Chapter 26: A Clue
After Jiang Yingnan had dropped Du Xin off at the Du family home yesterday, he received a WeChat message from Tao Ranming.
It was a video.
Du Zhiye was drinking at a bar with a good-looking man. Their conversation grew lively, and she ended up collapsing into the man's arms.
Jiang Yingnan glanced at it, feeling a tightness in his chest, but didn’t pay it much heed. After all, his impression of Du Zhiye had never been that of a well-behaved woman.
Still, the fact that she was getting close with two men at once—and one of them was him—made him deeply uncomfortable.
He felt as though he’d been played like a fool.
It was revolting.
Du Zhiye frowned slightly. She didn’t quite understand what Jiang Yingnan meant, but it hardly mattered. All she wanted now was to sever any connection between them. “Mm.”
Jiang Yingnan stubbed out his cigarette, lifted his eyes to look at Du Zhiye, and after a few seconds, suddenly smiled. But his gaze was even colder than before. He remarked indifferently, “You’re quite the flirt.”
Du Zhiye blinked without replying.
All she wanted was for Jiang Yingnan to dislike her, so they could end things as quickly as possible.
It was clear Jiang Yingnan felt the same. He didn’t spare her another glance. But as he turned to leave, he threw out a spiteful comment: “I’m disgusted too. Glad you feel the same.”
When he reached the door, he seemed still uneasy and turned back. “You’re not going to pester me anymore, are you?”
Hearing him say he was disgusted, a surge of stifled anger welled up in Du Zhiye’s chest. Seeing his wary expression, she couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.
If Number 39 hadn’t chosen him, did he really think she, Du Zhiye, would take a second look at him?
He was indeed handsome, and his circumstances weren’t bad, but not enough for her to stoop to chasing after him.
Du Zhiye drew a deep breath, forcing down her irritation. She had no intention of making enemies now—she just wanted to get rid of Jiang Yingnan as soon as possible.
She made her intentions clear, raising a hand and declaring solemnly, “I swear, I, Du Zhiye, will never bother you again. If I break this vow, may I never be with the one I love for the rest of my life.”
It wasn’t a particularly venomous oath, but it was weighty enough.
Jiang Yingnan let out a dismissive snort, satisfied, and left.
Du Zhiye lay down for a while longer before getting up to wash in the bathroom.
Afterward, she tidied herself up and went to the mobile service provider to get a replacement SIM card.
Her phone was still at the Du family’s old house, and she couldn’t retrieve it for now.
With the new SIM card in hand, Du Zhiye contacted her private investigator.
They agreed to meet that afternoon at a café.
With nothing else to do, Du Zhiye arrived early.
The investigator showed up just as she finished a pastry.
They dispensed with pleasantries and got straight to business.
The investigator handed her the findings from the past few days. As she expected, Wang Qiang had been acting under orders.
Not long ago, Wang Qiang had been arrested for petty theft.
While in custody, he’d met a man named Chen Dong.
On the day of her engagement, Chen Dong contacted Wang Qiang, instructing him to tamper with Du Zhiye’s car the following day, promising a million yuan if he succeeded.
Reading the messages Chen Dong had sent Wang Qiang, Du Zhiye felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.
How had Chen Dong known, on her engagement day, that she would go to Tao Ranming’s apartment the next day?
The investigator pointed to Chen Dong’s photo. “Miss Du, do you know this man?”
Du Zhiye looked at the unfamiliar face and shook her head.
The investigator continued, “Chen Dong’s just a small-time gangster. He’s been scraping by in North City his whole life, and things have only gotten worse with age. A few days ago, he couldn’t even afford a meal, so he took a fall for his boss. That’s when he met Wang Qiang.”
He paused, then went on, “There’s nothing special about Chen Dong—he’s just a hood. But he and your stepmother… come from the same hometown.”