“What were you just thinking about? You’ve been so distracted,” Ye Qing said, handing me a can of Coke.

“Oh, maybe the movie’s too boring, it’s making me sleepy,” I scratched my head, forcing a silly grin.

We were originally training combat techniques in the park, but then it suddenly started pouring rain, so we had to run to the entrance of a mall to take shelter. The rain showed no sign of stopping, so Ye Qing suggested we watch a movie. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I felt like Ye Qing might have a thing for me. Lately, she’d been waiting for me at the entrance of the Time Shop every day, right on time. These past few days, she’d even put on light makeup, making her look even more radiant and beautiful after the rain.

“No way, don’t you think the assassin in the movie was really cool?”

“What’s so cool about an assassin?”

“I mean that spirit he had, not bowing down to anyone, and never betraying his dignity until the very end. That’s a real man.”

“Haha, if you met an assassin in real life, would you date him?”

Ye Qing bit her straw, staring at me with a look like I was an idiot. “Please, I’m a cop. If I met an assassin in real life, I’d definitely arrest him, okay?”

“What if he was stronger than you?”

“As long as I’m alive, I’ll keep trying to catch him. That’s how we protect innocent people from harm, and it’s our duty as police officers.” Ye Qing’s face showed that characteristic stubborn expression again.

I shouldn’t flatter myself. She probably just thinks I’m pitiful or silly, and is helping me out of kindness, I thought with a bitter smile.

“Well, well, speak of the devil. Little police flower, not in uniform today, huh? And what are you doing with this wimp?”

Chuan Shu, with seven or eight thugs, blocked our way. Chuan Shu’s eyes were bloodshot; he looked either completely drunk or high on drugs.

“What do you want? Do you want to go to the police station again?” Ye Qing stood in front of me.

“Damn it, so what if you’re a cop? I’m gonna get you today!” Chuan Shu roared. “Brothers, let’s go! Subdue this chick, and everyone gets a piece!”

The darkness of the night emboldened the thugs, and they lunged forward without restraint. Ye Qing punched the nearest one, Chuan Shu, knocking him down, and yelled at me, “You run first, don’t worry about me!”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In a normal story, shouldn’t that be the guy’s line?

I lunged in front of her in an incredibly clumsy manner. One of the thugs kicked me. My left hand pressed down like lightning, and the thug’s kneecap dislocated. He collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain, leaving a comical footprint on my clothes. Another thug threw a punch. I took the punch with my face, and my nose immediately started bleeding. But from an angle Ye Qing couldn’t see, I struck his chest with my right elbow. I didn’t use much force, but a fracture was unavoidable. The thug clutched his chest, rolling on the ground.

This was harder than any fight I’d ever been in.

It was like an adult fighting a group of toddlers who had just learned to walk. I had to control every ounce of my strength to make the scene look intense and prevent Ye Qing from realizing my true skill level.

“Don’t… don’t come any closer…” I stood in front of Ye Qing, my face covered in blood, my voice trembling slightly.

“Damn it, you’re the one who shouldn’t come closer!” Chuan Shu was terrified, as if he’d seen a ghost. All the other thugs were on the ground, wailing like babies. He was the only one still standing.

“Then hurry up and go, or I’ll fight you to the death!” I yelled at him.

Chuan Shu shivered, abandoned his accomplices, and fled in a panic. A cool, smooth hand grabbed mine. Ye Qing had a playful smile on her face. “Don’t be scared, he’s already run far away.”

The smell of disinfectant stung my eyes, and I closed them. Ye Qing carefully cleaned my wounds.

“You said you’d never been in a fight before, so why were you so brave this time?” Ye Qing asked, smiling.

“I don’t know, I just didn’t want them to hurt you.”

“Do you… like me?”

Ye Qing’s face was slightly flushed, and the cotton swab in her hand trembled.

Such a direct question, how was I supposed to answer?

“Ow, that hurts! You just poked my eye!” I said, grimacing, trying to change the subject.

“Idiot!” Ye Qing angrily slapped my head. “Put the medicine on yourself. I’m going home.”

Crap, I think I messed up.

Ye Qing walked away quickly, huffing. I hurried to catch up.

“What if I do like you?!” I called out behind her.

“Then send me a bouquet of flowers every day. If you can keep it up for a hundred days, I’ll date you,”

Ye Qing turned around and said coolly.

