My friend’s newly – wed wife is fair – skinned, beautiful, and has long legs.
In the dead of night, I received a message from my friend’s wife:
“Hi, are you asleep?”
“No, what’s up, sister – in – law?”
“Where do you live? Send me the address. I’m coming to find you.”
1
At 12 o’clock at night, I received a friend request.
I clicked to take a look. The other person was a beautiful woman. The profile picture was a selfie. Her facial features were delicate and three – dimensional, just like a female celebrity.
This woman seemed familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen her for a while.
I looked at the application note again, which showed: Li Fangfei.
I patted my head and finally remembered. Isn’t this my friend Liu Kun’s newly – wed wife?
Liu Kun was my college classmate. We were good brothers when we were at school and often hung out after graduation.
A while ago, I also attended Liu Kun’s wedding. No wonder this woman looked so familiar.
But now it’s the middle of the night. Why is she adding me?
Although I was suspicious, I still approved it.
After a while, Li Fangfei sent a message: “Hi, Zhang Yuanshan, are you asleep?”
I replied, “I’m about to go to sleep. What’s the matter, sister – in – law?”
Li Fangfei said, “I’m sorry to disturb you. Is it convenient to answer the phone now?”
My mind was a bit muddled. I didn’t know what she wanted from me so late, so I replied that it was convenient.
Li Fangfei immediately called. I quickly answered the phone, and the woman’s sobbing came from the phone.
My heart sank. Could it be that the two of them had a fight or something?
I hurriedly asked, “Sister – in – law, what on earth happened?”
“Liu Kun was taken away by the police.”
“Ah… Taken away by the police?” I was shocked and hurriedly sat up and asked, “When did this happen?”
Li Fangfei cried and said, “Today. Liu Kun disappeared all day and didn’t come back at night. Just now, I received a call from the police station, saying that he was criminally detained.”
“Did the police say what it was specifically for?”
“The police said that Liu Kun was suspected of duty – related embezzlement, and his company reported him to the police.”
Liu Kun worked in a private listed company as the product operation director, managing more than a hundred people under him.
Last week, when I was drinking with Liu Kun, he also mentioned that the relationships in the company were complex and the struggles were intense. I never expected that just a few days later, he would be arrested.
“After I received the police call, I felt like the sky had fallen. What should I do?” Li Fangfei’s voice was helpless. “At this time, I really don’t know who to turn to… You are Liu Kun’s friend and you study law. Please, you must help him.”
I comforted her, “Sister – in – law, don’t worry. Liu Kun’s matter is my matter. I will definitely help.”
“Thank you, Yuanshan. Let’s meet and talk about it.” Li Fangfei’s tone was very anxious. “I’m so sorry to disturb your rest so late, but I’m really in a hurry.”
I persuaded her, “Since the thing has happened, don’t worry first. I’ll come to you early tomorrow morning to understand the details.”
“No, I’m going to find you now. Give me your address.”
I had no choice. At this time, the restaurants, coffee shops, etc. outside were all closed, so I had to send her my address.
Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door.
I went over and opened the door. I saw Li Fangfei standing at the door. Her eyes and cheeks were red and swollen. Obviously, she had been crying for a long time.
Li Fangfei was over 1.7 meters tall, graceful and tall, with shoulder – length short hair, looking intellectual, capable, and professional. Even without makeup, she had a goddess aura.
My friend was really lucky to have such a beautiful wife.
I called out “Sister – in – law” and quickly invited her into the house.
Li Fangfei asked, “Is there anyone else in the house?”
I said, “I live alone.”
Li Fangfei hesitated for a moment, took off her shoes, and walked into the room.
I invited Li Fangfei to sit on the sofa and poured her a glass of water.
Li Fangfei took the water and looked around: “Yuanshan, isn’t your girlfriend living with you?”
I spread my hands: “I don’t have a girlfriend. I’ve always been single. One person is full, and the whole family is not hungry.”
Li Fangfei stroked the hair on her face and looked at me: “Oh… Liu Kun said you changed girlfriends quite often.”
I was stunned: “Uh… Was he talking about me?”
“Maybe I was wrong.” Li Fangfei smiled awkwardly. “What kind of girl do you like? I’ll introduce one to you.”
I casually said, “Just like you, sister – in – law, will do.”
When Li Fangfei heard this, her face turned red instantly.
Li Fangfei and I weren’t familiar. We chatted a little to ease the embarrassment, but the atmosphere became even more awkward after just a few words.
Li Fangfei broke the silence: “Can you be Liu Kun’s lawyer?”
I nodded and said, “I mainly do non – litigation business. Of course, it’s no problem to take on a litigation case occasionally.”
“That’s great. I really found the right person.” Li Fangfei paused and said a little excitedly, “There’s something wrong with my husband’s case. How could he embezzle the company’s money? He must have been wronged.”
I knew the truth was hard to hear, but I still said bluntly, “Sister – in – law, based on my understanding of criminal cases, if there is no conclusive evidence for conviction, the police won’t file a case and arrest people.”
“What should I do then?” The woman’s expression dimmed. “I don’t know anything about his matter. Now I can only be anxious.”
I thought for a while and said, “This matter has just entered the investigation stage. Lawyers can’t review the case files yet. We can only apply for a meeting. The crux of the problem lies with Liu Kun’s company. It is recommended to talk to the people in his company.”
“Okay, I’ll listen to you. Please.”
“Okay, sister – in – law, you go back first and have a rest early.”
Li Fangfei nodded, stood up to leave, and said she would come back tomorrow.
I went back to my room, yawned several times in a row, and was extremely sleepy.
2
I had just fallen asleep when I was awakened by a banging sound.
I got up groggily and found that someone was knocking on the door outside.
I walked to the door and looked out through the peephole. It was Li Fangfei.
Why did this woman come back again?
