Chapter 72: A Draw in the End!

This was the fifth floor. Risking his life, Wang Zheng had leapt from the window ledge to the adjacent balcony, thinking he had found safety—only to discover, to his dismay, that he was still in Zhang Miaomiao’s apartment. His misjudgment had wasted a perfectly executed jump.

But most crucial of all, it was night. The danger was real. Wang Zheng, a warrior of a hundred tribes, was no undead spirit; he felt pain when beaten, and a fall could cripple him.

Standing on the balcony, Wang Zheng heard the door opening and footsteps within, clear as day. There was no time to think. No sooner had he landed on the balcony than he sprang again, vaulting back out. He aimed for his next foothold: with another leap, he landed squarely atop the air conditioner on the fourth floor. Arms spread in a cross, he balanced himself carefully.

He spared no glance for the stunned Zhang Miaomiao, quickly tugged at the fourth-floor window—it was unlocked, as luck would have it. Wang Zheng flipped inside. As he shut the window behind him, he distinctly heard Bai Bing’s voice.

“Little brat, the man’s gone!”

Wang Zheng had now entered a stranger’s home from the balcony. The lights were on, the television played a war film—a battle of men and women, if the frequent moans and cries of “ah,” “oh,” and “yes” were any evidence of the intensity and brutality of the conflict.

A woman sat on the sofa, staring dazedly at the man who had just ‘flown’ in through her window. She had just finished wishing the heavens would send her a tall, strong, handsome, wild man while watching her borrowed adult film, never imagining her wish would be so promptly granted.

Her first instinct was to clasp her hands over her chest, eyes squeezed shut, face radiating devout gratitude: “Amitabha, thank you, God. And if possible, could you grant me that set of black lingerie from the film too…?”

When she opened her eyes again—he was gone.

“Was I too greedy?” she wondered to herself. But she soon dismissed the apparition as a hallucination and went back to her borrowed film.

After entering this unknown woman’s home and seeing her inexplicably close her eyes, Wang Zheng quickly found the door, cracked it open, checked for safety, and slipped away.

Zhang Miaomiao could hardly believe what she had just witnessed. That man, Wang Zheng, had jumped from the fifth floor to the fourth so effortlessly? Was he not afraid of dying? And what had he said before he left? That she didn’t know him, had never seen him… What did that mean?

Her mind was tangled with confusion, and she was still reeling from Wang Zheng’s perilous actions when she realized there was now another woman in the room.

Wasn’t she the woman from the opposite building—Wang Zheng’s neighbor? How did she suddenly appear here? Zhang Miaomiao didn’t know the woman’s relationship to Wang Zheng, but she could certainly guess why Wang Zheng had ‘jumped’ out the window.

“Who… who are you? How did you get in here?” Though she knew this woman would not harm her, Zhang Miaomiao still furrowed her brow and feigned surprise.

“Where is he?” Bai Bing asked expressionlessly.

“Hm? Who?”

“The man who was just in your apartment. His name is Wang Zheng!” Bai Bing said as she searched under the bed, in the wardrobe, out the window—every possible hiding place.

“What are you doing? Who let you in here? Get out, or I’ll call the police!” Zhang Miaomiao raised her voice. If Wang Zheng had been hiding in her home, she might have felt guilty. But since he was not, she felt justified and stood her ground.

“Call the police? I am the police. Go ahead and call,” Bai Bing replied, then continued her systematic search of the other rooms, but found nothing.

“You’re a police officer?” Zhang Miaomiao was momentarily taken aback. Bai Bing’s identity was unexpected. “Even if you’re a cop, you can't just barge into someone’s home. And who’s Wang Zheng or Li Zheng? I’ve never heard of them.”

Bai Bing ignored her, conducting a thorough sweep—under the bed, over the bed, inside and out the windows, she searched meticulously.

“Could I have been mistaken?” Bai Bing frowned slightly, then returned to Zhang Miaomiao’s bedroom. Noticing the telescope by the bed, she asked, “You like astronomy?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, I do. I really like astronomy!”

“Ah, seems I misunderstood.” Bai Bing spoke coolly, then headed for the door. As she crossed the threshold, she turned and said, “That Wang Zheng is a rogue and a lecher. If you ever see him, let me know. I live right across on the fourth floor!”

“You two don’t live together…?” Zhang Miaomiao blinked, catching a fleeting smile on Bai Bing’s face—had she let something slip just now?

“So you do know him, and he really has been here. All right. That’s all I needed to know—do drop by for a visit sometime.” Bai Bing smiled, then turned and left.

