Chapter Forty-Seven: Matters of the Heart

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Within the television room, only scattered flecks of light glimmered in the darkness.

Those lights, vibrant with every color, fully showcased the texture of advanced technology.

Following that faint glow, one could discern the contours of the doctor's face and his manicured hands. Another aura outlined the shape of a massage chair.

The doctor, wearing AR glasses and gripping a controller, trembled gently in sync with the massage chair's movements.

Ten fingernails seemed restless, chattering like sparrows, their voices growing ever louder.

Disturbed, the doctor pressed a button on the controller and snapped his fingers.

A projection screen materialized midair, its image illuminating an ordinary neighborhood street.

The nails emitted a sound akin to cheering, then quickly quieted.

The doctor grasped the controller again.

The scene on the projection screen began to move.

It resembled a first-person perspective in a game—the unseen camera advanced, its route furtive, or perhaps it was simply an excellent display of stealth. For more than ten minutes, the lens followed its path, and only then did it become clear: its movement traced the steps of a stylish office lady ahead.

She seemed to sense something, occasionally slowing or quickening her pace.

Thus, the camera shadowed her all the way to her doorstep, pausing only when she arrived home.

The doctor removed his glasses, tossed aside the controller, and gazed thoughtfully at the frozen image on the screen.

Suddenly, he rose.

With that motion, a door appeared in the television room.

He pushed it open, stepping into a clinic utterly different from before. The room was filled with ophthalmic examination equipment.

The doctor walked to his desk and picked up a large file folder wedged in the document tray.

The folder, as thick as a scholarly tome, was opened to reveal pages densely packed with incomprehensible script.

Yet the doctor studied them intently, his deep blue eyes gradually growing more profound.

...

Shengyao stepped out of the fast-food restaurant, having neither purchased cooked food nor visited the monster clinic. He retraced his steps back to the Little Darling Pet Shop.

Boss Le was seated, tallying accounts. Darling lay nearby, wagging its tail and panting, eagerly approaching Shengyao.

Boss Le raised an eyebrow. "Didn't catch him?"

Shengyao paused, petting the overly enthusiastic Darling. "I did catch him... That young lady, Boss Le, do you know her?"

Boss Le shook his head. "No, never seen her. Maybe she usually uses another entrance."

"Never seen her around the neighborhood either?" Shengyao pressed.

Boss Le pondered a moment, then shook his head again. "I don't think so."

Shengyao considered this.

He didn't fully trust Tong Bin's account. Tong Bin's narration and the woman's reaction didn't match, yet neither seemed to be acting. His intuition told him something was off.

"You caught someone—didn't call the police? Or did you, and now you're looking for the woman to confront her?" Boss Le closed his ledger and asked.

"It's complicated... He seems to know her, says they're in a relationship." Shengyao sighed. "If I push him any further, he might go off the deep end."

"That really is troublesome." Boss Le inhaled. "I still think my method is best. If I show off my muscles and escort her to and from work a few times, that guy should back off, right?"

Shengyao was noncommittal. According to Tong Bin, Kong Yajie now had a boyfriend. If she needed a protector, she could easily ask him for help.

But then, Kong Yajie clearly had a boyfriend, yet her solution to a stalker was to buy a dog. That was unexpected. Shengyao had assumed she was terrified, acting on impulse—a desperate measure. But since she had a boyfriend, she should have turned to him first, and surely he would try to help?

Analyzing it this way, whether Tong Bin's story was true or not was now open to question.

"Woof woof woof—" Darling suddenly grew excited, bouncing in circles at the pet shop’s entrance.

Boss Le and Shengyao glanced over to see Uncle Zhang enter, immediately hugging Darling affectionately.

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"Darling, Darling! All clean now! Feels good? Does it feel good?" Uncle Zhang cooed, rubbing Darling's head as though comforting a child. Darling responded in kind, barking non-stop, stirring up the two puppies in their cages as well.

Slap!

Boss Le suddenly slapped his thigh. "Uncle Zhang, you came at just the right moment!"

Shengyao's eyes lit up, though he was not as expressive as Boss Le.

Uncle Zhang looked surprised, and after spotting Shengyao, greeted him first: "Ah, little Sheng, my nephew. How’s your uncle doing lately?"

Shengyao smiled politely. "He’s doing well."

