart for work these days. Every day, aside from staring at the live footage on my computer screen, I spent the rest of my time repeatedly questioning the private detective about whether he had captured any useful photos.
I was desperate to bring this matter to a close as soon as possible.
I was almost going mad.
To avoid driving myself insane, I finally decided to step outside for a bit and clear my mind.
I made a pot of soup, carefully packed it up, and took it to the nursing home to visit my mother.
The serene environment of the nursing home helped calm my troubled mind considerably.
Seeing an elderly couple holding hands and strolling in the park suddenly filled me with envy.
I had once envisioned a future where Xinchuan and I would sit together in a park, hand in hand, watching the sunset.
But now, it seemed like nothing more than a ridiculous fantasy.
I shook my head with a bitter smile, trying to cast those unrealistic thoughts from my mind, and then hurried upstairs.
However, I never expected to encounter someone I had been waiting to see on camera these past few days right here…
“Auntie, this Ginseng Fruit was sent by my family from our hometown. Please eat more; it’s good for your health.”
Standing outside my mom's room, I momentarily doubted my ears.
Did I really just hear Zhang Yunxin's voice?
How could she be here?!
I froze in place, hesitating to step inside, straining to listen carefully.
I heard my mom kindly say to Zhang Yunxin, “Oh dear, you always bring so many things when you visit. I feel so bad! You shouldn’t have gone to such trouble!”
“It’s just some fruit; it doesn’t cost much. The main thing is that it’s good for your health.”
Zhang Yunxin's voice was still as gentle as ever.
Though I couldn't see what was happening inside, her signature sweet smile already appeared vividly in my mind.
I frowned.
Based on the previous incident with the honey water, I felt uneasy, fearing that Zhang Yunxin might do something to the fruits she brought for my mom.
Our relationship was already shallow, and her sudden visit to my mom was suspicious enough.
From what my mom just said, it seemed this wasn't the first time.
My anxiety grew stronger.
With my mom's safety at stake, I couldn't hesitate any longer and planned to burst through the door.
But then I heard my name mentioned inside—
"Ah, you really are a good girl! If only our Jiang An could be half as thoughtful as you..." Mom sighed.
Zhang Yunxin chuckled, "How could that be? Jiang An is so outstanding; you should be proud of her."
"What’s there to be proud of... A young girl, always so careless and reckless! If only she could be as gentle and attentive as you, I wouldn't have to worry so much about her!"
"…"
Listening to the conversation in the room, I felt increasingly uncomfortable.
This wasn’t the first time I had heard my mom criticize me.
But this time, it was right in front of Zhang Yunxin…
I felt as if a heavy stone was lodged in my heart, making me feel suffocated.
I wasn't sure if I should rush in at that moment; the tension I had just felt was now mixed with a myriad of emotions.
At that moment, I heard my mother's voice—
"By the way, Daughter, when you leave later, could you help me empty the bedpan? That little Wang was careless this morning and forgot again..."
She called me by my nickname.
Her Alzheimer's had flared up again, mistaking Zhang Yunxin for me, which is why she was asking her to empty the bedpan.
Her legs were weak; sometimes at night, the pain would be unbearable, and she could hardly walk a few steps. She could only use the bedpan beside her bed and would have the caregiver take it away the next morning.
To be honest, hearing my mother ask Zhang Yunxin to help her with the bedpan made me feel a bit schadenfreude.
With a sense of curiosity, I didn't go in but merely opened the door a crack to sneak a look at Zhang Yunxin's expression...
Zhang Yunxin looked particularly beautiful today.
Placed next to that dirty, old bedpan, it seemed so out of place.
I saw her staring at the filthy bedpan on the floor, looking troubled and hesitating to take action.
The disdain on her face was clear even from several meters away.
A fairy like her, untouched by the mundane world, probably had never done anything as degrading as handling waste in her life.
Moreover, the person in front of her was just an old man with no familial ties to her.
Even if she appeared to be kind to My Mom on the surface, she could never truly overcome that barrier in her heart.
I hid behind the door and chuckled for a while before finally pushing the door open and walking in.
"I can handle this," I said, looking at Zhang Yunxin. "Sorry, but my mom is getting old and mistook you for me."
"It's fine..."
Seeing my sudden appearance, Zhang Yunxin seemed a bit tense.
However, the look of tension on her face flashed by quickly, soon replaced by her signature smile.
"I was a bit worried about your mom's health after what happened last time, so I came to check on her."
Even though I hadn't asked a single question, Zhang Yunxin took the initiative to explain.
I couldn't shake the feeling that she seemed a little guilty.
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