Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Investigation

After getting out of the car, Zhang Yan first went to an ATM and withdrew ten thousand yuan in cash. Then, he bought a pack of hard-box Chunghwa cigarettes at a nearby supermarket.

He didn’t smoke, but he remembered his dad giving this brand as a gift in the past. He had no idea what tier of cigarettes they were, as long as they didn’t make him look cheap. He emptied all the cigarettes from the box, handed them back to the shop owner, and walked away smoothly while the owner stared at him like he was a lunatic.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Zhang Yan knocked on the door of the security room at Cuiquan Spring, where Xia Xiqing lived.

"Come in."

Zhang Yan pushed the door open to find a security guard who looked to be in his late twenties. Although Zhang Yan had completely ignored the "Authorized Personnel Only" sign, the guard had developed a sharp eye after working at this high-end residential area for years. He recognized from Zhang Yan’s attire that this wasn’t some ordinary guy.

"Sir, how can I help you?"

"Brother, you were the one who opened the gate for me today when I picked up Miss Xia for a date. You still remember me, right?"

Triggered by the reminder, the guard recalled the incident. Even in this top-tier neighborhood filled with the rich and powerful, Miss Xia was an exceptionally prominent figure. It was hard not to subconsciously remember anything or anyone related to her.

"What exactly can I do for you, sir?"

"As you can probably tell, man, I’m pursuing Miss Xia. I wanted to get an idea of her usual schedule for leaving the house, just to increase my chances of ’bumping’ into her."

"That is absolutely not allowed! Our superiors have strict rules against leaking resident information!"

Zhang Yan pulled out the prepared cigarette box and opened it halfway. "Do me a solid, brother. When we get married, I’ll invite you to be a groomsman!"

The young guard looked conflicted and reached out to push away the offered Chunghwa box. "I’ve already quit..."

Suddenly, he noticed that what was exposed in the half-open box wasn’t the color of cigarettes, but a thick stack of red banknotes.

"These cigarettes of yours..." He hesitantly took the box, opened it for a quick glance, and weighed it in his hand. He realized there had to be several thousand yuan inside! His monthly salary was only five thousand!

After exactly one second of inner struggle, he pocketed the box, sliding it smoothly into his jacket.

"Little brother, it’s not that I don’t want to help you out, but the company really has strict rules. If I get caught, I’ll lose my job!"

"I understand, I understand!" Seeing the guard accept the "cigarettes," Zhang Yan knew he had a chance and waited quietly for the condition.

"Leaking resident privacy is an absolute no-go. However, I can tell you a few interesting daily anecdotes. As for who exactly they are about, well, that’s up in the air."

"That works perfectly for me. I’ve loved listening to stories since I was a kid!"

Thirty minutes later, Zhang Yan left Cuiquan Spring fully satisfied. Where there was a policy, there was a loophole, and money always talked. The realities Zhang Yan had only ever seen on screens were now being practically confirmed by his own actions, leaving him feeling slightly surreal.

Thinking over the information he had gathered about Xia Xiqing, he pondered deeply. "This is getting interesting," he murmured to himself.

During his interactions with Xia Xiqing, various subtle signs indicated that some changes were occurring—or had already occurred—within her. There was now a massive disconnect between who she currently was and the rumors of the wealthy, noble lady she was supposed to be. It was only because of her inherently aloof and solitary personality that no one had noticed it yet.

This was why he had planned this trip. The results he obtained not only corroborated his suspicions but also revealed more pieces of her puzzle. However, he still needed to carefully consider how exactly he would use this information.

Right at that moment, his phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hello, Mr. Zhang. The item you won at auction..."

It turned out to be Brother Tongzi’s watch reward arriving. But Brother Tongzi was being a bit shady. Judging from the call, it was a second-hand item won from a judicial auction platform. Since it was getting late and he had little interest in watches anyway, he scheduled to pick it up the next day.

Now free, he scrolled through his phone.

Most of his classmates were complaining about the messy politics at their new jobs, his parents were having a blast traveling, Cheng Lu was still promoting her engagement party, and his junior schoolmate would occasionally share updates about her daily life.

And of course, there was Xiaoyan’s current daily photo. Zhang Yan had done nothing but drop a like on them, yet instead of giving up, she was sending them more frequently and they were becoming increasingly explicit.

DING!

Zhang Yan saw Xiaoyan’s profile picture bounce with a new notification. Had she finally lost her patience?

"Senior Zhang Yan, Yuyu said she might not come back to the apartment for a while. Did something happen with her family?" she texted.

Given their best-friend status, Xiaoyan could have easily asked her directly. Instead, she used it as an excuse to strike up a conversation with him. It was honestly just transparently foolish.

"Did she not tell you?" he replied. "Her father is sick and might need major surgery soon."

"Ah! I knew something was off with her lately," Xiaoyan texted back. "She’s been saving money everywhere she can. I even asked if she needed to borrow some... With her gone, I’m the only one left in this four-bedroom apartment we share. It’s a little scary being all alone."

Xiaoyan had typed a massive paragraph, but Zhang Yan knew she only did it for the sole purpose of delivering that final sentence. She was emphasizing that she was home alone, trying to bait his curiosity and urges. But Zhang Yan was certain that if he took the bait, she would immediately start playing hard to get. In short, there was no way anything would actually happen tonight.

These were all cheap tricks Cheng Lu had already used on him.

Naturally, Zhang Yan didn’t bite. "Yuebao is fine. I’ve already solved her father’s problem for her."

Her attempt falling flat, Xiaoyan felt a bit annoyed, but then she suddenly caught the most important part of his message. As someone who lived with her day and night, she had obviously noticed all her best friend’s recent abnormalities. Now she understood why Chi Xinyue had turned down her help and refused to borrow money back then. It was highly likely because the required amount was so massive that her meager assistance would have been a mere drop in the bucket.

Although she didn’t know the exact figure, she guessed it had to be in the hundreds of thousands. Yet, a disaster of that magnitude was handled by a casually dismissive "I’ve already solved it for her" from Zhang Yan?

She wondered with a shock just what kind of immense wealth that required. Furthermore, the incident most likely happened in the last couple of days. He had thrown all that money at the problem, yet he hadn’t stayed by Chi Xinyue’s side...

When dating, what young couple wouldn’t want to be glued to each other all day? Could it be that they really hadn’t started dating yet?

"Senior Zhang Yan, thank you so much for helping Yuyu like this!" she texted eagerly. "As her best friend, I absolutely must treat you to a meal to properly thank you on her behalf!"

The corners of Zhang Yan’s mouth ticked upward. "Sure, let’s do tomorrow at noon. I’ll pick the place and mooch a meal off you."

"Okay, Senior Zhang Yan, but please go easy on me. I haven’t gotten any part-time work lately, and my little wallet is looking quite flat."

Zhang Yan didn’t reply to that.

If every conversation with the opposite sex ended with you sending the last message, it was a precursor to becoming a simp. Zhang Yan’s current goal was to make sure that the other party sent the final message in all his conversations with women.

"Perfect timing to meet up with her early tomorrow and pick up the watch along the way," he thought.

After all, it was a reward from Brother Tongzi. Even if it was just a watch, it had to be worth at least two or three hundred thousand to make the cut, right?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.