Volume 1, Chapter 24: Liu Fangfei

Page (1/3)

I pretended not to notice the torn stockings.

That proved nothing. Xu Li could easily argue that she had ripped them in a fit of temper, then turn around and accuse me of harboring malicious intentions toward her.

Or she could claim that I had torn them myself while behaving improperly.

Besides, Qin Shaohu was still hounding me outside, becoming the greatest obstacle to my remaining in the county town.

Yet I could not afford to provoke him. All I could do was avoid him.

To keep from being stopped and beaten on my way to work, I took taxis there and back. Adding in the cost of lunch, I feared I would have less than five hundred yuan left by the end of the month.

The next noon, Qin Shaohu brought several men to the jewelry store looking for me again.

I simply hid inside. He did not dare barge in, so he stood outside cursing for a long while before leaving in frustration.

On the third day, I was fired from the jewelry store.

And I found myself in serious trouble.

Not long after I arrived at work, Liu Ziwen hurried out, forgetting to take his bag with him.

He told me to fetch it from his office. Obediently, I ran upstairs, picked up the handbag from his desk, and eagerly handed it to him.

Liu Ziwen did not return by car until the afternoon. Not long afterward, he had someone summon me to his office.

When I arrived, I stood properly at attention, trying to look like a dedicated security guard.

Liu Ziwen’s expression was grim as he looked me up and down.

“Zhou Yan, two thousand yuan was in my desk drawer. How did it disappear?”

What?

I froze for a moment, then hurriedly shook my head. “I don’t know!”

“You’re the only one who came into my office. You little bastard. I never thought you’d be so light-fingered.”

Liu Ziwen slammed his hand onto the desk.

“I didn’t take it! I didn’t even know you had money here.” I hurriedly protested at the top of my voice.

“How could a jewelry store not have money? Besides, you’re the only one who’s been here lately. There couldn’t have been anyone else.”

Liu Ziwen glared at me viciously, then threatened me.

“Hand the money back immediately, or I’ll call the police and have you arrested for theft.”

I trembled with fury. This was blatant framing.

He had deliberately sent me upstairs to retrieve his bag so he could set me up for stealing money.

“I didn’t take it. You can’t make baseless accusations.”

My face flushed red. I truly wanted to rush forward and fight this disgusting man.

“Take off your clothes. I’m searching you,” Liu Ziwen ordered.

Fine. I would take them off!

There was nowhere on my clothes where I could have hidden twenty thousand yuan.

In a fit of anger, I stripped down to my boxer briefs and stood there miserably.

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

Liu Ziwen looked me over with mocking amusement. Then he suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears came to his eyes.

“You went out for lunch at noon, didn’t you?”

Liu Ziwen finally stopped laughing and interrogated me again.

I nodded. I had eaten steamed soup dumplings at noon, but the meat had been less than clean, and my stomach had been acting up.

“You transferred the money somewhere. Who did you give it to?” Liu Ziwen demanded.

“I didn’t take it. What proof do you have?”

At last, I understood the meaning of the saying: when someone wants to accuse you, no excuse is needed.

“Zhou Yan, you’re fired!”

Liu Ziwen snorted, then warned me, “Bring back the twenty thousand yuan by noon tomorrow at the latest. Otherwise, I’ll go to your father first. If he refuses to pay, I’ll call the police.”

Fine, I would leave!

It was not as though I wanted to work as a security guard anyway.

I kicked my uniform and rubber baton aside, then went to the restroom to change.

Liu Ziwen’s cold threat came from behind me.

“Zhou Yan, don’t think you can get away with this by stubbornly denying everything. You’re the only one who entered this office, so don’t even dream of clearing your name. I have connections at the police station, too. You won’t get away.”

I could not be bothered to look at his loathsome face. I hurriedly changed and left the jewelry store.

The sky had darkened, and rain was about to fall.

The cold wind could not dispel the suffocation in my heart, but it gradually cleared my head.

Xu Li had introduced me to this job. She and Liu Ziwen were having an affair and were extremely close.

If Xu Li could join forces with Zheng Juan to falsely accuse me of sexual molestation, she could just as easily join forces with Liu Ziwen to frame me for stealing money.

She was truly deranged. Surely no woman in the world could be more vicious than her.

I had to fight back!

She had forced me into this. I had no choice but to tear away the mask I had worn for so long and break with her for good.

I took out my phone and called the photo shop.

Liu Fangfei answered. I asked whether the photographs had been developed.

She said they were ready and told me to come pick them up at once.

I hurried over. The moment I entered the photo shop, rain began pouring outside.

Only Liu Fangfei was there.

From a pile of photo envelopes, she found the one belonging to me and handed it over the counter.

I looked through the photographs. Xu Li and Liu Ziwen were both perfectly clear in them, and I was extremely satisfied.

Suddenly, Liu Fangfei snatched the photographs away and asked with a mocking laugh, “What exactly are you planning to do with these?”

“Nothing. They’re just pictures of my parents’ daily life.” I pretended to remain calm.

“If you won’t tell me the truth, I’ll tear them up.”

Liu Fangfei backed away several steps, threateningly making as though she would rip them apart.

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

“Don’t!”

I hurriedly stopped her. “I paid for them in advance!”

“Where’s the receipt?” Liu Fangfei asked indifferently.

But I could not call the police. Helpless, I could only clasp my hands and beg piteously.

“Please, sis, give me the photographs. They’re very important to me.”

“According to what you said, your mother married my father. How come I’ve never heard about that?” Liu Fangfei said with a soft snort.

What was she talking about?

I puzzled over it for a long while before finally sorting out the relationship—and then I was stunned.

The Liu Fangfei standing before me was actually Liu Ziwen’s daughter!

What were the odds?

No wonder she had kept asking why I wanted these photographs developed.

The pictures had already been deleted from the camera.

I could not lose these photographs. Without them, I would have no way to confront Xu Li, and Liu Ziwen certainly would not let me off.

The rain outside grew heavier.

Acting on impulse, I lunged at Liu Fangfei and tried to snatch the photographs back.

She dodged swiftly, her hands moving remarkably fast, but in the end the photographs were torn to shreds and scattered across the floor.

At that moment, I broke down completely and lost all reason.

I tackled Liu Fangfei onto the small sofa inside the shop, my eyes red as I shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Why are you doing this to me? Why won’t you people stop bullying me?”

“Let me go! I’m calling the police!” Liu Fangfei struggled in terror.

“Your father wants to call the police, and now you do too! None of you are any good! What did I ever do wrong to deserve all this? We might as well destroy everything!”

As I roared, the countless grievances in my heart finally forced two streams of tears from my eyes.

Liu Fangfei stopped struggling. She quietly watched my breakdown, then suddenly said, “I was only curious about our relationship. I was just teasing you. Actually, I had two extra copies developed. They’re right over there. You can take them.”

I did not know whether she was telling the truth, but my overheated mind had begun to clear.

“You’re a liar. You’re all liars.”

My accusation was mixed with a flicker of hope.

“It’s true. Besides, even the torn pieces can be put back together.”

“…All right.”

I released her, pulled over a chair, and sat down. With my head lowered, I felt too dejected to speak.

Rain pattered outside. Inside my heart, it was raining too, and the heavy gloom seemed impossible to dispel.

Liu Fangfei straightened her clothes, went to retrieve two photo envelopes, and stuffed them into my hands. Then she shrugged.

“Your mother is beautiful. My father is disgusting.”

Page (3/3)