You're just a locksmith! What are you doing catching swindlers at the start?

Lin Zhou did not specify the scope of his business.

He raised his hand and pulled up the collar of his down jacket.

The movement was as natural as moving a package to the side on the sofa.

He said, "I don't manage the heart locks. I manage the kind that can be locked with a key."

The woman's finger hovered in the air.

She slowly withdrew her hand, but her expression showed no sign of backing down.

When he said, "I'm in charge of the kind that can insert a key," his tone was too flat.

It was so calm it didn't sound like a rejection; it sounded like stating a very simple fact.

This only made her more eager to try it. She turned around and picked up a slender glass bottle from the shoe cabinet.

A perfume bottle containing an amber-colored liquid.

She sprayed some water into the air, and the fine mist landed on her collarbone and in the air, filling the air with the scent of roses mixed with musk.

Then she pointed the perfume bottle at Lin Zhou.

"Want some for you too, to get rid of that laundry detergent smell on you?"

Without waiting for his reply, she pressed the nozzle.

Lin Zhou took a step to the side.

The mist didn't hit his face; it just settled in the air near his shoulders.

He reached out and waved the fragrance in front of him, the same gesture he made when he parted the beaded curtain in the living room earlier.

"No need. Laundry detergent is fine."

She placed the perfume bottle on the shoe cabinet, leaned against the door frame, and crossed her arms.

This posture made it appear as if she wasn't leaning against a door frame, but rather against a bar counter that only she could see.

She tilted her head to look at him—a blue down jacket, smelling of laundry detergent, with a few faded marks on the cuffs.

This person rejected her with just three words.

She'd met so many men, and none of them were like this. It wasn't feigned modesty; she was genuinely rejecting them.

It wasn't because she wasn't pretty enough, but because his attention was elsewhere.

She changed her strategy.

"Master, are you thirsty? Let me pour you a glass of water."

She took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and handed it to her; water droplets were condensed on the bottle.

Lin Zhou took it, and when her fingers touched the bottle, her fingertips gently tapped the back of his hand.

Lin Zhou unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip.

He leaned against the shoe cabinet and drank water, while she leaned against the door frame and watched him drink.

The living room was quiet for about five seconds, with only the hum of the refrigerator playing in the background.

"You're a young locksmith, but your hands are quite steady."

She looked at his fingers holding the mineral water bottle; his long knuckles were slightly raised from the force, and his nails were cut very short and neat.

As a woman who has dealt with all sorts of men for many years.

She had seen too many hands—thick, rough, with indelible tobacco stains between the fingers.

"A steady hand is a fundamental skill in our line of work."

She turned her head, looked at the sunlight outside the window that was half blocked by the curtains, and suddenly smiled.

"Do you know what those two men in the hallway were saying about you? They said you're another one who wants to pay money."

"I heard you."

"So you don't care?"

"I don't care. It's not the first time. Last time, after I repaired the safe, I got caught red-handed by the anti-prostitution squad. That policeman is my friend now."

He placed the mineral water bottle on the shoe cabinet.

The woman's eyelashes fluttered.

The words "anti-prostitution campaign," "police," and "friends" each found a familiar place in her mind, but when put together, they made her unconsciously twitch her earlobe.

She had seen police officers conducting raids on prostitution, and she had seen men arrested in those raids, but she had never seen anyone who could remain friends with the police after being arrested in a raid.

She had to admit that this person was making her increasingly curious.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her scrutinizing gaze, tinged with interest, seemed all the more real against her heavy makeup. She leaned closer, and the strap of her velvet dress slipped down her shoulder a little.

"Aren't you afraid I'm a bad person? You're sitting here so calmly drinking my water. What if I put something in it?"

Lin Zhou looked down at the mineral water bottle in his hand. He had unscrewed the cap himself, the label on the bottle was intact, the production date was last week, and the water tasted normal after taking two sips.

He put the bottle on the shoe rack. "You won't."

How did you know?

"You locked the door yourself; no bad guy broke in. A bad guy wouldn't leave the key inside. If he broke in, he'd have to clean up the birth control pill packaging on the coffee table—you even washed the ashtray; the cigarette butts inside were dry, and you put it back after washing it."

The woman's smile froze for a moment as she reached out and pulled the slipped bra strap back up, her movements slower than ever before.

She had been completely focused on him and had no idea that he had seen right through her.

The feeling was so unfamiliar that a very subtle tension arose in my heart. "Then you can change."

Lin Zhou turned around, squatted down by the door, took out a new lock cylinder from his toolbox, pushed it into the lock hole, and tightened the two screws.

