13. The Dummy

The two of them said nothing the rest of the way, and the car finally pulled up at Wen Mingjuan's apartment. Her sharp eyes immediately spotted Lin Yitan standing in a daze in front of the intercom.

"Your colleague's come looking for you." Gao Weizhao spoke up before Wen Mingjuan could react.

Her expression must have looked rather grim, to prompt such an unusual remark from him.

"I see him." Wen Mingjuan said, none too pleased.

"He likes you a lot, doesn't he?" Gao Weizhao suddenly blurted this out. Wen Mingjuan froze for a moment, then turned to look at him.

"Anyone could tell." Gao Weizhao's fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel; he didn't even glance at Wen Mingjuan while he spoke.

"Since when did you turn into such a gossip?" Wen Mingjuan glared at him, giving a short snort. "Boring!"

Gao Weizhao didn't respond again; scolded like that, whatever he'd meant to say next, he swallowed back down.

He slowly pulled the car up to the front gate.

"Thanks for driving me back, I need to go deal with that guy." Wen Mingjuan, her mind set only on getting out to vent her frustration at Lin Yitan, grabbed her bag, waved goodbye to Gao Weizhao, opened the door, and ran off.

As the turn signal flashed, the Mercedes gradually pulled away into the distance. Lin Yitan strained his eyes at the driver's seat for a long moment before he recognized Gao Weizhao.

"Weren't you supposed to be doing a home visit? Don't tell me you went to make a special visit to that Gao fellow?" Before Wen Mingjuan could even open her mouth, Lin Yitan struck first.

"Hey! You've got some nerve." Wen Mingjuan had already felt a bit put out that he'd come looking for her, and now, being mocked by Lin Yitan on top of it, she felt even worse—a nameless anger rose up in her. "I just happened to run into him. What business is it of yours?"

"Why do you keep getting tangled up with him? Don't you know what kind of person he is?" Worry showed plainly on Lin Yitan's face. "You shouldn't be getting so close to him."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Close? Me and Gao Weizhao?" Wen Mingjuan couldn't stand Lin Yitan's line of reasoning, and said, displeased, "What kind of definition is that? Two people happening to be physically near each other counts as 'close'? By that logic, I'm 'close' to plenty of people."

"I'm saying this for your own good, Gao Weizhao is not a good person!" Lin Yitan tried to persuade her.

"Whether he's a good person or not, what business is that of mine?"

Just then, Zhang Tingyu happened to come downstairs, and was startled to walk right into the two of them in the middle of a heated argument.

"What are you two doing?" Zhang Tingyu looked a bit anxious at the sight. "Let's talk this out calmly."

"It's him talking nonsense, going on and on with a bunch of ridiculous stuff, absolutely absurd!" Wen Mingjuan said, pacing off toward the stairwell.

Zhang Tingyu looked at Lin Yitan, utterly confused, having no idea what had happened.

"Gao Weizhao just drove her home. Even a home visit, and she still ends up with that man." Lin Yitan was fuming too, his whole face nearly scrunched up as he spoke. "She wasn't even visiting Tao Muwei's family."

"Whatever you have to say, say it upstairs, don't shout about it out here." Zhang Tingyu tried to calm him.

The three of them went upstairs one after another. Wen Mingjuan had already planted herself in the rattan chair in the living room, puffing out both cheeks, looking every bit like a volcano about to erupt.

"Don't be so angry!" Zhang Tingyu tried to play peacemaker, but unfortunately both sides were too worked up, and she found herself somewhat powerless.

"It's none of his business." Wen Mingjuan said resentfully.

"Being with that hoodlum is a dangerous thing to do." Lin Yitan refused to let it go. "Last time he nearly gave you a concussion, have you forgotten?"

"I already said he didn't mean it."

"You're still defending him?" A sense of loss seeped into Lin Yitan's eyes. "Why can't you wake up and see clearly?"

"Stop arguing!" Hearing the two of them go back and forth, trading barbs, Zhang Tingyu had gathered roughly what was going on, and seeing how heated it had gotten, tried to intervene.

"What do you mean, 'see clearly'?" Wen Mingjuan still had more to say, but Zhang Tingyu forcibly pulled her aside.

"Teacher Lin means well, he's worried about you, that's why he's saying this." Zhang Tingyu said.

"I don't need his good intentions. Never mind that there's nothing between me and Gao Weizhao—even if there were something, it still wouldn't be his place to interfere." Wen Mingjuan said bluntly.

"You shouldn't say it like that." Zhang Tingyu knew Wen Mingjuan didn't care for Lin Yitan, but put that way, the words still stung.

"I think he's basically stalking me." Wen Mingjuan pointed a finger at Lin Yitan. "It's a really bad feeling."

"I—" Suddenly pointed at and scolded like that, Lin Yitan's heart turned cold in an instant.

He had loved her for an entire year, only to abruptly realize she felt nothing for him at all in return.

A deep sense of defeat washed over him.

"I'm going home." Lin Yitan turned and walked away, his figure looking utterly forlorn.

"Teacher Lin..." Zhang Tingyu hurried after him. "Don't be like this! You know how blunt and quick-tongued Mingjuan is, it's not a big deal."

