Misunderstanding Gone Too Far
The so-called Old People’s Activity Center was actually just an open-air square, filled with various facilities for elderly activities.
Su Yan sat idly on a nearby bench, watching a few scattered elderly people around her, thinking that Zhao Qian probably wouldn’t be able to pull off any mischief in a place like this.
Zhao Qian looked like she had already adjusted her mood and had become lively again.
“Sister, what kind of guy do you like?”
Su Yan thought to herself, our relationship isn’t nearly close enough to be talking about this kind of thing, right?
“Uh… someone I find attractive,” she gave a vague answer.
Zhao Qian was clearly not satisfied with that.
Pouting, she perked up and said, “I like guys who are handsome, with a sweet smile. They’d definitely make me happy.”
This time, Su Yan didn’t argue and nodded in agreement.
“Who doesn’t like that kind of guy?”
Zhao Qian’s eyes lit up.
“Then if you meet a guy like that, would you actively pursue him, sister?”
“I probably wouldn’t…”
Su Yan hesitated and shook her head.
She wasn’t the type to chase after boys.
Zhao Qian didn’t mind and just smiled, saying, “Let’s stay outside a bit longer. The weather’s nice right now.”
Su Yan thought there were plenty of people here, so nothing unexpected should happen.
She nodded and enjoyed the brief moment of peace.
Not long after, Zhao Qian suddenly tapped Su Yan, who had closed her eyes to rest, her tone full of excitement.
“Look over there! There’s a really handsome guy!”
Su Yan looked up and indeed saw a young, good-looking guy in the distance who seemed to be taking a walk.
This stirred an odd sense of dissonance in her heart — who in their right mind takes a stroll in an Old People’s Activity Center?
The young man was gradually approaching their side as he strolled, but Su Yan’s keen eyes immediately noticed he was deliberately coming closer.
She glanced thoughtfully at Zhao Qian.
Is this about to start?
So this guy really is here to cause trouble!
The young man casually walked over and, stopping in front of Su Yan, bent down slightly and smiled, asking, “Miss, do you know where the Sports Center is?”
Su Yan had to admit, this guy was very handsome, and his smile perfectly matched Zhao Qian’s description — sweet and charming.
He looked like a sunny, cheerful boy.
Had she not been on guard, she might not have realized he had ulterior motives.
There was indeed a gym nearby, so Su Yan succinctly gave him directions and then leisurely watched his next move.
“Ah, sounds a bit far…”
The guy looked troubled, then looked at Su Yan expectantly.
“Could you take me there? I’m afraid I’d get lost.”
As he bent down, the black T-shirt slipped a little, and Su Yan’s eyes sharpened as she suddenly noticed a half-visible tattoo on his chest.
A tattoo — a sign of a delinquent.
Su Yan’s eyes flickered with understanding.
This guy was using a beauty trap to lure her to the Sports Center and then attack her!
So sinister. Su Yan silently labeled them as such but smiled kindly on the surface.
“I think my cousin would be happy to. How about letting her take you there?”
Zhao Qian panicked slightly and quickly gave the guy a meaningful look.
The young man, obviously well-trained for such situations, remained unruffled and even chuckled, “But I want sister to take me!”
One had to admit, this handsome, puppy-like guy speaking with such an ambiguous tone could have made Su Yan’s heart flutter — if she hadn’t already suspected him of intending to hurt her.
Zhao Qian backed him up, “Exactly! The young man invited you, so why should I go? Sister, you’re so helpful; I bet you won’t refuse, right?”
Su Yan thought for a moment.
The Sports Center should have surveillance cameras, so even if this guy wanted to hit her, he’d have to consider whether it was worth it.
Besides, as Chu Yi said, she might not be able to fight, but escaping was always an option.
With this in mind, she nodded and stood up.
“Alright then, I’ll go with you.”
A triumphant glint flashed in Zhao Qian’s eyes as she gave the guy a wink.
He nodded at her in return, looking confident.
Su Yan observed their interaction silently.
Because there was some distance between the Old People’s Activity Center and the Sports Center, the guy started chatting with Su Yan on the way, breaking the silence.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Cui Hao.”
Su Yan thought, does one really have to announce their name before a fight nowadays?
She replied politely, “I’m Su Yan.”
Cui Hao asked curiously, “Su Yan? That’s a nice name. Is it the ‘Yan’ from ‘face’?”
Su Yan nodded.
Ignoring her cold tone, Cui Hao continued, “Then it suits you well. High facial value.”
Su Yan’s features were delicate and exquisite — indeed fitting the description of high facial value.
Following his words, she replied, “You’re handsome too.”
Though she didn’t understand why someone like him would be up to this kind of business.
