Journey of Lies

A café opposite the art center.

The scent of sweet orange Americano overpowers the jasmine on the woman's body; Hsu Hsiu-chieh's paintings often feature floral elements.

Is that her?

Jiang Xia scrutinized the woman sitting opposite him with an almost appraising gaze.

"What is your relationship with Hsu Hsiu-chieh?"

The woman had a gentle appearance, and the thin-rimmed glasses on her nose made her look very approachable. Compared to her, the two seemed somewhat similar, yet completely different.

"Mr. Xu is my patient," the woman said, handing over her business card.

[Tina Lim, Psychological Counselor.]

Jiang Xia paused, holding the business card. She wasn't surprised that Xu Xiujie needed to see a psychologist.

His personality can be described as eccentric. He secluded himself for many years to create, working day and night with an extremely irregular lifestyle.

only……

"Have you slept together?"

Lin Shuting frowned, making no attempt to hide her displeasure at being offended. She raised her hand to adjust her glasses. "I think you've misunderstood. We have a doctor-patient relationship."

Jiang Xia seemed skeptical. He put the business card into his backpack, then picked up his coffee, took a sip, and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"Last month I received an e-invitation from Mr. Xu, which included a photo of you two together, Ms. Jiang."

Jiang Xia felt the bitter coffee slide down his tongue, his stomach discomfort not yet completely relieved.

"Our consultations are charged quarterly, with one consultation per week, a frequency Mr. Xu has maintained since returning to China... However, for the past month, Mr. Xu has stopped replying to my messages, and his phone has remained switched off..."

"Don't you know he's already dead?"

Jiang Xia hooked his finger on the handle of the coffee cup. After noticing Lin Shuting's obvious stiffness, Jiang Xia looked up at her and said, "A week ago, he jumped into the river and committed suicide."

Lin Shuting had no doubts, her face filled with regret. She lowered her eyes and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, I didn't know it was like this."

If the woman in the past had an affair with Xu Xiujie, then her acting at this moment is simply too perfect.

Jiang Xia observed quietly, then after a moment of silence, asked her, "What does he ask you for advice about?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Shuting quickly shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, I can't disclose the patient's privacy to you."

"We've already registered our marriage."

"Even immediate family members are not allowed. We hope Ms. Jiang understands."

"Do you know that yesterday was our wedding day?"

"Ms. Jiang, please accept my condolences and don't dwell on the past."

After saying that, Lin Shuting picked up her bag and got up to leave.

Jiang Xia stood up urgently to stop her: "I need to know why he's so determined to die!"

"Miss Jiang..."

"Is it because I pressured him to get married? Did he seek your counseling because of the pressure to marry?"

"I'm so sorry, I have to go!" Lin Shuting took two steps back and turned to avoid Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia couldn't catch up with her and could only watch Lin Shuting's retreating figure through the coffee shop window.

She felt a lump in her throat, with nowhere to vent her frustration.

*

Back at the hotel, Jiang Xia realized he had forgotten his room key only after entering the elevator.

After explaining the situation to the front desk and getting a new room key, Jiang Xia turned around and bumped into a tall man.

The scent of sandalwood perfume lingered in her nostrils; she has always been very sensitive to smells.

She didn't like Bangkok because most of the streets there smelled bad.

Sorry.

Jiang Xia apologized in a low voice, then walked straight towards the elevator without looking up.

She entered the elevator first, swiped her room card, and pressed the floor button.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, an arm blocked the two doors, and the sandalwood scent from a dozen seconds earlier wafted back.

Jiang Xia took a step back and leaned lightly against the elevator wall. The man turned his back and pressed the close button.

In the cramped elevator, Jiang Xia could hardly ignore the man's presence.

She wore a floral shirt and her slightly wavy hair was styled in a slicked-back style, with a few strands falling across her forehead.

The next second, the man turned to the side, and their eyes met.

Jiang Xia turned her head to avoid it, and just then the elevator doors opened on the 27th floor. She stepped out first, and hearing the man following behind her at a leisurely pace, she couldn't help but become wary.

He deliberately skipped her room and stopped in front of the door of a room a few rooms away.

The man's footsteps drew closer until they stopped behind her.

Hi.

A man's voice came from behind her, and Jiang Xia glared at him warily.

"Did you come to the wrong room?" The man waved the room card in his hand, then swiped the card and pushed open the door in front of Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia blushed, and without bothering to explain, quickly returned to her room 2716.

……

Sheng Zhi paused at the door for a few seconds to confirm Jiang Xia's room number before entering and closing the door.

Inside the house, Hu Junxi, sipping his sparkling water, stepped forward and asked, "What's going on? Why did you bring him back so quickly?"

"She's quite guarded."

Sheng Zhi punched him: "This bottle costs 150 baht."

