Artes antiguas y maravillosas

Capítulo 13

Fatty Du burst into laughter, his entire body jiggling with every laugh, a sight that sent shivers down one's spine. As he laughed heartily, his gaze once again swept quickly over the pink swimsuit clinging to Lin Hong's slender body: "Little Qin, what a coincidence, running into you here?"

Qin Fangcheng smiled obsequiously and replied cleverly, "What a coincidence! This is my first time here. Chairman Du, are you free today?"

"Who said I'm idle?" Fatty Du sat down with a displeased look on his face. "I'm just taking a break from my busy schedule."

After sitting down, Fatty Du stared unabashedly at Lin Hong's body: "Little Qin, why don't you introduce me to your swimming partner? It seems you know Zhao Zhuo too, right?"

Qin Fangcheng looked extremely embarrassed: "Chairman Du reacted very quickly. This is my classmate from university. He came to Beijing on some business. Zhao Zhuo and I had dinner together when he came last time."

Fatty Du smiled tolerantly, knowing that Qin Fangcheng was unwilling to introduce Lin Hong to him, and suddenly changed the subject: "Little Qin, it's perfect to meet you. I was just about to look for you. I've been so busy lately that I haven't even had time to make a phone call—have you run into Zhao Zhuo recently?"

Qin Fangcheng and Lin Hong exchanged a glance, and Qin Fangcheng took the initiative, saying, "It's been a long time since I've seen him. Is there something he needs from me?"

“No, that’s not it,” Fatty Du looked at Lin Hong with obvious reluctance. “Zhao Zhuo hasn’t been to work for several days, which has caused a lot of trouble for the company. His colleagues said that he received a phone call and left while he was at work that morning, and he hasn’t shown up since. I wanted to ask if you have seen him.”

Qin Fangcheng and Lin Hong's expressions changed instantly. The day Fatty Du mentioned when Zhao Zhuo disappeared was the same day he and Qin Fangcheng went to Lin Hong's house. Without a doubt, the phone call he received was from Lin Hong. Thinking of the unusual and sudden way Zhao Zhuo left that day, Lin Hong's heart clenched.

"Zhao Zhuo has been with the company for less than a year," Fatty Du said, glancing meaningfully at Lin Hong and Qin Fangcheng. "His abilities are rather poor, and there are many complaints from various departments. However, he does have one strength: he is dedicated. But Qin, you are also a boss. What matters in work is effectiveness. Showy work without results is useless no matter how much you do. Don't you agree, Qin?"

Even though Fatty Du was clearly referring to Zhao Zhuo, Qin Fangcheng broke out in a cold sweat for no apparent reason, repeatedly saying, "That's right, that's right, Chairman Du is right, but Zhao Zhuo is also working very hard, he certainly won't let you down, Chairman Du."

Fatty Du sneered, "I hope so." After saying that, he glanced at Lin Hong with resentment, stood up, walked to the edge of the pool, and clumsily jumped into the pool, splashing Lin Hong with water.

Watching Fatty Du struggling and doggy-paddle in the water, Qin Fangcheng shook his head repeatedly: "This Old Zhao is in big trouble. The chairman is no longer satisfied with him, and he doesn't even bother to make amends. Now that things are at this critical juncture, we can't even find anyone else. Isn't this just wasting time?" After saying that, he turned to look at Lin Hong and found that her eyes were fixed on the woman who had come to swim with Fatty Du in the distance: "Old Qin, I recognize that woman."

"Oh?" Qin Fangcheng's eyes widened in surprise, and he craned his neck to look in that direction. Lin Hong kicked him hard, "Just look! Look at you like you've never seen a woman before." Qin Fangcheng sat back down dejectedly, "That woman has been lying there without moving since she came in, like a dead person. What's so interesting about her?" Lin Hong kicked him again, "Take a good look. I don't believe you can't recognize who she is."

Qin Fangcheng, having repeatedly offended Lin Hong, also lost his temper: "If you won't let me see, how can I recognize you?"

For some reason, Lin Hong suddenly became angry, stood up and walked away: "If you don't want to watch, then don't. I didn't ask you to watch." Qin Fangcheng hurriedly chased after her to explain, but Lin Hong's mood had already been irreparably damaged. She didn't want to swim anymore and went straight into the women's changing room to shower and change.

