Chapter 71: The Most Active in Catching the Mistress
Meng Weishen's brain briefly froze. "Teacher A? What's the point of looking for Teacher A? I'm not married to him. You should help me contact Jiang Ranxu."
Li Yingxuan asked him back, "In my experience, those who break up with someone abruptly will often continue to avoid their spouse. Let me ask you, if you want to find Jiang Ranxu, would he be willing to see you? Would it be helpful for you to find him?"
"He...he really is hiding from me. I can't find him no matter how hard I try."
The lawyer's handling of the divorce was indeed professional, even understanding the psychological aspects of the situation. Meng Weishen was completely speechless, exhaustion and fatigue flooding his chest.
When Jiang Ranxu broke up with him, Meng Weishen only heard a series of buzzing sounds in his eardrums, like the noise when a signal was interrupted.
He circled around Jiang Ranxu, desperately questioning him, but Jiang Ranxu remained silent. He grew tired of his monologue and slumped down on the swing in the yard, two silent statues with Jiang Ranxu. Only the puppy, unable to comprehend the complexities of human love, brought him a bouncy ball and nuzzled the back of his hand, begging him to continue playing.
Meng Weishen's emotions always lag behind those of a normal person. On the way back to Chaoyang, he was still dully thinking that everyone has impulsive moments, and he could wait for Jiang Ranxu to calm down before thinking of a solution.
But since that day, Meng Weishen never saw Jiang Ranxu again.
It was not until the other party lost contact that Meng Weishen clearly realized that he did not know Jiang Ranxu well enough.
He thought of every possible place, but only home and the hospital came to mind. But his home was empty, and the hospital said he was on extended leave. Not to mention texting or calling; all his messages fell on deaf ears.
His days were filled with anxiety, and his nights were no less restful. Half asleep, he even fished Jiang Ranxu's body out of an unknown lake, feeling its cold, damp texture. He woke with a start, his bed sheets soaked in sweat, and nearly called the police at three in the morning.
Fortunately, Meng Weishen was self-aware. He knew he wasn't good at resolving emotional issues, but he could seek help from professionals, such as a divorce lawyer.
In a daze, Li Yingxuan instructed him, "So you need to change your strategy to deal with him. Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and call a taxi. Use the navigation system to go to the securities company headquarters."
"Now?"
"Now. Aren't you in a hurry?"
He was quite anxious, but he felt that Li Yingxuan was more anxious than him... Adhering to the principle of listening to the advice of professionals on professional issues, Meng Weishen hurriedly fiddled with the taxi-hailing software.
Meng Weishen called a car, but Li Yingxuan was dawdling. He said he was going back to the office to get his coat. The car had already stopped downstairs, but he still hadn't shown up.
Meng Weishen went to the other party's office to arrest him.
Li Yingxuan was still applying glue to his hair, and he styled it in layers, at least three layers in total.
Is this person in a hurry? Meng Weishen asked in confusion, "Are you also looking for Teacher A to introduce you to a blind date? I heard that you two have a feud, so she may not agree to take your order. Let's go quickly, don't waste your time."
He had clearly ruined the integrity of Li Yingxuan's costume. The other party had no choice but to give up on gluing it, hastily shaping it, and in the process, gave him a glare like a knife.
Li Yingxuan only put on a thin coat over his suit and was about to go out with him. Meng Weishen kindly reminded him again: "Aren't you going to get your coat? You forgot your down jacket."
"...Stop talking nonsense. Call him now and arrange a meeting. Tell him you need to talk to him about Jiang Ranxu's matter, and it's urgent." Li Yingxuan added, "But don't reveal that your lawyer is also here."
Although Meng Weishen didn't understand the point of finding a male matchmaker for after-sales service, he still did it.
The investment market has been scorching in recent years, and Asher has nearly reversed his primary and secondary jobs, becoming available on a whim. The other party said they were having lunch at Wagas near the headquarters and asked Meng Weishen to meet directly at the restaurant.
Meng Weishen followed the navigation and before he reached the restaurant door, he saw Asher's back through the floor-to-ceiling window.
…and boys in tight leather pants sitting on each other's laps.
Meng Weishen was frozen in place. That is, until Asher inadvertently turned around and instantly leaped up from the high chair. The boy between his legs bounced away like popping candy.
