CHAPTER 840: CHAPTER 840: ACQUAINTANCE

Under the gaze of everyone, Xu Ke pressed the person forward towards the police station, with the girl whose wallet had been stolen following closely behind him.

The gate of this police station, like this small town, was extremely plain and unremarkable. If you didn’t pay extra attention, it would be easy to walk past it, since it was so inconspicuous,

When Xu Ke brought the person inside and came out again, the sun was hanging perfectly overhead. As soon as he stepped out, a wave of heat hit him directly, making Xu Ke feel like the sweat on his legs had been permed for free.

Xu Ke stood at the entrance of the police station, not moving for a moment. The woman who had followed him in now stood behind him, looking up at the sun in the sky, squinting slightly.

"It’s so hot. Let me treat you to lunch," the woman said.

Xu Ke hadn’t noticed before, but now he realized that the woman’s voice was exceptionally pleasant. It wasn’t as crisp as an ordinary woman’s; it was sultry with a slight rasp, like a combination of roses and smoke, carrying an indescribable sense of storytelling.

"Let’s find a better restaurant. I’ll treat you. I’m not used to letting girls pay for my meals," Xu Ke said, glancing at the woman beside him.

Xu Ke could see a small curve on the woman’s lips. He had thought she might refuse politely, but to his surprise, she agreed readily, "Alright, then. I’ll take advantage of you today."

The speed of her agreement might have made someone else think that her original intention was to find someone to sponge a meal from. If it were another man, he might think he was being tricked and label her as scheming in his mind. However, Xu Ke didn’t think much of it and instead naturally followed her from the police station exit.

"Aren’t you going to ask where I’m taking you? Just following me so trustingly—aren’t you afraid I might sell you off?" the woman said, leading Xu Ke slowly along a path in her high heels, seemingly unfazed by the blazing sun overhead.

"What should I be afraid of? I’m a man, and you’re a woman. If anyone’s going to be at a disadvantage, it seems more likely to be you." Xu Ke shrugged, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the sparsely populated street.

"Is this path you’re taking me on leading to a restaurant? There are so few people here. Could the food at the restaurant be bad?" Xu Ke’s voice held a hint of hesitation as he asked.

"Don’t worry. This restaurant I’m taking you to is definitely the best in this town. The reason there are so few people is that the food is a bit expensive," the woman said, pulling out a pack of women’s cigarettes from her bag, deftly taking one out and lighting it.

The woman continued to walk slowly, as if she didn’t feel the heat at all. Xu Ke wasn’t sure if she couldn’t feel how intense the sun was, but he was about to be overwhelmed by the temperature.

In the next second, the woman was suddenly lifted up from behind. The unexpected sensation of being airborne made her instinctively wrap her arms around Xu Ke’s neck, letting out a startled cry.

"Which way should we go? Point me in the right direction," Xu Ke adjusted the woman in his arms, aiming for a more comfortable position.

The woman was initially surprised by Xu Ke’s actions, her gaze filled with curiosity, but she quickly relaxed. She extended her manicure-painted finger to point Xu Ke in the right direction.

"It’s still a bit of a distance to the restaurant I mentioned. Are you sure you can carry me all the way?" she asked, blowing a small smoke ring toward Xu Ke’s face as she comfortably rested in his arms.

"Why worry if I can carry you—instead, you should be more concerned about your feet. What if the heat causes an infection?" Xu Ke said, without looking around as he walked in the direction she indicated.

Just before deciding to carry her, he had noticed that the heel of her foot was somehow injured, bleeding profusely, looking painful from just the sight of it. It seemed like each step must be like walking on knife blades, yet she showed no signs of discomfort.

The mention of her foot drew a momentary look of bewilderment on her smoke-blurred features.

"You’re different from many people I’ve met. My name is Shui Jing. What’s yours?" she asked, taking another drag from her cigarette, her voice revealing no visible emotion.

"My name is Xu Ke," he replied, using a pre-prepared alias.

"Xu Ke," she repeated softly, turning an otherwise ordinary name into something unexpectedly alluring, infused with her unique voice, making the ears turn red just from listening.

"How much further until we get there?" Xu Ke asked, looking at the buildings flanking the road.

"Almost there. Turn left at the intersection up ahead," Shui Jing replied, taking a final drag from her cigarette, extinguishing it with her fingers, and tossing it onto the ground.

Xu Ke paused slightly before saying, "Littering is not a good habit, and next time, you should avoid using your hand to put out a cigarette. A woman’s hands are like her second face, and a second face shouldn’t be too ugly," he said seriously, leaving Shui Jing momentarily taken aback.

"Haha, you’re really something, especially with that serious demeanor. But don’t you think you’re meddling a bit too much? This is our first meeting, and we’re basically strangers, yet you’re already trying to manage me?" the woman teased.

"I don’t think our relationship can be defined by ordinary social interactions. After all, not every stranger’s first meeting involves a princess carry. And just to clarify, I’m not a decent person," Xu Ke said, not giving her a chance to retort. Instead, he was met with her trembling body and the soft, scattered laughter that broke through her lips.

Xu Ke showed a helpless expression, "Hey, I’m being serious here. Laughing like this is disrespectful to me."

"Ah, sorry, I couldn’t help it," Shui Jing lifted her head from Xu Ke’s chest and used her fingertip to wipe her eye corners, indicating just how hard she had been laughing.

She took two deep breaths to calm herself before speaking again, "Alright, I promise, no matter what you say now, I won’t laugh at you."

Xu Ke glanced at her, noticing her earnest demeanor, "It seems we’ve arrived," he said, raising an eyebrow to indicate the restaurant in front of them.