WRR – Chapter 2

After taking just two steps, Xu Shi’s phone chimed with a new message.

The woman from just now had sent her name: Yu Lingshan.

So that’s how it’s written.

Xu Shi copied the name, opened the contact entry, and saved her name.

When she returned to Weiwei’s side, Weiwei had stopped crying. Xu Shi sat down next to her, and Weiwei immediately grabbed her sleeve. “How did it go?”

“It was a misunderstanding,” Xu Shi said.

Weiwei sniffled. “I knew she wasn’t in on it.”

“That’s not it,” Xu Shi said, exasperated.

Then, Xu Shi recounted the entire contents of Yu Lingshan’s phone call to Weiwei.

Weiwei’s eyes slowly widened.

Xu Shi was mortified. “What were you thinking? You sent me over there without even getting the facts straight.”

Weiwei was also stunned, speechless for a long moment.

Xu Shi sighed and gave Weiwei the phone number for the person named Xiao Qing. “She said to call this person after six. She’s busy right now and won’t answer calls from unknown numbers.”

Weiwei swallowed hard, thinking for a long time before saying, “So all my effort these past few days was for nothing.” Then she added, “I knew it. Someone that beautiful would never fall for Chen Jiaying.”

Xu Shi frowned. “You mulled it over all this time just to come up with that?”

“Ah!” Weiwei suddenly exclaimed. “I know this Xiao Qing! I saw Yu Lingshan’s photos on her Weibo, damn it.”

Weiwei then explained to Xu Shi that this Xiao Qing was a photographer with her own studio. She knew this because she had tracked down Yu Lingshan’s Weibo a few days ago, but it was empty. So, she followed a trail from Yu Lingshan’s account to Xiao Qing’s Weibo.

“Her pinned post was a photoshoot of Yu Lingshan.”

“So sexy, you have no idea. That body, that face… absolutely captivating. Every photo had a different feel. The nine-photo grid wasn’t even enough. Is she a model?”

Xu Shi looked at Weiwei calmly. “Not sad anymore?”

Weiwei sighed. “Of course I’m sad, who wouldn’t be? Wouldn’t you be sad if you were cheated on?”

“Sorry, I’ve never been cheated on,” Xu Shi said.

“You, cheated on? You’ve never even been in a relationship.”

“…Why are you attacking me now?”

“No, that’s not it,” Weiwei grabbed Xu Shi’s hand, pressing it against her own cheek and calling out softly, “Xiao Zhi.”

Xu Shi sighed in resignation, patting Weiwei’s head. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Weiwei said, “But thinking about how that woman didn’t know either makes me feel a little better. It’s better to be deceived by one person than by two.”

Xu Shi rested her hand on Weiwei’s head. “So what are you going to do now?”

“Let’s wait until tonight. I’ll pick you up after work, treat you to dinner, and you can make the call for me.”

“…Me again?”

Weiwei just looked at Xu Shi.

“Fine, fine. I’ll do it.”

At eight that evening, Weiwei and Xu Shi were sitting on the floor in Weiwei’s living room. On the coffee table was Weiwei’s phone, displaying a string of numbers.

The two of them stared at the phone. When the screen started to dim, Xu Shi would reach out and tap it, making it light up again.

“Should I call?” Weiwei asked.

“Go… ahead,” Xu Shi replied.

Before this, they had spent some time strategizing. The plan was roughly: if the other person says this, we’ll say that; if they don’t say this, then we’ll say our own thing.

“Okay, I’m calling,” Xu Shi said, psyching herself up before pressing the dial button.

Weiwei gripped Xu Shi’s sleeve tightly. They both watched the timer on the screen. At the twelve-second mark, it suddenly connected.

“Hello.”

The person on the other end answered with that single word.

“Hello,” Xu Shi replied.

“Hm?” The voice on the other end softened. “Xu Shi?”

Xu Shi and Weiwei exchanged a look. Then she realized the voice was familiar. “Yu Lingshan?”

“It’s me,” came the reply.

“Where’s Xiao Qing?” Xu Shi asked.

“She’s beating someone up. Want to come over? I’ll send you the location.”

“Oh.”

Then the call was disconnected.

Xu Shi and Weiwei stared at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.

The contents of that conversation were completely beyond anything they had anticipated, and it had ended just as inexplicably.

“Beating someone up?” Weiwei asked. “Is she beating up Chen Jiaying?”

“Probably?”

Just as she finished speaking, Xu Shi’s phone buzzed. Yu Lingshan had sent her the location.

Weiwei looked at the message. “How did you two even add each other on WeChat?”

“Good question,” Xu Shi said.

“How is even her voice so nice?” Weiwei added.

“You’re asking me?”

The two of them set off immediately, arriving fifteen minutes later.

Yu Lingshan had sent the address of an apartment. When they got there, they found the front door ajar. Weiwei knocked lightly twice before pushing it open.

The moment the door opened, they were truly startled by the scene inside.

In the living room, a woman was standing while Chen Jiaying knelt before her, head bowed. This woman must be Xiao Qing.

A little further away, on the sofa, sat Yu Lingshan with her legs crossed, a glass of red wine in her hand.

Hearing the noise at the door, all three of them looked over. Yu Lingshan and Xiao Qing showed no particular expression, but Chen Jiaying seemed to jump in fright.

“Close the door,” Yu Lingshan said.

“Oh,” Xu Shi said, turning to shut the door.

