~~~
The meeting place was set at Yuejun Square. Ning Jiuwei parked her car in the underground parking lot and unbuckled her seatbelt but didn’t get out right away.
It was a weekend, and the mall was crowded. Cars kept streaming into the parking lot, circling endlessly in search of empty spots. Ning Jiuwei stayed seated in her car, scrolling through her WeChat messages.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Su Jinglan might have followed her. Throughout the drive, Ning Jiuwei had kept a close eye on the rearview mirror. She and Su Jinglan had left at the same time and traveled together for a stretch before Su Jinglan veered off toward the company, showing no sign of heading to Yuejun Square.
If Su Jinglan had truly gone to the company, she would already be settled in her office by now.
Yet there were no messages from her on Ning Jiuwei’s phone.
Ning Jiuwei checked both of her WeChat accounts. Nothing from Su Jinglan.
Didn’t she say she was worried about me?
Ning Jiuwei closed WeChat and stepped out of the car.
Across the aisle, someone emerged from the car parked directly behind hers. Their gaze, hidden behind dark sunglasses, fixed on Ning Jiuwei. The tall, slender figure effortlessly navigated the narrow gap between the vehicles and trailed her toward the elevators.
After the elevator emptied out completely, Ning Jiuwei stepped inside. The woman beside her pressed the button for the third floor—the exact one she needed.
More people crowded in with every stop, from the first floor up to the seventh, lighting up buttons across the panel.
The elevator crept upward amid the constant flow of passengers getting on and off until it finally dinged at the third floor. Ning Jiuwei circled most of the level before spotting the coffee shop where they had agreed to meet. Shi Wanxu was already there, seated by the window.
Shi Wanxu glanced her way, her familiar warm smile instantly disarming any defenses. Ning Jiuwei took the seat across from her and ordered a black coffee.
“Does Doctor Shi need to see me for something?” Ning Jiuwei asked with a smile, her expression and demeanor perfectly concealing her true feelings and state of mind.
Shi Wanxu picked up the phone from the table, tapped the screen a few times, and passed it to Ning Jiuwei. “There’s an exchange seminar tomorrow. If you’re interested, why don’t you come with me?”
The screen displayed an electronic invitation, complete with details on the seminar’s topic, timing, and venue. The attendees were all heavyweights in the field of psychology. Ning Jiuwei handed the phone back. “I’m interested, but unfortunately, I have plans tomorrow and won’t have time.”
Shi Wanxu, an expert in reading micro-expressions, could tell from Ning Jiuwei’s eyes and the subtle curve of her smile that she was being honest. “What a shame. This seminar only happens once a year—if you miss it, you’ll have to wait until next year.”
“Is there a video livestream?” Ning Jiuwei was lying; she actually had the time to attend with Shi Wanxu tomorrow.
Shi Wanxu caught her drift. “No livestream, but there will be video recordings. They’re confidential internal documents, though, so they can’t be shared with outsiders.”
Ning Jiuwei sipped her coffee, her smile unwavering. “If I sit right beside you while you review the recordings, Doctor Shi, that wouldn’t count as sharing with an outsider, would it?”
“It wouldn’t.” Shi Wanxu hadn’t anticipated how quickly Ning Jiuwei would find a clever loophole. The rules forbade distributing the videos but said nothing about viewing them in company. “Alright then. Once I get the recordings, we’ll set aside some time to go over them together.”
“Thank you, Doctor Shi.” As she set her coffee down, Ning Jiuwei subtly flicked her gaze toward the sofa chair diagonally across from them, three tables away. That was the same woman who had entered the elevator with her and followed her into the coffee shop moments later.
The woman sat alone at her table, still wearing her sunglasses indoors. She propped her hands on the surface, her fingertips dancing across her phone screen as if sending messages.
The dark lenses made it impossible to tell where she was looking, but Ning Jiuwei’s keen intuition picked up on the occasional glances thrown her way.
“Doctor Shi, I have a question for you. How long do hospitals typically keep patient visit records?”
“Why the sudden interest?”
Ning Jiuwei kept her expression neutral, replying with a casual smile. “Just curious.”
Shi Wanxu dipped her head with a soft chuckle before meeting Ning Jiuwei’s eyes. “In general, outpatient records are retained for at least fifteen years, and inpatient ones for even longer—at least thirty. That said, it varies by hospital resources and storage capabilities. Sometimes records go missing or become inaccessible, or even get their numbers mixed up.”
