Chapter 13

“Don’t be nervous.”

At the moment when Liu Liu’s mind went blank and all sounds faded away, Yuan Siyu’s soothing words were like a small stone dropped into a still pool, creating ripples that drew Liu Liu back to that rain-soaked night—the same gentle yet firm reassurance that had pulled her from panic then.

Yuan Siyu spoke softly, “Our team is already on their way to your location. They’ll be there in no more than five minutes. We’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“If you’re very scared, try to find a place you consider safe to wait for our team.”

Liu Liu opened her mouth to ask if she could turn back, but recalling Yuan Siyu’s words—that the man with the rain gear had already found her, possibly lurking in some corner watching her—she realized that the person on the other end might be overhearing their conversation clearly.

She bit her slightly dry lips, a hint of complaint on her face: “You’re only telling me now? Fine, I’ll go back and buy you some orange juice.”

Yuan Siyu was momentarily taken aback, then smiled: “Alright, stay safe.”

Liu Liu ended the call, turned around, and soon returned to the small stall where Rong Jing and Mo Jingtong were. Business was going well for Mo Jingtong; some customers waiting for orange juice glanced at Rong Jing’s stall. Though the price of five hundred scared some away, others still stopped to chat with Rong Jing.

“Boss, do people come to you for fortune-telling? I’ve never seen such a young 'master' before. Is your profession like traditional Chinese medicine, where the older you are, the more respected?” a man buying orange juice for his girlfriend asked curiously.

Rong Jing, who had already categorized him as a ‘potential customer,’ was polite and answered all questions: “Yes, but I just started here, so customers aren’t many yet. As for the latter... those unfamiliar with our trade might judge by age, but those who know look at the school.”

“What school are you from?”

“Xuantian Sect,” Rong Jing explained, his gaze casually sweeping to where Liu Liu was walking over. He caught the brief tension flickering across her features but showed no sign of noticing, even greeting her warmly, “Sister Liu Liu.”

Mo Jingtong, who was pressing oranges, looked up and asked cheerfully, “Why are you back so soon?”

Liu Liu smiled slightly. “My best friend called and told me to bring back a cup of orange juice.”

Mo Jingtong hurriedly said, “Then you might have to wait a bit.”

“No problem, I’ll just sit here. Little brother, you don’t mind, do you?”

Rong Jing quickly waved his hand.

Time seemed to drag slowly during this deliberate wait. Liu Liu tried to pass the time by playing on her phone but couldn’t settle. So she struck up a conversation with Rong Jing and added him on WeChat.

Rong Jing lazily propped his chin on his hands, resting on the table. As his eyes moved, he opened WeChat, found Liu Liu’s contact, and sent a message: “Sister, there’s someone watching you from your left rear. Do you know him?”

Liu Liu’s back, which had just begun to relax, tensed instantly. She lowered her head to hide the paleness on her face, then tapped on the screen: “Is it a man? Can you describe him?”

Rong Jing replied: “About 1.8 meters tall, burly build, wearing a black jacket, face covered with a mask.”

As a little zombie, Rong Jing’s senses were far keener than ordinary humans. The moment Liu Liu came over, he noticed the gaze following her and stopped. Pretending to get up, he sank his back into the chair, then shifted his body into a relaxed, albeit strange, pose while playing with his phone.

Silently, he sent Liu Liu an enlarged photo.

When Liu Liu saw the pair of eyes above the mask—filled with a dark, ominous aura—her memory immediately flashed back to that rainy night.

It was him. It was definitely him!

A voice clamored in her mind. Suppressing the trembling caused by excitement and fear, she took a deep breath to calm herself, tapped the screen a few times, and forwarded the photo to Yuan Siyu.

Yuan Siyu was sitting inside Jin Hong’s car, visibly anxious—worried about Liu Liu’s safety and afraid the man in the rain gear might sense something wrong and flee.

She frowned, about to speak to ease her nerves, when her phone chimed. A photo appeared on the screen, accompanied by Liu Liu’s message: “Officer Yuan, it’s him, the one from that night.”

Yuan Siyu’s eyes widened in shock. She had expected the team to quietly blend into Changhua Street in plain clothes, searching for men with a similar build to the one in the surveillance footage. But now, the suspect’s face was handed to them unexpectedly.

Without hesitation, she leaned over the seat and handed the phone to Jin Hong. “Captain, this is the man Liu Liu identified.”

Jin Hong hadn’t seen the rain gear man’s face on the footage, but judging by the build... it did look very similar.

His heart tightened. “Move quickly.”

Within seconds, the car stopped. Jin Hong signaled the team with his eyes, and they silently merged into the crowd.

Yuan Siyu linked arms with one of the male officers, pretending to be a couple as they walked toward the fresh orange juice stall on the corner. Soon, they saw Liu Liu sitting in a chair chatting with the young man. Her eyes flickered as she urged her companion to buy orange juice, then leaned in, feigning curiosity: “Hey, how accurate is your fortune-telling?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Liu Liu’s eyes brightened. Smiling, she introduced him eagerly: “It’s very accurate—I got my fortune told by this handsome guy here—”

Before she could finish, a sudden scream erupted from the crowd behind them. Instinctively, Liu Liu turned around and saw a man in a black windbreaker being forcibly pinned to the ground by several plainclothes officers. His face was pressed against the rough pavement, fresh blood seeping out from the scrapes caused by his struggles.

He groaned, trying to break free, but Jin Hong wouldn’t give him the chance. Swiftly, he pulled out handcuffs, locked him up, and motioned for others to take him away.

“Wait!”

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