Chapter 39: A Bloody Scene

Chapter 39: A Bloody Scene

Lin Yufan woke up to the chirping of birds outside the window.

Glancing at the alarm clock on the table, it was still early, but she was already wide awake.

Her mind was still preoccupied with whether she had won the bet.

She noticed Zhao Zhiao was already up and gone, probably for a morning run.

After getting up, she got ready, did her makeup, and changed her clothes without ringing for the maid to assist her, managing everything on her own.

Next, she went to the living room and saw today's "Hong Kong Morning Post" on the table. She quickly picked it up to check if there was any information about yesterday's horse racing results.

As she flipped through the paper, she spotted an ad for a paper mill before finding the racing results.

Before she could take a closer look, the door leading to Zhao Zhiao's closet opened.

Zhao Zhiao stood in the doorway in his workout clothes, a towel around his neck, glaring at her.

Lin Yufan glanced at him, wondering what he’d heard.

She felt a pang of guilt: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Did you put up the villa in Repulse Bay to the bank?"

Lin Yufan paused slightly; she had previously worried that Zhao Zhiao would find out and make a scene.

Sure enough, he had.

Seeing that she stayed silent, Zhao Zhiao continued, "Didn't have enough money to buy Turtleback Mountain?"

She murmured, "Yes, I was short by a few tens of thousands."

Zhao Zhiao was furious. "Why didn’t you tell me you were short?"

"I was afraid that you wouldn’t let me buy it."

"Such an important decision... You never discuss things with me, always acting on your own. I always find out about these things from others. How do you think that makes me feel!"

Is it really that serious? she thought.

Lin Yufan shot back, "You don't discuss your matters with me either. I asked you, and you didn't tell me. At least when you asked me, I didn't hide anything and told you honestly."

Zhao Zhiao was silent.

He stepped closer, holding back his anger. "Except for things I can’t share, I don’t hide anything from you. Unlike you, the lawyer knows, Tielong knows, people outside know, but I don't."

Lin Yufan snapped, "You're exaggerating. Apart from the lawyer and the people helping me, who else knows? Should I also be jealous of Shen Te? He knows everything about your matters, but I don't."

Jealous? She accused him of jealousy.

Who’s jealous? he thought.

Zhao Zhiao said calmly, "These financial matters, you should have told me. We could have solved them ourselves. There was no need for you to mortgage the property and borrow money from the bank."

"I told you, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to convince you, afraid you wouldn't let me buy Turtleback Mountain, so I mortgaged the property. Don't worry, I'll pay it back as soon as I have the money."

Clearly, Zhao Zhiao is a conservative investor who dislikes borrowing money from banks. "Fine, you didn’t ask me for it. Wait until you have money? When will that be? What if Turtleback Hill doesn’t sell next year?"

When will she have money? As long as she sells the 24 properties in Yilan Residence, she can manage to cover it.

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring!

The phone rang just in time. Lin Yufan avoided his interrogation and picked up the receiver: "Hello!"

On the other end of the line came Tie Long’s excited voice: "First Madam, the horse ticket won, Triple Crown!"

The horse ticket won?!!!

Lin Yufan’s mind suddenly went blank: "What was the multiplier?"

"I bought 5,000 yuan worth, and the 20x multiplier makes it 100,000." Tie Long was clearly more excited than her, his words a bit incoherent, "I’m at the payphone next to the betting station. I’ll go to Yilan Residence later. I was afraid you’d have already left for work by the time I got home, so I called to tell you the result first."

Lin Yufan suppressed a smile: "That’s great. Once we collect the winnings, you, Gui Xiang, and Hong Yu will each get a bonus."

Tie Long thanked her happily: "Thank you, First Madam."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yufan looked at a bewildered Zhao Zhiao, coughed, and smiled slightly: "It doesn’t matter if Turtleback Hill doesn’t sell. I have the money to repay the bank."

"What prize did you win?" Zhao Zhiao, who had just heard his wife answer the phone, quickly pieced it together.

"I won the horse ticket..."

"How much did you win?"

"100,000."

Zhao Zhiao: "..."

