A game within a game, a plan within a plan
At 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, I sat at my dressing table, carefully examining myself in the mirror. The off-white sweater, pearl earrings, and subtle makeup—every detail met Gu Yanshen's expectations of "Mrs. Gu." But today, this carefully curated outfit would serve as my protective shield.
"Going to the writing class?" Gu Yanshen's voice came from the door. He leaned against the door frame, playing with his car keys.
"Yeah." I stood up and picked up my purse. "The teacher said we're going to learn narrative techniques today."
He came closer and naturally helped me straighten my collar. "Let Zhou Ling take you there. Come back on time after class. I have some important clients tonight."
I nodded obediently, but inwardly I sneered. Important client? He was probably going to monitor my every move again.
Zhou Ling's car pulled up downstairs on time. As I got in, I noticed a copy of Metropolis Weekly on the back seat—the same issue that had my column. My heart skipped a beat.
"Assistant Zhou also reads this magazine?" I asked casually.
Zhou Ling glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Boss Gu told me to buy this. He said he wanted to understand market trends."
As expected, Gu Yanshen had already begun to doubt.
The writing class classroom was unusually quiet today, with only seven or eight students. The teacher was explaining narrative structure, but I was distracted. At three o'clock sharp, I excused myself to go to the bathroom and quietly slipped out the back door.
Attorney Li had been waiting in a corner of the cafe for a long time. She was wearing a simple gray suit, a stark contrast to her usual sophisticated image.
"Things have changed." She lowered her voice. "The private detective commissioned by Gu Yanshen came to our office yesterday to inquire about Robin's identity."
I clenched my coffee cup. "What did he find out?"
"Not yet. But we need to expedite things." She pulled out a document. "This is the application for a protective order. You'll need to provide more evidence."
I quickly scanned the documents, my gaze fixed on the list of evidence. "How did you get these surveillance records?"
"Thank you for your reminder," Lawyer Li said meaningfully. "Last time, you mentioned that Yuntuan's collar was unusual. We had a technician perform an inspection and discovered that it's not only a locator, but also collects ambient sound."
I felt cold all over. It turned out that Gu Yanshen didn't even let a cat go.
"And this." Lawyer Li handed over a miniature recorder. "Next time he threatens you, remember to record it."
My hands were shaking slightly as I took the recorder. This game was more dangerous than I had imagined.
When I returned to the writing class, the lesson had just ended. The teacher stopped me and said, "Ms. Mo, your work has improved significantly. Especially your piece 'The Bird in the Cage,' which was very emotionally sincere."
I forced a smile: "Thank you, teacher."
"But..." He looked at me thoughtfully, "The most important thing in writing is sincerity. Sometimes, if you try too hard to embellish it, it loses its original power."
My heart sank. Had he seen something?
On the way home, Zhou Ling suddenly said, "Madam, Mr. Gu just called and said that tonight's dinner has been cancelled."
"Why?"
"He said he wanted to have dinner with you."
This was unusual. Gu Yanshen never changed his business arrangements easily.
Sure enough, as soon as he entered the house, he smelled the familiar scent of perfume - this was his habit when he was in a bad mood. Gu Yanshen was sitting on the sofa in the living room, with a set of tea sets in front of him, but the teacups were all full, obviously he hadn't taken a sip.
"Is the writing class interesting?" he asked, his voice eerily calm.
"Not bad." I put my bag down in the hallway. "The teacher praised my progress."
He chuckled. "Really? Then I'd like to see your homework."
My blood froze. "Just some writing exercises, nothing interesting."
"That's perfect." He stood up. "I've been really interested in writing lately. Especially... Robin's writing."
He walked to the desk and picked up a copy of Metropolitan Weekly. "The writing style of 'The Price of Tenderness' is really like yours. The same delicacy, the same... anger."
"It's a coincidence," I said, forcing myself to remain calm. "Many female writers have this style."
"Maybe." He put down the magazine and abruptly changed the subject. "You know, I met an interesting guy today. He said he saw you with a woman in a gray suit at a cafe in the west side of the city."
I clenched my palms: "Maybe I recognized the wrong person."
"Maybe." He walked closer, his fingers gently stroking my cheek. "My little fish is the most obedient. Why would she go meet a stranger without telling me?"
Just then, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and his expression changed slightly. "I'm going to the study to answer the call."
While he was gone, I quickly checked my purse. The recorder was still there, but it looked like it had been moved. Had Zhou Ling gone through my bag?
During dinner, Gu Yanshen was unusually gentle. He personally served me the food, poured me wine, and even reminisced about our honeymoon in Venice. But I could sense something brewing beneath this gentleness.
"Xiaoyu," he said suddenly, "I recently invested in a publishing house. If you really want to write, I can help you publish a book."
"Thanks, but I'm still learning."
"Humility is a virtue." He smiled. "But I think you could write about our love story. From meeting to falling in love, what a beautiful subject."
I put down my knife and fork: "Such a private matter is not suitable for public disclosure."
"Why not?" His eyes grew sharp. "Is there some shameful secret in our marriage?"
Just then, Yuntuan suddenly jumped onto the dining table and knocked over my water glass. The water spilled all over me, and I took the opportunity to get up and say, "I'm going to go change."
In the closet, I quickly checked my recorder. It was fully charged and functioning properly. But just as I was about to put it back, I noticed a tiny reflection on the wardrobe mirror—a pinhole camera.
He even installed surveillance cameras in his cloakroom.
That night, I waited until Gu Yanshen fell asleep and quietly went to the study. The computer required a password, but I remembered once catching a glimpse of him typing it in—it was our wedding anniversary.
The system unlocked. I quickly searched through the surveillance-related files and finally found the surveillance log in a hidden folder. The log showed that at 3:07 PM this afternoon, the study surveillance camera had picked up an unusual sound—a fragment of my conversation with Lawyer Li in the cafe.
It turns out he already knew this. All the temptations he made today were just a show for me.
Suddenly, the study door was pushed open. Gu Yanshen stood at the door with a half-smile on his face: "Did you find what you were looking for, my little fish?"
I froze in place, my fingers still on the keyboard.
"It's an interesting game, isn't it?" He walked closer. "You thought you were playing chess, but you were actually playing on my chessboard all along."
He leaned over and pulled out a USB drive from behind the computer. "Want this? Here are all your surveillance records, including those from the nursing home, the cloud, and... your mother."
"What do you want?"
"It's simple." He played with the USB drive. "Continue to be Mrs. Gu. Forget these unpleasant things, forget that person named Chen Que, and forget the robin."
"What if I say no?"
He smiled, a smile that was icy cold. "Then your mother will be transferred to another hospital tomorrow due to 'medical needs.' As for where she'll be transferred to, it all depends on your performance."
Back in the bedroom, I lay in the darkness, feeling completely hopeless for the first time. I thought I was setting the stage, but in fact, I had been playing into his hands all along.
But just as the light was beginning to break, I suddenly remembered what Lawyer Li said: "Sometimes the best defense is a good offense."
Gu Yanshen thought he was in control of everything, but he forgot one thing - in a chess game, even a chess piece can sometimes turn the tables.
I gently took out the recorder hidden under my pillow and pressed the play button. It clearly recorded his threats:
"...Then your mother will be transferred to another hospital tomorrow due to 'medical necessity'. As for where she's transferred to, it all depends on your performance."
Saving the recording, I smiled.
This game of chess has just begun.
On his chessboard, I finally learned how to make a move
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