The Stolen Lover

Untitled Episode 5

Brother Nan patted Scholar on the shoulder. "Don't worry, bro. These tactics I've honed over years of real-life battles, getting cut and bruised countless times. We've got a good chance to turn this around. As long as she still has feelings for you, she won't be completely unaffected. Stay positive—no crying. This isn't the end yet. Messing up now would just be burying yourself alive. Keep your head clear, figure out a plan, and tackle this step by step—that's what real men do. Stop overthinking it. Come on, let's grab a drink. Those girls from last night invited me out for dinner tonight. You're coming with me. Distract yourself a bit. When you're in a better mood, luck won't be far behind."

Xiu Cai thought about how much worse it would be to go home alone. Fine, let's go have some fun.

After sipping a few more mouthfuls of tea, Xiao Yan still hadn't replied. Seeing it was dinnertime, Nan and the Scholar headed off to the gathering together.

The gathering was organized by Feifei. Nan Ge's girlfriends shared an interesting trait: long hair, dimples, and being Scorpios. Feifei was the only exception—short hair and not a Scorpio. Their relationship was peculiar. They flirted constantly, teasing each other openly in front of everyone. They drank plenty and talked endlessly, yet never made it to the hotel room.

When the two arrived at the restaurant, Feifei and another girl were already seated. It was an exquisitely decorated Japanese restaurant, with individual booths exuding authentic Japanese flair. The two girls were chatting across from each other. Spotting Brother Nan, they waved him over. He naturally sat down beside Feifei, leaving Scholar no choice but to nervously take a seat next to the other girl. No matter where Brother Nan sat, his first move was always to light a cigarette. He never spoke until he'd exhaled the first puff.

"Let me introduce everyone. Feifei, Scholar, and this is Feifei's beautiful friend."

Feifei giggled at this, glancing at Nan Ge. "You must've been pretty high last night. You sang for her all evening and asked her name several times, yet you forgot it after just one night? Xiao Qiao! You even said her smile was so sweet you renamed her 'Sweetie' and called her that all night."

"Oh oh oh, right right, Xiao Qiao's too hard to remember. Sweetie it is! Let's reintroduce ourselves. Sweetie, hello, I'm Xiao Nan Nan. Shake hands!" He grinned lecherously, extending his hand. Just as Xiao Qiao reached out, Feifei playfully slapped Brother Nan's hand. "You groped her all night last night, and now you want to touch her again? Keep it up, and you'll have to take responsibility for the girl!"

Everyone burst into laughter, including the scholar, who momentarily forgot his troubles.

A few people chatted and laughed as they began ordering dishes. Normally, Brother Nan handled the ordering at these gatherings, but with Feifei present, she naturally took charge of the arrangements. Brother Nan still recommended a few of the restaurant's specialties, subtly gauging the young lady's preferences as he spoke—and he was almost always spot on. With Feifei's sharp wit, she caught on instantly, ensuring the arrangements pleased everyone. For Brother Nan and Feifei, this was simply a daily habit—something scholars might study their whole lives without mastering.

With Japanese cuisine came sake. Feifei ordered Brother Nan's usual choice—a large three-liter bottle. She brought two bottles straight to the table. It seemed this dinner wouldn't end until everyone was thoroughly tipsy.

Brother Nan knew Scholar’s drinking capacity and always gave him extra consideration during the toasts. As for girls like Feifei and Tiantian, Brother Nan had them figured out. In his words, in Nanjing, you should be wary of any girl seen holding a cup at the table—because any girl who dares to raise a glass can usually hold her liquor better than most men. That was a lesson learned through countless rounds.

The conversation started off with the usual lighthearted banter about everything under the sun. It wasn't until the alcohol started kicking in that the talk got a bit deeper. Feifei was the kind of girl who was exceptionally good at taking care of others. Serving food, pouring drinks, handing over a tissue—she did it all so effortlessly, never making it feel like she was trying too hard or causing any awkwardness. When it came to conversation, she was effortlessly charming. No matter how racy the joke, she’d laugh along but always respond with just the right touch of wit, keeping everyone amused. In short, she was a delight. Others might not get it, but Nan Ge understood. A likable girl isn't always likable. The very qualities that made her so charming could just as easily pierce someone's heart like arrows. So while Nan Ge liked Feifei, he always treaded carefully, afraid to take things too far. Feifei, for her part, was smart enough to understand a man like Nan Ge. She enjoyed keeping things at arm's length, finding that distance quite satisfying.

Though Xiu Cai joined in the laughter, he kept tapping his phone on and off. Nan Ge noticed, handed him a lit cigarette, and murmured softly, "Her silence is the best news right now."

After three rounds of drinks, the room began to spin. Nan Ge's jokes flowed endlessly. When he mentioned Xiao Qiao, he blurted out, "Look how well Xiu Cai and Tian Tian suit each other. They'd make such a perfect pair. A man like Xiu Cai, devoted to one woman his whole life, should be nominated for intangible cultural heritage." Nan Ge was already drunk and talking nonsense, but hearing this, Xiu Cai felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He excused himself to the bathroom and wept silently. After agonizing over it for a long time on the toilet seat, he finally couldn't hold back and sent Xiao Yan a message: "Come back. I was wrong."

