Chapter 1

Haicheng.

At the gate of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Wei Shian, dressed in a gray-blue police uniform, was striding out of the building. He had just descended two steps when a familiar voice stopped him.

He turned around and greeted, “Captain Liu.”

Captain Liu Hai of the Criminal Investigation Team quickly approached, draping his arm over the shoulder of his proud subordinate in a brotherly manner, complaining, “You disappeared right after the commendation ceremony. What about the interviews?”

Wei Shian glanced down and coolly retorted, “You left pretty quickly yourself.”

Liu Hai, who also didn’t want to be interviewed, looked sheepish, his gaze wandering with a guilty expression that didn’t suit a leader.

Sensing that the captain probably had nothing urgent, Wei Shian continued walking out.

Liu Hai quickly followed, “You drove today, right? If you’re not in a hurry, give me a ride to Lu’s Department Store.”

Reaching the parking lot, Wei Shian opened the back door of the jeep, tossed his police cap and documents onto the seat, and turned on the air conditioning to cool down the sun-baked vehicle. He then stood in the shade a few steps away and asked, “Where’s your car?”

Liu Hai, following him to the shade, removed his hat to let his thinning hair breathe, grumbling, “In for repairs. This weather’s getting hotter, isn’t it?”

It was indeed scorching, so after only a couple of minutes of air conditioning, when the seats no longer felt too hot to sit on, they quickly got into the car.

—

Since the end of welfare housing allocation in ’98, the private real estate market in Haicheng had boomed. Once desolate and remote, the northern suburbs had seen high-rise buildings and commercial streets spring up.

In just five years, the area had become the bustling heart of Haicheng, known as the new district.

Meanwhile, the Public Security Bureau was still in the old district.

Wei Shian drove through the winding, narrow ancient streets and alleys. After another turn, his view suddenly opened up.

It was as if the turn marked a line between two eras, clearly separating the timeworn stone slabs and green tiles from the cluster of new high-rises.

Liu Hai looked out at the scenery passing by the window and couldn’t help but remark, “The roads here are so much smoother and wider. By the way, next year at the latest, our office will move to the new district. You know about that, right?”

Wei Shian: “I’ve heard.”

Liu Hai smiled, “The new office will be just a five-minute walk from Lu’s Department Store. It has everything—food, entertainment—the guys will love it.”

Wei Shian smiled slightly, “If they have the time.”

“True.” Everyone knew how busy criminal investigators were—forget about leisure, even sleep was a luxury during cases. It was a sad truth that Liu Hai acknowledged as he lit a cigarette, then changed the subject, “Hey, it’s rare to have time off. Aren’t you going to visit home?”

Wei Shian wasn’t a local, but he didn’t live far away—about a two-hour drive. Thinking of his grandmother’s talent for nagging, his sharp features softened with a hint of helplessness, “I will. The Wei family is hosting a teacher appreciation banquet today. I’ll head home after the meal.”

Liu Hai smacked his forehead, “Right, their son got into the Police University. He was bragging to me about it not long ago.”

Vice-Captain Wei had indeed been quite proud lately. Wei Shian smiled and invited, “Want to join?”

“No, I’ve got things to do. I’ll just send my regards.” As he spoke, Liu Hai pulled out 200 yuan from his wallet and handed it over.

Wei Shian declined, “Old Wei doesn’t accept gifts.”

Liu Hai insisted, “Take it.”

Wei Shian wasn’t one for back-and-forth, so he took the money and put it in his pocket before asking, “We’re almost there. Which entrance do you want to be dropped off at?”

Liu Hai straightened up, “Already? The north entrance—it’s cooler there.”

Wei Shian didn’t ask what his superior was going to do and quickly parked the car by the road near the north entrance.

Wei Shian wasn’t one for back-and-forth, so he took the money and put it in his pocket before asking, “Just one more traffic light and we’ll be there. Which entrance would you like to get off at?”

Liu Hai straightened up, “Already? The north entrance, it’s cooler there.”

