Chapter Forty-Three: Insight

Zhu Senlin pulled open the car door to get out, but suddenly remembered something. He reached into his pocket, took out an item and handed it to Zhang Can, saying, “Brother, your driver’s license is back. Here, as long as you can handle the car, you can drive yourself on the road. Alright, you practice, I’m off to check out the car market!”

Zhang Can glanced at the license, shook his head with a wry smile, and slipped it into his wallet. Everything in life seemed to revolve around connections and money; with enough cash, anything could be done. He hadn’t even learned to drive yet, and here was the license already in his hand.

Old Zhu had already hailed a taxi and left. Chen Ying turned back and said, “Mr. Zhang, come sit in the front. I can’t teach you properly with you in the back!”

Zhang Can got out and climbed into the passenger seat next to Chen Ying. After buckling his seatbelt, Chen Ying asked, “Mr. Zhang, have you ever driven before?”

“No, never driven a car.”

“Alright, then we’ll start from the beginning. Watch what I do… First, understand the gear positions. Since it’s automatic, you don’t have to worry much. They’re all marked here—one, two, three…”

Although Zhang Can had never driven before, watching Chen Ying’s demonstration made it seem not so complicated. It all looked rather simple.

Chen Ying started the engine, released the brake, and drove off while instructing, “Driving is actually quite easy to learn, but hard to master. Skill comes not just from watching or listening but from practice. There’s a big difference between operating a driving simulator and actually driving. If you want to become proficient, you need time. No matter how well a teacher explains things, some skills you only grasp when you try them yourself.”

She drove out onto a rural road—wide, with little traffic, and no surveillance cameras—perfect for practice. Practicing in city squares was forbidden, and driving schools wouldn’t let her use their facilities as a private instructor, so the open road was their only option.

Out on the countryside road, Chen Ying switched seats with Zhang Can so he could drive. Never having done it before, Zhang Can was both excited and nervous. After an hour of practice, he had already become quite adept, though he hadn’t yet learned to reverse. Driving didn’t seem so complicated after all. He circled the area several more times, growing more confident with each turn. Chen Ying laughed, “Alright, that’s enough practice. Let’s relax and get some lunch—I’m hungry!”

“Alright, lunch it is!” Zhang Can pulled the car over and called Zhu Senlin to ask where he was. Zhu’s voice boomed, “Come to the Food City! I just got here and was about to call you!”

After hanging up, Zhang Can told Chen Ying, “We’ll head to the Food City—Old Zhu is waiting there!”

Just as he was about to start the car, his phone rang again. The caller ID showed the number from the shop. He answered, and sure enough, it was Zhang Qiang’s voice, “Manager Zhang, there’s a customer looking for you. Come back quickly!” Zhang Qiang didn’t wait for any questions and hung up immediately. Zhang Can wondered—could someone have come to sell something, and Old Su didn’t recognize them?

But that didn’t seem likely. If something valuable had come in, how could Old Su miss out on the chance and leave it to him? Besides, Zhang Qiang had said a customer was looking for him, not that someone had come to sell something. This wasn’t the typical business call—it sounded like someone was there specifically for him.

Puzzled, Zhang Can drove Chen Ying to the Food City and called Zhu Senlin again, telling him that Chen Ying would come up on her own and that he wouldn’t be joining them. Instead, he’d head back to the shop.

Before she went in, Chen Ying reminded him, “Mr. Zhang, remember—drive slowly. You’re doing quite well, and the drive back is more practice. As long as you stay focused and go slow, you’ll be fine. Don’t try reversing yet—you haven’t practiced. Forward is easy, reversing is hard. If anything comes up, give me a call!”

Zhang Can agreed, then drove back to the shop, which wasn’t far. Instead of parking in the lot, he left the car by the roadside. Getting out, he noticed a white van parked ahead of his car, its windows covered by curtains so nothing inside was visible. A man was leaning against the van, smoking. As Zhang Can’s gaze swept over him, he felt a sudden, inexplicable jolt of unease.

He’d never experienced such a feeling before and didn’t know why. After passing the van, Zhang Can couldn’t help but glance back with his “black-and-white eye” vision. What he saw made his heart leap—there was a black pistol tucked at the man’s waist, and inside the van were three other men: one also armed with a pistol, the other two with knives. Whether the guns were real or fake, Zhang Can’s heart pounded wildly.

He guessed these were criminals—unlikely to be police, since even plainclothes officers wouldn’t carry knives. Most likely, this group was involved with organized crime.

He didn’t dare stare any longer. After a quick glance, he turned away, not daring to look again for fear of drawing attention. In real life, he’d never seen a gun or anything so dangerous, but his fear was instinctive. Many people had never truly seen a gun or a shooting, only in movies or on TV, and even knowing those were fake, the real thing was terrifying. He was certain these weapons were no fakes.

