When he could no longer see the wild woman who enjoyed disguising herself as a man, Xiang Ri finally stopped and surveyed his surroundings. A bitter smile crept onto his face—unwittingly, in his efforts to escape Miss An's relentless pursuit, he had run all the way to a small restaurant owned by a certain young girl, at least five or six miles from the school.
Having only grabbed a quick bite for breakfast with Miss An on the way to school earlier, Xiang Ri felt his stomach empty after such a long chase. It seemed the perfect time to have another meal.
Yet to his surprise, as soon as he entered the restaurant, he encountered someone who, by all logic, should not have been there—the female police officer, Tie Wan.
"You... what are you doing here?" Tie Wan's astonishment at his arrival was evident.
"I came for breakfast," Xiang Ri replied after a brief pause.
"Oh." The police officer gave a curt response and fell silent. Xiang Ri, too, refrained from speaking further, and the two of them simply stood there in an awkward stillness.
Fortunately, this stifling atmosphere did not last long. The moment Zeng Nan emerged from the kitchen and spotted Xiang Ri, her face lit up with excitement, and she rushed over. "Brother, you're here!"
The two awkwardly silent figures were jolted back to reality by the girl's cheerful voice. Tie Wan averted her gaze in flustered haste, turning her attention elsewhere and deliberately ignoring how Zeng Nan addressed the man.
Xiang Ri cleared his throat to mask his own discomfort and turned to the young girl. "Why aren't you at school? Isn't today Friday?"
"Don't even bring it up!" The enthusiasm on Zeng Nan's face instantly deflated, like a child whose favorite toy had been snatched away. With a crestfallen expression, she muttered, "Our principal must've gone mad—he canceled today's classes and said we'd make up for it tomorrow, on Saturday. It's so infuriating! I was planning to go to the zoo with my friends tomorrow to see Xiao Fei, and now all my hopes are dashed."
Though Xiang Ri didn't know who or what "Xiao Fei" was, he could at least deduce it was some animal at the zoo, which amused him. "Who says you have to go to the zoo tomorrow? You could just go today."
"It's no use," Zeng Nan huffed, waving her hand in frustration. "You don't understand! Xiao Fei only appears on Saturdays. Any other time, there's no way to see him."
"Is that so?" Xiang Ri raised an eyebrow, intrigued, about to ask what kind of creature "Xiao Fei" was. Just then, Tie Wan murmured a farewell and turned to leave.
Instinctively, Xiang Ri reached out and grabbed her arm. When she turned back, he let go awkwardly and said, "Uh… would you stay and have breakfast with me?"
"Yes, Sister! Brother just got here—don't leave!" Zeng Nan chimed in, playing up the natural coquettishness of a young girl.
"I…" Tie Wan tried to summon the resolve to refuse, but upon meeting the plea in Xiang Ri's eyes, her heart softened, and she gave a reluctant nod.
"Great!" Zeng Nan cheered, practically jumping for joy. She quickly cleared a nearby table and gestured for them to sit down. In her innocent mind, she believed the two must've had some sort of quarrel, and her actions were helping them reconcile. Besides, the policewoman was likable enough, and even if there was something ambiguous between her and her "brother," it was still acceptable.
"Brother, what would you like to eat?" Zeng Nan asked eagerly once everything was settled.
"Anything will do, as long as it fills me up. But if there's chicken or duck legs, that'd be even better." Xiang Ri wasn't picky about food, but he had always had a fondness for meat.
"You'll get indigestion eating such greasy things in the morning," Zeng Nan said disapprovingly. "How about this—since you won't decide, I'll choose for you. I'll make you a plate of egg fried rice. I'll cook it myself! Sister had some earlier and said it was delicious." Beaming with pride, she dashed back into the kitchen.
Watching her retreating figure, Xiang Ri shook his head with a wry smile. Once this little girl got comfortable with someone, her clinginess could be overwhelming.
When he turned back, he noticed Tie Wan staring at him with a strange expression. Xiang Ri's face stiffened slightly, and he hurried to explain, "I helped her out with something, and now she doesn't misunderstand me anymore. That's why she calls me 'Brother.'"
Tie Wan didn't actually suspect anything untoward between him and the young girl. What puzzled her was when the two had grown so close. Hearing the man's explanation, though it stirred no particular feelings within her, she still felt a warmth in her chest. The way he hurried to clarify showed just how much he cared about her opinion. Yet water once spilled could not be gathered back, could it?
"What's wrong, Xiao Wan?" Seeing the policewoman remain silent, Xiang Ri grew uneasy. What he dreaded most was being labeled as someone who entangled himself with other "women," especially in front of someone who had already lost her trust in him.
