Chapter 001: You're Three Minutes Late
Wen Ruo, the colleague who arranged to rendezvous with you, will be in position in seven minutes! Please respond if you receive this message!"
Crackle!
Wen Ruo only caught the first half of the sentence in her earpiece before a harsh interference noise disrupted it.
She had to guess the rest of the message! Was it one minute or seven minutes?
A middle-aged man in a black trench coat had already crossed the street and was walking towards her.
The man wore a hat and mask, revealing only a pair of sinister eyes.
Pretending not to see him, Wen Ruo lifted her foot and walked towards the nearby office building.
She was a young police officer who had recently graduated. Previously assigned to the miscellaneous affairs investigation team, she was temporarily shifted to the criminal division due to her unfamiliarity and tasked with trailing a suspect.
The suspect had solid anti-tracking skills. The mission was going smoothly until, just as Wen Ruo was about to wrap up, a child nearly got hit by a red car that ran a red light. Wen Ruo dashed out to pull the child back, but when she turned around, she locked eyes with the suspect.
Perhaps her trained reflexes aroused the suspect's suspicion, for after she got up, the suspect began to follow her.
When Ruo made her way here, and because her receiver malfunctioned, she had no choice but to enter the adjacent office building bravely.
And the suspect followed her in.
As Wen Ruo ascended the staircase and looked up, she saw a sign with six bold characters: Beiqu District Civil Affairs Bureau.
The Civil Affairs Bureau?
Isn't this the place for marriages and divorces?
Taking a deep breath, Wen Ruo braced herself and stepped to the last step, only to be blocked by a tall figure in front of her.
Instinctively, she moved to the left, and so did the figure.
When Ruo looked up at him, he was a towering presence with a commanding aura. He was dressed in a finely tailored dark suit and sporting sunglasses that obscured his eyes. However, his facial features were sharply defined, exuding an elegant and compelling vibe.
"You're three minutes late!" he suddenly said in a deep, magnetic voice, laden with an overwhelming sense of authority.
Wen Ruo's first thought was: Is this the codeword for the meeting?
Has the person arranged by my superiors arrived?
Seeing her standing still, he gestured for her to follow.
"Come with me!"
"Don't be late next time! I'm swamped."
Zhan Yan furrowed his brow, his tone and attitude icy, as if Wen Ruo owed him billions.
Subconsciously, Wen Ruo followed him, her peripheral vision catching sight of the suspect also following.
"We…"
When Ruo started to speak, but felt it needed to be corrected. She couldn't say too much now. The person her superiors arranged to rendezvous would have made all the necessary arrangements; she just needed to follow.
Meanwhile, Zhan Yan was quite agitated.
For his mother's sake, he had come to register a marriage certificate with a woman he had never met before.
All because that woman had saved his mother's life.
His mother wanted to repay the life-saving debt with his marriage!
But knowing his mother's health couldn't handle much stress; he had no choice but to agree, especially since his entire family was watching his marital matters closely. If he disagreed, someone else would.
However, he had made it clear beforehand that he would sign the certificate but would not undertake any responsibilities as a husband beyond financial support!
He wouldn't reveal his true identity either but would meet her as an ordinary person.
He would end it immediately if he found any issues with her character after marriage.
Zhan Yan glanced at Wen Ruo, who was trailing behind him, not even getting a clear look at her face.
To him, she would be a roommate under the same roof.
"ID card. I've arranged for an expedited process."
Zhan Yan, tall with long strides, led the way with an unemotional tone, while Wen Ruo, at 168 cm, had to jog to keep up.
Surprised, she glanced at Zhan Yan's retreating figure. Did her superiors assign the colleague, who was supposed to be this handsome, to rendezvous with her?
He looked a bit old, his face tense. Could it be nervousness on his first mission of this kind?
When Ruo handed her ID card to Zhan Yan, who hadn't even looked at it, she passed it directly to the assistant waiting by the elevator.