The office was quiet.
Desks were empty. Computers shut down. Coffee cups abandoned like a forgotten battlefield.
Xuantech Group's Financial Department had signed off for the day.
And Xia Yuwei, undercover agent disguised as a humble cleaner, walked out through the revolving glass doors with a small bag slung across her shoulder.
Her new apartment was just a 15-minute walk from the office.
She liked it.
Because that walk…
That walk meant silence.
Sky.
The cool breeze.
The smell of street food curling around corners.
And no one watching her.
At least, that's what she thought.
---
Inside a sleek black car parked quietly a block away…
Chen Yuxuan, Financial Head of Xuantech, adjusted his collar and stared ahead with a slightly troubled expression.
Zhao Lei was beside him, munching seaweed snacks like it was a stakeout in a spy movie.
"You're doing it again, sir."
"Doing what?"
"Looking at her through the tinted glass like you're auditioning for a romance drama with a tragic ending."
Yuxuan didn't reply.
He leaned forward slightly, watching Yuwei walk down the lane. She looked peaceful. Her ponytail swayed gently. Her hands were tucked into her coat pockets.
"I'm not following her," Yuxuan said firmly.
"No, no, of course not," Zhao replied, nodding dramatically. "We just happen to be driving the exact same direction at 5 km/h like a lost Uber."
"Shut up."
---
They continued like that for a few blocks.
Yuwei stopped at a small roadside dumpling stall. She didn't buy anything—just closed her eyes and took in the smell like it was perfume.
Then smiled.
Yuxuan's heart jumped. He cursed under his breath and loosened his tie.
"I'm not doing this," he muttered.
But then... he opened the car door.
Zhao choked on a seaweed chip.
"Sir—what the hell are you—"
"I'm just… getting fresh air."
"Yes, and I'm the Queen of Sweden."
Yuxuan shut the door behind him.
---
The moment his shoes hit the pavement, it was like the wind got moodier on purpose.
His coat flapped.
Hair swept across his forehead.
Streetlights flickered dramatically as if someone had whispered cue lighting.
He looked like every brooding male lead in every Chinese drama ever aired on Hunan TV.
Passersby turned. One girl actually gasped and walked into a pole.
But Yuxuan didn't notice.
He was watching her. Quietly. A safe distance behind.
Just enough to feel her presence.
Not enough to be noticed.
Or so he thought.
---
That's when fate decided to spice things up.
A small dog—fluffy, beady-eyed, suspicious—trotted up from the shadows and sniffed the air.
Its eyes locked onto Yuxuan, who had paused behind a newspaper stand.
One bark.
Two.
Three.
Yuxuan's eyes widened.
"Oh no—no no no—"
"Woof! WOOF!! WOOFWOOFWOOF!!!"
The dog charged at him like he'd stolen dumplings from its grandmother.
Yuxuan panicked and backed up.
Then—SQUELCH.
He stepped straight into a drainage opening hidden under a loose board.
One leg. Down.
Like a tragic ballet dancer falling mid-spin.
"AGHH—!"
He clutched the signpost beside him, trying to hold dignity.
He failed.
But oh no. That wasn't the end.
From the nearby bench, three aunties with shopping bags turned their heads in sync.
Their eyes narrowed.
"Is he okay?"
"Why's he hiding behind the vegetable cart?"
"Was he watching that girl?"
Before Yuxuan could even explain, one kid pointed and screamed,
"MOMMY HE'S IN THE TOILET!"
Yuwei was just ahead. She had paused. Felt a strange vibe. A weird barking. Something off behind her.
She started to turn her head—
Slowly.
Casually.
Curious.
Panic mode: activated.
Yuxuan yanked his leg out of the drain, shook it off, and—ran.
Yes.
Ran.
In a full grey trench coat, wet sock slapping against polished shoes, with a dog barking at his heels and an army of aunties pointing at him like he was a criminal.
He leapt behind a parked vegetable cart.
"Sir?" Zhao's voice crackled in his earpiece.
"Abort mission," Yuxuan wheezed, crouched like a ninja among radishes. "Abort everything. Even life."
---
Back on the street...
Yuwei turned.
There was no one.
Just a suspiciously empty sidewalk and a faint sound of barking in the distance.
She shrugged.
Maybe her spy senses were acting up again.
She walked on, humming softly.
---
Across the street, Lu Haoran had seen the whole thing.
From the rooftop of a nearby tea shop, where he'd been surveying quietly, he had watched the chaos unfold like a low-budget action movie.
He saw Yuxuan trip.
Saw the dog.
Saw the drain.
Saw the aunties.
And finally… saw Yuxuan disappear behind vegetables like an embarrassed ghost.
Haoran said nothing.
Just smiled faintly.
And turned to walk away.
Something tugged in his chest. Something strange.
But he buried it.
---
Later that night...
In his luxury apartment, Chen Yuxuan sat with his leg on a pillow and an ice pack on his ankle.
Zhao stood nearby with a straight face and a camera roll full of blackmail.
"No comment?" he asked.
Yuxuan closed his eyes.
And groaned.
"Next time," he said, "I'm sending a drone."
---
To be continued…