Chapter 78: That Smell—Who Took a Dump in His Car?

Catching a thief wasn’t difficult for Chu Yue.

She quickly caught up with the pickpocket and, without hesitation, kicked the back of his knees—a weak point in the human body. A well-aimed kick there can topple a grown man even if delivered by a child. And Chu Yue was no weakling—her kick made the thief’s legs instantly go numb. He fell forward with a face-first “dog-eating-dirt” flop right to the ground.

“Aaaah—!”

As the thief howled, Chu Yue leapt onto his back, pressing her knee firmly into the small of his back, right at a key pressure point.

This spot was also a weak area—pressing it could make the spine ache and tingle, rendering the limbs powerless.

Chu Yue immediately grabbed the thief’s hands, pulled them behind his back in a practiced twist, and smoothly pulled off his belt to tie his wrists tightly together.

“Let me go! You damn girl! Let go! I’ll mess you up! AHH—!”

Even after being caught, the thief didn’t surrender. He just shouted and resisted. Chu Yue responded by pressing even harder with her knee, sending a sharp, searing pain down his spine. He convulsed from the agony and let out another pained scream.

Serves you right for stealing!

“You’d better not move—or I’ll make sure you can’t walk for the rest of your life!”

Chu Yue’s cold warning landed like a slap. Then she reached into his coat’s inner pocket and pulled out a blue floral-patterned wallet.

---

Meanwhile…

The old lady not far away had witnessed Chu Yue swiftly subdue the thief. She hurried over, dragging Chu Yue’s bamboo backpack basket, worry written all over her face.

“Girl, are you okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you? Forget my wallet—if anything happened to you, I’d never forgive myself!”

Chu Yue patted the dust off her hands and stood up.

She eased the pressure from her knee but still stepped firmly on the thief’s back like he was a turtle flipped over. With his hands tied behind his back, he couldn’t resist at all.

“Granny, I’m fine. Here—this your wallet? Check if anything’s missing.”

The old lady’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the blue floral wallet.

“There wasn’t much money in it—if it’s gone, it’s gone. But this wallet was a gift from my old man. I’ve used it for decades. After all this time, it means something to me. Losing it would’ve broken my heart.”

She gently caressed the now-faded fabric like it was a lost treasure found again, smiling in pure joy.

Chu Yue couldn’t help but feel a touch of envy seeing how happy the old woman looked when she mentioned “my old man.” She wondered—would she and Lu Zhanlin still be like that decades later?

---

Just then—

A young man ran up behind the old lady, shouting anxiously:

“Madam! Madam! Are you alright?!”

He was tall and straight-backed, moving quickly, face full of worry, carrying a bag of peach pastries and another of red bean candy. He rushed to the old lady’s side and exhaled deeply when he saw she was unharmed.

“Madam, I only went to buy something—and when I came out and didn’t see you, I nearly panicked.”

The old lady gave a warm, motherly smile.

“Xiao He, I’m fine. Just now, someone tried to steal my wallet, but this young girl caught the thief for me.”

The young man, referred to as Xiao He, immediately turned to look at Chu Yue.

Chu Yue also looked at him—and her eyes instantly noticed his shoes. They were military-issue, exactly like the ones Lu Zhanlin had worn on the train.

Although this young man was dressed plainly, his bearing was different—you could tell he was a soldier.

And to hear a soldier address the old woman as “madam”—well, that clearly meant she was someone important.

Chu Yue didn’t dwell on it—her thoughts flipped quickly. But she had already missed her appointment with Pei Hanchuan because of this whole thief-catching delay.

She nudged the thief on the ground with her foot and said to the young man nearby,
“This guy’s a pickpocket — please take him to the police station. I’ve got something urgent to do, so I’ll leave now. Grandma, please be more careful in the future. No matter how precious your belongings are, don’t go chasing after thieves. Your health is what matters most.”

With that, Chu Yue picked up the bamboo basket on the ground, slung it onto her back, and strode away.

The elderly woman looked after Chu Yue and reached out hastily,
“Young lady, I haven’t even thanked you yet…”

But Chu Yue was already far away.

The young man watched Chu Yue’s retreating figure and furrowed his brows, muttering to himself,
“Madam, I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before… she looks familiar.”

Could she be… someone from the military base?

---

When Chu Yue finally rushed near the state-run restaurant, she immediately spotted the flashy black sedan.

Pei Hanchuan looked almost exactly as he had the last time — dressed in a three-piece suit, a long black overcoat, brown lambskin leather shoes, and his hair slicked back. His tall figure leaned casually against the car.

In Chu Yue’s own words, he was basically a—
strutting peacock in full display.

Who knew which woman Young Master Pei was trying to impress this time — his aura was practically dripping with charm.

If it weren’t for the fact that Pei Hanchuan had such a handsome and refined face, this overly flirtatious style would’ve come off as downright greasy.

Chu Yue rushed over and quickly apologized,
“Sorry, I’m late.”

The moment Pei Hanchuan saw Chu Yue, he straightened up and smiled,
“You’re not late. I just got here myself.”

Hearing that, Chu Yue instinctively frowned. Something about his tone felt… off.

But she didn’t want to overthink it — better to get this over with quickly.

Just like last time, Pei Hanchuan invited Chu Yue to sit in the car and chat.

Chu Yue placed her bamboo basket temporarily outside the car, then got into the back seat and shut the door with a bang.

The interior of the car was relatively enclosed, and the residual warmth from the heater lingered, making it quite warm.

Just as Pei Hanchuan was about to speak, his nose caught a foul, fishy stench. His throat involuntarily tightened, and he frowned in discomfort before he could get a word out.

“Wait a second — something’s not right!”

What the hell?!

Why did his car smell so bad?
Did someone poop in here?

Pei Hanchuan’s expression changed. His eyes darted around, and he covered his mouth and nose, frantically scanning the car interior for the mysterious source of the odor.

Chu Yue, watching his ridiculous behavior, paused and suddenly remembered something.
“Pei Hanchuan, stop looking. It’s not your car — the smell’s coming from me.”

Pei Hanchuan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Chu Yue.
“You… you… it’s coming from you?!”

“Yeah,” Chu Yue replied calmly, as if it were nothing.
“I bought some pig offal at the supply store — some of it splashed on me.”

The smell on her body wasn’t overwhelming. Most people might not have noticed it at all — but Pei Hanchuan was different. He was a pampered young master, used to the best and cleanest of everything. His sensitivity to unpleasant odors was far beyond that of ordinary people.

Pei Hanchuan froze again upon hearing Chu Yue’s words.
“Did you say… pig… pig… pig offal?”

What the hell kind of thing is that?!