Chapter 6: CH 6

Chapter 6 – Earl

“First you should register the items you have lost and then write down the details of the incident and your contact information.  Don’t worry, we will notify you when there’s news.”

The policeman pulled out the chair then placed a form on the table in front of Wen Ruan and advised her.

“Take care of your belongings when you’re outside.  It’s especially so for a little girl like you who travels alone to a foreign place.  You must pay attention to safety, do you understand?”

“……I understand……”

The policeman seemed to notice that the female voice sounded familiar, so he lifted his head to look at Wen Ruan and immediately smiled as he recognized her.

“Ai, Miss Wen, it’s you again?  What a coincidence!”

Wen Ruan could not even squeeze out a smile.  “…….Coincidence.”

She doesn’t want this coincidence too!

It is not even a day yet and she had gone to the police station twice and she also met the same policeman.  No matter how she looks at it, it is not something to be happy about.

While having these thoughts, Wen Ruan picked up the pen and paper and filled up the form as she leaned on the table.

After the report was completed, it was already noon.

The temperature difference between morning and night in Jiang City is extremely great.  In the morning, it was still cold and windy but now the sun is scorching hot.  The blazing sunlight pierces into the eyes and the result is dryness and pain.

Wen Ruan touched the pocket of her windbreaker and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, she had placed her ID in her pocket when she got off the train in the morning.

However, now she is only left with an ID card and a non-functioning mobile phone that has a shattered screen.

It seems that when she goes out in the future, she should pick a lucky day.

At this moment, only a few uncles were dozing off in the lobby of the police station and they seemed to be waiting for their relatives.

It looked like Fu Zhihuan had already left.

Although it was expected, Wen Ruan’s mood still dropped a little.

After all, she had lost her luggage and even missed the chance of passionate love.  It was a double loss for her.

With her head lowered, she held up her hand to touch her nose and decided to find a place to repair her phone first.

When the afternoon sun shines on the skin, it is as if the whole person is thrown into a hot oven to bake repeatedly surrounded by the heat.

As soon as she walked out of the police station, Wen Ruan noticed a black Audi parked at the side of the road in front of the entrance.  The gleaming car was quite dazzling in the sun.

Without paying much attention to it, she turned the corner and continued to walk forward.  She was taking the route based on her memory to return to the shopping street to find a place to repair her phone.

However, after Wen Ruan had walked a few steps forward, the Audi started and it even kept an abnormally slow speed to follow Wen Ruan.

When she noticed the car was moving oddly beside her, she stopped abruptly.

With the sound of a crunch, the Audi also stopped instantly.

Wen Ruan was silent for a while and when she saw there was no movement in the car, she continued to move forward tentatively.

The Audi immediately started to move and slowly followed behind.

When Wen Ruan stopped, it stopped.

When Wen Ruan moved, it moved.

When Wen Ruan quickened her pace, it also sped up.

When the car accidentally overshot, it even slowly reversed back.

“……”

Isn’t this act of tailing too blatant?

And this can even happen in front of the police station?

Which stalker is so arrogant?

Wen Ruan lost interest in playing with the car anymore.  She simply folded her arms, tilted her head, and looked sharply at the driver’s seat.  Then she reached out her hand and knocked on the glass window.

The window slowly lowered to reveal a young man with an unfamiliar face.

When he saw Wen Ruan, his eyes instantly curved and his voice carried a trace of enthusiasm.

“Miss Wen……”

Wen Ruan interrupted.  “I won’t go back with you.”

For this person to follow her so painstakingly, it must surely be due to Wen Fengchen.  After knowing her whereabouts, he must have sent someone to look for her and force her to return home to get engaged.

The man was stunned and did not show any reaction.  “Huh?”

Wen Ruan straightened up and said in a firm tone.

“Tell my father not to harbor any thoughts.  Even if I have to sleep on the street, I, Wen Ruan, won’t give in so easily.”

“……”

The man was silent for a while and then solemnly nodded.  Following that, he turned his head around and shouted towards the back seat.