"It's exactly because I know that I'm leaving." Lin Yitan stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. "She made it very clear—she doesn't like me worrying about her."

There was far too much desolation in his voice.

He opened the door and walked out on his own.

* * *

Lin Yitan had tracked down Tao Muwei's home address, and after three failed attempts, he finally managed to find Gao Weizhao.

That evening, Lin Yitan entered the Tao residence. Gao Weizhao, learning that he had come looking for him three separate times, wore a somewhat astonished expression. The two sat down separately in the spacious living room, which felt rather cold and empty.

"I wouldn't have thought we had anything in common. What's so urgent that you'd come looking for me like this?" Gao Weizhao lit a cigarette for himself, and out of habit, pulled out one for Lin Yitan too.

"Thanks, I don't smoke." Lin Yitan cupped his hands politely, declining Gao Weizhao's offer, and explained, "Mingjuan can't be around cigarette smoke."

Gao Weizhao was startled for a moment, then, understanding his meaning, nodded and put the cigarette away.

"You're quite devoted to Teacher Wen." He said.

"Yes, I like her a great deal." Lin Yitan didn't hold back either, stating his feelings plainly right from the start.

"So what did you come to see me for?" Gao Weizhao asked.

"I'm very sorry, but I have to remind you—I hope you won't lay a hand on a girl as innocent as Mingjuan. She is absolutely no match for you. Please, leave her alone."

"Lay a hand on her? Leave her alone?" Gao Weizhao repeated the words, looking puzzled. "I haven't done anything to her."

"You've been getting too close to her." Lin Yitan explained.

"Funny, I don't see it that way." Gao Weizhao recalled that day he'd seen Lin Yitan standing beneath Wen Mingjuan's apartment; Lin Yitan had probably seen him too, hence this strong reaction now. "You're being too sensitive." He said coldly.

"Sensitive? Is that really all this is?" Lin Yitan looked unconvinced.

"Then let me ask you bluntly—how much do you actually know about me? What gives you the right to assume I'd do something to Teacher Wen?" Gao Weizhao looked somewhat displeased.

In truth, he found Lin Yitan rather bold, daring to speak to him this way. At the very least, none of his own men had ever shown this kind of reckless nerve.

Love truly is a powerful force—it can make a person forget danger, forget fear; even facing a dragon's pool or a tiger's den, for the sake of the one they love, they'll dare to charge right in.

"Allow me to put it this way—your background is far too complicated for either me or Mingjuan to ever understand." Lin Yitan said without a trace of fear.

"Since you don't understand me, and don't understand what's between me and Teacher Wen either, you shouldn't be jumping to conclusions." Gao Weizhao slowly exhaled a stream of smoke. "Things may not be what you imagine."

"You know exactly what they are, in your own heart." Lin Yitan answered without any courtesy at all. "Can you swear you have absolutely no inappropriate feelings toward Mingjuan?"

"I'm sorry." Gao Weizhao stood up. "Whatever I think in my own heart is none of your business to hear about."

He casually put out his cigarette.

"And besides, you have no right to interfere either."

"I—" Lin Yitan stammered. "I'm... her boyfriend. How could I have no right?"

"You're not. And even if you were her boyfriend, you'd still have no right." Gao Weizhao gave him a cold sidelong glance, then issued an order to see him out. "I don't think there's any point continuing this conversation. You can leave now."

Watching Gao Weizhao's attitude turn increasingly hard-edged, Lin Yitan felt quite humiliated—he hadn't even warmed his seat before being swept right out the door.

It was the first time in his life he'd ever suffered such a mortifying insult.

Having seen Lin Yitan off, Gao Weizhao walked back into the living room.

"Little Uncle." Tao Muwei called out to him.

"What?"

"Were you two talking about Teacher Wen?"

"You heard?"

"Yeah." Tao Muwei walked over to Gao Weizhao. "What did you do? Why would Teacher Lin come looking for you so urgently? Everyone knows he's chasing after Teacher Wen."

"I can see that." Gao Weizhao said coldly, and turned to head upstairs.

"Do you like Teacher Wen too?" Tao Muwei called after his retreating back, baffled.

"What business is that of yours?" Gao Weizhao said without turning his head.

He shut the door to his room and locked it behind him.

Gao Weizhao valued his personal space greatly; anyone who dared cross that line would likely end up in a rather sorry state. Tao Muwei rubbed his nose and went back to his own room as well.

Gao Weizhao sat on the edge of his bed for quite a while. Once everything around had gone quiet, with no sound of cars or people outside, he finally got up and stretched.

All at once, he walked over to the wardrobe, opened a small drawer, and took out a small box.

It was an exquisite little box, holding a few personal items—things like an important seal, among others. Opening the lid, the first thing that met his eye was a pink ID card.

The three characters of the name Wen Mingjuan instantly leapt into clear focus before his eyes.

He took out the ID card and turned it over in his hand for a good while, his gaze finally settling on the dazed, blank-faced student photo, hair cut in that bowl-shaped "watermelon" style.

"This little dummy..." Gao Weizhao muttered to himself, none too pleased.