"Uncle?" Hao Meng's expression was as bewildered as if she'd been presented with the world's most unsolvable riddle. "Why should I call you Uncle?"
"Silly girl, don't you have a younger aunt with the last name Tie? I'm her boyfriend. If you don't call me Uncle, what else would you call me?" Xiang Ri shook his head in exasperation. This girl was usually so sharp—why was she suddenly so dense?
"A younger aunt with the last name Tie?" Hao Meng's face filled with confusion, but then she confidently declared, "Nope, I don't have an aunt with that surname!" Yet, as she spoke, a flicker of mischief gleamed in her eyes.
"Are you trying to play tricks on me again?" Xiang Ri's face darkened. This girl had a history of mischief—she had tricked him the first time they met. "If you don't tell the truth, I might just give you a good smack!" He raised his hand, feigning a playful threat.
"No, don't!" Hao Meng shrank her head down in mock fear, retreating a few steps before boldly retorting, "Teacher, you're no fun! I thought you were going to tell me some big secret, but it's just this? And you had to act all mysterious about it! If I'd known, I would've left with Zeng Nan. Anyway, I refuse to call you Uncle—'Teacher' sounds way better!"
"Call me whatever you like." Xiang Ri waved her off with a touch of impatience, his tone turning serious. "But I have a few questions for you now. Answer them properly and stop coming up with tricks. Got it?"
"Got it!" Hao Meng pouted, her lips forming a slight sulk.
"Have you seen your younger aunt recently?"
"Yes! She comes to my house every few days and brings me tons of delicious snacks!"
"Do you know what she likes most?"
"Hmm... let me think." Hao Meng adopted a dramatic pose of deep contemplation before her face lit up in realization. "I know—she loves catching people!"
"Catching people?" Xiang Ri felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his temple. Was that even a legitimate interest?
"Yes! Catching bad guys! Lots and lots of bad guys!" Hao Meng's tone was excessively animated, her hands gesturing wildly to emphasize her words.
Xiang Ri groaned in frustration. "I meant whether she has specific preferences, like favorite foods, clothes, sports, movies, or places she likes to visit!"
"Oh, so that's what you meant!" Hao Meng's wide-eyed, innocent look softened his annoyance. "Why didn't you just say so? You made it sound so complicated, which made me answer wrong! Teacher, you're so annoying!"
"Enough with the chatter, just answer!" Xiang Ri's forehead throbbed, his patience wearing thin.
"Well... I'm not entirely sure!" Hao Meng admitted with a sheepish smile, her cheeks tinged pink. "You know how forgetful I am, Teacher. I remember things, but after a while, I just forget them again. But..."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Xiang Ri fixed his gaze on the sly, fox-like grin playing on the young girl's face, an ominous feeling creeping up his spine.
"Ah, Teacher, you're so annoying! Let me finish speaking, will you?" Hao Meng protested with a pout. "Actually, what I wanted to say is, if Teacher promises to help me with something, I might just be able to remember something important." A perfect opportunity for blackmail like this couldn't possibly be wasted—Hao Meng prided herself on being a new-generation beauty blessed with both charm and wit. Secretly, she relished her plan.
"Fine, spill it. What do you want?" Xiang Ri replied indifferently. He had long anticipated that extracting any useful information from this cunning girl would come at a price.
"Teacher, will you pretend to be my boyfriend?" Hao Meng looked at him with wide, expectant eyes.
"What did you just say?" Xiang Ri stared at her in disbelief, completely floored by her audacity.
To think that such a young girl was already entertaining thoughts about men—it left Xiang Ri with a strange, unsettling feeling, as absurd as witnessing a newborn baby cry out "darling." But as his gaze fell on her delicate figure, already beginning to show hints of feminine curves, his mind faltered for a moment. "Girl, you're still too young. Wait a few years, and then Teacher will consider being your boyfriend. How about that?"
Hao Meng's cheeks turned bright red at his teasing, and she exclaimed indignantly, "Teacher, you misunderstood! I meant you should pretend to be my boyfriend, not actually be one!"
Xiang Ri: "..."
Hao Meng carried on, oblivious to the awkwardness creeping over her "thick-skinned" teacher. "You see, I have this nemesis at school. She always competes with me over everything—so annoying! Recently, she got herself a boyfriend who, honestly, looks like a gorilla but is super strong in fights. She keeps flaunting him in front of me, so... Teacher, you get what I mean, right?"
"I see." Xiang Ri sighed. He was tempted to dismiss her request as childish nonsense, but judging by her earnest demeanor, he knew any protest would make it harder to get answers from her. Suppressing his irritation, he reluctantly said, "Fine, I'll do it."
Just then, Xiang Ri paused, a curious expression crossing his face. "How do you seem to know that I'm good at fighting?"
His suspicion was not without reason. With his unimpressive physique and injured right hand, how could this girl have concluded he was capable?
"Uh... I just guessed!" Hao Meng's eyes darted nervously.
"Guessed?" Xiang Ri's tone dragged out skeptically.
"Yes! Didn't you notice what happened earlier at school? The moment you showed up, those bad guys immediately backed off and acted like scared little kittens. So I figured you must be really good at fighting!" Hao Meng replied calmly, regaining her composure.
"Is that so?" Xiang Ri was half-convinced. Given her cleverness, it wasn't impossible for her to draw such a conclusion.
Still, something felt off. But what? Suddenly, Xiang Ri stiffened as the realization hit him. This girl hadn't known about his skills beforehand, so how could she have been so certain he would handle those thugs the moment he arrived? Her relieved expression when she saw him and her insistence that outsiders were bullying her had been too calculated. It was clear she had preemptively sought his help for "revenge." She must have known about his abilities all along, which meant she had been hiding something.
"Girl, is there something else you're not telling me?" Xiang Ri's piercing gaze locked onto her.
"Fine, I'll tell you! Just stop staring at me like that!" Hao Meng squirmed under his scrutiny and finally confessed. "Teacher, do you remember that night when a group of drunk students tried to mug you?"
"You were one of them?" Xiang Ri finally pieced it together. No wonder this girl had done a complete 180 overnight. The mischievous prankster who had toyed with him the day before had turned into a model student the next day. He had thought she was plotting some new scheme, but now it all made sense. After witnessing his skills firsthand, she had intentionally tried to curry favor with him. It also explained her joy whenever she saw him at school. With a formidable "bodyguard" like him around, what did she have to fear?
"Teacher, you're so smart!" Hao Meng showered him with an exaggerated compliment, showing no sign of embarrassment for her earlier lies.
"Cut the flattery!" Xiang Ri snapped. "If I hadn't pushed you, you would've kept this from me, wouldn't you? Now, can you finally tell me what your aunt likes?"
"I really don't know!" Hao Meng pouted with a touch of grievance. But when she noticed Xiang Ri's face darkening, she quickly added, "But I do know a place she often visits."
"What place?" Xiang Ri's eyes lit up.
If he knew where to find her, all he needed to do was linger there and "accidentally" bump into her. Then, he could appeal to her emotions or logic, and if all else failed, he could stage a terminal illness or fake his death. With her compassionate nature as a police officer, she wouldn't abandon someone in such a tragic state, would she? Surely, she would stay by his side during his "final days."
Yes, that's the plan!