“Old Fu, Miss Wen says she is going to sleep on the street!”

Old Fu?

The window in the back passenger seat slowly lowered.

Wen Ruan turned her head and was caught off guard as she met the eyes of Fu Zhihuan who was sitting in the car.

“……”

Fu Zhihuan’s eyes did not waver and his expression was so calm that his eyebrows did not even twitch.

“You want to sleep on the street?”

“No……”

“That’s okay.”  He did not give Wen Ruan time to react and withdrawing his gaze, he said to the driver.

“Zhao Zichen, let’s go.”

After speaking, he rolled up the car window heartlessly.

“Ai…….”

Wen Ruan watched as the Audi moved away in front of her leaving behind a stream of gray smoke.  She felt that she had never been as sad as this moment in her life of twenty years.

In the end, the heartless Audi did not abandon Wen Ruan on the street.  Instead, it turned back at the intersection ahead and picked up the pitiful Wen Ruan.

Wen Ruan was moved to tears and said to Zhao Zichen with heartfelt gratitude.

“You’re such a kind man.”

The praise easily got to Zhao Zichen’s head and he immediately lifted his nose with pride.

“Abandoning pitiful little girls on the streets can only be done by that ‘bitter gourd’ face in the back seat.”

The ‘bitter gourd’ face, Fu Zhihuan, raised his eyes and did not say a word but just glanced at Zhao Zichen calmly.

Without looking back, Zhao Zichen could feel the stab of an icy gaze on his back.  He immediately straightened up and showing a strong desire for survival, he closed his mouth.

Zhao Zichen is a policeman and today is his rest day therefore, he need not report for duty.

But after hearing his colleague mention that Fu Zhihuan was in the police station, he decided to drive over and send him home.  At the same time, the two of them could attend the gathering together in the evening.

“But Miss Wen……after listening to you just now…….you didn’t run away from home, did you?”

After Zhao Zichen heard Wen Ruan’s righteous words just now, he could not help but ask.

Wen Ruan’s head suddenly tightened.

Correct guess!

From the corner of her eyes, she snuck a look at Fu Zhihuan who was sitting beside her.  However, it so happened that their eyes met and there was a trace of teasing in his gaze.

If she tells the truth and says that she had indeed run away from home to escape from an arranged marriage and wanted to be independent, no one would want to get involved in this kind of major trouble, right?

If the news of her whereabouts is leaked accidentally and Wen Fengchen wants to capture her and take her back to get engaged……then wouldn’t all her efforts be wasted?

……The truth can’t be told!

So Wen Ruan lowered her eyes, took a deep breath, and said.

“I’m sorry, I lied to you.  Actually, I’m not a domestic worker.  I studied law at the university and came to Jiang City to look for a job as a trainee lawyer.  Because…….”

Fu Zhihuan lifted his eyes.

“Because my family is indeed in difficulties.  My father wanted to marry me off early and use the betrothal money to raise my younger siblings.  So he was thinking to marry me to the son of the stinky-tofu* seller downstairs.”

(Stinky-tofu is a popular Taiwanese deep-fried snack made from soya beans.  It is bean curd that had gone through a fermentation process to produce the stinky smell and is usually eaten with pickles.)

When Wen Ruan spoke up to this point, she choked softly.

“That’s why I ran away to Jiang City secretly and plan to find a job to earn money to support my family.  But if my father finds me, he will surely force me to go home!”

Wonderful!

He should not harbor the thought that this lady in front of him would tell the truth.

However, Zhao Zichen actually believed her and even reacted fiercely.

“How can this kind of thing be happening?  Now there’s freedom in marriage but there’s still such a thing?  This conduct can’t be tolerated!”

“Yes!  Can’t be tolerated!”

“Oh yes, what about the son of the stinky tofu seller?  How is he?”

“Very evil!”

“How evil?”

