8 | Exclusive from Jinjiang Literature City
Scotland's reputation has been damaged.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan sat on the lawn with her knees drawn up to her chest. She ignored the man half an arm's length away beside her, resting her chin on her arm and staring blankly at the whirlpool on the river.
A gentle breeze swirled between them, ruffling their hair.
Morofushi Kagemitsu stared at the river, but his eyes secretly glanced at Yorikawa Yomi. After a long while, he turned to look directly at her: "What are you thinking about?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan lowered his gaze, frowned, and remained silent for a long time before finally saying in a muffled voice, "I made a very, very good person angry."
Can you tell me about it?
“It’s really nothing serious,” Lai Chuan Huang Quan casually pulled a coin out of his bag and tossed it into the water like a pebble. “There’s a man I’ve heard some bad rumors about.”
As if competing with herself, Lai Chuan Huang Quan kept tossing coins into the water one after another. She thought she was just confiding in a stranger, but the man beside her subtly tightened his muscles.
A man? A rumor?
Is it about him?
Was this woman really sent by the organization to test him?
Morofushi Kagemitsu's expression remained unchanged, but his vigilance was heightened. He wore a faint smile, and his purple eyes, similar to Hagiwara's, rippled with a gentle, spring-like tenderness.
"What's wrong with him?"
"He has a very good personality and is quite gentle. Although he doesn't look like one, he's actually a policeman."
"!"
His jawline tightened rapidly, and cold sweat silently crept onto his forehead. Like a leopard poised to strike, Morifushi Kagemitsu moved with a light, elegant yet powerful gait.
Yomi Laichuan didn't notice the alertness hidden beneath Morofushi Kagemitsu's composure; his loose hoodie concealed his taut muscle lines.
This woman really is...!
Damn it, have we already been exposed? When exactly?!
Lai Chuan Huang Quan continued, "But I received some information from a source that I cannot disclose."
Is there a channel you'd rather not disclose?
It shouldn't be Gin. Given his personality, if he suspects a new recruit is an undercover agent, he'll definitely come and kill them through a combination of intimidation and torture.
Who could it be, Rum? Vermouth? Or some other rising star?
In any case, it couldn't be someone from the Public Security Bureau. Kazami Yuya had explicitly told Morofushi Kagemitsu that the Public Security Bureau had never sent anyone named Yorikawa Yomi.
"That policeman..."
His Adam's apple bobbed as he smiled and gazed at Yomi Yorikawa, but cold sweat quietly crept up his forehead and dampened his hair.
What happened to him?
Lai Chuan Huang Quan tossed another coin, stretched, and said with a smirk, "He almost died, luckily he ran into me."
The word "death" kept swirling in Moribu Kagemitsu's ears, and the temperature of the surrounding air suddenly dropped, making him feel cold for no reason.
“I really hope he can survive,” Lai Chuan Huang Quan continued to mutter, “but… that source told me that he’s a total scumbag, not only is he a womanizer, but he’s also a slept-and-run driver.”
The turn of events was so sudden that Morofushi Kagemitsu, still with his muscles tense, had already developed a beady expression on his face. His mind went completely blank, essentially crashing and restarting.
Morofushi Kagemitsu: "...?"
Morofushi Kagemitsu: "…………Huh?"
The person this woman is talking about probably isn't him... right?
Morifu no Kagemitsu hunched over, his hands clasped under his chin. He stared at the rushing lake, lost in thought, his brows furrowed, his smile gone—he truly couldn't smile anymore.
He fits all three labels: gentle, good-natured, and a policeman.
But what about a scumbag, a womanizer, who sleeps with you and then runs away?
What is this? Is it a character script she created for him?
Although I wanted to laugh and breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that this definitely couldn't be him, this woman in front of me dared to portray him in the Metropolitan Police Department as a shut-in who would bang on doors and threaten his girlfriend—what else was impossible?
Curled up and pressing his hand against his chin, Morofushi Kagemitsu's usually clear thoughts became a jumbled mess, like a pot of thick soup spilled on the ground.
While he was struggling with his own thoughts, Lai Chuan Huang Quan casually raised his hand and tapped twice in the air, opening the virtual panel.
She became increasingly suspicious that she had seen the man next to her.
She turned the pages of the information sheet one by one, and when she reached the third page of the recipients of aid, she suddenly stopped.