As soon as they exited the swimming pool, Qin Fangcheng was already waiting outside, his face dark with anger. "Look at you, Lin Hong, always so stubborn. You get upset over the slightest thing. Aren't we all supposed to be happy together? You're always like this, making everyone uncomfortable."

Lin Hong ignored him, her hands in her pockets, and walked along the road in front of the swimming pool. Qin Fangcheng lagged a few steps behind, muttering to himself. Just then, a dirty beggar from the roadside caught up from behind and was about to reach out to grab Lin Hong's clothes when Qin Fangcheng quickly stepped forward and pushed the beggar away: "What are you doing? Is this how you beg for food? You're even pulling on her! Go away, go away, go away! What's wrong with Taizhou? How come these beggars are allowed to squeeze in here?"

The beggar looked back and whispered, "Have you seen my wife?"

"You old... My God, aren't you Old Zhao?" Qin Fangcheng stared intently, almost shouting in surprise. Lin Hong covered her mouth in astonishment, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the beggar.

This beggar was none other than Zhao Zhuo, the tall, once-impressive and successful man.

At this moment, Zhao Zhuo's appearance was astonishing. His tattered clothes exposed his skin, his face was covered in filth and dirt, and he wore a pair of shoes he had picked up from a trash can, with his black heels sticking out. He also carried a striped canvas bag that was so dirty that it would never be cleaned. He was clearly a standard down-and-out beggar, and there was not a trace of a white-collar manager in him.

"Old Zhao, what happened to you..." They were just talking about Zhao Zhuo in the swimming pool, and now they've run into him outside. But they never expected him to have fallen into begging. The contrast was so stark that it made Qin Fangcheng and Lin Hong feel dizzy. They stared at Zhao Zhuo blankly, their mouths agape, their faces full of astonishment, unable to utter a single coherent word.

The street was bustling with pedestrians. A beggar was pestering the well-dressed Qin Fangcheng and Lin Hong, attracting many stares. Zhao Zhuo clearly noticed this. He lowered his voice and said, "There's a small park less than two hundred meters ahead. Go there and wait for me." After saying that, he turned around and stretched out his dirty, black hand towards other passersby. The passersby immediately dodged, their expressions of disgust clearly visible.

Qin Fangcheng was so surprised he could hardly breathe. He turned his head and looked at Lin Hong with his mostly white eyes. Lin Hong's expression was even stranger. Her mouth was distorted from being open for too long and too wide. Qin Fangcheng couldn't help but burst out laughing at this sight.

Qin Fangcheng smiled, and Lin Hong also came to her senses. She pushed Qin Fangcheng and said, "Why are you so close to me? And where are your hands touching? What did Old Zhao just say to us?"

"I didn't hear him clearly either. This is too unexpected, too dramatic. It's driving me crazy. I can't concentrate on what he's saying anymore." Qin Fangcheng scratched his head, looking at Zhao Zhuo who was chasing after pedestrians and begging incessantly: "Look at how professional Old Zhao is when he begs. How come I never noticed before?"

Lin Hong didn't find anything funny; all she felt was indescribable fear: "Stop joking! Hurry up and find out where that park is. What happened? Why is Old Zhao dressed like that?"

The two continued walking along the road, and a few minutes later, they arrived at the roadside park that Zhao Zhuo had told them about. The park had some free exercise equipment, children were running around among the trees, a group of elderly people were playing chess in a hexagonal pavilion, and a winding corridor extended into the depths of the bushes. Qin Fangcheng blew the dust off the stone railing, pulled Lin Hong to sit down, and looked into the bushes with some surprise. He found a homeless man lying there sleeping with his legs spread out. He nudged Lin Hong and said, "Look, Old Zhao has probably been living next to this homeless man for most of the time."

Lin Hong glanced at it, then turned away in disgust, fanning away the stench carried by the wind. Actually, there was no stench; it was just her innate cleanliness that made her do it.