“So far I haven’t met him.  It’s heard that he had never gone home for five years and in addition, there isn’t any photo of him.  After he knew about the arranged marriage between the both of us, he passed a message through his friends to say that he would never marry me!  Now everyone knows that I’m not a likable person and they are laughing at me behind my back, so I can only endure it in silence.”

“……Ah, that’s too much!  That’s irresponsible!  He actually let the girl endure so much suffering!”

“That’s right!”

The two sparrows were echoing one another without knowing that they were fiercely criticizing the ‘Son of the Stinky Tofu Seller’ who was sitting at the side and watching the two people coldly as they talked in high spirits.

Endure silently?

If he had not witnessed this Young Miss’s duel of words and her superb fighting skills he would really believe it is the truth.

“But why isn’t there even a photo?”

“I don’t know.  It’s heard that he doesn’t like to take photos.  In the past five years, he didn’t post any of his photos in Moments.  The available photos are only from the time when he was in high school and it’s difficult to find them.”

“It must be because he is not good-looking.  Think on the good side…….perhaps the reason he doesn’t want to meet you is that he feels inferior and thinks he is not good enough for you?”

“You’re right!”

The two people acted like they were performing a duet.

Fu Zhihuan reached out his hand to squeeze his browbone lightly and the air pressure in his body suddenly dropped a few degrees.

……Post on Moments tonight.

But Zhao Zichen was completely unaware of this matter and he even enthusiastically thought of ways to help Wen Ruan.

“Oh right, Old Fu, you can let Miss Wen stay in your house, and at the same time, she can help to look after Simon.  Anyway, Simon is in elementary school so it won’t be troublesome.  Look, she is a young girl, so you can’t let her be hindered by that kind of a man, right?”

That kind of a man?

Fu Zhihuan sneered.

What a good suggestion!

Wen Ruan straightened up instantly then turned to look sincerely at Fu Zhihuan who was beside her.

“Why doesn’t Boss think about it?  I’m best at taking care of children.”

Her eyes were very bewitching.

When she looked at others seriously, her eyes would shine with a spirited light just like staring at a coquettish little kitten that made people unable to refuse her.

Not to mention, while she spoke cautiously her body involuntarily leaned towards Fu Zhihuan and she looked at him with her small palm-sized face raised.

Even though he knew she was lying, it was hard to be immune.

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Fu Zhihuan was silent for a while.  Then he turned his head around without saying a word and shifted his gaze away.  After a long time, he closed his eyes and said slowly.  “Seven days…….”

“Ai?……”

“You’re allowed to stay for seven days.  After seven days, you have to move out.”

He actually agreed?

Perhaps it was because the man in front of her had been showing indifference all this while so she was caught off guard with this sudden slack.

Wen Ruan was startled.  When she recovered her eyes were full of joy.  With a sigh of relief, she sat upright and said in a happy tone.

“Thank you, Boss!”

The car very quickly arrived downstairs of the apartment.

Zhao Zichen turned off the car engine and adjusted the seat’s backrest.  Then he unfastened the safety belt and placed his arms behind the back of his head with a yawn.

“Old Fu, you should take Miss Wen upstairs first.  I’ll wait for you here.”

They still had to attend a dinner in the evening and Fu Zhihuan only came back to put down his things.

And at the same time, make arrangements for Wen Ruan to stay.

Fu Zhihuan asked casually.  “Are you not coming up?”

“No.”  Zhao Zhihuan shook his head repeatedly.  “Your Earl is very fierce.  I’m afraid of being scratched and having to go to the hospital for an injection.”

Wen Ruan keenly caught a certain word.  “Earl?”

Zhao Zichen touched his nose and laughed.

“It’s a blue cat raised by Old Fu and has a very bad temper.  When I went to his house two days ago, I almost received a permanent scar.”

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeve.  “Here, look at this.”

Wen Ruan glanced over.

Sure enough, there was a shallow scare on his right forearm.

She shrank her neck and stopped talking.

She could feel the pain just by looking at it.