“What were you thinking about just now? You’ve been distracted this whole time.” Ye Qing handed me a cup of Coke.

“Oh, maybe the movie was just too boring. It made me sleepy.” I scratched my head and forced a goofy smile.

We were supposed to be training combat techniques in the park, but it suddenly started pouring rain, so we had to run to a mall entrance to take cover. Since the rain showed no signs of stopping, Ye Qing suggested we watch a movie. I didn’t know if it was just my imagination, but it felt like Ye Qing might be interested in me. Lately, she had been waiting for me at the entrance of the Time Shop every day like clockwork. These past few days, she had even started wearing light makeup, making her look even more like a fresh lotus after the rain.

“I don’t think so. Didn’t you think the assassin in the movie was really cool?”

“What’s so cool about an assassin?”

“I mean that vibe he had—he wouldn’t bow to anyone and didn’t betray his dignity until the very end. That’s a real man.”

“Haha, if you met an assassin in real life, would you date him?”

Ye Qing bit her straw and stared at me with an expression that said I was an idiot. “Please, I’m a cop. If I met an assassin in real life, I’d definitely have to arrest him, okay?”

“What if he’s better than you?”

“As long as I’m not dead, I’ll keep trying to catch him. That’s the only way to protect innocent people from harm. That’s our duty as police.” That characteristic look of stubbornness appeared on Ye Qing’s face again.

I shouldn’t flatter myself. She probably just thought I was pitiful or a bit slow and was helping me out of the kindness of her heart, I thought with a bitter smile.

“Yo, it’s a small world. The little police flower isn’t wearing her uniform today. Why are you with this wimp?”

Chuanshu and seven or eight thugs blocked our path. Chuanshu’s eyes were bloodshot; he looked like he was either wasted or high on drugs.

“What do you want? Do you want to go back to the station?” Ye Qing stood in front of me.

“Damn it, do you think being a cop makes you special? I’m gonna deal with you today,” Chuanshu roared. “Brothers, let’s get her together. Everyone gets a piece once we pin her down.”

The darkness emboldened the thugs. they lunged forward recklessly. Ye Qing punched the lead man, Chuanshu, to the ground and shouted to me, “Run first! Don’t worry about me!”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In a normal plot, shouldn’t that be the guy’s line?

I lunged in front of her with an incredibly clumsy movement. A thug kicked at me, and with a lightning-fast press of my left hand, I dislocated his kneecap. He fell to the ground in agony, leaving a comical footprint on my clothes. Another thug threw a punch, and I took it right on the face. Blood splattered from my nose instantly, but from an angle Ye Qing couldn’t see, I struck his chest with my right elbow. I didn’t use much force, but a fracture was inevitable. The thug rolled on the ground, clutching his chest.

This was harder than any fight I had ever been in.

It was like an adult fighting a group of toddlers; I had to calibrate every ounce of strength to make the scene look intense and desperate so Ye Qing wouldn’t see through my true skill level.

“Don’t come any closer…” I stood in front of Ye Qing, my face covered in blood, my voice trembling slightly.

“Shit, you’re the one who shouldn’t come closer!” Chuanshu looked as terrified as if he’d seen a ghost. All his lackeys were on the ground crying for their mothers; he was the only one left standing.

“Then get out of here, or I’ll fight you to the death!” I shouted at him.

Chuanshu shuddered, abandoned his crew, and fled in terror. A cool, smooth hand grabbed mine. Ye Qing had a playful smile on her face.

“Don’t be scared anymore. He’s already gone.”

The smell of antiseptic stung as I closed my eyes. Ye Qing was carefully cleaning my wounds.

“I thought you’d never been in a fight before. Why were you so brave this time?” Ye Qing asked with a smile.

“I don’t know. I just didn’t want them to hurt you.”

“Do you like me?”

Ye Qing’s face flushed slightly, and the cotton swab in her hand trembled.

Such a direct question. How was I supposed to answer?

“Ow, that hurts! You just poked my eye,” I said with a pained expression, trying to change the subject.

“Idiot.” Ye Qing tapped my head in annoyance. “Apply the medicine yourself. I’m going home.”

Great, I think I blew it.

Ye Qing walked away huffily. I quickly chased after her.

“What if I do like you?” I shouted at her back.

“Then bring me a bouquet of flowers every day. If you can keep it up for a hundred days, I’ll date you.”

