Qin Ye emptied out the contents of the safe. It was filled with document after document. Everything pertained to the various agreements that Hyatt had previously entered into. As he sieved through more and more of these documents, he suddenly noticed a black box that lay at the very bottom of the safe.

As soon as he opened it, he saw a tattered mobile phone stashed safely within the box.

It was a slightly older model. Qin Ye switched it on proficiently, only to notice that the phone was surprisingly fully charged. It was evident that this phone had been habitually maintained. There was no password to it either. Qin Ye immediately accessed the documents folder.

The folder… was filled with videos!

“What’s this?” Arthis asked in bewilderment.

Qin ye glanced at the thumbnails as he responded, “Look at the timestamps…these should be all of  the videos that That Amorous Affair had recorded from the time she got to know Wang Zemin to date.”

She actually had videographic evidence! Why didn’t she post these to the forums back then?

He opened them and began sieving through the videos. The contents of the videos were ordinary at best. It started with a video of That Amorous Affair in person. Even though these were videos that he had once seen five years ago, Qin Ye still couldn’t help but admit that she was an incredibly beautiful woman.

Twenty-five or twenty-six was the prime age when women transformed from spritely, youthful girls into mature ladies. Their bodies would naturally exhibit the best of both worlds during this period of transformation. That Amorous Affair had slender eyebrows, sharp faces and large glossy eyes – all of which were features that were touted on the internet as the perfect, ideal facial features yet rarely seen in real life.

The videos were shot surreptitiously. It was evident that the videos had been shot from a fixed location like a spycam, as opposed to forthrightly filmed videos. As a result, there were times when the subject of the video couldn’t be seen altogether, and only the audio could be heard.

Things started off sweet and rosy. It was like the honeymoon period between any couple. Naturally, this was probably reflective of the period of time when the two had first got to know each other. She also enjoyed taking selfies, just like how any other beautiful women out there did. Furthermore, the selfies that she took usually showed off her own privileged lifestyles.

“Everything worn by this woman is rather lavish. Tsk tsk, CEO Wang is truly extravagant, isn’t he?” Qin Ye couldn’t help but remark aloud.

There were over twenty videos to sieve through, and none of them were short videos to boot. Qin Ye watched on patiently. Yet, the more he watched on, the more discordant its contents became.

The videos weren’t getting any longer. Rather, it was just that these videos had begun to record more and more instances of arguments.

“When the hell are you going to marry me?!”

“I’ve sacrificed so much for you. I’m not working anymore, and I’m not even going home anymore! Don’t you love me? Do you have someone else outside?”

A man’s voice responded with ostensible frustration, “I’ve told you that we can’t rush these things. Be good, alright? The age gap between us is quite substantial, and there’s naturally a lot of considerations to take into account. You don’t want to end up with a broken family, do you?”

Qin Ye looked at the timestamps of the videos. The first video was recorded between five to six years ago, and the series of videos took place over an entire year.

Both their lives were like water that was being put to a boil on a stove, slowly simmering and stirring. As time went on, That Amorous Affair grew more and more impatient, and the instances of quarrels and arguments only increased.

“You’ve lied to me… you’ve lied to me!! Screw you! You’re a married man, aren’t you?! Your child is studying in the Ocean City High School right now! Why did you have to lie to me?!”

“Look, I can explain everything. The person I truly love is you… there are some things that are difficult to explain right now, but you’ve just got to trust that my feelings for you are genuine. Take a look at this. What do you think of this leather jacket? I’ll buy it for you in a couple of days, alright? I don’t even buy these things for the other woman at home.”

“Get lost!!”

Crash… The video revealed an exquisite flower vase shattering into pieces on the ground. Wang Zemin finally lost it and bellowed in rage, “Will you please calm down and listen to me?! Can’t you just wait for me a little while longer? Time! I need time!”

“I don’t want to listen to anything! Get out! I’ve given you everything I have… yet you’ve simply lied to me for an entire year! I’m going to sue you!”

The video suddenly shook violently, almost as though it had been knocked to the ground amidst a physical confrontation between the two. The only thing that could be seen next in the video were the pair of legs of the two standing close together. In the next instant, Wang Zemin could be seen tightly embracing That Amorous Affair, and there was a trace of fear hidden beneath his immense display of tenderness, “Don’t be like that. It’s already been a year. If I were lying to you all this while, would I still be here right now?”