His hand remained in the swiping position, but his fingers trembled uncontrollably. Lai Chuan stared wide-eyed, not daring to blink even once.
She turned her head with difficulty to look at the man beside her, then slowly turned her head back to the virtual panel in front of her.
Damn it! He is Morofushi Hiromitsu, the 2013 tenant who was falsely accused of domestic violence by her, also known as Midorikawa Hikaru!
The information provided by the central system clearly shows him as a mature man with stubble, but in reality, he is a young man with the face of a high school student!
Where's the beard?! Where's the weathered look that comes with weathering the storms of life?!
The central system is unreliable!
Ignoring the man next to her who was deep in thought, Lai Chuan Huang Quan patted her skirt, stood up, and ran towards the main road above the riverbank.
Without the slightest hesitation.
However, she had only taken a few steps when someone grabbed her wrist from behind.
Her left foot, which had been extended, froze in mid-air. Her body, propelled by inertia, slammed backward, her back hitting the man's chest through a cotton sweatshirt.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan leaned against Zhu Fu Jing Guang's chest. She looked up, and the man with curved eyebrows behind her also looked down.
As their eyes met, those sparkling, jewel-like purple eyes reminded Lai Chuan Huang Quan of someone else. Only that person's purple eyes were like blooming peach blossoms, not as gentle as the one before him, yet still alluring.
Shaking her head to shake off the bastard police officer who kept calling her "soft bread," Yomi Lai stepped back and withdrew from Morofushi Kagemitsu's embrace.
She hasn't gone to apologize to Hagiwara yet. Although she doesn't plan to continue contacting him, she still wants to say sorry to Officer Hagiwara.
Morofushi Kagemitsu stared intently at Raikawa Yomi; the look she had given him just now was quite meaningful. Seeing that Raikawa Yomi was about to leave again, he pursed his lips, hesitated for a long time, and then squeezed out a gentle whisper.
But to Yomi Laichuan, those few words sounded like a death whisper, full of explosive power.
He said, "Darling, where are you going?"
Yomi Laichuan: "...?"
The leg-raising motion was paused again. After a three-second pause, Lai Chuan Huang Quan turned his head and glared at the man behind him. His almond-shaped eyes were filled with too many emotions: shock, doubt, astonishment, and an expression of knowing it was all too expected.
Was he testing her? He was definitely testing her.
The information indicates that Morofushi Hiromitsu is a policeman, and his superior's response is the dubious excuse that "the other party needs a network of connections." If he doesn't cooperate obediently, he might be exposed for his lies and landed in jail at the Metropolitan Police Department.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan swallowed hard, feeling increasingly that this world was toxic. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and after mentally preparing herself, she reached back and hugged the man behind her.
"Of course we're going home, baby, baby...darling."
Her tongue was in a frenzy as she finally managed to utter the last word. Yomi Laichuan noticed with keen insight that Morofushi Kagemitsu straightened his back and tightened the muscles in his arms around her the moment he heard the word "baby".
Lai Chuan Huang Quan squinted at the man who was so close to him, but his thoughts were unusually active.
Good heavens, he really was acting with her. Could this be a test from the Metropolitan Police Department? But considering she only has four years left to live, is everything happening just because this man desperately needs a network of connections to use as cover?
Lai Chuan Huang Quan pursed his lips, his mind racing with speculation.
Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled and looked down at the woman in his arms, equally puzzled. Was the scrutinizing look in her eyes when she looked at him really an attempt to investigate him?
The wind swept across the river, and the grass below the riverbank swayed in the direction of the wind. Morofushi Kagemitsu and Raikawa Yomi stood facing each other on the lawn, each on their own.
At this moment, the two people, each with their own thoughts, reached an unprecedented consensus—although they didn't know what was going on, they just had to act.
...
Yomi Laichuan was taken to his workplace by Kagemitsu Morofushi, a dimly lit bar belonging to the organization, located at the corner of the end of the street.
As Lai Chuan and Huang Quan stepped into the bar arm in arm, several venomous and sinister gazes immediately converged upon them.
Morofushi Kagemitsu subconsciously glanced at the woman beside him, only to see that Raikawa Yomi's face was completely calm, as if frozen into extremely cold ice, exuding an aura that kept strangers away.
With his purple eyes slightly narrowed, Zhu Fujingguang thoughtfully withdrew his gaze.
