“`

“No choice, I don’t have any other skills, and my face is the only thing worth some money, so of course I have to take care of it a bit more. If one day a rich widow takes a fancy to me, I won’t have to struggle for the rest of my life. Squad leader, you need to put in more effort.”

Tang Feng returned the mirror to Jiang Zi, then started making jokes.

Jiang Zi rolled her eyes so hard they could have fallen out of her head, no longer wanting to pay him any mind, but his last comment piqued her interest, “What should I work hard for?”

Tang Feng winked at her, “Work hard to become a rich widow, and then you can take care of me.”

Jiang Zi glared at him, “Dream on. If I became a rich widow, with so many handsome guys waiting for me to choose from, why would it ever be your turn?”

Tang Feng immediately shook his head with a sigh, “Then you still don’t understand men. Some men may look shiny on the outside but are actually rotten on the inside. Not like me, I’m the real deal—a handsome exterior with an equally attractive interior, a true man who stands tall and firm!”

“What do you mean?”

Jiang Zi obviously lacked experience in matters of men and women and didn’t understand what he was talking about.

“Ahem, never mind what I said.”

While joking around with her, Tang Feng turned on his scanning system to check the person behind them.

“System scanning …”

“Name: Wang Xiaodao

Gender: Male

Age: 32

Height: 182cm

Weight: 88kg

Identity: A thief from Gan Province, has committed numerous burglaries …”

After Tang Feng read the information, he was struck with a wave of alarm.

This guy was definitely talented, it was just unfortunate he hadn’t chosen the right path.

He wasn’t a local from South Yue Province but came from Gan Province.

He started stealing at the age of twelve or thirteen and had been at it for nearly twenty years, amazingly leaving no criminal record so far.

He could definitely be considered a professional thief.

This time he was probably brought to South Yue Province temporarily and was likely preparing to pull off something.

After seeing this information, Tang Feng’s heart started pounding.

This was not someone he could afford to provoke.

If pushed into a corner, a person like that could do anything.

It seemed best to not stir the grass and startle the snake for now.

He managed to look calm, finished the spicy soup that had been delivered to the table, then got up to pay and left the stall with Jiang Zi.

One thing that reassured him was that the man didn’t follow.

But he wasn’t sure.

It was also possible that the other’s tracking skills were so sophisticated that he hadn’t noticed.

“Um… it’s getting late, I can go back by myself, you should head home too,” Jiang Zi walked alongside him for a while, realizing he hadn’t expressed any intention of saying goodbye, she initiated the conversation.

This guy wasn’t planning on following her home, was he?

“Uh, it’s so dark, I’m worried it might be dangerous. I better walk you home,” Tang Feng didn’t dare tell her the real situation, for fear of frightening her.

Jiang Zi looked at him skeptically, muttering to herself that she thought he was the most dangerous.

However, he appeared to be concerned about her safety, at least that was the excuse, so she didn’t feel right dismissing him outright.

Otherwise, she might seem like she was guarding against a thief.

And so, the two continued to walk in silence.

When they reached her neighborhood, she spoke up again, “I’m at my community now, it’s very safe here, you should really head back.”

Tang Feng looked behind him, the darkness made it hard to see if the man had followed or not.

“Since I’ve escorted you to your community, might as well see you all the way to the West,” he said, feeling he had to keep going.

Jiang Zi didn’t speak, just stared at him with her big eyes and twisted her high-heeled sandal against the ground.

“`

“Don’t get me wrong, I really didn’t mean anything by it, I’m truly concerned for your safety. You have to believe me,” Tang Feng, seeing the suspicion in her eyes, quickly raised his hands to assure her.

Jiang Zi pursed her lips, unsure whether to believe him or not, but without saying anything more, she continued to walk ahead.

Tang Feng immediately followed.

Soon, they arrived at the bottom of the building where she lived.

“Is it still not safe here?” She stopped again and turned to look at him.

The expression on her face clearly stated—Stop pretending, I see right through you.

Tang Feng glanced at the dark stairwell, and instantly, a myriad of movie scenes flashed through his mind.

The heroine walks through the pitch-dark stairwell, and suddenly, a hand reaches out from the shadows, covering her mouth.

The heroine struggles helplessly, crying for help, but to no avail…

The thought alone was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.

“It’s just a few more steps anyway. I’ll make sure you get inside your home and then I’ll leave, I promise,” he had to assure her once again, raising his hand.

A frost seemed to settle on Jiang Zi’s pretty face.

Clearly, she didn’t believe his so-called assurance.

What’s next, waiting to escort her to her front door, or does he intend to take her to bed?

I didn’t expect you to be like this, Tang Feng. I guess I misjudged you, hmph!

“Well… alright, but you’re really only walking me to the door, okay?”

She thought of many things to refuse him, but in the end, she didn’t say them.

For some reason, she was terrified of saying something that might hurt him, something that could damage their friendship.

As she climbed the stairs, countless thoughts raced through her mind.

What if he insists on not leaving later?

What if he tries to force himself on her?

If something unspeakable happens between them, what if he refuses to take responsibility?

One question after another bombarded her, throwing her heart into complete disarray.

As her home drew nearer, her heartbeat quickened, and she wished the staircase would never end.

When she finally saw her front door, her heart was in her throat.

But just then, Tang Feng, who had been following her, suddenly spoke up, “Okay, I’ll leave you here. Hurry inside.”

“Huh?”

Jiang Zi was stunned, disbelievingly staring at him.

Isn’t this the moment he should be saying something like, “Can I come in and sit for a while?”

What does he mean by leaving here?

Could it be… he doesn’t plan to do anything to her?

Does she really have no allure?

“Huh, what huh? You don’t actually want me to come in and sit for a bit, do you?” Tang Feng said, a trace of a mischievous smile on his face as he stared straight at her.

“No… no,” she responded in a fluster, climbing the last flight of stairs like a headless goose, walking in through the door, shutting it behind her—like an emotionless automaton.

Only after the door had shut did she remember she hadn’t even said goodbye.

In a panic, she pulled the door open again.

Only to find Tang Feng had already disappeared, leaving just the empty stairwell behind.

She suddenly felt a sense of loss.

This isn’t quite how the story is supposed to go!

He… just left?