Chapter 1 — Looks Like Someone Didn’t Download the National Anti-Fraud App

Early August. South City was sweltering like a giant steamer.

Despite the city’s good greenery—lush trees everywhere, medians wide enough to resemble parks—because it’s located south of the Yangtze River, the air was humid and heavy. Add in long daylight hours, and summer was downright stifling.

Tang Xiaohe stepped into the police station. The blast of cool air that hit her instantly soothed her previously anxious mood.

A police officer in a blue uniform walked over with a registration form in hand and asked what kind of help she needed.

Tang Xiaohe looked up. The man appeared about twenty-six years old, with sharp, clean features—a tall nose, thinly pressed lips, and a righteous aura in his eyes that warned “don’t mess with me.” His uniform collar was slightly open, revealing his Adam’s apple that moved subtly as he spoke.

This man is way too handsome.
Totally her type.

“What do you need help with?” he asked again, his voice low and magnetic. Maybe because she’d been silent too long, his tone rose slightly.

Tang Xiaohe snapped out of her daze, scolding herself for acting like a lovestruck fool.

“Ah—I’m here to report a crime.”
Ji Yanli nodded. “What kind of crime?“

Thinking of the matter, Tang Xiaohe instantly felt regret sink in. Her shoulders drooped as she muttered, “Fraud.” Then added, “I was scammed out of over twenty thousand yuan.”

Ji Yanli recorded her information and led her to the reception area.

“Tell me how it happened.” Ji Yanli sat across from her, sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing toned forearms. He had a notepad and pen in hand, clearly ready to take notes.

“Well, I got a friend request on WeChat today. The person said they were customer service from Ant Financial. They told me I needed to update my identity credentials. Then they sent me a credit report, said there was a problem, and told me I had to unlink some online loan platforms to restore my credit…”

“And then you just followed their instructions?” Ji Yanli frowned.

Tang Xiaohe nodded awkwardly, looking wronged. “The scammer even warned me not to click on strange links. I really thought they were legit support staff!”

Ji Yanli’s frown deepened. “Did the scammer also tell you to be careful of online fraud, and remind you to distinguish between real staff and scammers, saying internet scams are rampant lately?”

Tang Xiaohe nodded repeatedly. “Yes! How did you know?!”

Ji Yanli looked like he was about to laugh out of frustration. “That’s one of the oldest tricks in the book.”

Giving her a look, he added, “Let me guess—you never downloaded the national anti-fraud app, did you?”
Tang Xiaohe wished the ground would swallow her whole. She opened her mouth but couldn’t get a word out.

How was she supposed to explain? A while ago, she saw two livestreams on a short-video platform promoting the national anti-fraud app.
One she ignored because the host was too boring.
The other she ignored because the host was too good-looking.
And then… she just forgot all about it.

Seeing her reaction, Ji Yanli already had his answer.

“The National Anti-Fraud App is a mobile tool launched by the Ministry of Public Security…”

“It can identify scammer profiles and give real-time alerts…”

“People like Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu all avoided being scammed after downloading the app…”

Tang Xiaohe watched as Ji Yanli lectured her with a stern face, explaining in great detail why it was necessary to download the app.

And while he was insanely handsome, he was also seriously intense when giving a scolding… Ugh, why does a hot guy have to be so strict?!

Tears welled up in Tang Xiaohe’s eyes. “Is there any chance I can get my money back?”

Seeing her about to cry, Ji Yanli’s tone softened—though no matter how gentle he tried to be, the facts remained harsh.
“Realistically speaking, the chances of getting it back are slim to none. These scams are usually done by organized groups. The account receiving the money might seem local, but it’s actually overseas. Once your money goes through, it gets laundered multiple times—by the end, it’s basically impossible to trace.”

That did it. Tang Xiaohe couldn’t hold back anymore—big teardrops started falling down her cheeks.

And so, in the middle of the police station, there appeared a somewhat dramatic scene:
A beautiful girl in a black dress sat crying, her delicate nose red, her large, bright eyes overflowing with tears that fell like broken beads from a string—one after another. She looked absolutely pitiful.

Across from her, Ji Yanli sat with his long legs crossed, his chin resting on the hand holding his pen. He had looked pretty relaxed before, but now he slowly straightened up, leaning back slightly. His Adam’s apple bobbed—he was clearly a bit uncomfortable.

He had never liked seeing women cry. But what was that saying again?
“You don’t hate macarons—you just haven’t tried the right one.”

Maybe it was the same thing. Watching the girl cry like that, looking all delicate and helpless… for some reason, he thought she looked kind of cute. And his heart actually ached for her a little.

“Officer Ji, what did you do to make this poor girl cry?”

A female officer walked by and couldn’t help commenting on the scene.

Tang Xiaohe heard the voice and looked up, still crying. But she quickly defended Ji Yanli between sobs:
“It’s not his fault, sob… I got scammed… and I can’t get my money back… I’m just really upset, sob…”

“Well, just take it as a paid lesson then,” the female officer said, shooting Ji Yanli a look that clearly said “Good luck with this one.” She gave Tang Xiaohe a few words of comfort, then went on her way.

Amid her sniffling, a neatly folded handkerchief was suddenly passed to her.

“Here, wipe your tears.”
Ji Yanli looked at the tearful girl in front of him, his handsome brows tightly furrowed. After a moment of hesitation, he said,
“Maybe the money’s not entirely lost yet. What’s done is done—don’t let it ruin your mood too. Okay?”

Tang Xiaohe could tell he was trying to comfort her. That last little “okay?” had the soft, coaxing tone of someone soothing a child. And despite herself, she felt her heart warm.

She took the handkerchief—it was soft and still warm. In the corner was embroidered a name in elegant seal script: “Yanli.” She couldn’t help but read it aloud.

Ji Yanli looked slightly surprised. The name, written in seal script, was a bit different from modern Chinese characters—yet she had recognized it in one glance. That made him just a little more curious about this girl.

Besides, everyone at the station called him Officer Ji. Friends called him A-Ji.
Only his family called him by his full name, Yanli.
And when Tang Xiaohe said it, her voice was already soft, still tinged with the nasal sound of someone who’d just cried. The way she said “Yanli” from those small, cherry-pink lips… was inexplicably gentle.

Ji Yanli’s eyes darkened slightly.

Tang Xiaohe, however, wasn’t thinking that far. She wiped her tears with the handkerchief. Since it had come from Ji Yanli’s chest pocket, it still held his body warmth. When it brushed her nose, it carried a faint, clean scent of mint—it was his scent.

Slowly, her ears started to turn red.
She suddenly realized—what she was pressing to her face… was his body warmth… his scent!

The handkerchief now felt like it was on fire. Embarrassed, she quickly finished wiping her tears and handed it back.

“Thank you, Officer Ji. About this handkerchief—”

But before she could finish, he interrupted her.
“Just keep it.”

Tang Xiaohe knew in her heart—her money was probably gone for good.
But if not for this scam, she wouldn’t have met such a ridiculously good-looking officer.

If she could land this handsome guy, then those 20,000 yuan?
Totally worth it.

Ji Yanli stood up and said, “If there’s nothing else, just wait to be contacted. If there are any updates, someone from the department will reach out.”

Tang Xiaohe bit her lip and reached out to tug lightly at his sleeve.
“Officer Ji…”