Chapter 97: No more swaps.

Weijun’s silence was all the answer she needed.

Liwu laughed dryly. “And you think my family is the one that is scheming. I am not a ball Weijun. I will not be passed between you two brothers like Manman.”

Weijun shook his head. He slid closer to her and took her hand. “I admit that in the beginning, that was the plan. But after we married, I started seeing things differently. I was really planning to tell you the truth. As a matter of fact, I planned to do so this week. I just needed you to get over your anger for the Tie Ta deception first.”

Liwu had hidden the truth resonator in the bed, in her other hand. It remained calm, assuring her that he was not telling any lies.

“I believe you.” She said, with a small smile.

Weijun breathed easier. Now, he was not worried about Weifeng’s return. He would not have to exchange a perfectly good wife for an empty promise from Manman. Deep down, he was still insecure. He was worried that she would be wake up and demand a divorce or do something drastic.

“Aren’t you angry with me for the deception?” Even as he asked the question, he thought of himself as a fool for resurrecting what had died.

She shook her head. “Not anymore. I started to suspect your identity when you told me not to call you Weifeng but Wei. Most people call your brother Weifeng, Feng or Fenge’r. Then, there was Hale and your people. They were all just so naturally obedient to you.

How you handled the organs for rent issue was also suspicious. It was handled so cleanly and efficiently in a city master fashion.” She blinked.

“Then came the album grand aunt showed me. She casually mentioned how you two brothers looked so much alike and swapped places sometimes to fool the press. Finally, the fact that you always grimace when I mentioned the name Weijun and how obsessed you were with this city as if it was your baby.”

“Because it is my baby.” he muttered.

She laughed, “After I figured out that you were probably Weijun, not Weifeng, I considered reacting in a way everyone had guessed downstairs. But then, I also considered the purpose of this marriage. I thought of which of you two brothers was more suited to be my husband. Your brother was not it. He comes with Manman, who everyone knows he loves to death and also a whole bus of ex girlfriends. Besides, it is easier for me to increase the influence of the Bureau in this city as your wife.”

Weijun nodded.

“So, I decided to wait and see where things would lead. If there is another swap again, I will divorce immediately, alliance be damned.” She declared.

He raised two fingers and said solemnly, “I swear, no more swaps.”

Liwu suddenly leaned close to him. “You know, I think Old Tai likes you.”

Weijun raised an eyebrow. “That was liking?”

Liwu grinned. “In his own way. If he didn’t like you he would have summoned a tsunami.”

Weijun shivered. “I need to find a jacket.” He eased himself off the bed. “I sure do hope that your great great grandfather will not like me more than this.”

In return, Liwu bubbled with laughter. “I am his favorite great great granddaughter. As my husband, you have naturally become his favorite great great grandson-in-law.”

Weijun shivered again.

*****

Day two of her time off left Liwu feeling empty. Now that Weijun had disclosed his identity, he was openly taking on his role as the city master. He had left the villa in the morning, in his lion mask. A thing that made Liwu roll her eyes and laugh.

To pass the time, she was burying herself in work–a cold case to be specific. She had lunch with her great great grandparents and dinner with her sisters. At night, she slept alone, because her very busy husband was working in the living room.

Day three, Weijun flew to Beijing and she went sight seeing. She found that it was usually helpful to her job if she knew every corner of the city. Which alleys were dangerous, which restaurants sold information, which clubs were the most troublesome. All that and more.

Maybe it was because she was alone, but her bad luck stayed away for the whole day. She had dinner with Xixi and Cross, to discuss the marshmallow business and then took a night swim.

Suddenly her phone rung and her smart watch cried out in alarm. It was the familiar invitation to a crime scene alert. She stepped out of the pool, and rushed into the house. When she drove herself away from the villa moments later, chlorine was still clinging faintly to her skin. Her hair was damp and heavy, with a towel covering her hair.

The crime scene was chaotic. It was a square that was in the middle of four apartment buildings. It was alive with voices, too many loud, each contradicting the other. Detective Liwu stepped into the chaos, beyond the yellow line. Floodlights shone brightly on every corner of the area, illuminating clusters of residents–eyewitnesses, all eager, all unreliable.

“I saw it all, they were filming content.”

“I saw eight men, they were wearing hoods.”

“They were wearing dog masks.”

“It was women, they were all women.”

“She was dragged here.”

“A car dropped her off.”

Liwu could not make sense of these words that eyewitnesses were repeating to different officers who were recording statements. Her sharp gaze cut through the noise. She knew the truth lay buried beneath the panic and gossip.

At the edge of the square, the ambulance doors stood open. Inside, there was no body but a live victim who sat upright, wrapped in a blanket, her face pale, yet impossibly magnetic. Liwu had seen countless survivors of crime, but never someone who seemed to radiate such allure even in shock. Well—Xixi was the exception.

She climbed into the back of the ambulance, where Linlin was waiting. “Hello, I am Detective Liwu, One City SOB. I promise that you are safe now.”

The woman’s lips parted, but no words came. Instead, she reached out, fingertips brushing Liwu’s wrist, a silent plea.

One of the EMT’s popped in. “We need to get her to the hospital.”

Linlin said to Liwu. “I will go with her, you stay here and try to slip into the truth like you slip into bad luck.”

Liwu nodded and left. After the ambulance left, she searched for Su Jin and Xuanji. They were talking to a mother and daughter who looked very shaken.

“What happened here?”

Xuanji replied in a voice that was filled with shock, “Hell. We have that karaoke system host in cuffs. He hosted some kind of event here and hundreds of people were singing. So many instruments were being played.

Someone was setting off fireworks and there was a bunch of people in creepy baby masks who were dancing. There were fire dancers performing as if it was a circus. In the midst of all this, a woman was assaulted sexually right here in the square.

She screamed for help, but not one person helped her. In fact, many watched and applauded it because they thought it was some kind of performance.”

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