"Hey, the more I see you, the more you look like your uncle. Like you were carved out of the same mold. I've seen nephews who resemble their uncles, but rarely so much. If Boss Le hadn't introduced you, I'd have thought your uncle suddenly became younger. You know, with those skin-tightening treatments and injections that make people look young again."

Shengyao maintained his polite smile. "A lot of people say I look like him."

Uncle Zhang continued, "Seeing you reminds me of an old coworker. That guy took such good care of himself, looked the same for decades, as if he never aged. Saw him when I first started at the factory, then decades later, met him again while traveling at Dragon Ascend Mountain—still looked the same. But I didn’t say hello then, so I don’t know if it was really him or just someone who looked like him..."

Boss Le cut in, "Uncle Zhang, don’t leave yet. Help us identify someone."

Uncle Zhang was puzzled. "Who? Did you get robbed?"

Boss Le didn’t answer, focusing on his computer.

Shengyao explained, "A customer came earlier. We’d like you to see if she lives in the neighborhood."

Uncle Zhang grunted, grabbing Darling's leash and approaching Boss Le. "You’ve got surveillance here?"

"Set it up during renovations—part of the package deal," Boss Le replied. "You’re always playing chess at the subway entrance, see a lot of people. Take a look at this girl."

"I’m always watching the chessboard, how many people do you think I see?" Uncle Zhang complained, but he looked at the footage anyway.

After just a glance, he exclaimed, "Isn't that old Kong's daughter? She’s getting married and wants a pet now?"

Boss Le was delighted. "You know her?"

Shengyao was startled. "She’s getting married?"

Uncle Zhang nodded repeatedly. "Of course I know her. She’s old Kong's kid—the third floor of the building by the peach tree, the one always chased outside to smoke by his wife. You only moved here seven or eight years ago? No wonder you don’t know her. I watched her grow up. Used to ride my bike home from work, and would often give her a lift from the bus stop at the seafood market."

Uncle Zhang launched into his story, "Old Kong recently said his daughter’s getting married, gave us wedding candies. When you took Bebe home, didn’t old Kong give you a box too?"

Boss Le asked in surprise, "So she’s Uncle Kong’s daughter?"

"What’s her name?" Shengyao suddenly asked.

It was abrupt, but Uncle Zhang didn’t suspect anything, nor did he think it was a secret. He pondered for a moment, recalling only the 'Ya' character from Kong Yajie’s name, "We always called her 'Yaya' as a nickname, I remember her name has a character... I’ll have to check the wedding candy box, it has both names printed."

"Her name is Kong Yajie," Boss Le replied, his memory sharp.

"Yes, that’s it." Uncle Zhang agreed, falling into reminiscence. "She grew up so fast. I remember her early romance in high school, boarding at school and only coming home once a week. She had a boyfriend, and old Kong got called to school, came back and beat her. Only time he ever did that, broke his plastic slippers. Her mother cried over it, and all us old neighbors advised him not to discipline children that way."

Boss Le listened with interest, "What happened then?"

Shengyao, meanwhile, was distracted. Uncle Zhang certainly hadn’t mistaken her. If that was true, then Tong Bin’s story was full of holes.

Uncle Zhang cheerfully continued, "The boy was forced by his parents to apologize—he got a beating too. But the two kids were stubborn, refused to break up. Both stopped boarding, commuted instead. Old Kong rode his bike daily to pick her up, guarded her closely—though it didn’t do much. Both kids were talented, did well on their exams, and even got into the same major—artificial intelligence. The boy scored better, went to another city. We all thought a long-distance relationship wouldn’t last, especially with all the temptations in college, but they stayed together. Old Kong and his in-laws even went on trips together, settled their previous grudges. Now that story’s a bit of a joke to them."

Shengyao stared at Uncle Zhang.

Boss Le asked, "So they’re still together and getting married?"

"Of course!" Uncle Zhang affirmed. "They should have gotten married right after graduation. The boy was a great student, went abroad for further study, and only returned three or four years ago to work. Yaya found a good job, was busy after graduation, renting near her office. Old Kong and his wife brought her food and cleaned up—otherwise she’d crash and eat takeout every day, ruin her health."

"Now things are stable, so they’re preparing for marriage?" Boss Le played along.

