The instructor must have noticed that the timid and frightened administrative staff was instilling some negative energy into me and feared that my shift wouldn't last and that it would drag on for too long, so he came over, patted my shoulder, and said, "Tobby, you don't need to work the day shift. Come back at 9:30 in the evening to take over until 8:00 tomorrow morning."
I stood up and nodded.
The instructor appreciated that as a police officer, one should not fear trouble. With earnest advice, he said to me, "When faced with difficulties, we must confront them head-on. Otherwise, what kind of police officers are we? Our country is governed by the rule of law. Who can be more powerful than the state? With the state backing us up, if someone causes trouble, let them deal with the law."
I nodded, "Alright, then I'll come back tonight for my shift."
The instructor smiled and nodded.
This arrangement meant I had nothing to do during the day, which was actually to my liking, because I needed to train during the day to regain my strength. If I were on day shift, I would have no time to train.
Returning to my apartment, I stepped out of the elevator that led to my top-floor unit and saw a woman with a killer figure. The so-called "killer figure" refers to someone whose body shape seen from behind can instantly make people imagine she must be a 70-point level beauty. Of course, some might turn around and blind you with an ugly face.
Probably having heard the elevator door open, the woman waiting in the hallway with her suitcase turned around. If her back was a 70, her delicate face was surely a 90-point beauty!
The woman didn't say anything until I took out my key to open my door. She then asked in surprise, "You must be the new tenant on this floor, right?"
I looked at the woman in surprise. Her short denim shorts revealed long, fair legs, paired with a somewhat long and loose coat, giving her an appearance of a homey little woman.
"I am." I said.
But just as I finished, the homey little woman suddenly grabbed me by the wrist and threw me over her shoulder, catching me off guard and causing me to fall to the ground, lying face down.
Wow, I was genuinely surprised. I hadn't expected such a seemingly fragile woman to throw down a man like me, who stood at 1.9 meters tall!
I simply lay on the ground, trying to figure things out first. The technique this woman just displayed was exactly the kind of close combat used by police districts or the military, so it seemed she might be a colleague too.
The woman squatted down and said through gritted teeth, "I was doing just fine here until you arrived, and now the property management wants me to move out because of you. So what if you have money? Do you know how hard it is to find an apartment in Summit City? Everything should follow the principle of first come, first served. If anyone needs to move, it should be you. Otherwise, I'll stand at the door every day. If you dare to live here comfortably, I'll deal with you like this every time I see you, understand?"
I chuckled and shook my head.
"What's so funny?" the woman asked disdainfully.
I suddenly kicked with both feet, bounced up, and grabbed the woman's shoulder unceremoniously, returning the favor with an over-the-shoulder throw of my own. Since we were colleagues, I decided to use the martial arts style among armed police to return the gesture. The woman tried to resist when her wrist was grabbed, but she soon realized my strength, experience, and technique were more advanced. In shock, she found herself losing balance and falling to the ground, though I managed to control the fall to prevent her from truly hitting the floor hard.
I shook my clothes and said, "If you decide to hit me whenever you see me, I won't mind retaliating and making sure you suffer."
Then, I pushed the door open and walked in. As I was about to close the door, the woman pressed her entire arm into the gap to stop me, shouting, "Are you even a man? How could you hit a woman?"
I noticed that she had her whole arm wedged in the doorway and didn't retract it in fear of getting hurt. When I did try to close the door, it pinched her arm, making her frown in pain and bite her lip, but she stubbornly didn't withdraw her arm, preventing me from closing the door.
"I'm only responsible for moving in here. I'm not responsible for anything about you. If you have any issues, talk to the property management," I said.
"But..." the woman was anxious, "But it's really hard to find a place in Summit City. I finally settled here, and I've been living here for a month. Just asking me to move out is too inconsiderate, isn't it?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the property management should compensate you with double the rental amount according to the breach of contract, right? Aren't you satisfied with that?" I retorted.
"I don't need the breach compensation, just don't make me move. Finding a place is hard right now, and this place is very close to my work. How can they just ask me to leave suddenly? Do you have some sort of illness or something? This top floor has four units, and you plan to merge all four for yourself? That's over a thousand square feet! How boring! Look, how about this: let me rent one room from you, and I'll pay the market rate," the woman suggested.
"Not interested. I don't need the money," I responded.
The woman widened her eyes, "Hey, are you really a man? Other guys would be eager to hit on me, and I'm practically suggesting cohabitation. Isn't this your lucky break? Any other man would have let me stay for free by now."
"Then go find another guy." I said, this time ready to slam the door with a heavy hand. Seeing my stone-cold determination, the woman got scared and quickly pulled her arm back.
After I closed the door, the defeated woman outside muttered, "It's not easy for a single woman like me. I've been assigned to Summit City's criminal police department. I'm in a strange place with cases piling up. Where can I find time to look for a new place?"
Hearing her mention she's also been transferred to Summit City, I stopped in my tracks, turned around, opened the door, and asked her, "Show me your credentials."
The woman stood up confidently and presented her credentials, saying, "I'm not lying to you."
After pondering for a moment, I said, "Aren't you afraid to share a place with someone you don't know? Just the two of us, single man and woman, aren't you worried?"
The woman, who wasn't dumb, smiled slightly, "That's why I'm showing you my credentials. Even if you're silly, you wouldn't mess with a cop, right? And we're sharing the unit, not the room. I'm really out of options. Once I'm done with my cases and find a new place, I'll move out."
"Come on in." I opened the door wide and walked back into the room.
The woman was overjoyed, letting out a snort of triumph, "In the end, you still succumbed to my looks, didn't you?"
I noticed she hadn't closed the door and chuckled, "Are you scared?"
"Who said I'm scared?" the woman snorted.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Brittany Scott, and you?"
"Tobby Curry," I responded, smiling knowingly at her, "If you're not scared, why didn't you close the door?"
Oops, the guy in front of her was sharp-minded and not simple. He had picked up on that tiny clue.
As a criminal investigator, Brittany found it a bit embarrassing that he saw through her vulnerabilities and state of mind.
She straightened her leg to gently kick the door shut and looked at me challengingly, "So what if it's closed?"
I declared, "You're welcome to move in. Except for my room, you can choose one of the other two. Additionally, there's no need for you to pay and cover rent, as long as you help with cleaning while coming and going from work."
I wasn't lazy; I simply didn't want to spend my training time on household chores.