I opened the door and asked, “Sister – in – law, what’s wrong?”
“I’m really sorry to wake you up again,” Li Fangfei said, a little embarrassed. “After I got home, I realized I was in such a hurry to come to you that I left my bag behind. My keys and ID card are all in there. I can’t get into the house, so I had to come back to find you.”
I was stunned for a moment: “Then what should we do?”
Li Fangfei sighed: “I can only call a locksmith tomorrow. Can I stay at your place for the night?”
“This…” I scratched my head, not knowing how to deal with it for a while.
“Just give me a quilt. I can sleep on the living – room sofa.”
I was a bit in a dilemma. She was my friend’s wife. It really wasn’t appropriate for a man and a woman to live together alone.
Seeing that I was hesitant, Li Fangfei suddenly burst into tears.
I quickly invited her in and closed the door, saying, “Sister – in – law, why don’t you go and stay with your best friend? If Liu Kun finds out that we are living together, that would be terrible.”
“It’s so late. How can I have the nerve to disturb others again?” Li Fangfei wiped away her tears. “The key is that I don’t want my friends to know about my current embarrassing situation.”
I didn’t say anything more. I went to the wardrobe and found a quilt and put it on the living – room sofa for her.
“Thank you.” Li Fangfei bit her lip and said, “Can I use the bathroom to wash up?”
I rummaged through the boxes and cabinets again, found a complete set of pajamas and toiletries, and handed them to her.
“This is a new set of pajamas. It’s a bit big. You can make do with it.”
“Thank you, Yuanshan. I’m really causing you trouble.”
The woman took the things from my hand, turned around and went into the bathroom, and locked the door with a click.
The bathroom door was made of frosted glass, and the light inside projected the woman’s figure onto the door panel.
Standing outside, I could see the woman undressing and the curves of her body, blurry, hazy, and beautiful.
The sound of rushing water rang out. I could even see the water droplets sliding down the woman’s hair tips and flowing down her body.
I felt my heart beating faster and my blood flowing faster. I just couldn’t stand it.
I realized my wretchedness and quickly looked away, went back to my room, and turned on the TV program.
But I didn’t hear a single word of what the host was saying.
I drank half a bottle of mineral water, but I still felt thirsty and couldn’t help but want to take another look at the bathroom door.
I knew this wasn’t right, so I opened the window.
The night wind rushed in, and the chill hit me.
I shivered, and my emotions gradually calmed down.
The sound of the water in the bathroom stopped. Li Fangfei should have finished taking a bath, but there was no sound outside.
So I opened the door to see if she needed any more help.
Unexpectedly, Li Fangfei was standing outside my room door, raising her hand to knock. As a result, I opened the door.
The woman lost her balance and fell forward involuntarily, bumping right into me.
I lost my balance, and the two of us fell to the ground together.
“Sorry… I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were outside…”
Li Fangfei was on top of me. I subconsciously pushed her, and it seemed that I touched a place I shouldn’t have.
The woman let out a cry, as if she had been electrocuted, struggled to get up, and looked at me angrily, her eyes full of anger.
“How could you do this? You were so quiet.”
“Sorry, it’s my fault.” I felt a bit down, but I couldn’t explain it either. “Sister-in-law, are you okay?”
“No.” The woman calmed down her emotions. “I was going to ask if you have a hair dryer at home?”
I nodded, found the hair dryer in the drawer, and handed it to her.
Li Fangfei took the hair dryer, looked around the room, went over and unplugged the TV’s socket, then plugged in the hair dryer and started drying her hair.
I was speechless. This woman really regarded this place as her own home.
So I leaned against the pillow and scrolled through videos on my phone.
Li Fangfei dried her hair for a while, put the hair dryer back in the drawer, sat down next to me and said, “Anyway, you’re not sleepy now. I still want to ask you some legal questions.”
Uh… What do you mean by not sleepy?
I’m extremely sleepy now, just barely holding on.
But I still said politely, “What legal questions?”
“If it constitutes the crime of duty – related embezzlement, how long will the sentence be?”
I thought for a while and said, “Generally, it’s less than three years. If the amount is huge, it’s three to ten years… Of course, if the amount is especially huge, it may be sentenced to more than ten years or even life imprisonment.”
When Li Fangfei heard this, her eyes filled with water vapor, and her voice became tearful: “How much is considered a huge amount and an especially huge amount?”
I glanced at the woman and yawned: “I forgot the specific amount. You can look it up on the Internet.”
“I hope Liu Kun is okay.” Li Fangfei sighed and said, “But no matter what, whether it’s three years or five years, I will wait for him. Please also take more trouble.”
I looked at the sobbing woman and didn’t know how to comfort her for a while.
As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. She could say such things at this time, and a sense of respect arose spontaneously from the bottom of my heart.
Liu Kun was a bit casual, and his relationships with the opposite sex were quite messy before. But having such a wife, what more could a husband ask for?
Li Fangfei babbled a lot more, some asking for my opinion, some about some trivial matters between her and Liu Kun.
I was so sleepy that I was almost dozing off.
The lights in the room were turned off, but I had no impression of when Li Fangfei left.
The next morning, I was awakened by the alarm clock and stretched out my hand to yawn.
As a result, my hand touched something. No, it was a person.
I was horrified to find that Li Fangfei was lying next to me, facing away from me, and her long hair covered half of her face.
A corner of my quilt was also covering the woman.
My heart was in my throat, pounding.
What’s going on? I actually slept in the same bed with my friend’s wife all night?
The woman heard the movement and sat up groggily.
Our eyes met, and for a moment, it felt like the air was about to freeze.
“Ah…” The woman let out a scream and covered her face with her hair. “How could this happen? I also got sleepy while talking to you yesterday. It’s so embarrassing.”
I was stunned there and couldn’t say a word for a long time.