The probing gaze traced along her skin, almost burning. Yomi Yoru, arm in arm with Morofushi Kagemitsu, glared at him with a cold look.
The air was thick with danger, which ironically calmed her down. Head held high, she was confident and aloof, seemingly unconcerned by the voyeuristic and sinful gazes around her—or at least that's how it appeared.
Only Lai Chuan Huang Quan herself knew how panicked she was. The little voice in her heart had twisted into the world-famous painting "The Scream," and started running around the world screaming for help.
"Wait here for me. Order whatever you want to drink, and I'll have them put it on my tab."
Smiling, he tucked Raikawa Yomi into a corner where Raikawa could easily see him, then ordered a fruit platter and a low-alcohol fruit wine. Slinging his bass bag over his shoulder, he turned and went into the room behind the bar. When he reappeared, he was dressed in a handsome bartender's outfit.
The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and a black vest accentuated the man's slender waist. His black suit trousers and gleaming black leather shoes exuded an air of asceticism and aggression.
Because he was a resident singer, Morofushi Hiromitsu didn't button the top two buttons of his shirt. The deliberately open collar revealed half of his muscular chest. Two rosy cheeks were half-hidden under his collar, faintly visible in the dim bar lights.
Raikawa Yomi kept gulping down her wine from her glass, her eyes fixed intently on Morofushi Kagemitsu's wide-open collar. Wherever he went, her gaze followed. Only when she met Morofushi Kagemitsu's helpless purple eyes did Raikawa Yomi freeze, quickly averting her gaze.
This guy is quite handsome, and the central system labels him as gentle and a good cook. Pretending to be lovers with someone like that seems like a perfectly good deal for her.
With fingertips plucking the strings, the tender melody was sung gently by Morofushi Kagemitsu in a soft voice. His singing skills were decent but not particularly outstanding, yet combined with his unique voice, it created a beautiful scene in itself.
After swallowing the last sip of fruit wine, Lai Chuan Huang Quan snapped his fingers and summoned the bartender again.
A black background with gold lettering—the menu, in a touch of understated luxury, lists the names of various wines. Further down the page are snack platters and some strange services with names like "Lai Chuan Huang Quan" (meaning "Lai Chuan Yellow Springs") that are difficult to decipher.
As an outsider, Lai Chuan Huang Quan was completely unaware of some things that were not common knowledge. Yet, many bars liked to create their own overly artistic names for their drinks, packaging them as their so-called unique features.
Flipping through the menu page by page, Lai Chuan Huang Quan rested his chin on his hand, his brow furrowed in bewilderment. What on earth were those artistic designs on the paper? Was this some kind of strange, inexplicable service, or cocktails?
With a snap, Lai Chuan Huang Quan closed the menu and decided to order some drinks he was familiar with.
"Do you have any whiskey? Any flavor is fine, just bring me whatever you think is best."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
"Oh, and by the way, please give me two of each!"
The bartender, with a white towel draped over his forearm and menu in hand, paused. He tried to maintain a professional smile, his voice tinged with uncertainty: "Two of each?"
"Yes, two cups of each."
"Hmm..."
Most whiskies have a medium to high alcohol content, and ladies might have a problem if they drink two of each.
Although he wanted to offer this warning, this bar was a sanctuary for darkness. The male bartender ultimately gave Lai Chuan Huang Quan a meaningful look, smiled, bowed, and left.
Whiskey was drunk one glass after another, and the empty glasses soon piled up on the table. Running his fingers along the cool glass, Raikawa Yomi's eyes were hazy, and his face flushed slightly.
Morofushi Kagemitsu had naturally noticed Yomi's condition. He had intended to take advantage of the intermission to persuade Yomi to stop, get her some hangover medicine, and then find an excuse to send her home. But he had barely put down his bass when he was called over by someone in the organization with a code name.
Without the live singer, the dimly lit bar fell into a temporary silence. Whispers filled the air as Lai Chuan Huang Quan lay on the table, resting his head on his arm.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan was not drunk. As an employee of the Administration Bureau, although she exhibited normal human reactions such as trembling and sweating, her physical structure was ultimately different from that of ordinary humans.
To outsiders who were unaware of the situation, Yomi Laichuan was simply drunk.
A woman in a long dress swayed her hips as she leaned on the table, her slender waist and full hips accentuated by a waterfall of black hair cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes were half-closed, sparkling in the lamplight, reflecting a myriad of starlight. Her face was flushed, and her thin lips trembled slightly, as if she were in a state of semi-drunkenness, somewhere between clarity and confusion.
