They didn’t seem to be in a rush to arrest anyone. Only two of them went to check the rear exit, while the rest surrounded Qin Mu. Noticing Qin Mu’s guarded expression, the tall, thin man with a long face who was helping him took the initiative and said, “We’re friends of Dai Gang.”
Dai Gang was Gangzi’s full name.
So they were Chu Yu’s people.
Qin Mu temporarily eased up and followed them out. He noticed one of them holding a police siren with flashing red and blue lights. In a split second, a jumble of laws flashed through his mind—Criminal Law, Police Law, Public Security Administration Punishment Law, Road Traffic Safety Law—and he instinctively began to consider how such illegal behavior could be argued as ‘righteous intervention’ in court.
Fortunately, his professional reflexes hadn’t completely taken over his brain. A few seconds later, his thoughts veered back on track—the bald thug wasn’t one to let things slide. If he realised the people who rescued him weren’t actual police, there was a good chance he’d come back to cause trouble. Qin Mu still felt uneasy and asked, “Where’s Gangzi?”
Gangzi had been personally appointed by Chu Yu as his bodyguard. If something had happened, he should’ve come looking immediately. It didn’t make sense for him to stay back and wait for news. Besides, these people…
Qin Mu glanced sideways. The long-faced man seemed incredibly sensitive to his gaze and he turned to look back right away. The other five men in black flanked them—two in front, one to the side, two behind—intentionally or unintentionally forming a protective formation. They didn’t speak to each other, but seemed to communicate purely through glances, as if they could read one another’s minds. Their coordination was so seamless, it was almost like…
“He’s waiting for me at the Marriott?” Qin Mu asked again, deliberately naming the wrong hotel.
The long-faced man replied with a quiet “Mm.”
A chill ran down Qin Mu’s spine, and goosebumps rose on his skin.
They weren’t Chu Yu’s people.
The moment his expression changed, the other man noticed. The air instantly grew tense.
The long-faced man stopped in front of a black GL8 van. “Mr. Qin, please get in.” Though his face remained expressionless, his tone was still polite. Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then got in. He was placed in the back seat, squeezed between two men like the ham in a sandwich.
The car door shut with a crisp thud. The long-faced man handed him a bottle of mineral water. “We’ll take you somewhere safe, then contact Dai Gang to meet us. We may need to switch vehicles midway. Please cooperate.”
Qin Mu accepted the bottle but didn’t drink. “Can I borrow your phone?”
“Sorry.” The man refused without hesitation, but gave a reassurance, “We mean you no harm. Please don’t worry.”
Qin Mu forced a smile. “Alright.”
He didn’t trust them—but he wasn’t the reckless type either. After years of hardship, he had grown into someone who always thought things through before taking action. Right now, their objective was unknown, the personnel were unknown, and the outcome was unknown. Even thinking about it felt futile. Outnumbered, he had no way to escape. All he could do was skid along like standing on a watermelon peel—wherever it slid, that’s where he would go. Even if it led to the gates of hell, so be it. As the saying goes, when the soldiers come, send generals; when the water comes, build a dam. That just how life was—if someone wanted it, let them have it.
With that thought, Qin Mu actually felt a bit more at peace. He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes to rest, as a question drifted across his mind—
If he were to die now, would he have any regrets?
He had close friends he could confide in, enough money for a comfortable life, a career he loved, had eaten all kinds of good food, traveled to many places, even cuddled a few cats—there didn’t seem to be much left to regret. If he had to name something, maybe it was the absence of a lover.
But true love was like encountering a ghost on a night road—people talked about it vividly, but those who really ran into one were few and far between. Back when he was young, he had stumbled into it by sheer dumb luck, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse. But it ended bitterly, and now when he looked back, all that remained was a vague sense of emptiness and melancholy. Maybe he had used up all his luck in love back then, because nothing ever came after. Love was something that could be chanced upon but not forced. A beginning doesn’t always lead to an end. Thinking of it that way, maybe it wasn’t such a big regret after all.
Just as Qin Mu was trying to reach some kind of peaceful truce with himself, the car pulled into a remote repair shop on the outskirts of the city. The long-faced man led Qin Mu and two of the black-clad men to switch into a Mercedes, while the others stayed with the GL8 and drove off first.
The two vehicles headed in different directions. The Mercedes made a wide loop around the outskirts, weaving through streets and alleys, even changing license plates midway. Eventually, they entered a bustling, high-end district. Based on the towering landmark building in the distance, Qin Mu guessed they had arrived at the famous Dongping District.
J City was one of the most prominent metropolises in the country, and Dongping District had the most expensive land in all of J City. It was home to the city’s elite—the ones perched at the top of the pyramid, looking down at the masses and shaping countless futures with the flick of a finger.
For personal reasons, Qin Mu had never liked this city. He had only been here a handful of times, and never lingered except for official business. This was the first time he was taking a closer look at this land where every inch was as precious as diamond. Outside the car window, the dark night was tinted with dazzling neon, forming a shimmering mist—like the enchanted breath of some mythical creature, subtly bewitching everyone who passed through.
Qin Mu shifted slightly, trying to ease his sore back, and asked, “How much farther?”
