“No way, I hit someone!” Lin Hai quickly jumped out of the car to check on the person.
As soon as he got out, he saw a young man in elegant clothes sitting on the ground by the front of the car, looking completely lost and dejected.
“Hey buddy, are you okay?” Lin Hai asked carefully.
“Ah?” The young man looked up with a slightly dazed expression.
“I said, should I take you to the hospital to get checked out?” Lin Hai asked with a concerned look.
“Oh, no need. You didn’t actually hit me. I just got startled and fell down on my own,” the young man said, shaking his head.
Lin Hai felt a warmth in his heart. Looks like there are still plenty of good people out there. Although this guy seemed a bit out of it, his heart was in the right place—he didn’t try to take advantage of the situation and scam me.
Naturally, Lin Hai felt a bit of goodwill toward him and quickly helped him up.
“What’s going on here?” Suddenly, a police motorcycle pulled up from behind.
As the motorcycle stopped, a tall, attractive female police officer walked over.
“It’s you?” Xu Tian recognized Lin Hai right away. “What, did you hit someone? Is it serious?”
“No, I didn’t hit him, but this guy took a fall,” Lin Hai said.
Xu Tian looked a bit skeptical and turned her head toward the man Lin Hai was helping.
“Hmm? You… you’re Mayor Tang’s secretary?” Xu Tian asked, looking astonished.
Mayor Tang’s secretary? Lin Hai was stunned.
“You are…?” The young man didn’t remember meeting this beautiful police officer before.
“It really is you. Last week, you accompanied Mayor Tang on an inspection visit to our traffic police division. That’s where I saw you.”
“Oh,” the young man nodded, looking utterly listless.
“Are you okay? You don’t seem to be in a good state,” Xu Tian asked with confusion.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me. And besides, he didn’t hit me. Don’t give him a hard time,” the young man said, pointing at Lin Hai. Then he lowered his head and walked away, looking dejected.
“Hey there, Sweetie—”
“Who are you calling Sweetie!” Xu Tian shot him a glare.
“Fine then, Police Auntie—”
“Don’t call me Police Auntie!”
Lin Hai rolled his eyes. Geez, why is it so hard to have a simple conversation with you?
“Officer, just now you said that guy is Mayor Tang’s secretary?”
“That’s right,” Xu Tian nodded.
“Um, how many mayors named Tang do we have in Jiangnan City?”
“Just one. Deputy Mayor Tang Sen, who’s in charge of political and legal affairs.”
Pfft!
Lin Hai almost burst out laughing.
“Wait, what? Tang Sen? As in Tang Seng (the Monk from Journey to the West)?” Lin Hai’s eyes went wide.
Xu Tian rolled her eyes and said with annoyance, “Tang Sen—Sen as in ‘forest’! What kind of ears do you have?”
Man, what a name. Lin Hai couldn’t help but find it hilarious.
“So, I don’t even need to ask—his secretary must be surnamed Sun or Zhu, right?” Lin Hai said teasingly.
“Actually, yes. His surname is Hou. Hou Xianpin. How did you know?” Xu Tian asked in surprise.
Pfft!
“Hahahaha…” Lin Hai couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
Seriously, what are the odds? How perfectly ironic.
“What are you laughing at?” Xu Tian looked at him strangely.
“Nothing, nothing. I just think Mayor Tang really knows how to pick his secretary. Hiring someone named Hou—that’s truly knowing how to delegate!” Lin Hai said, holding back his laughter while giving a thumbs-up.
Hey, wait a second. Wasn’t I just looking for a way to get in touch with Mayor Tang? And here’s his secretary right in front of me. This is my chance!
Lin Hai suddenly realized.
Even though he wasn’t part of the political world, he knew that a secretary is the closest person to a leader. If he could win over Secretary Hou, his problem would be solved.
With that in mind, Lin Hai quickly chased after him.
“Brother Hou! Brother Hou…” Lin Hai shouted as he ran.
But as he kept calling out, something started to feel off.
Man, Mayor Tang’s name is Tang Sen, and here I am yelling “Brother Hou” over and over. How come I suddenly feel like I’m playing the role of Pigsy?