When a cat loses its owner, its voyeuristic desires emerge, and it waits for an opportunity to strike.
At this point, Morofushi Kagemitsu hadn't yet received a codename and was just a newcomer to the organization, easily manipulated by others. However, this bar was under the organization's control, and if a fight broke out here, the scene wouldn't be very pleasant.
So they waited and watched, waiting for Morofushi Kagemitsu to leave, so they could seize the opportunity to take the drunken woman away.
If they don't get the chance, they don't care. They'll just consider it bad luck if they don't get a bargain.
The glass made a soft sound as it was placed on the table, and a strange man sat down in front of Lai Chuan Huang Quan, pushing the glass he was holding toward her.
"Want a drink?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan glanced at the bottle that had been pushed towards him. The drink, which was a gradient of orange-red, had tiny, almost imperceptible white particles scattered about it, which quickly dissipated into the liquid.
She raised an eyebrow, finding it somewhat amusing—please, no matter what kind of medicine it is, as long as it enters her body through ingestion, it will not have any effect.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan sat up, leaning on the table for support, and lazily rested his chin on his hand, looking around.
The bar was really boring; the food was limited and not very good, and there wasn't much entertainment. However, the color of this drink in front of me was quite vibrant; it looked delicious just by looking at it.
After you finish this drink, go find Morofushi Kagemitsu.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan reached out and grasped the stem of the wine glass, about to bring it to his mouth, when a man's hand suddenly reached out and covered the rim of the glass with his palm.
"Um?"
Looking up along the slender fingers, a familiar face suddenly came into view.
"Damn officer?"
Kenji Hagiwara rushed over as soon as he finished his evening shift, without even having time to change out of his dark suit.
His lips drooped, his brows furrowed, and he couldn't even muster a smile to hide his displeasure.
"Soft bread, do you know where this is?"
The spiked cocktail was snatched from Yomi Laichuan's hand. Kenji Hagiwara held the glass handle in one hand and beckoned the bartender over with the other.
"What's the bill, miss? I'll pay."
The bartender glanced at Kenji Hagiwara and Yomi Raikawa, then smiled politely: "This lady's bill has already been added to the other gentlemen's bills."
With a sneer, Kenji Hagiwara put the drink on the table and pulled Yomi Laichuan up, saying, "Excuse me, tell that gentleman that I've taken him away."
After saying that, without giving Lai Chuan Huang Quan a chance to object, he directly carried her in his arms in a princess carry and strode out of the bar.
Under the streetlights outside, a four-seater private car was already waiting there.
"Wait, wait a minute, Officer Hagiwara!"
"What's up."
Kenji Hagiwara didn't laugh. He kept walking, and his gaze as he looked down at the woman in his arms was chillingly cold.
"Oh! It's nothing."
Kenji Hagiwara opened the passenger door and let the person in. With a cold expression, he fastened Yomi Laichuan's seatbelt before turning around and getting into the driver's seat.
The engine roared as he turned the key. Kenji Hagiwara gripped the steering wheel with one hand, driving Yomi Laichuan away from the pleasure street. The man, usually adept at easing tension, remained silent the entire time, his brow furrowed.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan sat hunched over in the passenger seat, biting her thumb as she earnestly reflected on her actions that day, completely bewildered. She probably hadn't done anything to upset Hagiwara Kenji since their argument at noon.
But why does that damn police officer look so furious, with an alarmingly low aura?
The car screeched to a halt in the parking lot of a residential building. Kenji Hagiwara pulled the handbrake but didn't immediately unbuckle his seatbelt and get out.
He turned off the car, rested his chin on his hand, turned his head to look at the street scene outside the car window, frowned and remained silent.
Kenji Hagiwara remained silent, and Yomi Raikawa dared not speak either. The second hand ticked round and round, and Yomi Raikawa, sitting in the passenger seat, felt as if each day was an eternity.
Just as she was about to get bored and was about to say goodbye, Kenji Hagiwara finally spoke.
"Miss Soft Bread".
"Huh? What...?"
As soon as he turned to face Hagiwara, Yomi Yorikawa received a solid flick on the forehead. The man's well-defined knuckles struck Yomi Yorikawa's forehead with a crisp sound like hitting a watermelon.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan hissed, covered his forehead which had been flicked red, and blinked, looking both aggrieved and bewildered.
