When he woke up, Shen Yue was already washing up. She was dressed in a tight-fitting tank top, a pair of shorts, and slippers—a sight that left his eyes wide open. Unlike other women, there was an indescribable, powerful beauty to her. "Striking" was the best word to describe a woman like Shen Yue.
"Since you're awake, get up. Early morning is the best time to hit the farmers' market. I'll go with you."
"Fine, but Captain Shen, could you please put on some clothes? You’re exposing yourself."
"Get lost and be quick about it. We have a heavy mission today."
Though her tone was harsh, Shen Yue blushed and hurried back into the room to change. Xu Wuyan leaned back on the bed, dazed for a while, only getting up once she emerged in casual clothes. Today, Shen Yue was wearing denim, which made her figure look even more slender. At 1.75 meters tall, she was a goddess in every sense of the word.
"What are you staring at? Stop your lewd thoughts and get up already."
"A peach-blossom curse... it’s a peach-blossom curse," Xu Wuyan sighed to himself. In his luck with women, there was no luck at all—only curses.
Driven by Shen Yue’s prodding, Xu Wuyan was dragged out, feeling quite unwilling. It was only seven o'clock, prime time for young people to catch up on sleep, yet he was forced out in nothing but a pair of shorts.
As luck would have it, just as they opened the door, they ran straight into Yao Can, who was coming back from buying breakfast. Shen Yue wrapped her arms around Xu Wuyan’s right arm, playing the part of an intimate young couple. Xu Wuyan froze, then gave Yao Can a subtle wink. Yao Can, not expecting such a meeting, glanced at Shen Yue, nodded slightly, and continued toward her door.
"A neighbor?" Shen Yue looked at the two of them, feeling the atmosphere shift for no apparent reason.
"Hello, I’m the tenant in this unit," Xu Wuyan said, taking the initiative to greet her, acting as if he were meeting Yao Can for the first time.
"Mm," Yao Can replied simply before hurrying inside and quickly locking the door.
"Your neighbor is quite pretty. She doesn’t look like an ordinary girl. You really are lucky with the ladies, aren't you?" Shen Yue teased.
"Are you sure it's luck? Captain Shen, isn’t your chest pressing a bit too close?"
"You pervert! You’re still young, so stop learning these bad habits. Don't call me Captain Shen; call me Yue'er. We’re a couple—if you call me Captain Shen, you’ll blow our cover."
"Alright, Yue'er. Actually, you don't need to lean in so close. The way we look, we’re a perfect match."
"Quit the chatter. Hurry up; I want to look around the morning market while it's still early."
"No wonder you don't have a boyfriend... Ouch! Stop pinching me, that hurts!"
Along the way, Xu Wuyan learned exactly what a "savage girlfriend" was. Whenever Shen Yue was dissatisfied, she would pinch his waist, her tongue as sharp as ever.
"Yue'er, you’re ten years older than me. You should be more mature. Don’t go around pinching people. What man would dare to have you like this?"
"Get lost! One more word and I’ll kick you out."
"Fine, fine. I’ll take you to buy mushrooms first. Maybe we'll even find them today."
"I never realized you had a plan. Lead the way, then."
Xu Wuyan had more than just a plan. After what happened yesterday afternoon, his head was full of ideas, and he had even pieced together several clues. However, due to his position, he couldn’t say too much. Though they were effectively baiting the hook today, he intended to guide Shen Yue as well. He just didn't know if she had already sent people to investigate, which might startle the prey.
"Did your people come today?" Xu Wuyan asked, concerned.
"No. Without concrete leads, it’s just you and me. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you."
"Good. We must be careful not to startle them. Since Lan Bing appeared at this farmers' market, it’s likely a distribution hub. If your team shows up too early, it will attract their attention."
Shen Yue’s gaze flickered as she looked at Xu Wuyan, feeling a bit surprised. "You're quite sharp. But today’s main task is just to buy vegetables. Just make sure to show your face so the guy in the baseball cap will come to find you himself."