“Can hospital staff access patient visit records at will?” Ning Jiuwei held Shi Wanxu’s gaze steadily, her demeanor suggesting nothing more than idle curiosity.
“With electronic records these days, doctors can pull up past visits anytime. Confidential ones—like psychological consultations—are restricted to the attending physician only.”
As Shi Wanxu fielded her questions, she wove in subtle reassurances for Ning Jiuwei’s benefit.
Ning Jiuwei pressed on. “What about outsiders? Can they request access?”
“In principle, yes. As long as you provide the patient’s original ID and show your own credentials, you can request to view and copy the records. However, most hospitals refuse and insist that the patient come in person.”
Ning Jiuwei had asked in far too much detail. Shi Wanxu’s mind turned, and a possibility occurred to her. “Is someone checking medical records?”
She hadn’t specified whose, but Ning Jiuwei knew Shi Wanxu meant hers.
“I was just asking out of curiosity.” Ning Jiuwei’s expression remained unchanged, with no telltale flickers of unease in her posture or gestures.
“Don’t worry. No one will find out.”
Shi Wanxu’s reassurance didn’t fully put Ning Jiuwei at ease. She still suspected Su Jinglan had accessed the records—that had to be why she said those things.
But she should trust Shi Wanxu. Doctor Shi had said no one would know, so Su Jinglan couldn’t possibly have discovered anything.
Ning Jiuwei couldn’t stomach the black coffee. Its bitter, acidic bite tasted like medicine. She took one sip, then left the cup untouched.
Shi Wanxu finished hers and asked if Ning Jiuwei wanted to browse the mall. Ning Jiuwei didn’t object.
The two rode the escalator down to the First Floor Clothing and Accessories Area.
Ning Jiuwei kept a discreet eye on their surroundings. Sure enough, the woman who had entered the coffee shop with them had followed them to the first floor.
She curved her lips into a smile and directed it her way.
“Ning Jiuwei.” Shi Wanxu, already inside the High-End Ready-to-Wear Store, noticed her lingering at the door and called back.
Ning Jiuwei strolled in casually and joined Shi Wanxu in browsing clothes.
“President Su, Designer Ning has spotted me.” The woman tailing Ning Jiuwei was Su Jinglan’s bodyguard and secretary, Xie Yun. Lately, Su Jinglan had shuttled between the Top-floor President’s Office and the President’s Office of the Design Division on the Sixth Floor, leaving Xie Yun idle upstairs with nothing but filing and document sorting. Today, she’d suddenly gotten orders to follow someone.
Su Jinglan replied: Keep following.
Xie Yun found a spot along the edge and peered unblinkingly through the transparent glass walls at the pair inside.
She adjusted her angle and snapped a few photos, sending them to Su Jinglan.
In the shots, Shi Wanxu rifled through the clothes on the rack while Ning Jiuwei stood half a meter away, her smile patient and tender—like she was shopping with her girlfriend.
A knot of frustration lodged in Su Jinglan’s chest. She frowned and summoned Lin Zhaoyue and Lin Fengmian.
“No matter what it takes, find out how Shi Wanxu and Ning Jiuwei know each other. And how long they’ve known each other.”
Lin Fengmian blinked in confusion. “Shi Wanxu and Designer Ning?”
They were investigating Shi Wanxu because of Designer Ning?
Only then did it click for Lin Fengmian: those gaps in the timeline might involve Ning Jiuwei.
“Wen Wanyuan might know.” Lin Zhaoyue remembered the woman she’d run into at the door on the night they helped the president move.
Su Jinglan furrowed her brow, considering. Wen Wanyuan was tight with Ning Jiuwei; she was the most likely source. “Figure out a way to get it out of her.”
It wouldn’t be easy. From what they knew, Wen Wanyuan’s feelings for Ning Jiuwei made her lips sealed tight on the subject.
The only option was to supplant Ning Jiuwei as Wen Wanyuan’s best friend—or girlfriend.
Su Jinglan eyed Lin Zhaoyue appraisingly. Lin Zhaoyue had arrived at the same conclusion.
