Chapter 252: I

"Don't get me wrong, I'm saying I like people like you."

"Huh?"

"Soldiers, huh? I like soldiers; they make you feel safe."

"Oh…"

Kang Changyi felt very guilty.

He almost thought he'd been confessed to.

The girl admiringly said, "Soldiers are strong and mighty; they have robust arms, firm will, indomitable spirit. I've liked soldiers since I was a child, and my biggest dream is to marry an officer someday."

Kang Changyi unconsciously puffed his chest, his mouth corners wobbling like a seesaw, hard to suppress.

His military career, ever since being assigned to Mo Bu Sixth Company after graduation, has been very rough.

Every day it's either facing oppression and defiance, or being on the road of being oppressed and defiant.

This time, he finally met someone he could chat with, someone who somewhat understood him.

"You still haven't told me what branch you're in?"

"Sorry, I can't disclose that; it's classified."

"Alright, then how much do you earn now, can you share?"

"Enough."

"Anyway, I know that as soldiers your food and drink are provided by the unit, there's hardly any place to spend money."

"Right, we don't even have to buy clothes; daily necessities are all issued by the unit, and family members can also…"

Just as Kang Changyi was babbling on about the benefits of being a soldier's family, exquisite dishes were brought out one after another.

Lu Yang saw the waiter bringing up more steak, lobster, and red wine, and immediately got a bad feeling.

Zhou Kaidong teased, "This kid spends a fortune chasing girls; if he can't get reimbursed later, won't he cry himself to death?"

Lu Yang sipped his tea, shook his head, and said nothing.

Meanwhile, the waiter came to ask if they wanted to order.

He just waved his hand, saying the person hadn't arrived yet, and asked for a bit more hot water.

"Eat, don't be polite; you keep talking about me, yet I still don't know what you do for work?"

"Me? I mainly travel on business, running all over the country."

The girl deftly tore open a disposable glove and blew on it.

"Here, put it on."

"Thanks."

Kang Changyi smiled brightly, feeling the other was thoughtful.

"So you're always on the move; must be tough, right?"

"It's okay, mainly having to deal with all kinds of people, pretty annoying, and sometimes I have to drink."

The girl raised her wine glass to him, smiled, "But meeting you makes me happy."

Kang Changyi sat up straight, flicked his non‑existent bangs, feeling wonderfully pleased.

After the two clinked glasses, the other took a shallow sip and stood up.

"I'd like to use the restroom."

"Go ahead."

Kang Changyi was then completely immersed in the food, wine, and flattering words.

He didn't notice a bit that as the girl stood to leave, she also lifted her bag.

Lu Yang noticed this detail, instantly realized what kind of person she was, and immediately told Zhou Kaidong, who quietly followed.

After they left, Lu Yang coughed and said to Kang Changyi, "The chat was fun; are we about to start talking about marriage now?"

Kang Changyi chuckled foolishly, "No way, no way. I was just telling you, I've confirmed she's definitely not a spy, but I guess she's taken a liking to me."

"Heh, taken a liking to you?"

Lu Yang sneered, "She's after your wallet."

"What do you mean?"

"She's a food‑scammer."

"No way!"

Kang Changyi often goes online and has seen such news before.

But food‑scammers are usually flamboyantly dressed with big waves.

How could she be such an innocent‑looking little girl?

Lu Yang: "Do you think she'll come back after using the restroom?"

Realizing too late, Kang Changyi felt something was wrong and rushed to the bar to ask.

He learned she had already left through the back door, leaving only a bill of over fifteen thousand.

"Damn!"

Even with Kang Changyi's good temper, he couldn't help swearing now.

He had thought that with his wit, such a thing couldn't happen to him.

But he didn't expect to be cut cleanly like that, while he was still feeling blissful, thinking about romance.

Looking back, the girl's earlier remarks about "running all over the country" and "often entertaining different people" perfectly described his wine‑and‑food‑scammer role.

These scammers use romance as a pretext to swindle food and drink, not just to pick a spot to change clothes and fire a shot; they select targets everywhere.

Kang Changyi felt like he should have used his brain, yet realized he hadn't even taken it out: "Damn it, I actually couldn't see through such a low‑level scam?"

"What did I say? I've long said that woman isn't a good person!"

"Sir, this is your bill; please check it."

The waiter passed the bill forward, and when Kang Changyi saw the numbers on it, he felt like a donkey.

"You guys are in the same group, following the scam, aren't you?"

"Sir, don't speak recklessly!"

"Call the police; I'm calling them right now!"

"Whatever you want."

A few waiters, feeling brazen, didn't care at all.

Such incidents are commonplace in some upscale restaurants around Chengbei New District.

Even if the police arrive it's useless, because this is a civil dispute; the other side lacks substantive evidence, so one can only suffer a silent loss, and it ends without resolution.