Most of the antique shops in the market were quiet and empty, as was the entrance to Old Stone Studio. Zhang Can hurried over, telling himself to stay calm—not to rush. Perhaps this was another trap set by Old Su; he still needed to be wary of him. Even though Old Su was now at a clear disadvantage, there was no guarantee of victory. More than wanting to run Old Su out of Zhu Senlin’s shop, what Zhang Can truly wanted was for Old Su to taste the same despair he himself once felt, to lose everything, his future ruined, utterly hopeless. Only then would Zhang Can feel satisfaction.

Entering the shop, Zhang Can was still thinking about the armed men he’d just seen, not paying much attention as he sat down with his head lowered. When he looked up, he saw a young woman sitting across from him.

It wasn’t Su Xiu. She was very beautiful—it was Zhou Nan.

“What are you doing here?” Zhang Can asked in surprise. “How did you know I work here? I don’t think I ever told you. How did you find this place?”

Zhou Nan pouted, “You’re one to talk! Why did you leave yesterday without waiting for me? I haven’t given you the money yet!” As she spoke, she picked up an opaque plastic bag and handed it to Zhang Can. “Here’s seventy-eight thousand—count it, for the bracelet.”

Zhang Can took the bag and tossed it onto the coffee table, not intending to count it. Glancing around the shop, he saw Zhang Qiang and the other staff watching curiously. Zhang Can had only been here a few days—how had he gotten such a beautiful girlfriend, and why had she come looking for him?

“Aren’t you going to count it?” Zhou Nan bit her lip and huffed, “Didn’t you say yesterday you worked at an antique shop? This city is huge—how could I possibly find you? I had to go around to every antique shop in town, asking one by one, until I finally found you here. I’m exhausted!”

Zhang Can suddenly understood—so the “customer looking for you” from Zhang Qiang’s call was her!

But remembering the old lady’s harsh words and looks yesterday, Zhang Can didn’t want to get further entangled with Zhou Nan, to avoid more gossip from her family.

“Alright then, I’ll take the money. I need to go out and run some errands, so…” Zhang Can mimed eating, hoping to hurry Zhou Nan along. A woman of her beauty was best admired from afar; having her by his side would only invite envy and endless trouble. The old saying went that red lips bring disaster, and Zhou Nan was certainly a beauty of that caliber. Since ancient times, beauties were paired with heroes—was he a hero? Hardly; at best, he was just another lustful man.

Zhou Nan could easily tell she wasn’t exactly welcome, and was a little annoyed. She snorted, “Is that how you treat guests? I’m hungry—let’s find a place to eat. Fine, I’ll treat!” She muttered under her breath, “Stingy!”

Everyone at the shop—Su Xiu, Zhang Qiang, and the others—knew what kind of person Zhang Can used to be. He practically lived at Old Stone Studio; it wouldn’t be wrong to call him one of the staff.

Zhou Nan’s extraordinary beauty and poise were obvious to everyone. They couldn’t figure out when Zhang Can had met her, and now he seemed less than pleased to eat with her—was he crazy? Such a beautiful woman—even just walking beside her would be an honor, a source of immense happiness. Who did he think he was?

Especially Su Xiu; while Zhang Qiang and the other three assistants were merely envious, she felt jealousy and resentment. She certainly didn’t like Zhang Can, but the fact that someone she looked down on could attract a woman far more beautiful than herself was intolerable.

Zhang Can glanced at Old Su, who was watching him with a puzzled, vacant look, as if he no longer recognized him.

A thought struck Zhang Can, and he immediately smiled at Zhou Nan, “Alright, enough muttering. I’ll treat you. Let’s go—I’ll buy you lunch!”

“That’s more like it. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to find you?” Zhou Nan’s face blossomed with a radiant smile, enchanting Zhang Qiang and the others. Her words also left them with the wrong impression—it sounded as if she was desperately pursuing Zhang Can, though they had no idea what was really going on.

Zhou Nan undeniably had a good impression of Zhang Can, but that didn’t mean she liked him. She was more amazed by his extraordinary skills at appraisal—she’d never seen anyone like him, not even in novels or on TV. Moreover, Zhang Can didn’t try to flatter or pursue her like others did; he didn’t cling to her like a fly. All her life, Zhou Nan had been protected and adored by men, none of whom were immune to her charms—except Zhang Can. His indifference made her think he was someone worth befriending.

With all the shop’s staff seething with envy, Zhang Can accompanied the smiling, radiant Zhou Nan out. As they walked, Zhou Nan said, “Zhang Can, are all your shop assistants your enemies? They all looked like they wanted to eat you alive!”

Zhang Can replied blandly, “Enemies? Not at all. They’re just jealous—you’re too pretty, and they can’t stand to see you with a boring guy like me. If I were walking with a plain Jane, they wouldn’t bat an eye.”

Zhou Nan burst into peals of laughter, pointing at him. “You… you’re hilarious! But what about that other girl? She looked like she wanted to kill you too. Why was she so angry? Could it be… could she have a secret crush on you?”