When Lin Yufan said "100,000," her expression was calm, but her tone was a bit smug and taunting.

But after saying it, she felt very comfortable, very pleased.

Who cares if he’s happy? She’s happy.

Zhao Zhiao tried to suppress his frown, guessing she must have had a premonition about the horse ticket, otherwise she wouldn’t have suddenly bought it and won such a big prize.

He took the towel off his neck, "Alright, as long as you can solve it. I was originally planning to give you the over 100,000 I got back from Qi Yunxin, but it seems it’s not needed now."

This time it was Lin Yufan’s turn to be speechless: "..."

You should have mentioned that earlier.

No use regretting it now.

But she wasn’t willing to back down. Anyway, she had money now and didn’t care, so she changed the subject: "Have Second Uncle and Qi Yunxin returned to Haicheng?"

"They should be on their way by now."

Lin Yufan sighed: "The two children are to be pitied. Second Aunt and Jingxiu are also to be pitied. And Nian Ge is also to be pitied."

Zhao Zhiao didn’t want to comment. He brought Lin Yufan’s straying topic back: "Remember to discuss things with your man in the future."

Thinking of the upcoming 100,000, Lin Yufan was in a very good mood. She smiled and agreed: "Got it. Anyway, I do better in this aspect than you. Even if I didn’t tell you in time, when you ask, I definitely tell the truth. On the contrary, you should also reflect on yourself."

"It seems I didn’t satisfy you enough last night. Keep sassing me, and I’ll toss you onto the bed."

Lin Yufan immediately fell silent: "..."

Zhao Zhiao snatched the newspaper off the table and headed out.

As soon as he left, Gui Xiang slipped in, beaming from ear to ear.

"Miss, did you hear? We hit the jackpot!"

"Tie Long just gave me a call."

Gui Xiang, suppressing her excitement, whispered, "I put all my saved 50 Hong Kong dollars into the lottery, following your lead. I won 1000. Hong Yu put in 20 and won 400."

"Really?" Lin Yufan was even happier than when she earned the money herself. "What about Tie Long? Did he buy any?"

Gui Xiang laughed, "That tightwad Tie Long, he sends all his cash home and blows the rest on smokes. He only bought 5 dollars and made 100. Miss, don’t forget to loop us in on these money-making chances next time."

Lin Yufan couldn’t guarantee there would be such lottery tips again, "It’s a tip from a coworker—not something you can count on."

Gui Xiang nodded somewhat understandingly, "So that’s what a tip is? I keep hearing Driver Deng say 'tips, tips,' and I thought, why’s he so vulgar? I had no idea what it meant."

Lin Yufan burst out laughing, her sides aching, she explained, "It’s the English word 'Tips,' borrowed in Hong Kong, meaning a hint or a heads-up."

"Oh, so that’s what it means."

Even though it was Sunday, they could still cash in the prize.

After breakfast, Lin Yufan took a car to the Jockey Club headquarters. She stayed in the car while Gui Xiang and Tie Long went in to collect the winnings.

It took them a long time to come out.

As soon as Gui Xiang got into the car, she complained softly, "Miss, it’s good you didn’t go. The Jockey Club had swarms of reporters waiting. It was overwhelming. Luckily, Tie Long was there."

Lin Yufan hadn’t expected this, she asked, "Did you give an interview?"

"We gave a quick statement but didn’t let them snap any pictures."

"What did you say?"

"I told them our master and mistress bought the ticket, and we were just here to pick up the winnings. They asked who our master and mistress were. I’m not stupid, I wouldn’t tell them. After cashing in, Tie Long and I looped around to lose the reporters."

Lin Yufan praised, "You’re really smart."

Gui Xiang smiled, "Of course."

Since Lin Yufan’s winnings were substantial, the Jockey Club cut her a check. After fees, the check came to just over 96,000 yuan.

Once she had the check, she called Lawyer Yan to cancel the mortgage loan before the bank released the funds.

She also wrote a check to Boss Zhou to wrap up the Turtleback Mountain payment.

After everything, she still had over 40,000 left.

