Chapter 3: Kidnapped

There were three ultimate embarrassments for the young, being caught by parents in a moment of intimacy, being overheard commenting on a teacher’s big buttocks, and having your juvenile fantasy novel publicly exposed.

Each situation is enough to make someone squirm in shame.

Xiao Yu was ready to add another to the list, walking to a blind date, only to realize he approached the wrong person.

It was an embarrassment to the extreme.

After a deep breath, Xiao Yu double-checked the room number. 

‘Please be right this time,’ he thought.

If he made another mistake, no one had to do anything, he would simply die of embarrassment.

He knocked and entered the room.

Inside, a woman sat, looking to be in her mid-twenties with an average appearance, especially compared to the dazzling sister from room number 6.

The girl before him was quite acceptable, certainly not unattractive.

“Hello, I’m Xiao Yu,” he greeted with a smile.

“Xiao Yu?” Her eyes lit up as she looked on his handsome face. “Oh, I am…”

Before she could finish, the door to the room abruptly swung open.

Under the astonished gazes of Xiao Yu and the girl, Mu Qingwu confidently walked in. Ignoring the girl completely, her gaze fixed on a bewildered Xiao Yu, “Thinking of running away?”

“…” Xiao Yu’s mouth twitched, caught between laughter and tears, “Sister, what are you up to?”

He was utterly baffled, none of this made any sense.

“What am I up to?” Mu Qingwu asked coolly. “We haven’t finished our blind date, why are you running away?”

Xiao Yu was speechless, and the girl beside him looked utterly confused.

“Will you come with me willingly, or…” Mu Qingwu’s gaze pierced into Xiao Yu’s, “Should I kidnap you?”

‘Seriously?’ Xiao Yu was stunned. ‘Does she mean if I don’t go with her, she’ll actually kidnap me?’

Then, two imposing men in suits entered the room, startling the girl at Xiao Yu’s side.

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes, his gaze locked on Mu Qingwu. “What exactly do you mean?”

“I should be asking you that,” Mu Qingwu replied coldly. “You burst into my room, flirted with me, and then just left. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

Xiao Yu, now at a loss for words, struggled to respond.

‘The saying holds true. Barging into someone’s private room and spouting clichés of a ‘typical guy’, expecting her to fall for you. If that’s not flirting, what is? Getting angry about it is only natural.’

And this was someone with a good temperament. Imagine if it were someone less patient, or someone with a husband and a boyfriend.

Would you believe they’d call reinforcements to give you a thrashing, no questions asked?

Xiao Yu found himself ‘kidnapped.’  Well, more accurately, he followed Mu Qingwu of his own volition.

Before leaving, he shot an apologetic glance at the girl he was supposed to meet, leaving her to make sense of the situation.

‘It’s not that I didn’t want to go on a blind date with you. It’s just that I got kidnapped, see?’

***

A supercar was racing down the road, followed closely by a van.

Inside the supercar, Xiao Yu sat next to Mu Qingwu, feeling like crying without tears. If only he hadn’t been so over the top during their encounter.

Had he been straightforward, perhaps this entire misunderstanding could have been avoided. Now, he understood all too well the meaning behind ‘act foolishly and you’re asking for trouble’.

The supercar soon pulled into a high-end residential area, coming to a stop in the garage of a luxurious villa.

“Get out,” Mu Qingwu said with a glance at Xiao Yu before stepping out of the car.

Xiao Yu followed, exiting the car with a rueful smile. Together, they walked into the villa’s garden.

“I’m Mu Qingwu, 28 years old,” she introduced. “And you?”

“I’m Xiao Yu,” he replied, his mouth twitching slightly, “22 years old.”

“Milk dog,” Mu Qingwu teased with a smile. “About what I asked you in the car, what do you think?”

Xiao Yu stayed silent. In the car, Mu Qingwu had suggested they become boyfriend and girlfriend. But he was hesitant. She was undoubtedly beautiful, very beautiful in fact, yet he barely knew her.

“Come on, speak up,” Mu Qingwu urged, frowning.

“Sister, you’re 28,” Xiao Yu said with a bitter smile. “You’re very beautiful, but most young guys prefer someone younger, someone who’s playful, young and beautiful… Oh, you’re beautiful too, just a bit older.”

Of course, 28 wasn’t necessarily a deal-breaker. He just preferred not to be so passive. He wasn’t like those guys from his past life constantly lamenting, ‘Auntie, I don’t want to work hard anymore.’

As a transmigrator, he didn’t want to lose face.

“Is that so?” Mu Qingwu asked with a light laugh. “I still don’t know what you do?”

“I’ve just graduated from the police academy,” Xiao Yu replied, shrugging. “Now I’m waiting to be assigned for an internship.”

Graduating from the academy didn’t automatically make one a police officer. There were still exams, competitions, and interviews to get through.

Only those with outstanding performance would be recruited by major case units. Even then, recruits weren’t considered official officers until they completed a year-long probationary period. If they passed this period and were deemed competent, they could stay, otherwise, they had to leave.

Luckily, Xiao Yu had passed all the tests and was currently at home awaiting his assignment, his future posting still unknown.

“A policeman?” Mu Qingwu raised an eyebrow. “How much do you earn a month?”

“Uh?” Xiao Yu looked slightly taken aback. “During the internship, it should be about 1,800.”

The base salary for a probationary period was 500, plus subsidies. That was all.