Wei Shian didn’t ask what his superior was going to do and quickly parked the car by the road near the north entrance.

Liu Hai got out, habitually tucking his briefcase under his arm. Just as he was about to turn and wave goodbye, he noticed his proud subordinate also stepping out of the car.

Puzzled, he asked, “Why are you getting out?” When did this kid become so polite?

Wei Shian didn’t respond immediately. He removed his sunglasses from the bridge of his nose, squinted to confirm what he saw, and then said, “There’s someone on the roof.”

Liu Hai quickly looked up. Sure enough, at the edge of the top floor of Lu’s Department Store, there was a faint white figure.

It was hard to tell from a distance whether it was a person swaying or just a fluttering skirt, but one thing was certain—it appeared to be a woman.

Wei Shian said, “I can only see her back; she might not be trying to jump.”

“Still, we need to check. If she’s really in trouble, we can’t just ignore it,” Liu Hai said, acknowledging that while this kind of situation wasn’t directly related to their Criminal Investigation Team, as police officers, they couldn’t just walk away after seeing it.

Wei Shian agreed, so he left a quick “I’ll borrow a rope and go check,” before sprinting towards the department store.

—

Lu Jiu was in a terrible mood.

Today was her 22nd birthday.

According to tradition, the family would have dinner together.

Not wanting to miss the family reunion, Lu Jiu rescheduled her date with her fiancé to noon.

Feeling a bit guilty, she had left home two hours early to pick out a gift for him at her family’s mall, as a way to make up for it and surprise him.

It should have been a beautiful day.

But instead, her fiancé gave her a huge shock.

Even though it had been over half an hour, Lu Jiu still couldn’t understand why her fiancé, Li Ze, was holding another woman.

Was it just because the woman had twisted her ankle and fallen into his arms?

But there were others with him at the time, both men and women, so why did he have to carry her in a way that made it look like he was completely ignoring any suspicion?

Lu Jiu admitted that she was a bit naive, having been pampered by her family, and her temperament was rather gentle, but that didn’t mean she was stupid.

In broad daylight, and on her family’s property no less, Li Ze’s behavior clearly showed he didn’t care about the Lu family.

Lu Jiu had initially wanted to confront him.

But mindful that this was her family’s mall and not wanting to create a scene that would embarrass the Lu family, she had instead retreated to the rooftop before they noticed her.

She needed a quiet place to think about how to handle her fiancé going forward.

On one hand, there was their childhood friendship.

On the other hand, there was the blatant image of him holding someone else in his arms.

The more Lu Jiu thought about it, the more conflicted she became.

What made her even more confused was that strange images began flashing through her mind.

In the silent depths of a dense forest, giant trees and pink flowers that could speak human words grew.

It was bizarre and utterly incomprehensible.

Just as Lu Jiu felt her vision darkening and reached out to steady herself to avoid falling, a swift black shadow came rushing at her.

The next thing she knew, the world spun around her.

When she came to her senses, she found herself lying on the ground.

She stared blankly at the tall, muscular stranger in a police uniform half-hovering over her, utterly bewildered, “You…?”

What’s going on?

The moment their eyes met, Wei Shian realized he had misunderstood the situation. There was no trace of despair in her expression, so as he stood and helped her up, he sternly advised, “Don’t sit in such dangerous places again.”

Lu Jiu blinked, finally understanding what he had misunderstood.

She wanted to explain that when the department store was built, a transparent safety net was installed outside the railing to prevent accidents, so it was impossible to fall.

But the words got stuck in her throat, and she felt awkward instead, realizing she had wasted the police’s time. She awkwardly explained, “Officer, I wasn’t trying to commit suicide.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, her cheeks turned bright red, mostly because the officer in front of her was obviously very young.

Wei Shian, unfazed by being called “uncle” by someone his own age, was already used to it since he started wearing the police uniform. He quickly took out his phone to contact Captain Liu, who was still searching for a safety mat, while also glancing at the girl’s exposed arms and legs to ensure she wasn’t hurt. Then, he turned and strode away.

