Qin Guan knew things were about to go south.
Though this "Zeng Demei" spoke in muddled, barely intelligible Mandarin, Qin Guan instantly understood her reference to the "Apa"—an iPad.
His iPad.
Last Lunar New Year, a client had gifted him an Apple tablet. Since he already owned two, he'd passed it on to his mistress, Qi Min, as a casual favor.
Qi Min had used it for a while, then repackaged it as a "generous gift" for a relative's child.
That brainless woman must have logged into the device using his Apple ID and accidentally enabled photo syncing!
That's why his photos had appeared on the iPad!
Qin Guan forcefully swallowed his rising anger, though his face remained calm.
A single oversight.
He'd always prided himself on Qi Min's ability to keep their affair airtight. Yet behind that "wall," a gaping hole had existed all along.
Never trust a woman—especially a stupid one.
Zeng Demei called her brother, and after a lengthy, garbled conversation, the female officer took the phone.
She instructed him to add her on WeChat and send the photos.
It's over.
Qin Guan clenched his fists. Admitting the affair was inevitable, and he wasn't afraid to do so. The real problem was not knowing what photos Qi Min had taken—and whether they'd incriminate him.
After all, he was now entangled in Qi Min's three-week "disappearance." As her lover, he was the prime suspect.
And he had no witnesses to clear his name.
Soon, the female officer received the photos.
Old He, standing beside Qin Guan in the lounge, did too.
There were many.
Most were candid shots Qi Min had taken without his knowledge: Qin Guan in a suit at court, Qin Guan serving himself at a buffet, Qin Guan shirtless on a bed texting intently…
Qi Min in a silk nightgown leaning against his shoulder, Qi Min lazily snapping a selfie while he slept…
Qin Guan watching TV in bed, Qin Guan in a robe sipping tea on a balcony, deep in thought…
To any observer, they were unmistakably lovers.
"I knew it! I fucking knew it! You bastard! You slept with my wife!" Li Yang lunged at Qin Guan like a rabid dog after seeing the photos.
His teeth gnashed, as if he wanted to rip flesh from Qin Guan's bones. The faint hope he'd clung to—that his suspicions were wrong—was obliterated.
"You fucked her! You goddamn fucked her! You took my wife!"
The humiliation of betrayal burned through him. He roared uncontrollably until two officers dragged him out.
As Li Yang left, Qin Guan's tension remained.
He wasn't afraid of the madman's outbursts.
Nor was he afraid of the affair's exposure.
His mind fixated on the evidence chain—the crux of any criminal case.
When he'd killed Qi Min and disposed of her body, he'd destroyed all proof. He was 100% certain that even if police dug up her remains at the construction site, they couldn't link it to him.
Besides, the police hadn't even confirmed her death yet—they didn't know about the Xinhe Hotel crime scene!
The hotel's undisturbed state proved that.
But here lay the problem: Because Qi Min was dead and buried, Qin Guan couldn't prove that the lakeside villa "disappearance" was her scheme—or that he'd had nothing to do with it!
These were two separate cases! Her death and disappearance occurred at different times and places!
Yet the police were laser-focused on the fabricated "disappearance."
"Qi Min has been missing for three weeks, and you're her secret lover. You're a criminal defense lawyer, Qin Guan. We don't need to explain the implications, do we?" Old He glared disdainfully at him while scrolling through the photos.
No, they didn't. Qin Guan understood perfectly.
A three-week disappearance warranted investigation even without a body.
And he—a married, respected lawyer sleeping with the victim—was suspect number one.
No one but himself could prove Qi Min had returned alive to the city.
The fake Zeng Demei could, but she'd likely fled after the failed blackmail. Qin Guan had no idea where to find her now.
The real Zeng Demei? She'd just confirmed his affair and Qi Min's disappearance timeline.
Neither would help him.
Only one person could testify for Qin Guan and clear his name:
Xu Ruyi.
Xu Ruyi had seen Qi Min at the Xinhe Hotel yesterday—even fought with her. Whether they'd actually fought now muddled Qin Guan's thoughts. Qi Min denied it, yet bore injuries. Xu Ruyi claimed Qi Min and Zeng Demei attacked her, but Tianfu Hotel evidence proved Xu Ruyi had lied.
Her wounds were self-inflicted.
A flicker of hope rose in Qin Guan—then died.
Would Xu Ruyi testify for him?
At Tianfu Hotel, she'd deliberately thrown herself down stairs, breaking her own nose to fake a fall!
She'd silently stolen his hidden phone.
Why would she help him now by saying, "Qi Min was alive—I just saw her…"?
Suddenly, Qin Guan's eyes widened as he swallowed hard.
He finally understood: When police questioned Xu Ruyi at the hospital about her injuries, why had she suddenly changed her story, claiming she fell and never mentioning "Qi Min"?
He'd been wrong!
So wrong!
Initially, he'd thought Xu Ruyi was protecting their family's reputation—covering up his affair to avoid scandal.
Even when entering the police station earlier, he'd assumed she wanted to expose the affair to divorce him, seize custody, and destroy his career…
Only now—now, stranded without a single witness to prove Qi Min's survival—did Qin Guan realize:
Xu Ruyi's self-harm wasn't about hiding the affair.
It was about erasing proof that Qi Min was still alive—cementing the evidence chain against him.