He was so sure, telling her not to call the police. Was it a threat, or did he have absolute confidence?
Was he not afraid of her calling the police, just because he had that video? But she was not afraid of that kind of coercion. She was the victim, and it should be the perpetrator who felt ashamed, not her! She wouldn't be threatened by such things and let herself sink into filth. She wouldn't!
But for the sake of revenge, he had prepared for so long. Wouldn't he know her personality?
"Ms. He? Ms. He, what's wrong with you?" The young officer asked her with concern.
He Yan suddenly stood up and walked out.
Outside, the weather was beautiful, with the late autumn sun hanging high in the sky, pouring out its last warmth. The difference between the sunny and shaded spots was only a thin line, but crossing it felt like entering another world.
Her mind was in chaos. She tried calling Liang Yuanze again, but still couldn’t get through. She stood by the car, leaning against the cold metal, talking to herself, "He Yan, calm down, you must calm down."
She went to the community security office and requested to review the surveillance footage from last night, using the excuse of theft from her car. In the footage, it was clear to see "her" parking the car and leaving the surveillance area calmly. He Yan's heart was uncontrollably pounding in her chest. "What about the surveillance in the lobby? And in the elevator!"
The security guard looked astonished and asked, "Wasn't something stolen from the car?"
She didn't bother to explain to him. With her insistence, the security personnel pulled up videos recorded by other cameras in the vicinity during a similar time period. There, "she" walked normally through the lobby, entered the elevator, and then walked out of the elevator on her floor.
If it weren't for her mental toughness, He Yan would have thought she was going crazy. Her body trembled slightly as she sat alone in the security office, staring at the blurry footage until all the images abruptly turned black and stopped.
Her heart fluttered, and she called the security personnel over again, asking, "What's going on? Why is there no record when I arrived here?"
"Oh, the surveillance system in the neighborhood went down in the late night. We just had someone come to fix it in the morning," the security personnel explained.
In almost an instant, He Yan understood. They took advantage of that time to send her back home while she was unconscious. The "her" also took that opportunity to leave. Without a doubt, even if they had surveillance at "Zizai Tian", the recording would be no different from here. If this was a trap, then Fu Shenxing must have prepared for a long time, being meticulous and perfect in every detail.
Indeed, she couldn't go to the police. No one would believe her; instead, they would treat her as a crazy person.
She returned home and sat on the sofa, when it was getting dark outside, her phone suddenly rang. The sound was abrupt and piercing. The screen displayed a phone number. She had a good memory and recognized it as Fu Shenxing's phone number.
He Yan closed her eyes and then answered the call calmly, "Shen Zhijie, I didn't call the police."
"You are very clever, Teacher He," Fu Shenxing said.
She gently pressed the recording button on her phone and tried to control her emotions as much as possible, expressing the situation clearly, "You planned this for a long time, didn't you? Secretly taking me from the restaurant and having someone pretend to be me, driving home. Who is the person pretending to be me? Where did you find someone who looks just like me?"
He corrected her, "In fact, she doesn't look very alike, it's just the appearance."
"Well, your design is very perfect," she said, while squeezing her thigh hard with her other hand, trying to keep herself calm, "Shen Zhijie, I'm really curious. How did you manage to escape from prison? I went to see the investigating officer, Officer Chen, and he said that you were indeed executed. How did you manage to survive?"
Fu Shenxing's deep laughter came through the receiver, "He Yan, you are recording, aren't you? It's useless, everything you are doing is in vain. Behave, only then will your family be safe from harm."
He Yan felt like someone had covered her mouth and nose, making it difficult to breathe. "What do you want to do?"
"Play our game."
"You want to use my family to threaten me, don't you?" she asked with a stiff voice.
"Yes," he admitted coldly, "they are my leverage. Don't violate the rules of the game anymore, Teacher He, and don't test my patience."
After a while, she could finally speak, "I'll behave. You won't harm my family, will you?"
He gave a faint laugh and asked her, "Teacher He, haven't you realized that I am more trustworthy than you?"
She clenched her teeth and asked, "When can this game end?"
"When I get bored of it," he replied, pausing for a moment before adding, "Teacher He, your husband is calling you again."
Sure enough, another incoming call prompt appeared on her phone.
"Please answer it, Teacher He, but I don't think it's necessary for your family to know about our game, what do you think?" He reminded her, and then said, "Also, please remember, my name is Fu Shenxing."
Her conversation with Liang Yuanze was very brief. Liang Yuanze had found some time to make this call during his training, as he had been worried about her, given that she hadn't answered his calls a few times before. He sensed her unease and asked, "What's wrong? Your voice sounds muffled."
