“What were you just thinking about? You’ve been out of it all evening.” Ye Qing handed me a Coke.
“Oh, maybe the movie was just too boring. Made me sleepy,” I said, scratching my head and forcing a smile.
We’d been training in the park when it started pouring, so we ran to a nearby mall for shelter. The rain showed no sign of stopping, so Ye Qing suggested we watch a movie. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt like she was interested in me. She’d been waiting at the shop for me every day lately, and even started wearing light makeup. After the rain, she looked especially fresh and radiant.
“Didn’t you think the hitman in the movie was cool?”
“What’s so cool about a hitman?”
“I mean his attitude—never bowing to anyone, never betraying his dignity. That’s a real man.”
“Haha. If you met a hitman in real life, would you date him?”
Ye Qing bit her straw, giving me a look like I was an idiot. “Please, I’m a cop. If I met a hitman, I’d arrest him, obviously.”
“What if he was better than you?”
“As long as I’m alive, I’ll keep chasing him. That’s how we protect the innocent—it’s our duty.” She wore that familiar stubborn look.
Guess I shouldn’t get my hopes up. She probably just thinks I’m pitiful or a bit silly, and helps me out of kindness. I smiled wryly to myself.
“Well, well, look who it is! Little Miss Cop, not in uniform today? Hanging out with this loser?” Rat Tail and seven or eight thugs blocked our path, his eyes bloodshot—either drunk or high.
“What do you want? Looking to go back to the station?” Ye Qing stepped in front of me.
“Cops aren’t so tough. Tonight, I’m gonna teach you a lesson,” Rat Tail snarled. “Boys, grab her—everyone gets a turn.”
Nightfall emboldened the punks. They charged. Ye Qing knocked Rat Tail down with a punch, shouting, “Run! Don’t worry about me!”
Shouldn’t that be the guy’s line? I thought, half-laughing, half-crying.
I threw myself in front of her in the clumsiest way possible. One thug kicked me in the side, but I twisted my left hand lightning-fast—his kneecap popped out of place and he collapsed, groaning. Another swung at me. I took the punch to the face, blood spurting from my nose, but out of Ye Qing’s sight, I elbowed him in the chest—just enough to break a rib. He rolled on the ground, clutching his chest.
This was harder than any real fight I’d ever had.
It was like an adult fighting a bunch of toddlers—I had to control every move to keep things looking chaotic, so Ye Qing wouldn’t suspect my true skills.
“Stay back!” I stood in front of Ye Qing, face covered in blood, voice trembling.
“No, you stay back!” Rat Tail stammered, looking like he’d seen a ghost. All his men were down, crying for their mothers. He was the last one standing.
“Get lost, or I’ll take you down too,” I yelled.
He shuddered, dropped his buddies, and ran for his life. A cool, smooth hand grabbed mine—Ye Qing, grinning playfully. “Relax, he’s gone.”
The smell of disinfectant stung my eyes as Ye Qing carefully cleaned my wounds.
“I thought you’d never been in a fight. How’d you get so brave?” she asked, smiling.
“I don’t know. I just didn’t want them to hurt you.”
“Do you like me?”
Her face flushed, her hand trembling as she dabbed my cut.
How was I supposed to answer that?
“Ow, you poked my eye!” I whined, changing the subject.
“Dummy.” She tapped my head in mock annoyance. “You do your own bandages. I’m going home.”
Great, I’d blown it.
Ye Qing stormed off. I hurried after her.
“What if I do like you?” I called after her.
“Then bring me a bouquet every day. If you can keep it up for a hundred days, I’ll date you,” she said, turning with a cool smile.
Chapter 07
*