Chapter 14: The Situation Seems a Bit Different

Ning Weidong left Anping Lane on his bicycle, his mind still reviewing the details of his meeting with Wang Jingsheng and An Ning.

An Ning's presence exceeded his expectations; from Wang Jingsheng's attitude toward An Ning, it was clear that An Ning was the one calling the shots between the two.

However, on the whole, it had gone fairly smoothly.

As for what followed, whether he could find the things Qi Jiazui had hidden would really depend on luck.

Ning Weidong pondered as he pedaled, just having left Anping Lane and intending to turn south to enter Gongmenkou West Fork.

He saw someone walking with a limp ahead.

There was basically no nightlife at this hour; although it was only a little past eight, there was no one on the road.

The person heard the sound of the bicycle behind them, paused their already limping gait, and looked back warily.

Ning Weidong hadn't paid much attention to this person originally, but to his surprise, the moment the other party turned their head, he let out an "Oh."

Although they were wearing a winter overcoat and a thick scarf, revealing only their eyes, it was precisely these eyes that allowed Ning Weidong to recognize them at a glance.

Squeezing the brake with a screech, the bicycle slowed and stopped beside the person, and Ning Weidong asked in surprise, "Sister Shi? What happened?"

The person walking alone in the dark with a limp was actually Shi Xiaonan.

The eyes of a Peking Opera performer are different from those of ordinary people; even when not on stage, they are different.

Even with a scarf covering her face, Ning Weidong recognized her instantly.

Usually, when the troupe finished for the day, Wang Kai would ride his bicycle to pick her up.

"Weidong!" Shi Xiaonan recognized Ning Weidong, and her tense mood relaxed slightly; at least it wasn't a bad person.

Ning Weidong stepped off the bike and asked, "Sister Shi, where is Brother Wang?"

Shi Xiaonan's eyes reddened, and a sense of grievance welled up in her heart, but she didn't want to air her dirty laundry in public, so she prevaricated, "That... he had something to do at work today."

Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, Ning Weidong didn't press the issue, instead asking, "Sister, did you hurt your foot? Get on, I'll take you back."

There were still several hundred meters to go before reaching home, and Shi Xiaonan's ankle was hurting more and more; if she really had to walk back herself, she would definitely aggravate the injury.

Thinking of this, Shi Xiaonan felt even more annoyed that Wang Kai was simply being unreasonable.

Although she and Wang Kai had bickered before, every day when she got off work, Wang Kai would ride his bike to pick her up; rain or snow, he had never missed a day.

But today, after the performance ended, she had stayed behind to discuss the play with a colleague and came out more than ten minutes later than usual.

Who would have thought that when she came out of the theater, Wang Kai was standing at the entrance, holding his bicycle in a huff; seeing her walk out, he glared at her fiercely, then rode off on his bicycle without saying a word.

Shi Xiaonan was stunned at the time, and since her colleague was right there, she couldn't shout out.

She didn't want her colleague to know about her domestic affairs and have people gossiping behind her back.

She had no choice but to act as if nothing was wrong, part ways with her colleague, and then hurry in the direction Wang Kai had gone; not only did she fail to catch up, but she also sprained her foot.

Shi Xiaonan felt extremely aggrieved; as she limped along, she asked herself more than once why she had married such a narrow-minded man.

She knew what Wang Kai was worked up about—it was because of the young male lead who performed with her.

Although he was called a "young male lead," he was actually a man in his late forties, nearly fifty, and there was absolutely nothing improper between them.

Wang Kai had just gotten stuck in a rut, insisting on believing that there was something going on.

Fortunately, she had run into Ning Weidong, otherwise, she really didn't know how she would have walked the remaining few hundred meters back.

She sat sideways on the back rack of the bicycle with a limp. "Sister, hold on tight," Ning Weidong reminded her, then gave a hard push on the pedals.

The bicycle moved forward.

Shi Xiaonan, like Bai Fengyu, had married into the courtyard after the original owner went to the countryside; their relationship wasn't very close, and they didn't have much to talk about.

Moreover, she could feel that Shi Xiaonan didn't really want to talk.

Ning Weidong simply kept his head down and pedaled.

Sitting on the back, Shi Xiaonan initially tried to avoid suspicion, gripping the iron rack beneath her.

But the alley was not smooth, and the bike bumped from time to time, forcing her to abandon her reserve and grab Ning Weidong's waist.

In fact, through the thick cotton coat, it didn't count as contact at all.

Yet, for some reason, Shi Xiaonan began to let her mind wander.

Previously, when she sat behind Wang Kai, she could always see his broad back, and she would feel very secure.

Now, she was shocked to discover that Ning Weidong's back was even broader and taller.

Shi Xiaonan felt a bit dazed, and then, thinking of her husband's stubbornness and confusion, her grievances erupted, and tears could no longer be held back, spilling from her eyes.

For the sake of appearances, she endured it and didn't cry out, fearing being laughed at.

Just then, someone suddenly came from the opposite direction, pedaling a bicycle hard with a huffing sound, moving quite fast, and they passed each other in a flash.

That person glanced at Ning Weidong's side and happened to lock eyes with Shi Xiaonan, who was sitting sideways on the back.

The next moment, with a screech, there was an emergency brake.

The person's bicycle swerved violently; luckily, his reaction was fast, and he planted one foot on the ground, avoiding a spill.

At the same time, Shi Xiaonan cried out, "Wang Kai!"

Ning Weidong slowed down and stopped, looking back.

He was immediately met with two hostile glares from a man wearing a blue overcoat, his hair a mess, his eyes bloodshot, and his face full of rage.

"Shi Xiaonan, you still won't admit it! Who is this person?" Wang Kai shouted; perhaps it was too dark for him to recognize Ning Weidong, and he only assumed it was a tall man.

Shi Xiaonan was stunned; she had been full of grievances, but she hadn't expected the other party to strike first.

Earlier, she had desperately held back her sobs just to maintain her dignity and not expose her family's shame to an outsider.

Yet Wang Kai didn't care at all, tearing her reputation to shreds right in front of someone.

Shi Xiaonan decided to just let it all go, crying out, "Wang Kai, you jerk! You tell me who he is! Are you blind? Why did you dump me at the theater entrance? You are my husband; I am innocent, and no one else has said a word of gossip, yet you insist on splashing dirty water on me..."

Wang Kai had never seen Shi Xiaonan in such a state; her usual forbearance and dignity were gone, and she seemed as if she had gone mad.

Ning Weidong hadn't expected that a chance encounter on the road would lead to being caught in a "scandal."

The problem was, it would be one thing if he actually had something going on with Shi Xiaonan, but now he was being dragged into this mess for no reason.

At a time like this, one cannot be a silent gourd; Wang Kai's emotions were clearly very unstable, and if he truly acted recklessly and alarmed the people nearby, it would be disgusting to be treated as a spectacle.

Ning Weidong did not wait for them to argue further and immediately interjected, "Brother Wang, you mustn't speak nonsense; I only saw that Sister Shi had injured her foot on the road just now, so I carried her back."

Wang Kai was stunned, only then realizing that the situation seemed to be different from what he had imagined.

(End of this chapter)