A Trip to the Police Station

It was Luo Ye's first time at a police station.

And he had been brought there under arrest.

He had been utterly bewildered the whole time. Luo Ye had been gaming at home when two police officers suddenly walked in, kindly put him in handcuffs, and invited him on a scenic drive to the station in their patrol car.

Sitting in the interrogation room, Luo Ye stared wide-eyed and innocently at the young officer in front of him.

"Name."

"Luo Ye."

"Sex."

"Male."

"Occupation."

"Student."

"Where do you study?"

"Jiangcheng University. I'm registering tomorrow."

The officer gave him another look.

"You're a handsome young man. You don't really look like the sort to get into trouble."

The young officer asked, "Do you know what you did?"

Luo Ye hurriedly shook his head.

"You don't?"

The officer eyed him suspiciously.

"Then explain why you broke into someone else's home."

The young officer suspected that Luo Ye had been tempted by a pretty face.

He couldn't help it. After seeing the woman who lived there, that was the only explanation he could think of.

After all, she was stunning.

"What do you mean, broke into someone's home?"

Luo Ye looked utterly confused. His innocent gaze didn't seem like an act, leaving the young officer puzzled too. "Why were you in Room 614, Unit Four, Building Five of the Faculty Apartments?"

"Room 614? That's my place."

The young officer took out his paperwork, glanced at it, and snapped, "Young man, this is a police station. Confess and receive leniency; resist and face harsher punishment."

"Tell us the truth. Why were you in Room 614?"

"...It really is my place."

Luo Ye was getting anxious. Why did nobody believe him when he told the truth?

Was he going to end up behind bars before his wonderful university life had even begun?

"The owner of Room 614 is a professor at Jiangcheng University. He rented the apartment to a student. A female student, not you."

"Rented? A professor?"

Understanding gradually dawned on Luo Ye's face. "Is that professor's name Gu Mingxuan?"

"Well, well. You really did your homework."

Luo Ye: "..."

"Gu Mingxuan is my brother."

The officer paused, then checked the paperwork again.

"I'll say it again: this is a police station. Your surname is Luo, and his is Gu. You're actually making up lies in here?"

Luo Ye thought it over. Gu Mingxuan should have been on a plane right then, with his phone switched off, so the police couldn't contact him.

Luo Ye was a freshman at Jiangcheng University. Why had he chosen to apply there?

Because the girl he had secretly liked for three years in high school had promised to date him if he got into Jiangcheng University.

And because his brother, Gu Mingxuan, was a professor at Jiangda, which would make everything convenient for him.

What he hadn't expected was for his brother to drop him off at Jiangda, then fly abroad to pursue a second doctorate.

There was still a day before the semester started, so he had gone to the Faculty Apartments assigned to his brother: Room 614, Unit Four, Building Five.

So his brother had already rented the apartment out? And to a girl, at that?

When she came home and heard someone inside, she had quietly slipped out and called the police.

After thinking it through, Luo Ye finally understood what had happened.

Unbelievable.

Gu Mingxuan's flight lasted six hours, and he still had at least three hours before landing. Luo Ye would have to spend those three hours at the police station.

Soon, an older officer walked in, looking like a man with plenty of experience.

The young officer gave up his seat and greeted him. "Chief."

Luo Ye was stunned.

The chief? The head of the station was here to question him personally?

Even though Luo Ye really hadn't done anything wrong, he couldn't help feeling a little worried.

The older officer handed the young officer a file. The younger man's expression changed as he read it.

It was Luo Ye's file.

The son of fallen officers. Both his parents had been police officers killed in the line of duty. He had been raised by his maternal aunt and was Gu Mingxuan's younger cousin.

Although they were cousins, they had grown up together and were no different from brothers.

No wonder the chief had come in person.

"Young man, this was a misunderstanding on our part."

"It's okay."

Luo Ye barely dared to speak.

The chief looked at Luo Ye with approval and said admiringly, "Jiangda is a prestigious school. Study hard and serve your country."

Luo Ye nodded.

Then he declined the chief's warm invitation to stay the night, had dinner, and left.

The night air in Jiangcheng was cool, and the September weather was particularly refreshing.

Luo Ye, however, was feeling gloomy.

The semester started tomorrow, and he discovered that all the hotels near campus were fully booked. Going back to the Faculty Apartments was obviously out of the question.

What a mess.

He had traveled over seventeen hundred kilometers from Beijing to Jiangcheng for university. Before it had even begun, he had enjoyed a half-day tour of the police station, and now he had nowhere to sleep.

Nice. A perfect start.

Soon, a cool breeze swept past, and a fine drizzle fell onto Luo Ye's head.

Sheltering under a tree, Luo Ye took out his phone, opened his chat with the girl he liked, and told her what had happened that day.

But she didn't reply.

Luo Ye scrolled through their chat history, then sighed.

Ever since he had told her he had gotten into Jiangcheng University, she hadn't replied to him once.

Perhaps... he had been imagining things from the very beginning.

Deep down, he could already guess that she had merely been looking for an excuse to turn him down.

If he still refused to take the hint, that would be his fault.

The summer break after his final year of high school had lasted a full three months. Perhaps he had already stopped liking her during those months, and all that remained was a little lingering reluctance to let go.

Now he was a university student. It was time to start a new life.

