Hearing her words, Xiao Yunting’s heart suddenly tightened for no reason, twinging with a dull, aching soreness.
He cleared his throat, at a loss for what to say. “You don’t even have a place to stay here—how are you planning to live all by yourself?”
At this long-awaited show of concern, Yu Wanzhi’s eyes slowly misted over. “You don’t need to worry about that. Just explain things to the police for me. In ten days, I’ll come find you at the gate of your family compound. Bring my household registration and the letter of introduction, and I’ll pay you for your trouble~” Brushing away the tears that threatened to fall, she turned to leave.
Xiao Yunting was completely flustered. Not caring who might be watching, he reached out and caught her slender wrist in a firm grip. “Wait… didn’t you say you haven’t eaten in two days? Let me take you to get something to eat first, alright? We can talk about everything else afterwards…”
Yu Wanzhi instantly brightened up, grinning cheerfully. “Sure!”
Xiao Yunting: “……”
This little handful… she must be a spirit in human form. One moment she’s on the verge of tears, the next she’s beaming like nothing happened. Truly, beautiful women are all natural actresses—they can turn on a dime, faster than flipping a page in a book!
Though… supernatural beings were forbidden after the founding of the nation. He was probably just imagining things.
“Wait here for me a moment. I’ll go speak to the officers, then I’ll take you to the state-run hotel for a proper meal.” Xiao Yunting released her wrist, unconsciously rubbing his fingers together. Tsk… this little firecracker has incredibly soft skin—cool, smooth, and silky to the touch…
When they returned to the police station, before anyone could even speak, Xiao Yunting stepped forward. “I do know her. If there’s no issue, I’ll be taking her with me.”
Fu Zhoujing let out a loud, startled curse. “Brother Xiao! Since when do you know her? How come I’ve never heard of this?”
Xiao Yunting shot him a cold, sharp glance. “Shut your mouth. No one would mistake you for a mute if you kept quiet.”
Sister Zheng, the officer who had first received Yu Wanzhi, smiled knowingly. Just as she’d suspected—this young woman’s eyes were as clear as lake water. There was no way she could be an enemy spy or saboteur!
“Congratulations on finding your fiancé. I wish you a wonderful life together. If you ever run into trouble, come find Sister Zheng, alright?”
Yu Wanzhi nodded earnestly. “Thank you, Sister Zheng! I’ll remember that~”
The other junior officers standing nearby sighed quietly. Sure enough—beautiful women are always taken!
A plain-looking female officer glared at Yu Wanzhi, who was standing meekly behind the tall man. She clenched her fist in disapproval. Though her suspicions remained, with the grandson of Commander Xiao personally vouching for the young woman, she truly had no grounds to detain her any longer. She could only let them go.
Once outside the station gates, Fu Zhoujing tugged Xiao Yunting aside and hurried him forward a few steps, lowering his voice. “Chief… who exactly is this woman?”
“Did you even check her documents properly? Let me remind you—things have been incredibly tense these past few months. Don’t let a pretty face make you act like a fool, believing every word she says! Even if she’s not a spy, what if she’s an informant sent by your grandfather’s rivals?”
Xiao Yunting kept his hands tucked into his trouser pockets, his gaze drifting repeatedly to the young woman walking a short distance behind them, neither too close nor too far. “The person who could ever deceive me hasn’t even been born yet. I say she’s trustworthy—and she is.”
Leaving everything else aside—the fact that she knew about his heart-shaped birthmark alone was enough to convince him ninety-nine percent. There was simply no way she could have seen it in his sleep. Still… everything that had happened today completely defied everything he thought he knew. He never imagined something so utterly unbelievable could actually be real…
“By the way—your grandfather left you that courtyard house in Huaihua Alley, didn’t he? Anyone living there now?” In any case, this girl had come to him for help. It was only right that he should arrange proper lodging and meals for her, wasn’t it?
Fu Zhoujing blinked in surprise, glancing back over his shoulder. “You mean… for her?”
Xiao Yunting smacked him upside the head, twisting his face back around. “What a stupid question! Of course she won’t stay there for free—I’ll pay you the rent!”
“Fine. I was planning to lease it to the neighborhood office anyway. If you need it, I’ll pass on the other offer.” Fu Zhoujing remained deeply suspicious of Yu Wanzhi, silently resolving to find an opportunity to test her himself.
The three of them arrived at the state-run restaurant. Xiao Yunting sent Fu Zhoujing ahead to order food while he found a table with Yu Wanzhi. Their earlier conversation at the station had only scratched the surface—there were still so many things he was burning to ask.
“So… about us… in our past life… what was it like?”
Yu Wanzhi looked up at him, her almond-shaped eyes bright and clear as starlight. She studied the man across from her—sharp, handsome features, a tall straight nose graced with a single mole, long dark lashes that swept downward when he lowered his gaze, and firm lips pressed into a cool, composed line that made him look rather intimidating.
“It was quite nice, actually. You were absolutely besotted with me. You’d hold me in your arms and kiss me every chance you got—you even insisted on bringing me along when you went to work!”
“Cough—cough—!” Xiao Yunting choked violently on his own saliva, face turning bright red. “Shh… hush! Do you want to get me arrested for indecency? Keep your voice down!”
Yu Wanzhi puffed out her cheeks. “But you asked me! I’m just telling the truth~”
Xiao Yunting’s face burned crimson. Instinctively, his hand lifted to cover her mouth—but realizing where they were, he forced himself to lower it slowly back to his side.
“Did we… have children together? You mentioned earlier that I was hit by a car… in that life. Did I… survive? And how old were our children?” Personally, given his personality, he’d never imagined himself as a father—so this question weighed heavily on his mind.
Instead of answering, Yu Wanzhi turned toward the serving counter. “I’m hungry. When will the food be ready?”
Right. She’d told him—she’d traveled so far to find him, she hadn’t eaten in two whole days.
A wave of guilt washed over Xiao Yunting. “Very soon. The menu here is always the same few dishes every day—let’s just get something in your stomach first. If there’s anything you’re especially craving, I’ll take you somewhere else tomorrow.”
“Don’t go to any trouble. Whatever is fine. You should get back to your work—don’t let me keep you from your duties~”
Xiao Yunting felt a strange, tangled emotion swelling in his chest. His Adam’s apple bobbed slowly as he looked away, trying to sound casual and unaffected. “I’m not busy. Besides… you don’t know a soul here, right? I’ll show you around these past few days. We can buy you some clothes and daily necessities—whatever you need.”
He felt torn in two. Part of him wanted nothing to do with this stranger. Yet another, deeper part of him ached to take care of everything for her, as if guided by some invisible, unbreakable thread…
After finishing their meal together, the three walked to Fu Zhoujing’s courtyard house in Huaihua Alley. But upon seeing the place, Xiao Yunting’s brows drew together in a deep frown. He gestured toward the weed-choked yard and window frames missing their glass panes.
“Is this place even fit for human habitation?”
Fu Zhoujing scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “It used to be occupied by a dozen different families. It took forever to get them all to move out. I just… haven’t gotten around to cleaning it up yet~”
“Tell you what—give me a few days. I’ll make sure at least one room is properly cleaned and ready for her to move into!”
Yu Wanzhi, too, looked at the place with clear distaste. Ever since she’d been with Xiao Yunting at eighteen, he had never once let her suffer hardship. Even after they’d divorced, he had made certain every single detail of her life was perfectly arranged.