Chapter 54

Knowing that Peony (Lu Jiu) was shy again, Wei Shian averted his gaze from her blushing lips, returned to the driver’s seat, and started the car. With a serious expression, he said, “It’s already past eight. By the time I drop you off, it’ll be around nine. If I come back any later, your mom might get a bad impression of me.” 

Mother-in-law? This guy is sneakily clever. 

Feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, Lu Jiu unwrapped a candy and popped it into his mouth. “Eat this.” It was her way of telling him to hush. 

Wei Shian… 

= 

Wei Shian wasn’t wrong to be concerned. 

When Lu Jiu, carrying her small purse, cheerfully returned home, Mrs. Fang Wenyi, who would normally be in her bedroom by this time, was sitting in the living room watching TV, with a fluffy white cat lying on her lap. 

Seeing her daughter, she looked her up and down, and after confirming that Lu Jiu was in high spirits, she smiled and asked, “Why are you back so early? Did you only have dinner?” 

Lu Jiu sat beside her mother. “There was a singing event afterward, but Wei Shian said if he brought me home too late, you might worry.” 

He sure knows how to behave, thought Fang Wenyi, who was quite pleased with this polite young man. She handed the meowing, fluffy little creature that was trying to crawl onto her daughter’s lap back to Lu Jiu, playfully calling it a “little ingrate,” before asking, “Did Xiao Wei (Wei Shian) bring you home?” 

Lu Jiu stroked the fluffy little ball. “Yes, it was getting late, and he didn’t feel comfortable with me driving.” 

“Why didn’t he come in for a bit?” 

“Mom, really?” Lu Jiu rolled her eyes at her mother’s feigned disinterest. “If he had shown up empty-handed this late, you would’ve given him the cold shoulder.” 

Fang Wenyi didn’t argue, instead nudging her daughter. “It’s late; go wash up and get some sleep.” 

“What about you?” 

“I’ll head to bed too.” 

She had clearly been waiting for her to come home. 

Back in her bedroom, after washing up and lying down, Lu Jiu saw a message from her boyfriend: “I’m home.” 

Lu Jiu replied: “You were right.” 

Wei Shian responded instantly: “About what?” 

Lu Jiu: “My mom was waiting for me in the living room. She’s usually in her bedroom by 9.” 

Wei Shian was glad he hadn’t stalled on purpose because he didn’t want to part from her. 

But still concerned, he decided to call her directly. The moment she answered, he asked, “So, did your mom get a bad impression of me?” 

It was the first time Lu Jiu had ever heard this usually confident man speak with such uncertainty. Teasing him, she asked, “What if she did like you? What if she didn’t?” 

“From the way you’re talking, I can tell she doesn’t dislike me.” 

Her boyfriend was too smart for his own good. Lu Jiu pouted and asked, “When did you get home?” She remembered him mentioning that he had an apartment in the old district. 

Wei Shian: “Just got here.” 

It usually took about forty minutes to drive from the current city bureau to Wei Shian’s place. “Will you keep commuting like this?” 

“No, I plan to sell the place in the old district and buy a new one in the new area.” 

“That sounds good. Otherwise, driving back and forth would waste a lot of time.” In a normal job, that wouldn’t be such an issue, but as a criminal investigator, even catching a half-hour nap was a luxury. 

“You think so too? Then why don’t you come with me to look at some places?” 

“Me… me?” How did the conversation shift to this? Lu Jiu sat up in bed, bewildered. They had only been dating for a few days! 

Wei Shian replied matter-of-factly, “You’re my girlfriend, and in the future… well, isn’t it natural for you to help me choose?” 

Lu Jiu… In the future what? If you’ve got the guts, say it clearly! 

— 

Chapter 27 

Less than a week later, another robbery occurred in the old district. 

The victim was unwilling to give up their money and was fatally stabbed during the struggle. Unfortunately, they didn’t survive despite efforts to save them. 

The incident was so serious that it quickly made the local news. 

After several busy days, Lu Jiu planned to sleep in, but before 8 a.m., her mother dragged her out of the warm bed. 

Mrs. Fang Wenyi, still shaken, looked at her perfectly safe daughter and said with lingering fear, “These criminals nowadays are just too vicious. A human life, gone just like that.” 

Lu Jiu, still groggy, asked, “What? Who’s gone?” 

Fang Wenyi explained, “It was on the news just now. Around 4 a.m., someone in the old district got robbed and killed, and the perpetrator is still at large.” 

“What? Really?” Lu Jiu was now fully awake. Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she turned to grab her phone from the nightstand. 

Sure enough, Officer Wei had texted her at 5 a.m. 

“Xiao Wei sent you a message?” 

“Yeah.” 

“What did he say?” 

After quickly replying to her boyfriend, Lu Jiu said, “We had plans to see a movie this afternoon, but he apologized and said he had to work. He texted me at five in the morning.” 

Fang Wenyi nodded understandingly, “There’s nothing he could do about it. What did you say? You didn’t give him a hard time, did you?” 

“Of course not! Your daughter is very sensible. I even told him to stay safe and eat on time.” 

“Alright, alright, no need to tell me all the mushy details between you two.” 

Lu Jiu wrinkled her nose and playfully complained, “But you were the one who asked.” 

Ignoring her, Fang Wenyi got to the reason she had pulled her daughter out of bed. “Your shop is doing well, and your dad and I don’t mind, but Peony, this world is getting scarier. Have you thought about hiring a bodyguard?” 

Lu Jiu was a bit taken aback, thinking she must have heard wrong. “Are you joking? We’re just a nouveau riche family. Why would we need a bodyguard?” 

To be honest, the Lu family had only risen to wealth in recent years. 

Before she turned 14, Lu Jiu had grown up in an ordinary middle-class family. To her, bodyguards were something from TV shows and novels, familiar yet foreign. 

Besides, she had her own means of self-defense, so she wasn’t entirely against the idea just for the sake of it. 

“Smack!” Fang Wenyi gave her daughter a light slap and scolded, “What’s wrong with being nouveau riche? Having money is all that matters. Besides, your dad and I are college graduates, so even if we’re nouveau riche, we’re educated nouveau riche.”