Chapter 78 — Disappointed By The "Goods"

He began to shout in annoyance, whilst thinking whether he should abandon his luggage and chase after the supposed thief, or just forgo the wallet.

But if he did, what was he going to do? his cards were there as well as his ID!

Just then, a petite lady flashed past him with so much speed that he thought she was a mirage. Did someone just run past him or was he hallucinating?

He didn't have to wait for too long to find out. Su Qianhua came back after about five minutes, dragging the man that robbed him in tow, who had already been handcuffed.

"Good day sir. I am Sergeant Su from City A's police." She said, showing him her ID card. "Have you lost anything?" She wanted to be sure he was the victim.

"Hello Ser...Pretty lady." Jiang Philip was sidetracked by her face. 'Wow, she looks beautiful.'

Su Qianhua raised a brow.

"Ah yes yes, I believe my wallet has just been stolen by this riffraff here."

"Name and ID please." She asked.

Jiang Philip stated his name and ID number.

Su Qianhua frowned. The name sounded familiar. She brought out his ID and checked. The names and number matched. Where had she heard this name before?

It suddenly clicked and she scrambled for her phone. So he was the one she should have come to pick up?

She scanned him from head to toe.

Indeed, clothes make the man.

He looked so different from the picture that Pei Yueran sent that she almost didn't recognize him. Where was the handsome, suave man of her dreams? Who was this cosplayer in gaudy clothes?

For starters, his sunshades were too huge to see his face properly. Moreover, his blond hair which was well styled in the picture she was sent, was standing tall and spiky now. Finally, his clothes were just too ridiculous!

Jiang Philip was looking at her with admiration. She was petite and slim, but not unhealthily thin. Her heart shaped face complimented her beautiful figure that even her baggy clothes could not hide. Her hair was wrapped into a bun and covered with a cap, so he couldn't tell the length, but he could see hints of brown.

She was the stuff of fantasies.

"Here's your wallet. I'm Su Qianhua by the way. Yueran told me you were coming, but I got caught up in work and could only come now. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

"Oh, nice to meet you. No no, it's fine. I didn't wait for that long anyway. Can I call you Qianhua?" Jiang Philip said, forgetting about the hour he spent waiting.

"Sure. A friend of Yueran is my friend too. Give me a second", she said as she called her unit members to come pick up the thief. Su Qianhua was in full business mode since she was disappointed by the "goods". Expectation vs reality. She felt betrayed.

"Great. You can call me Philip." Jiang Philip said, removing the sunshades and flashing a charming smile at her.

Su Qianhua did a double take.

Twinkling ocean blue eyes that perfectly accentuated their phoenix shape— paired with that smile— Jiang Philip was a stunner. Once he changed that offending hairstyle and wore less garish clothes, he would look crazy handsome!

Her tone also became less business-like and more friendly.

"Hi again, Philip. Welcome to City A. Yueran has told me a lot about you. Give me a second, and then we can go for lunch. My treat."

"Alright. But let it be my treat this time."

Her colleague pulled up in a police car and took away the offender. Su Qianhua then loaded Philip's luggage into the car she brought while refuting, "No, it's my way of apologizing for being late, as well as giving you a taste of City A. Nothing fancy, but I'm sure you would like it."

Jiang Philip eventually gave in.

They got into the car and Su Qianhua drove off in the direction of the city centre. On their way, they made small talk, each secretly sizing the other person up.

Looking at the way Su Qianhua handled the steering wheel expertly, Jiang Philip nodded imperceptibly. She did everything with feminine handsomeness!

They soon got to the restaurant. It was a small hole-in-the-wall eatery that was run by a local family, and served only local specialties.

Judging from the way the owners greeted her jovially, it was obvious she was a regular.

Jiang Philip let her order, since he was unfamiliar with the local cuisine. He opened his mouth in sheer shock at the amount of dishes she ordered. The portions were very generous too.

"I love this place because the owners are very friendly, the place is always very clean, and the food tastes amazing." She said with smiles. Jiang Philip nodded absentmindedly.

If she asked him to fly while smiling like that, he would probably sprout wings on the spot. That smile was bewitching.

The real shock was yet to come.

"Dig in," Su Qianhua invited enthusiastically. She came straight to the airport from her night shift, so she was very famished.

Jiang Philip acquiesced and took a bowl of noodles. He was not very good with chopsticks, so he requested a fork. He twirled some noodles around his fork and was about to put it in his mouth when he froze.

Just across him, Su Qianhua was hosting her own eating show. She ate hurriedly yet elegantly like a beautiful movie scene, the noodles disappearing faster than Jiang Philip could blink.

Before he could form the words "You eat so fast", her bowl was empty.

He was amazed.

There was a lot to learn about this pretty lady, and what he had now was time.

Leaving the restaurant, Su Qianhua drove him to a hotel where he lodged. They parted ways after making an appointment to talk about the case.

*****

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. —Oriental proverb.

Li Chuanmo and Pei Yueran walked into the venue of the meeting at 10am sharp. The Directors that made up the Board were already seated —all eighteen of them— but they all stood up as they made their entrance.

Because the subject of the meeting was whether or not the chairman's probationary period should be extended, Li Chuanmo could not preside over the meeting.