Fu Zhihuan had already gotten out of the car and leaning on the door frame.  He glanced at the expression on Wen Ruan’s face and said lightly.

“If you’re afraid, you can stay in a hotel.”

Afraid?

Joking!

How can she, Wen Ruan, retreat so easily just because of a cat?

So she got down from the car very decisively and showed an abundance of bravery.

Fu Zhihuan lives on the top floor of a high-end apartment block in the city center.

As Wen Ruan stood at the door of the apartment, she felt a little nervous.

Although she is not afraid of cats, she also knows that cute-looking animals would be merciless once they attack and scratch.

Fu Zhihuan glanced at Wen Ruan’s fingers that were twisted together due to nervousness and the corners of his lips curved into a slight smile.  Then he moved silently to stand in front of her.

*Creak*

The door of the apartment opened.

The structure of the top floor is roughly the same as that of the other units.  The only difference is that this unit is a duplex with two floors connected and the décor is exquisite.

Although she was used to living in villas and mansions, she was still unexpectedly stunned by this apartment.

To be able to buy this kind of apartment in the city center is the same as writing the four simple words of ~ ‘I am very rich’ ~ on the rooftop.

At this moment, a crisp and soft cat’s cry sounded.

As soon as Wen Ruan lowered her head she met the eyes of the blue cat that was sitting in the cat basket a meter away and it was staring at her without blinking.

The blue cat seemed to be less than a year old.  It was quite small and its eyes were glittering.  It did not look as horrible as Zhao Zichen described it to be.

…….Oh, so cute and so healing! 

However, at this moment, the blue cat suddenly got up.  It arched its body abruptly with its tail standing upright and bared its teeth.

……I take back that sentence……

Wen Ruan moved quietly and hid behind Fu Zhihuan.

He cocked his head slightly and swept a glance over the person beside him.  Then he sighed and squatted on the floor.  Using his index finger, he tapped on the floor with his knuckle and called out in a warning tone.

“Earl.”

It seemed as though Earl did not hear and walked forward until it reached Wen Ruan’s feet.  It still looked like it was on guard as a warning growl sounded from its throat.

Wen Ruan met the eyes of the little blue cat that was not even as tall as her ankle.

The atmosphere seemed to have frozen in that instant.

……It seems like there’s going to be a showdown.

……And for the sake of the love that had just sprouted.

The blue cat continued to growl in its throat with its teeth clenched tightly as if it wanted to have a showdown with her.

Wen Ruah sighed and squatted down helplessly.  She stretched out her hand in front of Earl as though she was making a pact with it.

“Let me make myself clear first.  You can scratch my hand but not my face.”

Fu Zhihuan frowned and subconsciously tried to pull Wen Ruan behind him.

He was very clear about his cat’s bad temper and ferocity.

However, he did not expect that as soon as Wen Ruan reached out her hand, Earl would shrink its neck and back away from her.  Just now, it was still showing arrogance as though it had suddenly caught fire but now it had retreated in terror and laid down on its stomach in its original place.

Wen Ruan was stunned.

……What’s the matter with this cat?

……Calling a bluff?

Before Wen Ruan could react, Earl walked with small steps toward her once again and lowered its head……

It started to lick her fingertips lightly and meowed like a spoiled baby.  Then it rubbed its little round head against her palm.

Fu Zhihuan was a little surprised.

Earl has a very strong territorial sense and even the familiar Zhao Zichen who comes very often would not be given any face.  It is the first time that it treated a stranger so affectionately.

“…….I know…….”

Wen Ruan withdrew her hand and carefully examined her fingers as she calmly analyzed.

“I ate a salmon sandwich this morning.”

“……”

Useless cat!

He ignored both the woman and the cat who were cuddling up to each other.  He took out a spare key and handed it to Wen Ruan.

“Your room is on the first floor, the second room on the right.  You’re allowed to move around freely everywhere except for the second floor.”

She took the key from him and nodded obediently.  “Mm…….”