“An innocent person has nothing to fear. We didn’t do anything.” Li Fangfei quickly got out of bed, bit her lip and said, “But don’t tell Liu Kun.”
I came to my senses: “Sister – in – law, I’m not stupid.”
Li Fangfei looked at me, and her expression suddenly became serious: “This is a secret between the two of us. It will rot in our hearts forever. If you dare to reveal a single word, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”
I repeated that sentence: “Sister – in – law, I’m not stupid.”
The woman gave me a white look: “Stop calling me sister – in – law all the time. Just call me Fangfei. From now on, we’re brothers.”
I was stunned for a moment and said, “Okay.”
3
I got in touch with the people from Liu Kun’s unit, Company Z.
The other person was Du Yujie, the person in charge of the employee supervision department of Company Z.
I introduced myself as the lawyer entrusted by Liu Kun’s family and said that I wanted to communicate with them about Liu Kun’s case.
Du Yujie didn’t shirk and said that we could meet and talk.
I asked, “Mr. Du, can I bring his family member with me?”
“Who do you mean by family member?”
“His wife.”
Du Yujie hesitated for a moment and said, “Lawyer Zhang, you’d better come by yourself, because some things are not suitable for his wife to hear.”
I was stunned. I didn’t understand what he meant, but I still agreed.
Li Fangfei really wanted to know about the case and had even taken leave in advance. But when she learned that only I could go, she let out a disappointed “Oh”.
“Yuanshan, then I’ll leave it to you to communicate.” Li Fangfei urged, “Listen more to their demands, such as compensation. As long as it can reduce Liu Kun’s punishment, I will cooperate with anything.”
I nodded: “Sister – in – law, don’t worry. I’ll convey your words.”
That afternoon, I arrived downstairs at Company Z. Du Yujie had someone take me to a relatively remote meeting room.
I first expressed my gratitude. After all, since the case had reached the investigative authorities, the company could have completely refused to communicate with us.
“Mr. Du, after Liu Kun was taken criminal measures, his family is very worried.” I paused and said, “I’ll be straightforward. What exactly happened to Liu Kun?”
Du Yujie introduced, “Liu Kun is actually not a very high – level employee here, but he manages an outsourced team of dozens of people and has great power over their performance and bonuses. That is to say, his position is not high, but his power is great.”
I was stunned for a moment. Liu Kun had always told me that he was the director. It seemed that there was some exaggeration in his words.
Du Yujie continued, “The incident started when a girl from the outsourced team reported that Liu Kun took advantage of his position to have improper relationships with women. He was dating five outsourced female employees at the same time and, without going through the assessment process, arbitrarily gave them salary increases.”
What? Dating five girls at the same time?!
My jaw almost dropped. I was extremely shocked.
This was beyond my imagination and cognitive ability. Was this still the Liu Kun I knew? My three – views were completely shattered.
“Yes, the girl who reported him was one of his girlfriends.” Du Yujie looked at me and said, “Liu Kun claimed to be single and dated those girls in the name of normal dating, and some even met their parents. If his wife knew about this, what would be her reaction?”
Uh… What reaction?
Is this something a normal person can do?
If I were Li Fangfei, I’d probably even want to kill him.
Du Yujie said, “The company is not a place for him to pick up girls. This matter is of a serious nature, so we called the police immediately. In addition, the finance department found out that Liu Kun embezzled more than 800,000 yuan of the company’s assets through various items, not including the illegal salary increases he gave to those girls.”
I said, “Mr. Du, his family asked me to express that they are willing to actively compensate and request the company’s understanding for lenient treatment.”
Du Yujie spread his hands, “We are a commercial company. If Liu Kun can actively compensate to avoid losses to the company, we are also willing to issue a letter of understanding to the judicial authorities. You are a lawyer, and you should know that this is an important sentencing factor.”
Du Yujie expressed it very straightforwardly. They wanted to recover the stolen money and reduce losses.
I asked, “How much time do you give us to raise the money?”
“That depends on you.” Du Yujie paused and said, “This case has a clear fact and sufficient evidence. As far as I know, it will be sent to the procuratorate by the end of this month.”
I understood that the longer this matter dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for us.
I came out of Company Z and met Li Fangfei, and told her about Du Yujie’s compensation requirements.
Of course, I didn’t mention a single word about Liu Kun’s messy relationships with women.
I didn’t know if what I did was right, but after all, Liu Kun was my friend. From my perspective, I couldn’t harm him.
But for Li Fangfei, I actually felt very guilty.
She really married the wrong person. She married a playboy.
I originally thought that Liu Kun would restrain himself after getting married, but I didn’t expect he would reach a new level.
Li Fangfei murmured, “What? Liu Kun embezzled 800,000 yuan from the company. Where did this money go? Why don’t I know anything about it?”
“Only Liu Kun himself probably knows about this.”
I actually had a hunch that Liu Kun should have spent all this money on other women.
Li Fangfei asked, “Yuanshan, from a legal perspective, help me analyze. If we compensate this money, how much impact will it have on Liu Kun’s subsequent conviction and sentencing?”
“This is an economic crime in a private enterprise.” I thought for a moment and said, “If the unit issues a letter of understanding stating that it will not pursue criminal liability, we can apply to the procuratorate for non – prosecution. I’ve seen such cases, and the probability of non – prosecution is very high.”
Li Fangfei made up her mind and said, “Then I’ll scrape together the money even if I have to sell everything, even the house if necessary.”
I stared at the woman in front of me and fell silent.
4
Half a month later, Li Fangfei managed to scrape together 800,000 yuan.
According to the account provided by Company Z, she transferred the money to them.
Du Yujie kept his promise and issued a receipt and a letter of understanding in the format I requested.
I submitted the materials to the procuratorate and wrote an application for non – prosecution.
Sure enough, the procuratorate agreed to make a relative non – prosecution decision for Liu Kun, and Liu Kun was released from the detention center.
