Chapter Eleven: The Policewoman

Liu Jingye was momentarily stunned, for instead of the thick smoke and flying shrapnel he had expected from a grenade explosion, he saw a brilliant firework bloom in midair. Even though it was daytime, the colors were dazzling and radiant.

It turned out the grenade contained not explosives, but fireworks powder—harmless even at close range, causing no deadly injuries.

Liu Jingye breathed a sigh of relief. “It seems they weren’t intending to kill Yuan Xiaoying after all.”

Taking advantage of the fact that no one from the neighboring floors had opened their windows to curse the commotion, Liu Jingye quickly got up and returned to Yuan Xiaoying’s small apartment.

At that moment, the young woman was sitting on a sofa piled high with odds and ends, as if she were perched atop a heap of trash. It was remarkable how she could remain so unbothered.

Yuan Xiaoying glanced at him and said, “You’re back. How’s the rat situation? That loud bang just now had nothing to do with you, did it? Don’t tell me you used artillery to deal with the rat?”

She burst into laughter as she finished, casually switching on the television.

Liu Jingye had no desire to become further entangled in this mess. Clearly, their adversary was approaching with aggressive intent and little regard for means.

He suggested calmly, “You’d better check your wardrobe—make sure the rats haven’t damaged anything important.”

Yuan Xiaoying waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I already checked. Just one pair of pearl earrings got damaged. No big deal—they were cheap anyway.”

Pearl earrings? Liu Jingye frowned slightly. If those were what their opponent was after, then why set off the grenade after finding them? If they meant to silence her, there was no need for a firework to scare her.

He couldn’t make sense of it and wanted to take a look himself, but as soon as he stepped forward, he tripped over some clutter at his feet. Looking down, he saw a large, bright red cover that had nearly toppled him.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Liu Jingye mused, “No wonder they say a man’s greatest stumbles in life are caused by women. How true that is.”

Just then, Yuan Xiaoying suddenly shrieked and leapt into his arms, wrapping herself around him like a koala—arms and legs clinging tightly, their bodies pressed together, leaving no distance between them.

“Mouse…” she stammered, her voice trembling.

Liu Jingye turned his head, and sure enough, a small mouse was squeezing out from under the sofa cushion. He could only sigh; in such a filthy, chaotic mess, it was no wonder there were mice.

But as the little mouse emerged, something else tumbled out from beneath the cushion—a shock to Liu Jingye, for it was a jet-black handgun.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a rat-catching expert? Get to it!” Yuan Xiaoying shrieked.

Liu Jingye glanced at her, wrapped around him like an octopus, and replied with a helpless smile, “I’d love to, if I could move.”

Soon enough, due to certain changes and sensations, Yuan Xiaoying realized the awkwardness of their position. She hurriedly scrambled off him, her cheeks tinged red, and Liu Jingye himself felt embarrassed as he bent down to catch the mouse.

The little mouse was swift, but Liu Jingye’s attention was more on the handgun. He picked it up; it was heavy, and a familiar intimacy washed over him.

A gun is a soldier’s truest companion, standing by you through life and death, never forsaking you.

Now, as it rested in his hand again, for a moment it felt as if he were back in that smoke-filled, blood-soaked world.

“Hey, where did you find that?” Yuan Xiaoying exclaimed in delight, snatching the handgun from his grasp and playing with it. From her careless manner, it was clear she was no true enthusiast and felt none of that life-and-death bond.

“I’ve been looking for this thing for nearly a month! I thought I’d lost it, but it was here all along,” she said.

Liu Jingye was speechless. To misplace a handgun so casually—what astounding carelessness.

He sneered, “Sister, with your place looking like a ‘blooming garden,’ it wouldn’t surprise me if you lost not just a gun, but a whole person in here and never noticed. By the way, how do you even have this?”

Yuan Xiaoying shot him a glare. “I’m a police officer—why shouldn’t I have a gun?”

“You’re a police officer?” Liu Jingye was taken aback.