He moved even faster than before. He took two new keys out of his pocket, tried them on, and then handed them to her.

"Give it a try."

She took the keys. Her fingers didn't linger on the back of his hand, nor did they brush against his wrist.

She bent down and tested the lock; the bolt popped out and retracted smoothly.

She uttered something she hadn't said in a long time, something truly heartfelt: "Thank you."

Lin Zhou zipped up the tool bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Two hundred for unlocking, three hundred for changing the lock cylinder, five hundred in total."

The woman leaned against the door frame, clutching the two new keys in her hand.

All that carefully crafted languor and allure has vanished.

Her posture had changed—no longer leaning against the door frame, but standing straight with her bare feet on the doormat.

She was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lin Zhou.

"Five hundred. But I don't have cash today. Can I pay with something else—with my own body?"

The live chat exploded.

"She said she'd pay with her body! The Spider Cave Demoness has unleashed her ultimate move!! She's gambling, gambling that all of the Three-Second King's previous rejections were just an act, gambling that he'll eventually be moved by her offering to pay with his body."

"Three-Second King! Quickly use your knowledge of locks to shut me up! Say your body is outside my business scope, say your body isn't a form of legal tender, say you only accept RMB or QR code payments! Hurry up!"

Lin Zhou looked at her. His gaze didn't leave her face, nor did it sweep over any other part of her body. He slung his tool bag over his shoulder and then said something that stunned everyone.

"We won't accept organs. Not even the body."

There was a silence in the living room for about three seconds, and then she burst out laughing.

It wasn't the light chuckle of being amused before; instead, she laughed so hard she bent over, one hand gripping the doorframe, her shoulders shaking, the hem of her velvet skirt swaying gently with her laughter.

She laughed until tears streamed down her face, wiped her eyes with her fingers, and looked up at him.

This young man could have easily turned the ambiguous situation into a transaction of flesh and blood, but at the most crucial moment, he blocked that path with a blunt joke.

The author, Swordsman's Dad, presents "You're Just a Locksmith! What Kind of Adulterer Are You Catching at the Start?" on Cola Novels.

She bent down and tested the lock; the bolt popped out and retracted smoothly.

She uttered something she hadn't said in a long time, something truly heartfelt: "Thank you."

Lin Zhou zipped up the tool bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Two hundred for unlocking, three hundred for changing the lock cylinder, five hundred in total."

The woman leaned against the door frame, clutching the two new keys in her hand.

All that carefully crafted languor and allure has vanished.

Her posture had changed—no longer leaning against the door frame, but standing straight with her bare feet on the doormat.

She was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lin Zhou.

"Five hundred. But I don't have cash today. Can I pay with something else—with my own body?"

The live chat exploded.

"She said she'd pay with her body! The Spider Cave Demoness has unleashed her ultimate move!! She's gambling, gambling that all of the Three-Second King's previous rejections were just an act, gambling that he'll eventually be moved by her offering to pay with his body."

"Three-Second King! Quickly use your knowledge of locks to shut me up! Say your body is outside my business scope, say your body isn't a form of legal tender, say you only accept RMB or QR code payments! Hurry up!"

Lin Zhou looked at her. His gaze didn't leave her face, nor did it sweep over any other part of her body. He slung his tool bag over his shoulder and then said something that stunned everyone.

"We won't accept organs. Not even the body."

There was a silence in the living room for about three seconds, and then she burst out laughing.

It wasn't the light chuckle of being amused before; instead, she laughed so hard she bent over, one hand gripping the doorframe, her shoulders shaking, the hem of her velvet skirt swaying gently with her laughter.

She laughed until tears streamed down her face, wiped her eyes with her fingers, and looked up at him.

This young man could have easily turned the ambiguous situation into a transaction of flesh and blood, but at the most crucial moment, he blocked that path with a blunt joke.

A new series by the father of the Swordsman is coming! Cola Novels is the first to update it online!

She bent down and tested the lock; the bolt popped out and retracted smoothly.

She uttered something she hadn't said in a long time, something truly heartfelt: "Thank you."

Lin Zhou zipped up the tool bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Two hundred for unlocking, three hundred for changing the lock cylinder, five hundred in total."

The woman leaned against the door frame, clutching the two new keys in her hand.

All that carefully crafted languor and allure has vanished.

Her posture had changed—no longer leaning against the door frame, but standing straight with her bare feet on the doormat.

She was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lin Zhou.

"Five hundred. But I don't have cash today. Can I pay with something else—with my own body?"

The live chat exploded.

"She said she'd pay with her body! The Spider Cave Demoness has unleashed her ultimate move!! She's gambling, gambling that all of the Three-Second King's previous rejections were just an act, gambling that he'll eventually be moved by her offering to pay with his body."