Ye Qing turned around and spoke with a cool, confident air.

“What were you thinking just now? You seemed distracted.” Ye Qing handed me a Coke.

“Oh, maybe the movie was too boring, and I got sleepy,” I said, scratching my head and forcing a silly smile.

We were supposed to be training martial arts in the park, but it suddenly started raining heavily, so we ran to the entrance of a mall to take shelter. The rain showed no signs of stopping, so Ye Qing suggested watching a movie. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like Ye Qing might be interested in me. She’s been waiting for me at the entrance of Time Pawn Shop punctually every day recently, and she even put on light makeup these past few days. After the rain, she looked even more like a lotus emerging from clear water.

“No, don’t you think the assassin in the movie is cool?”

“What’s cool about an assassin?”

“I mean his spirit, his defiance. He never betrayed his dignity until the end. That’s a real man.”

“Haha, if you met an assassin in real life, would you fall in love with him?”

Ye Qing bit her straw and stared at me with a look like I was an idiot. “Come on, I’m a police officer. If I met an assassin in real life, I’d definitely try to arrest him, wouldn’t I?”

“What if he’s better than you?”

“As long as I’m not dead, I’ll keep chasing him. That’s how I can protect innocent people from harm. That’s also the duty of us police officers.” Ye Qing’s characteristic stubborn expression reappeared on her face.

I shouldn’t be getting ahead of myself. She probably just pities me or thinks I’m a bit foolish and is helping me out of kindness. I gave a wry smile inwardly.

“Well, well, what a coincidence. Little police flower, not in uniform today? What are you doing with this wimp?”

Chuan Shu, along with seven or eight thugs, blocked our path. Chuan Shu’s eyes were bloodshot; he looked either drunk or high.

“What do you want? Do you want to go to the police station again?” Ye Qing stood in front of me.

“Damn it, is being a cop so great? I’m going to take care of you today.” Chuan Shu roared. “Brothers, let’s go! Restrain this girl, and everyone gets a piece.”

The darkness emboldened these hooligans. They pounced on us without restraint. Ye Qing punched the foremost thug, Chuan Shu, to the ground and yelled at me, “You run first, don’t worry about me.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In a normal story, shouldn’t those be the lines for the guy?

I lunged in front of her in an incredibly clumsy manner. A thug kicked me in the leg. My left hand moved like lightning and pressed down, dislocating the thug’s kneecap. He fell to the ground in agony, leaving a comical footprint on my shirt. Another thug threw a punch at me. I took the punch with my face, and blood spurted from my nose. But from Ye Qing’s blind spot, I struck his chest with my right elbow. I didn’t use much force, but a fracture was inevitable. The thug clutched his chest and rolled on the ground.

This was harder than any fight I’d ever experienced.

It was like an adult fighting a group of toddlers who had just learned to walk. I had to control the amount of force in every move to make the scene look intense and prevent Ye Qing from discovering my true skill level.

“Don’t come any closer…” I stood in front of Ye Qing, my face covered in blood, my voice trembling slightly.

“Damn it, you’re the one who shouldn’t come closer!” Chuan Shu was terrified, as if he had seen a ghost. All the thugs were on the ground crying out in pain; he was the only one still standing.

“Then hurry up and leave, or I’ll fight you!” I shouted at him.

Chuan Shu trembled all over, abandoned his accomplices, and fled. A cold, smooth hand grabbed me. Ye Qing had a playful smile on her face. “Don’t be scared anymore. He’s long gone.”

The smell of disinfectant made me close my eyes. Ye Qing carefully cleaned my wound.

“You’ve never fought before, so how were you so brave this time?” Ye Qing asked with a smile.

“I don’t know. I just didn’t want them to hurt you.”

“Do you like me?”

Ye Qing’s face flushed slightly, and the cotton swab in her hand trembled.

Such a direct question, how should I answer?

“It hurts! You poked my eye just now.” I grimaced and changed the subject.

“Idiot.” Ye Qing playfully hit my head in annoyance. “You can put the medicine on yourself. I’m going home.”

It’s over. I think I messed up.

Ye Qing walked away quickly, clearly annoyed. I hurried to catch up.

“What if I like you?” I shouted from behind her.

“Then send me a bouquet of flowers every day. If you can keep it up for a hundred days, I’ll date you.”

Ye Qing turned around and said coolly.