Sitting restlessly on the stone railing, Lin Hong felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly moved closer to Qin Fangcheng, who casually put his arm around her. She lowered her eyes and looked at the large hand hanging over her chest. The hand was clean, dry, warm, and strong, with short nails. Zhao Zhuo's hand used to be like that too, even a casual gesture exuded masculine strength. But now, Zhao Zhuo's hand had become the most disgusting, filthy claw. It no longer relied on its own strength but begged for people's pity through filth and disgust.

He didn't need to demean himself like this.

What exactly happened to Zhao Zhuo that made such a great man like him sink into such a state of despair?

The two sat silently for more than ten minutes when they saw the beggar Zhao Zhuo limping towards them. Lin Hong nudged Qin Fangcheng with her shoulder and said, "Look, why has he suddenly become so much shorter?" Qin Fangcheng was also puzzled and said, "I can't explain it. He used to be over 1.8 meters tall, but now he seems to be less than 1.6 meters. What happened?"

As Zhao Zhuoyue drew closer, Lin Hong and Qin Fangcheng felt a profound sense of estrangement upon seeing this familiar friend. They couldn't even be sure if the man approaching was truly Zhao Zhuo. For them, beggars represented a form of existence detached from their reality, signifying unfamiliarity, rejection, hostility, antagonism, and unpredictable danger. Zhao Zhuo's face was no longer familiar or acceptable to them; the warmth they once felt had vanished beneath his beggar's appearance. A sudden, inexplicable regret welled up within them—regret for coming to this swimming pool, so far from the city center, regret for not quickly walking away when they encountered the beggar, and regret for actually listening to Zhao Zhuo and coming here to wait for him.

Why are they waiting for a beggar? It's utterly absurd!

But it was too late for them to leave. Zhao Zhuo was already close at hand. Only then did they see clearly Zhao Zhuo's stubble-covered face and his stiff, lifeless expression. The unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity filled Lin Hong with an indescribable fear. She desperately shrank back, curling up in Qin Fangcheng's arms. Qin Fangcheng had to hold her with both hands to slowly calm her trembling body.

Zhao Zhuo walked up to them, looking at them thoughtfully. He realized the fear and rejection his two friends had towards him, so he took a step back: "This... I look like this... you must find it very strange, right?"

The two shook their heads simultaneously: "No, no, no, it's not strange." Only after shaking their heads did they realize they were overly nervous and had answered incorrectly, so they nodded together: "Yes, yes, Lao... Zhao Zhuo, how did you get yourself into this state? Is it performance art? Or experiencing life?" The distance between them made them even change how they addressed each other; they really couldn't accept a beggar as their friend.

“If I told you two, you definitely wouldn’t believe me.” A bitter smile appeared on Zhao Zhuo’s lips: “Really, you wouldn’t believe what I’m saying.”

“We believe you,” Qin Fangcheng’s fear gradually subsided, replaced by intense curiosity: “We’ll believe whatever you say. After all you’ve done, how could we not believe you? Tell us, what exactly happened?”

Zhao Zhuo was somewhat slow. He leaned against a pillar, picking at his teeth with his fingers. As a beggar—whether genuine or not—he was inevitably influenced by the crude lifestyle of the lower classes. As he picked at his teeth with unbridled abandon, he said, "It's not surprising that you two got together." He raised his hand to stop Lin Hong's attempt to explain, and asked, "Did you see my wife in the swimming pool?"

Qin Fangcheng was stunned for a moment, and was about to answer no, when Lin Hong spoke up, startling him: "I saw her, she was swimming with that fat guy surnamed Du, but she didn't go into the water."

Zhao Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, she's alright," then asked, "Did she speak to you?"

Lin Hong replied, "No, she just lay under the parasol and didn't move. We were too embarrassed to go over and meet her. But that lecherous fat Du swam over by himself, and Lao Qin was trying his best to curry favor with him."

"What?!" Qin Fangcheng, his mouth agape, finally realized that the woman who came to the swimming pool with Fatty Du was actually Zhao Zhuo's wife, Huang Ping. "How is that called currying favor? I didn't recognize her at the time."

Zhao Zhuo said "Oh," and looked directly at Qin Fangcheng: "Old Qin, I want to ask you for a favor."