“Our feelings are mutual. Listen to me – give me some time, and I’ll buy you whatever you want in the meantime. Don’t say such things again in future, alright?”

This part of the series of videos ended there. Or so Qin Ye thought.

Moments later, the darkened screen brightened once more and revealed That Amorous Affair’s face replete with her tear-stained eyes and disheveled hair, “He’s lying to me. I can feel it. His child is already in his teens and in the first year of high school. How could he possibly divorce his wife for me?”

From then on, she changed. In the subsequent videos, she continued to maintain her relationship with Wang Zemin. However, she began to ask for more.

Money, money, and more money.

Qin Ye gathered from their conversations that Wang Zemin habitually provided her an allowance of RMB 30,000 every month, and even bought her many designer goods. However, with every mention of a threat to sue, Wang Zemin would cave in and give her more and more. RMB 50,000… RMB 70,000… in the end, the sum increased to an immensely burdensome RMB 200,000.

Hyatt Corporation was not large by any means. Even though Wang Zemin was the richest man in Clear Creek County, this still didn’t mean that his source of funds was unlimited.

Arguments had become the norm in the latter few videos.

“What do you want from me?! I’ve already been forking out a sum of RMB 200,000 for your expenditure every month, yet you still don’t find that enough?! Fine. Let’s break it off. We should have ended this a long time ago!”

“Haha… breaking up? Mr Wang, you make it sound like such a trivial affair. I’ve stuck by your side for well over a year, yet you dare to talk about splitting up now? Are you even a human? You best believe it when I say I see you in court tomorrow. We’ll air your dirty laundry in public, and your wife and son can see with their own two eyes what kind of a man their beloved father truly is!”

“You…. fine… this is the last time. Half a million, and we’ll call it quits!”

Bang! The door was firmly slammed shut.

It was just like a pot of water simmering on a stove. No matter how insignificant the flame is, the water would still one day reach its boiling point. After simmering for well over a year, the turbulent waters between the illicit couple had finally reached its boiling point.

The penultimate video.

“How dare you come looking for me at my company…” The video should have been recorded using a pinhole camera. Although the images were slightly shaky, the resolution was sharp enough to capture Wang Zemin’s vile expressions clearly. It was evident that That Amorous Affair was already paving the way for her own retreat.

In other words, as soon as she realized that there was no happy ending to this relationship of theirs, her mentality slowly shifted from that of giving to that of taking. In her mind, she had sacrificed her youth for him, and she was merely asking for what she deserved in exchange.

Shk… The newest model of an LV handbag was placed on the table. Her wrists were adorned with Cartier jewellery. It was clearly more exquisite and expensive than the one she had previously worn. Her nails were beautifully maintained and painted over with pretty pink nail polish. 

The pinhole camera had ostensibly been worn on That Amorous Affair’s clothing, and it naturally didn’t capture her image. Her voice echoed, “One week ago, I posted something on the Tianya forums.”

Here it comes. Now was when the water had begun to bubble vigorously.

“I’ll advise you to take a good look at it.”

Wang Zemin immediately switched on his computer. Seconds later, he stood up abruptly and barked through his gritted teeth, “You’re fucking crazy!!”

“I called you, but you’ve refused to answer my calls. So you changed your number? Blacklisted me on WeChat? Wang Zemin, you’re smart, but did you really think I won’t be able to track you down with what I already had?” That Amorous Affair also stood up and barked back in a voice that was seething with just as much rage as his did.

“Lower your voice!!” Qin Ye could sense Wang Zemin’s confluence of shock, rage and dread even through the screen. Wang Zemin immediately grabbed hold of her hands and continued with gritted teeth, “What else do you want? Haven’t I already given you half a million RMB? What more do you want from me?!”

“Equity.” That Amorous Affair’s response was clean and curt, “Your company isn’t large. Give me 15% equity in the company, and we’ll call it quits.”

Silence.

