Caught in the Act

Xu Zhitong had put a lot of care into her outfit.

She wore a beanie to hide her far-too-eye-catching hair color.

A hooded jacket, trousers with a woven rope belt branded with a logo, and a gray-green silk scarf layered on top. The scarf had a simple pattern and hung loosely to one side.

It was the finishing touch she’d specially chosen to match the color of Lin Yang’s dress.

To cover herself even more, Xu Zhitong put on cat-eye sunglasses and a mask, then studied herself in the mirror.

Mm...

A little too covered up.

Xu Zhitong took off the mask, adjusted the collar of her hoodie, and made sure the medium-length hair at her neck was hidden too.

Now, as long as she didn’t face Lin Yang directly, maybe she wouldn’t be exposed.

Xu Zhitong nodded at her reflection and went out to hail a taxi.

She had a driver’s license, but she couldn’t drive, so a taxi it was.

The destination was a high-end mall that had probably only been built in the last few years. It occupied a large stretch of riverfront land; in front of the spacious plaza, most of the stores were luxury brands.

The coffee shop sat on a busy street corner. Beneath the black-framed glass windows, the planters were full of pink-white roses and pale green hydrangeas, so vivid they almost glowed; there was a certain classical, artistic beauty to it.

The storefront alone was already gorgeous.

Xu Zhitong instantly felt a sense of shared pride and secretly preened, as if this were her own shop.

She first ducked out of the wind from the river, fixed her hair, opened her phone’s front camera, and confirmed that her current look was very mysterious—and very cool.

Hands in her pockets, she walked into the coffee shop.

A faint aroma of coffee mingled with the scent of plants and flowers inside, with soothing music playing softly in the background.

Past the half-height entryway decorated with an unfamiliar oil painting, Xu Zhitong stood at the ordering counter and glanced at the menu before sneaking a look into the shop.

In the afternoon, there were about four or five tables occupied, mostly by young people.

Some were working; others were chatting with companions.

Lin Yang was sitting in a booth deeper inside the coffee shop, her back to the entrance, with someone seated across from her.

The distance was too far for Xu Zhitong to make out clearly. The barista at the counter had already come over and greeted her with a smile.

“Miss, what would you like to drink?”

Xu Zhitong came back to herself and looked at the menu.

The menu cards were all very artistic, with each coffee paired with a hand-drawn picture and a detailed description of its aroma.

Even the coffee bean varieties took up a whole row.

Xu Zhitong asked, “What do you recommend most?”

The barista pointed to an image on the menu and named a particularly complicated coffee bean, then went into a detailed introduction to its origin, picking, grinding process...

Xu Zhitong was completely bewildered. Even the attention she had been paying to Lin Yang from afar was pulled back a little.

She hurriedly nodded. “Okay, just that one. You don’t need to explain anymore.”

She scanned the code to pay, then found a seat for herself.

Not too close to Lin Yang, but not too far either; one booth separated them.

The booths in this coffee shop were set pretty far apart, and flowers and decorative pieces blocked the view, so privacy was very well maintained. In fact, it was hard to see clearly.

After Xu Zhitong sat down, she started to regret it a little. It seemed she couldn’t hear a thing Lin Yang was saying, and could only barely make out the person across from her.

It was a woman who looked to be in her thirties or forties, dressed in a professional style.

She looked very wealthy, the kind of beautiful rich woman with a huge jade bracelet on her wrist and exquisite makeup.

Xu Zhitong almost immediately felt a sense of crisis. She leaned to the side and strained to eavesdrop.

-

The person sitting across from Lin Yang was Lawyer Jiang, a partner at one of Jiangshi’s top law firms and now a doctoral supervisor at Jiangshi University’s law school.

She came from a well-off family, was fairly friendly, liked talking, and loved gossip. She was one of the regulars at this coffee shop; whenever she went shopping, she would stop by for a seat and chat with Lin Yang.

Lin Yang wasn’t just some random companion for conversation. She had built a good relationship with Lawyer Jiang, and beyond talking about luxury goods, jewelry, and gossip, they would also discuss some business movements in the industry; only someone at Lawyer Jiang’s level would know the kinds of networking news Lin Yang had.

