Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I’ve been a pickpocket in Liwan, Guang City, for ten years.

This September, I received a mysterious email.

A woman named Gu Hong contacted me, asking me to escort her child to Beijing.

I had no reason to refuse. Debts of gratitude must always be repaid, and besides, the pay she offered was very high.

So, a few days later, I set off for Rongcheng.

Since I arrived a day early, I didn’t contact anyone. I spent the afternoon sleeping in the hotel, and by evening, feeling a bit bored, I found a bar to get a drink.

Every city’s bars have their own unique character, and so do the men.

By the time I was on my second glass of vodka, a “little milk dog” came over to flirt.

He was very good-looking, so I raised an eyebrow, not at all repulsed.

The boy was wearing Versace and a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. With the sharp eyes I’d honed in the watch markets of Guang City, one glance was enough to know it wasn’t a fake.

In the past, if such a flashy person stood before me, it would be a crime not to fleece him.

He was lucky because I had just come into a large sum of money and wasn’t really in the mood to work.

I’m an easy person to satisfy; I generally don’t pick pockets when I’m not short on cash.

At the same time, I’m a sucker for a pretty face. A handsome man always catches my eye.

Take this boy, for instance: tall, upright, with a face full of youthful energy and incredibly good skin. His eyes under those long lashes were dark and bright, like an innocent deer in the forest, making my heart itch for no reason.

He looked at me and smiled, revealing charming little canines. His voice was clean. “Sister, are you alone? Let me buy you a drink.”

With just that level of skill, one glance from the corner of my eye told me he was here with friends.

At a booth not far away, his group of friends was peeking over from time to time, their eyes dancing with the excitement of watching a show.

I beckoned him closer with a finger.

He immediately leaned in. I curled my lips. “Lost a game of Truth or Dare?”

He froze, but instead of the embarrassment of being caught, he gave a candid laugh. “I knew you were special, Sister. Not just beautiful, but smart too.”

He looked great when he smiled. I leaned on my arm and watched him, my posture casual. “Do you want me to help you out?”

“Oh? How?”

“Come here.”

I beckoned him again. My hand then brushed the back of his neck, and I pressed my wine-scented lips against his handsome mouth.

He jolted, seemingly incredulous. A flash of daze crossed his dark pupils, but he quickly cooperated, closing his eyes and wrapping his hand around my waist to deepen the kiss.

Someone nearby started jeering and whistling.

While he was still immersed in it, I pulled away and whispered in his ear, “Go tell them you won.”

He didn’t leave. His hand stayed on my waist, his misty eyes glazed over, and his voice was husky. “Sister, you play this wild?”

“I can play even wilder. You want to play?”

“Yes.”

He blurted it out without a second thought, his eyes staring straight at me.

For a moment, I felt a twinge of regret. I felt like his gaze had changed-the “little milk dog” had turned into a “little wolf dog.”

But he didn’t give me a chance to back out. He actually provoked me. “What? Is Sister scared? You wouldn’t be chicken, would you?”

What a joke. When has Shan Que ever been afraid of anyone in her life?

The next morning, when I left the hotel, he was still asleep.

No matter how arrogant a little wolf dog is, he can still be tamed; he was even teary-eyed when he felt wronged.

In the morning, I wandered around the city, tasted the local delicacies, and took in the bustling street scenes.

In the afternoon, at an unremarkable coffee shop, I met Gu Hong and her precious son-Xie Ye.

The moment Gu Hong started the introduction, I knew things were going south. Sure enough, the handsome young man, wearing a white hoodie with the hood up, stared at me and gave a loose, easy smile. “Hello, Auntie.”

Talk about a small world.

I responded with a smile, feeling somewhat speechless as I asked Gu Hong, “Sister Hong, is this the ‘little boy’ you mentioned?”

Gu Hong nodded and said sincerely, “Xiao Ye is twenty this year. He’s certainly not small anymore, but you know how it is-no matter how old a child gets, they’re always a child to their parents.”

Xie Ye yawned, looking at me with raised eyebrows and a provocative gaze.

I nodded calmly. “Mm, indeed. He is a bit on the small side.”

Xie Ye’s handsome face immediately stiffened. He gritted his teeth and said, “Auntie, don’t speak against your conscience.”

I looked at him with a half-smile. “What did I say?”

“Nothing. I just think your eyesight isn’t very good. I suggest you go to the hospital to get your eyes checked. The ophthalmology department at the Second Hospital is quite good…”

Just as he was getting into it, Gu Hong slapped him on the head. “Where are your manners? How can you talk to your Auntie Que like that? Apologize, now!”

Gu Hong’s expression was serious, her voice brook no refusal.

Xie Ye snorted through his nose and turned his head away stubbornly like a little mule. I stirred my coffee and said amusedly, “It’s fine. He’s just a kid.”

The casual use of the word “kid” successfully made his face darken again.

Gu Hong said apologetically, “This boy isn’t usually like this. I don’t know what’s gotten into him today. Chen Qi, don’t mind him. I’ll definitely give him a good talking-to when we get back.”

I nodded. Gu Hong then turned back to Xie Ye and warned him sternly, “We set off tomorrow. You must listen to your Auntie Que on the road. No throwing tantrums. She’s very skilled; you’ll only be safe if you follow her. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I know. Auntie Que isn’t just skilled-she’s very wild.”

Xie Ye seemed a bit irritable. He sized me up with a complex look in his eyes and even made a subtle gesture of supporting his lower back.

I: “…”