Chapter Fifty-Six: Every Wrong Has Its Source

"If someone from your team causes trouble or gets into a fight, who else should we come to if not you?" Yan Xue assumed that Zhang Lei was pretending to be clueless on purpose.

"You come to me because I’m the team captain, obviously. So you come to me to find out what happened!" As Zhang Lei spoke, he instinctively straightened his back, and the cool expression he wore shifted to reveal a touch of pride.

"Oh, so you’re the captain? My apologies! Before we came, all we knew was that you played as a forward; we didn’t bother to find out who the captain was!" Kang Ge’s tone, as soon as he spoke, was as if he and Zhang Lei were already old friends. "We’re here today to ask you about someone, but not anyone from your football team. It’s a personal acquaintance of yours."

"An acquaintance of mine?" At first, Zhang Lei was a little displeased to hear Kang Ge say he didn’t know he was captain, but after listening further, he seemed somewhat puzzled. "Most of the people I know well are on the team. I’m so busy with training and everything that, aside from a few people in my major, even my dorm mates are all teammates. Are you sure you’ll get anything by asking me?"

"Definitely! Without a doubt!" Kang Ge nodded emphatically. "We want to ask you about Xu Wenrui."

As soon as he mentioned Xu Wenrui’s name, Zhang Lei’s face darkened. "Why are you asking me about him?"

"Isn’t it often said that the person who knows you best isn’t your friend, but your enemy?" Yan Xue replied.

Zhang Lei snorted and turned his face slightly to the side. "I’m not his enemy."

"Black cat or white cat, they’re both cats. Whether it’s a nemesis or a love rival, they’re all enemies in a way!" Kang Ge waved his hand. "Today, we have to ask you some personal questions for official reasons. Back then, with you, Wu Beibei, and Xu Wenrui—what exactly was going on between the three of you?"

The question was indeed personal and asked so directly. Zhang Lei glared at Kang Ge for a long moment, as if hoping Kang Ge would sense his irritation and wisely drop the subject. Yet Kang Ge seemed completely unfazed, calmly waiting for his answer, which left Zhang Lei feeling powerless.

"Come on, you two aren’t tabloid reporters, so why come all this way to ask me something like this?!" He paced in frustration, running both hands through his short hair. "Why don’t you just go ask Xu Wenrui or Wu Beibei directly?

I don’t know what you’re after, or whether those two are still tangled up with each other. Anyway, Wu Beibei and I are completely over. I have nothing to do with either of them anymore. Call it my own blindness in the past, but that page is long turned. Whatever happens between them now has nothing to do with me! Ask whoever you like about them!"

"We would’ve liked to get it straight from the source, but there’s no way—we can’t ask Xu Wenrui himself." Kang Ge spread his hands helplessly and watched Zhang Lei. "You haven’t heard that Xu Wenrui is dead, have you?"

Zhang Lei froze—his look of surprise lasted only a moment before vanishing. "I really hadn’t heard. Fine, ask what you want, but I can’t promise you’ll get satisfactory answers."

"Such a quick change of heart?"

"What else? If you hadn’t said that guy was dead, maybe I wouldn’t bother with you. But since you did, if I still refused to talk, and word got out, how would that sound? I’m not that oblivious." Zhang Lei’s face was reluctant, but he was quick to adapt. "Go ahead. Let’s make this quick—I still need to train!"

"Great, we appreciate straightforwardness. If everyone was this direct, who’d want to beat around the bush?" Kang Ge was pleased with his response. "Since you’re being honest, I won’t hide it from you: we’re mainly here to understand what happened between Wu Beibei and Xu Wenrui. Weren’t you all pretty close back then? I heard you treated Wu Beibei very well when you were together. So why did she get back together with Xu Wenrui afterward?"

"It wasn’t that she went back to that guy—it was that I backed out." Zhang Lei’s face darkened; clearly, this wasn’t a pleasant memory. "To be honest, it’s embarrassing to talk about. When I was with Wu Beibei, I had no idea she and Xu Wenrui were a couple. I was the one being deceived the whole time!

I told you, I’m busy with training and spend most of my time with teammates or a few classmates and professors from my department. Plus, I’m not very sociable, so I didn’t know much about Wu Beibei at first—just thought she was cute and my type.

She played her part well in front of me, came off as innocent and shy. I never suspected a thing. Then one day, that guy shows up and makes a scene, claiming Wu Beibei and I got together behind his back. I was so angry I almost punched him, but Wu Beibei stopped me, saying he wasn’t worth dirtying my hands over."

Although he’d kept a cool demeanor earlier, Zhang Lei’s emotions clearly shifted as he spoke. He ground the sole of his sneaker on the marble floor, the sound growing sharper as his agitation increased, though he seemed unaware of it.

"It was only after that incident that I realized Wu Beibei had still been with Xu Wenrui when she was with me—they didn’t officially break up until after she started dating me. I ended up being the other guy without even knowing it!