Qin Fangcheng panicked and stammered, "Zhao Zhuo, you know about this kind of thing... Men aren't anything special. With your looks, you're more than desirable. Why bother with a woman?" Instinctively, Qin Fangcheng sensed some danger and tried to evade it by making excuses.

Qin Fangcheng's behavior was observed by Zhao Zhuo. The beggar sneered, "Hmph, Old Qin, don't forget you still owe me 200,000. I just asked you for a favor, and you're so unreliable?"

Qin Fangcheng looked somewhat embarrassed, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Then Zhao Zhuo, you say, as long as it's not illegal, I can consider it."

Zhao Zhuo took a step closer and whispered, "I'd like to ask you two for a favor. After my wife gets home, please go and check on her for me."

"You want us to visit your wife?" Qin Fangcheng and Lin Hong exchanged bewildered glances, completely baffled by this inexplicable request. Parking their black Mercedes in the underground garage, Qin Fangcheng and Lin Hong nervously looked around as they searched for the elevator. The elevator was a short distance to their left. They walked over silently, pressed the button, and stepped inside. Once inside, it was just the two of them. Qin Fangcheng took a deep breath: "I didn't expect Zhao Zhuo to be such a womanizer." Lin Hong hummed in agreement, looking at him, waiting for his explanation. Qin Fangcheng took another breath: "To gather evidence of his wife's infidelity, he even disguised himself as a beggar. Now that he has the evidence, he's all sorry for his wife. If you'd known things would turn out this way, you should have kept a closer eye on her." Lin Hong frowned: "I feel like you're implying something?" Qin Fangcheng was startled: "Really? No, don't drag us into everything. We're completely innocent."

The elevator in this building was very fast; in just a few words, it had already reached the sixteenth floor. The elevator doors opened, and the two of them stepped out and walked to the left, arriving at room 1612. Qin Fangcheng looked at Lin Hong and said, "This is it, Zhao Zhuo and Huang Ping's sweet love nest." After saying this, he casually patted his head and pressed the doorbell. Now that Zhao Zhuo had disguised himself as a beggar to follow his wife, talking about a sweet love nest felt a bit inappropriate.

The doorbell rang softly, but no one opened the door for them. Qin Fangcheng frowned and pressed the button a few more times. Suddenly, with a clatter, a tense-looking face appeared behind the bright stainless steel security door, startling Qin Fangcheng.

The face behind the door was ashen, tinged with a sickly pallor. Two pale blue veins writhed like earthworms on its forehead. Its once beautiful eyes were now dull and lifeless. Disheveled hair hung loosely on its head, a lock of which had been pulled out, revealing bluish scalp beneath. Its thin, paper-like lips were devoid of color, and a streak of blood ran from its left earlobe to the corner of its lip. This haggard face, suddenly appearing behind the security door, resembled a Halloween mask, staring blankly at them without uttering a word.

Qin Fangcheng broke out in a cold sweat and looked back at Lin Hong, as if to ask if this terrifying woman was Zhao Zhuo's wife, Huang Ping. They had just seen her from afar in the swimming pool not long ago, so how could this woman have turned into such a terrifying sight in such a short time?

Lin Hong was even more horrified than Qin Fangcheng, because she recognized the terrifying face behind the security door at a glance—it was Zhao Zhuo's wife, Huang Ping. She had felt a sense of déjà vu while they were at the swimming pool, and it wasn't until later, when Fatty Du mentioned Zhao Zhuo, that she confirmed it. However, she hadn't expected Huang Ping to have become like this in such a short time.

Inside the security door, the mask-like expression stared at them for a while, then suddenly closed the inner door. The sound of the door closing made Lin Hong shudder, and she blurted out, "It's her, it's her! How did she end up like this?"

Qin Fangcheng muttered, "You should have spoken up sooner if you recognized her. Honestly, look, the door is closed again. I have to ring the doorbell again."

Qin Fangcheng grumbled, one hand on his hip, the other ringing the doorbell. Lin Hong took a few steps back, feeling uneasy. The building had a circular, enclosed corridor, and the overhead lights flickered. A cold, eerie wind seemed to sweep by. She quickly approached Qin Fangcheng and took his arm.

The melodious music faintly wafted from the crack in the tightly closed door. It was the sound of bells jingling, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells... The soft music rang out again and again, but Huang Ping inside paid no attention to it. The tightly closed door indicated that they were unwelcome guests.

