Chapter One: Trouble Always Finds a Widow

“Catch him!”

“Don’t let him get away!”

A buzzing sound echoed in Li Dongling’s ears as his vision gradually shifted from blurry to clear. He saw before him a woman with damp, short hair, dressed plainly in a gray plaid shirt and blue trousers—her modest clothes could not conceal her graceful figure. She seemed familiar, yet strangely distant.

“You dare to keep staring? Just wait until the security department gets here—they’ll gouge your eyes out for sure!” shouted a girl in a bright red sweater, her hair in two braids. She was tugging at Li Dongling’s shirt, glaring fiercely when she saw his eyes lingering on the short-haired woman.

Glancing at the short-haired woman, then at the red-sweatered girl gripping his clothes, and finally at the familiar run-down apartment block, a surge of memories crashed into Li Dongling’s mind. They were brief but unforgettable episodes—ones that left him both furious and helpless whenever he recalled them.

“This is the West City State-Owned Wireless Factory No. 1?!”

He muttered to himself, recalling how he had been working late for over half a month at the Provincial Mechanical Design Bureau. His heart feeling unwell, he’d rested his head on his desk for a moment, never expecting to awaken in this time.

It was 1993. Li Dongling had just graduated from Hanxi Province University of Transportation. Because of a disagreement with his girlfriend An Ruxue, he hadn’t used her father’s connections to stay in Xiyuan, the provincial capital. Instead, he obeyed the job assignment and returned to his hometown of Pingyang, joining the West City Wireless Factory No. 1.

And on the very day he returned, he found himself in the scene unfolding before him now—accused of peeping at a widow bathing. Though the security department didn’t drag him away in the end, the humiliation was enough that he couldn’t bear to stay. Less than a week later, he called An Ruxue’s father, who worked as a director in the city’s municipal bureau, and begged to be transferred back to the provincial capital, slinking away from this place in disgrace.

As for what happened between him and An Ruxue afterward, Li Dongling no longer cared to recall. In the end, they hadn’t survived the infamous seven-year itch and had parted ways.

The girl in the red sweater, seeing Li Dongling’s dazed expression after he’d spoken, snapped at him, “Don’t pretend you don’t remember! I’m telling you, Sister Qin saw you just now. Shameless—peeping at a widow while she bathes!”

More and more people gathered, all employees of the Wireless Factory. Qin Fang, whom the red-sweatered girl called Sister Qin, blushed furiously under the crowd’s scrutiny, her head lowered.

Li Dongling looked at Qin Fang—this scene was one he’d replayed countless times in his mind. Not long after he’d returned to the provincial capital, he’d received a call from a stranger who only said “I’m sorry” before hastily hanging up. Though he hadn’t recognized the voice, he later realized that today had been a setup. Soon, the “good cop” of the scene would make their entrance.

“What’s going on here?”

“If you have nothing better to do, go clean the workshop!”

A stern voice rang out. Many of the onlookers immediately dispersed upon seeing the newcomer, but some factory workers who lived in the apartment building stayed to watch, especially several middle-aged women who were clearly unafraid.

“It’s Manager Liu!”

The women greeted the newcomer with a smile. For these women, Liu Jiande could only cough awkwardly and pretend not to see them. They were notorious gossips. While he could fine and criticize the male employees, any attempt to penalize these women would set off a storm—tears, threats, and a commotion that would carry from the factory auditorium all the way to his own home. After several such incidents, he’d given up trying to discipline them.

“What’s the matter here, Hongying? Why are you grabbing your comrade like this?”

Liu Jiande’s tone was filled with annoyance as he scolded the red-sweatered girl, Wei Hongying, prompting her to let go of Li Dongling’s shirt. He then questioned Li Dongling, Qin Fang, and Wei Hongying. “Explain! What’s going on? Creating a scene in the factory—what do you think this looks like?”

“Manager Liu, you don’t know—he was peeping while Sister Qin was bathing! Her husband just had an accident not long ago, and now she’s being bullied. We should call the security department and have him taken away!” Wei Hongying shot Li Dongling a venomous look.

“Qin Fang, is what Hongying says true? You must speak honestly—no wronging the innocent. If you have indeed been wronged, as a member of our factory family, I’ll see justice done for you.”

Liu Jiande’s voice was stern but carried an encouraging tone as he addressed Qin Fang.

Li Dongling watched the scene calmly, offering no rebuttal. Qin Fang, catching his gaze, grew flustered.

“I… I… couldn’t see clearly who it was!” Qin Fang stammered after a moment, refraining from directly accusing Li Dongling.

Liu Jiande’s expression darkened with dissatisfaction, but he only shot Qin Fang a warning look before turning to Li Dongling with a smile.

Glancing at Li Dongling’s luggage, Liu Jiande said warmly, “Comrade, you must be a new employee here, right?”

“It’s your first day and already something like this happens—it doesn’t look good for anyone. Here’s what I suggest—what’s your name?”

“Li Dongling.”

Upon hearing the name, Liu Jiande acted as if it was the first time he’d heard it. “Dongling, I’m the manager here, overseeing the technical, production, and materials departments. If you trust me, let me handle this matter, all right?”

“Qin Fang is a woman, and her family’s just experienced a tragedy—her husband had an accident last month while transporting factory products. If word of this gets out, it won’t be good for you or for her. So, if it was a momentary lapse, I’ll witness your apology. We all work together here; best to let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, if this escalates to the security department or even the police, it’ll get complicated and might affect your employment.”

“Manager Liu, how can you just gloss over this? That’s letting him off too easily!” Wei Hongying protested, only to be silenced by a glare from Liu Jiande.

Liu Jiande’s solution appeared to be for the benefit of both Li Dongling and Qin Fang, downplaying the incident as a minor misunderstanding. All Li Dongling needed to do was apologize and the matter would be settled. Back then, the young Li Dongling believed him, apologized, and left—only for the rumor to spread like wildfire. In this city, influenced only slightly by foreign culture, gender relations remained conservative, and the aftermath was brutal. Even Li Dongling’s brother, a temporary worker at the fertilizer plant, suffered from the scandal. Days later, unable to bear the public scorn, Li Dongling transferred out.

As for what became of his post after he left, Li Dongling never cared to find out. He’d only heard that his official position had been filled by a special appointment—by someone with the surname Liu.

Liu Jiande was sure that, moved by reason and emotion, Li Dongling would apologize. After all, it was just an apology—no real loss, and he could walk away free. But what Li Dongling said next wiped the smile from Liu Jiande’s face.

“I think we ought to get to the bottom of this. This concerns Sister Qin’s reputation—no amount of caution is too much. Let’s have the security department or the police look into it.”

“When I walked over, there were people at the activities center who may have seen what happened. Maybe we should ask them.”

Li Dongling’s words drained the color from Qin Fang’s face. Even Wei Hongying began to doubt whether she’d misjudged him.

“Sister Qin, do you want to think carefully—is it really him…?”

Before Wei Hongying could finish, Qin Fang cut her off, “No need. My eyes were blinded by water; I was mistaken. It wasn’t Li Dongling.”

With that, she hurried back into the apartment building. The remaining middle-aged women, their interest gone, left grumbling, muttering about Qin Fang as they departed.