She handed Gui Xiang, Hong Yu, and Tie Long each a red envelope, telling them to keep it quiet and not flaunt it.

Naturally, she didn’t leave out Wang Muxun.

In the evening, the Zhao family went out to eat at a restaurant. As they passed a bookstore, she had the driver pull over. She bought the priciest pen in the store, had it wrapped, and got it ready for Wang Muxun.

Zhao Zhiao waited in the car, watching her pick up a pen and two books, the pen elegantly boxed with a bow.

He noticed it and thought to himself, since his birthday was approaching, it must be a gift she bought for his birthday.

But he still asked, "What did you buy?"

"I bought a pen and some books," Lin Yufan said briefly, handing the books to him. "Do you want to read them?"

Zhao Zhiao glanced at them, "I’m not into romance novels."

Lin Yufan guessed he probably didn’t like them, since there were hardly any such novels on the bookshelves in his study. So she just flipped through the book herself in the car.

It was almost November, and the days were getting darker earlier. The car was dimly lit. Zhao Zhiao placed his hand on the book, "Don’t hurt your eyes."

"I won’t go blind, but reading in the car makes me feel a bit queasy."

"Just put it away and stop reading."

Lin Yufan put the book away. The car was stopped at a traffic light, and she looked outside, just in time to see Wang Muxun squatting by a street newsstand, reading a book. She thought about saying hi but figured it wasn’t the right time, so she let it go.

Zhao Zhiao noticed a sudden sparkle in his wife’s eyes and followed her gaze. "Do you know him?" he asked.

"He’s a colleague from the newspaper office."

Zhao Zhiao took another look at the young man squatting on the ground, pale-faced with slightly long hair, looking like a bookish guy who couldn’t hurt a fly.

He asked, "Should we say hi?"

"No need."

He asked again, "What’s his name?"

"My colleague? His name is Wang Muxun," Lin Yufan said, writing his name in her husband’s palm. "It’s a nice name."

His palm tingled from her writing, and Zhao Zhiao felt more than just a tickle—he was a bit jealous. "What does he do?"

He grabbed her hand, held it tight, and gently rubbed it.

"He’s a future writer."

Lin Yufan couldn’t say that, so she just smiled. "He’s a data clerk," she said.

Just a lowly data clerk.

Zhao Zhiao didn’t ask further.

As the car started moving, Lin Yufan looked away, wondering how much Wang Muxun had won from the horse races.

Today, the Zhao family had reserved a private room at Zhenbaozhai for a family dinner. As usual, the Third Concubine didn’t show up.

They chose to eat out mainly to cheer up Liu Fang and Zhao Jingxiu.

Kang Nian deliberately avoided them; he was working outside today and didn’t join them.

During the meal, Wang Junyao said, "Zhi Ao’s birthday is coming up. Should we celebrate at home or eat out?"

Everyone looked at Lin Yufan. She knew Zhao Zhiao’s birthday was at the beginning of next month and passed the question to the birthday boy himself, "Do you want to eat out or have a dance party at home and invite everyone to dinner?"

Zhao Zhiao replied, "A simple dinner at home is fine."

The Fourth Concubine, however, was eager. "A dance party at home would be nice. It’s been a while since we’ve danced."

Zhao Zhiao clearly wasn’t in the mood for this. "If you want to dance, you can just do it at home."

The Fourth Concubine pouted, sulking. "How can I dance by myself? It’s always Geng Dongping who rests her hand on my shoulder, and I hold her waist... Holding her waist feels like touching the soft cotton quilt on my bed, soft and comfortable, making me sleepy."

The Second Concubine playfully swatted her and laughed, "I’m nice enough to dance with you, and now you’re picking on me."

Everyone burst into laughter, and the mood at the table finally lifted.

After the meal, they packed up some leftovers especially for Kang Nian.

When they got home and stepped out of the car in the yard, Lin Yufan saw Wang Junyao glance her way and knew her mother-in-law had something to discuss, so she walked over.

Wang Junyao asked her, "After Qi Yunxin left, who’s going to take care of the household? Zhi Ao never bothers with that stuff, and you have to work. Your second aunt isn’t exactly decisive either. Should we pick one of the concubines to run things?"

