Chapter 55: Don’t Know

Chapter 55: Don't Know

The day Jiang Yu and Xie Feifei had planned to go boating happened to be the same day Zhao Qing and Sun Zailiang were getting married.

They had planned to meet in the afternoon, bringing some snacks for an afternoon tea.

Surprisingly, Xie Feifei showed up at her place that morning.

"It’s Zhao Qing and Sun Zailiang’s wedding day today. Guess what I found out?"

"What?"

Xie Feifei whispered conspiratorially, "Zhao Qing isn’t actually pregnant! She’s been working as a temp at the Second State Cotton Mill for two years without getting a permanent job. Then she started dating Sun Zailiang and even slept with him. Everyone at the mill knew she was his girlfriend. But then, Sun Zailiang wanted to break up with her. She couldn’t stand the idea of losing him. Without Sun Zailiang, she knew she wouldn’t find anyone better. So, she tried to trap him by faking a pregnancy!"

"What?!" Jiang Yu exclaimed. "How do you know that?"

"Today, at the wedding reception, Zhao Qing’s dad blurted it out when he was drunk. Sun Zailiang’s mom was so shocked she fainted right there."

But what could they do? The invitations were already sent, the gifts received, and the marriage certificate signed. Could they really call off the wedding now?

Xie Feifei covered her mouth and giggled. "Serves them right!"

Although she didn’t like Zhao Qing, she thought Zhao Qing was the lesser of two evils compared to Sun Zailiang.

But neither of them were good people. Karma’s a bitch, huh?

"Let’s not talk about them. We should go find He Feiyan and grab lunch somewhere."

Xie Feifei nodded. "Sounds good."

But just as they reached the alley entrance, they saw He Feiyan rushing out in a panic.

"My sister-in-law is fighting with someone outside. I need to check it out, so I can’t go to the park with you!"

Before they could respond, she was already gone.

Xie Feifei muttered, "What a coincidence. Her sister-in-law is usually so level-headed. Why would she be fighting with someone?"

Jiang Yu thought for a moment. "Isn’t today a school holiday?"

"Yeah, it’s a holiday. The middle and high school students are on a field trip to Beihai Park. So why is He Feiyan running in that direction?"

Jiang Yu felt puzzled. "That’s the direction of the middle school. Doesn’t she know her sister-in-law is on a field trip today?"

Xie Feifei paused. "She should know, right?"

They hesitated for a moment when Tong Fang emerged from inside.

Xie Feifei greeted him and asked, "Hey, Tong Fang, do you know where He Feiyan went?"

Tong Fang looked surprised. "I heard Duan Yuzhen say that He Feiyan’s sister-in-law got into a fight at school, and the teacher called for a parent."

"How is that possible? All the middle and high school students are on a field trip to Beihai Park. There shouldn’t be anyone at the school except the security guard," Xie Feifei thought suspiciously. "Duan Yuzhen must be lying."

"I don’t know about that," Tong Fang said dismissively and walked away.

Jiang Yu felt the same way and had a bad feeling about it.

"Feifei, let's go boating another day. I think Duan Yuzhen might be setting a trap for Feiyan. We should go find Section Chief He!"

Xie Feifei immediately agreed, "You go find Feiyan's brother. I'll follow on my bike. If it's a trap from Duan Yuzhen, she probably won't risk anything major."

No matter how bold Duan Yuzhen is, she'd still think twice before crossing He Tingyue.

"Got it. Be careful and don't jump in. Wait for me and her brother to arrive," Jiang Yu said.

So, they split up—one to find Feiyan and the other to head to the Second State Cotton Mill.

Jiang Yu was a regular, and the guard knew her well.

"Hey, Comrade Jiang, you're back. What's up?"

Jiang Yu quickly said, "I need to see Section Chief He. Could you call him out? Tell him his sister-in-law is in a fight outside, and Feiyan went to deal with it."

Realizing it was a family issue, the guard didn't waste any time and rushed to get He Tingyue.

