Chapter 03

"Your name, please."

The officer's tone was dry and unpleasant, making it clear how irritated he was with Sophie. When she had arrived at the police station, she had found him alone in a large room. The man, who appeared to be in his forties, had been in the middle of his dinner when she interrupted him. She wished she could have done things differently, but she considered her situation far too urgent to wait.

After entering her details into the register, the officer confirmed that her wallet had indeed been found. She felt a wave of relief. Finally allowing herself to sit down, she took the seat across from his desk and reached for the deposit form he handed her. While she did her best to fill out the document, which included some rather unnecessary questions, the officer went into the storage area to retrieve her lost item.

It took him a while. Long enough for Sophie to become distracted by her surroundings.

The room was empty. Until now, she hadn't realized that the grumpy officer was apparently the only one on duty. She found that odd, given the location of the station. It was hard to believe that this was the city's second-largest judicial center.

"Here, it had fallen into a bag," the officer said as he returned to his desk.

When Sophie finally held her small black pouch in her hands, she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She could finally go home after an afternoon spent running all over the city. At that thought, her stomach rumbled, stirred by the scent of the officer's meal.

She decided to keep their interaction brief, quickly handing back the completed form. She thanked him several times before turning on her heel and heading toward the exit.

As she neared the front door, she fidgeted with her wallet, checking to make sure it was intact and complete. To her surprise, it was.

From her loyalty cards to the fifty-yuan bill she had inside, everything was still there.

This realization made her pause in the middle of the hall, a question suddenly forming in her mind.

"Excuse me, just one last thing."

The officer, who had resumed his meal, let out a groan worthy of an ogre before reluctantly setting his chopsticks down. He leaned forward slightly, making a show of giving her his attention.

"Do you have any idea who turned it in?" she asked hesitantly.

"He probably signed in before leaving, but I can't disclose his identity."

Of course.

"Please, I'd just like to thank him for his kindness."

"You can thank him by leaving him alone," the officer said curtly.

"Or by offering him a small gift."

"Miss, I'm not allowed to share that information."

"True. But what's one little exception when it's for the happiness of a fellow citizen?" she replied with a bright smile.

Despite her friendly approach, the officer remained stubborn. He made that clear by crossing his arms over his large belly. Sophie, in turn, showed her own resolve by sitting back down across from him, making it clear that the only way to get rid of her was to give her what she wanted.

"You'll get one name. That's it," he relented after glancing around to make sure they were alone.

"That's all I need, Officer."

And so, Sophie left the station feeling more than satisfied, the name of her good Samaritan written on a sticky note tucked deep into her bag, right alongside her wallet.

As she stepped outside, she thought she heard the officer grumbling behind her, but she couldn't have cared less. Right now, all she could think about was the leftover breakfast waiting for her at home.

As she descended the steps leading to the parking lot, she wondered if Laura Jin had woken up yet. She had left her asleep and would have liked to be home before she left for work.

Lost in thought, Sophie didn't notice the figure heading straight for her—and inevitably collided with it.

Startled, she quickly muttered several apologies before hesitantly looking up.

A pair of warm brown eyes met hers, giving her a clear view of the young man she had just bumped into.

James.

"Nothing broken?" he asked, offering his hand to help her up.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Still as absentminded as ever, I see," he teased. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing major, I just came to retrieve my wallet."

"You lost it?" he deduced, finally letting go of her forearms.

"Yes, in my usual clumsy fashion."

"Well, at least you got it back. That's what matters."

That was what she liked about him—his ability to downplay even the worst situations.

Suddenly, she was reminded of the first time they met. The sheer panic she had felt when her taxi had broken down in the middle of the city, leaving her stranded. She had just landed and needed to stop by her hotel before heading to her interview. If it hadn't been for this young recruit with short amber hair coming to her rescue, who knew how that day would have ended?

"I really need to start being more careful with my belongings."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You have no idea how many times I've lost my glasses or car keys. My secretary even jokes that I might have early-onset Alzheimer's."

She laughed, genuinely and wholeheartedly, for the first time since this exhausting afternoon had begun.

"No one can be constantly vigilant, especially when it comes to personal items."

"Yeah, you're right…"

At that moment, a woman started knocking insistently on the police station window. Sophie was taken aback—until now, she had assumed the station was deserted.

"I have to go. Someone's waiting for me inside," James said.

"I understand. I won't keep you any longer."

"Are you heading straight home?"

She nodded.

"Good. Try taking the bus instead of the subway—it's safer at this hour. There's a stop less than ten meters away."

She nodded again, appreciating the concern in his voice.

"Get home safe. It was nice seeing you again."

"You too."

And with that, they parted ways, each heading in opposite directions.

The journey home was even longer.

At night, the city came alive, which meant even more traffic. Sophie took advantage of the time stuck in the bus to doze off, having found a seat. When she regained consciousness, she was already at the entrance of her neighborhood. Pain pulled at her legs as she climbed the stairs to her apartment. It was in moments like these that she regretted choosing a building without an elevator.

Once inside her hallway, she kicked off her overly tight boots before collapsing onto her couch.