Previously, they preferred Qi Yunxin to manage the household rather than the concubines, and now that Lin Yufan was here, it was even less likely that a concubine would take charge.

It’d be a laughingstock if people found out.

Lin Yufan figured her mother-in-law was angling to put the Second Concubine in charge. If her mother-in-law hadn’t been so soft-hearted, she might’ve even thought about stepping in herself.

"Mom, don’t worry, I’ve already discussed it with Zhi Ao," Lin Yufan directly brought her husband into the conversation. "There’s not much to manage around the house, and Ms. Guan, as the housekeeper, can handle it well. She’ll check with me for any decisions. If something urgent comes up, you can handle it too. So there’s no need to bring in someone else."

Wang Junyao didn’t push it either. Since Lin Yufan had said so, she nodded immediately, "That works, but it’ll be more on your plate."

"What’s the big deal?"

But Lin Yufan didn’t say that. She smiled and replied, "It’s only fair that I take on more. Be careful with the steps."

Zhao Zhiao went out again after returning home. He had business to attend to, and by the time Lin Yufan went to bed, he still hadn’t returned.

The next day, when she woke up and got ready, she heard from Gui Xiang that her son-in-law had returned after one o’clock last night and left again before seven in the morning.

The boss works harder than the workers just to make a buck.

Lin Yufan didn’t respond because she didn’t know if he was so busy for the sake of making money or for some admirable cause.

*

Lin Yufan arrived a bit late today. By the time she got to the office, almost everyone else was already there.

Seeing her come in, Sister Dao secretly handed her a rice dumpling, "It’s a red bean dumpling made by my family. Try it."

Lin Yufan accepted her kindness and whispered her thanks, "Thank you, Sister Dao."

Although Lin Yufan dressed as simply as possible, she still looked better off than most people, so everyone guessed she was a widow with some money.

Why they thought she was a widow was unclear, but over time, everyone came to believe she was.

However, she had a good temper and was quite capable at work. She typed quickly, could translate, and was skilled at proofreading, so everyone in the office got along well with her.

The editors in the upstairs editorial room particularly liked her because her fast typing saved them a lot of time, and she would automatically correct typos while typing.

All morning, Lin Yufan finished her work on the second floor and then moved to the editorial room upstairs. By the time her colleagues went for lunch, she finally stopped typing.

Hearing the typing stop, Wang Muxun, who was sitting in front, turned around.

"Did you buy it?"

There had been people in the office all morning, and he had been holding back for hours.

Lin Yufan lowered her voice, "I did. What about you?"

Wang Muxun beamed, "I bought it too. I made over two thousand bucks. How much did you make?"

Lin Yufan hesitated to tell the truth, "A little more than you, around three thousand."

"That’s a pretty good chunk of change," considering Lin Yufan's annual salary was just over a thousand.

Wang Muxun asked, "Did you catch the news?"

"What?"

"Someone hit the jackpot for 100,000—it’s all over the news."

Lin Yufan smiled, not biting. "Let's go, I’ve got your lunches covered. For the next month, your lunches are on me."

A month’s worth of lunches wouldn’t even set her back ten bucks, so Wang Muxun didn’t decline, "Then I’ll take you up on that."

They went to a small roast goose restaurant near the publishing house. During lunchtime, many office workers were there. They snagged a corner table and sat down.

Wang Muxun ordered roast goose leg with rice, while Lin Yufan chose roast goose over rice noodles.

The table was still slick with grease from the last diners, and the staff was too swamped to clean it. Wang Muxun grabbed a cloth from the counter and wiped it down himself.

It was obvious Wang Muxun had come a long way in this life.

He was more grounded, tactful, and in tune with the world now.

That was a good sign.

Once seated, Lin Yufan took a gift from her handbag and handed it to Wang Muxun, "Thanks for helping me cash in. This is for you."

"What?"

"Go ahead, open it."

Wang Muxun unwrapped the package. Inside was a sleek Parker pen.

Lin Yufan said, "Your old pen was busted, right? I bought you a new one."

