"Oh, okay, as long as it can't be discovered. What's next?"
After handling Teacher Qin's phone, Xiao Pang took out his own phone and sent me a link, asking me to click it and follow the prompts to download an app. After downloading and opening the app, the interface was completely black with nothing showing. I asked Xiao Pang:
"What is this? There's nothing here. Did you not install it properly?"
"Don't you trust my skills? Just wait," saying this, Xiao Pang took out a small card from the eavesdropping device packaging.
"I'll tell you what to type," Xiao Pang said.
"Where do I type? What do I type?" I asked, confused. Xiao Pang took my phone, tapped on the black app, and a small box appeared prompting for a machine code. After entering it and performing a series of operations, he asked with confusion:
"Why is there only WeChat and no QQ?"
I was also puzzled, but thinking about it, it seemed normal that Teacher Qin, at 38, didn't have QQ. After all, QQ wasn't from their generation. But I still tried to explain to Xiao Pang :
"Maybe she hasn't downloaded it yet on her new phone."
Xiao Pang gave me a look and handed the phone back to me. I glanced at the app and saw WeChat, text messages, and calls. Then I wondered if the photo album could also be added, so I asked:
"Can you add the photo album too?"
"Sure, but why do you want to see the photo album? Aren't you with her every day? Isn't seeing the real person enough?"
"Hey, you have so many questions."
"What, you're going to turn on me now that you've got what you wanted?" Xiao Pang said unhappily. I quickly apologized.
"Brother Pang, Xiao Pang, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please take the trouble to add the photo album too."
I handed my phone back to Xiao Pang, and he added the photo album. Then, he actually tried to open it to take a look. The instant he tapped it, I snatched the phone back. If he saw something, or if he opened it and realized it wasn't Xinran's phone, I wouldn't be able to explain myself.
"Well now, you Xiao Pang, trying to peek at my little darling Xinran's phone, are you?" I turned the tables on him.
"Tch, it's not like I've never seen her before. What's there to see? She might be pretty, but she's not mine. Besides, are you even sure she's really yours?" Xiao Pang said, exasperated. The moment I heard that, I got angry. I fumed, "This, I can actually guarantee. Xinran was mine in the past, is mine now, and will be mine in the future. Jealous?"
At that, Xiao Pang left his workbench and walked over to me, whispering,
"For the past two months, I've seen your Xinran walking home from school with a guy several times. They passed by my shop, and that guy would always nod at me like he was showing off."
"What did you say?" Hearing this, I completely lost it and grabbed Xiao Pang by the collar.
"Hey, hey, let go!"
After breaking free, Xiao Pang continued,
"I thought you knew, and that's why you were having this bug installed."
"Be more specific. Xinran was walking with this guy?" I asked, anxious and furious.
"I don't know who the guy is. He was wearing a baseball cap, but he looked tall and skinny, fair skinned and clean-cut."
After hearing Xiao Pang's description, I got even angrier. Tall and fair skinned? Could this be the person described in Teacher Qin's diary? He messed with Teacher Qin, and now he wants to do something to my Xinran? I clenched my fists, my whole body trembling with rage. Seeing my state, Xiao Pang knew I was truly desperate and quickly tried to console me.
"Hey, it's nothing. The guy was just walking with her, and they were more than a meter apart. Xinran wasn't even holding his hand. Maybe he's just a suitor from your school, shamelessly clinging to your Xinran, that's all."
Hearing Xiao Pang's explanation, I calmed down a little. It made sense. Then I asked,
"Are you sure you didn't get a clear look at the guy's face?"
"No, but he was pretty tall. Xinran was walking beside him with her head down, but even if she looked up, she'd only reach his shoulder."
Xinran is 165cm, so she'd only reach his shoulder. I'm 178cm, and she comes up to my neck. That means the guy is probably around 183cm, which fits Xiao Pang's "tall and skinny" description. Xiao Pang probably wouldn't be wrong about him being fair-skinned. As I was racking my brains trying to figure out who it was, Xiao Pang spoke up again.
"Hey, don't overthink it. I saw them go into your residential complex together. Maybe they're just classmates who live nearby, so they walk home together after school. Besides, who in this neighborhood doesn't know you and the beautiful Xinran are childhood sweethearts, a perfect match? Who would be blind enough to make a move on your Xinran?"
After hearing Xiao Pang's words, I thought he had a point. Maybe they were just walking home together. Besides, I trusted Xinran. I checked the time. Shit, it was already five o'clock. I had to get back quickly. Otherwise, not only would I get an earful from my mom, but if Teacher Qin found out, I was done for.
Speaking of Teacher Qin made me angry. I grabbed his phone and ran out of Xiao Pang's shop, sprinting home. I heard Xiao Pang shouting from behind,
"Money! You haven't paid yet! And your ball!" I turned my head and yelled back,
"I'll transfer the money to you on WeChat later! Keep the ball for me, I'll come get it when I have time!" Then I continued sprinting home.
