Heaven’s Prank

Damn it! To save you, I had no choice but to board this pirate ship. Now I’m risking my life abroad, and you say we’re just acquaintances? Hou Rui was inwardly indignant. Furious, he decided not to leave, but turned to stare directly into Jin Shanshan’s eyes and said, “We were classmates in high school. I’m Hou Rui from Class Three.”

“Hou Rui? Yes, that’s you! Did you know I’ve been looking for you? But you look different now—taller, for one. And how did you end up in the capital?” Jin Shanshan fired off a barrage of questions.

Hou Rui truly didn’t know how to explain it. Anyone who’s survived life and death would inevitably change in temperament and gaze. Besides, he had been secretly following Professor Dis’s training methods, enduring intense physical exercise for a year. Now, Hou Rui had completely shed his youthful naivete; both his face and stature exuded a tough, rugged aura. He was worlds apart from the boy he’d been a year ago.

Jin Shanshan studied Hou Rui’s familiar yet unfamiliar face, then suddenly grabbed his arm. “Old classmate, let’s find somewhere to sit. I happen to have something I want to ask you.”

Hearing this, Hou Rui’s heart skipped a beat, but his feet refused to obey his mind. Jin Shanshan pulled him along, and he followed obediently.

In the blink of an eye, the two were seated in a roadside ice cream shop. After Jin Shanshan’s ice cream and Hou Rui’s iced coffee arrived, their conversation began.

It turned out that after that night, Jin Shanshan’s family arranged for her to enroll in the Capital Police Academy, majoring in criminal investigation. By a twist of fate, Hou Rui happened to encounter her here, leading to this awkward reunion.

When Hou Rui learned Jin Shanshan was studying at the Capital Police Academy, his heart filled with bitterness. Now that he was part of the organization, he likely wouldn’t escape anytime soon. Once Jin Shanshan graduated, wouldn’t they be on opposing sides? Cat and mouse, winner and loser—it would be impossible to predict.

They chatted casually for a while before Jin Shanshan suddenly cut to the chase. “I’ve tried contacting our old classmates several times, hoping to find you, but Li Fatty and the others said you were working out of town. Now that we’ve met, I want to ask you about that night.”

“That night?” Hou Rui took a sip of coffee to hide his nervousness, feigning ignorance.

“The night our class went singing, then there was a car accident afterward,” Jin Shanshan explained urgently.

“What about that night?”

“That’s the strange part. I lost my memory of that night.” Hearing this, Hou Rui’s interest was piqued. He’d never asked Lao Xiao how things were resolved, but since no one reported it or investigated him, it was clear Lao Xiao had handled it deftly.

“My last memory is you taking me to the supermarket. Then I woke up at home, lying in bed. I asked my parents—they said I entered the house myself. But I have no recollection of the whole process. You were there that night; now tell me what really happened.”

Clearly, Hou Rui would have to improvise to muddle through.

He put on a nonchalant air. “What could’ve happened? On the way to the supermarket, you suddenly rolled your eyes and fainted—maybe low blood sugar or something. Scared me half to death. I took you home, and you just happened to wake up at the door and insisted on going in by yourself.”

“That simple?”

“How complicated could it be?”

“But why don’t I remember it?”

“Maybe you weren’t fully conscious at the time.”

Jin Shanshan pondered, still dissatisfied. “Old classmate, don’t try to fool me. I’m studying criminal investigation, planning to be an international police officer. If you lie to me, you’re dead.”

Hou Rui watched Jin Shanshan’s feisty, adorable demeanor, and some feelings buried deep inside him stirred again. But he was no longer the shy boy he once was. Suddenly, he leaned forward, crossed his arms on the table, and gazed intently into Jin Shanshan’s eyes, speaking with genuine sincerity. “Rest assured, I would never lie to someone I like.”

“Ah?” Jin Shanshan was caught off guard; her pretty face slowly turned pink.

“I said I like you. Not just Zhang Fatty—everyone in our class knew it. They even pooled money to buy you a gift.” Hou Rui threw caution to the wind, pressing his advantage. He’d kept this feeling buried for too long, paid too steep a price for it, and couldn’t allow Jin Shanshan to simply ignore his existence.

“I…I…I…” The future international police officer stammered. Just then, two equally young girls appeared, plopping themselves unceremoniously into the remaining seats.