Jiang Yu didn't have to wait long before seeing the tall figure of He Tingyue.

She quickly explained the situation, "Feifei said your younger siblings were on a school trip in West City, but Feiyan didn't head that way. Tong Fang mentioned Duan Yuzhen gave her the message. Something doesn't add up."

He Tingyue hopped on his bike. "Hop on."

Jiang Yu quickly climbed on behind him, and they headed back to the courtyard.

"Aren't we going after Feiyan?"

"We will, but first, let's figure out where she went. If Duan Yuzhen's involved, it's probably just a small issue. She wouldn't risk anything serious," He Tingyue said.

This was exactly what Xie Feifei had been thinking.

Back at the courtyard, He Tingyue went straight to Duan Yuzhen.

But Duan Yuzhen's eyes darted nervously as she denied it. "I didn't talk to He Feiyan. I have no idea where she went."

Jiang Yu snapped, "You're lying. Tong Fang saw you two talking! Feiyan only ran off after you spoke to her. This has to be your doing! What did you tell her about going to the school?"

As soon as Jiang Yu spoke, Duan Yuzhen became even more defensive.

"I told you, I don't know. You're wasting your time. Maybe Tong Fang is the one lying to you."

At that moment, Jiang Ting stepped forward.

"It wasn't just Tong Fang who saw it—I saw and heard everything! You told He Feiyan her siblings were fighting at school and the teacher wanted a parent. I also saw you hanging out with those two thugs from Da Xin Alley. Were you plotting something back then?"

Jiang Yu glanced at Jiang Ting, clearly surprised by her sudden involvement.

But Jiang Ting shot her a cold smile. "Why are you looking at me? I'm not helping you. I don't have any beef with He Feiyan."

Given He Tingyue's status, living in the same courtyard, it wouldn't hurt to stay on his good side.

Jiang Yu ignored her and kept pace with He Tingyue.

There's only one road to the Third Middle School from here. Whoever tricked He Feiyan wouldn't have planned to make a move at the school.

So, Jiang Ting was probably telling the truth. It had to be in Da Xin Alley.

Once they arrived, Jiang Yu understood why.

This area is not only isolated, but the few people you see here and there are mostly just loiterers or troublemakers.

Some were playing cards, while others leaned against the walls, smoking and shooting the breeze.

He Tingyue gave them a quick glance before heading into the alley.

The alleys were a maze of crisscrossing paths, making it easy for anyone unfamiliar to get lost.

But clearly, this wasn’t He Tingyue’s first time navigating these streets.

He slowed down and positioned Jiang Yu closer to the wall, shielding her from potential danger.

He explained, “Behind Da Xin Alley is where the black market operates.”

Few people ventured here, and those who did were cautious about getting mixed up in trouble.

Jiang Yu’s eyes sparkled with curiosity; she’d never been there before, but the idea fascinated her.

As they walked, He Tingyue suddenly froze in his tracks.

“Something’s moving.”

Jiang Yu looked at him, puzzled, as she hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary.

Just then, a sharp cry rang out from somewhere nearby.

With so many narrow paths crisscrossing, the sound seemed to be coming from every direction at once.

“Fei Yan! He Feiyan!” Jiang Yu shouted.

It was Xie Feifei who responded, “Jiang Yu! We’re over here! You damn punks, I’m going to make sure you all end up in reform school today!”

Hearing her still cursing, Jiang Yu let out a slow breath of relief, glad they were okay.

When they finally found Xie Feifei and He Feiyan, the two women looked like they’d just seen their rescuers.

They were cornered by a group of street thugs, with no way to escape.

Jiang Yu hesitated, realizing from the way the men were acting that they were likely just trying to intimidate He Feiyan and hadn’t actually done anything serious.

But He Tingyue didn’t give them a chance to talk their way out, taking them down with a few quick punches.

He Feiyan showed no fear, crossing her arms and delivering a kick to the yellow-haired thug in front of her.

“Weren’t you all tough just now? Keep talking, why don’t you?”