The Dark Realm Tree Shepherd
Holy shit, we're screwed!
Everyone in the car had the same reaction.
They had no relatives in Flower Tree Village. It had just been an instinctive attempt to bluff their way through.
"Speak up. Tell me your relatives' names."
The traffic officer's tone was clearly different now.
Cui Ying tried a trick that had never failed her in countless awkward situations: a sweet smile.
"Ha, well, actually, we don't have any relatives in Flower Tree Village. We just wanted to take a shortcut. Please forgive us this once, officer!"
"Yes, yes, we just wanted a shortcut. We didn't mean to lie to you!"
The young woman in the passenger seat hurried to apologize too.
The traffic officer took a little notebook from his uniform pocket, wrote a few lines, then walked to the front of the car to record its license plate number.
"Oh, so you made up an excuse to take a shortcut?"
"Yes, exactly!"
"Where are you heading, and what are you going there to do?"
The traffic officer's questions brought everyone in the car up short.
Three or four traffic officers on duty had already gathered around, along with several people in uniforms they couldn't immediately identify.
Their puzzled gazes had turned scrutinizing.
"What? Have you forgotten what you're going there to do?"
Sensing the atmosphere turning against them, the people in the car blurted out different answers in their panic.
"An outing!" "A party!" "A wedding..."
Cui Ying felt an itch on her forehead as a bead of cold sweat slid down.
Four people, three destinations. They probably won't believe us if we say we're getting out separately along the way...
"Turn off the engine. Everyone out."
At some point, the traffic officer had stepped back, and an officer in dark