"It's nothing." Tie Wan shook her head, pulling herself back to reality. Suddenly recalling something, she asked, "Have you explained what happened that day to Chu Chu?"
Xiang Ri knew she was referring to the incident at the hospital when Chu Chu had suddenly left. Without hiding it, he admitted somewhat dejectedly, "She's moved back home now."
Tie Wan fell silent again. After a long pause, she murmured softly, "It was my fault that day. If not for me—"
"No—" Xiang Ri interrupted her, his voice deep and resolute. "Chu Chu and you, I will not give up on either of you, unless I'm dead!"
Tie Wan's heart trembled. When she looked up and met his steady gaze fixed upon her, she panicked and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, how were you last night?"
"I'm fine. Just ran into a couple of mad dogs, that's all." Xiang Ri knew there was no point hiding what had happened from her. In fact, he hadn't intended to.
Tie Wan studied him carefully from head to toe. After confirming he was unharmed, she asked, "How did you get tangled up with those assassins?"
"It's probably because of that Empress," Xiang Ri replied, voicing his suspicion. In truth, he had already accepted it as fact.
"That woman?" Tie Wan was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her composure. With her sharp mind, she easily pieced together the situation and couldn't help but worry for him. She had heard snippets about those assassins from the golden-haired Empress herself—they were cold-blooded beings, specially trained to kill.
Though Xiang Ri possessed extraordinary strength, Tie Wan had seen firsthand that he was still flesh and blood. She remembered him breaking his knuckles after punching through a wall with brute force. When faced with modern weapons, danger would always outweigh safety. Last night was proof of that. Fortunately, the two assassins had only carried handguns. Tie Wan dared not imagine what would have happened had they been wielding automatic rifles.
"Why don't you move in with me?" The words escaped her lips before she could think them through. Only after speaking did she realize what she had just suggested. Annoyance crept over her, but mingled with it was a glimmer of hope.
"No." Xiang Ri rejected her lazily, though a flicker of temptation had surged through him when she first said it. It was an enticing thought, but one he quickly banished.
Though Tie Wan's residence, with its heightened security, was undoubtedly safer, Xiang Ri couldn't be certain those assassins wouldn't lose all reason and storm in. Besides, he had another concern—if he moved in with Tie Wan just after Chu Chu had moved out, it would be impossible to explain himself in the future.
"Just be careful," Tie Wan said, feigning calm while concealing her disappointment. A strange, sour emotion lingered in her chest, though she couldn't quite name it. "If anything happens, call me."
"Mm." Xiang Ri nodded, then suddenly asked, "Xiao Wan, where is that foreign Empress now?"
Tie Wan frowned slightly, an ominous feeling rising in her chest. "Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing. I just want to question her and see if there's a way to avoid these assassins," Xiang Ri said flatly. Naturally, he noticed the change in her expression, but to ease her worry, he concealed his true intentions.
"Is that so?" Tie Wan still seemed doubtful, but given that it concerned his safety, she chose not to hide the truth. "If you want to find her, you'll have to hurry. She's leaving for her home country this afternoon."
"What!" Xiang Ri exclaimed, leaping to his feet in agitation. "She's leaving for her country? What time is her flight this afternoon?"
"What are you planning to do!" Tie Wan's voice trembled as she finally realized something was amiss. "You—are you thinking of going abroad?"
"Yes! If I don't resolve this hidden threat, I won't have a moment's peace. Worse still, everyone around me will be in danger." Having reached this point, Xiang Ri chose to lay his thoughts bare.
"You… you'll die!" Tie Wan's voice quivered, tinged with the hint of tears. "Don't go! The Empress has already returned; maybe they won't come after you again."
"Maybe? That's just speculation. I can't risk any of you getting hurt. If something happens, I won't even have the chance to regret it!"
"Don't!" Seeing that her attempts to dissuade him were futile, Tie Wan stepped forward and gripped his shoulders tightly, eliciting a hiss of pain from him.
Tie Wan immediately sensed something was wrong. The feel of it beneath her hands confirmed her suspicion. Without hesitation, she yanked up his sleeve, revealing a length of white bandage wrapped around his upper arm, with fresh blood seeping through.
"How could this happen? Xiang Ri, you're hurt—why didn't you tell me!" Tears welled up in Tie Wan's eyes as she suddenly pulled him into a fierce embrace, as though terrified he would vanish from her sight in the very next moment.
"It's just a gunshot wound. The bullet's already been removed—it's nothing serious," Xiang Ri said, trying to reassure her. Yet to the policewoman's ears, his words only deepened her fear, and she held him even tighter.
As the two remained locked in their quiet, intimate moment, a clear and youthful voice suddenly broke in at the perfect—or rather, the most inconvenient—time.
"Hey! You two are getting all cozy while I'm not here? Careful, or I might get jealous!"