"Although you don't have a phone or cash on you, someone outside has already paid your fine."
"Listen carefully, they are a legally registered married couple. Without understanding the situation, you went straight up to them, secretly filmed them, and hurled abuse. Aren't you trying to ruin their relationship and their family?"
The officer tapped the table, handed Zhang Jiajun a pen, and said, "Sign your name here, and you can leave."
Sitting in the chair, Zhang Jiajun looked completely dazed, because even now, he felt this was simply impossible.
He held the pen without signing, shaking his head back and forth like a rattle-drum.
"Officer, i-it's impossible for them to have registered their marriage! I'm sure it must be fake. You can just buy those booklets online and tamper with the information yourself!"
The officer looked at him in disbelief.
"That's a serious crime. You've got quite an imagination."
"Officer, didn't you say they provided evidence? Then I demand to see their marriage certificate again to verify the information on it and run a proper check, otherwise I won't believe it's real!"
The officer thought: *Are you questioning our competence?*
Seeing Zhang Jiajun's foolishly anxious expression, let alone the officer, even Wen Yue's lawyer not far away couldn't help laughing out loud.
To be honest, not all wealthy second-generation heirs had their wits about them. Relying on their family's money while in the arrogant and reckless days of youth, who knows how many similar "rich kids" ended up on a path of no return.
What a talent.
"Young man, what on earth are you thinking? Would anyone actually dare forge this kind of thing?"
The officer glared at him, poked the documents on the table, and said, "You've already seen the evidence. If you really don't believe it, you can go through another legal channel and hire a lawyer to sue them, but that's not our business. Hurry up and sign so you can leave."
In the end, harboring deep resentment, Zhang Jiajun signed the paper and stood up to leave.
As soon as he stepped outside, he caught sight of Wang Songyang standing at the entrance, wearing a face mask and a baseball cap, though his camera was hidden in the car.
"You're finally out."
Wang Songyang let out a sigh of relief, walked over to Zhang Jiajun from his car, and asked, "What happened to you, kid? Did you beat the guy and send him to the hospital?"
"Don't even mention it. I really wanted to thrash the bastard."
Feeling that wasn't strong enough, Zhang Jiajun angrily gritted his teeth and corrected himself, "No, I definitely have to find a chance to beat him up to vent my anger!"
"That jerk Qin Yuan hooked up with some rich young woman—the same woman from the video I shot for you. He even fucking claimed the two of them got legally married. I'm going to look into this later and get to the bottom of it."
Zhang Jiajun got into the passenger seat, turned his head to look back at the rear, and asked with some confusion, "You're the one who paid my fine just now, right? That grandson Qin Yuan smashed my phone to pieces and slapped me across the face, damn it... Oh right, didn't my sister come?"
"Shit, so you're the one who got beaten up by him, and your phone got smashed too? How can you put up with that?"
Wang Songyang also noticed a faint, reddish slap mark on Zhang Jiajun's cheek, and immediately started running his mouth.
"Let me tell you, if I hadn't gotten stuck in traffic, I definitely would've staked the place out with you and beaten the crap out of him!"
He fastened his seatbelt and added, "Your sister tried to reach me, but I got here before her. She should be arriving soon, though."
Just as he finished speaking, Zhang Jiameng drove up right beside them, instantly recognizing Wang Songyang's black Camry—after all, she was the one who had bought it and given it to Wang Songyang in the first place.
The two sides rolled down their windows and looked at each other, until Zhang Jiameng finally spoke with hesitation.
"This isn't a suitable place to talk. Brother Yang, let's go to your studio first."
"I was thinking the same thing. Let's go."
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Moxuan Apartment, Building A, 26th floor.
Wen Yue was sitting in a corner of the study area in the living room near the balcony, intently reviewing documents on her laptop.What she was looking at right now was the background information on the Zhang family sent to her by her lawyer. It was also this time that she gained a deeper understanding of the Zhang family members, and a much clearer picture of just how much hardship Qin Yuan had endured over the years.
