Chapter 7: Investigation The one who is not loved is the third party, I’ll help you squeeze in a spot…

Chapter 7: In Love and Investigations — The Unwanted One’s the Real Homewrecker... Let Me Help You Squeeze In a Spot

In the underground parking lot of a Wall Street high-rise.

Zhuang Shao had just come down from his office when he ran into a neatly arranged group of unfamiliar Chinese faces standing by his parking spot.

He stayed quiet for a beat too long before turning to his eager-beaver chief assistant, Guan Sanqi, who was practically bouncing with anticipation for praise.

"What's going on?"

Guan Sanqi, still clueless, widened his eyes. "The investigation results you asked for! I brought people in for one-on-one reporting—way more discreet this way, right?"

Zhuang Shao's glare at Guan Sanqi turned frosty. "Is this a manhunt or an investigation?"

Of course Guan Sanqi would screw this up. But Zhuang Shao truly didn’t trust anyone else with anything involving Tang Tang.

Guan Sanqi rubbed his nose, his eyes wide and guileless. "It’s an investigation! These are legit, licensed detectives—and there’s even a lawyer!"

Zhuang Shao: ...

Wow, how *thoughtful* of him.

At this point, Guan Sanqi began introducing them one by one.

He pointed at the first-row crew-cut: "This one—the king of property sales in Manhattan."

The crew-cut stepped forward, nervous but lunged to crush Zhuang Shao’s hand in a firm shake.

"Hello, Mr. Zhuang, Mr. Guan! Office buildings too—I can handle those. This building of yours looks great. Ever thought about offloading it…?"

Zhuang Shao cut him off with a curt "Pass," smoothly extracting his hand from the man’s grip and turning to the next person—a lanky fellow.

Guan Sanqi shooed the agent aside and moved on to the next introduction.

"This one—gossip-rag royalty. Worked in Hollywood for eight or nine years, broke tons of headlines. L.A. got too hot for him lately, so he’s hiding out here on the East Coast—lucky us!"

The lanky man was refined, delivering greetings in fluent Chinese, English, and French—missing only a flourish and a bow.

"Why’d he leave?" Zhuang Shao cut straight to it.

The lanky man hemmed and hawed about “legal misunderstandings,” muttering something about restraining orders and protective orders—his earlier linguistic brilliance now nowhere to be found.

Guan Sanqi instantly yanked him back by the sleeve.

Zhuang Shao: ...

His patience was wearing thin. Finally, he pointed at the middle-aged, portly man standing awkwardly at the end: "And this one?"

Guan Sanqi rubbed his hands together. "The pièce de résistance! Over twenty years as a private investigator—surveillance, investigations, DNA extraction, you name it. Word on the street is he’s the one who exposed that guy’s secret love child!"

The portly man was unfazed, squeezing between the two leaders to hand over a business card.

His accent carried a Southern Chinese lilt. "Mr. Zhuang, hello! We tailor our services—whatever you need. No problem we can’t dig up. Affairs, gambling, sugar daddies, paternity tests—we do it all, as long as it’s within New York law. We deliver—no ifs, ands, or buts!"

Zhuang Shao stared at Guan Sanqi’s face—trying not to laugh—and let out a heavy sigh.

“Not needed for now.”

“What if you need it later…” The portly man hadn’t finished speaking before Guan Sanqi pulled him away. “No hard feelings!”

Just then, a sleek black extended Ghost glided around the corner of the underground garage, stopping like a lifesaver just in front of Zhuang Shao.

The driver brought the car to a smooth stop, quickly stepped out, and opened the rear door for Zhuang Shao, revealing brand-new soft pink upholstery.

Without looking back, Zhuang Shao got into the car, showing no intention of waiting.

“Wait for me—hey, hold on! Xiao Chen, make sure these gentlemen get back, will you? I’ve got important matters to discuss with Zhuang.”

In his fluster, Guan Sanqi tossed the keys to another business van to his assistant and sprinted toward the car in his leather shoes, moving so fast he nearly tripped.

Luckily, he made it just in time.

The car started smoothly without any jolt.

Guan Sanqi took a sip of water, peering sideways as he observed Zhuang Shao.

He knew Zhuang Shao’s temperament—right now, he was definitely angry.

And honestly, it was his own fault.

They’d grown up together, eaten the same meals, slept side by side, yet somehow, Guan Sanqi was hopeless at everything.

Books were incomprehensible, numbers unmanageable, and certainly none of the useful skills that could actually help Zhuang Shao.

The only things Guan Sanqi had ever been good at in his life were fighting and spreading gossip.

As for everything else…

Entrust it to him, and it would inevitably go wrong.

Several minutes after leaving the garage, Guan Sanqi gathered his courage, deciding not to hide like a coward but to face the music.

