Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Arrested on the Spot?

On the other end of the phone, Old Wang chuckled, “That must be a policewoman; otherwise, she wouldn’t be so perceptive!”

“Indeed, she is a policewoman.”

Lin Chuan laughed.

In his mind, the image of Shen Qianqian emerged.

Her black hair tied up in a ponytail revealed her delicate features, fair skin, and the shallow dimples that appeared when she smiled, but when she donned her uniform, she looked valiant and formidable.

However, Lin Chuan’s impression of Shen Qianqian chiefly came from the bone-chilling interrogations in the interrogation room.

She had the suspect handsome guy vibe, very penal.

“Old Lin, there’s something else I want to ask you for a favor,” said Old Wang, whose voice, usually so assertive, suddenly softened.

Lin Chuan’s eyebrows rose, and he asked with a smile, “What is it?”

Old Wang spoke with a bit of awkwardness, “Tomorrow, could you accompany me to a matchmaking meeting, how about it?”

“Matchmaking!?”

Lin Chuan’s brows furrowed, confusion evident on his face.

Old Wang was about the same age as him.

At twenty-four or twenty-five, was he already going for matchmaking?

Old Wang curled his lip and said, “Old Lin, why are you so surprised? In our line of work, we spend our days at home typing, the opposite sex we come into contact with are just fellow female authors, female readers, female editors—you can count them all on one hand.”

“This…” Lin Chuan touched his nose, pondering for a moment.

That was indeed the case.

Since he began writing, the few women who made a lasting impression on him were an editor, a policewoman, the Little Landlady.

Right, and the married woman he once pursued…

Ah spit!

She wasn’t a married woman when he was pursuing her.

Beyond that, there was no one else.

The editor was far away, the policewoman was a brief encounter, the Little Landlady was engrossed in films, and the married woman… out of reach.

Finished.

Doomed to be alone!

After listening to Old Wang, Lin Chuan felt like he was looking in a mirror.

“Old Lin, why aren’t you saying anything?” asked Old Wang.

Lin Chuan snapped back to reality, “Oh… there’s nothing wrong with matchmaking, I’ll accompany you tomorrow.”

On the phone, Old Wang grinned, “It’s a deal then, I’ll send you the address later.”

He hung up the phone.

Lin Chuan poured himself a cup of boiled water and guzzled it down.

He hadn’t thought too much about it.

PK with a best-selling author reaching ten thousand orders?

Strike down the darkness with thunder!

As for love and matchmaking, why bother with that!

Clothes don’t necessarily have to be washed by someone else, if there’s no washing machine, he could wash them by hand, right?

His goal was simple.

He could never work a regular job!

Earn money!

After all, life is about money equating to material things, get money, and you solve ninety-nine percent of your worries.

If it doesn’t solve them, perhaps it’s because the amount earned isn’t enough.

It might seem like a warped perspective, but on second thought, it made a twisted kind of sense.

Lin Chuan wasn’t a sociologist, he didn’t ponder the deep-seated reasons behind it.

Who cares anyway!

Once you have money, what do you need a bicycle for?

That’s right!

I still have an ace up my sleeve!

Cheat code, activate!

…

…

The next day, noon.

At Anling City, outside the Redwood Cafe.

Old Wang had shaved his stubble, combed his hair to look mature, and wore a sharp suit.

By contrast with Old Wang,

Lin Chuan’s attire was more casual—slacks and a white T-shirt, his features clean-cut and sunny.

“Old Wang, did you spray cologne?”

Lin Chuan sniffed the faint scent on Old Wang and asked in surprise.

“How is it, does brother smell good?” Old Wang wiggled his eyebrows.

Lin Chuan stepped back, “Old Wang, I’m straight, you know!”

“What are you thinking about? I just wanted to ask if girls would like it,” Old Wang said with a smile.

Lin Chuan shook his head, “A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets.”

The two walked into the cafe.

Inside the cafe, a rich coffee aroma blended with the strains of jazz music created a comfortable and cozy atmosphere.

