“Goddamn lovebirds. I bet there’s some hidden meaning behind Detective Luo’s choice of name for his agency. Could it be ‘Husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but when disaster strikes, they fly apart’?”
Wen Ying grumbled the whole way.
That evening, Chen Li went to meet Teacher Lin, so Wen Ying stayed behind. She borrowed Deng Yaomei’s phone and slipped downstairs to call 114 for information.
Deng Yaomei, working as a nanny, sometimes picked up kids from school, so Chen Li had given her a phone for convenience.
Deng Yaomei had a phone, but 16-year-old Wen Ying didn’t.
In Chen Ru’s view—and many parents’ at the time—a phone would distract Wen Ying from studying, make her obsess over texting in class, and lead to early romance.
Wen Ying didn’t mind too much. She wasn’t always at odds with her mom. Chen Ru might be authoritarian about education, but at work, she was reasonable, with sound judgment.
If not for needing to resolve Deng Shangwei’s issue, Wen Ying wouldn’t have felt inconvenienced without a phone. Her current social circle didn’t demand constant contact.
Still, she was starting to think she needed one.
Having lived in 2019, going without a phone felt like stepping out half-dressed—something was off.
She just wasn’t sure how much of her 6,200 yuan would remain after hiring Detective Luo, and whether it’d cover a phone.
After dinner, many strolled in the neighborhood. To make her call, Wen Ying sought a quiet spot, ending up near the villa district.
The villa area, with its dense trees and sparse houses, was secluded.
Praying to the heavens, Wen Ying hoped Detective Luo’s “Lovebirds” was a legitimate, registered agency, not some fly-by-night operation plastered on utility poles.
The gods must’ve heard her. Through 114, she found the agency’s number.
Standing by a large willow tree, she dialed. A man answered.
“Detective Luo?”
“That’s me. Hello, who’s this?”
“I have an investigation request. Do you take it?”
“Catching a cheater?”
“Yup, catching a cheater!”
“Husband or boyfriend?”
“My uncle-in-law.”
“Oh, uncle-in-law… Wait, what? Uncle-in-law?!”
Detective Luo was caught off guard.
He’d handled cases investigating cheating fathers, but an uncle-in-law was a first. He hesitated.
Private detectives weren’t legally supported in China, and some methods skirted legality. Luo had been chased by targets before while catching cheaters.
Most clients were girlfriends, wives, or children. He’d deliver findings, and how they handled it was their business—family disputes didn’t implicate him.
Catching cheaters was his safest gig, though he didn’t want to be stuck with only those cases.
A niece investigating her uncle-in-law? That was outside his wheelhouse.
Wen Ying didn’t rush him, letting him mull it over.
After a pause, Luo didn’t commit but asked if she could visit the agency to discuss details before he decided.
Wen Ying agreed but said she’d confirm the time later.
“Sorry, I’m pretty busy. I’ll try for tomorrow, but I can’t be sure yet.”
She wasn’t kidding—she was swamped.
She had to monitor Deng Shangwei at the company and catch up on studies. She needed a cloning technique!
Hanging up, Wen Ying, frustrated, yanked leaves off the willow, stripping several branches bald. Still not done, she circled to continue her assault on the poor tree.
Two steps in, she froze. Someone was leaning against the tree’s other side.
Chengdu’s summer days were long, with sunset glow lingering and streetlights still off.
She must’ve been blind earlier to miss him. When she saw who it was, her blood surged from her heels to her scalp.
The boy leaned against the tree, hands in pockets, earphones in, seemingly listening to music. Sunset rays filtered through the willow, dappling his face. A strand of hair fluttered in the breeze, scattering flecks of light.
Such divine looks—Wen Ying, across two lifetimes, knew only one person with them.
Xie Qian!
Was she living a protagonist’s script, running into Xie Qian twice in three days?
Was fate toying with her?
What had she just done? She’d hired a detective to catch a cheater in front of Xie Qian!
The phrase “catching a cheater” was an affront to Xie Qian’s ears.
Stay calm.
He was wearing earphones—likely hadn’t heard her.
Wen Ying tiptoed back, out of the tree’s range, then bolted, feigning composure.
Xie Qian definitely didn’t hear!
Nope, definitely not.
Even if he did… well, it wouldn’t matter. Xie Qian wasn’t the nosy type. If he overheard her hiring a detective, he wouldn’t blab.
Her nerves settled.
A twinge of embarrassment crept in.
It wasn’t aimed at Xie Qian but herself.
She was a reincarnator, had seen the world in big cities, and was mentally mature. Why couldn’t she act natural around Xie Qian?
Living again, she was still a fangirl in his presence.
Had she overplayed the schoolgirl act today, cursed by some operator?
She couldn’t regress!
Forcing a fierce expression, Wen Ying stormed home.
Once she was gone, Xie Qian, still against the tree, opened his eyes.
The last rays of sunset glinted in them, like a hidden galaxy.
He removed his earphones.
With guests at his cousin’s house, he’d just wanted a walk. He had no phone or music player—the earphones were unconnected.
So, he’d heard everything Wen Ying said.
When she came to the tree to call, he couldn’t leave in time. As she mentioned catching a cheater, he stayed still to avoid embarrassing her.
He wasn’t keen on eavesdropping, so he plugged his ears.
But her voice was clear, and even with earphones, he caught it—catching a cheater, huh? Trouble followed her everywhere.
Brushing grass off his pants, Xie Qian strolled through the villa district’s shaded paths, returning to his cousin Lin Lin’s house.
He ran into Chen Li leaving. Stepping aside, he let her pass without a glance.
Lin Lin, seeing her off, sensed something. “You don’t like Sister Chen?”
“Yeah.”
He didn’t.
An adult, relying on a minor for protection.