The man was tall, with long strides, and by the time Lu Jiu regained her senses and chased after him to the staircase, that tall figure had already disappeared.

She felt a bit deflated. She hadn’t even had the chance to say thank you.

The Lu family is quite wealthy.

Although they can’t compare to the top elite families, they’re still a well-known name in Haicheng.

So, when the villa district was being developed two years ago, the Lu family directly purchased two adjacent villas.

As the elders said, the family’s two daughters would each have one.

However, since neither of the sisters had married, one of the villas remained unoccupied.

Lu Jiu drove her yellow Beetle into the villa’s parking garage and then took the elevator from the garage to the first floor.

Fang Wenyi was in the living room trimming fresh flowers that had just arrived. Seeing her daughter, she asked in confusion, “Weren’t you going to spend your birthday with Xiao Ze (Li Ze Lu Jiu fiance)? Why are you back so soon?”

“I had something to take care of,” Lu Jiu replied, planning to tell her parents about Li Ze later, but not right now—at least, not until the whole family was together.

Fang Wenyi didn’t think much of it. “It’s good that you’re back. It’s about to rain heavily, and I was worried about you driving out there. Oh, by the way, Peony, your birthday cake has arrived. The bakery even threw in a few extra mini cakes. They’re in the fridge. Do you want one now?”

“Peony” was Lu Jiu’s nickname.

Lu Jiu, also known as Peony, or Peony also known as Lu Jiu—it’s all the same, showing just how much Mrs. Fang Wenyi loves peonies. “No, thanks. I’ll go upstairs and take a shower first; I’m all sweaty.” Mainly because her makeup had melted in the heat, and without makeup remover in her bag, she felt uncomfortable and sticky.

Only then did Fang Wenyi take a closer look at her daughter and, seeing her tired eyes, she teased her, “Oh my, look at your eyes. They’re almost as dark as a panda’s. Go on, go freshen up.”

As Lu Jiu walked up the spiral staircase, her mother kept nagging, “Don’t wear makeup when you go out in the summer. You’re already so pretty; there’s no need for all that.”

Lu Jiu sighed; it was for the date, after all.

Of course, by now, Li Ze was no longer on her mind. She had more important things to sort out.

—

The Lu family’s villa had five floors in total, three above ground and two below.

Lu Jiu and her sister lived on the third floor, each occupying half of it.

She pushed open the door to her bedroom, tossed her small leather purse onto the table, ignoring the phone vibrating inside, and walked straight to the full-length mirror.

People say that after liberation, spirits and monsters can’t exist anymore. But who would have thought that a lightning strike could transform a peony flower spirit that could never take human form into a human being?

Lu Jiu raised her hand to touch the mirror, studying the reflection that was both familiar and strange.

She wore a white princess dress that reached her calves, her long black hair fell straight down to her waist, and her bangs were thick and neat—the current trend. She looked sweet and quiet.

She was pretty, yes, but in a way that fit Li Ze’s aesthetic, not her own unique style.

But she was a spirit, even if she was a plant spirit; she shouldn’t be this docile.

Lu Jiu pursed her lips, took out a headband to push her bangs up, then turned on the faucet to wash off her makeup. Once her smooth, white forehead and clear, bright eyes were revealed, she was somewhat satisfied.

After a moment, she looked down at her slender, beautiful fingers, wondering… could she still cultivate?

“Peony? Are you taking a shower?”

The knock on the door interrupted Lu Jiu’s thoughts. She turned to open the door.

Fang Wenyi asked, “If you’re not in the shower, why aren’t you answering Xiao Ze’s calls? He’s been calling me too.” She then looked at her daughter’s expression closely, and though she didn’t see any signs of upset, she still asked with concern, “Did you two have a fight?”

Right, she had been so preoccupied with marveling at her newfound human form that she had completely forgotten about Li Ze.

And according to her memory, she had even become twisted and dark in her efforts to win her fiancé’s love?

Thinking of this, Lu Jiu pinched the bridge of her nose, unsure of what expression she should be showing.

I