“Almost there,” the long-faced man replied.
Qin Mu didn’t bother asking more. He was too tired. After everything that had just happened, all he wanted was to lie down and sleep—anywhere would do, even under a bridge.
The car drove along Jinghu Lake for a while, then turned onto a smaller side road. The paved path climbed along the slope of a hill, lit on both sides by orderly, floor-level guide lights. At one turn, the headlights swept over a sign that read:
Private Property – No Entry
They passed through two electronic gates without obstruction and finally arrived at a brightly lit estate, glowing like the moon surrounded by stars.
The courtyard was massive, with a four-story main building flanked by two symmetrical two-story wings. The car drove straight into the underground garage, where a row of flashy sports cars sat parked in perfect order.
Someone was waiting at the entrance. He opened the car door and gave Qin Mu a quick once-over with a probing gaze. He then turned to the long-faced man and said, “You guys can go.”
The long-faced man didn’t say much. He nodded in response, got back in the car, and drove away.
The man at the entrance smiled at Qin Mu and said, “Mr. Qin, please come with me.”
Qin Mu knew the answer to the mystery was near. He didn’t ask anything and followed him into the elevator. When they reached the third floor, the man gestured for him to exit. The moment he stepped out, the elevator door slid shut and descended smoothly.
Only Qin Mu was left standing there alone.
It was a reception room with a double-height ceiling and a lavish European-style décor. Looking up, one could see a large arc-shaped balcony. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling was made of countless irregularly arranged crystals, like a shower of glimmering snow. Two walls of bookshelves were packed tight with books, almost like a small library. The spines, in different colours, added a unique visual texture to the space. Near the floor-to-ceiling windows stood a tree of some unknown species, its branches full of clustered pink and white blossoms.
Someone was sitting on the sofa in the center. At the sound of movement, he closed the book in his hands and slowly stood up.
His chestnut-brown hair was slightly long and casually tied back in a small, loose ponytail. He was tall and slender, wearing a dark robe carelessly knotted at the waist. When he turned around, the loose neckline revealed a glimpse of his firm chest muscles, which naturally drew the eye.
The moment Qin Mu saw that face, both his heartbeat and his breath abruptly stopped for a beat.
Outside, the night was cold. Inside, the lights were warm and soft. That face, caught in the shifting glow and shadow, seemed to overlap with countless moments in his memory, becoming something between illusion and reality. He stood there, stunned, and only after a long pause managed to let out a breath that had been held in so long it stung the corners of his eyes.
To meet an old acquaintance now—
He couldn’t tell if he was feeling joy or sorrow.
Someone he thought he would never see again in this lifetime had appeared, just when he was at his most disheveled, with no warning at all.
A strong emotional fluctuations that he had not experienced for a long time came up like a tide, knocking his seemingly steady heart off balance and drenching it through and through. The feeling was so unfamiliar it felt alien—like drinking coffee spiked with herbal medicine, strange and bitter all the way from the throat to the chest. Thankfully, his professional mind was still functioning, desperately trying to gather the scattered fragments of rationality amid the emotional flood, searching for an appropriate response.
Mountains and rivers now separated the past, and bygone days had long turned to dust.
Both of them had shed layers of tenderness over time, tempered by life into people who were hardened, worldly, and distant. The sentiments of the past were now far away, leaving only a trace of deliberately ignored longing—like a small flame hidden deep in the heart where neither wind nor rain could reach. With time, he had almost forgotten it himself.
—Just a somewhat familiar stranger, that’s all.
Qin Mu repeated this to himself once.
And again.
He thought he was ready. But just as he was about to speak, the man opened his mouth.
“Qin Mu.”
The clear, resonant voice was like a sudden mountain breeze, carrying the echo of time long gone. It blew away the carefully worn mask of indifference on Qin Mu’s face, revealing for a brief instant a fragile, unguarded confusion. He forced himself to regain composure quickly, instinctively pushing up his cracked glasses, and said calmly, “Didn’t expect it to be you. Thanks.”
It was a polite and diplomatic phrasing—every word carried an unmistakable sense of alienation.
The gaze fixed on Qin Mu wavered slightly. The man’s expression held a faint trace of ‘just as I thought’, as if this reaction had been expected. “Were you hurt? Come here, let me take a look.”
Qin Mu didn’t move. “Just a scratch, nothing serious,” he said. “Can I borrow your phone? I need to contact a friend.”
He wanted to escape this awkward situation—so much so it came off as almost desperate.
“Of course.” The man curved his lips slightly, reached for the phone on the coffee table, and lifted his hand as if to hand it over—but his feet didn’t move.
Qin Mu had no choice but to walk over. Just as his fingers were about to touch the phone, the man casually turned his wrist and pulled it back, slipping it into the pocket of his robe.
Clearly, he was doing it on purpose.
Support the author by buying the author’s works and/or giving some kisses here~
(It’s very easy to buy from myrics.com because they support Paypal payment in small amounts~)
We have a discord server for those who want to receive an update ping and various announcements~
Join here ^^
And please buy me some kofi if you like the translation~
Also leave some ratings if you like this series here~
Leave a Reply