Volume One, Chapter 10: Song Wanxi Unmasks Hanzi Cha’s Scheme

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Wu Weiwei smiled gently, “Shall we find a quiet place to sit down and talk alone?”
An Xiao, knowing that Song Wanxi was easygoing and prone to being taken advantage of, immediately grew anxious. “Hanzi Cha, what exactly do you want?”
The nickname “Hanzi Cha” caused Wu Weiwei’s expression to darken instantly. She looked at An Xiao with displeasure, not expecting Song Wanxi’s close friend to be so rude as to invent such a mocking nickname for her.
An Xiao puffed out her cheeks and glared at her.
Song Wanxi stood up, grabbed her backpack, and tugged An Xiao’s hand. “Xiaoxiao, I’m going out for a bit.”
An Xiao’s tone softened. “Wanxi, she has no good intentions. Don’t go with her.”
“It’s fine,” Song Wanxi reassured her, gently patting her arm.
As noon approached, the sky darkened as if dusk had fallen early, thick clouds gathering, and a chilly wind howled.
A heavy rain was imminent, the wind sweeping through the city.
The pharmaceutical research institute was located rather remotely. After walking for over ten minutes, they returned near Song Wanxi’s residential complex and found a quiet café.
The two sat in a corner and ordered two cups of coffee.
Wu Weiwei slowly sipped her black coffee, while Song Wanxi sat upright, quietly watching her, waiting for her to speak.
Wu Weiwei pursed her lips, frowned, and set her cup down. “The coffee here isn’t as good as the one my aunt brews at home. It’s bitter, without any lingering sweetness or aroma.”
Song Wanxi remained composed and refined throughout. “Miss Wu, please speak directly.”
Her time was precious; she didn’t want to waste it on trivial matters like tasting coffee.
Wu Weiwei was silent for a few seconds, then looked earnestly at her. “Sister-in-law, A Jin’s beloved grandfather just passed away. He’s upset and not in a good mood. I want to take him abroad for a trip to help him relax. Is that okay?”
Song Wanxi leaned back in her chair. Beneath her calm exterior, it felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her chest tightly, suffocating her with discomfort, yet she still feigned indifference. “Go wherever you want. You don’t need to tell me.”
Because her opinion could not change You Jin’s mind.
Wu Weiwei, understanding, explained, “Sister-in-law, you’re A Jin’s wife. I have to get your approval for something like this—after all, a young man and woman traveling abroad alone together can easily cause misunderstandings.”
Song Wanxi’s hand, resting under the table, slowly clenched the fabric of her pants tightly; her heart felt heavy.
Knowing that a single man and woman traveling together could cause rumors, yet still insisting on doing it and demanding her consent.
Isn’t that having your cake and eating it too?

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Wu Weiwei continued, “I’m an outgoing, carefree person. A Jin and I are very close—like brothers, growing up together. If anything were going to happen, it would have already. It wouldn’t concern you, right?”
Her carefree demeanor belied a certain slyness.
Song Wanxi felt a bitter helplessness and great annoyance but maintained her composure. “You asked me out just to talk about this?”
Wu Weiwei was taken aback. “Isn’t this serious?”
Serious?
So she knew the word “serious.” A single young woman inviting a married man to travel abroad alone together, masquerading as brotherly camaraderie while engaging in something improper.
Of course, as the wife, this was serious.
But Wu Weiwei knowingly flouted the boundaries, even coming here to her in the name of seeking consent, when in fact she was flaunting her boldness, staking her claim.
She was indeed upset, but what could she do?
You Jin never reported his whereabouts to her—a marriage in name only.
She turned to look out the window.
Suddenly, a torrential downpour began, the streets shrouded in a misty gloom. Rain fell like countless fine threads, the sound of raindrops echoing loudly.
Pedestrians hurried by with umbrellas.
Her mood was darker than the weather outside.
Wu Weiwei’s familiar tone pressed on, “Sister-in-law, do you agree or not?”
Song Wanxi was not one of those “brothers” who revolved around her and yielded to her every whim. Her voice deepened. “If I disagree, will you still go?”
Wu Weiwei didn’t expect such a response and froze.
“No matter my answer, you’ll go anyway,” Song Wanxi said, clenching her fists with an unusually cold tone. “Miss Wu, you came here not to ask me, but for your own reasons. You know what’s on your mind—I won’t expose you.”
Wu Weiwei awkwardly sipped her coffee, her eyes flickering. She found Song Wanxi to be aloof, solitary, and gentle, but never imagined she was so clear-headed and perceptive.
Unlike some of her male friends, who were simple-minded and easily fooled.
Song Wanxi turned her gaze back to the rain.
If she had an umbrella, she would have gotten up and left immediately.

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The atmosphere grew tense.
Wu Weiwei put her phone under the table and sent You Jin a location and a message on WeChat.
Wu Weiwei: “A Jin, I’m at the café near your place. I didn’t bring an umbrella. The rain is heavy, and I can’t leave. If you’re not at work yet, can you come pick me up?”
You Jin: “Two minutes, at the door.”
A smile tugged at Wu Weiwei’s lips. She quickly pretended to make a call, muttering loudly enough for Song Wanxi to hear, “I didn’t expect such heavy rain. I asked A Jin to come get me.”
After a moment, she feigned dialing and held the phone to her ear, speaking with practiced familiarity, “A Jin, I’m at the Lucky Café near your place. The rain’s heavy—can you come pick me up? Okay… two minutes? Right, sister-in-law is here too, no umbrella. Maybe you can give her a ride back to the research institute on the way… Okay…”
After her instructions, she put the phone away and said to Song Wanxi, “Sister-in-law, I asked A Jin to take you back to the research institute first.”
No sooner had she said this than she eagerly grabbed her bag, left her seat, and headed to the door to wait.
Song Wanxi’s gaze remained fixed on the rain outside, melancholy.
Her husband was coming specifically to pick up Wu Weiwei, following Wu Weiwei’s plan, turning everything upside down by giving her a ride on the way?
Wu Weiwei’s domineering attitude was all too familiar.
Had it not always been this way?
No matter whom she was upset with, she couldn’t waste her own time on this. Instead of lingering here, bothered by these trivial matters, it was far better to return to the lab and focus on her research.
In a moment, Song Wanxi picked up her backpack, slowly pushed back her chair, and left the café.
Opening the glass door, the cold wind mixed with rain entered her nostrils, brushed her face, and sent a shiver through her from head to toe.
She saw only You Jin’s taillights and license plate disappearing in the rain, fading from her sight.
She stood there like a fool at the doorway, her eyes stinging, her body chilled, her heart empty.
Song Wanxi turned back to the café, sat down in her original seat, listening to the wind and watching the rain, wasting time until the storm passed.