The lively chatter at the dining table hadn’t faded yet. Lin Tianxin helped her sister-in-law hold the baby, while Lu’s mother and Lin’s mother stood at the door, saying their goodbyes. Lu’s mother kept fussing over Tianxin, telling her to visit her family more often and assuring Lin’s mother that the Lu family would treat her well.
When they got into the car to head back, the afternoon sun streamed through the windows, warm enough to make one drowsy. Lu’s mother leaned back and dozed off. Lin Tianxin gazed at the streets rushing by and her thoughts lingered on Xu Su after being thwarted today, that woman certainly wouldn’t give up; she’d likely continue plotting and would need to be watched.
When they returned to the Lu family’s old residence, Lin Tianxin immediately noticed Lu father sitting in the living room, frowning as he smoked. The enamel cup on the table was empty, and the ashtray piled with several cigarette butts clearly, something was troubling him.
“Dad, you’re back?” Lin Tianxin approached. Lu father suddenly looked up, his expression serious.
Lu mother, now awake, saw her husband’s demeanor and asked, “Old Lu, what’s the matter? Your frown could crush a mosquito.”
Lu father stubbed out his cigarette, his voice heavy as if weighed down by stone. “Tianxin, that soldier you sketched yesterday we’ve been keeping an eye on him.”
Lin Tianxin’s heart tightened. In her previous life, she had drawn the spy’s likeness for Lu father to watch closely, and now there was real movement.
“What happened to him?” she asked.
“This morning, Cao Jianjun spent half an hour in a teahouse at the alley’s entrance,” Lu father tapped his fingers lightly on the table, “then he went to the scrap yard in the south of town. He met with a scrap dealer and slipped him a small paper bundle. Our people didn’t alert them. Once the dealer left, we followed and saw him hand the bundle to a woman you know her. Her name is Xu Su.”
The flood of information sent a cold sweat down Lin Tianxin’s back just as she suspected, Xu Su had someone backing her, and they were already in motion.
She hadn’t expected last life’s military district matters to be linked to Xu Su. Back then, her family had been kept in the dark, and by the time the truth came out, it was too late. This life, she finally had a clue.
Lu mother’s smile vanished. She said seriously, “So this woman is really trouble?”
“Most likely she’s a spy contact line,” Lu father nodded, then looked at Lin Tianxin with approval. “Tianxin, your vigilance was right you were correct not to let her into the house. These people are very secretive. Without your sketch alerting us, we might never have uncovered this connection.”
Lin Tianxin clenched her hands, her voice trembling slightly. “Then… what do we do now? Should we arrest her?”
“No rush,” Lu father waved a hand. “We haven’t located their core yet. Acting now would only alert them. We’ve reinforced surveillance. Once we have solid evidence, we’ll take them all in one sweep.”
He paused, then added, “Be careful yourself. Since Xu Su is targeting the Lin family, she might try to get involved again. Don’t meet her alone, and don’t go out unnecessarily.”
“I understand, Dad.” Lin Tianxin nodded, both alarmed and reassured. Alarmed that the spies were so active; reassured that this time, with the Lu family watching and her father and brothers alert, history wouldn’t repeat itself.
Lu mother took her hand, patting it gently. “Don’t be afraid. With your dad and the army here, these devils won’t cause trouble. You need to eat, sleep, and take care of yourself don’t wear yourself out.”
Lin Tianxin looked into her mother-in-law’s gentle eyes, her nose tingling. She nodded firmly.
In her previous life, she had been alone, powerless, watching her family dragged into trouble by spies. Now, with this group protecting her and her family, she was no longer alone.
“Mom, I’m not afraid.” She held Lu mother’s hand in return. The warmth steadied her. “I’ll be careful, and I’ll keep watch too never giving them an opening.”
Lu father glanced at the two women holding hands. His tense expression softened slightly. He reached for a cigarette but didn’t light it, holding it between his fingers instead.
“Spies are cunning. Always be alert, especially when dealing with outsiders. Don’t reveal family matters lightly,” he cautioned, then glanced at Lin Tianxin. “Your sketch helped a lot. If you notice anything suspicious, tell me immediately.”
Lin Tianxin nodded.
The afternoon sun slanted across the cobblestone streets. Lu Ye’s cousin, Lu Yao, looped her arm through Lin Tianxin’s, chattering excitedly about the latest movie release, full of glee.
“Sis-in-law, I heard this film just arrived from Haishi. Everyone’s rushing to see it I managed to get two tickets through someone I know!”
Lin Tianxin smiled in reply but kept her eyes subtly scanning the surroundings.
Lu Yao had coaxed and bribed them to go to the movies. They had been classmates before, now also relatives by marriage their bond had deepened further.
Lu father’s warning still rang in her ears, and she dared not relax in the slightest.
Outside the cinema, the crowd was bustling. Snack vendors weaved through the crowd with carts, the air rich with the scent of sunflower seeds and candies.
As they approached the ticket gate, Lin Tianxin’s gaze froze. Her heart clenched the shade of a nearby tree revealed Xu Su, standing there in a pale blue cheongsam, hair neatly pinned in an elegant bun, speaking quietly to a man in a Zhongshan suit. The man’s back was to them, but his posture and profile looked strangely familiar.
“Sis-in-law, what’s wrong?” Lu Yao asked, noticing her stop and following her gaze. “Isn’t that Xu Su? Why is she here?”
Lu Yao knew Xu Su and had often been with Lin Tianxin. Though she hadn’t interacted much with Xu Su, she disliked her, thinking her fake.
Lin Tianxin quickly withdrew her gaze. “Nothing. Let’s hurry inside don’t delay the movie.”
She sensed Xu Su’s eyes might have already found her, probing and malicious.
She didn’t want any entanglement with Xu Su. Hopefully someone was already watching Xu Su from afar and wouldn’t drag her into it.
Once the movie began, the dim light offered no distraction from the plot for Lin Tianxin. Her mind was full of Xu Su and the man’s images, trying to recall if she had seen that Zhongshan suit man in her past life but it remained hazy.
Even more unsettling: how did Xu Su know the cinema location? Was it a coincidence, or had she been targeting her all along?
Terrifyingly, if Xu Su couldn’t find leverage to exploit, she might yet find a way to entangle her.
After the movie, Lin Tianxin intentionally walked slowly with Lu Yao. Her peripheral vision saw that Xu Su was no longer there, and her tense heart relaxed slightly.
But as soon as they stepped out the cinema doors, someone called from behind: “Tianxin, wait a moment.”
Lin Tianxin froze, slowly turned and sure enough, Xu Su stood not far off, wearing that seemingly gentle smile, eyes like poisoned needles.
“What a coincidence… you’re watching the movie too?”