Tricking someone into love invited divine punishment, and there was no call to throw away real emotions for this. Lin Zhaoyue mulled it over, then said, “President Su, I’m not the right person to befriend Wen Wanyuan, but you are. You like Designer Ning and want to learn more about her—perfectly reasonable. As Ning Jiuwei’s childhood friend, Wen Wanyuan is someone you should build a rapport with anyway.”
Lin Fengmian snorted with laughter. “Zhaoyue, you’re telling our President Su to cozy up to Ning Jiuwei’s childhood friend? What if Ning Jiuwei gets the wrong idea and steps aside for her bestie?”
Su Jinglan’s schedule was packed; the scraps of time she carved out were barely enough for Ning Jiuwei alone. Adding Wen Wanyuan to the mix meant abandoning the company altogether—might as well hand it back to the Chairman.
“Fair point,” Lin Fengmian pressed on. “Designer Ning hasn’t fallen for our President Su yet. If President Su starts hanging around Wen Wanyuan, she might think you have a thing for designers in general.”
Su Jinglan’s expression darkened, her cold stare laced with menace.
Lin Zhaoyue and Lin Fengmian went utterly still, blinking guilelessly as they awaited orders.
“Do what you can,” Su Jinglan relented. “Whatever you uncover is fine.”
The two departed to pursue their tasks.
Xie Yun sent more photos. Su Jinglan glanced at the stack of projects awaiting review on her desk, but work held no appeal. She pored over the images instead.
“Doctor Shi, this outfit would look perfect on you.” Ning Jiuwei lifted a garment from the rack and held it up to her. “Why don’t you try it on?”
She had all the time in the world today to keep Shi Wanxu company while she shopped.
Shi Wanxu’s gaze fell upon Ning Jiuwei’s face. Before she knew it, Ning Jiuwei had turned the tables on her. In their interactions, it was Ning Jiuwei who could peer into others’ hearts.
From the very first time they’d met, when Ning Jiuwei had tested her, Shi Wanxu had realized that Ning Jiuwei possessed immeasurable talent. She could master any knowledge or skill with effortless ease.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try.” Shi Wanxu took the clothes and stepped into the fitting room.
The sales assistant who had been waiting outside with Ning Jiuwei seized the moment to compliment her. “Miss, your girlfriend has such wonderful poise. And hearing you call her ‘doctor’—that’s such a sweet pet name.”
Unbidden, an image flashed through the sales assistant’s mind: calling out “doctor” in bed. Not just sweet, but thrilling.
“She’s just a friend,” Ning Jiuwei replied with a smile. Her gentle expression, paired with her stunning features and those beautiful peach-blossom eyes that seemed to ripple like autumn waters, set the sales assistant’s heart racing.
Shi Wanxu emerged from the fitting room, checking herself in the mirror. The sales assistant hurried over with a pair of pants, her quickened heartbeat still unsteady, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke to Shi Wanxu. “Miss, why don’t you try these pants too? Your friend picked them out while you were changing.”
The pants suited Shi Wanxu’s tastes perfectly. She glanced back at Ning Jiuwei, who offered a faint smile. “I just grabbed it at random to take a look. The sales assistant thought I chose it especially for you.”
Shi Wanxu returned the smile and took the pants back into the fitting room.
More customers entered the store, and the second sales assistant went to greet them. But these newcomers ignored the clothes entirely, their eyes fixed on Ning Jiuwei as they strode straight toward her.
“Shouldn’t President Su be handling company business? What brings you here?” Su Jinglan always had a knack for appearing at the most unexpected moments, catching people completely off guard. Ning Jiuwei’s heart gave a sudden thud, but she steadied her voice before asking slowly.
“What do you think, Designer Ning? Why would I come here?”
Ning Jiuwei mulled over her words, a wave of heat rising in her chest. Su Jinglan’s lips curved into a smile as she plucked a garment from the nearby rack. “To buy some clothes.”
One look at Su Jinglan’s outfit screamed old money, and the title others used for her only confirmed it. The second sales assistant, who had followed along, greeted her enthusiastically. “Miss, feel free to browse and try on anything you like.”
Su Jinglan glanced at the top she’d just taken down and hung it back on the rack. Right in front of both sales assistants, she leaned in close to Ning Jiuwei’s ear and whispered, her scorching gaze fixed on Ning Jiuwei’s profile. “And to keep an eye on my designer.”
~~~