Kenji Hagiwara did not apologize. He let out a long sigh, his breath filled with helplessness.
Raising his hand to stroke his smooth, black hair, Kenji Hagiwara sighed again, then put on a smile once more. His eyebrows drooped, and his captivating purple eyes remained as gentle as ever, as if the unpleasant parting at noon had never happened.
“You,” he said, his tone full of helplessness, as if silently saying, “I give up,” “Do you know where that place is?”
"……bar?"
"Anything else?"
"besides?"
Staring into Yomi's innocent and bewildered eyes, Kenji Hagiwara remained silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh and raising his hand to give Yomi another flick on the forehead.
"That's just a bar, that area is notorious for its red-light district. If someone hadn't told me they saw you being taken there by a strange man, who knows what terrible things might have happened. If you lack common sense, just ask me for help and don't wander off on your own."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan was stunned by the fierce tone and could only squeeze out a perfunctory single syllable: "Oh..."
But Kenji Hagiwara merely raised an eyebrow, smiled, and pursed his lips, clearly not believing that Yomi Laichuan would obediently comply. After getting out of the car, he opened the passenger door, bent down, and squatted down in front of Yomi Laichuan.
Yomi Laichuan: "...?"
Kenji Hagiwara turned around with a smile: "Miss Soft Bread who drank a lot of strong liquor in one go, come on, I'll carry you."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan stared at the broad back of the man in front of him, pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and swallowed the words "I'm not drunk" that were about to burst out.
The night was as dark as ink, and the only sound in the empty parking lot was the clatter of Kenji Hagiwara's leather shoes as he walked.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan lay on Hagiwara Kenji's back, hooking her arms around the man's neck, looking very obedient.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan: "Where are we going?"
"Go back to my home."
"Huh?"
"Your documents should be replaced in a couple of days. Stay at my place in the meantime."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan shrugged and whispered, "I'll pay you back for the lodging in a couple of days."
But Hagiwara didn't reply. He simply carried the person on his back and silently went straight home.
After placing him on the soft, large bed, Kenji Hagiwara busied himself preparing honey water for Lai Chuan and adjusting the air conditioning temperature.
Kenji Hagiwara: "Don't take a shower today. You've drunk so much, I'm afraid something might happen if you take a shower by yourself."
"But that will make your bed smell like alcohol."
"Furniture that can be bought with some money is nothing compared to Miss Soft Bread's health."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan muttered under his breath, "...all he does is use sweet talk."
Kenji Hagiwara heard him, but he just yawned and walked towards the entrance: "Have a seat for a while, I'll go buy you some hangover medicine. Would you like something to eat?"
Yomi Raikawa, who was sitting quietly on the edge of the bed letting Hagiwara do whatever he wanted, suddenly got excited and raised her hand high: "Pineapple bun, fried noodle bread, coffee, oden, and cheese sandwiches for breakfast~!"
Kenji Hagiwara paused in his act of turning to leave, turning back to stare at Yomi Yorikawa. He raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on his face: "Hmm? You seem pretty energetic. Looks like I worried for nothing?"
"cough."
He coughed lightly, trying to play dumb.
But Hagiwara just sighed and didn't take it to heart—he had sighed almost as many times today as he had in the past year.
Kenji Hagiwara sighed and returned to the bedside. He frowned and smiled, bending down to look Yomi Laichuan intently into his eyes. His jewel-like eyes reflected Yomi Laichuan's image. He softened his tone, but every word was serious: "Miss Soft Bread, please ensure your own safety before taking action next time, understand?"
—If a life-threatening extreme situation occurs, the central system will remove me.
Although she really wanted to explain it that way, Lai Chuan Huang Quan stared at the man in front of her and, as if possessed, chose to back down.
"knew."
Kenji Hagiwara raised his pinky finger: "Pinky promise?"
"Okay, pinky promise."
Their little fingers intertwined tightly, their body heat carrying their feelings to each other through the point of contact. In the silent gaze, a special emotion spread like ripples in a pond.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and after a moment of stunned silence, Kenji Hagiwara was the first to look away.
He smiled and stood up straight: "Okay, I'll go buy you some late-night snacks. Be a good boy and wait for me to come back."
"Remember to order oden!"
"Yes, yes, I'm really curious about where all the food you eat goes."
[Author's Note]
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