Li Fangfei and I went to the detention center to pick up Liu Kun.
After Liu Kun came out, he gave me a hug, “Good brother, I can come out this time and not be sentenced, all thanks to you.”
I said with a serious face, “Don’t thank me. Thank your wife.”
Liu Kun turned to Li Fangfei, his voice choked with sobs, “Wife, I was wrong. Thanks to you for handling this. I’ll never be so muddle – headed again.”
Li Fangfei didn’t blame Liu Kun. She leaned on his shoulder and burst into tears.
Liu Kun was crying profusely, with snot and tears all over his face.
I watched coldly, not knowing whether this guy was truly remorseful or just acting.
Alas… It’s someone else’s family matter. Why should I worry about it!
Li Fangfei said to Liu Kun, “Husband, your friend is really amazing, professional, reliable, and a good person. But he’s still single now. I plan to introduce a girl to him.”
Liu Kun said, “Of course. This is on me.”
The next day was Saturday. Liu Kun invited me, Jiang Chen, and Zhao Yitao to dinner, and then we went to KTV to sing after the meal.
The four of us were all brothers from the same dormitory in college, and we had a good relationship.
Liu Kun and Jiang Chen were both married, while Zhao Yitao and I were still single.
But Zhao Yitao was different from me. I had never dated anyone, while he had just broken up with his ex – girlfriend and was currently in a single period.
While we were singing, Liu Kun suddenly said, “There will be a girl coming later. Her name is Su Wen. She’s my wife’s friend, a real beauty, and she’s single. Yuanshan, Yitao, whichever of you two likes her can take her away.”
At this time, I also received a message from Li Fangfei: “Yuanshan, I was supposed to bring my friend to meet you today, but something urgent came up at my unit, so I let her go first. The girl’s name is Su Wen. You two should get along well.”
I replied, “Thank you, sister – in – law.”
After a while, Su Wen came. Her figure and appearance were really amazing.
Zhao Yitao’s eyes lit up. He sat next to the girl in the KTV, asking her questions non – stop. When it was over, the two of them walked together.
I felt quite embarrassed and didn’t get a chance to say much.
Two weeks passed, and Liu Kun invited me to his house for dinner.
At the dinner table, Li Fangfei asked, “Yuanshan, how are you getting along with Su Wen? I asked Su Wen, and she was vague.”
I said, “Thank you, sister – in – law. I haven’t been in much contact with her. I guess she didn’t like me.”
Liu Kun took a sip of wine and said, “Su Wen and Zhao Yitao are together.”
“What?!”
When Li Fangfei heard this, she stood up suddenly and asked Liu Kun angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to introduce Su Wen to Yuanshan? How could Zhao Yitao get involved? What on earth happened? How did you introduce them?”
“Hey… Wife, it all depends on fate.”
“You’re talking nonsense.” Li Fangfei was immediately furious. “Didn’t you emphasize to Zhao Yitao that Su Wen was the girl I introduced to Yuanshan?”
Liu Kun put down his wine glass and sat there in silence.
I quickly tried to smooth things over, “Sister – in – law, Liu Kun is right. It all depends on fate. You can’t force it.”
Li Fangfei said angrily, “I’m just angry. This Su Wen is really unreliable… Forget it. I’ll keep looking for someone for you.”
I quickly thanked her and toasted Li Fangfei with a glass of wine.
5
Li Fangfei really kept looking for a girlfriend for me.
One weekend, Li Fangfei suggested going to a barbecue party in the suburbs and asked Liu Kun to invite me, saying that there were some single girls with good conditions there and I could go and get to know them.
That afternoon, the three of us drove to the place for the barbecue.
On the way, Liu Kun and his wife had a big fight in the car for some reason, and Li Fangfei even started crying.
Liu Kun said, “I’m not going.”
Then, at the next intersection, he turned the car around and drove back directly.
Li Fangfei said, “You bastard. If you dare to go back, I’ll never let you off.”
Liu Kun said, “You two can go. I’m going home.”
I was caught in the middle, extremely embarrassed and in a dilemma.
I persuaded them, “Sister – in – law, you two stop arguing. I actually have something to do tonight and can’t stay out too late. Maybe we should just forget it.”
Li Fangfei lay on the car, crying loudly.
Later, I found out why they were arguing. It was because of Liu Kun’s work.
After losing his job, Liu Kun had been sending out resumes, but most of them ended up with no response.
A company in the south extended an olive branch to Liu Kun.
Liu Kun discussed with Li Fangfei about going to the south for development, but Li Fangfei flatly refused.
Li Fangfei thought that if Liu Kun went to work in the south, the couple would be separated, and it wasn’t worth the trouble. She asked him to look for a job locally.
I also persuaded Liu Kun to try not to be separated from his wife, as it wasn’t cost – effective.
But Liu Kun was stubborn and determined to go to the south for development, saying that this was a good springboard and he definitely wouldn’t stay there for too long, at most two years, and then he would come back after getting some experience.
In the end, Liu Kun still took the job at the southern company.
Before leaving, Liu Kun came to me to drink and confide in me, “Brother, do you think I want to make such a fuss? My wife spent all our savings and even owed a lot of debt to get me out. As a man, I have to take on the burden of the family. This company offers a high salary and even equity. If I miss it, I won’t have another chance.”
I sighed. What he said made sense.
Life is sometimes like this. It seems like there are choices, but actually, there aren’t.
Liu Kun added, “I need to trouble you to take care of my family. Alas… I really regret my mistake.”
I sensed something from his words and quickly asked, “Liu Kun, tell me the truth. Are you avoiding someone?”
Liu Kun fell silent when he heard this, drank a glass of wine, and said, “There is a woman who has been pestering me. I’m really annoyed. Brother, please don’t let Fangfei know about this.”
I sighed, “You should handle your own affairs properly.”