Uncle Zhang nodded, "Yes. The new apartment was bought ages ago, the couple moved in early, just haven’t registered or held a wedding banquet. Both are busy with work. I heard she changed jobs recently, now it’s easier. The boy got promoted, doesn’t have to work overtime anymore. After marriage, they’ll probably have kids soon—they’re not young anymore. Old Kong and his in-laws have waited years. But then, young people today don’t always want children."

Boss Le agreed, then noticed Shengyao’s silence.

Uncle Zhang, sensing the lull, remembered, "Hey, why did you need me to identify someone? Why does Yaya suddenly want a dog or cat?"

"I’m curious myself," Boss Le said seriously. "She wants a large dog."

"We’re not allowed to keep those here," Uncle Zhang replied immediately.

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"Exactly," Boss Le said, "I told her that. I’m worried she’ll buy a big dog from someone else. When it’s small, most people can’t tell, but when it’s grown, the regulations say it’ll be confiscated. After keeping it for so long, it’d be heartbreaking, wouldn’t it?"

"Can't have them, that’s for sure. Maybe it’s because of her fiancé—he lived abroad for years, maybe he had such dogs," Uncle Zhang mused.

"Possible. I explained it to her—she seems to have given up," Boss Le added.

"Yaya only ever defied her family over romance; otherwise she’s always been obedient," Uncle Zhang commented.

"Mm."

Uncle Zhang turned to Shengyao, "Young man, do you have a girlfriend?"

Shengyao was both amused and helpless.

Before he could answer, Boss Le jumped in, "He does."

"Is that so? Good. Don’t be like your uncle," Uncle Zhang advised.

Shengyao appreciated Uncle Zhang’s good intentions and could only nod.

Uncle Zhang glanced at the time and hurried, "Oh dear, I need to get home to cook, or my wife will scold me."

"How could Auntie scold anyone? She’s such a nice person," Boss Le teased.

Uncle Zhang waved forcefully, "She’s going through menopause—only shows Darling any kindness, gives us father and son the cold shoulder. I’m off, I’m off!"

"Take care." Boss Le saw Uncle Zhang and Darling to the door.

Returning inside, his expression turned serious.

"What’s going on? She’s had a boyfriend for years and is about to get married. Hasn’t she told him about this?" Boss Le got straight to the heart of the matter.

Shengyao had already noticed this, but wasn’t as "enthusiastic" as Boss Le. "Since she’s preparing for marriage, there’s no reason for the two of us, strangers, to interfere."

Boss Le hesitated. "What about the guy you caught? Do you think he’s dangerous?"

"Earlier I thought he was trouble—the kind of person standing at a crossroads, who could take the right path or the wrong one," Shengyao sighed inwardly.

Tong Bin gave him a very negative impression. Whether that negativity would lead to self-destruction, turn into revenge against society, or simply fade over time was impossible to predict. After all, Shengyao barely knew him, having met him only today, and aside from Tong Bin’s self-introduction, knew nothing of his circumstances.

After hearing Uncle Zhang’s account, Shengyao was more convinced this was just an emotional dispute. Who was right or wrong would only be clear to those involved.

"I should get going," Shengyao said to Boss Le.

"Alright. If I see Miss Kong again, should I tell her?" Boss Le sought Shengyao’s opinion.

Shengyao paused. "Tell her: the man who followed her today is named Tong Bin, her former college classmate and colleague. They need to sit down and talk things out themselves."

"Okay," Boss Le agreed.

Shengyao trusted Boss Le’s sense of propriety. If he lacked it, he would have already told Uncle Zhang the truth, which would mean everyone in the neighboring communities would know. With Kong Yajie about to marry, such rumors would hurt her and her fiancé’s reputation, even if it didn’t affect their relationship. As outsiders, they absolutely shouldn’t become the source of gossip.

Boss Le hesitated, then looked at Shengyao’s departing figure and called out, "'Today'?"

Shengyao paused. "Yes. He said he wanted to talk to Miss Kong today and, without thinking, followed her."

Boss Le frowned and repeated, "'Today'?"

"Yes," Shengyao replied with a bitter smile.

Boss Le, like him, had noticed the oddness of that statement.

"He lied, didn’t he?" Boss Le said directly.

"Perhaps," Shengyao replied. "I felt... he was quite honest when he said it."

Boss Le regarded Shengyao, then finally said, "Alright. I’ll tell Miss Kong just that."

Shengyao nodded and left the pet shop.