Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Caught Yan Jin poked her in the forehead. “I think you’re drunk. Look at that lovestruck face.” Yu Xia narrowed her eyes. Light shimmered through her glassy eyes, brilliant as a sky full of stars. Was she drunk? Perhaps. Otherwise, why was the image of that Tiguan-driving man filling her mind? After spending the entire trip feeling uneasy that afternoon, she had arrived at Yu Jiangnan without a hitch. As it turned out, she had been worrying for nothing. To make up for having “judged a gentleman with a petty person’s heart,” she had added him on WeChat and wanted to transfer him some money. The moment he turned around and showed her his QR code, she finally saw his face. Only then did Yu Xia realize that “a fleeting glimpse that takes one’s breath away” could be used to describe a man, too. He was breathtakingly handsome! The man was far too unfairly good-looking. Yu Xia stared at him for several seconds. After getting out of the car, she made a grand gesture and transferred him two hundred yuan—a fare reimbursement plus a tip for his looks. His WeChat name was simple: a single character, “Chi.” Chi: [You gave me too much.] Yu Xia Unfinished: [The extra is a tip.] Chi: [Then find me again next time.] Yu Xia Unfinished: [It’s a deal.] Later, Yu Xia went to the restroom. When she returned, she discovered that the entire bar had been emptied, leaving only a few sofas behind. Hmm… There was still a young man sitting on one of the sofas. He looked at her with a slightly dazed expression— Ripples suddenly rose in Yu Xia’s heart. Wasn’t this… the handsome driver from earlier? “Hi! What a coincidence!” She walked toward him on unsteady feet, her slender figure swaying alluringly. Chi Mucheng watched her sit down beside him. Countless emotions stirred in his deep-set eyes, but in the end, he merely asked, “Are you drunk?” Yu Xia was still wearing the red spaghetti-strap dress from that morning. Yan Jin had given it to her as a wedding gift, wishing her victory on her wedding night. It simply used far too little fabric, and its neckline was dangerously low. When she sat down unevenly, the breathtaking scenery beneath her neckline was almost on full display. Chi Mucheng instinctively picked up the wineglass beside him and took a large gulp. Yu Xia held up one finger and wagged it. Her speech had already slowed considerably. “This is nothing. I’m only tipsy.” Chi Mucheng’s arrogant gaze traced her lightly, and his voice was low. “Did you come out to get drunk in the middle of the night because of a scumbag?” Yu Xia immediately grew angry at the thought of it. Lowering her eyes, she spotted only one wineglass and leaned over to grab it. “Hey…” Chi Mucheng did not even have time to stop her before Yu Xia had already drunk from it, her lips landing on the spot where his had been. He really wanted to swear. “What does a scumbag matter? When love is gone, happiness arrives. Now, no one can stop me from appreciating handsome men.” As she spoke, Yu Xia lifted the corners of her eyes toward Chi Mucheng. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with dazzling light, as though stars had been scattered within them. A hint of wicked amusement appeared in Chi Mucheng’s expression. He asked with interest, “You think I’m handsome?” Yu Xia tilted her head, her gaze becoming even more unabashed. Her voice was impossibly soft. “I think your looks are strange.” Chi Mucheng: “How are they strange?” Yu Xia: “Sometimes they’re extremely good-looking, and sometimes they’re even more good-looking.” Chi Mucheng: “…” Whether she had done it intentionally or not, she broke into a giggle after saying it, looking extremely pleased with herself. “Do you know what the scene would be if you were transported back to ancient times?” Chi Mucheng did not seem to mind her flight of fancy. “What scene?” Yu Xia: “In those days, when we were young and wore thin spring robes, we would ride horses beside slanting bridges while women in red sleeves beckoned from every floor.” Chi Mucheng: “You have a very high opinion of me.” Yu Xia nodded. “I meant to be no more than a passing breeze through the hall, yet somehow your lonely arrogance summons a mountain flood. Sigh, why do I find you more and more like one of my relatives the longer I look at you?” She leaned closer to him again, studying him with a serious expression. Chi Mucheng was curious. “Like whom?” Yu Xia cupped her flushed face and said with a teasing, mischievous air, “My mother’s son-in-law.” Seeing a hint of unnatural pink spread across Chi Mucheng’s handsome face, Yu Xia proudly burst into laughter. “Did I flirt with you?” Flirting with men was simply too much fun. A faint smile played at the corners of Chi Mucheng’s lips as his gaze settled densely upon her. “You did. So you have to take responsibility for me.” Yu Xia: “…” Could she run away now? That was what Yu Xia thought, and that was what she did. Perhaps she had stood up too quickly. She failed to find her balance and went straight down onto the floor. Fortunately, there was a rug beneath her. Chi Mucheng sighed helplessly and walked over to pull her up. Yu Xia thought he was going to force her to take responsibility. Since she did not want to, she resisted with both hands and feet. As a result, Chi Mucheng was caught off guard and was sent tumbling down by her wild flailing. He landed on top of her in an extremely suggestive position… At that very moment, the door exploded open with a bang. Two police officers in plainclothes, holding out their credentials, rushed inside— Chi Mucheng never could have imagined that his first encounter with the police in his life would involve… a raid on prostitution. He had been caught in the sweep. And the situation at hand was extremely difficult. He could not prove that he and Yu Xia were innocent. The thought gave him a pounding headache. He cast a cold, stern glance at his “useless teammate,” who was leaning to one side and could barely stand. He certainly could not count on her. “You’ve got it wrong. She really isn’t in that line of work…” Chi Mucheng’s cool gaze fell on Yu Xia’s brightly colored red spaghetti-strap dress, and he suddenly felt that his words had no persuasive power whatsoever. The dress was simply too sexy. “I don’t think she is, either. The one actually engaged in illegal activities is probably you, Mr. Chi?” After going through the chat history on their two phones, the police officer reached that conclusion. Even Chi Mucheng’s usually steady temperament had become somewhat agitated. The officer’s words were so unbelievable that he could hardly process them. But when he thought of the transfer and chat history between him and Yu Xia, his face turned as dark as charcoal. Chi: You gave me too much. Yu Xia Unfinished: The extra is a tip. Chi: Then find me again next time. Yu Xia Unfinished: It’s a deal. The fewer the words, the bigger the trouble. Those few brief lines would have meant nothing under normal circumstances. But in the current situation, they were not particularly harmful to him, yet they were humiliating beyond measure. That night, for the second time, he wanted to swear. And so, without the slightest suspense, he and Yu Xia were both honorably escorted to the police station. * After a whole night of turmoil, they were finally released early the next morning. Still shaken, Yu Xia pulled him aside. “I was completely dazed when I woke up. Luckily, I reacted quickly and said that we were preparing to get married, and that our identity cards and household registers were in the bag. What did you say?” Chi Mucheng’s peerlessly handsome face showed a trace of fatigue, but it did nothing to diminish his looks. Instead, it added a touch of languor and weariness that made him even more captivating. Unfathomable emotions churned in his deep eyes. His thin lips parted. “I said the same thing.” Only then did Yu Xia breathe a sigh of relief. “That’s great! I was afraid you’d give yourself away.”