Qin Ye’s heart was still and calm. Truth be told, he had never expected things to turn out like this. How could he have known the extent of Wang Zemin’s superb acting skills? How could he have imagined that Wang Zemin would have the gall to even lie to a fully fledged Emissary of Hell? It was only because the stone had been stashed in his safe had he revealed the code to his safe in a moment of panic. Otherwise, the truth might forever have remained buried together with this safe.

That said, when all was said and done, Qin Ye was still an Emissary of Hell. Thus, he continued to watch the revelation of their affair as though he were reading a storybook.

People can turn out vastly different even when undergoing similar experiences.

“That’s quite greedy.” Qin Ye mused aloud, “She’s evidently looking to secure her finances in the long run. Wang Zemin has become her personal source of funds. She’ll do absolutely nothing, but will continue to get paid handsomely. It’s literally the dream of all mistresses out there. There’s no way Wang Zemin is going to agree to this. No wonder he bit back so viciously.”

“Ridiculous!!” Just like Qin Ye expected, the video showed Wang Zemin slumping back down onto his chair and chuckling bitterly, “We’ve been together for over a year, and I’ve given enough. Equity is off the table.”

After a brief pause, That Amorous Affair dropped the bombshell, “I’m pregnant with your child.”

“That’s impossible!”

“Nothing’s impossible.” Her hand stretched into the frames of the screen and lifted the coffee cup in front of her, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to spill the beans for the sake of our child. At the very least, our child still needs to be able to lift his head up high.”

“Get out of my sight.” Wang Zemin spoke icily.

“You’re vicious, but I’m no herbivore either. Just wait and see.” That Amorous Affair finally stood up and left. The final expression that was seen on Wang Zemin’s face was almost akin to the expression with which one looks at the dead.

The final video.

It didn’t reveal her image. The only thing that could be seen were her two hands, desperately typing as she responded to the comments on the forums. Qin Ye glanced at the timestamp – the final video was recorded slightly over one month later.

In other words, it was after the verdict was passed.

She had been far too naive. The human heart was far more complex and unpredictable than she had thought. If one was unable to cope with the dangers of a trial, then it would naturally be wise not to put one’s self through that trial in the first place.

Wang Zemin had always been fully aware of where his bottom line was, what he could compromise on, and what was non-negotiable. As soon as this line was crossed, he would much rather throw caution to the wind than to compromise yet again. By this point, he was determined to have a clean break from all of this, even if at great cost.

His repeated display of ostensible weakness had led That Amorous Affair to mistakenly believe that she could continue to manipulate Wang Zemin in accordance with her whims and fancies. Unfortunately, her handle on Wang Zemin was hardly as firm as she thought. After all, the two were vastly different in terms of their social status to begin with.

“How… how could this have happened?”

As far as the eyes could see, she was furiously typing with both hands in a desperate attempt to explain something on the forums, “It’s not… it’s not like that!”

Her phone continued to buzz incessantly with notifications. Wang Zemin was much more ruthless than she had ever expected. The verdict of the courts had not only been posted on her Weibo account – it had even been sent to her parents’ place back in her hometown!

She picked up the phone. As soon as she answered the call, an old man’s voice exploded. The old man was evidently appalled and seething with rage, “You… you come back home right this moment!!”

“Dad… listen to me…”

“You still have the nerve to argue with me?! What have you done?! The verdict has been plastered all over our neighbourhood! You… Do you know how shameful these things are? Even if you’re numb to all these things, we still find it incredibly shameful! You… y-you… how could you do this?! How are we old folks going to hold our heads up high ever again?!”

Another lady’s weeping voice echoed the man’s voice, “Oh daughter, what have you done? How could you… how could you destroy someone else’s family like that?! The heavens are going to punish you and strike you down by lightning!”

“The two of us are already getting on in our years, and there’s nowhere else for us to hide our faces now! You mentioned that you were going to Eastsea to look for work. Yet… yet how did things come to this?! Oh god! Wuuuu… wu-wu-wu…” 

“Did you even think about us when you committed these shameful misdeeds, huh?!”

After hanging up the phone, That Amorous Affair finally choked up, then completely broke down into a heart-rending bawl. 

Was it regret? Regret for having even met this man to begin with? Regret that she should never have been too impatient? Or perhaps regret for letting herself become far too invested in the relationship?

Whatever the case was, nobody knew.