After Abandoning Her, She Discovered That Her Partner Was a Paranoid - Chapter 8

The standoff between the two women didn’t last long. After Jing Feizuo signaled her willingness to compromise, Wen Jin quickly reverted to her usual patience and tenderness, even giving her a farewell kiss before leaving.

The moment the door slammed shut with a click, the smile vanished from Jing Feizuo’s face.

She stood motionless for a moment, deep in thought, before pulling out her phone. She navigated to her messages and scrolled to a message she had deliberately ignored two days prior:

Regarding Wen Jin, let me show you her mysterious side.

Above this spam-like message was an unreplied photo of A City Airport.

Her finger hovered over the delete button, but Wen Jin’s earlier, unwavering tone echoed in her mind. A wave of unease surged from her toes, stirring her thoughts into turmoil.

In the end, she withdrew her finger from the delete button and instead typed a message with frantic speed, pressing send with force, as if crushing her last shred of hesitation:

Are you free this afternoon?

In the most secluded private room of the teahouse, Shen Zhiyi was brewing tea, the delicate clinking of porcelain filling the air.

Jing Feizuo sat across from her, lounging casually. “Ignoring your own teahouse in G City to come all the way to A City for tea?”

Shen Zhiyi didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on Jing Feizuo’s wrist. She lifted her teacup, the rim pausing briefly at her lips before she suddenly asked, “Did Wen Jin give you that?”

Jing Feizuo froze for a moment, then deliberately adjusted the bracelet, letting it slide down her sleeve to a more conspicuous position.

Shen Zhiyi chuckled softly, withdrawing her gaze. She reached into her bag and pulled out a manila envelope, sliding it across the table to Jing Feizuo.

Jing Feizuo didn’t move, merely raising her eyes to meet Shen Zhiyi’s. “What’s this?”

Shen Zhiyi tapped the envelope lightly with her finger, leaning forward slightly and lowering her voice, her tone resolute. “You guessed what I meant by that message I sent you.”

Jing Feizuo let out a peculiar laugh. “Wen Jin told me you two used to be close. Does she know you’ve been badmouthing her to me, both online and in person?”

Shen Zhiyi stared at Jing Feizuo.

I must be crazy, she thought. This person abandoned me, my ex, and yet I still find her sarcastic attitude… endearing.

“Didn’t Wen Jin speak ill of me after she discovered our relationship?” Shen Zhiyi countered.

Jing Feizuo was taken aback. “You…”

“That time we met in G City,” Shen Zhiyi said, unsurprised, “Wen Jin couldn’t have missed the signs.”

“You two are truly ridiculous…” Jing Feizuo rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “But you’re wrong. Wen Jin never spoke ill of you. She’s not as petty as you are.”

“If you think so highly of her, why are you here meeting me?” Shen Zhiyi’s gaze returned to the file folder on the table, steering the conversation back on track. “After graduation, Wen Jin took over the Wen Group. At the time, the company was undergoing a power transition. Aren’t you curious how she managed to secure her position so smoothly?”

The afternoon sunlight began to fade, barely penetrating the gaps in the blinds. The room darkened, obscuring Jing Feizuo’s expression.

She remained silent, her eyes fixed on the file folder, as if peering through the thin paper, sensing some unknown danger lurking within.

Shen Zhiyi chuckled softly. “Countless people have tried to exploit Wen Jin, to extract something from her. Care to guess what became of them?”

Jing Feizuo’s eyelid twitched as she suddenly recalled a piece of Wen Group gossip Lin Xin had mentioned long ago: a mid-level manager who vanished shortly after resigning, with rumors later surfacing that someone had spotted him in a mental asylum overseas.

Shen Zhiyi noticed the change in her expression, her smile deepening. “You’re thinking about that employee’s story, aren’t you? The only reason his fate became public knowledge is because he got off the easiest.”

Jing Feizuo finally reached out and tore open the document envelope.

The paper felt cold and dry beneath her fingers as she flipped through the pages, her expression darkening with each page.

The documents listed several individuals who had worked closely with Wen Jin but ultimately disappeared without a trace. While there was no direct evidence pointing to Wen Jin as the mastermind, the suspiciously coincidental disappearance dates and vague police records were enough to fuel dark speculation.

As Jing Feizuo reviewed the documents, Shen Zhiyi calmly added, “During that time, I was working for Wen Jin, one of her most trusted confidantes. If her methods hadn’t been so extreme, I would never have left the Wen Group.”

She paused, then continued with a playful glint in her eyes, “Even when you were still in middle school, she was already forcing people to leave bloody fingerprints.”

Jing Feizuo glanced up at her, her gaze sharp.

The person before her was the same age as Wen Jin, yet their personalities were worlds apart. Shen Zhiyi showed little awareness of her seniority, often teasing Jing Feizuo about her youth, calling her “Feifei” with an intimacy that felt more like playful banter or a childish plea.

In short, Shen Zhiyi rarely displayed her mature and composed side around Jing Feizuo, especially during their breakup.

Jing Feizuo scoffed at the thought. “So what? You came all the way to A City just to expose Wen Jin?” She studied Shen Zhiyi’s expression, her tone growing sharper. “What outcome are you hoping for? Surely not for me to break up with her and get back together with you.”