It really does rain a lot in Jiangcheng. Better find an internet café and make do for the night.

Luo Ye used his ID to book a computer.

The internet café was right across from campus, which was convenient. When he woke up tomorrow, he could go straight over to register.

After turning on the computer, Luo Ye opened Tomato Novel and started writing.

As it happened, he was something of a minor celebrity among webnovel authors. His pen name was [Fallen Leaves Return to Their Roots], and his first romance novel had taken off during the three-month summer break.

For someone just about to start university, his writing income was quite substantial, leaving him with little financial pressure.

The next day.

A light rain was still falling. It was the start of the semester at Jiangcheng University, and Luo Ye went to the Faculty Apartments first.

Standing outside Room 614, Luo Ye knocked gently. There was no answer. He knocked again, but still heard nothing.

After hesitating for a moment, Luo Ye took out his key and opened the door.

The suitcase he had left there the previous evening was still in the living room, with a note on top.

: Sorry. I only rented this apartment recently too. Since the landlord had already gone abroad, I thought it was a burglar when I heard someone inside.

The handwriting was neat and beautiful.

He had been so absorbed in his game yesterday that he hadn't even noticed anyone coming in. He had only himself to blame for getting arrested.

Luo Ye tucked the note into his bag, then left and headed for Jiangcheng University's main gate.

It was the first day of the semester, yet it was raining. As the rain grew heavier, an upperclasswoman walked over with an umbrella.

"Are you a freshman? Let me see your admission letter."

Luo Ye took his admission letter out of his bag, and she glanced at it.

"Luo Ye, computer science."

After looking at Luo Ye's handsome face, she became even more enthusiastic.

"Come on. Follow me."

With her enthusiastic guidance, Luo Ye completed registration and found his dorm room.

Building Eight, Dorm 515. After turning down her invitation to have a meal together and saying goodbye, Luo Ye entered the room.

His three future roommates hadn't arrived yet. Apparently, out-of-province freshmen registered on September first, while those from within the province registered on September second, so they wouldn't arrive until tomorrow.

After making his bed, Luo Ye decided to wait until his roommates arrived tomorrow before arranging the rest of the room.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Seeing that the caller was Gu Mingxuan, Luo Ye answered.

"Luo, there's something I need to tell you. Don't go to the Faculty Apartments. I've rented them out for the two years I'll be abroad."

"...I went there yesterday."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Gu Mingxuan asked, "She didn't do anything to you, did she?"

"No. Just got me hauled off to the police station."

"Pfft. That's just like her."

"Luo, she's one of my students at Jiangda. You'll meet her sooner or later. She's a good girl, just not the easiest person to get along with."

After hanging up, Luo Ye walked out onto the balcony, where a ray of sunlight shone in.

The rain had stopped.

Might as well go for a walk.

Luo Ye wandered around Jiangda.

Jiangda's grandest building was naturally its library. Facing the main gate, it was the pride of the campus.

At the library entrance, Luo Ye stared at the automatic facial-recognition gate and fell into thought.

Just then, a tall girl with long, straight black hair and loose jeans strode past Luo Ye on her long legs.

Don't ask how Luo Ye could tell she had long legs through those loose jeans. Some things couldn't be hidden by clothes.

Luo Ye hadn't seen her face, but the sight of her from behind alone was enough to set the imagination running wild.

Her black hair was wet, her clothes slightly damp, and the white laptop bag in her hand bore traces of water. Clearly, she had just come in from the rain.

"Excuse me!"

Luo Ye called out to her.

The girl turned halfway around and gave Luo Ye an impassive look.

"Were you calling me?"

She spoke softly.

When Luo Ye saw her face, he couldn't help marveling inwardly.

He had long heard that Jiangcheng was known for its beautiful women, but he had never expected to encounter such a gorgeous girl as soon as he arrived on campus.

She wore no makeup, yet she was still graceful and lovely. Calling her a beauty who could make fish sink, geese fall, the moon hide, and flowers blush would have been no exaggeration.

Luo Ye wasn't good with words, didn't talk much, had never dated anyone, and was easily embarrassed.

"Could... could you help me scan... scan your face to let me in?"

The girl paused briefly, then stood in front of the facial-recognition scanner.

A moment later.

The electronic gate opened.

"You go first."

"Thank you."

Luo Ye walked in like a bashful boy.

The girl gave Luo Ye a surprised look. She hadn't expected him to have stopped her genuinely just to ask her to scan her face.

To be honest, Luo Ye was the fifth freshman she had encountered that day.

But the previous four had all wanted her contact details.

"Zhouzhou, why are you walking so fast?"

Another girl jogged over. Compared with the first, she wasn't quite as breathtaking, but she was still a rare beauty.

Her name was Qin Yuwen. She was a third-year student at the School of Economics and Management, as well as its most beautiful girl.

The girl before her was her best friend, Su Baizhou, president of Jiangcheng University's Student Union.

She was also Jiangda's undisputed campus beauty, a workaholic renowned for her icy demeanor, and the kind of stunning beauty the computer science program might see only once in a decade.

"There's a lot to handle with the freshmen," Su Baizhou said evenly.

"Speaking of which, what happened with that incident yesterday? Did the burglar get brought to justice?"

"It was a misunderstanding."

Su Baizhou's expression remained unchanged.

The police had already explained the whole story to her.