Of course, this terrifying deterrent power couldn't have come from Meng Weishen himself. But he was also to blame. It was because of his awkward physique that the number of embarrassing incidents that happened to him far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Meng Weishen walked into the restaurant. Asher and the boy in leather pants had returned to a flat position from overlapping. The two of them occupied the same row of seats, leaving the opposite row of seats for him and the lawyer.
He haphazardly joined a table with his male friends and discovered that none of them liked wearing down jackets. They wanted to stay beautiful even in the harsh winter and refused to look bulky. He was the only one who was afraid of the cold.
The boy in leather pants stared at his face carefully for a while and said in surprise: "Oh, are you Wesley?"
"I am. Have we met before, or did Teacher A mention it to you?"
"I saw you online before, in that documentary Asher posted about newlyweds," the boy said playfully. "You're much more handsome in person than in the video. You looked a little goofy on camera. Shall we take a picture later?"
Meng Weishen had a vague recollection of filming some wedding videos to promote the event. But he hadn't imagined he'd one day become a minor internet celebrity, and he didn't know whether to thank him or simply refuse.
Knowing that being famous in the gay community has only disadvantages and no advantages, and that no one would pay him for mental damages even if he was used as material for his craft, Meng Weishen responded dryly, "Aren't you Teacher A's boyfriend? Forget about taking a photo together, it's not quite appropriate."
"Meng Weishen, stop talking nonsense." Asher was so scared that he called him by his real name. "This is my client. He wants me to introduce him to a blind date."
Li Yingxuan finally spoke, but it was just a short sneer.
Asher must have taken care of his hair before going out, but it was already out of shape. "But you should have told me beforehand if you were going to bring a lawyer. Don't do that next time."
Meng Weishen also felt embarrassed, and explained with a stiff upper lip: "Because Jiang Ranxu and I are getting divorced, divorce lawyers are more professional in handling such matters. So, we came to see you together."
Asher paused. "Divorce?"
"Yes."
"Wait, divorce? When?"
"Just last week, on New Year's Day, Jiang Ran mentioned it."
"Divorce... No, you absolutely cannot divorce!" Asher finally realized, "I've already posted the video. What's the difference between you getting a divorce now and a celebrity scandal? How can I promote myself? You are not allowed to divorce!"
The boy in leather pants was considerate and rubbed half of Asher's shoulder: "It's okay, Asher, no one cares. It's better if we get divorced, so everyone can eat."
A statue of the King of Hell was placed before him. Asher must have been completely free from desires, so he immediately dodged the boy's advances. "You're about to go on a blind date and get married, so stop dwelling on eating... Okay, I have important work to do here, so you should go back first. I'll chat with you privately if I find someone suitable."
There were three people at the table but one was missing. Sandwiched between the two, Meng Weishen felt like a hot lightbulb, so hot he almost wanted to ask the waiter to turn off the heating and air conditioning.
Despite the three people, Asher only ordered two smoothies. Both were as green as a mashed frog and smelled a bit too healthy. He gave Meng Weishen the avocado smoothie and kept the kale smoothie for himself.
Asher asked him about the situation: "Wesley, let's get back to your story. Why did you get divorced? What was the reason?"
"I don't know. I asked Jiang Ranxu the reason, and he insisted that the divorce was for my own good. I don't know why."
"Then you should go and pester Jiang Ranxu for an explanation. Why are you looking for me?"
In fact, it was Li Yingxuan who suggested that he find a male matchmaker, and he had no idea what he was doing.
Meng Weishen's fingers lingered on the wall of the cup, neither drinking nor not drinking. He desperately cast glances at Li Yingxuan, but the other party had no time to pay attention to him.
At some point, Li Yingxuan had found Asher's social media account and was playing a collection of videos titled "Repair the Great Wall Together" one by one, occasionally rewinding to watch it a second time.
Even though the video was filled with post-produced pink hearts and animal stickers, the other person had a frown on his face, as if he was watching a crime thriller.
"You want to find out what Jiang Ranxu thinks?" Asher speculated on his purpose. "Sorry, he hasn't contacted me much recently, so I don't know the details. If I were to guess, their hospital has to meet performance targets every year, so he must be very busy. People tend to go crazy when they're busy. Why don't you wait until he's free and have a good chat with him?"
Meng Weishen's mood fell to the bottom: "I want to talk to Jiang Ranxu, but I can't contact him these days."
