Chapter 55: Lacking Romantic Sensibility

Monitoring a colleague’s phone was a serious breach of ethics. If An Mufeng hadn’t been so suspicious and Xia Mi’s state so abnormal, Mi Xiangyan would never have resorted to such a tactic.

Despite the exceptional circumstances, Mi Xiangyan still intended to protect Xia Mi’s privacy. She didn’t allow anyone else to see the chat logs, taking sole responsibility for the surveillance.

However, she synchronized all relevant information to her computer. This was a precaution in case she met with an accident, ensuring others could still identify the problem from the data.

While Mi Xiangyan monitored the phone logs alone in her office, Liao Tianhua and Qiu Hailan waited anxiously for the results.

After about half an hour, Mi Xiangyan’s voice came over the intercom. “Things aren’t looking good. Xia Mi said she wants to buy An Mufeng a milk tea from Mixue Bingcheng¹.”

“What’s so bad about that? Can’t we just arrange for someone to monitor them at the shop?” Qiu Hailan asked.

Liao Tianhua added, “I’ll arrange for someone to go right now.”

“Are you two idiots?” Mi Xiangyan snapped. “Mixue Bingcheng barely has any seating. Where are you going to hide a monitor? Xia Mi plans to walk and talk with An Mufeng. There’s no way to install surveillance equipment, and it’s not convenient to have someone tail them. This is a real headache.”

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t drink milk tea,” Liao Tianhua said, looking at Qiu Hailan. “Don’t you drink it either?”

“I have to maintain my combat readiness, so I only drink plain water,” Qiu Hailan replied. “Group Leader Mi, why doesn’t Mixue Bingcheng have seats? Shouldn’t a drink shop have private little booths where young men and women can flirt while they sip their drinks?”

Mi Xiangyan had no choice but to educate her two clueless colleagues. “Because Mixue Bingcheng is cheap, the shops are tiny. The one Xia Mi is going to only has two chairs.”

Qiu Hailan was puzzled. “Why not find a better place to talk?”

“Because Xia Mi has no money,” Liao Tianhua answered.

He remembered how Xia Mi used the gym showers to save money on her water bill and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Xia Mi was a person so earnest she was almost cute. She worked toward her goals with such sincerity that no obstacle could stand in her way.

Even without the Zhuo incident, Liao Tianhua believed Xia Mi would have certainly earned her Bianzhi status.

“She’s still on an intern’s salary, and she’s only been paid for three months. She really doesn’t have much money,” Qiu Hailan noted.

Mi Xiangyan continued, “An Mufeng suggested taking Xia Mi to Jiangnan Renjia for dinner, but she refused. I checked the place; it’s a Jiangsu restaurant with a great atmosphere. The average cost is about 350 yuan per person, and they have private rooms for two. If they had gone there, I could have installed cameras in advance and saved us all this trouble.”

“Why did she refuse?” Liao Tianhua asked.

“She said the money An Mufeng earns is ‘blood and tears’ money, and she can’t bring herself to spend it,” Mi Xiangyan said. “But she’s also reluctant to spend too much of her own money on him. So, she suggested they grab a cup of hot milk tea and sit on a park bench to chat. Captain Liao, get someone to the park to stake it out as soon as possible.”

Qiu Hailan glanced at her phone and remarked, “It’s one degree below zero right now. I can’t believe she actually thought of that.”

Going to the park actually saved Mi Xiangyan quite a bit of trouble. The park already had its own surveillance system. Mi Xiangyan hacked directly into the park’s network and shared the feed to Liao Tianhua and Qiu Hailan’s computers.

On the screen, they saw Xia Mi holding two cups of hot milk tea. Dressed in a black down jacket, she stood at the park entrance waiting, completely unconcerned with her image.

A moment later, An Mufeng arrived at the park entrance, shivering violently. He was dressed in a thin, deep-V suit with a fishnet and pearl chain undershirt, looking quite sexy but utterly freezing.

“Xiao Feng!” Xia Mi waved at him.

An Mufeng approached her, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. “S-Sister… w-why… why here?”