At this moment, I felt very frustrated and sad for Li Fangfei.
This woman had been kept in the dark all along. She was so pitiful.
6
In a blink of an eye, Liu Kun had been away for half a month.
One evening, just as I got home from work, I received a call from Liu Kun. His voice was very anxious.
“Brother, are you busy? I need your urgent help.”
I quickly asked, “What’s wrong, Liu Kun? Don’t worry. Speak slowly.”
“If it’s any slower, my fish will die.” Liu Kun’s voice rose an octave. “I just heard from my wife that the water pump in the fish tank at home is broken. The water is so turbid that you can’t even see the fish.”
“Damn… Your arowana must be worth about ten thousand yuan. If it dies, it will be a huge loss.”
Liu Kun said, “Bah, bah, bah. Don’t say such unlucky things. It can’t die. I’ve raised it for four or five years. I have feelings for it.”
I quickly put on my shoes, called a car, and rushed to Liu Kun’s house.
I knocked on the door, and Li Fangfei opened the door and let me in.
Li Fangfei should have just come home from work and changed into loose home clothes, looking lazy and charming.
I immediately looked at the fish tank and couldn’t help but gasp.
The water was indeed turbid, and the fish really couldn’t be seen.
I quickly asked, “Sister – in – law, where’s the fish?”
Li Fangfei said, “I don’t know. This is what I saw when I got home.”
“Damn, the fish jumped out of the tank.”
I quickly squatted down and looked around. Sure enough, I saw a few fish scales under the sofa.
I moved the sofa with all my strength and saw an arowana stuck to the ground, still gasping for breath, on the verge of death.
I quickly picked it up and put it back into the fish tank.
However, the fish immediately tilted to one side, and it seemed that it was not going to make it.
I quickly rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, found the oxygen – pumping equipment, put it in the fish tank, and plugged it in.
There was a big bucket outside Liu Kun’s house filled with spare water.
I first drained one – third of the water in the fish tank and then replaced it with the water from the bucket.
After about half an hour of fussing around, the fish gradually returned to normal.
I was exhausted, but the fish was saved.
I sent a message to Liu Kun, saying that everything was taken care of.
I was about to put the tubes and other things back into the fish tank cabinet. Because there was a lot of water on the floor, I slipped and hit my head directly on the edge of the fish tank cabinet.
My forehead hurt, and when I touched it, there was blood.
Seeing this, Li Fangfei quickly helped me up and made me sit on the sofa, telling me to stay still.
She found alcohol and band – aids in the box and treated my wound.
I was sitting on the sofa, and Li Fangfei was standing in front of me, bending over to wipe my wound with an alcohol swab.
The woman was wearing loose home clothes with a deep V – neck. In my perspective, with her bending posture, I could see everything inside her clothes.
I found that besides the home clothes, Li Fangfei wasn’t wearing anything else inside. The semi – circular curve was simply stunning.
My eyes were glued there, and I was dumbfounded.
Li Fangfei realized that I was looking at her, but she wasn’t embarrassed. She chuckled and covered the open collar of her chest with her hand.
My face turned red, and I said, “Sorry.”
Li Fangfei said playfully, “Oh… It should be me who should say sorry. I’ve polluted your eyes.”
“No… No, that…”
I stammered, not knowing how to respond.
After Li Fangfei put the band – aid on me, she sat down next to me and asked, “Do you feel better now?”
I said, “My head is a bit dizzy now.”
Li Fangfei smiled and said, “You didn’t look like you were dizzy just now. Let me ask out of curiosity. Have you never had a girlfriend before?”
I felt embarrassed, “I really haven’t.”
Li Fangfei looked at me as if I were a rare species.
“Oh… In that case, I’ll forgive you for now.” Li Fangfei punched me lightly and said coquettishly, “If you’re so impolite next time, I’ll tell Liu Kun.”
“Sorry, sister – in – law.”
I was so uncomfortable that I quickly stood up, feeling at a loss.
The woman said, “I’ve cooked something delicious. Stay for dinner later to thank you for your help. You even got hurt.”
I quickly waved my hand and said, “No… No. I still have something to do, sister – in – law. I’ll go back first.”
“Hey… It’s already after work. What could you possibly have to do?”
I didn’t answer. I turned around, left the room, closed the door, and took the elevator downstairs.
The air outside was much more relaxed.
7
The landlord wanted to sell the house, so I was forced to move.
Recently, there were a lot of things to do at work, and I didn’t have time to tidy up my new home. Bags and boxes were piled up all over the place. Some boxes couldn’t fit in the room, so I had to put them in the corridor.
On Saturday morning, while I was working overtime at the unit, I received a call from Li Fangfei.
“Hello, Zhang Yuanshan. Don’t you want to celebrate your house – warming? You’ve never invited me to a meal, you know?” The woman’s voice was full of teasing.
So I said, “Sister – in – law, when Liu Kun comes back, I’ll invite you two to a meal.”
“Cut. That’ll be who – knows – when.” Li Fangfei was a bit dissatisfied. “You might as well just say you don’t want to invite me. I’m free this afternoon. I’ll come to see you.”
I quickly said, “No… No… Sister – in – law, I’m working overtime at the unit today. I really don’t have time, and my house is in a mess. I’ll entertain you after I clean it up.”
“Then it’s perfect. I’m idle anyway. I can help you clean up the room. When you come back, we can have a meal together.” Li Fangfei paused and then said, “I’m going to bring a girl with me. Zhang Yuanshan, don’t be ungrateful.”
I had no choice. “Okay. I’ll go back earlier this afternoon.”
Li Fangfei laughed, “That’s the right attitude. Send me the address of your new home, and also send me the key by express.”
“It’s a combination lock. I’ll send you the password.”
I sent Li Fangfei the address of my home and the door – lock password.