"That's enough," Qin Fangcheng finally lost his patience. "We've been friends enough. Zhao Zhuo went to such lengths, and we still helped him without a single complaint. Is that alright? There's nothing we can do if his wife won't open the door for us, so it's not our fault." With that, he pulled Lin Hong away.

Lin Hong had been itching to leave this gloomy stairwell, but she was used to picking fights with Qin Fangcheng. Seeing him about to leave, she pushed him away, saying, "Don't be so clingy. Since you're already here, you should at least say something to them." With that, she went forward and rang the doorbell again. Qin Fangcheng crossed his arms, stiffened his neck, and gave her a "whatever" look.

Lin Hong had only pressed the doorbell twice when Huang Ping opened it. Her expressionless face immediately closed the door again upon seeing them, without uttering a word. Lin Hong froze, then angrily rang the doorbell twice more, turned around, and ignored Qin Fangcheng, heading towards the elevator. Qin Fangcheng hurriedly chased after her, saying, "Hey, hey, you're here again! I told you to leave, but you wouldn't. Now you're blaming me for this cold treatment. Why am I so unlucky?"

Lin Hong glared at him: "Didn't you notice? Zhao Zhuo's wife still has blood on her face, and on her head too." Qin Fangcheng nodded: "I noticed it the first time she opened the door. It looks like a knife cut." Lin Hong shook her head, then suddenly laughed: "No, it's from being slapped." Qin Fangcheng was puzzled: "How can a slap leave such a long gash?" Lin Hong explained: "Because the person who slapped her was wearing a ring, and the mark on her face was from the ring." Qin Fangcheng shook his head repeatedly: "I've really seen something new this time. Could it be that Zhao Zhuo has already come back?" As he spoke, he looked around: "How did we end up in the fire escape? You don't want us to walk down sixteen flights of stairs, do you?"

Lin Hong realized that she had been so focused on walking forward that she hadn't been looking left or right, and had walked into the fire escape. She smiled and was about to leave and head back towards the elevator when Qin Fangcheng stopped her: "Look, look! Who's that?"

Following Qin Fangcheng's finger, Lin Hong looked ahead and saw a well-dressed, imposing, chubby man with a buzz cut walking out of the elevator, holding a straw. His gait was quick and steady, with a powerful stride. The man seemed familiar, and Lin Hong was racking her brain trying to remember where she had seen him before when Qin Fangcheng said, "This is really strange. What's he doing here?" Lin Hong suddenly realized: this chubby man was none other than Chairman Du, whom they had met at the swimming pool. He had only been wearing swimming trunks then, and his large, fleshy body had caught Lin Hong's attention; no wonder she hadn't recognized him at first.

Chairman Du walked straight down the circular corridor. After a short while, the sound of a key turning in a lock and the loud click of a security door opening and closing echoed through the corridor, which then fell silent again. Qin Fangcheng looked at Lin Hong: "Do you think we should..." Lin Hong shook her head. She didn't like Chairman Du. The greedy look in his eyes when he stared at her body in the pool made her uncomfortable. It seemed unreasonable, but she just didn't like him. She just didn't know what Qin Fangcheng was thinking.

Qin Fangcheng stood there seemingly embarrassed. Suddenly, he grabbed Lin Hong and pressed his warm lips against her cheek. Lin Hong was startled and instinctively pushed him away, raising her hand to slap him across the face. The loud "smack" made Qin Fangcheng stagger back a few steps, only managing to steady himself by leaning against the wall. He growled in a low voice, somewhat exasperated, "If you're not happy, then you're not happy. What kind of behavior is this, hitting someone?"

Lin Hong took a step back somewhat awkwardly, lowering her head resentfully: "You know perfectly well that this is wrong."

"Because of what?" Qin Fangcheng persisted. "Just because of He Ming?"

Lin Hong didn't answer, she just stood there silently. Her emotions were very complicated. No matter how outstanding Qin Fangcheng was as a friend, things could only go so far between them. There was an obstacle she couldn't overcome. That was reality, and she had to get used to this sense of loss and resentment.