Old Wang scanned the room and straightened his suit before leading Lin Chuan to a window seat.

Lin Chuan took a glance.

At the window seat, two girls sat looking out the window.

“Hello, I’m Wang Zikai, introduced by Aunt Wang.”

Old Wang smiled slightly as he introduced himself.

The two girls turned their heads.

One of them, with slightly curly long hair draping over her shoulders, revealed a smile, “Hello, I’m Xue Qiqi, introduced by Aunt Wang.”

Lin Chuan, however, wore a strange expression as he looked at the other girl.

She was dressed in a fresh little white dress, her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her delicate face was lightly made-up. She blinked her eyes, beaming at Lin Chuan, with faint dimples on her cheeks.

“What a coincidence, Writer Lin.”

Xue Qiqi and Wang Zikai both looked at their companions, “You know each other?”

Shen Qianqian nodded.

Lin Chuan also nodded, forcing a smile, “Quite a coincidence indeed, Officer Shen.”

They sat down.

Old Wang nudged Lin Chuan and asked quietly, “How do you know each other?”

Lin Chuan’s face was bitter: “Got taken to the little black room.”

Old Wang discreetly gave Lin Chuan a thumbs up.

Wow!

So it was her who caught you.

Such a twist of fate!

Lin Chuan glanced at Shen Qianqian, who now lacked the seriousness she had in the interrogation room, instead displaying more sweetness and vivacity.

A stark contrast in styles.

Lin Chuan wondered how Shen Qianqian managed to switch so effortlessly.

But the main characters of this blind date were not the two of them.

It was Wang Zikai and Xue Qiqi.

Lin Chuan listened from the side. Xue Qiqi seemed to have a pretty good impression of Wang Zikai, and she was also a writer, a colleague in the field.

The two hit it off quite well in their conversation.

“It’s a bit dull just chatting, how about we play a game?” Xue Qiqi suggested.

Old Wang agreed readily, “What shall we play?”

“Qianqian doesn’t know many games, let’s play poker,” Xue Qiqi said with a laugh.

“Old Lin, how about poker?”

Old Wang looked at Lin Chuan, asking.

In the past, when he played cards with Lin Chuan, he often won more than lost, naturally aware that Lin Chuan was terrible at cards.

Lin Chuan then looked at Shen Qianqian: “Is it okay to play cards?”

Shen Qianqian smiled, “Of course, why do you ask, Writer Lin?”

“I’m afraid of being caught.”

Lin Chuan grimaced.

Shen Qianqian laughed out loud, revealing her cute dimples, her voice sweet, “Entertainment isn’t illegal, I won’t arrest you.”

Both Old Wang and Xue Qiqi chuckled at Lin Chuan.

Ring ring ring–

Shen Qianqian’s phone rang with a notification.

Immediately after, she said apologetically, “Qiqi, the police station notified me that there’s a case to handle, I have to go back immediately, can’t play poker.”

Qiqi showed understanding: “It’s okay, we can also play Fight the Landlord.”

Shen Qianqian quickly left the cafe, disappearing from Lin Chuan’s view.

“Come on, let’s play Fight the Landlord.”

Old Wang got a deck of playing cards from the cafe.

The three of them played merrily.

In Old Wang’s blind date setup, Lin Chuan played a small stratagem, repeatedly claiming the role of the landlord, encouraging Old Wang and Xue Qiqi to team up.

As they played, the two of them became much more familiar with each other.

About half an hour later.

Shen Qianqian returned.

“Qianqian, you finished that quickly?”

Xue Qiqi said with a smile.

Lin Chuan looked over. Shen Qianqian was now in a police uniform with her hair in a ponytail, her pretty face looking very neat and clear-cut, yet her expression was a bit stern.

Yikes!

He was reminded of the scene in the interrogation room.

“Qiqi, I’m actually working on a case right now,” Shen Qianqian explained.

Xue Qiqi was confused, “Working on a case now?”

Shen Qianqian turned around, looking at Lin Chuan, “Lin Chuan, you are currently suspected of illegal criminal activities, please come with me to the police station.”