In the restaurant “Lou Wai Lou” in Hangzhou, I watched An Ning finish the last piece of vinegar fish. Satisfied, she wiped her mouth and, with a look of indulgence, said to us, “The food in Hangzhou is really good, just a bit too sweet.”

My impatience had reached its peak, but I didn’t want to lose my temper. I could only force a smile and waved to settle the bill.

To be honest, as someone who knows her, treating her to a meal isn’t too much to ask. I’m not the kind of person who has never dined with strangers, but spending two hours on a meal without exchanging a word, while she just smiled at us, was truly unbearable.

The fat guy was equally frustrated. He had a lot to say about her and originally planned to just get up and leave. But I really didn’t want to have a meal alone with this woman, so I dragged him into the hotel, and now he’s regretting it deeply.

We barely ate anything, while the fat guy kept drinking in silence, both of us with tense faces. I was pondering what she was here for, thinking of ways to respond, even considering how to guard against her suddenly jumping up and throwing a hidden dart at us.

When the waiter came to settle the bill, the look in his eyes was one of confusion and wariness.

Two hours without conversation, both of us with sullen faces, and quietly eating and drinking in “Lou Wai Lou” was indeed rare. From her gaze, she might have thought we were a gathering of loan sharks, and that once this well-built woman finished eating, she would be sold to a brothel by me and the fat guy.

As for me, I felt like a student who hadn’t studied for an exam suddenly facing a home visit from the teacher, not knowing whether it was a blessing or a curse, anxiously waiting for the teacher to get to the point. In short, this was the most frustrating meal I had ever had in my life.

After the waiter walked away, the fat guy looked at the dishes on the table and sneered, “I didn’t expect you to be such a tough character when it comes to eating. What’s the matter? You work so hard for your company, and they can’t even provide you with a decent meal?”

“We’ve been out in the wild all year, and even with gold bars, we can’t get good food,” An Ning raised her eyebrows. “Compared to compressed biscuits, anything is good.”

The fat guy sneered again and glanced at me, signaling me to take over the conversation.

I cleared my throat, unsure of what to say. However, it was clear that An Ning had come to find me, and it would definitely be inappropriate for the fat guy to ask her on my behalf, so I steeled myself and asked An Ning, “I’ve already treated you to a meal, so let’s get straight to the point. Why are you here to find me this time?”

An Ning curled her lips. “Why do you keep asking that? Can’t I come to find you if there’s nothing going on?”

With that smile, she exuded a charm that made it feel like her eyes were about to overflow with water. My chest tightened, and I felt like I might cough up blood. Instinctively, I looked at the fat guy, but he pretended not to hear and turned his face away.

I had no choice but to turn my head back, unsure of how to continue the conversation. I let out a sound of acknowledgment, but after a long pause, I found myself at a loss for words, my face turning red.

Aning looked at me in this way, initially provocatively wanting to see how I would handle it. After waiting for a long time without me saying anything, she suddenly laughed, shaking her head in amusement and said, “I really can’t do anything with you. I don’t know if you’re pretending or not. Forget it, I won’t tease you anymore; I actually have something to discuss with you.”

As she spoke, she took out a square package from her bag and handed it to me. “This just arrived at our company, and it’s related to you. Take a look.”

I glanced at it and, after weighing it in my hands, my heart sank. I had a rough idea of what it was. Given its size and shape, combined with my experiences from a few days ago, it wasn’t hard to guess. I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

The fat guy, not understanding the situation, saw me in a daze and snatched it away. Upon opening it, he found, as expected, two reels of black videotapes, which were the same old format as the two we received in Jilin.

Although I had guessed it, confirming it still made my heart race. I thought, what’s going on? Did the sealed bottle send more than just two tapes? Was there another package sent to Aning’s company at the same time? Were these two tapes the same as the ones I received?

What on earth does this guy want?

“This was sent to our company’s Shanghai headquarters a few days ago. Because the sender is rather special, it quickly got into my hands,” Aning said, looking at me. “After I watched it, I knew I had to come find you.”

The fat guy had heard me mention the videotapes before, and he could no longer hide his excitement, shooting me glances. I coughed again, telling him not to be so agitated, and asked Aning, “What’s so special about the sender? What’s on the tapes?”

Aning glanced at the fat guy, then turned to me with a half-smile, saying, “The sender is indeed very special. The sender of this package—” she pulled out a shipping label from her bag, “you can see for yourself who it is.”

Seeing her speak so mysteriously, I thought the sender must be Zhang Qiling. This person is indeed very special; I even feel unsure whether he really exists in this world. But how does Aning know he’s special?

So I took it, and the fat guy leaned over to take a look. When I saw it, I was stunned. The name on the shipping label was—Wu Xie—my name.

“You?” the fat guy exclaimed in confusion.

I immediately shook my head and said to Aning, “I didn’t send anything! This isn’t from me.”

Aning nodded, “We know you wouldn’t send us anything. The person who sent it clearly wrote this name to ensure it got into my hands.”

The fat guy’s curiosity was piqued, and he asked Aning, “What’s on the tapes?”

Aning replied, “The contents are quite strange. I think you two should take a look and experience it for yourselves.”

My confusion was already intense, and at this moment, I forgot to be cautious and blurted out to Aning, “Is it a woman who keeps combing her hair?”

Aning looked a bit puzzled, glanced at me, and shook her head, saying, “No, what’s inside, I don’t know if it can even be considered a person.”