Wang Muxun felt a lump rise in his throat. In his previous life, he had even pawned his beloved Parker pen.

He asked, "How did you know I liked this brand?"

Lin Yufan smiled, "Just a hunch. It seemed like your kind of pen."

"Thank you, I really like it."

"Glad you like it."

Their roast goose rice and noodles arrived, and Lin Yufan pulled out her wallet to pay.

As they ate, Wang Muxun said, "I’ve been writing articles to submit. This pen you gave me’s gonna be perfect."

Lin Yufan asked, "Where are you sending it?"

Wang Muxun replied, "A novella, to 'Feng Hua' magazine."

'Feng Hua' was the famous literary magazine where Wang Muxun made his name.

Later, the magazine 'Yu Lin,' where Lin Yufan worked, lured him away with a hefty salary to rival 'Feng Hua.'

Unfortunately, *Yu Lin* was poorly managed and ran out of funds, eventually leading to its closure.

The boss of *Feng Hua* harbored resentment and, in collaboration with several other magazines, blacklisted the main writers of *Yu Lin*, which is why Wang Muxun ended up in an increasingly dire situation.

Lin Yufan didn’t expect Wang Muxun to put the past behind him and choose *Feng Hua* again for his submission. Perhaps it was because he became famous in *Feng Hua* in his previous lifetime and wanted to keep that streak going in this life.

Seeing her silent, Wang Muxun added, "Once I’m done writing, I’ll show it to you first. You can give me your feedback."

Lin Yufan nodded with a smile, "Sure thing."

After lunch, they returned to the office together. As they entered, Lin Yufan noticed that everyone was giving them strange looks.

They were all pretending to be casual, sneaking glances their way.

"Hey!" Uncle Qiang laughed, "What did I tell you?"

Then he said in a mocking tone, "When sparks fly, watch out for the lightning!"

Although Uncle Qiang didn’t name names, it was obvious he was referring to Lin Yufan and Wang Muxun.

Wang Muxun, walking ahead, kicked away Uncle Qiang’s outstretched foot, "Move it."

Uncle Qiang, having been kicked, cursed in the local dialect, "You little punk, living off a woman, how shameless."

??

Although Lin Yufan couldn’t speak Cantonese, she understood.

Uncle Qiang meant that she was keeping Wang Muxun?

Wang Muxun also understood. He glared at Uncle Qiang, "What are you implying?"

Uncle Qiang, being older and not as agile, felt a bit intimidated by Wang Muxun’s fierce gaze and only said, "Nothing, I was just talking about the flies buzzing around. What’s it to you?"

Lin Yufan sat down at her desk. Soon after, Sister Dao whispered the reason to her.

It turned out Uncle Qiang had also had lunch at the roast goose restaurant. He saw Lin Yufan giving Wang Muxun a gift and paying for his meal, and upon returning, he complained to everyone that Wang Muxun was mooching off a widow.

Lin Yufan was speechless. She stood up and walked over to Uncle Qiang, "Who’s the widow here? And who’s keeping who?"

Uncle Qiang rolled his eyes, "If you don’t want people talking, don’t give them a reason."

"I, Lin Yufan, am a respectable woman with a family. Wang Muxun knows I placed a bet on the horses, and he gave me a tip. I made a little money, so I gave him a pen and treated him to lunch for a month. That pen was something I bought with my husband. If you keep spreading rumors, watch out for lightning."

Uncle Qiang stammered, "You’re not a widow?"

"You’re the one who’s a widow!"

Everyone: "..."

Wang Muxun felt like he’d been struck by lightning, shocked. She’s not a widow?

Sister Dao spoke first, "Uncle Qiang, you’re spouting nonsense without knowing the full story, damaging someone’s reputation. They could sue you for defamation."

Sister Hong also chimed in, "Talking about a woman keeping a man, you’re really out of touch. You men love to dream."

A Tang said, "Uncle Qiang, you need to stop spreading these rumors. Apologize now."

Several others also criticized Uncle Qiang for spreading rumors without knowing the truth.

Under everyone's criticism, Uncle Qiang glanced at the director's office, fearing the situation might escalate and he’d be punished. He had to apologize, "I'm sorry."