“It’s free here! Anywhere else costs money,” Xia Mi said naturally. “Walking in the park lets us exercise and breathe the fresh air of nature. Don’t you think the cool air feels refreshing to breathe?”

“N-No, I don’t!” An Mufeng stammered.

Xia Mi looked An Mufeng’s sexy outfit up and down, and her nose felt a sudden surge of heat. Fortunately, the outside air was chilly, and the cold wind dissipated the internal heat rising within her. This time, she managed to avoid a nosebleed.

Xia Mi handed a cup of milk tea to An Mufeng and said with concern, “Do you not have any clothes other than your nightclub outfits? It must be hard for you. Hurry, drink some hot milk tea.”

An Mufeng practically snatched the tea and took a large, rapid gulp. Only then did his soul seem to return to his body, and he finally stopped stuttering.

“Sister, looking at what I’m wearing, can’t you feel my mood?” An Mufeng tried to give Xia Mi a suggestive wink, but because he was so cold, his face contorted so much that Xia Mi thought his face was cramping.

“Of course I understand how you feel,” Xia Mi said. “Life is hard. Let me tell you, when I was about to graduate and went for interviews, everyone said I had to buy a proper suit. But I was too embarrassed to ask my family for money, so I rented one from a roommate. I paid a little every time I wore it, which worked out much cheaper than buying one.

“You probably don’t leave the bar much, do you? It’s definitely hot in there, so you don’t need to wear much. You don’t need to buy a down jacket either; save wherever you can. I understand your situation, we’re both struggling. It’s fine, young people have strong constitutions. A mere zero degrees won’t kill anyone.”

An Mufeng was speechless.

Xia Mi continued, “High schoolers are the least afraid of the cold. When I was in high school in Shandong, the winter temperature was about ten degrees below zero. It wasn’t as cold as the Northeast, but it wasn’t warm either. To look slim, I only wore a thin pair of thermal leggings under my school uniform, and I wasn’t that cold. You’re about high school age yourself—you can handle it!”

An Mufeng sniffled back the mucus running from the cold and said dejectedly, “Sister, you really don’t know how to pity someone.”

Xia Mi also felt she was being a bit inconsiderate. Suddenly, she had a brilliant idea. “Let’s run! We won’t be cold after a lap.”

Without waiting for a response, Xia Mi dragged An Mufeng along and started jogging around the park.

At this hour, there were quite a few people running in the park, but neither of them was dressed for it.

After running for a while, Xia Mi felt that jogging in a down jacket was far too hot, so she took it off and carried it in her hand.

Running while clutching a down jacket was a bit of a hassle. Xia Mi glanced at An Mufeng running beside her and handed the jacket over. “You should wear it,” she said. “It might be a bit small for you, and you probably won’t be able to zip it up, but it’s better than what you’re wearing now.”

An Mufeng hurriedly pulled on Xia Mi’s down jacket, finally feeling like he had come back to life.

However, the sexy fishnet and pearl chain inner-wear he had so meticulously prepared now had absolutely no chance to shine.

Watching the surveillance, Qiu Hailan had been laughing since she first saw An Mufeng’s outfit. She only stopped when Xia Mi started running, turning to Mi Xiangyan and Liao Tianhua. “I don’t think we need to worry anymore. An Mufeng isn’t going to seduce Xia Mi. Just like Liao Tianhua, he’s throwing flirtatious glances at a blind person. Hahahaha!”

Liao Tianhua: “…”

Who could understand this feeling of being simultaneously amused and heartbroken for himself?

Mi Xiangyan was also amused by Xia Mi, but she remained professional. “I’m certain Xia Mi hasn’t been moved in the slightest, but it’s also a fact that she has a physiological reaction to An Mufeng. We have to stay on guard regarding that. Continue the observation.”

By now, the team responsible for tailing Xia Mi had caught up with the pair, maintaining a distance of about a dozen meters and watching from afar.

Mi Xiangyan used surveillance software to activate the call function on Xia Mi’s phone, listening to their conversation in real-time.