When I got home, I first went to my place to see if my mom and Teacher Qin were still doing yoga. The house was empty. Mom must have gone out to buy groceries. I prayed Teacher Qin went with her. When I rushed to Teacher Qin's place, I didn't see her either. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.
I pushed open Xinran's door, panting. Xinran turned to look at me and, seeing me breathless and drenched in sweat, said,
"You're like this every time you finish playing ball. Why aren't you showering? What are you doing here?"
I scratched my head and said,
"I just got back and saw my mom wasn't home. I thought she might be at your place, so I came to check. Oh, and my mom said you and Teacher Qin should come to our place for dinner tonight, so you don't have to cook."
"Oh, oh, auntie and my mom were just here. My mom came back to change clothes. She said she was going to go grocery shopping with auntie."
Hearing Xinran say this, my heart skipped a beat. If Teacher Qin came back, she would definitely look for her phone. What should I do? What should I do? Just as I was thinking, Xinran spoke again.
"My mom looked for her phone for a long time but couldn't find it. Auntie said to try calling it, to see if it was left somewhere, but my mom said no, to go grocery shopping first and that they'd find it when they got back, it must be at home."
Hearing Xinran say this, the weight on my heart finally lifted. If Teacher Qin had used my mom's or Xinran's phone to locate her phone's ID and discovered it was in the phone shop downstairs, I would have been finished. I quickly said to Xinran,
"I'm going back to take a shower now. You come over for dinner later, okay?"
"Mmm, you go ahead."
After saying that, I left Xinran's room and closed the door. Then, I thought about where to put the phone. I thought about it and decided to put it in the crack of the sofa. When I came in this afternoon, I saw a book on the coffee table. Teacher Qin and my mom must have been reading it while drying their hair on the sofa after returning from hot pot and showering. Putting the phone in the sofa crack would be a plausible explanation.
After getting home,
I wanted to open the app and check Teacher Qin's chat history right away, but I didn't know how long ago my mom and the others had left to buy groceries. If I got too absorbed and Teacher Qin came back to see her phone being active, that would be terrible. Forget it, I'd better shower first and check it at night.
After I finished my shower, my mom and the others were back, and Xinran had come over too. Looking at the two beautiful women busy in the kitchen, and then at the little beauty sitting beside me, all my troubles vanished for a moment. Was this a man's life? This scene was so warm and cozy. As for my dad, although he's an engineer, he's on construction sites in Africa all year and can't make it back more than twice a year. It's the same whether he's here or not.
Before long, a table full of delicious food was ready, and I started wolfing it down. I have to say, my mom's cooking is in no way inferior to a restaurant chef's. It has perfect color, aroma, and taste. Although Teacher Qin's cooking is also good, once she's in our kitchen, she can only be my mom's assistant. Her skills are still a notch below my mom's.
After eating, Xinran and I chatted idly, Teacher Qin went back to look for her phone, and my mom was clearing the dishes. Thinking about what Xiao Pang told me today, I tentatively asked, "My beautiful Xinran, you're so pretty, have you received any love letters lately?"
Hearing my words, Xinran froze for a moment, then gave my arm a hard twist (don't underestimate this gentle-looking girl, she's surprisingly strong, it hurt so much I hissed through my teeth) and said,
"You have the nerve to talk? You go around bragging about me every day, who would dare give me a love letter?"
"When did I ever brag about you?"
"You're saying you didn't? Now the whole school, including the teachers, knows we're childhood sweethearts. With that situation, who would still chase after me? Besides, we're in our final year of high school, academics should be the priority."
"Is it wrong? We are childhood sweethearts." As I spoke, I subconsciously reached out, wanting to hug Xinran. Xinran leaned to the side, dodging my hand, and said,
"Shameless. I'm going home."
With that, she got up, said goodbye to my mom in the kitchen, and was about to leave. My mom also made a token attempt to get her to stay.
After Xinran left, I lay on the sofa, not knowing what to do. I sent Xinran a WeChat message asking if Teacher Qin's phone had been found. Xinran said it had. Her mom said she had forgotten it on the sofa. Hearing Xinran say this, my anxious heart finally settled down.
Now, all I had to do was wait for night to fall.
As time slowly passed, it was already nine o'clock at night, but the phone still hadn't shown any activity. I didn't dare to actively open the WeChat in the app, afraid of being discovered by Teacher Qin.
Just as I was struggling, the app suddenly beeped twice. A message had arrived. I opened the app, and the WeChat interface automatically popped up. I glanced at it. It was a message from someone named "Hunter" to Teacher Qin. Chen Le? It was obvious this "Hunter" was Chen Le.
"Have you done what I asked, teacher?" followed by a smirking emoji.
"What?" Teacher Qin replied, with a confused emoji.
"Teacher, have you forgotten what you promised me in the mall restroom today?"