Lin Yang returned the favor and would occasionally give her some investment advice.

Lawyer Jiang had made quite a bit of money following Lin Yang’s lead, and had even joked about whether Lin Yang had some inside information, asking what exactly her identity was.

Probably because she had profited a lot from following Lin Yang’s investments last time, this time she brought Lin Yang a diamond-studded bracelet from B’s latest collection.

She also said that after coming to the coffee shop ten times, she had finally managed to see the very busy Lin Yang.

Lin Yang had already dealt with the matter of the smashed collectible. Sitting calmly across from Lawyer Jiang, she looked at the gift and thanked her with a smile. “Don’t tease me. I’ve been a little busy lately, but if sis wants to invite me out for dinner and a chat, I’ll definitely be there on time.”

Lawyer Jiang shrugged. “I’ll remember that. But your coffee is really good too; the barista’s skill and the quality of your beans are unmatched in all of Jiangshi.”

Lin Yang smiled. “You can praise her in person later.”

Lawyer Jiang asked her to try the bracelet on. Lin Yang didn’t refuse; she fastened it around her slender wrist and lifted her hand above the table to show her.

“Of course it looks good. The moment the sales associate sent me the new product catalog, I thought it suited you. It really takes a young girl to wear something like this well,” Lawyer Jiang praised her, then looked at Lin Yang’s outfit and added, “But it still can’t compare to the one on your neck. Is that the one from last Christmas’s charity auction in Gangcheng?”

Lin Yang paused, and the smile on her face dimmed slightly. She nodded.

Clearly, she didn’t want to go into detail.

Lawyer Jiang narrowed her eyes with a smile. “Ah, the mysterious Miss Lin.”

She didn’t press further. With her ability, it wouldn’t be hard for her to look into the identity of the person who had taken over this prime piece of real estate and opened a coffee shop here under the name Lin Yang.

But the wealth Lin Yang casually revealed, along with the occasional investment tips she offered, was enough to keep Lawyer Jiang quiet.

Not to mention, the two of them got along quite well.

Lawyer Jiang moved on from the topic and excitedly complained to Lin Yang about the latest collectible high jewelry pieces from several brands.

After jewelry came gossip. Lawyer Jiang normally came into contact with all kinds of upper-class rumors, but being a lawyer meant offending plenty of people; many were unwilling to keep up a relationship with her. After weighing the options, Lin Yang, with her mysterious background, tight lips, and occasional sharp, to-the-point comments, was the most suitable person to talk to.

They were just talking about how some wealthy family’s only daughter had been going on blind dates recently when Lawyer Jiang suddenly changed direction and smiled. “Xiao Lin, do you have someone? The other day when I came to the coffee shop, I saw a young lady asking when you’d be in. The staff didn’t know her, but I did. She’s the second daughter of the Xu family. Their company has been really hot lately; their cash flow over the past two years has been at least this much.”

“...” Lin Yang had also received a message from the staff. She said calmly, “I do.”

Lawyer Jiang was surprised. “Really? You, girl, keeping it so quiet.”

Her eyes fell on the slender fingers holding the coffee cup. On Lin Yang’s middle finger was a rather plain diamond ring.

The carat was tiny; if you didn’t look closely, people like them would probably not even realize it was a diamond ring.

Had Lin Yang been wearing this during their previous meetings?

Lawyer Jiang couldn’t remember.

She asked Lin Yang to let her take a closer look, and Lin Yang reached her hand to the center of the table for her to see.

After studying it, Lawyer Jiang also fell silent. To put it bluntly, it looked like a vintage piece from some brand, not the kind of ring design that had been popular in recent years.

But since Lin Yang wore it so carefully on her hand, she must really cherish this lover.

Countless cases flashed through Lawyer Jiang’s mind, and in the end they all stopped at the tip of her tongue. She said, “It’s pretty nice; a very unique design. Where did you buy it?”

Lin Yang remained gentle. “Abroad.”

They chatted idly for a while longer, and Lawyer Jiang was genuinely curious about Lin Yang’s partner, but she couldn’t really gossip to her face.