“Xiao Jin, who’s this? He looks pretty macho! Introduce us.” One girl, with shoulder-length hair and big eyes, spoke up.

“That’s right, Xiao Jin, didn’t you say you had no boyfriend? Hiding him, are you? Confess now or face dorm punishment!” The other, a bespectacled long-haired girl, joined the interrogation.

“You two are impossible! He’s my high school classmate.” Jin Shanshan, finally given a chance to recover, hurriedly explained, still a bit shy about facing Hou Rui. She gestured at the girls. “The long-haired one is Wang Si—she’s in forensic science, always tinkering with skeletons. The medium-haired one is Chen Xiangyu; she’s also in criminal investigation like me.”

“You short-haired one have no right to talk about us!” The two girls retorted in unison.

“Hello, I’m Hou Rui, Jin Shanshan’s high school classmate. We bumped into each other on the street, so we’re just chatting here.” Hou Rui nodded politely to the girls.

“Just chatting? Based on my observation, short-haired’s face was flushed—either excited, shy, or needing the restroom,” Chen Xiangyu said gravely. Before she could finish, Jin Shanshan, embarrassed and angry, lunged at her. The girls erupted into laughter and playful scuffling, dispelling all awkwardness.

Hou Rui, now far removed from his innocent youth, spent a while with the three. Suddenly, he received a text—an address and phone number from Lao Xiao. Unable to sit still, he hurriedly told Jin Shanshan, “The instructor needs me back at school. I’ll leave it here for today. We’ll hang out next time.”

“Mm,” Jin Shanshan mumbled her assent.

“Wait, handsome! Leave your WeChat before you go?” The outgoing Chen Xiangyu called after him. After adding all three girls as WeChat friends, Hou Rui finally managed to escape the ice cream shop.

No sooner had Hou Rui left than Chen Xiangyu and Wang Si moved their chairs beside Jin Shanshan, trapping her between them.

“Out with it—what’s Hou Rui’s story?”

“High school classmate.”

“When did you reconnect? Any secret romance?”

“Just met an hour ago—no romance, just friendship.”

“So, there’s still ‘feeling’ then?”

“You two are hopeless. I’m leaving—go on gossiping!” Jin Shanshan tried to get up, but Chen Xiangyu and Wang Si pressed her back down.

“Honesty gets leniency, resistance gets severity. Confess now!”

“There’s really nothing, please, you two, let me go!” Jin Shanshan was on the verge of collapse.

“If you two really have nothing, then I’ll make a move on him—I hope you don’t mind!” Suddenly, Chen Xiangyu said this, leaving Jin Shanshan dumbfounded, and even Wang Si was stunned.

“Hahaha, I got you! There’s a story here after all!” Chen Xiangyu, delighted with her successful ploy, pointed at the speechless Jin Shanshan.

“I’m done playing with you!” This time, Jin Shanshan stood on her chair and nimbly escaped, vanishing in a flash.

As the three girls bickered their way back to school, Hou Rui had already followed Lao Xiao’s address to the outskirts of the capital, arriving at the entrance of a driving school called Pengcheng. The sign was crooked and the place looked obscure. Peering over the wall, Hou Rui saw the practice lot surrounded by scrapped cars, suggesting the school also dealt in large metal recycling.

Hou Rui dialed the phone number. It rang ten times before a breathless, irritable man finally answered. “Who is it?”

Hou Rui was stunned by the rude tone—had he dialed wrong? He hadn’t even spoken yet. Judging by the background noise, the man was probably in the middle of something intimate, so calling now was sure to annoy him.

“I’m Wild Dog, I—”

“I’m Wild Cat. Don’t interrupt me when I’m getting lucky.” The man shouted and hung up.

Hou Rui stared at his phone, blinking, then immediately decided to call again.

This time the phone rang until it disconnected—no one answered. Undeterred, Hou Rui called a second, third, fourth time.

About five minutes later, the call was finally picked up. The previously irate man now sounded tearful. “Just come in. I’m in the second-floor office.” Hou Rui, smiling in triumph, stepped into Pengcheng Driving School.

A few minutes later, Hou Rui sat face-to-face with a man who looked like someone with a ‘289’ reputation. Noticing the man’s disheveled shirt—one button misaligned—and bloodshot eyes, Hou Rui could tell he’d just been interrupted mid-romance and was suffering from acute frustration.