Moments later, Xiao Yan replied, "It's too late. Don't blame me."

The Scholar hurriedly showed his phone to Brother Nan. At the sight of the message, Brother Nan sobered up instantly. With Feifei and Xiaoqiao present, he couldn't say much. He leaned in to whisper a few words to the Scholar, warning him never to send another message and to wait until tomorrow when they were sober.

By the end of the dinner, everyone was buzzed. Nan Ge and the two girls headed back to the bar to keep partying. Seeing Nan Ge was clearly beyond rational thought, Xiucai trudged home alone, feeling gloomy.

How long that night dragged on for Scholar? Let's not dwell on it—anyone who's been in that situation knows exactly how it feels.

The next afternoon, when Brother Nan finally staggered into the courtyard, Scholar had already brewed tea and was waiting.

Brother Nan stuck to his usual routine: he sat down, lit a cigarette, sipped his tea, and only then spoke.

"Let me see your phone again, just to check," said Nan Ge, still groggy from his hangover.

The Scholar handed over the phone, unsure what else to say, silently waiting to see if Brother Nan had any other ideas.

Brother Nan sipped cup after cup of tea, took several deep drags on his cigarette, and let out a long sigh.

"You blew the delay tactic, brother. We'll have to start from scratch. This was already an impossible mission, and now you've put me in a bloody impossible spot. Ugh."

Nan Ge's mind raced. The Feigned Injury Ploy? No way—if Xiu Cai made him fake his own death now, he'd genuinely kill himself. Play the romantic card? Too late. Drag it out stubbornly? Impossible—we can't even meet the person. After intense deliberation, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Nan Ge. "Hey, bro, do you still have that book you wrote?"

"Got a few hundred copies at home. What's up?"

"Don't ask questions. Just hurry up and bring them over. I'll wait right here."

The scholar didn't bother asking more questions—he wouldn't have understood anyway—and hurried back to fetch the books.

When Scholar returned with the book, Brother Nan had resumed his usual easygoing demeanor. He took the book and flipped through it front and back.

Nan Ge had read the scholar's book before. In fact, this was how he approached all books, materials, and history—he'd skim through them to grasp the logic, then set them aside. When he needed something later, he'd return to search carefully. That's why Nan Ge had such a vast store of knowledge, though he wasn't an expert in any one area. It all floated on the surface. The upside was broad coverage and quick results—ready to use whenever needed.

The scholar couldn't figure out what Brother Nan was searching for and asked impatiently, "It's a book I wrote myself. Why not just ask me directly what you're looking for?"

Without lifting his eyelids, Brother Nan kept flipping through the pages, answering as he went, "True, it's your book. But what I'm looking for, you don't know. And that's precisely the point—to uncover what you don't know."

The scholar listened, feeling as if Brother Nan were about to perform a rain-making ritual. He simply couldn't make sense of it.

"Alright, this is it."

Brother Nan pressed down on the page he'd found, slapped it onto the coffee table, and let out a long sigh.

"Brother Nan, what did you find?"

Nan Ge didn't answer. He replaced the tea leaves, brewed a fresh batch, and flipped the cup in front of him. He switched to a Jianzhan bowl, rinsed the tea leaves, and deliberately inhaled the aroma before pouring himself a sip.

"Here's the thing, brother. Think back—you met Li Xiaoyan when you were discussing your book at the publishing house, right? I remember you saying she was stunned when she first saw you, then we sat in that cafe all afternoon without you saying a word. She teased you a bit, but also praised your writing. I even asked you what part she liked best, and you told me she thought the character Gazi was well-written—said he had a kind heart, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. You got the sequence down."

"Then they agreed to publish your book, and you and Xiaoyan hooked up, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's why I'm flipping through your book. I need to figure out what exactly she saw as 'good.' Don't take this the wrong way, bro, but from how you described chasing her, it seems to me you didn't spend months winning her over—she spent months convincing herself. There wasn't anything truly compelling about your pursuit. You said she decided to marry you after watching the snow fall—that was probably when she finally let go of something and pinned her hopes on you. Let's break down your strengths: loyal, obedient, family-oriented, hardworking— and, well, you try hard. Plus, you don't have a mean bone in your body. But if you only look at these traits, it's unreasonable for someone with her standards to fall for you based solely on them. So where does the real reason lie? It's in the character you created in your book. This character is a creation of yours—partly crafted with deliberate intent, but inevitably also shaped by unconscious, natural expressions. She initially liked the book, so she naturally didn't reject you. What she truly liked was your authentic self—the real you she knows, combined with the subconscious aspects revealed in your writing that even you don't fully understand. Got it?"

The scholar answered decisively, "I don't get it."

Nan Ge gave a wry smile. "Bro, I'm not trying to be mysterious here. I've never met your wife, but I've seen some of the traits you described in other women I've encountered. These traits match up with the women I've known, which is why I dared to make this bold guess about her. Add to that what's happened between you two these past few days and how she's responded—it perfectly validates my assessment of her. So, if I use this understanding to infer her motives and psychological shifts, it's probably pretty reliable. It might not be perfect, but the core logic won't be wrong."