Chapter 313: The Policewoman's Scrutiny!

The evening breeze brushed past, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus trees by the street.

Lin Yuan froze, looking at the flicker of light in Bai Lu's eyes and her slightly reddened ear tips……

Lin Yuan suddenly felt an inexplicable pang of panic.

He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to answer——

This handsome art teacher he had just met, her confession now was like a lamp suddenly lighting up in the night, warm enough to leave him somewhat at a loss.

"Um, Bai Teacher... I feel... we... we're not really suitable..." Lin Yuan instinctively stepped back half a step, his leather shoe tapping the stone pavement, making a soft sound that was especially clear in the quiet residential area.

"Ah? No... not suitable?" At this moment, it was Bai Lu's turn to be stunned.

Lin Yuan watched that glimmer of light in Bai Lu's eyes slowly fade, only then belatedly realizing how rude his reply had been.

He hastily raised his hand and waved: "No... I didn't mean that, I mean..."

The words reached his lips but got stuck. How should he say it?

Say that from the start he never had the intention of dating when he came to the matchmaking?

Say that he attended the open class only because Director Su forced him?

The whole matchmaking session was him being forced by Director Su to come??

These words felt like they were wrapped in sandpaper—swallowing them was uncomfortable, and speaking them might hurt the person before him.

Bai Lu's lips pressed into a straight line; the ear tips that had just flushed red now lost their color, leaving only pallor.

She clenched the strap of her bag, her fingers tightening sharply, the joints turning bluish-white, and her voice carried a trembling urgency:

"Not suitable? Then why did you initially have the matchmaker contact me? After looking at my profile you still came to the matchmaking? And why did you ask me out for a meal? And why did you come to today's open class?"

Each question felt like a small stone striking Lin Yuan's heart.

He really had no grounds to refute——

During the matchmaking he didn't refuse, during the date he didn't refuse, and even in his interactions with Bai Lu he didn't refuse.

Yet these scattered feelings, before the three words 'dating,' suddenly became insubstantial, unable to support his self-image as an 'ordinary small fry.'

"Sorry." Lin Yuan lowered his head, not daring to meet Bai Lu's eyes.

He kept his voice very low: "It's my fault for not handling this well, causing you to misunderstand. I'm not a good person; being with me won't bring you happiness……"

Lin Yuan knew his fate—he was merely a nobody, a street‑ruffian who mixed in the underworld.

He had lived his life in utter disorder, so he didn't want to bring harm to Bai Lu.

Bai Lu bit her silver teeth, stepped forward in her high heels and asked, "What's wrong with you? I think you're fine."

Lin Yuan shook his head and sighed:

"Bai Teacher, I'll tell you the truth: my family owes a huge amount of debt, a debt I'll never be able to repay in this lifetime. Moreover, I actually… am mixed up in the underworld. I'm a thug. My white‑collar job is merely a tool I use to disguise my identity."

"Swish?" Hearing this, Bai Lu was stunned?

She knew Lin Yuan's identity was complicated, but she never imagined it would be this complicated??

He, still mixed up in the underworld?

"I don't care! What's debt? I can help you pay it off! What's being mixed up in the underworld? You're a good person, you treat me well—I know that—I don't care about your identity." Bai Lu said, biting her silver teeth.

Lin Yuan shook his head and said, "You're a teacher, I'm a thug… ha, how could we possibly be a match? I'm not worthy of you. Being with me would make you suffer a lifetime. Bai Teacher, sorry."

He didn't say another word, turned and walked away.

Lin Yuan's steps were much faster than when he came, even a bit flustered; as he passed the clump of osmanthus trees, tiny petals fell on his shoulders, which he didn't notice.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long, but it soon vanished around the corner of the residential area, without him looking back……

Bai Lu stood where she was, the wind carrying the scent of osmanthus blowing over, but it had lost its earlier sweetness, instead turning a bit astringent.

She raised her hand to touch her cheek, only then realizing it had become wet at some point; a cold tear dropped onto the back of her hand, making her shiver.

Lights in the building lit up one by one; other windows glowed warm yellow, but only her place felt as if it were singled out and wrapped by the night.

She slowly rode the elevator up. When she opened the door to her home, her fingers were still trembling slightly.

The living room had no lights on; she sat on the shoe‑changing bench in the entryway, staring blankly at her high heels on the floor.

Her mind kept replaying the scene just now——

Lin Yuan's startled expression, his bowed head when apologizing, and the back of him turning away.

The sense of grievance gradually faded, replaced by a feeling of unwillingness to accept it.

When had Bai Lu ever been this proactive? But is being proactive wrong?

Lin Yuan is a good person, patient with students; when eating he quietly picks out the cilantro she doesn't like, and even his speech carries a gentle tone—such a good man, should he be abandoned just because of his one line 'not suitable'?

Bai Lu suddenly stood up, walked to the window and pulled open the curtains.

Moonlight streamed in, falling on the succulents on the windowsill—lush green, full of life. She opened her notebook and wrote a line: Lin Yuan, I will not give up on you.

Bai Lu clenched her silver teeth against her red lips; this time she decided to take the initiative.

In this world, good men are becoming ever rarer.

Opportunities are reserved for those who take the initiative; missing Lin Yuan, there's no guarantee she'll meet someone so to her taste again.

So Bai Lu will not give up!

They say a woman chasing a man is like gauze—this time she must take the initiative.

