Chapter 5: The Gift of an Open Wallet

The young man stood frozen with Gao Ming’s heavy leather wallet clutched against his chest like a dead weight. He looked from the bruised, trembling Gao Ming sprawled near the plastic crates to Lin Yan, who was calmly spooning broth from her bowl as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

"Well?" Lin Yan asked, her voice quiet. "Do you need me to draw you a map of the stalls?"

"N-no! I’m going! Right now!"

The crony turned on his heel and bolted toward the nearest vendor, terrified that a moment's hesitation would earn him the same treatment as his friend.

Within minutes, the chaotic rhythm of the night market shifted. Instructed by a terrified young man flashing a rich kid's wallet, stall owners from one end of the strip to the other rushed into action. Smokey grills flared up again, casting bright amber glows across the dark pavement as they boxed up roasted duck, spiced beef brisket, sweet sesame pastries, and steaming vats of braised pork knuckles.

Passersby stopped to stare, murmuring amongst themselves at the sudden, frantic flurry of commercial activity.

Gao Ming managed to push himself up from the dirt, clutching his deformed, throbbing wrist against his chest. Tears of humiliation and agonizing pain blurred his vision. He glared at Lin Yan with pure, unadulterated venom, though he kept a safe distance, thoroughly convinced by now that she had completely lost her mind.

"You're... you're dead," Gao Ming choked out, his voice shaking with fury. "When my father hears about this—when the families find out a lunatic like you is running around crippling people—you won't have a place to hide in this city!"

Lin Yan didn't even bother to look up at him. She finished her broth, set the ceramic bowl down with a soft click, and wiped her lips with a napkin.

"Your father's real estate firm is overextended by forty million yuan in short-term commercial loans," Lin Yan said flatly, her tone casual. "If he doesn't liquidate his suburban land holdings by next Tuesday, his accounts will be frozen by the bank. Is that the family power you plan to threaten me with?"

Gao Ming froze. His jaw dropped open. How could an abandoned country girl who had spent her entire life out of the loop possibly know about his father's confidential corporate debt?

Before he could stammer out a reply, Lin Yan stood up.

A procession of five different food vendors was marching down the alleyway, carrying towering stacks of heavy-duty cardboard boxes loaded with every imaginable delicacy the night market had to offer.

"Put them in the back of the van," Lin Yan instructed, pointing toward the battered utility vehicle parked at the corner.

The vendors, eager to cash in on the open wallet, scrambled to load box after box into the cargo bed until it was packed tight to the ceiling.

Gao Ming’s crony staggered over, holding out the empty leather wallet like a sacrificial offering. "T-the money... it's all gone. Every single card and cash bill..."

Lin Yan snatched the wallet back, flipped it open to confirm it was completely stripped bare, and then tossed it carelessly into the gutter at Gao Ming's feet.

She walked over to the driver's side of the van, climbed inside, and started the engine. The old motor sputtered to life, filling the cool night air with a heavy cloud of exhaust.

Through the cracked window, Lin Yan looked out at Gao Ming, who was now supported by his trembling crony. A faint, mocking smile touched the corners of her lips.

"Thank you for the feast," she said softly. "Consider it an early severance package. You'll need all the comfort you can get before the world freezes over."

Without waiting for a response, she slammed her foot on the accelerator. The van lurched forward, tires kicking up gravel as it roared down the street and vanished into the midnight gloom.

Gao Ming stood shaking in the empty alley, clutching his broken wrist. For reasons he couldn't quite explain, the cold, dead look in Lin Yan’s eyes before she drove away left a lingering dread in his chest that no amount of anger could wash away.