Qin Fangcheng rubbed his cheeks angrily, and after a long while, he finally said, "Alright, let's go." After saying that, he took the lead and walked forward. Lin Hong followed behind him, determined to keep her distance from this man from now on. She already had enough troubles and didn't want to add any more emotional burdens.

Passing by the elevator, Qin Fangcheng glanced at it. The elevator was currently on the first floor and wouldn't be going up anytime soon. He looked somewhat uneasy in the direction of Zhao Zhuo's house. Lin Hong was regretting her own misunderstanding. Seeing his expression, she knew what was going on and said, "Since we're here, we should definitely go in and take a look. Maybe things aren't as we imagine."

Qin Fangcheng asked, "What about you? Are you going?" Lin Hong was about to say that she didn't want to go to Zhao Zhuo's house, but suddenly changed her mind: "If we're going, let's go together. I think since we can be completely innocent, we shouldn't think about others in that way." Qin Fangcheng deliberately smiled and asked, "What kind of things should you think about others?" Lin Hong rolled her eyes at him and replied, "I know, why are you asking?"

After saying these words, they were already standing at the door of Zhao Zhuo's house.

Qin Fangcheng grinned mischievously, reaching out to ring the doorbell, but his hand suddenly stopped in mid-air. "Listen," he said to Lin Hong, "what's that sound?"

Lin Hong listened intently and heard a mournful wail coming from somewhere. The sound was filled with despair and pain, like the agonizing cries of thousands of ghosts in hell being scorched by flames. The wail was long and drawn out, and the infinite resentment carried in the cry was like a sharp needle piercing her heart, making her shiver involuntarily.

The wailing suddenly stopped, vanishing without a trace, as if it had never happened. Lin Hong shook her head blankly, about to ask Qin Fangcheng a question, when suddenly she heard a rough man's cursing voice again. The voice was extremely vicious, full of violence and tyranny. It was actually Chairman Du's voice, clearly coming from the crack in the door that wasn't closed tightly.

Lin Hong shook her head in disbelief. No matter how rich, powerful, or powerful the Du family member was, he couldn't do whatever he wanted. That was common sense. How could he possibly insult people at Zhao Zhuo's house?

But it was absolutely true that they could clearly hear Fatty Du's insults:

"You filthy slut, can't hold it in anymore, huh? Who told you to open the door to strangers like that? This stuff is so valuable, how can you drink it if it gets cold? Don't you know I like it hot? You deliberately opened the door and let it get cold, clearly wanting me to smell that fishy odor. I'm giving you face, but you don't appreciate it, so don't blame me for being impolite. Today I'm going to take a few more breaths. What? You say it hurts? That's right, I'll make you wish you were dead!" With this violent roar, that extremely miserable wail rang out again.

Lin Hong blinked in disbelief. Good heavens, what had happened? How could this be? The fat man surnamed Du was brazenly humiliating the wife of his subordinate—it was simply unbelievable. While she was still in shock, Qin Fangcheng erupted in fury, his thick fingers slamming down on the doorbell.

As the music started, Fatty Du's vicious cursing suddenly stopped. After a long while, the inner door opened, and a slightly surprised, chubby face appeared behind the security door. Upon seeing Qin Fangcheng, the face immediately showed surprise and astonishment: "Little Qin, how did you know I lived here?"

Qin Fangcheng, with a stern face, ignored the other party's surprise and astonishment, and said coldly, "Call Zhao Zhuo's wife out here. I need to talk to her about something."

"Whose wife are you talking about? Zhao Zhuo's wife?" Fatty Du's expression changed, a cunning glint flashing across his face. Then he replied in a cold voice, "You seem to have made a mistake. This is my home. There is no Zhao Zhuo's wife here."

"She's inside." Qin Fangcheng bluntly cut him off: "You'd better open the door, or don't blame me for being impolite."

"You're welcome?" Fatty Du's expression seemed somewhat disbelieving. He looked at Qin Fangcheng's cold face with a sinister smile, blinking a few times: "So the man who knocked on the door just now was you, huh? Heh, Qin, you're really disloyal! You're such a good friend of Zhao Zhuo, yet you even tried to sleep with his wife. Doing something like this, don't you have any shame?"