At around 4 p.m., I rushed home and found Li Fangfei and a girl tidying up the room.
The boxes I had piled up in the corridor had also been brought in.
The strange girl was very tall, fair – skinned. She wasn’t extremely beautiful, but she was very attractive. Her every move exuded a certain charm.
Li Fangfei introduced, “This is my cousin, Sun Yi. She’s a teacher at a university, a real intellectual beauty.”
I greeted Sun Yi, mainly to thank her for her help.
Li Fangfei pulled me aside and whispered, “I’ve introduced you to my best – kept secret connection. Do your best and make it work.”
I thanked her profusely. “Sister – in – law, you’re the only one who’s truly nice to me in this city. I’m really touched.”
“All right, stop flattering me.” Li Fangfei suddenly seemed to remember something. She pointed to a rectangular box in the living room. “By the way, Yuanshan, what’s in that box? It’s incredibly heavy. Sun Yi and I had a really hard time dragging it in from the corridor.”
I looked at the box on the ground, feeling rather puzzled.
As far as I could remember, I didn’t have such a large piece of luggage, and I hadn’t made any online purchases recently either.
Li Fangfei gave me a look, then took a box – cutter and cut open the box. A tuft of hair was revealed.
Yes, it was hair, golden – colored hair.
Li Fangfei and Sun Yi stared at each other, both stunned for a moment.
Li Fangfei then pulled the box open wider, and a female mannequin came into view. It was about the same proportion as a real person, with delicate features and a pair of big, lifelike eyes.
This was… something for adults.
The material seemed to be silicone, and it must have been quite expensive.
The smile on Li Fangfei’s face froze. She turned to look at me with an indescribable expression.
Sun Yi’s reaction was more straightforward. Disdain and disgust showed in her eyes. She patted the dust off her clothes and stepped aside.
“No… Sister – in – law, this isn’t mine.” I pointed at the mannequin on the ground. “This must be a case of the wrong delivery address, or it could be something the previous tenant bought.”
Li Fangfei spread her hands. “There’s nothing wrong with buying this. It shows you’re keeping yourself clean and not fooling around outside.”
Li Fangfei’s words were clearly meant for Sun Yi.
Sun Yi smiled. “Cousin, I just remembered I have something to do at home tonight. I’ll be going now.”
Li Fangfei rubbed her face, sighing repeatedly, looking rather dejected.
After Sun Yi left, there were only Li Fangfei and me left in the room.
Li Fangfei kicked the mannequin and started shouting at me. “Zhang Yuanshan, how old are you? You don’t seem to care about finding a real girlfriend, but you’re into these shady things. Are you out of your mind? Are you a pervert?”
I said with a mournful face, “Sister – in – law, it really isn’t mine.”
“Fine… You’re lying, right?” Li Fangfei grabbed her coat. “We can’t even be friends anymore… My cousin will surely think I introduced a pervert to her. How am I supposed to face her in the future?”
“Sister – in – law… Sister – in – law, please listen to me.”
Li Fangfei shook off my hand. “Don’t touch me. Our friendship is over.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
The door wasn’t closed, and a man in his thirties peeked in. “I’m the neighbor across the hall. I was wondering if you took a box that I left in the corridor?”
Li Fangfei glanced at me, an embarrassed look on her face.
I pointed at the box and the mannequin on the ground and asked the man, “Is this what you’re talking about?”
The man looked at the things on the ground, and his face instantly changed. He shouted, “How could you open someone else’s things randomly? Is this yours? You opened it without even checking?”
Li Fangfei said sheepishly, “Sorry, we made a mistake. But we just opened it. We didn’t touch anything inside. You can take it back.”
The man said angrily, “How could that be? Since you’ve opened it, it means you’ve used it. I definitely can’t use it anymore. You have to compensate me!”
I walked up to the man. “Dude, you’re being unreasonable…”
“Who the hell are you talking to about being reasonable?” The man waved his fist. “This is an imported item I bought for over six thousand yuan… If you don’t compensate me today, I’ll call the police. Yeah, this is theft!”
Li Fangfei frowned. “Forget it, forget it. It’s just six thousand yuan. I’ll compensate you. But if you dare to ask for more, it’s blackmail.”
The man showed his mobile payment record. “Look for yourselves. Have I asked for a single extra cent?”
Li Fangfei scanned the code and transferred the money.
After receiving the payment, the man closed the door and left.
I stared at the woman in a daze. “You’re just throwing money away.”
“Otherwise? Have a fight with him? It’s not worth it.” Li Fangfei pointed at the mannequin on the ground. “This, consider it a gift from me. Maybe you’ll actually find a use for it.”
After saying that, the woman covered her mouth and giggled.
I blushed deeply, at a loss for words.
Li Fangfei picked the mannequin out of the box and placed it on the sofa. Then she put her coat on the mannequin.
She looked at it from left to right, exclaiming, “Oh, it’s really nice. So beautiful. Yuanshan, with that delicate look, even I’m smitten.”
I was speechless. After a long silence, I said, “Sister – in – law, stop teasing me. I’ll throw this thing in the garbage dump later.”
Li Fangfei gave me a look. “You wouldn’t dare… Do you really think I’m just throwing money away for no reason… Keep her in the living room as a decoration. It’s quite pleasing to the eye.”
“Uh… Then I’ll really be thought of as a pervert.”
The corner of Li Fangfei’s mouth turned up, suppressing a smile. “I’ll have her keep an eye on you. Don’t you dare do anything bad.”
8
Another month or so passed like this.
One noon, Li Fangfei called me.
“Yuanshan, through my friend’s connections, I got two tickets to the movie premiere. After watching the movie, you can even take pictures with the lead actors. I’ll give these two tickets to you. If you have time, take a girl with you to watch it.”
I quickly said, “Thank you, sister – in – law, but I don’t have a girlfriend. You know that I don’t even have a potential partner right now. You should keep these premiere tickets for yourself.”