The two of them walked further into the room. As Xu Shi passed the sofa, her hand was suddenly grabbed. The force continued to pull her backward, and losing her balance, she fell right onto the sofa and into Yu Lingshan’s arms.

She saw Yu Lingshan raise the wine glass in her hand slightly, likely to prevent it from spilling.

Xu Shi quickly steadied herself and shuffled to the side, sitting down about a person’s width away from Yu Lingshan.

“We’ll be spectators,” Yu Lingshan told her.

Xu Shi nodded.

“Have you eaten?” Yu Lingshan asked her.

Xu Shi nodded. “I have.”

“What did you have?”

“Noodles.”

Yu Lingshan nodded. “You got here so fast. Do you live nearby?”

“We came from Weiwei’s place.”

Yu Lingshan offered her the glass. “Want some?”

Xu Shi shook her head. “No, thank you.”

Xu Shi was bewildered. Wasn’t the focus supposed to be on those three? Why was Yu Lingshan so casually making small talk with her?

Xu Shi stopped paying attention to Yu Lingshan and focused on the trio across the room.

None of them were speaking. Xiao Qing was looking down, tapping at her phone. Chen Jiaying was still kneeling, and Weiwei stood to the side, looking a bit lost. She turned to look at Xu Shi, her eyes asking, What’s going on?

Xu Shi spread her hands in response.

“Want to hear a recap of what happened before you arrived?” Yu Lingshan’s voice drifted over lazily.

Xu Shi nodded. “Yes.”

Yu Lingshan looked up at her. “Sit a little closer.”

Xu Shi scooted a little closer to her.

Yu Lingshan made a dissatisfied sound. “Hmm~”

Xu Shi swallowed and moved closer again. Only when she saw the hems of their clothes touching was Yu Lingshan satisfied.

“Xiao Qing called Chen Jiaying over. It only took a couple of questions for him to confess. He was, in fact, cheating.”

As Yu Lingshan said this, not only was Xu Shi listening, but Weiwei heard it too. The one standing and the one kneeling must have heard as well.

Yu Lingshan continued, “Right now, Xiao Qing is organizing their chat history. They had business dealings before, so Xiao Qing is planning to expose this and show it to Chen Jiaying’s colleagues and friends.”

As she finished speaking, Chen Jiaying suddenly shuffled toward Xiao Qing on his knees. “Please don’t do this, I was wrong.”

Xiao Qing continued tapping her phone, her tone cold. “Are you only apologizing to me?”

Chen Jiaying glanced over at Weiwei. “I was wrong. Weiwei, I’m sorry.”

Weiwei scoffed and asked Xiao Qing, “Do you want my chat logs?”

Xiao Qing smiled. “If you’re willing, of course.”

The two of them began to work on that, while over in the spectator section, Xu Shi felt a little uncomfortable.

Beside her, Yu Lingshan took another sip of wine, truly looking like she was just there to watch a show.

When the wine in her glass was half-gone, Yu Lingshan said lightly to Xu Shi, “Your friend is so gentle. She’s not even hitting him after all this.”

Xu Shi immediately gave Weiwei a look.

Encouraged by Xu Shi’s look, Weiwei walked over and slapped Chen Jiaying across the face.

“How gentle,” Yu Lingshan said again. “Was that a slap or a massage?”

Xu Shi took the opportunity to ask Weiwei, “Feel better now?”

“No.”

After saying that, she slapped Chen Jiaying again. This time, she seemed to use all her strength. The resounding smack could probably be heard from outside the door.

Yu Lingshan smiled and drank the rest of her wine.

Ten minutes later, Chen Jiaying was kicked out of the apartment by Xiao Qing. After that, the living room fell into another kind of silence.

Weiwei stood beside Xiao Qing, making faces at Xu Shi, as if to ask, What now? Should we go?

Xu Shi also felt they should leave, but just as she stood up, Yu Lingshan grabbed her wrist again.

This was the third time today, with the exact same move.

“Have dinner with me,” Yu Lingshan said.

As she spoke, Weiwei glanced at Yu Lingshan, and Xiao Qing did as well. Then, Xiao Qing’s gaze slowly shifted to Xu Shi, lingering there for a long time.

Xu Shi said politely, “You haven’t eaten yet?”

“No.”

“But I’ve already eaten,” Xu Shi said.

After she said that, she heard Xiao Qing let out a small laugh.

Yu Lingshan didn’t let go of her hand, but her grip wasn’t tight, resting loosely on Xu Shi’s sleeve. She glanced at Xiao Qing and said, “Xiao Qing still has things she wants to say to Weiwei, but she’s hungry too.”

Hearing this, Xiao Qing raised an eyebrow and chuckled again. “Right, that’s true,” she said, turning to Weiwei. “Are you free? Want to grab a bite with us?”

Weiwei didn’t answer immediately, instead casting a pleading look at Xu Shi.

“Come on,” Yu Lingshan leaned toward Xu Shi, resting a hand on the back of the sofa, her voice soft. “Your friend just went through a breakup. She needs company. We’ll all go together.”

Xu Shi looked at Weiwei, then finally said, “Alright.”

Yu Lingshan smiled, put down her glass, and slipped on her slippers. “My treat.”

At that, Xiao Qing laughed, her voice full of teasing. “It’s hardly your turn to treat, is it?”

“Then I’ll treat my person. You can eat by yourself.”

“…”

Ignoring Xiao Qing, Yu Lingshan picked up her bag from the table. “Let’s go, Xiao Zhi.”