1
The woman before Qin Guan was Qi Min.
The same Qi Min who had "died" at the lakeside villa.
A living, breathing Qi Min.
Her long brown hair was now short and black, hidden under a dark cap shading half her face. Without makeup, dressed in plain black clothes with a matching backpack, she could have walked past their law firm unnoticed by colleagues.
Yet this was undeniably Qi Min.
The same Qi Min Qin Guan had strangled with his own hands.
Of all possibilities he'd imagined, her survival never crossed his mind.
Not only alive, but the obedient mistress who'd warmed his bed for two years now revealed as the mastermind behind this elaborate trap.
2
"Good. Good. Good!"
Qin Guan repeated mechanically, struggling to process reality.
Staring at her familiar face, waves of recent anxieties - fear, dread, desperation - crashed over him.
"You? You dared do this to me?"
His smile vanished. Teeth clenched, he twisted her arm viciously.
"Know what hell I've endured? You fucking swindled me for three million?"
Qi Min's initial panic gave way to pained composure. "Qin Guan... release me first... let me explain..."
3
"Explain?" Dragging her through the kicked-in back door, he snarled, "Let's have a thorough accounting then!"
The room stood empty - Zeng Demei had ghosted away at the first sign of trouble.
Dust choked the derelict space. A bare mattress occupied one corner, all belongings blanketed in grime. Clearly no one lived here - just a clandestine meeting spot.
Two suitcases leaned against the wall: one worn cheap case, the other a blue Hanke.
"Packed and ready to flee after splitting my money?" Qin Guan kicked the luggage, shoving Qi Min to the floor.
4
He seized her Hanke suitcase.
Rifling through her bulging travel bag revealed cosmetics with luxury brand logos - her signature style. No money. Just clothes, chargers (suggesting two phones), and ride-hailing driver cards - escape vehicles.
"Brilliant," Qin Guan spat. "Using ride-shares leaves no paper trail. No trains, planes, buses. Vanishing without a trace."
He shook with fury. "Law degree put to good use! Faked death perfectly! Almost let you disappear with three million!"
5
Qi Min huddled silently, brushing dust off her clothes.
A rental contract surfaced - a ground-floor unit in an old downtown complex, leased under Zeng Demei's name three months prior.
"Three months?" Qin Guan's spine chilled.
Three months ago, they'd still been meeting every fortnight for passionate trysts.
"You started plotting back then?" His knuckles cracked. "Explain everything now - or I'll strangle you right here!"