“So one pretty, one handsome, walking together — wouldn’t it be right to call us a perfect couple?”
Cui Hao grinned.
Su Yan was a little confused and said nothing.
What did he mean by ‘perfect couple’?
Was he implying he was gold and she was fragile jade, easy to defeat?
That was unnecessary, right?
She hadn’t even shown she knew their intentions, so why issue a veiled challenge?
Seeing Su Yan’s silence, Cui Hao quieted for a moment, then sounded a bit disappointed as he asked, “Sister, do you not like me very much?”
Su Yan was even more puzzled.
What?
You beat people up and expect them to like you?
Does that make hitting more enjoyable?
She raged silently but answered softly, “Ah… no, it’s just that I don’t like talking to strangers. Besides, we probably won’t see each other again.”
— If we meet again, it’ll likely be at the police station, and by then, we’d probably hate each other.
Cui Hao seemed relieved and regained his enthusiasm.
“Then we can talk more and get familiar. Also, sister, we should have many more chances to meet!”
If one didn’t know better, Su Yan might have thought he was flirting.
But already suspecting him of wanting to hurt her, she could only interpret this as him planning long-term violence.
Does he think the law is a joke?
She sneered inwardly.
“I don’t think so. I doubt we’ll meet many more times.”
Su Yan reached into her pocket and turned on a voice recorder she had prepared earlier.
She could use it to trap Zhao Qian, the mastermind behind all this.
Actually, ignoring Cui Hao’s bad intentions, he was a decent conversationalist — able to start topics without being sleazy.
Too bad for him, he was dealing with a fully aware Su Yan, so there was no excitement on her side.
When they reached a small path near the Sports Center entrance, Cui Hao seemed to realize it couldn’t go on like this.
He stopped, looking at Su Yan with intense focus.
This guy had a pair of alluring peach blossom eyes, and when he looked at someone with such focus, it gave a deep, affectionate vibe.
Su Yan stopped too, puzzled by his gaze.
Seeing Su Yan’s expression so plain and unromantic, Cui Hao suddenly felt a pang of frustration.
But he quickly adjusted, smiling brightly, “Thanks for helping me out all this way. Let’s add each other on WeChat?”
Su Yan thought about it and nodded.
But when she took out her phone, she realized it was powered off — she must have forgotten to charge it last night.
Su Yan smiled apologetically at Cui Hao.
He waved her off.
“No problem. Just give me your WeChat ID, and I’ll add you later.”
Su Yan nodded curiously and gave him her WeChat.
After adding her, he grinned and said, “Here’s a surprise for you.”
Then, Cui Hao reached behind his back.
Su Yan immediately became alert, her whole body tense.
Her fists clenched behind her back, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.
From his posture, it looked like he was about to pull out a weapon.
But there was no way he could be hiding a long stick or something similar behind his back.
Su Yan sucked in a sharp breath.
Could he be planning to pull out a fruit knife and attack?
Or even worse, a wooden club?
If that was the case, Zhao Qian was ruthless.
Their previous fights had only been minor scuffles, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
She wouldn’t expect them to want to kill her outright.
In a flash, a hundred thoughts ran through Su Yan’s mind.
She even considered whether she could kick the weapon away the moment he pulled it out.
But thinking of her famously poor flexibility, she silently gave up on that idea and focused on a more practical escape plan.
As Cui Hao slowly pulled his hand out from behind him, Su Yan’s tension grew tighter.
Under the threat of death, sweat beads even started forming on her forehead.
Just when she was about to reach her limit, Cui Hao finally revealed the object — but it wasn’t a weapon at all.
It was — a rose.
“Huh?”
Su Yan stared at the rose in surprise, then looked up at Cui Hao.
She had thought he was going to pull out a weapon and fight, but instead, he held out a rose.
Still unwilling to let go of her previous suspicions, she wondered if this rose was some kind of trap — hiding a knife inside, or a disguised wooden club.
But she quickly abandoned the ridiculous thought.
Was this a spy drama?
Hidden traps?
Zhao Qian was just an ordinary student; there was no way she could hire someone that powerful!
She let out a laugh and a sigh of relief.
She’d really been overthinking.
No matter how unreasonable Zhao Qian was, she wouldn’t outright hire someone to beat her up — let alone order a murder. Was she crazy?
Seeing Su Yan hesitate, Cui Hao offered the rose again with a sunny smile.
“Consider this a thank you for taking the trouble to bring me here. You won’t refuse, right?”
His manner was open and sincere.
Coupled with Su Yan’s earlier misunderstanding, she felt a bit embarrassed.
So she nodded, reaching out to take the rose.
At that moment, for some reason, Su Yan’s instincts tingled and she looked up reflexively.
Across the street, a man was watching her with an inscrutable expression.