Once he finally warmed up, An Mufeng winked at Xia Mi, attempting to use words to lure her in. But before he could even open his mouth, Xia Mi spoke up. “Xiao Feng, being a male model isn’t a good job. Can’t you find a proper career?”

An Mufeng looked at Xia Mi pitifully. “Sister, my family situation is poor. My younger sister has liver disease and needs a transplant. I can donate my liver to her, but the surgery costs a lot of money, and the post-operative medication is very expensive. I earn more at the bar.”

Xia Mi asked, “How much do you make a month at the bar?”

An Mufeng replied, “It depends on luck. I’m relatively young, so many people request me. In a good month, I can make forty or fifty thousand yuan. In a bad month, maybe twenty or thirty thousand. I keep myself clean and don’t go out with customers. If I were willing to go out, I could make at least a hundred thousand a month. But I won’t take that money. I only like you, Sister.”

Xia Mi stopped in her tracks and stared fixedly at An Mufeng.

Her gaze made An Mufeng feel a bit flustered. He wrapped the down jacket tighter around himself, took a few steps back, and whispered, “Si-Sister, what’s wrong?”

Xia Mi’s expression was complicated. “I originally wanted to persuade you to find a proper job, but now I’m not sure if I should.”

An Mufeng smiled. “Sister, I originally planned to stay in this industry. I’m still young; if I work for another ten years, I might save enough to retire. But ever since I met you, I don’t want to do this anymore. I only want to be with you.”

Xia Mi clutched her chest. “Don’t be with me. There’s no point in being with me; you won’t make any money at all. Work hard and save enough for your sister’s medical bills first.”

An Mufeng had been throwing flirtatious glances and confessing his love repeatedly, but it was as if he were talking to a stone. He rolled his eyes toward the sky, took a deep breath to calm himself, and said, “Sister, I said I like you. I only want to talk to you. I don’t want to accompany other customers anymore.”

Xia Mi replied, “I have no money. There’s no future for us. Oh my god, is it already past seven? You guys have to start work around four or five in the evening, right? Hurry back to work! Don’t let this delay your earnings! Do you know how much money you’re losing every hour?”

An Mufeng: “…”

Xia Mi grabbed An Mufeng and started sprinting. The park she had chosen wasn’t far from the bar where An Mufeng worked; it was only a ten-minute ride away.

Xia Mi stripped the down jacket off An Mufeng and put it back on herself. She quickly scanned a shared bike², pushed An Mufeng onto it, and said, “Go to work! I don’t have the money to treat you to a taxi. Ride the shared bike back. Make sure to lock it once you get to the bar; they charge extra if you go over the time limit!”

An Mufeng: “…”

His face darkened, and he spoke to Xia Mi seriously. “Sister, doesn’t your heart ache at all, pushing me into the arms of other women like this?”

Xia Mi said, “Of course it hurts. I also feel that my actions aren’t quite fitting for a public official. But I know you aren’t selling your body. The service industry you’re in hasn’t reached the level of being illegal yet, and you really are in a difficult spot. So you must work hard and solve your financial problems as soon as possible. Only then will you be in a position to escape this sea of misery! Now go, the bike timer has already started.”

An Mufeng asked with a grim expression, “Sister, do you really feel nothing for me at all?”

Xia Mi did feel something. She had felt it from the moment she saw him, but she could overcome it. Especially after hearing about his salary, that feeling had almost entirely vanished.

Xia Mi patted An Mufeng on the shoulder. “If a person acts solely on feelings and instincts, they can’t be considered human. They’d be an animal. I believe rationality is a human’s greatest virtue.”

The corner of An Mufeng’s mouth twitched. He murmured, “Yeah, I almost forgot. You’ve always been this kind of person. How could I be so naive to think you could be swayed by pheromones?”

“What are you saying?” Xia Mi didn’t catch his mutterings.

An Mufeng looked up and smiled. “Sister, will I have a chance to see you again?”

Xia Mi thought for a moment. “Not in the evenings; you have to work. Not on weekdays; I have to work. I’m on duty this Saturday. Let’s talk about it on Sunday.”

An Mufeng forced a smile and, under Xia Mi’s urging, rode the shared bike away.

Translator’s Notes