Chapter 4: A Five-Million-Yuan Bargaining Chip

The steering wheel jerked half a turn. A wheel rode over a speed bump at the roadside, jolting Lin Chen’s shoulder, but he quickly brought the car back under control.

“Mrs. Zhao, what makes you say that?”

From the back seat, Liu Shuang’s voice gave nothing away. “Do you really think I couldn’t see what was happening last night?”

“Su Ya was discussing a deal with Zhao Qiang. You had his phone. And you just happened to be with her at the very same hotel.”

“How many coincidences do you expect me to believe?”

Lin Chen tightened his grip on the wheel. “Su Ya is my girlfriend. Mr. Zhao only agreed to help her because of me.”

“The three of you rehearsed that, didn’t you?” She gave a soft laugh.

“One runs away, one puts on a show, and you clean up after them. Everyone has a job.”

Sweat broke out on his back, but he kept his expression calm. “You’ve really misunderstood.”

“You saw us yourself last night. Would we have gone that far if we weren’t really a couple?”

For several seconds, the only sound in the car was her high heel tapping the floor mat.

“You’re quite something. Even a woman as stuck-up as Su Ya was willing to go through with it with you.”

“She’s not as difficult as you make her sound.”

“Very protective, aren’t we?” Liu Shuang shifted in her seat and leaned forward a little.

“Lin Chen, who’s prettier? Su Ya or me?”

He nearly pressed the wrong pedal. “Mrs. Zhao, I couldn’t compare.”

“A straight answer. Stop dodging.”

“You.”

“That was quick.”

“You’re beautiful, and you carry yourself well. Wherever you go, you command attention. Su Ya can’t compare.”

“Have you ever had thoughts about me?”

His throat tightened. Even the car slowed. “Please don’t tease me.”

“I asked you a question.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

Liu Shuang laughed. “You didn’t say you haven’t. Just that you wouldn’t dare. So there is something going on in that head of yours.”

“I’m no good with words, Mrs. Zhao. I can’t win an argument with you.”

“Mr. Zhao must be out of his mind, fooling around when he has a wife like you. Any other man would hate to leave you alone at home.”

“Including you?”

“I have a girlfriend.”

She settled back without pursuing it. “All right. Watch the road. I have no desire to hit a barrier with you.”

Lin Chen exhaled. His shirt was sticking to his back.

He understood her less with every passing minute. Every sentence concealed a trap. One careless answer, and he’d fall straight in.

They drove into the Yunting villa development.

He parked and went around to open her door.

“We’re here, Mrs. Zhao.”

She got out and tossed him the car keys. “Come inside. The apartment keys are upstairs.”

The front door opened, and the sensor lights came on one after another.

Lin Chen lingered in the entrance hall, reluctant to step farther in.

Any one of the ornaments in the living room would have cost him several months’ wages.

Shopping bags lay beside the coffee table. The figures on their receipts made his eyelid twitch.

Liu Shuang looked back. “What are you waiting for?”

“My soles are dirty. I don’t want to ruin your carpet.”

She smiled. “Afraid you couldn’t pay for it?”

He didn’t answer.

Just then, his phone lit up with a payment reminder from a hospital nurse.

His sister needed more medication the day after tomorrow. The little money left in her account wouldn’t last long.

He darkened the screen and slipped the phone into his trouser pocket.

Liu Shuang took off her suit jacket and draped it over the back of the sofa.

Her blouse fitted closely at the waist, and a narrow black skirt followed the line of her legs.

She sat and crossed her legs, lifting the hem slightly.

Lin Chen glanced once, then immediately looked away.

“You couldn’t stop praising me in the car. Now you’re afraid to look?”

“Could I have the car keys, please? I need to take the car back to the office.”

“In a hurry to see Su Ya?”

“Mr. Zhao could need the car at any moment.”

“Or are you afraid you’ll lose control if you stay?”

His jaw tightened. “You’re someone of standing, Mrs. Zhao. I wouldn’t dare offend you.”

Her smile disappeared.

She picked up a glass of water and tapped its rim twice with her forefinger. “Sit down.”

“I’m fine standing.”

“Don’t make me say it again.”

He had no choice but to sit in an armchair beside the sofa.

She watched him. “How many women is Zhao Qiang keeping?”

“I haven’t seen any.”

“What about last night?”

“Su Ya is my girlfriend.”

“Still pretending.” She put the glass on the table.

“I don’t have much patience, Lin Chen. Which hotels has he visited? Who has he bought things for? Which card does he use? Tell me everything.”

“I’m only the driver. I wait outside while he does business.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

Her voice hardened. “One call from me, and you won’t have a job tomorrow.”

“A word to a few companies in Linjiang, and who would dare put you behind a wheel again?”

Lin Chen pressed his palms against his knees. After a few seconds, he said, “If you want to fire me, I’ll accept it.”

“You’d give up your job for Zhao Qiang?”

“I have nothing to give you.”

She picked up her phone and opened a file. “Adoptive parents deceased. House sold. A sister with cancer, and a considerable shortfall in her medical expenses.”

“How much of that salary is left after rent?”

The colour drained from his face.

“You investigated me?”

“If I couldn’t find out about the people around me, the Liu family’s business would have been picked clean long ago.”

She placed the phone facedown. “Do something for me.”

“Watch Zhao Qiang. Bring me evidence of his affairs.”

“Hotel records, transfers, photographs. Any of those will do.”

Lin Chen looked up. “You want me to betray him?”

“Five million yuan.” She said it as casually as if she were offering five hundred.

His breath caught.

Five million.

Enough to keep his sister in treatment. Enough for them to leave Nangou and start a new life somewhere else.

But Zhao Qiang had plenty of influence in Linjiang.

If he discovered Lin Chen had betrayed him, losing his job would be the least of it. Neither he nor his sister might survive.

“Why me?”

“You’re with him every day. Where he goes, who he sees—you’re best placed to find out.”

“After last night, he’ll trust you even more.”

Lin Chen looked down at the carpet. “I can’t agree to that.”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse. I’m not asking for an answer now.”

She stood. “Three days.”

“Give me a definite answer in three days.”

“Or keep earning a few thousand a month and staring at overdue hospital bills. When they stop your sister’s medication, you can think about whether five million was worth it.”

He clenched his jaw. “Don’t use my sister to force me.”

Liu Shuang stopped. “I’m not what’s forcing you. Poverty is.”

She turned toward the stairs. After two steps, she pressed a hand to her forehead.

Lin Chen sensed something was wrong. “Mrs. Zhao?”

She swayed. Her knees gave way, and she pitched sideways.

He rushed forward and caught her around the waist.

A heel caught the edge of the carpet. They both lost their balance.

Shielding the back of her head, Lin Chen hit the floor on his back.

She landed on top of him, their mouths meeting by accident.