Li Fangfei chided me. “If you take a girl to watch it, you’ll have a potential partner. You really don’t understand cause – and – effect. You’re such a blockhead. I’m being nice to you, but you don’t appreciate it.”
I sighed. “Sister – in – law, I really don’t need them.”
“Ah… What should I do then? These two tickets were really hard to get. It would be a pity to waste them.” Li Fangfei murmured on the phone. “How about this? How about we go together?”
My head buzzed. Going to the movies with my friend’s wife really wasn’t appropriate.
Watching a movie is an intimate social activity. If a man and a woman go together, it usually means they’re lovers or on the way to becoming lovers.
There should be a sense of propriety between people.
Once this sense of propriety is broken, a lot of trouble will follow.
If Liu Kun found out that I went to the movies with his wife, I’d be in a really difficult situation.
So I said, “Thank you, sister – in – law, but I’m going on a business trip soon. I really can’t go with you to watch it…”
“Fine, then you go ahead and be busy.”
The woman’s voice sounded a bit disappointed and perhaps a bit angry. She hung up the phone before I could finish speaking.
It seemed that I had offended her.
But faced with the two choices, I could only do this.
If I had to choose one between Liu Kun and Li Fangfei as a friend, I could only choose Liu Kun. There was no particular reason. It was just a choice based on my conscience.
A few days later, Li Fangfei called me again, saying that her arowana wasn’t active and wouldn’t eat when fed. She didn’t know if it was sick.
So I went over to take a look. The fish really wasn’t very active, and it had some signs of cloudy eyes. It seemed to be a problem with the water quality.
It was really a pity to see such a good fish in this state.
I fussed around for a long time and changed the water in the fish tank.
While I was changing the water, Li Fangfei was cooking in the kitchen.
Near noon, she made a table full of dishes and placed a bottle of wine on the table.
The woman said, “I always trouble you. I feel so bad about it.”
In front of Li Fangfei, I was still a bit nervous. “Sister – in – law, don’t say that. Liu Kun and I are the best of friends.”
I emphasized my relationship with Liu Kun.
Sure enough, as soon as Liu Kun was mentioned, the woman’s expression became sad.
“Yuanshan, what do you think of Liu Kun?”
I was stunned, looking at her, not knowing why she suddenly asked this.
Li Fangfei sighed. “I always have this feeling. I’ve been with Liu Kun for quite a while, but sometimes he gives me the impression that I’ve never really known him.”
I thought for a moment and said, “Maybe it’s because you two have few common hobbies. But you can try to cultivate some.”
“No.” Li Fangfei shook her head. “I don’t feel his care for me. Now, every time he calls, the most he asks about is how his fish is. I feel like I’m not even as important as a fish.”
As the woman said this, her eyes became moist, and a teardrop fell into the wine glass, creating ripples.
The woman picked up the wine glass, clinked it with mine, and drank it all in one go.
I looked at the woman and thought of an idiom, “a tear in the wine”.
Marriage is really like a besieged city.
Some people yearn for it, some people are troubled by it, and some people want to get out of it.
Every family has its own hardships. It can only be said that life is full of bitterness for everyone.
Now, I didn’t know how to comfort the woman in front of me. Should I persuade her to understand her husband more and be more considerate?
That would be lying to her, and I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
There was a problem with her marriage to Liu Kun, but the fault wasn’t hers.
Although Liu Kun was married, his heart was unstable, and his self – control was poor. He didn’t know what he really wanted.
It was like a bear breaking corn. It wanted everything it saw, but in the end, it usually ended up with nothing.
Seeing that I didn’t speak, Li Fangfei asked, “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about my future. What should I do to make my future partner feel at ease and not suffer so much.”
The woman filled my glass with wine. “To be honest, Yuanshan, I really envy your future wife. I wonder who will be so lucky to marry you. I haven’t known you for a long time, but I feel like you’re a gold mine. The more I get to know you, the more I realize how rare your qualities are.”
“Sister – in – law, you’re overpraising me.”
The woman looked into my eyes and said softly, “I know you’re deliberately avoiding me. Am I that scary?”
I clinked the glass with hers and drank it all.
Li Fangfei covered her face and started crying softly.
I stood up, grabbed the coat on the sofa, put it on, and prepared to leave.
The woman also stood up and blocked my way. She leaned forward slightly and rested her head on my shoulder, sobbing softly.
I was very embarrassed. I wanted to push her away, but I thought it would be cruel.
After crying for a while, the woman pushed me away and said, “Sorry, Yuanshan. I’m sorry for losing my composure… But I’m really in a bad mood right now. Liu Kun… He’s having an affair.”
I wasn’t surprised to hear this.
Because, after all, the truth will always come out. The time – bomb was bound to explode sooner or later.
I looked at the woman and wiped the tears on her face.
“Yuanshan, did you know about this a long time ago?”
I lied, “I didn’t know what was going on.”
Li Fangfei said, “A few days ago, a woman came to me and told me about Liu Kun’s affairs in his previous company… Yuanshan, what should I do?”
I said, “You have to make the decision yourself on this matter.”
Li Fangfei said, “I talked to Liu Kun. He said he was wrong and cried, begging me to forgive him. I’m really confused right now.”
I sighed, not knowing what to say.
The woman’s tears fell like beads off a broken string. She leaned on my shoulder again and burst into tears.
9
Li Fangfei asked me to come and see the fish a few more times.
But I was really scared to go to her house. It was a genuine feeling of retreat.
Now, their marriage was at a crossroads. They had to decide which way to go, and I couldn’t get involved.
So I said to Liu Kun, “If you keep raising the fish like this, it’s going to die. Anyway, you can’t take care of it. Why don’t you give it to me?”
Liu Kun loved his fish more than anything. He said, “Impossible. Stop thinking about my fish. I’m planning to install a monitor to keep an eye on its condition at any time.”
