Chapter 27 Applying What One Has Learned

Xue Tian'ai had already left the alley and stepped onto the broad avenue, destined not to hear Shen Xinyi's furious shout. At that moment, he stood in the street, clutching his purchases, utterly confused—damn, where was he? He’d been dragged around by the young policewoman, winding through one lane after another, exiting alley upon alley, and now, standing on the main road, he had no clue where he was!

Unfamiliar street signs, unfamiliar markings, unfamiliar buses... Everything was strange. Right now, Xue Tian'ai felt like a headless fly, bewildered, unsure which restroom to enter for a meal. Ten years—the changes in Beiyang City were beyond his imagination. He used to only recognize the 327 bus, and just one bustling Taiyuan Street from a decade ago.

I need to find time to get familiar with Beiyang City, he thought. After all, he was back to live; he couldn't afford to lose his way in his own hometown!

Maybe I should just hail a cab back, he mused. Truthfully, Xue Tian'ai was always reluctant to take taxis, especially in unfamiliar places. It was all too easy for drivers to realize you didn't know the way, take you on a roundabout trip, waste your time, and fleece you for money.

Although he was wealthy, being cheated was always infuriating.

Wait! I have phone maps! How could I forget? Last night, when he left the presidential suite, he’d relied on the map app to find his way to Hongyang Villa. How could he have forgotten this?

A sudden flash of inspiration struck, and he hurriedly took out his phone, opened the app, and entered his address. The app quickly planned the optimal route home. But just as he saw the word “subway,” the phone beeped and shut down automatically.

Out of battery?! He hadn’t charged his phone since returning to China last night! Now, at the crucial moment, his phone had betrayed him. What a joke!

He felt as if fate was toying with him—ever since his return, strange happenings had only intensified, all landing squarely on his shoulders.

Forget it. First, find the subway! He sighed. Though he saw only the word “subway,” it was surely the best route.

Standing in place, he scanned his surroundings and, without difficulty, spotted the subway station. Without hesitation, he strode inside.

It was already past three in the afternoon; some company employees were finishing work, and the station was growing crowded. Xue Tian'ai followed the flow down the stairs.

At the automated ticket booth, he studied the map. Upon seeing Hongyang Station, his eyes lit up. The route was somewhat complicated, requiring several transfers, but it wasn’t a big problem.

After buying his ticket, he waited patiently in the queue at the platform. There were many ahead of him, so he didn’t expect a seat. He only hoped to get home quickly, take a shower, and tease Qin Mengxue.

The subway arrived with a hiss; the doors opened, and people surged forward. Xue Tian'ai lifted his foot to step inside, but the crowd behind him ignored the queue, rushing forward in a chaotic wave, shoving him back out despite his attempt to board.

Damn, even riding the subway was this crazy! Were they rushing to reincarnate?

Xue Tian'ai wasn’t one to give up easily. He pushed forward again, repeating the process several times until he finally squeezed onto the train, only to find it packed to the brim, barely enough room to move.

How could it be this crowded at this hour? he wondered, squeezing through the mass toward the interior of the subway car. He didn’t want to be pushed out at the next stop; that would be truly miserable.

Soon, another hiss signaled arrival at the next station. This time, more people got off than boarded. Xue Tian'ai glanced up at the station sign and nearly wept—it was Taiyuan Street. He’d just gotten lost nearby, how embarrassing.

Though there was now more space, it wasn’t exactly roomy. Many, sharing his earlier logic, pressed deeper into the car, leaving Xue Tian'ai still being jostled around.

At last, the pushing stopped, and he sighed with relief, finally steady on his feet. But then, a familiar fragrance drifted to his nose.

The scent was familiar yet not one he often encountered, making him look up.

Before him stood a woman, her back to him. He couldn’t see her face, but her waterfall of black hair and simple white dress made Xue Tian'ai’s eyes widen.

Without doubt, she was the woman he had accidentally grabbed on the bus at noon!

Xue Tian'ai dared not even breathe, silently praying that she wouldn’t really be the same woman. After all, he had touched her by mistake earlier—meeting again would be awkward.

He carefully edged away, hoping to escape this dangerous spot. But just then, the subway reached another station, and a fresh wave of people pushed aboard.

This time, Xue Tian'ai planted his feet firmly and wasn’t jostled, but the girl in the dress wasn’t so lucky. She stumbled from the crush.

Seeing her stagger, an even more familiar feeling rose in Xue Tian'ai’s chest. No way... And, just as he feared, it happened.

She fell right into his arms! This time, though, Xue Tian'ai was wiser—he kept his hands at his sides, letting her lean against his chest.

The girl in the dress felt a strange sensation leaning against him. She turned to thank him, only to be met by a face she recognized instantly.

Her gaze turned cold in an instant.

Seeing her beautiful, familiar face, Xue Tian'ai couldn’t help but smile bitterly—it was indeed the girl from the bus. “Well, fancy meeting you again, beautiful...”

“It’s you again! What are you up to, pervert, creep, stalker!” She quickly straightened, her face darkening, her eyes blazing with fury.