After half a slice of cake, Lawyer Jiang thought of a solution.

She turned around, took a card out of her bag, and handed it to Lin Yang.

“I almost forgot. While you were away, my wife’s hot spring resort in the Jiangdong district officially opened. This is a membership card for you.”

It was a very exquisite black card with a blue embossed pattern, and in the corner it had the number No. 45/99, along with a reservation phone number.

Lawyer Jiang smiled. “You know how it is in my line of work; there are always some inconvenient aspects. This is membership-only, with very strict security and screening, so you don’t need to worry about the service. You can bring your partner to have some fun. I’ll have them reserve the best room for you.”

Lin Yang picked up the card and turned it over curiously.

She probably also knew what Lawyer Jiang was curious about. The person in front of her loved gossip very much.

She didn’t agree directly, only said, “Thank you, sis. I’ll see how my schedule looks and make arrangements.”

Lawyer Jiang said, “It’s getting cooler now that autumn’s here; soaking in a hot spring is good for the body.”

She kept talking, then switched to telling her about which chairman had secretly been hospitalized last week...

-

They really did seem to get along.

Xu Zhitong couldn’t hear the exact conversation between the two of them, but she could tell they hadn’t stopped talking once.

That older beautiful woman was mature and steady, with somewhat sharp looks, but she was very gentle toward Lin Yang; one might even say she treated her differently.

She had even looked at the ring on Lin Yang’s hand. Xu Zhitong grumbled bitterly to herself: See? She’s already taken.

When the other woman handed Lin Yang the card, Xu Zhitong nearly stood up.

Just then, an employee brought over the coffee. She took the chance to say thank you and caught the shape of the words “hot spring.”

She grew even more resentful.

But she also didn’t dare really flip the table and jump up. She was the boss lady of this place; there was no way she could ruin the atmosphere.

Xu Zhitong took a big swallow of coffee in sullen silence.

It tasted pretty good. She couldn’t tell whether those long-named beans were truly good or not, but it was fragrant.

Xu Zhitong felt both proud and worried.

It wasn’t that she really thought Lin Yang and that stranger had something going on.

It was just that she instinctively worried that, for Lin Yang, her own self—already someone who had gone through seven years of awkwardness with Lin Yang—might not compare to another woman.

She also worried that her amnesia would become a disadvantage. After all, compared to someone so mature and gentle, Xu Zhitong was very self-aware.

She had little experience, a childish personality, and didn’t have quite enough ability.

And because it was only amnesia, not transmigration, she didn’t even get a younger body.

Oh, though at seventeen, her figure had seemed even flatter, with not so much muscle.

In short, compared to the brightly polished adult sitting across from Lin Yang, she was like...

Like some childhood sweetheart from the countryside who’d been betrothed since she was little and had spent a few years with the other person; lagging behind in every way, not really a match, yet still coming up to the city to find her wife and marry her.

—Come to think of it, that actually sounded a little satisfying.

Xu Zhitong imagined it for a while, then hurriedly pushed those ill-timed fantasies out of her head.

She took another sip of coffee and kept sneaking glances at the woman’s outfit, guessing at her job.

There was no way she was letting Lin Yang go to the hot spring with that woman. She had to find a way to turn this hot spring into a date for herself and Lin Yang.

Her own date-planning list included a hot spring too.

Soaking in a hot spring meant wearing a swimsuit, right?

Xu Zhitong’s thoughts drifted, and she nearly choked.

Her little abacus was clacking away in her mind when she suddenly noticed that the woman across from her had stood up, phone in hand, and gone outside to take a call.

Lin Yang, whose back had been turned to Xu Zhitong the whole time, also stood up.

Xu Zhitong panicked for a moment and quickly lowered her head, drinking her coffee with exaggerated seriousness.

The sound of Lin Yang’s sheepskin short boots wasn’t very distinct in the coffee shop, where carpet had been laid and music drifted all around.

Xu Zhitong studied the grain of the wooden tabletop, waiting for Lin Yang to walk away.

Then suddenly, that familiar scent stopped right by the table.