At first, I minded a lot, but Wu Beibei cried and told me how badly that guy treated her—always choosing cheap places to eat, insisting on splitting the bill, and, worst of all, treating her like a maid. He’d scold her if she didn’t do things just right."

"Wow, that’s pretty scummy," Kang Ge interjected.

Zhang Lei waved it off. "Whether he’s scum or not isn’t my concern. The point is, I’ve realized by now that Wu Beibei wasn’t exactly truthful herself. The two of them are a perfect match—rotten fish and spoiled shrimp.

When I first found out I was the accidental third party, I was angry, and right at that time, Xu Wenrui was pestering Wu Beibei again. So I said, forget it, this isn’t worth my time, let’s break up—I was the one who walked away.

Wu Beibei cried her eyes out, saying how badly Xu Wenrui treated her, that she’d been trying to break up with him but was afraid because he threatened to hit her. Then she met me, liked me, and felt protected enough to finally break up with him—that’s how the timing got messy.

I was fooled by her again, honestly. Later, Xu Wenrui kept pestering her, and I started paying more attention. I realized Wu Beibei could make up stories on the spot, didn’t even need to rehearse. She was just as unreliable as he was. Their drama wasn’t worth my time, so I broke up with her."

"So you broke up with Wu Beibei, not the other way around, and she didn’t just go back to her ex after dumping you?"

"Right. I ended things. At first, Wu Beibei kept trying to get back together, but I ignored her. Later, she suddenly did a complete 180 and stopped contacting me. I heard secondhand she got back with Xu Wenrui, then they were on and off again—I didn’t keep up with the details."

"So you really don’t know why Wu Beibei and Xu Wenrui kept breaking up and getting back together?" Yan Xue asked.

"No. When she first reconciled with him, then broke up again, my teammates told me about it, but I was so fed up that I told them: don’t tell me anything more about Wu Beibei. Whatever she does is her own business. I don’t want to know. If anyone tries to pass her notes to me or ask for my phone or WeChat, I’ll ignore them all."

Kang Ge looked at him, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, that’s all we needed. Thanks for cooperating with us today—we won’t hold you up from training any longer."

Zhang Lei probably expected these two officers to be harder to deal with. When Kang Ge wrapped up so quickly, he was surprised. Realizing his earlier attitude had been a bit off, he hesitated, searching for polite words but coming up empty.

"It’s fine. We understand—you didn’t know who we were or why we were here, so your attitude was a bit defensive. Totally understandable!" Kang Ge smiled, patting Zhang Lei on the shoulder. "Make the most of this time. If you love football, play your heart out. From what you said, you might not pursue it after graduation, so enjoy it while you’re young!"

Since Kang Ge had already said what Zhang Lei wanted to express, he nodded, relieved, and even managed a slight smile. Turning to Yan Xue, he gave her a wave. "Sorry for misunderstanding you just now—my attitude wasn’t great. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to training."

Yan Xue waved back, and Zhang Lei strode off toward the training room.

Having found the person they needed and asked their questions, there was no reason to linger. They retraced their steps and left the stadium. Passing by the training room window, they could see Zhang Lei already back to his drills. His teammates, spotting Yan Xue, nudged him with curious whispers, but Zhang Lei paid them no mind and called for everyone to focus.

As they walked out of the stadium, Kang Ge seemed lost in thought, then suddenly broke into a smile.

"What’s so funny?" Yan Xue asked curiously.

"I was just thinking—Zhang Lei may not be the most articulate, but he saw through things with impressive clarity," Kang Ge mused. "In a way, Wu Beibei and Xu Wenrui really are a perfect match."

"Don’t you think Xu Wenrui and Zhang Lei are completely different types? Even opposites in many ways?" Yan Xue agreed. "Xu Wenrui was the refined, trendy type, while Zhang Lei clearly is not. Xu Wenrui is all surface, but Zhang Lei—judging from our interaction—seems more down-to-earth, not the type to package or express himself well.

If a girl had a crush on Xu Wenrui, seeking his contact info and staging ‘chance’ meetings, would he be as blunt and dismissive as Zhang Lei, not caring a bit about his own image?"

"So, to put it bluntly, Zhang Lei is much simpler and easier to handle emotionally than Xu Wenrui, which let Wu Beibei play to her strengths. After getting burned by Xu Wenrui, she sought out someone like Zhang Lei, who she could control and who cherished her.

And Xu Wenrui? After Wu Beibei, why did he choose someone like Deng Chun, who by all measures is less attractive? It’s because Deng Chun’s housewife routine gave him the illusion that he could dominate her, lord it over her, and easily hold the upper hand.

Looking at it that way, they really are a match. As for Zhang Lei, by the principle of ‘the right suspect for the right crime,’ he can pretty much be cleared from suspicion—same with Wu Beibei."