“Hey, I’ve helped you twice now, and you’re still cursing me.” Xue Tian'ai felt indignant. Were women always this unreasonable now? He’d helped the policewoman catch a criminal and had a gun pressed to his head; he’d steadied this girl twice and was called a pervert, creep, stalker.

“You did it on purpose! I’m not like other women!” Her mood was sour; in her mind, Xue Tian'ai was a malicious stalker, following her from the bus to the subway.

Because of the bus incident at noon, she’d chosen the subway that evening, only to meet the same man who had grabbed her chest.

“What are you talking about? How is it on purpose? I’ve helped you twice, and you haven’t even thanked me!” Xue Tian'ai was baffled and a little irritated.

“You lunatic!” the girl snapped, her anger attracting the attention of many in the carriage, who turned to look at Xue Tian'ai and the girl.

From the situation, it seemed Xue Tian'ai was at fault—being called a lunatic on the subway suggested he might be a subway predator. Some elderly passengers shook their heads, as though lamenting his hopelessness.

Even Xue Tian'ai, thick-skinned as he was, felt uncomfortable under so many eyes. And really, could he be blamed? It was pure accident!

Sweat beaded on his forehead. Though he was the god of assassins, adept at solving tricky problems, situations like this were not his forte.

Suddenly, Xue Tian'ai recalled the young policewoman from that afternoon—a plan formed instantly in his mind.

“Wife, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have made you angry—I deserve death!” Xue Tian'ai decided to put what he’d learned into practice. The policewoman had used this trick to escape attention, so why shouldn’t he?

Sure enough, hearing his words, the onlookers’ expressions changed—they perked up, watching him and the girl intently.

The girl’s expression matched Xue Tian'ai’s from the afternoon—shocked and at a loss. Seeing the shift in the crowd and the girl’s stunned face, Xue Tian'ai felt a surge of hope.

He pressed his advantage, putting on a pitiful face and grabbing her hands: “Wife, are you still angry at me? I shouldn’t have ignored you every day, shouldn’t have made you do all the chores. You’re so beautiful, your hands so delicate—I was wrong!”

“Shut up!” Her face flushed hotly, and she tried to pull away, but no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t break free from Xue Tian'ai’s strong grip.

“Wife, there’s really nothing between me and Officer Shen—just friends, I swear. I’ll never flirt again, I’ll only love you, only treat you well. Besides, those old ladies can’t compare to you—you’re much prettier!”

Xue Tian'ai had decided, since he was learning from the policewoman, he’d go a step further, be even more shameless than she’d been.

At that, the carriage erupted; no one expected to witness a marital dispute today, and now they were witnesses!

“Let go!” The girl’s face was fiery red; never in her life had someone called her ‘wife.’ Anger, embarrassment, a strange mix of feelings surged within her.

“No, not unless you forgive me!” Xue Tian'ai pleaded.

“Just let go first!”

“No, I said no!”

Xue Tian'ai was performing the full measure of shamelessness.

“Oh, this is the second couple’s quarrel I’ve seen today. Why do young people argue so much? Miss, listen to me—quarreling is normal. Look, your husband is begging so humbly; as a man, that’s not easy. Just forgive him and make up!” said an elderly lady.

Xue Tian'ai gratefully turned to look, but his smile twitched—wasn’t this the same lady from the afternoon? Was Beiyang City just a village, for heaven’s sake? How could they keep running into each other?

“Hey, young man, haven’t we met before?” The lady looked at him curiously.

“Ah!” Xue Tian'ai quickly interrupted. He didn’t want things to get messier. He hurriedly continued, “Wife, I really was wrong! Forgive me!”

“Yes, miss, forgive him. Go home and have a nice meal—it’ll be fine!”

“This young man is so handsome! If he ran off with another woman, wouldn’t you be upset? Just forgive him!”

The crowd chimed in, each becoming a passionate citizen and emotional advisor, gently persuading her.

Hearing the jumble of comments, the girl’s face was as red as a ripe peach, head lowered, wishing she could hide under her skirt.

Just then, the subway stopped again. She glanced at the station and whispered, “This is my stop.”

Hearing this, Xue Tian'ai loosened his grip. Feeling the pressure ease, she quickly broke free and hurried off, her face still flushed.

To keep up the act, Xue Tian'ai rushed after her, calling loudly, “Wife, wait for me—I’ll cook for you when we get home!”

“Young man, coax her well—make something she likes!” the enthusiastic lady added.

“Thank you!” Xue Tian'ai called back, then hurriedly got off.

But once off the train, he didn’t pursue the girl. He’d only acted to escape the moment’s predicament—now that it was resolved, there was no need to bother her further.

He sighed quietly, hoping fervently that he’d never run into that girl in the white dress again.

After a while, the next subway arrived, and Xue Tian'ai boarded and left.

As he departed, behind a pillar at the station, a small head peeked out—it was the girl in the white dress. Her cheeks were still flushed, and she muttered angrily, “Pervert! If I ever run into you again, I’ll beat you so hard your mother won’t recognize you!”