……

At night, Lin Yuan's mood was very complicated; he didn't go home, but drove straight to the Goddess Bar branch.

Lin Yuan walked into the bar; the deafening electronic music in the dance floor, mixed with the sweet scent of alcohol and fruit platters, hit him in the face.

Countless young men and women were swaying to the music, the atmosphere exploding with energy.

Lin Yuan hadn't come to the bar for several days; these days he had been avoiding Mu Lingxue, fearing the beautiful policewoman would catch him.

Tonight he thought nothing would happen, so he came over to have a look.

Lin Yuan was lowering his head to adjust his cuffs, planning to first go to the bar counter to check the accounts for these days.

But as Lin Yuan just walked through the bar crowd, the corner of his eye caught that familiar figure in the corner booth.

Lin Yuan's heart gave a sudden jump?

Damn! No way it's that coincidental?

He rarely comes to a bar tonight, and he runs into a police belle??

Mu Lingxue sat by the window, an untouched cocktail in front of her, her fingertips tapping the table, her gaze sweeping across the dance floor.

She's come to stake out again tonight, hoping to catch the bar's general manager.

Lin Yuan, not far away, was terrified; he panicked and wanted to turn and leave.

But Mu Lingxue's eyes narrowed, and she suddenly saw Lin Yuan's voice.

"Hey, Lin Yuan, what are you doing here?" Mu Lingxue saw him and immediately waved at him.

Lin Yuan was about to turn and leave when he saw Mu Lingxue waving at him; he instantly felt embarrassed and could only grit his teeth and walk over.

Running now would probably be pointless.

"Lin Yuan? How are you here!" the beautiful police belle Mu Lingxue asked curiously.

Lin Yuan gave an embarrassed explanation, "Uh... today's work pressure was too high, I only got off work now, I came over to have a couple drinks to relieve the stress."

Lin Yuan casually made up a lie.

Mu Lingxue looked at him in surprise, "Just two drinks?"

Mu Lingxue raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over his neat suit and shirt, and his leather shoes.

"You're dressed just like the bar staff."

Hearing that, Lin Yuan's heart jolted—this woman, could she have found out?!

"How could I be bar staff? I'm just a white-collar worker." Lin Yuan explained nervously.

"Heh, that's true too—your frail white-collar type isn't suited for bar work; this is a high-risk job." Mu Lingxue said with a teasing smile.

"Since you're here, let's have a drink together; I happen to be staking out someone." Mu Lingxue said, ordering a cocktail for Lin Yuan.

Bartender Yu Meng prepared Lin Yuan's cocktail and handed it over as if nothing were amiss.

Lin Yuan gave her a look, signaling her to stay low-key and not give anything away.

"You're still staking out?" Lin Yuan asked after taking a sip of his cocktail.

"Yeah." Mu Lingxue brought up the topic and immediately felt vexed:

"I still haven't managed to stake out the bar's general manager. You say, isn't it strange? Every time I come, they say he's not in; the legal representative is registered under a strange name; I ask the staff, and they all act tight-lipped, not revealing a word."

She leaned in, lowered her voice, her eyes flashing with the sharpness typical of criminal investigators:

"I always feel this guy is up to something; otherwise why would he keep dodging me? Once I catch him, I'll definitely give him a thorough interrogation to find out what he's hiding."

Lin Yuan sat opposite, feeling cold sweat trickle from his forehead down his temples, his back tensing.

He is the actual operator of this bar, but the legal representative is held by someone from the Divine Phoenix Group.

At that moment, hearing Mu Lingxue list her suspicions one by one, each sentence felt like a jab to his heart.

Lin Yuan could only hold his cup and pretend to drink water, his throat tight, not daring to speak too loudly: "Yes, yes, it's quite strange… maybe they just don't want to show up."

"Not wanting to show up doesn't justify this, does it?" Mu Lingxue frowned, still pondering:

"Last time I tried to check the surveillance, the front desk blocked me, citing privacy. Next time I'll go straight to the Administration for Industry and Commerce…"

The ice cubes in the whiskey clinked softly, mixing with the faint electronic music from the bar, but they couldn't drown out Lin Yuan's inner turmoil.

His fingertips gripped the cup, his knuckles whitening.

Mu Lingxue sat opposite, her gaze occasionally sweeping over him, always with a probing look, making him feel that his little secret as the bar boss was about to be exposed.

"You don't usually come to places like this, do you?" Mu Lingxue suddenly said, tapping the rim of her cup casually, "You sit as if in class, all tense."

Lin Yuan gave a dry laugh, quickly lifted his cup and took a sip, the liquor's spiciness sliding down his throat: "Indeed, I don't come often; I don't like bars."

Just then, a sharp phone ring rang out—it was Mu Lingxue's phone.

She almost reflexively grabbed the phone; the moment the screen lit up, her smile vanished, replaced by a professional solemnity.

"Hello? Team?" she said, her voice low but unmistakably brisk.

She answered the call, apparently listening to the report on the line, while her beautiful eyes lifted to look at Lin Yuan.

Mu Lingxue's gaze locked onto him like a searchlight, exposing Lin Yuan's every small movement.

Lin Yuan's heart went "thud" and sank to the bottom of the valley, his cup almost slipping from his hand.

Lin Yuan panicked even more—

It's over, she answered the team's call—will she discover my secret?!