Since someone was still waiting downstairs, Fu Zhihuan did not intend to stay for too long.

However, when he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something.  He turned around to walk back to Wen Ruan and stretched out his hand.

“Give me your phone.”

She was stunned for a moment and then took out her phone with the shattered screen.

Fu Zhihuan was silent for a while and then sighed helplessly.  He pulled out a piece of paper on the table then wrote down a series of numbers and handed it to Wen Ruan.

“This is my phone number.”

While leaning against the car door, Zhao Zichen had finished smoking a cigarette before Fu Zhihuan finally came down.

Zhao Zichen smiled as he extinguished the light from the cigarette butt in his hand and threw it into the trash can.  His voice held a meaningful tone.

“Old Fu, your luck is quite good.  You’re able to pick up a beautiful young lady on a business trip.”

Fu Zhihuan raised his eyes and said slowly.

“Have you considered changing jobs?”

Zhao Zichen was momentarily stunned and then lifted his hand to touch the back of his head.

“Changing jobs?”

His job as criminal police is good, so why should he consider changing jobs?

Fu Zhihuan opened the door then looked at Zhao Zichen from head to toe and airly uttered a string of words.

“If an interview on fraud is conducted by a magazine, I’m afraid you’d receive an invitation to be featured on the cover.”

A huge question mark hit Zhao Zichen’s forehead.  After driving the car for some distance, he suddenly realized………

Had he been insulted just now?

Fu Zhihuan and Zhao Zichen were to attend a gathering tonight.  Most of the people were their friends or people whom they knew at work while some of them were from the procuratorate, the police station, and other industries.

Most of the people present at the gathering were the industries’ elites.  This time, they sat together mainly to expand their circle and enrich their network connections.

Fu Zhihuan was never interested in this kind of socializing but Zhao Zichen was afraid it would be too boring to come alone, so he had insisted on pulling Fu Zhihuan along.

After parking the car, Zhao Zichen suddenly thought of something.

“I heard that He Ziqin is also coming today.”

“He Ziqin?”

Zhao Zichen knew that the great Buddha next to him would not be able to remember and was not too surprised.

“She used to be the belle in the legal field during our time and is a very good lawyer now.  A year ago, she went abroad to study for a while and came back to the country recently.”

After the car was parked, Fu Zhihuan unfastened the seat belt and opened the door.  It seemed he did not pay much attention to Zhao Zichen’s words.

Once Zhao Zichen started to gossip, he could not stop.  He persisted in making Fu Zhihuan remember and continued to chatter as he chased after him.

“You really can’t remember?  Back then, He Ziqin asked me for your contact number.  At that time, the whole university thought the two of you were a couple……..”

Halfway through the conversation, Zhao Zichen looked up and coincidentally saw the person he was talking about, He Ziqin, standing in front of the hotel.

For He Ziqin to be called the belle of the legal field, it was not without reason.  After so many years had passed, her intellectuality had increased even more compared to the time when they were in university.

At this time, standing at the entrance of the hotel she looked even more charming and the people passing by could not help but take a few more glances at her.

He Ziqin also saw both of them and the corners of her lips curved into a smile.  Then she stretched out her hand and wanted to greet them politely.

“Fu……”

*Hua-la*

Fu Zhihuan did not seem to notice at all and stretched out his hand to push the hotel’s door open.  His gaze did not even waver and he walked straight in.

The warm smile on He Ziqin’s face froze.  It did not seem right to raise her hand and it did not seem right to put her hand down either.

Zhao Zichen was also stunned.  He quickly apologized and hurriedly caught up with Fu Zhihuan.

“Old Fu, just now……”

Fu Zhihuan pressed the elevator button and then suddenly seemed to remember something.

“What was the name of the person you mentioned to me just now?”

Zhao Zichen:  “……He Ziqin……”

Fu Zhihuan frowned slightly and pondered for only three seconds before he said.

“I don’t remember.”

“……”

I’m also aware that you don’t remember!…….

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