"Three-Second King! Quickly use your knowledge of locks to shut me up! Say your body is outside my business scope, say your body isn't a form of legal tender, say you only accept RMB or QR code payments! Hurry up!"

Lin Zhou looked at her. His gaze didn't leave her face, nor did it sweep over any other part of her body. He slung his tool bag over his shoulder and then said something that stunned everyone.

"We won't accept organs. Not even the body."

There was a silence in the living room for about three seconds, and then she burst out laughing.

It wasn't the light chuckle of being amused before; instead, she laughed so hard she bent over, one hand gripping the doorframe, her shoulders shaking, the hem of her velvet skirt swaying gently with her laughter.

She laughed until tears streamed down her face, wiped her eyes with her fingers, and looked up at him.

This young man could have easily turned the ambiguous situation into a transaction of flesh and blood, but at the most crucial moment, he blocked that path with a blunt joke.

I went in and tried it out, then handed her the key.

"Give it a try."

She took the keys. Her fingers didn't linger on the back of his hand, nor did they brush against his wrist.

She bent down and tested the lock; the bolt popped out and retracted smoothly.

She uttered something she hadn't said in a long time, something truly heartfelt: "Thank you."

Lin Zhou zipped up the tool bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Two hundred for unlocking, three hundred for changing the lock cylinder, five hundred in total."

The woman leaned against the door frame, clutching the two new keys in her hand.

All that carefully crafted languor and allure has vanished.

Her posture had changed—no longer leaning against the door frame, but standing straight with her bare feet on the doormat.

She was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lin Zhou.

"Five hundred. But I don't have cash today. Can I pay with something else—with my own body?"

The live chat exploded.

"She said she'd pay with her body! The Spider Cave Demoness has unleashed her ultimate move!! She's gambling, gambling that all of the Three-Second King's previous rejections were just an act, gambling that he'll eventually be moved by her offering to pay with his body."

"Three-Second King! Quickly use your knowledge of locks to shut me up! Say your body is outside my business scope, say your body isn't a form of legal tender, say you only accept RMB or QR code payments! Hurry up!"

Lin Zhou looked at her. His gaze didn't leave her face, nor did it sweep over any other part of her body. He slung his tool bag over his shoulder and then said something that stunned everyone.

"We won't accept organs. Not even the body."

There was a silence in the living room for about three seconds, and then she burst out laughing.

It wasn't the light chuckle of being amused before; instead, she laughed so hard she bent over, one hand gripping the doorframe, her shoulders shaking, the hem of her velvet skirt swaying gently with her laughter.

She laughed until tears streamed down her face, wiped her eyes with her fingers, and looked up at him.

This young man could have easily turned the ambiguous situation into a transaction of flesh and blood, but at the most crucial moment, he blocked that path with a blunt joke.

She bent down and tested the lock; the bolt popped out and retracted smoothly.

She uttered something she hadn't said in a long time, something truly heartfelt: "Thank you."

Lin Zhou zipped up the tool bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Two hundred for unlocking, three hundred for changing the lock cylinder, five hundred in total."

The woman leaned against the door frame, clutching the two new keys in her hand.

All that carefully crafted languor and allure has vanished.

Her posture had changed—no longer leaning against the door frame, but standing straight with her bare feet on the doormat.

She was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lin Zhou.

"Five hundred. But I don't have cash today. Can I pay with something else—with my own body?"

The live chat exploded.

"She said she'd pay with her body! The Spider Cave Demoness has unleashed her ultimate move!! She's gambling, gambling that all of the Three-Second King's previous rejections were just an act, gambling that he'll eventually be moved by her offering to pay with his body."

"Three-Second King! Quickly use your knowledge of locks to shut me up! Say your body is outside my business scope, say your body isn't a form of legal tender, say you only accept RMB or QR code payments! Hurry up!"

Lin Zhou looked at her. His gaze didn't leave her face, nor did it sweep over any other part of her body. He slung his tool bag over his shoulder and then said something that stunned everyone.

"We won't accept organs. Not even the body."

There was a silence in the living room for about three seconds, and then she burst out laughing.

It wasn't the light chuckle of being amused before; instead, she laughed so hard she bent over, one hand gripping the doorframe, her shoulders shaking, the hem of her velvet skirt swaying gently with her laughter.

She laughed until tears streamed down her face, wiped her eyes with her fingers, and looked up at him.

This young man could have easily turned the ambiguous situation into a transaction of flesh and blood, but at the most crucial moment, he blocked that path with a blunt joke.