Among the documents, the information regarding Gadiba, the apparel brand owned by the Zhang family, caught Wen Yue's attention.
Gadiba had established a presence in Tianheng City for three years, and had also partnered with and set up shop in several other commercial centers under the Wen Group.
Coincidentally, the lease contract was set to expire in just over two months.
After finishing the documents, the plan forming in Wen Yue's mind gradually grew clearer and more complete. She closed the files and opened other software.
From that moment on, she would occasionally glance over toward the kitchen at Qin Yuan. Whenever Qin Yuan looked back in her direction, he assumed she was busy with work, so he did not disturb her or ask her to help with anything.
Yet as soon as Qin Yuan went back to concentrating on preparing dinner, Wen Yue would find herself completely absorbed in watching him.
Right then, it seemed like a rather fascinating thing to do to her.
The kitchen at Moxuan Apartment was designed in an open-plan style, retaining a common apartment layout, which gave Wen Yue the opportunity to secretly observe Qin Yuan.
A man was never more handsome than when he was fully focused on what he was doing.
Qin Yuan was quite handsome to begin with, with sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a deep, penetrating gaze. He was tall and well-built, though his arms and face were a shade darker—after all, he had previously worked in a garment factory, though his natural complexion was actually quite fair.
Even with the tan, it didn't detract from his good looks in the slightest.
Wen Yue didn't know how long she had been watching Qin Yuan. Recalling his actions at the mall today, she gradually developed a somewhat favorable impression of him in her heart.
Because in Wen Yue's previous impression of him—based on that information dossier running over 680 pages—she knew what kind of character and personality the Zhang family siblings possessed during the years he spent with Zhang Jiameng. Yet Qin Yuan had somehow managed to endure it all for so long.Therefore, Wen Yue initially thought that Qin Yuan had a sort of cowardly personality, to actually have been willing to play the role of Zhang Jiameng's subservient doormat for three whole years.
But today Wen Yue discovered that she was mistaken.
When she heard Zhang Jiajun curse them as "a pair of shameless scumbags," Qin Yuan's entire demeanor had noticeably changed. Without the slightest hesitation, he took action to defend her, shielding her behind him from the very first moment.
In truth, at that exact moment, Wen Yue had initially thought about stepping in herself.
If Zhang Jiajun had dared to rush forward and throw the first punch, then she, despite looking like a aloof and delicate heiress from a wealthy family, was quite capable of displaying a bit of her seventh-degree judo skills—only if she had, Zhang Jiajun's current condition would likely be far more miserable.
Her judo uniform, complete with its white and red striped belt, was kept right inside her room at Moxuan Apartment.
Yet she had deliberately chosen to stand back and watch how things unfolded.
Sure enough, Qin Yuan's initial performance, while not entirely satisfactory, at least did not disappoint her.
Watching Qin Yuan as he neared the end of his busy work in the kitchen, the apartment filled with the gentle, comforting warmth of everyday life, a breathtaking smile gradually bloomed on her face.
"Are you done? We can eat now."
Carrying dishes, bowls, and chopsticks out from the kitchen one after another, Qin Yuan looked toward Wen Yue in the living room and said, "I'll go turn off the stove and bring the soup over. It should be ready."
Closing her laptop without the slightest blush or flutter of her heart, Wen Yue stood up and said, "I'm done... I'll come help you."
However, the moment she stepped into the kitchen, she was politely and somewhat dismissively turned down by Qin Yuan.
"No need, it's just the soup left. I'll bring it out in a minute."
With that, Qin Yuan used a spoon to scoop up a tiny bit of the hot soup, blew on it a few times, intending to taste it and see if the flavor was right.
As he did, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed Wen Yue staring right at him.
"What—what is it?"
Turning his head to look at Wen Yue while still holding the spoon, he saw an eager and anticipatory look in her eyes as she fixed her gaze entirely on the soup spoon in his hand.
Seeing this, Qin Yuan tentatively asked, "Do you want to taste it?"