“Then your wife has to cooperate with you to take care of it.” I sighed and reminded him. “Liu Kun, come back quickly. Otherwise, you might end up losing both your fish and your wife.”
Liu Kun suddenly said, “Yuanshan, you’re not thinking about both my fish and my wife, are you?”
I was stunned for a long time and said, “If you don’t give me the fish, I’ll go to your house every day. Maybe your wife will really fall for me.”
Liu Kun sighed. “Brother, even if I don’t trust her, I definitely trust you. All right, you can take the fish… I’m afraid I might lose my wife even if no one else tries to take her away… Sigh.”
“So, I’m advising you to come back.”
“I’ll think about it.”
After saying this, Liu Kun hung up the phone.
But I heard the background sound of a woman calling him, with a lazy tone in her voice.
I sighed. What else could I say?
I took the arowana and never went to Li Fangfei’s house again.
Once, Li Fangfei said she wanted to go to a temple to pray and asked me to go with her. I found an excuse to decline.
Some days later, I received a photo from Li Fangfei.
The photo seemed to be taken from a distance because the people in it were a bit blurry, but I could tell it was Liu Kun hugging a young woman. The two of them were very affectionate and walking out of a mall.
Li Fangfei also sent a message: “I’ve seen the ugliness of human nature.”
So I called her. “Where are you?”
“In the south, where Liu Kun works.” Li Fangfei’s voice was choked with sobs. “I originally wanted to talk to him face – to – face, but I saw this… Wuwu, Yuanshan, I hate you.”
I was stunned. This was between her and Liu Kun. Why did she hate me?
“Sister – in – law, what are you going to do next?”
“Don’t call me sister – in – law anymore…” Li Fangfei cried. “Don’t contact me in the future either. Isn’t this what you want to see? I’ll fulfill your wish. Goodbye.”
The woman hung up the phone. When I called back, it showed that the number was empty.
I was blocked by her.
Li Fangfei blocked all my contact information.
I couldn’t understand why she hated me so much.
A few months later, I received a call from Liu Kun.
“Buddy, I’m divorced.” Liu Kun’s tone was very calm.
“Oh… When are you coming back?”
Liu Kun said, “I’m not coming back. I’ve found a new girlfriend here and will settle down here in the future.”
“Oh, that’s good.” I didn’t know how to respond. “How about Li Fangfei? Where did she go?”
Liu Kun seemed surprised when he heard this. “Haven’t you two been in touch?”
I said, “No, we haven’t been in touch for almost several months.”
Liu Kun let out an “oh”. “I owe her a lot, but things can’t go back to the way they were. If there was a way to turn back time, I wouldn’t be such a jerk. Li Fangfei is a good woman.”
I didn’t say anything. I felt that the once – familiar brother who I could talk to about anything was getting farther and farther away from me.
Liu Kun asked again, “Yuanshan, have you found a girlfriend yet?”
“Not yet.”
Liu Kun was silent for a long time and then said something shocking. “Don’t look anymore. You might as well consider Li Fangfei. You two should be able to get along well.”
I widened my eyes, not believing what I heard. “Liu Kun, what are you talking about?”
The other end of the phone was silent for a while. “I’m just saying what I really think. If you mind, just forget I said anything… I’m sorry to her and hope she can live a good life in the future. That’s all.”
Liu Kun hung up the phone, but his words still echoed in my mind.
10
Half a year later.
I was at home, packing things up, planning to throw away that mannequin.
This thing wasn’t a lucky item.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
I opened the door and saw a woman standing outside. It was Sun Yi, Li Fangfei’s cousin.
I quickly asked, “Cousin, what brings you here?”
Sun Yi’s lips curled upwards. “Who’s your cousin? Don’t call me that randomly.”
I invited her in and poured her a cup of tea. “Sun Yi, what do you want to talk to me about?”
Sun Yi looked around the room. “Your place is a mess. You really need a woman here.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I stammered, “Do… do you mean you want to be my girlfriend?”
Sun Yi gave me a disdainful look. “Sorry, I’m already engaged to my boyfriend. The wedding is next month. If you want to come, you have to give a wedding gift.”
I felt extremely embarrassed, completely at a loss.
Sun Yi sighed. “My cousin… Do you still remember her?”
“Of course I do…” I came to my senses and then asked, “Where is she?”
Sun Yi said, “I think… you two are torturing each other.”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.” Sun Yi paused. “Zhang Yuanshan, do you want to see her?”
I nodded. “Where is she?”
Sun Yi turned and went outside. After about five or six minutes, she pushed someone into the room. It was Li Fangfei.
Li Fangfei had lost a lot of weight. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were full of resentment.
“Hi, Fangfei.”
I stepped forward and greeted her. This was the first time I called her by her name.
Sun Yi made a face. “You two talk. I’m leaving.”
Li Fangfei said, “You… don’t…”
But Sun Yi had already run out of the room and closed the door behind her.
Li Fangfei and I looked at each other, our eyes meeting.
The woman said softly, “If I didn’t come to find you, you probably would never have looked for me.”
I said, “You blocked all my contact information.”
“But I unblocked them the next day.” The woman bit her lip. “So, don’t make excuses. You just didn’t try to find me.”
I was stunned, not knowing what to say.
Li Fangfei sighed. “Men need to be bolder to get true love, and so do women. That’s why I’m here.”
My nose twitched, and my eyes became moist.
A man doesn’t easily shed tears, but when emotions run deep, it’s hard to hold back.
I took a step forward and hugged the woman tightly, afraid that she would slip away.
“Sister – in – law, I love you.” I couldn’t help blurting out.
The woman was startled. “Ugh, get away!”
We looked at each other and then couldn’t help laughing.
Without saying a word, our faces slowly got closer, and we kissed.
– End –