"Understood. But you don't have to hold my arm like this. Holding hands is enough."
"Tch. You think I enjoy it? You’ve got the advantage, so stop complaining."
Shen Yue looked like she wanted to hit him. When had she ever been this intimate with a man? To think he would actually push her away! In any other situation, if someone had said that to her... Still, she obediently held his hand, and as she felt the warmth from his palm, an unusual emotion rippled through her heart.
"Boss, how much is this a jin?"
"Three-forty. Young man, you have a good eye; this is high-quality mountain produce. Want to take a look?"
"Three-forty? Boss, that's too expensive. Lower it a bit—three-ten."
"That won't work. We're a small business..."
Xu Wuyan began haggling at every stall, and soon he was carrying two bags of vegetables.
"Honey, let's make Northeast-style iron pot stew for lunch. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good."
"Let's go, let's get some mushrooms."
The two of them didn't hide their act at all; in fact, they made sure to draw attention to themselves. With a beauty like Shen Yue present, men at the market kept turning their heads.
"Boss, I want to look at the mushrooms."
Finally, they reached the place where he had bought mushrooms the day before. He had analyzed it afterward: the collision with the baseball cap had happened not far from here, shortly after he bought his mushrooms. There were three mushroom stalls nearby; if the contraband was being distributed through them, it had to be one of these three.
"Sure, sure. The mushrooms here are top-notch. Take a look."
Xu Wuyan nodded and picked up a bag to examine. It wasn't the one. Yesterday's bag had "Premium Mushrooms" printed on it, but none of these did. He shook his head at Shen Yue and subtly pulled her toward the next stall.
"Captain Shen, stop looking around so randomly. If those people find us, they'll follow. If you keep staring at everything, you'll look suspicious."
"Bullshit! Do you know what I'm looking at? Besides, I'm a woman—aren't women supposed to look at things when they shop?"
Xu Wuyan let out a long sigh; shopping with a woman was exhausting. At the second mushroom stall, he still didn't find anything unusual. His brow furrowed. He suddenly realized he had been careless—how could those things be left out in the open?
"Pay attention. At eight o'clock, someone is watching us," the Captain whispered in his ear. Xu Wuyan nodded silently, caught a fleeting glimpse with his peripheral vision, then quickly turned his head.
"Let’s go, keep shopping. If it’s really them, they’ll eventually come to us."
"Mm. Did you find anything else?"
The two held hands, their fingers interlaced. Passersby marveled at how good-looking they were, and even their whispered conversations sounded intimate.
"Not yet."
They wandered until they reached the third stall. Xu Wuyan felt a pang of disappointment; the owner was an old grandmother. Looking at her wrinkled face, he didn't think there would be any trouble here.
"Granny, give me half a jin of mushrooms."
"Alright. The ones over there are loose, and those are weighed out. Which would you like?"
"The loose ones."
"Alright."
The grandmother brought out the scale and grabbed a handful of mushrooms. It was then that Xu Wuyan’s gaze sharpened—a small green snake tattoo appeared on her wrist.
He could hardly hide his shock. The grandmother looked like an ordinary person who had spent her life exposed to the elements; why would she have a Green Snake tattoo? He recorded it in his mind, casting a deep glance at the stall.
"That'll be seven-thirty. Just give me seven."
"Alright, thank you, Granny."
"The young man's girlfriend is so pretty. You two make a lovely couple."
"Thank you for the compliment, Granny," Xu Wuyan laughed, then pulled Shen Yue away. Shen Yue wanted to keep looking—after all, they had gained nothing today—but a surge of strength from Xu Wuyan’s palm dragged her straight out of the market.
"Why are you in such a hurry? It's still early."
"Taking you to breakfast."
"Eat, eat, eat—eat your head."
"Shut up. Let's go first. We'll talk when we get back."
Shen Yue froze, suddenly realizing something. She pouted and allowed herself to be pulled along.
Just after they vanished, a girl in a baseball cap emerged from behind the grandmother’s stall, staring at their retreating figures with a look of deep contemplation.