Lin Yufan retorted, "What are you sorry for?"

Uncle Qiang: "..."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry for spreading rumors without knowing the facts." After saying this, Uncle Qiang, afraid the director might come out and scold him, made an excuse to leave.

Wang Muxun was the only one who stayed quiet the whole time.

How is Lin Yufan so different from before?

A Tang turned back and asked Wang Muxun, "Ah Xun, why didn’t you share the horse betting tip with me?"

The others crowded around, asking Wang Muxun if he had any new tips for the next round.

Sister Dao and Sister Hong, on the other hand, were curious about how much Lin Yufan had won from horse betting.

"You treated Wang Muxun to lunch for a month, which must’ve cost you a pretty penny."

"Did you win two months’ worth of salary?"

Lin Yufan chuckled softly, "A little more than two months’ pay."

Sister Hong's eyes widened, "Why didn’t you let me in on it?"

"I didn’t know I’d win, or I would’ve bet more."

"That's true."

The women were a little jealous but happy for Lin Yufan.

Wang Muxun didn’t say a word to Lin Yufan all afternoon. He left for the printing factory at three and didn’t come back.

After wrapping up work and clocking out on time, Lin Yufan went to Lawyer Yan's office to finalize the transaction procedures for Turtleback Mountain. She happened to run into Zhao Zhiao there.

The two of them left the law firm together, and Zhao Zhiao asked her, "Heading home later?"

Lin Yufan shook her head, "I'm going to Yilan Residence to check on the renovation progress."

Zhao Zhiao: "What’s so interesting about the renovation? Go home early—there’s a surprise for you."

Lin Yufan stopped in her tracks and asked with a smile, "What surprise?"

"You’ll see when you get home."

Looking at Zhao Zhiao, who was playing coy, Lin Yufan smiled and insisted, "I still need to go to Yilan Residence first. The plumbing and electrical work are done today, and I need to inspect it."

"Can’t you let Tielong handle the inspection?"

"I won’t feel right without checking it myself, and it's already scheduled." Lin Yufan insisted on going.

Zhao Zhiao glanced at her, knowing she was stubborn, and didn’t try to persuade her further, "Ride with me."

"Why’s that?"

"I also want to see how your rundown Yilan Residence is coming along."

Lin Yufan knew he disapproved of the run-down building she had purchased, so she just smiled and said, "I had Tielong put up a 'For Sale' sign outside the shoe factory, and several groups of people have already come to see the property, all with serious intentions to buy. That property is sure to turn a profit."

Seeing her happy expression, Zhao Zhiao smiled slightly and shook his head, "Well then, I wish you great fortune and prosperity."

Lin Yufan laughed and replied, "Thank you, Boss Zhao."

They made their way to Yaohui Shoe Factory on Yilan Street. Traffic was heavy, and Lin Yufan frowned slightly, looking out at the street. "Are we on the wrong road? We don’t usually come this way."

Shen Te, sitting in the front, turned around to explain, "There’s traffic all over today. This way’s less crowded."

What should have been a ten-minute drive took a full half hour.

Finally arriving at Yaohui Shoe Factory, they had just gotten out of the car and walked through the factory gate when they heard loud, disorderly voices inside.

Before they could react, they heard several loud bangs.

Gunshots.

What’s going on?

Lin Yufan recalled what Tielong had mentioned earlier—the two buyers at the shoe factory were causing a scene during negotiations.

Zhao Zhiao quickly reacted, shielding Lin Yufan, "Let’s go."

Lin Yufan followed Zhao Zhiao as they bolted out, while Brother Bing and others had already drawn their guns.

Bang! Bang, bang!

More gunshots rang out from inside.

"Zhi Ao... Zhi Ao... help... help..."

Someone was calling for Zhao Zhiao.

It was Ji Shukuan’s voice. Lin Yufan turned her head sharply and saw Ji Shukuan covered in blood, with several people running out together, pursued by others.

Bang!

Ji Shukuan, who was running out, collapsed to the ground, his limbs twitching slightly.

Lin Yufan’s heart raced—what was going on?