That's when she noticed the yellow shoulder bag to her left, concluding that her friend hadn't left yet. Gathering all her strength, she stood up and walked toward her bedroom. She found the beautiful elf fast asleep in the darkness. The sight made her smile; in this state, Laura-Jin looked like an angel. Still, not wanting her to be late for her restaurant shift, Sophie checked the time on her phone and promised herself to wake her in an hour—just enough time for a shower and to slip into pajamas.

Back in the living room, munching on the leftovers from this morning's snack, she sat at the dining table and turned on her computer. The first thing she did was open her inbox and notice an email from her boss's secretary. It contained all the details regarding the new position she was starting in a few days. She carefully read through every attachment, from maps of the different lecture halls to the list of PhD students in her department. Apparently, she had to select a student from the stack of résumés to assist her with her tutorial groups.

She nervously massaged her neck. How was she supposed to choose? They all had impressive profiles and excellent recommendations. She couldn't just flip a coin.

Resigned and growing more fatigued, she reached into her bag for the folder containing all the students in her cohort. As she pulled it out, a small piece of paper slipped free, but she caught it before it hit the ground.

The pink post-it from earlier.

A strange feeling washed over her as she read the name aloud.

Ah Sahm Takeda.

That feeling took over, compelling her to type the name into her search engine.

Nothing.

Which only piqued her curiosity further. Narrowing her search, she focused solely on social media.

Still nothing.

No results on WeChat, Sina Weibo, or Zhihu.

Two possibilities: either the grumpy policeman had messed with her by giving her a fake name, or this man was a true ghost.

Either way, there was no way to prove it.

"What are you doing?"

Sophie abruptly closed her laptop, feeling caught red-handed.

"Nothing at all. I was working."

"Really? On what?" Laura-Jin pressed, stepping closer.

She was barely dressed, wearing only a tank top and tiny cotton shorts. Her voice was still low, a sign she wasn't fully awake yet.

"Are you hungry? I saved you some youtiao, but they're cold. You should reheat them."

Laura-Jin ignored the container Sophie handed her, crouching beside her instead and flipping open the laptop.

Sophie cursed herself for giving her friend her password when she effortlessly typed it in and saw exactly what she had been trying to hide.

"Who's this?"

"No one."

"Then why is his name in your search history?"

Sophie was speechless, unable to come up with an excuse.

"Whoever he is, he doesn't seem to be active on social media, which is a bad sign." Laura-Jin shrugged.

She then stood up, realizing it was late and she needed to get ready.

"You don't know any other way to find him?"

The words slipped out before Sophie even realized it.

The need to put a face to that name had become overwhelming, impossible to hide. So much so that Laura-Jin gave her a curious look before deciding to help.

"Does your mystery man have a job?"

"Excuse me?"

"Does he work?" she repeated, crouching back down in front of the laptop.

Sophie nodded. He had to have a job—or at least be looking for one. Nowadays, especially in this country, no one could afford to be without income.

"Good. Then at some point in his life, he must have created a LinkedIn account."

A professional profile.

Of course.

Why hadn't she thought of that?

"But even if he has one, we wouldn't be able to access it. Only employers can."

"Lucky for you, my last fling happens to be one."

"You're dating a CEO?" Sophie mocked.

"Dated. And he's just the manager of a small car rental business," Laura-Jin corrected, logging in. "We're far from Bill Gates' level."

She chuckled as she pulled up the profile of Sophie's mystery man.

And when Sophie finally saw his face in the corner of her screen, her breath caught.

It was him.

The man from the subway.

She could have recognized him among a thousand.

That strong jawline. That sinister gaze.

"Wow. How did he even get hired with that expression?" Laura-Jin commented. "He looks like a convict."

Sophie wasn't listening.

She wasn't hearing anything anymore.

She was mesmerized, gripping the fabric of her pajama pants tightly.

"Despite his looks, Mr. Takeda seems like a real genius. Graduated from top schools, always top of his class. Double doctorate in behavioral and applied economics—holy shit…"

For a split second, Sophie's eyes flickered to a series of numbers in his personal details.

She bit her lip, just long enough for Laura to notice.

"Call him."

"No."

"Why not? You clearly like him."

Sophie made a scandalized face, her cheeks burning, which only amused her friend further.

"It's not about attraction—it's about politeness. He found my wallet."

"Perfect. Even more reason to call him."

"His address is listed. I'll just send him a gift basket and—hey! What are you doing?"

"Dialing his number," Laura said nonchalantly.

When had she even gotten hold of Sophie's phone?

Sophie didn't have time to wonder—she could already hear the ringing.

Betrayed, she shot her friend a death glare, but Laura only grinned, clearly enjoying herself.

"Come on, it's time for your training." She handed Sophie the phone.

Sophie accepted it as if it were radioactive.

"Just be natural and confident. Remember, we learn the most through challenges."

Before Sophie could protest, Laura Jin was already heading to her room.

Sophie remained frozen, her throat dry.

What was she supposed to say?

How could she sound natural when every part of her was in turmoil?

He didn't pick up.

She was almost relieved.

Until the voicemail tone beeped.

She was being recorded.

She was supposed to leave a message.

"Uh… hello. It's the wallet lady… and also the subway lady, I guess. I-I just wanted to thank you for finding it and taking it to the police. You saved me a lot of trouble. So yeah, have a great evening. Bye…"

She barely had time to hang up before hearing Laura-Jin burst into laughter from the bathroom, mimicking her pathetic message.

Sophie wanted to jump out the window.