First, then, love.

"Perfect timing, I'm missing an ancestor."

The man's voice was low and hoarse, like it was filled with sand.

The string in Shu Yao's mind snapped.

She stared into the man's unfathomable black eyes, not detecting a trace of a joke in them.

Is he serious?

crazy.

It’s over.

This time I've run into someone who's got a screw loose.

Shu Yao took a deep breath, grabbed the handbag next to her, and quickly stood up.

The chair rose too abruptly, its wrought iron legs scraping against the wooden floor with a piercing screech, drawing the attention of the bartender.

"You're crazy." She gritted her teeth and squeezed out the three words from her red lips.

After saying that, he turned and left.

Her stiletto heels clicked on the wooden floor, her steps were incredibly fast, and the hem of her burgundy skirt swept a frantic arc through the narrow passageway.

The glass door was pushed open forcefully, hitting the wind chimes and making a tinkling noise.

The heat wave rushed in for a moment, then was blocked by the glass door.

He Zheng remained seated, neither stopping them nor getting up.

He just sat there with his long legs spread wide, leaning back in the chair.

My gaze followed that bright red figure through the floor-to-ceiling window.

I watched her walk quickly in her high heels on the scorching asphalt until she got into a taxi and disappeared completely into the sunlight.

The gaze returned.

It landed on the iced Americano that had only been taken a sip from.

There was a very faint lipstick mark on the rim of the cup.

He Zheng reached out and took it, then stuck it on the spot where the lipstick mark had been.

He tilted his head back and gulped it down in one go.

The coffee was so bitter it tasted sour.

He frowned and slammed the empty cup down on the table.

It doesn't taste good; it's not as sweet as hers.

Even that didn't smell as good as her scent.

*

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

Starry Sky Art Center.

The air conditioning in the tea room was blasting, and the water dispenser in the corner was bubbling away.

Shu Yao sat on a high stool, holding a plastic fork, and was vigorously poking at the cherry tomatoes in her bowl.

Red juice splattered out, staining the edges of the salad box.

"Click," the door to the tea room was pushed open.

My best friend Qiaoqiao walked in carrying a thermos.

She teaches children's vocal music, and has a loud voice that precedes her arrival: "It's so hot outside you could melt! How did your blind date go? Your mom said your Aunt Zhang introduced you to an 'honest guy'?"

Shu Yao rolled her eyes and threw down her fork.

"Don't even mention it, I'm afraid of getting beaten up if I run into a living devil."

"How so?" Qiaoqiao perked up, slammed her thermos on the table, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"This man is He Zheng, the captain of the special police unit." Shu Yao grabbed a tissue and wiped her hands.

The action was tinged with anger.

"He's quite handsome, but he has the air of a bandit. He came in and drank my water. Then, I laid out all the conditions I could, saying I don't do housework, I have a bad temper, and I spend money like water. Guess what?"

"Did he yell at you?"

"He said he's missing an ancestor." Shu Yao sneered. "Who is he mocking? So sarcastic. Just because he's a police officer, he's here to teach a spoiled princess like me a lesson, huh? This man's pride must be abnormally strong, he's a chauvinist and can't stand women making demands."

Qiaoqiao froze, her eyes slowly widening.

"Wait, what did you say his name was? He Zheng? The He Zheng from the SWAT team?"

"What? You know this lunatic?"

"Holy shit." Qiao Qiao couldn't help but swear.

She grabbed Shu Yao's wrist and whispered, "Shu Yao, does that Aunt Zhang your mother found have no idea what this man's background is?"

Shu Yao felt a sharp pain from her grip and pulled her hand back, rubbing her wrist.

"What's the background? Isn't he just a government employee with a fixed salary? My mom said the job is stable."

Qiaoqiao looked at her like she was an idiot.

"Stable? It's extremely stable." Qiao Qiao sneered. "I have a cousin who works at the branch office, and He Zheng's name is legendary in their system. He's a top-tier, impeccably groomed son of a high-ranking official!"

Shu Yao stopped wiping her hands and looked up at her.

Qiaoqiao counted on her fingers for her.

"His grandfather was a retired general with stars on his shoulders. His father is this one in the provincial party committee." Qiao Qiao gave a thumbs up.

"His older brother is a senior colonel in the military region. As for his mother..." Qiao Qiao swallowed, "that top three listed real estate group in our city, that's his mother."

"..."

That sounds like an insult.

Shu Yao frowned.

Qiaoqiao continued, "Even a little bit of money he slips through his fingers is enough for you to buy a whole house full of Hermès bags."

The tea room fell into dead silence.

Shu Yao felt a little confused.

"Are you writing a TV series?"

"Why would I lie to you!" Qiao Qiao exclaimed anxiously. "Who in this circle doesn't know that the youngest son of the He family is an oddball? He gave up being a proper prince to become a special police officer. It's said that he got into a fight with his father in the yard to get into the assault team."

Shu Yao recalled the man's faded black short-sleeved shirt and mud-covered combat boots at the coffee shop earlier.

"..."

They don't look like someone who can afford Hermès at all.

Being able to buy a donkey would be a good thing.

"With his excellent qualities, why is he even going on blind dates? With his background, women who would throw themselves at him could line up from the city center to the suburbs."

It doesn't make logical sense.

Shu Yao didn't believe it.

"You just don't understand," Qiao Qiao said, taking a sip of water to clear her throat. "He Zheng is twenty-nine this year, spending all his time rolling around in the mud and fighting ruthless bandits. A man like that doesn't have time for romance. Besides..."

Qiaoqiao lowered her voice, "I heard he has a terrible temper and a menacing aura. Several well-off young ladies went on blind dates with him before, but he scared them to tears on the spot with his interrogation-like gaze, saying he didn't know how to treat women with tenderness and had a sharp tongue. Over time, which socialite in the circle dares to mess with this tough nut?"

Qiaoqiao concluded, "Your mother's Aunt Zhang is probably just an outsider to the industry. She only knows he's a special police captain and thought it was a secure job, so she introduced him to you. The He family is probably desperate; they'll do anything for a woman right now, even if it's a long shot."

Shu Yao fell silent.

She recalled the look in He Zheng's eyes when he stared at her neck.

Like a wolf.

I felt like I was about to bite her any second.

"So..." Shu Yao swallowed, her throat dry, "wasn't his comment about 'lacking an ancestor' a sarcastic remark about me?"

"Sarcasm my foot!" Qiao Qiao slapped her thigh. "Shu Yao, what do you call this? You just got lucky. He's a rough guy who's used to being submissive and obedient, so when a little drama queen like you suddenly appears, isn't it refreshing?"

Shu Yao felt a chill run down her spine.

"Forget it." She closed the salad box. "That look in his eyes scared me. If I really married him, I'm afraid he might kill me one day if he's unhappy. I value my life."

Qiaoqiao looked at her with a complicated expression.

"Good luck to you. My cousin said that He Zheng has never failed to get the person he's set his sights on."

"..."

Shu Yao shivered.

She...she's not a criminal.

What is she afraid of?