Chapter 35: An Extraordinary Enchantress

Zhang Jing remained silent for the moment, leading the way ahead. Watching her striking back, Ma officially declared her an extraordinary beauty. Thus, in his carefree mind, he was already thinking about asking her out for a late-night snack.

When they reached the building entrance, he saw her looking rather tired, rolling her neck from side to side. Then she turned, frowned, and said, “Why are you skulking around, dragging your feet? Hurry up, it’s almost three in the morning. Come have some late-night food with me; I have work tomorrow.”

Wait, she just asked him out?

Ma immediately followed her without hesitation. Whatever the situation was, he could broach the topic while they ate.

“Hurry up, what are you daydreaming about? Haven’t you given me enough trouble already?” Zhang Jing urged. “And by the way, you’re paying for supper.” With that, she strode decisively toward the parking lot.

But once again, her car wouldn’t start.

“I’ll push,” Ma volunteered.

But she shoved him back into the car. Zhang Jing, as strong as an ox, pushed the vehicle with remarkable speed. Once the engine started, their usual routine followed: Ma kept steady on the gas while she squeezed herself into the car—a process that inevitably involved a bit of friction between them.

They arrived at a late-night food stand familiar to her, sat down, and ordered. She got a bottle of beer; Ma, claiming to be a lightweight, only asked for fried noodles and avoided alcohol.

“So, does this mean my case is closed?” Ma asked.

Zhang Jing replied, “Wishful thinking—nothing’s that easy. But you won’t be locked up anymore. I found the murder weapon at the scene. Regardless of how the authorities choose to classify that knife, I’m convinced it belonged to a repeat offender—it’s the weapon used in the crime. Everyone involved knows what really happened, even if they won’t admit it. In short, I’m choosing to treat this as a case of justifiable defense. Since I’m willing to sign off and take responsibility, no one else will want to get involved for now. So, you can go back to your life as usual. But that doesn’t mean the case is over. If you have a conscience, don’t set me up—be available when called, and don’t run off, or things will get much worse.”

Ma replied, “Of course I won’t run. If I’d wanted to, I’d have done so already. I know that running away only makes things worse and harder to explain.”

She nodded. “That’s exactly why I let you go. But things are still complicated. Your best hope is that he survives. In my experience, if the suspect dies, the best outcome you can hope for is excessive self-defense. If he lives, you’ll definitely have to pay compensation—the longer it drags out, the more you’ll owe. If he ends up a vegetable, you’re basically ruined.”

She paused, then continued, “I really did my best here. It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but I can’t. There have been more than a few people stabbed by this kind of person. After finding the weapon, I pulled some strings to get it tested quickly, hoping to find traces of other blood or evidence—if we could link it to other violent cases, you’d be off the hook. But there was nothing. I can’t say he’s never used it before, but he’s clearly a repeat offender who’s very careful—no mistakes to be found.”

“Luckily, we found his fingerprints, which proves he had the weapon at the time. That’s crucial. Otherwise, your witness, Zu Timing, wouldn’t have believed you. Having the weapon changes everything—without it, people like Zhen Yuqi could have classified the incident differently, and you’d have no recourse.”

She concluded, “That’s why, once I found the knife, I decided to let you go. Here’s the key point: as long as it’s ruled a robbery, it counts as a brazen, invasive act—a public escalation. Everyone present would have felt threatened. He had the power to harm 'the entire scene.' So, I argue that his running wasn’t the end of the robbery, but just a 'tactical maneuver' during the violent robbery. Therefore, your actions could be deemed self-defense.”

Ma stared at her, mouth half-open, a strange look on his face.

In the end, Zhang Jing continued, “The reason I called you here wasn’t to have supper with you. I wanted to remind you: your statement is incomplete, and there’s one detail that Qu Changfeng hasn’t noticed yet. Next time you’re questioned, emphasize this: the suspect saw you during the robbery, understand? So, when he ran toward you with a knife—despite having other escape routes—it was definitely not the end of the robbery, but a 'tactical move by a habitual violent robber to control the situation.'”

Finally, Zhang Jing snapped, “It’s late, why are you staring at me like that? Did you understand what I said or not?”

Ma, fearing she might turn violent, quickly pulled out his phone to bluff her. “You better not lay a hand on me—I’m recording—hey!”

Before he could finish, she swept his legs out from under him and pinned him to the ground at the food stand, kneading him like dough.

She snatched his phone, “collected” his fingerprints, and searched for evidence, muttering as she worked, “After all I’ve done to protect you, do you have no conscience? Now you’re trying to blackmail me?”

But Ma was honest; it had just been a joke—he hadn’t recorded anything.

When Zhang Jing realized this, she felt a bit awkward but was too proud to apologize. Pointing up at the building, she said, “Anyway, I live here. That’s it for tonight.”

Ma, exasperated, protested, “So this is it? You live here, so you dragged me here, and now you’re done with me after supper?”

Zhang Jing paused, then replied, “What else did you expect? If I’m drinking, of course I’m not driving, so this is the most convenient place.”

Before leaving, she added, “Keep your phone on twenty-four hours. Don’t leave Haizhou, or you’ll really be in trouble.”

...

By the time Ma returned home, it was nearly five in the morning.

When he entered his room, he froze. Had he been robbed again? His recently purchased computer was missing.

After sitting in thought for two minutes, he heard Chen Xiao get up to use the bathroom. Ma stepped into the hallway and asked him a couple of questions through the door.

Thanks to Chen Xiao’s revelations, Ma Weimin learned that Feng Chenchen had dropped by again today, making herself at home as if she really lived there.

Neither Chen Xiao nor Tao Zi dared say a word against her. Though Feng Chenchen could be a bit sleazy, she was harmless enough and, in many ways, a “high-quality friend.”

So, after arriving, she lounged on Ma’s bed for a long while. When she left, she took his computer, saying, “Tell him to call me when he gets back. I’ll bring his computer to his new place.”

This brazen woman! Was it just because he’d “supposedly” slept with her once?

A true man, after sleeping with a beauty, should act aloof—that’s what the rich do. Clinging to her every day, that’s what losers do.

He was getting carried away with his thoughts again.

After his fantasies ran their course, Ma stopped worrying about the computer. After all, it wasn’t anything special, and most shut-ins would be thrilled to have Feng Chenchen’s attention.

All in all, Ma rather wished he could watch her graceful figure walk back and forth every day. Unfortunately, his body just didn’t respond to her, which made him feel almost schizophrenic.

So he started pacing back and forth, sometimes heading out to find Feng Chenchen, then changing his mind and lying back down to rest.

After a dozen such back-and-forths, he grew tired. In the end, his inner demon won, and he drifted off to sleep, deciding not to think about her anymore. From a strategic point of view, it might even be good to leave her hanging for a while…