Yuan Xiaoying nodded smugly, clearly pleased to have surprised him.

Liu Jingye looked more closely around the room—mountains of trash, utter chaos, a gun buried beneath garbage—and couldn’t help asking again, “You’re a police officer?”

She glared back, “Are you a broken record?”

He would never have guessed this slovenly, sly, sharp-tongued woman was a police officer—and that her ex-fiancé was the head of the Huangchao crime syndicate.

Seeing Liu Jingye in a daze, Yuan Xiaoying said, “Now that you know I’m police, are you scared? If you don’t behave, I’ll see to it that you get a fifteen-day stay in detention, with complimentary group ‘massage’ sessions.”

She acted as if the police station belonged to her own family. Liu Jingye could only respond with a wry smile. He decided to be direct. “If you’re a police officer, why are you involved with Huangchao?”

“What’s wrong with Huangchao?” she replied, looking genuinely puzzled. “Huangchao Group is one of the country’s top five hundred companies. The chairman is a national delegate; the general manager is a member of the city’s consultative conference.”

“And their background before that?” Liu Jingye pressed.

Yuan Xiaoying sat down again, eyes on the Korean drama playing on the TV, unconcerned. “I’ve heard a bit about their past, but that’s all ancient history. Now they’re legitimate businessmen, just with a bit of an underworld flavor. Besides, my parents arranged everything, from the matchmaking to the engagement. It’s not like I had any say.”

Liu Jingye simply couldn’t fathom such arrangements. He thought privately, “She’s actually a police officer—what kind of marriage alliance is this supposed to be?”

She could even bring a gun home—she must be in criminal investigations. Just an absent-minded, privileged detective.

As the TV cut to commercials, Yuan Xiaoying sat in her pile of junk and looked at Liu Jingye. “Now that I’ve told you about myself, it’s your turn. After all, we’re getting married in a few days.”

Just thinking about it gave Liu Jingye a headache. But now that he was entangled in this, he knew Yuan Xiaoying would stop at nothing to force his hand. He didn’t want the whole affair to become public knowledge—if innocents got dragged in, it would be a disaster. He had no choice but to comply.

He shoved aside some clutter, sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and said calmly, “I’m a retired soldier. I served in a secret special forces unit, spent eight years on the front lines.”

Yuan Xiaoying looked stunned for a moment, then punched him lightly. “You? Special forces? Come on, at least make your lies believable. In broad daylight, in our peaceful country, what war could there possibly be? Be honest—what do you really do?”

Liu Jingye shrugged. “Actually, I just graduated from university, finished my PhD, and haven’t found a good job yet. I’m helping out at the family hotel for now.”

“What?” Yuan Xiaoying froze again, then burst out laughing. “You, a PhD? Don’t make me laugh. Tell the truth!”

Suddenly, Liu Jingye’s expression turned serious. In a mysterious whisper, he said, “Actually, I was abducted by aliens these past years. They studied the structure of the human body, and only let me go once they figured it all out.”

“Really!?” Yuan Xiaoying gasped, grabbing his arm. “Tell me what they looked like! Where’s their spaceship?”

Liu Jingye was left utterly speechless. “Tell her the truth, she thinks it’s a lie. Tell her a lie, she takes it as a joke. Tell her a joke, she believes it!”

Suddenly, silence fell between them. Yuan Xiaoying’s cheeks flushed—who knew what she was thinking.

After a while, she spoke. “I have to get through this. I can’t let my parents lose face in front of relatives and friends. You have to help me. Actually, you’re not bad—honest, dependable, and a little clever.”

The “cleverness” was for how he’d managed to drive away the beautiful and high-class women; the “honest and dependable” part was because both times he’d seen her naked, he’d behaved himself—leaving her with a good impression.

What she didn’t know was that Liu Jingye had also driven off a burglar for her, and defused a nearly-exploding grenade with his bare hands…

But not even Liu Jingye knew what further dangers might be creeping up on them in the next moment.