Asher pondered, "You mean Jiang Ranxu is making trouble for you, and you want me to help contact him?"
"Can you?"
Meng Weishen rekindled a glimmer of hope.
"But the prerequisite is that you can't agree to a divorce." Asher flipped through his phone's address book and emphasized again, "I've never had a divorce case before, and you're not allowed to divorce either, do you understand? I won't allow you to tarnish my matchmaking business."
Meng Weishen almost nodded, but the chilling wind around him made him afraid to move. Li Yingxuan suddenly interrupted, "That's not right, Wesley. You said you've made up your mind to divorce. If you still want to continue to entangle with this person, don't come to me."
"Ah, well, well, let's take it one step at a time." Meng Weishen used all his emotional intelligence and acting skills to get by. "Teacher A, what are you going to do?"
"Simple, I have a solution. ...First, make sure your lawyer doesn't report my video!"
Even if the two sat face to face, they would never speak directly. Whenever something happened, they would use Meng Weishen as an intermediary. Meng Weishen was squeezed in the middle, feeling suffocated. "Lawyer Li, please take a look. Don't report it."
Li Yingxuan's face froze. "There's some crucial information in the video that I must understand. You should take care of your male matchmaker first."
Asher placed the phone screen facing up in the middle of the table and pressed the hands-free button.
Beep-beep-beep-the boring standby ringtone went back and forth in Meng Weishen's ears, and then a female robotic voice sounded, indicating that the call could not be connected temporarily.
In the days since Jiang Ranxu disappeared, Meng Weishen had heard the ringing sound countless times. His stomach tightened, and he instinctively rejected it.
Today, Jiang Ranxu broke this cycle.
Jiang Ranxu's voice came through the receiver, sounding particularly hoarse, almost drowned out by the noisy noise in the store:
"What's wrong."
Asher remained calm and said, "Jiang Ranxu, I don't care what you are doing, just come find me."
"What's the matter? If you have something to say, tell me."
"What's wrong? How can you sit still? Did you know that the straight guy and his lawyer are secretly having an affair? Luckily, their workplaces are close to mine. I just had dinner at Wagas downstairs and saw them sitting on each other's laps. Come over here quickly and discuss countermeasures and come up with a plan to catch the mistress. See you at the bar in an hour."
Asher finished the last syllable of this nonsense and without giving the other party time to react, he pressed the hang-up button.
——
According to Asher's instructions, Meng Wei hid deep in the bar's empty locker room and occupied the innermost bench.
This enclosed room was only about ten square meters, but the radiator on the wall was as hot as a full summer sun, hot enough to fry an egg. He took off his down jacket and sweatshirt, leaving only a thin, close-fitting T-shirt, but he still felt hot all over.
The heat made the wait even more unbearable, and the thought of going to the bar and ordering a cold draft beer continued to ferment in his mind. He had just stood up, holding his sweatshirt, when he heard very light footsteps outside the door.
A week later, Jiang Ranxu reappeared before him. Aside from being a bit thinner, he was in perfect condition. His hair had even grown longer, the ends of it almost reaching his lower eyelashes, causing the shadows under his eyes to darken even more, taking up half his face.
Meng Weishen was probably emotionally unbalanced, but he could still laugh at this moment: "This trick really works. You showed up as soon as I mentioned catching the mistress. You're too proactive."
Jiang Ranxu approached in silence, looking down at him. Before he could touch him, the shadow he cast had already imprisoned his body.
"I almost thought you were dead or kidnapped... I was about to call the police, but it turned out that nothing happened to you. You were just avoiding me."
"Meng Weishen." Jiang Ranxu finally spoke, "We haven't officially completed the divorce procedures yet. You can't get too close to others now."
Meng Weishen gritted his teeth, tightened his jaw, and tried his best to appear fierce: "Why? You said you wanted to break up with me, so I can be with whoever I want."
Jiang Ranxu stretched out his hands to his neck, the touch was cold, making his heart beat violently.
At one point, Meng Weishen thought Jiang Ranxu wanted to kill him. But Jiang Ranxu didn't tighten his grip, and his whole body collapsed, pressing down on him.
The two of them fell together on the hard bench.
Meng Weishen seized the opportunity and hugged the other person's back tightly. No one was allowed to leave.
With a bang, Asher locked the only door from the outside.
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