There are many similar scams, such as handing out small cards on pedestrian streets for free facials, cheap haircuts and perms; once taken into the shop, you can't leave without shedding a bit of blood.

When faced with such cases, the police are also headache‑ridden; despite their constant crackdowns, people still fall for them.

Soon, two police officers received the call and arrived at the restaurant to ask what had happened.

Kang Changyi quickly narrated his experience, but the manager shut him down with a single sentence.

"We don't know those people; our restaurant absolutely does not engage in the vile practice of food‑baiting or drink‑baiting."

"The dishes were ordered by you two; everything is on camera, and the menu lists clear prices, so there is no deception of consumers."

"Big shots go on a blind date, and when the talks fall through they default? If you haven't taken the money, don't pretend to be rich, yet you ordered a bottle of red wine costing over eight thousand!"

"Besides, who knows whether you two know each other, colluded, and came here to eat a free‑rider meal?"

At that moment, the question was thrown at Kang Changyi, leaving him stuck at both ends.

When ordering earlier, to display gentlemanly demeanor, he handed the menu to the other party to choose.

He thought the extra cost would be only a few thousand yuan, but it turned out to be that expensive!

Kang Changyi quickly produced his officer's ID: "I am a soldier; I vouch for my words and actions!"

Lu Yang rolled his eyes; pulling out the officer's ID now is just announcing that this soldier has been reduced to a dog's belly, right?

The officer took it, glanced at it, and helplessly said, "Sorry, this can only prove your status as a soldier, not anything else. How about I call that friend of yours?"

"What's her name, and what's her phone number?"

"Her name is......"

Kang Changyi froze instantly.

Damn!

Only her online handle is known; her real name is unknown.

As for a phone number, there isn't one—just a penguin account!

Lu Yang really wanted to give this guy a kick; if it were set in that era—

No need for harsh torture; if the enemy employs a beauty trap, they'd likely defect.

"Officer, please wait a moment; we'll let the parties explain themselves shortly."

"Alright, we'll wait then."

The manager and several waiters wore brazen smiles, not fearing this at all.

But they didn't expect that at that moment Zhou Kaidong entered, escorting the previously mentioned female wine‑baiter from outside.

The female wine‑baiter kept shouting "It hurts", loosened, but Zhou Kaidong shoved her straight in front of the two officers.

The two officers exchanged a glance; with the suspect caught, the evidence chain could form a complete loop, making the case much easier.

The female wine‑baiter couldn't withstand the intimidation; a series of interrogation moves made her recount the crime in detail.

She even emphasized that they only target men online who look stupid, brainless, self‑righteous, lecherous and narcissistic.

Lu Yang and Zhou Kaidong, hearing this outside, laughed so hard they could barely stand, their faces twisted with laughter.

The restaurant manager was summoned, the door was sealed, and everything proceeded according to procedure.

After leaving the police station in the afternoon, Kang Changyi was dejected, and Lu Yang smiled and nudged him.

"Guo Guo, still doing online dating?"

"......"

"Guo Guo, I flaunt you, you flaunt me?"

"......"

Zhou Kaidong also mimicked the female wine‑baiter's tone, teasing with a smiling eyes.

Kang Changyi felt utterly ashamed, wanting to slip into a crack.

Zhou Kaidong laughed and comforted, "Alright, don't be down. Even if she's not a female spy, we've still removed a pest from society, right?"

Kang Changyi hung his head, "If this female wine‑baiter could keep you in the squad, my effort wouldn't have been in vain..."

"Forget it," Lu Yang patted him, "There aren't that many spies for us to catch; we just go out hoping for luck. We're not possessed by Conan; wherever we go, trouble follows."

"That's right, makes sense. It's still early; should we go back now, or keep playing a bit longer?"

"Let's play a bit longer; it's still daylight. This guy got a free feast, and we're still hungry."

"Then, find a small restaurant to eat something?"

"Come on, come on, when we first arrived, we saw an Old Sichuan place ahead; let's eat there."

The three didn't drive; they walked along the curb, and happened to see a fashionable lady on the side handing out flyers.

"Hey, three handsome guys, come get a foot massage. Grand opening promotion: spend a thousand, get a thousand free."

"Your shop can't be an unlicensed one, can it?"

Lu Yang glanced at the foot‑massage shop's sign and asked cautiously.

The fashionable lady smiled and said, "Look at this curtain; could it be unlicensed? We offer green, healthy wellness services, and the technicians are all respectable young women!"

「What's the point of being legitimate? 」

Lu Yang waved his hand, pulling the two along as he was about to leave.

The stylish madam hurriedly blocked them, speaking mysteriously.

「We can also be illegitimate here; it mainly depends on the customer's needs. 」

「Illegitimate? If it's illegitimate, we definitely can't go! 」

Lu Yang shook his head, pulling Zhou Kaidong and the two away in big strides.

Only the stylish foot massage shop madam was left, hopping with anger, pointing at the three and spewing vulgarities.