There was a hint of suspicion in his voice.
She flashed her teeth at him.
"I wanted to see how Shen Mi was doing and asked her if we could meet for lunch soon. But now I need to go. I have a hair appointment."
She gave me a warning look, then she walked out, high heels clacking on the marble floor.
Xu was watching me.
"What did she say?"
"What she told you," I said, raising my chin.
"I want to go up now."
He wanted me to act like his boss, so he couldn't expect me to open up to him. He nodded and led me toward the elevator with a curt nod toward the two receptionists.
The moment we entered the penthouse, I excused myself and headed into the guest bathroom. I pulled out what Lufei had given me and unfolded the piece of paper.
Shen Mi, The key is for one of the apartments the Fu own.
Come over tonight at 10 pm to see what your husband is really up to while you warm his bed. Be careful and quiet, and don't tell anyone. Xu will try to stop you.
The address was at the bottom of the page. The note wasn't signed and it was written with a computer.
Was it from her?
It would make sense. I read it over and over again. It could be a trick, or worse, a trap, but curiosity burned through me.
Fu Shai hadn't exactly been the most present husband.
The only problem was how to get to the penthouse and how to get rid of Xu. He never left my side. I convinced Xu to go out to dinner to a restaurant that according to google maps was only a five-minute walk from the address Lufei had given me.
When Xu used the guest bathroom in our penthouse, I used the moment to take a small gun Fu Shao kept in one of the top drawers in the walk-in closet. I'd noticed it when I'd unpacked my suitcases and folded my clothes into drawers. I hid it in the side pocket of my bag.
Even though I didn't have much experience with guns, I knew how to handle them in theory. Better safe than sorry.
It was quarter past 9. Xu and I had just finished our starter, when I stood to head for the bathroom. Xupushed back his chair and was about to stand as well.
I glared.
"You won't follow me to the bathroom. Do you think I will get lost on the way? People will be staring. Nobody knows who I am here. I'm safe."
He sank back down. The bathroom was past a corner, closer to the door than our table. I slipped out of the restaurant, took flats from my purse and put them on.
Then I hurried toward the address. It would take at least five minutes before Xu would venture toward the bathroom and hopefully even longer before he'd barge in to check on me.
When I arrived in front of the brownstone building, I hesitated. It didn't have a reception, only a narrow corridor and a steep staircase. Then I took a deep breath and entered.
The key said the apartment was on the third floor. I took the elevator hidden in a dark corner behind the stairs.
During the ride up, doubt overcame me.
Maybe I shouldn't have listened to the letter. The elevator came to a halt and the door rattled open.