Chapter One: The Scarlet Apricot Reaches Beyond the Wall

On his way to work at the Institute of Traditional Medicine, Zhang Jun couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. A quick pat of his pockets confirmed it—he had forgotten his phone. For someone like him, marginalized at work, there was little chance anyone would call, yet not having his phone on him made him feel oddly unsettled, as if a limb were missing.

He glanced at his watch; there was still time. He turned his bike and headed back home.

Zhang Jun lived in the staff quarters of the Provincial People’s Hospital. His wife, Liu Yujie, was the head nurse there. The hospital’s benefits were good—the apartment was a subsidized unit from her workplace.

Parking his bicycle at the building’s entrance, Zhang Jun climbed the stairs and pulled out his key at the door, only to discover it was bolted from the inside.

A wave of foreboding washed over him.

Liu Yujie had worked the night shift and was supposed to be resting at home. Zhang Jun distinctly remembered that the door had not been bolted when he left that morning.

It had only been a little over ten minutes. Why would Liu Yujie get up to bolt the door?

A buzzing rang in his mind.

He had overheard whispers, rumors that Liu Yujie’s relationship with Vice President Zhou Wenbin was anything but ordinary. Despite her modest credentials, she had risen swiftly in ten years, from senior nurse to head nurse, all thanks to Zhou Wenbin’s favor and admiration, people said.

Zhang Jun himself had a graduate degree, yet he remained on the sidelines at the institute. He had entered as a powerless deputy section chief, and that was still his title, with no promotion over the years. Even his former apprentices were now his equals.

There were even those who speculated that Liu Yujie’s refusal to have children with Zhang Jun was to please Zhou Wenbin, fearing that pregnancy would interfere with rendezvous with her lover and jeopardize her future.

Zhou Wenbin lived in another building in the same complex, just a three-to-five-minute walk from Zhang Jun’s apartment.

He had dismissed these rumors as baseless gossip, but now, faced with the locked door, he felt a humiliation and pain beyond measure.

His hand lingered on the key, still in the lock. He wanted to walk away, pretend none of this had happened, find a bar and drink himself into oblivion.

Yet wounded pride overpowered him, reason slipping away, anger burning within him like a wounded lion, desperate to lash out.

Just as Zhang Jun hovered between leaving and confronting, his own phone rang out with a crisp tone from inside.

He heard his wife’s voice: “It’s my husband’s phone—he forgot it again! Let me see who’s calling. Xie Xiaoya? That’s his new colleague, his apprentice. He’s mentioned her to me before.”

Then came a deep male voice: “That man of yours is useless! All these years and he’s still a nobody. Why don’t you just be with me instead?”

Zhang Jun recognized Zhou Wenbin instantly.

A rush of blood surged to his head; his face turned crimson.

Liu Yujie’s soft laughter chimed out: “Vice President Zhou, don’t joke like that! You have your own family. Isn’t your daughter graduating college this year? Don’t be like this—my husband could come back for his phone any minute!”

Zhou Wenbin laughed boisterously: “I’m not afraid of him! He’s a failure—he’ll never amount to anything! Divorce him, and I’ll take care of you!”

Listening to the adulterous pair, Zhang Jun’s hand trembled. He tried to yank the key from the lock, but in his panic, it wouldn’t budge. The harder he tried, the louder the lock rattled, echoing through the silence like thunder.

Inside, the two fell abruptly silent.

Moments later, the door opened.

Liu Yujie appeared, smoothing her cheek, flashing a sweet smile. “Zhang Jun, you forgot your phone again. Xiaoya from your office just called, but I didn’t answer.”

Zhang Jun entered, his expression icy and terrifying. The beautiful face of his wife now appeared as loathsome as a viper’s.

Zhou Wenbin, seeing the murderous look in Zhang Jun’s eyes, lost all his previous swagger. He swallowed nervously, Adam’s apple bobbing, and waved a hand. “Comrade Yujie, I’ll be going now. We’ll discuss that matter later.”

Zhang Jun’s fists clenched, veins bulging on the backs of his hands like writhing worms.

He lost all reason, and with a sudden punch, smashed Zhou Wenbin square in the face.

Zhou Wenbin, around fifty and overweight, couldn’t withstand the blow and fell back onto the sofa.

Zhang Jun’s jaw was set, eyes wild with rage, raining punches down like a storm.

Liu Yujie was petrified, covering her face and letting out a wailing scream. “Zhang Jun, why are you hitting Vice President Zhou? Stop it!”

Zhou Wenbin’s glasses clattered to the floor; his head was battered and swollen. He scrambled to his feet and fled.

Liu Yujie grabbed Zhang Jun, who seemed ready to chase after him, sobbing, “Are you crazy? He’s my superior! Do you want to get me fired?”

Zhang Jun sneered, “Great job, Liu Yujie! Caught cheating in your own home, and you still defend him? I must have been blind to marry a woman like you!”

Liu Yujie’s chest heaved with anger—a figure that had once captivated Zhang Jun, the pride of his marriage, admired by all back home as a city beauty far above his station.

Now, though, he found her, and her once alluring body, nothing but filthy and repulsive.

Liu Yujie, however, retorted sharply, “Zhang Jun, be fair! I was discussing work with Vice President Zhou, nothing inappropriate happened! Cheating means being caught in bed! What proof do you have to slander me?”

Zhang Jun felt his worldview shatter, his universe rebuilt anew—there was no unbreakable boundary, no one truly worthy of lifelong loyalty.

He raised his fist, eyes blazing, “You locked the door with him inside, and you still want proof? Does it have to be in bed for it to count?”

Suddenly, Liu Yujie flung herself onto the sofa, sobbing, “Do you think it’s easy for me? I have to be cautious around my boss! He came to discuss work—could I refuse him entry? I went to make him tea and didn’t know he locked the door! He’s only been here three minutes—really! You have to believe me.”

Her body, graceful and alluring, had once been Zhang Jun’s greatest pride, the envy of his family, who called him blessed for marrying such a city beauty.

Dabbing her tears, Liu Yujie choked out, “I swear to heaven, I’ve never betrayed you! I admit I used Vice President Zhou’s fondness for me to secure promotions and benefits at work, but that’s just normal workplace networking. I never let him take advantage! Zhang Jun, you must believe me—you’re the only man I’ve ever had! If you could give me a better life, would I have to curry favor with him?”

But looking at her tear-streaked face, Zhang Jun felt not a shred of pity, only seething resentment. “Yes, I’m useless! So let’s divorce. Let’s end this cleanly. Luckily, we have no children, no ties. See you at the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow.”

With those final words, Zhang Jun grabbed his phone from the coffee table and strode out, slamming the door behind him, as if severing all ties to his past.

The heavy security door slammed shut with a resounding clang behind him.