Shen Zhiyi’s smile froze for a moment before shifting into a sincere expression. “I just think you need to know how dangerous Wen Jin is.”

Jing Feizuo shrugged, neatly gathered the documents, and pushed them back across the table. “You can’t even prove Wen Jin was behind any of this. And even if she was, what does it have to do with me?”

She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “I’m not her enemy. When the Wen Group was in turmoil, I was just a middle schooler.”

She emphasized the last three words.

Shen Zhiyi remained noncommittal, flipping through a stack of documents until she pulled out a sheet. “Look at this. Wen Jin’s former star assistant. She merely bragged privately about their relationship and lost a pinky finger. No other company dared hire her afterward.”

She smirked coldly. “Once Wen Jin realizes she’s just creative fodder for you, you’ll become her enemy.”

“I told you, I never saw you as creative fodder—” Jing Feizuo’s voice suddenly rose, then abruptly cut off. “…Never mind.”

“If you’re just sharing gossip, thanks for the warning.” She rubbed her temples. “But the missing people aren’t her exes. I don’t see the danger.”

Shen Zhiyi froze for a moment, then her smile widened, almost gleeful. “You acted like you trusted Wen Jin so much, I thought you were planning to spend your life with her. Turns out you didn’t even know she’s never been in a relationship.” She shook her head, her tone a mix of schadenfreude toward Wen Jin and pity for herself. “I really overestimated you.”

Jing Feizuo shot to her feet, the chair legs scraping harshly against the floor. “What?”

As dusk settled, streetlights flickered to life one by one. Jing Feizuo walked slowly beneath their glow, her shadow stretching and shrinking with each step. She had just parted ways with Shen Zhiyi when her phone buzzed in her trench coat pocket.

The assistant’s name flashed on the screen. Jing Feizuo pressed the answer button, hearing the voice on the other end: “Boss, Linda’s art exhibition…”

Jing Feizuo glanced instinctively at the date on her phone. “What’s wrong? Isn’t her exhibition tomorrow?”

The rustling of paper turning came through the line. “You don’t need to go. Linda’s exhibition has been suddenly canceled.”

Jing Feizuo stopped walking. A gust of wind swept past, sending a chill down her collar. After a few seconds of silence, she rubbed her knuckles against the edge of her phone. “Why?”

“It seems the sponsor suddenly withdrew funding.” The assistant’s voice carried a hint of hesitation. “Didn’t Linda tell you?”

Jing Feizuo’s gaze fell on a stubborn weed growing in the crack of the sidewalk. She remembered Linda excitedly showing her photos of the exhibition setup just last night.

“Can you find out who the sponsor was?”

The sound of keyboard clicks came through the line. Soon, the assistant replied, “Yes, the main sponsor appears to be Deep Realm Technology…” The assistant suddenly sounded surprised. “Oh, what a coincidence! It’s a subsidiary of the Wen Group.”

Jing Feizuo took a deep breath, her voice barely audible above the rising night wind. “I understand.”

After hanging up, she gripped her phone so tightly that the metal edges dug painfully into her palm. She stared at a small pebble on the roadside, imagining kicking it into the air, shattering the convenience store window nearby, the cracks spiderwebbing across the glass.

But she did nothing, remaining rooted to the spot, pressing her knuckles against her temples and breathing deeply.

Suddenly, she changed direction, deliberately choosing the longest route home, letting fatigue seep into her limbs. Yet the suffocating weight in her chest refused to dissipate.

She felt her mind drifting.

The Wen Jin described by others always seemed worlds apart from the Wen Jin she knew. In the past, she had dismissed the former, but now that Wen Jin’s assertive side had been revealed to her, she couldn’t quite grasp how to weigh the latter’s significance.

She walked in a daze until a sharp, piercing argument jolted her back to reality as she rounded a corner.

Jing Feizuo followed the sound.

The dispute stemmed from a man and a woman. In the dimly lit corner, a man in a black jacket was yanking the woman by the wrist, pulling her into his arms. “Don’t act so high and mighty,” he snarled. “Didn’t you…”

“That was in a private room!” the woman stumbled backward, the strap of her bag slipping to her elbow. “There are so many people on the street now…”

“You’re just embarrassed by me, aren’t you?” The man suddenly raised his voice, flinging his milk tea at the nearby greenery. Jing Feizuo heard his angry shout: “Why the hell didn’t you…”

Jing Feizuo saw the man raise his hand to strike. Her body reacted before her mind could process it.

She lunged forward.

“Put your hand down!” Her voice came out hoarser than she expected. By the time the man turned, she had already firmly gripped his wrist. The woman seized the opportunity to break free, cowering in terror to the side.

“What’s it to you?” The man’s struggling arm sent Jing Feizuo staggering, the hot stench of alcohol blasting into her face.

Fury surged from her heart to her head, burning away all reason.

Jing Feizuo’s right fist slammed into the man’s nose, pain and exhilaration exploding simultaneously. The clatter of the shared bicycle he knocked over, the woman’s scream, and the distant shouts of “Call 110!” all melted into a buzzing tinnitus in her ears.