As soon as the woman left, Zhang Miaomiao hurried to shut the door with a relieved thud, leaning against it with a sense of deliverance, though her heart was filled with curiosity. Who were these people living across the way on the fourth floor? Police? They didn’t seem like it! Best to keep her distance from people like that in the future—they all seemed like secret agents!

When Bai Bing returned home, Wang Zheng was sitting in the living room watching a football match. It wasn’t a Chinese league match, nor was it the national team—though after years in Africa, he had long heard of the infamy of Chinese football, especially that infamous “kick of extinction” at the Olympics, a true combination of kung fu and soccer that had mesmerized many martial artists. To avoid being thunderstruck in front of Bai Bing, he wisely avoided watching it.

The match was a friendly between the African Lions of Cameroon and the Samba Squad of Brazil—an exciting game by any measure.

Bai Bing walked slowly to Wang Zheng’s side, while Wang Zheng sat on the sofa as if nothing had happened, eyes fixed on the screen.

“Where did you go?” Wang Zheng asked casually.

“I just found out today that a friend of mine lives in the building opposite. I went to chat for a bit, reminiscing about old times—it was quite nostalgic,” Bai Bing replied, watching Wang Zheng. “You like football?”

“Mm.”

“What a coincidence, I like football too—especially the Brazilian team!” Bai Bing stood beside Wang Zheng, but though her words professed a fondness for Brazil, her eyes never left Wang Zheng. Clearly, she was lying.

“Really? I prefer Cameroon,” Wang Zheng replied coolly. He could feel her scorching gaze, but managed to maintain his composure, pretending nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“They’re both known for their speed and toughness, with an emphasis on individual skill. Two of the world’s most powerful attacking teams facing off—who knows who will emerge the victor?” Bai Bing mused.

“We’ll know when it’s over.”

At Wang Zheng’s words, Bai Bing sat down beside him. Seeing how intently Wang Zheng watched the screen, she couldn’t help but turn her own gaze to the match.

That night, the match between Cameroon and Brazil ended in a scoreless draw.

Early the next morning, Wang Zheng, still groggy, was awakened by the now-familiar sizzling sound. It was a pleasant noise, though it kept him from sleeping.

With Bai Bing in the house, Wang Zheng’s worries about meals—and about cleaning—were completely resolved. He could now eat, drink, and enjoy himself with no further concerns.

It reminded him of an old commercial: “No more worries about eating, drinking, or fun—just use Bai Bing Brand Housekeeper!”

Stretching lazily, he got dressed and stepped out of his room to find the breakfast table loaded with food. A sense of happiness welled up within him—wasn’t this the comfortable life he had always wanted?

He sat at the table and began to eat. Just then, Chu Jun emerged from her room, eyes lighting up at the sight of the breakfast. She glanced at Bai Bing, a bit embarrassed, but Bai Bing treated Chu Jun kindly. Unlike Su Xue, who was openly hostile to Bai Bing, Chu Jun had always been polite, so when Bai Bing saw her gnawing on plain bread, she greeted her and offered a steaming bowl of porridge. Chu Jun thanked her and sat down without hesitation.

As for Su Xue, she was as slow as ever. When Wang Zheng was nearly finished with his breakfast, she finally shuffled out of her room, rubbing her sleep-deprived eyes. No one knew why she slept earlier than anyone but woke later.

Seeing the three of them at the table, Su Xue instantly sobered up. She shot Bai Bing a sidelong glance, then rolled her eyes at Wang Zheng with a cold snort before heading to the bathroom.

“Hmph!”

Impressive! Wang Zheng felt a surge of pride for the girl—truly principled, though he wondered how long she could hold out. She seemed to have forgotten that when she first moved in, all her breakfasts had been prepared by Bai Bing.

That morning, Bai Bing was no longer as reserved as the night before. On their way to work, she questioned Wang Zheng directly about his whereabouts the previous night. Wang Zheng played dumb, feigning ignorance, so Bai Bing shifted from interrogation to temptation, then to threats—she tried every trick, but Wang Zheng was unmoved. Still, Bai Bing did not give up; she kept the matter in mind, convinced that one day, she would pry the truth from Wang Zheng’s lips.

Thanks to Bai Bing’s persistent chatter, Wang Zheng entered Yong’an Tower. As soon as he set foot in the company, he noticed several unfamiliar faces, and the atmosphere felt different.

Wang Zheng slowed his pace, observing these newcomers. They were mature women, clearly not novices. Glancing toward Lin Xiaolei’s office, Wang Zheng seemed to realize something.

Normally, after arriving at work, the first thing Wang Zheng would do was enter Lin Xiaolei’s office. But today, unusually, he went straight to his own office, where he remained the entire morning.