“Shao, bro, I really wanted to help. After all… there’s not much I can do, so I thought getting more intel on that Miss Tang might… Sorry, I messed this up.”

Zhuang Shao looked up, surprised.

Meeting his gaze, Guan Sanqi seemed encouraged and dumped everything he’d uncovered in one breath.

“There’s not much public info on Miss Tang. She doesn’t have social media, and Chutang Entertainment hasn’t put out any info—they’ve kept her well-protected. The only lead is her current school email. I’m still trying to find her personal one.”

Zhuang Shao nodded, then asked, “What about the people around her?”

He had total confidence in Chutang Entertainment. Tang Tang had good parents; naturally, they’d keep their princess safe.

His only concern was Qin Zixian.

“People around her? You mean her boyfriend?”

Guan Sanqi cut straight to the point, giving his friend and employer no chance to dodge behind any pretense.

Zhuang Shao stiffened, awkwardly turning his head away before muttering a quiet “Yeah.”

Hearing the confirmation, the weight on Guan Sanqi’s shoulders finally lifted. He relaxed, letting out a long breath, and even gave Zhuang Shao’s shoulder a pat.

"You should've said so earlier! I thought you had some ulterior motive for investigating Tang Xiaojie, turns out you're trying to pursue her! Investigating a romantic rival is way simpler than digging into her—leave it to me~ Consider it done~"

Zhuang Shao didn’t deny it, merely casting a skeptical glance his way.

Guan Sanqi, however, was no longer as restrained as before.

He knew his strengths well: business acumen wasn’t his forte, but underground gossip? That was right up his alley.

By now, he’d already pulled out a small notebook from who-knows-where, barraging him with questions and scribbling notes like a man possessed:

"What kind of info do you need? Any past relationships?"

"Should we dig deep into ex-boyfriends? Figure out why they broke up so you can avoid those pitfalls."

"The current beau is key! Relax, I’d never make you the side piece—I’ll trash his reputation and free up the position for you!"

Zhuang Shao: "…"

Guan Sanqi caught his lingering gaze, gasped, connecting imaginary dots, and arrived at a shocking conclusion.

"...You don’t mind being the other man?"

Zhuang Shao: "…"

He wasn’t opposed, truthfully, but he saw no need to answer.

Guan Sanqi knew Zhuang Shao well—no denial was as good as a yes.

So, like he’d uncovered a scandal, he nearly bounced off the beige seats of the Ghost, ready to shout through a megaphone.

Zhuang Shao couldn’t take it anymore and cut in, "Cut the crap. Help me scope out the people around her."

He needed to get a read on Tang Tang’s vibe toward Qin Zixian first.

But Guan Sanqi misinterpreted entirely, flashing an “I read you loud and clear” grin, biting his cheek to keep from laughing as he feigned solemnity.

"Got it~ Don’t worry—if she’s not into him, he’s the interloper. I’ll get the full dossier on him so you can slide right into his spot."

Zhuang Shao: "…"

That was roughly the goal, but something about it felt off.

Seeing Zhuang Shao’s silence—clearly done with the topic—Guan Sanqi swiftly pivoted, raising another question.

"By the way, this car just had maintenance last month. Didn’t you say you weren’t driving it anymore? And you went and dumped those collector’s edition black-and-red seats—those were worth a fortune! Now it’s all cotton-candy pink. If we weren’t boys, I’d think you had a secret daughter."

Zhuang Shao froze.

He hadn’t thought much about it—just recalled a rumor from his past life at a cocktail party, claiming Chutang’s princess was obsessed with pink.

Maybe she’d like it?

His eyes locked onto the tablet screen. Though he already had his answer, he still threw out a bullshit excuse: "Light pink is easier on the eyes."

At that, Guan Sanqi’s eyebrows knotted like pretzels.

He’d only ever heard green was good for the eyes—pink too? Sent him spiraling into doubt, he resolved to bone up on basics later and brush up on common knowledge, dead set on pulling his weight.

Just then, Guan Sanqi’s phone rang.

It was that buzz-cut guy from before.

Half a minute later, Guan Sanqi hung up the phone and turned to Zhuang Shao excitedly. "This time I actually came through—the real estate agent really found us a place!"

Zhuang Shao finally looked up from his computer and set it aside.

Guan Sanqi whipped out the address he'd scribbled down earlier, pointing at the house number on the slip of paper with his index finger, so excited he started stuttering slightly.

"T-this! Right here!"

Zhuang Shao realized something and straightened up, taking the slip of paper.

Even though Guan Sanqi's handwriting was messy, he definitely recognized the address—it was the very place where his dreams had first blossomed.

"What are we even searching for? Miss Tang is your mysterious tenant! The one who offered to double the price two years back!"

They'd already pulled into the garage of a building in Manhattan. Zhuang Shao gently set the slip of paper down.

They might be late to the party, but the timing seemed just right.