Qin Fangcheng was furious: "You surnamed Du, how dare you make baseless accusations? Call Huang Ping over here and ask her who did this shameless thing!"

"Whoever did the shameless thing knows it themselves!" Fatty Du's face contorted with grease, his snow-white skin instantly contorting into repulsive wrinkles. His sticky, fishy lips suddenly shrank, revealing two sharp teeth at the corners of his dry mouth, which were pressed into a straight line. This bizarre change startled Qin Fangcheng, who blinked rapidly, but it was just his imagination. Before him was still Fatty Du's unmoving, fat face, only now his expression was as cold as frost. He wanted to say something more, but Fatty Du's fat face was filled with hatred and resentment. With a spit, a mouthful of phlegm was spat in his face, and the door slammed shut.

Wiping the drool off his face, Qin Fangcheng flew into a rage and raised his foot to kick the door, but Lin Hong pulled him back forcefully from behind: "Old Qin, wake up! What right do you have to kick her door?"

"Why should I? Because of my relationship with Zhao Zhuo!" Qin Fangcheng roared, unwilling to give up, but Lin Hong still pulled him away. No matter how close his relationship with Zhao Zhuo was, he still had no right to interfere in Zhao Zhuo's married life. The phlegm on his face was all for naught, and he could only accept his bad luck.

“No way,” Qin Fangcheng said, walking away a few steps before turning back. “That Du guy is abusing Huang Ping. I’m calling the police.” Lin Hong grabbed his hand as he pulled out his phone. “If calling the police were useful, Zhao Zhuo would have solved the problem himself long ago.”

Qin Fangcheng was angrily pulled away by Lin Hong. His face was flushed with anger: "Did you see Huang Ping's face? This fat guy beat her up. Did you hear what he said to Huang Ping? What Du did was inhuman!" He took a few steps forward and then stopped: "Hey, Lin Hong, what is that Du guy drinking?"

Lin Hong's face flushed red instantly: "What's wrong with you? How can you be so shameless?"

"How could I..." Qin Fangcheng landed on Lin Hong's chest, which she was hurriedly covering, and smiled slyly as if he had just realized something. He rushed forward and ran ahead of her. Lin Hong was so angry that her face turned pale. She cursed him a few more times before reluctantly getting into the elevator with him.

Qin Fangcheng drove out of the underground parking garage and was about to turn onto the main road when his headlights illuminated the figure of a beggar hiding behind a trash can. His hand on the steering wheel trembled slightly. "This is bad. Zhao Zhuo is here. Is he worried about us?" As he spoke, he slowly reversed the car, backing up to the curb, and parked it on the side of the road. He got out and walked forward with Lin Hong, buying a washed jacket from a stall. Lin Hong asked, "Why did you buy this?" Qin Fangcheng replied angrily, "For Chief Zhao to wear. How can he be with us if he's wearing that beggar's clothes?"

Lin Hong glanced back. Zhao Zhuo's figure followed at a distance, neither too close nor too far, looking timid and hesitant to approach. Indeed, clothes make the man (or woman), she thought, feeling a pang of resentment. She lowered her head and hurried behind Qin Fangcheng. Qin Fangcheng clearly loathed Zhao Zhuo's beggar-like appearance, deliberately choosing dark alleys and quiet places to go, making it difficult for Lin Hong to keep up.

Walking into a hutong (alleyway), Qin Fangcheng suddenly noticed a small, privately-owned food stall at the entrance. The storefront was blackened with soot, and two tables were set up on the roadside. He immediately beamed, "This is a good spot, I'll sit here." With that, he sat down with an air of nonchalance. The stall owner hurriedly came over to serve him. Lin Hong glanced disgustedly at the filthy table and stools, then...

A few minutes later, Zhao Zhuo appeared timidly. Qin Fangcheng held the jacket high in the air, and Zhao Zhuo shook it for a while before he noticed. He craned his neck, looking on in confusion, seemingly not understanding why Qin Fangcheng was holding the jacket so high. Qin Fangcheng suddenly threw it, but Zhao Zhuo missed and the jacket fell into a puddle of dirty water. Qin Fangcheng sighed, "Damn, looks like being a beggar really is something you're born with."