“Are you calling me?” Hou Xianpin turned around.
“Yeah, Brother Hou. Regardless, it was my driving that startled you. How about we find a place to have a couple of drinks? Let me treat you to calm your nerves and offer my apology. What do you say?”
“No need,” Hou Xianpin shook his head and kept walking forward.
Crap, what do I do now? Lin Hai was worried.
Looking at Secretary Hou’s expression—completely lost and down—it seemed like something was bothering him. Even if Lin Hai asked for his help, he probably wouldn’t be in the mood to do anything.
Lin Hai couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
“Hmm?” Suddenly, Lin Hai noticed that his Heavenly Eye ability had activated on its own.
“Is something up?” Lin Hai was puzzled. He looked around but didn’t spot anything unusual.
“Weird,” Lin Hai thought, feeling confused.
“Hey?” Then, all of a sudden, Lin Hai noticed that not far ahead, above Hou Xianpin’s head, there was a faint, light peach-red glow.
“No way, it’s the Calamity of Romantic Entanglements!” Lin Hai’s mind immediately recognized that peach-red glow.
An idea quickly formed in Lin Hai’s mind.
“Brother Hou, wait a moment.” Lin Hai quickened his pace and caught up.
“Is there something else?” Hou Xianpin frowned, starting to get impatient.
“Brother Hou, back when I was in the countryside, I learned a bit about face reading from an old master. If I’m not mistaken, it seems you’re going through the Calamity of Romantic Entanglements right now,” Lin Hai said, putting on a mysterious and profound air.
Hou Xianpin was startled, and the listlessness on his face instantly disappeared.
“What did you say?” Hou Xianpin asked with a hint of tension.
“I said, Brother Hou, you’re suffering from the Calamity of Romantic Entanglements. These past few days, you’ve probably been troubled by a woman. If you don’t handle it well, it won’t just affect your career—it could even ruin your reputation.”
Hou Xianpin’s eyes flashed sharply as he stared intently at Lin Hai.
Lin Hai didn’t say anything. He just smiled faintly and stared back at Hou Xianpin without the slightest fear.
A long moment passed.
“Phew…” Hou Xianpin let out a deep breath.
“Do you really understand face reading?”
“Whether I do or not, I believe you already have a pretty good idea by now, Brother Hou,” Lin Hai said. From Hou Xianpin’s expression, he already knew he had hit the mark.
“So… is there a way to break the curse?” Hou Xianpin’s tone grew urgent.
“Get in the car, and we’ll talk!” Lin Hai saw that the timing was right. First, he needed to get Hou Xianpin into his car.
“Alright!” Hou Xianpin nodded and followed Lin Hai into the vehicle.
“Officer, we’re heading off now,” Lin Hai waved to Xu Tian and started the car.
“Brother Hou, this is my girlfriend, Liu Xinyue. Xinyue, say hi to Brother Hou.”
“Hello, Brother Hou,” Liu Xinyue greeted Hou Xianpin politely.
“Hello,” Hou Xianpin nodded gracefully.
“Xinyue, I’ll take you home first, then Brother Hou and I have some business to take care of,” Lin Hai said, also making sure Hou Xianpin heard him.
After all, when it comes to something like the Calamity of Romantic Entanglements, nobody wants more people to know about it.
Especially someone like Hou Xianpin, who works in politics.
After walking Liu Xinyue up to her apartment, Lin Hai returned to the car.
As soon as he got in, Hou Xianpin leaned over.
“Friend, is there really a way to break this Calamity of Romantic Entanglements?”
“Brother Hou, my name is Lin Hai. Just call me Xiao Lin or Xiao Hai,” Lin Hai said, introducing himself first.
“As for how to break this calamity, you have to tell me first—what exactly has been going on with you?” Lin Hai asked with a serious expression.
“Well…” Hou Xianpin hesitated.
“Brother Hou, don’t be like a patient who avoids the doctor.”
Hou Xianpin gritted his teeth, as if summoning great resolve.
“Alright! Xiao Lin, Brother Hou trusts you. I’ll tell you the whole story behind this mess.”