"Oh, just a little cold," she replied hoarsely, finally finding an excuse that she didn't have to conceal, "my nose is blocked, and my eyes are teary."
"You silly girl!" he chuckled, feeling both affectionate and amused, "I've only been away for a few days, and you are already like this."
Tears filled He Yan's eyes as she murmured softly, "I miss you, Yuanze."
"I miss you too, Yanyan," he responded in a low voice, then couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, I won't say more. We have to start, I need to turn off my phone."
Liang Yuanze hung up the phone. He Yan stared at her phone, there was no call record with Fu Shenxing, nor was there any recording. She was certain that her phone must have been tampered with by him. While considering what to do, she received a text message: "Don't change your phone, continue using it."
Her spirit was almost numb. She washed her face in the bathroom in the dark and called her parents after her voice improved. The elderly couple had just returned to the hotel from outside, excitedly telling her about the interesting things that had happened during the trip. She spoke very little, just listened quietly and finally instructed them, "Stay safe."
The next day, she went to school as if everything was normal. Just before noon, the male student she had helped came to her office and asked cautiously, "Teacher He, are you mad at me? You didn't answer my calls yesterday."
She didn't answer, just looked at him, wondering whether he had been bribed by Fu Shenxing or used by him.
The male student misunderstood her silence and explained in a low voice, "I was waiting outside 'Zizai Tian' for you the night before last. I had to leave for a while because of something, and when I came back, I saw you driving away. I called out to you twice, maybe you didn't hear me."
Even after experiencing such an incident, she was still willing to believe that there is kindness in the world. He Yan forced a smile, "I indeed didn't hear you. I'm fine, thank you."
Life seemed to have returned to normal, but Fu Shenxing seemed like a monster lurking underwater. He dragged her into the dark depths and then disappeared without a trace.
After spending more than a month traveling, her parents returned to Nanzhao ahead of her. He Yan accompanied them for a meal, and it was then that her mother mentioned an exciting incident they encountered during the trip.
"Oh, Yanyan, you have no idea what happened to us. Just like the time you asked us to stay safe, in the middle of the night we suddenly heard someone knocking on the wall next door, your father and I were both woken up. Your father knocked back twice and then it was quiet on that side. Guess what? The next day we heard that someone in the room next door was killed, and the word 'Shen' was written on the wall with blood. It scared the heck out of us! I don't know if the one knocking on the wall was a person or a ghost. It scared your father and me so we quickly changed hotels!"
He Yan turned pale, her hands trembling so much that she could hardly hold the chopsticks, almost losing her composure on the spot.
On the evening before Liang Yuanze returned to the country, He Yan received another call from Fu Shenxing. He said, "Teacher He, come and accompany a guest for me tonight. The car is waiting for you outside the school."
He used a tone of negotiation, but didn't give her any chance to refuse.
Sitting in the office, she took out the knife she had prepared in the drawer, held it in her hand, pondered over it, and finally put it back in. She couldn't take any risks, she didn't have the chance to fail.
A black car took He Yan to a villa on the mountain, where a small party was being held. Confusing music, dim lighting, and the indulgent men and young girls everywhere made it feel like falling into an enchanted world the moment she entered.
He Yan's attire was out of place among the crowd, attracting many eyes as soon as she entered. She paid no attention and glanced around at the door, finding Fu Shenxing standing by the window, she walked straight towards him.
"Mr. Fu," she greeted him calmly when she stood in front of him.
Fu Shenxing was holding a glass, talking to someone, and despite the two young models beside him, his attire was still neat. He turned his head when he heard her voice, glanced at He Yan lightly, and pointed with the hand holding the glass to a nearby leather sofa, instructing her, "Go accompany Mr. Zhang."
She looked in the direction he pointed to see a middle-aged man in his forties, fat, half-bald, and a hint of grease on his face, looking almost lecherous. The man had been staring at her since she entered, his gaze feeling off. She didn't refuse and walked over obediently. As soon as she sat down on the sofa, the fat man's bulky body leaned over, grabbing her hand and asking with a smile, "Beauty, you're not in this line of work, are you?"
"Just got into it," He Yan replied.
"Just got into it, great! Just got into it is clean!" The fat man patted her thigh with force, and his hand stayed there. She remained calm, not once looking toward Fu Shenxing.
The fat man's hands became increasingly lecherous and soon couldn't contain the harassment over the clothes. Unable to tolerate it anymore, He Yan firmly grabbed his hand and said with a light laugh, "Mr. Zhang, it's embarrassing if someone sees."
The fat man snickered with a slobbering face, "Embarrassed? It's fun when it's embarrassing. I love good housewives like you the most."
His voice wasn't low and immediately, someone made a commotion, "Mr. Zhang, let's have some fun."