Hu Junxi choked and quickly dodged, saying, "Anyway, the boss will reimburse me in the end."

"Speaking of which, what's the relationship between this client and this woman?"

Sheng Zhi shrugged. He didn't care about that. As long as he did what the client asked and the other party paid on time, everything would be fine.

Three days ago, he received this job. The requirements were simple: just keep an eye on the woman named Jiang Xia, keep track of all her movements, and know the purpose of her trip to Thailand.

Sheng Zhi threw a pair of sunglasses on the table, took off his shirt and went to take a shower. He had just followed Jiang Xia all the way, and to avoid being affected by traffic jams, he took a motorcycle taxi back.

Curious, Hu Junxi stepped forward to examine it. "It's a very ordinary brand. I really don't understand what benefit it would bring to stare at this woman?"

The sound of water came from the bathroom. Hu Junxi left early. Their teamwork was always like this: Sheng Zhi would focus on offense, and he would just do the supporting work.

Over the past few years, the two of them have made quite a bit of money off women, and they've almost never failed.

*

As night falls, Bangkok's nightlife is just beginning.

Jiang Xia sat cross-legged on the carpet, staring blankly at the bustling street scene outside the French windows.

Suddenly, a WeChat call came in; it was from Ren Jiayi.

The two were inseparable roommates and best friends in college. After graduation, Jiang Xia chose to stay and work locally, while Ren Jiayi, who loved the hustle and bustle of big cities, went to the south early and went to work in Thailand less than two years later.

It had been six years since the two had last seen each other.

"Xiaxia, I just saw your message. I really didn't expect something like this to happen... When are you going to Chiang Mai?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Xia felt much more at ease. "Jiayi, I've booked a flight for the day after tomorrow. I'll have to trouble you this time, as I'm completely unfamiliar with this place."

"Take this opportunity to relax and clear your head. With me here, don't overthink things."

The two chatted on the phone for a while, and when they heard a man on the other end calling Ren Jiayi's English name, Jiang Xia didn't want to keep her on the phone any longer, so they agreed to meet at Chiang Mai Airport the day after tomorrow.

*

The next morning at 9:30, Jiangxia went downstairs for the breakfast buffet.

Unexpectedly, there weren't enough tables available today. Since Jiang Xia arrived late, the waiter indicated that she would have to share a table and then led her to a two-person table.

Before Jiang Xia even sat down, she recognized the man sharing the table as the one in the floral shirt she had met in the elevator yesterday.

Thinking about her embarrassing overreaction yesterday, Jiang Xia wished she could disappear into the ground.

"morning."

The man skillfully spread butter on the toast with the back of a knife, seemingly unconcerned about yesterday's events.

"……morning."

The man hadn't left even after we lingered a while getting our food.

The chicken congee has been simmered for too long, and it's become too creamy and mushy by now.

Jiang Xia was eating her porridge when she suddenly heard the man opposite her ask, "Did you come here alone?"

Jiang Xia paused slightly with her right hand holding the spoon, and awkwardly brushed her hair aside with her left hand. She hadn't taken off her wedding ring.

Perhaps the man opposite noticed this, because the conversation didn't continue, and even though there was still half a cup of coffee left, the man hurriedly got up and left.

Jiang Xia didn't have much of an appetite. After the man left, she slowly drank her porridge.

She wasn't a great beauty, but her friends often said she was pleasing to the eye and had a gentle, virtuous woman's temperament.

In the past, when Jiang Xia argued with Xu Xiujie, she pressed him to explain why Xu Xiujie refused to marry her, even though she was so suitable to be his wife.

……

The hotel is on the 27th floor.

As Sheng Zhi stepped out of the elevator, he saw a housekeeping cart blocking the door of room 2716.

He quickened his pace, glanced left and right at the door, and then slowly stepped inside, bumping into a cleaning staff member who had just finished cleaning the bathroom.

Sheng Zhi greeted him with a smile, and then told him in English that he wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest first.

After understanding, the waiter quickly finished cleaning, closed the door, and left.

Sheng Zhi didn't waste a moment. He looked around the room and his eyes immediately locked onto Jiang Xia's carry-on suitcase on the luggage rack.

The box wasn't locked, and inside there were only some electronic products and no other important information.

Sheng Zhigang was about to look through another box when his attention was drawn to the scattered documents on the table.

He stepped forward to read it carefully, but then worried that Jiang Xia might suddenly return, so he simply took a few photos and left 2716.

Sheng Zhi had just entered his room when he heard the elevator doors open.

Besides the pile of documents on the table in Jiang Xia's room, there were also several kinds of medicine to relieve acute gastroenteritis, so he bet that Jiang Xia wouldn't eat breakfast for long.

Sheng Zhihua slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the photos on his phone. The documents were all related to real estate in Chiang Mai.