"Quentin Lance?"
Su Sheng recognized the middle-aged policeman chasing the black man. Isn't this Laurel's father?
As the chase continued, the black man got closer to Su Sheng, who was standing in the way. Su Sheng casually stepped back, making it seem as though he was moving out of the way. The black man, grinning in triumph, assumed Su Sheng was giving him space, while Quentin Lance, full of frustration, kept chasing.
This was Starling City—where no one seemed willing to help the police.
As the black man rushed past, he glanced at Su Sheng with a smug expression. But just as he passed, Su Sheng subtly stuck out his left foot, tripping the thief. The man flew forward, crashing face-first into the pavement and sliding a good distance before coming to a stop.
The surrounding crowd fell silent.
No one expected this seemingly harmless young man to take such action.
Quentin Lance, momentarily stunned, quickly caught up and handcuffed the dazed black man. "Thanks for the help," he said to Su Sheng, slightly out of breath.
"Just doing my part," Su Sheng replied with a bright smile, watching Quentin Lance haul the bloodied thief to his feet. The sight was almost comical—like watching a face-brake gone wrong.
As the two men exchanged words, a woman in business attire, panting and looking relieved, rushed over. "Thank you, thank you so much!" she exclaimed to Quentin Lance. "There were very important legal documents in that bag. It would have been disastrous if they were lost."
"If you want to thank someone, thank him," Quentin Lance said, gesturing towards Su Sheng. "If it weren't for his help, I wouldn't have caught the thief."
The woman, realizing the truth of his words, took out a business card from her bag and handed it to Su Sheng. "Thank you very much. My name is Anna Rowling, I'm a lawyer. If there's anything I can do to help you, don't hesitate to call me."
"Thank you," Su Sheng accepted the card with a smile, then turned to Quentin Lance. "Could I borrow your phone for a moment? I was supposed to meet someone, but..."
"Of course," Quentin Lance replied, handing over his phone without hesitation.
Su Sheng dialed Laurel's number. After a few rings, Laurel answered, sounding puzzled.
"Dad? Is something wrong?"
"We were supposed to meet today. You didn't forget, did you?" Su Sheng asked in a casual tone.
"It's you! How did you get my dad's phone? What have you done to him? I agreed to your conditions, so why are you—" Laurel's voice was panicked, recalling the threats from the previous day and now hearing from her father's phone.
"Relax, darling. Can we meet? Same place as before. I'll be there in about half an hour," Su Sheng said soothingly before hanging up and handing the phone back to Quentin Lance. "Thanks."
"No problem at all," Quentin Lance replied, smiling warmly, unaware that his small favor had sent his daughter into a panic.
"Am I free to go?" Su Sheng asked.
"Certainly."
Su Sheng gave a polite nod to Quentin Lance and Anna Rowling before walking away.
Twenty minutes later, Laurel, anxious and on edge, saw Su Sheng approaching the Quinn factory. She hurried to meet him.
"What did you do to my father?" Laurel demanded.
Su Sheng chuckled. "I just happened to run into your father. Helped him catch a purse snatcher, and I borrowed his phone to contact you."
"Really?" Laurel looked skeptical.
"Why don't you call him and find out?" Su Sheng suggested casually.
Laurel hesitated, then pulled out her phone and dialed her father's number. A few seconds later, Quentin Lance's voice came through, sounding busy and rushed.
"Is something wrong? I'm a bit tied up here."
"No, nothing. Just checking," Laurel replied, relieved.
"Then I'll talk to you later," Quentin Lance said, hanging up before Laurel could ask anything else. As he put his phone away, Quentin glanced at the call log. There were no unfamiliar numbers—just his daughter's call as the most recent. "Did I delete the call history by accident?" Quentin muttered to himself before returning to his work.
"Next time, don't be so naive," Su Sheng advised, watching Laurel sigh with relief. "If a villain ever calls you using a familiar number, make sure to confirm the situation before rushing over. Otherwise, you might end up in a trap."
Laurel couldn't help but grumble inwardly, "Who knows what you'll do next?"
"Did you bring any money?" Su Sheng asked abruptly.
"Yes, I have some."
"Come with me," Su Sheng said, patting her on the shoulder as he led the way.
After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at the entrance of a hotel.
"What are we doing here?" Laurel asked suspiciously.
"Getting a room. Or do you prefer to stay outside? I don't mind if you don't," Su Sheng said with a mischievous grin.
...