“Hello, Miss Bai. I am Jia Woyi,” the man spoke first, his tone carrying just the right amount of politeness—neither overly enthusiastic nor cold.
“Teacher Cheng has told me about you. She said you have a quiet personality and are a very gentle young woman.”
Cheng Yin was still accompanying them, a warm smile plastered on her face.
“My dear, Mr. Jia is a very capable man. He runs his own business, has a wide network, comes from a solid family background, and is very steady. He’s a perfect match for you.”
No matter how extravagantly Cheng Yin praised Jia Woyi, when it came to being utter scum, the matchmaking agency had never disappointed with the blind date partners they introduced to Bai Ci.
Temporary Rain's Message NPC: Jia Woyi
Appearance: A human, probably
Identity: Leader of a human trafficking ring. He has been engaged in human trafficking for a long time, specifically targeting and luring young women and children to sell them into remote mountainous regions for massive profits.
He has illicit dealings with Lin Jie, the person in charge of Yuanxin Matchmaking Agency. Through the matchmaking agency, he screens targets, uses matchmaking as a front to lure eligible women into his trap, and then waits for an opportunity to capture and sell them.
Hypocritical, cunning, ruthless, and highly skilled at disguise. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Relationship with Player: Blind date partner
Skill Levels: Physicality 5, Spirit 6, Agility 5
Special Skills: None
Life Status: Curse [What is Love] in effect
With great effort, Bai Ci finally endured the end of the blind date. Today's match was yet another unique brand of scum.
Before leaving the house today, Bai Ci had deliberately made up an excuse to have Mother Bai stay home and rest. She had come to the café alone for the appointment precisely so she could head to the Bureau of Investigation afterward by herself.
She wanted to make another layer of preparations without Mother Bai's knowledge.
Since she knew this world had an organization capable of handling anomalous incidents, there was no reason for her to keep groping in the dark and wasting time on her own.
Bai Ci walked at a leisurely pace, mentally planning how she should broach the subject once she arrived at the Bureau of Investigation.
Although she had participated in several instances, her class characteristics meant that only her acting skills grew steadily with each run. Her other attributes showed no significant improvement.
Because she was so deep in thought, she failed to notice a figure tailing her from a short, consistent distance behind.
That figure was none other than An Shu.
Earlier at Yuanxin Matchmaking Agency, after hanging up her call with Chen Quan, she had noticed while browsing the files that Bai Ci had been scheduled for a blind date today.
Timing was everything. Just as An Shu and Xiao Wen slipped away from the matchmaking agency, they happened to catch the end of this blind date.
Without enough time to draw up a meticulous plan, she immediately decided to split their forces.
She followed Bai Ci, while Xiao Wen followed her instructions to quietly tail Jia Woyi and monitor his movements.
Following Bai Ci, An Shu watched as the route became increasingly familiar. It was clearly leading toward the Bureau of Investigation.
In the end, she watched as Bai Ci indeed walked straight into the Bureau of Investigation.
What was this about? An Shu was a little bewildered.
Despite her confusion, she didn't hesitate. Bypassing any unnecessary middlemen, she directly took over the reception and questioning duties from a member of the Regular Investigation Unit.
The Regular Investigation Unit investigator got to skip a tedious chore and might even get to leave work early today, while An Shu secured the opportunity to directly contact and question Bai Ci.
Everyone had a bright future ahead of them.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Bai,” An Shu said as she brought over a glass of warm water with professional poise, flipped open her logbook, and sat down across from Bai Ci.
Bai Ci didn't speak first. She simply looked at An Shu quietly, waiting for her to continue.
For a moment, An Shu found herself at a loss for words. The opening remarks she had prepared suddenly felt impossible to say.
Seeing this, Bai Ci broke the silence first. “Do you know me?”
Since walking into the Bureau of Investigation, she had barely spoken a few words. She hadn't even had the chance to explain her situation, let alone introduce her name.
How did someone who could correctly call out her surname suddenly pop up in front of her?
Moreover, judging from her reaction, tone, and logic, this female investigator didn't seem like someone she knew.
An Shu snapped back to reality and nodded quickly. Forcing a gentle smile onto her face, she took the initiative to introduce herself. “Hello, Miss Bai. I am Investigator An Shu.”
“You might not know me, but you definitely know our captain. Chen Quan—does that name ring a bell?”
“Chen Quan?” Hearing the name, Bai Ci recalled briefly and quickly matched the name to the past mission and event. “Of course I remember.”
Hearing that Bai Ci indeed remembered Chen Quan, An Shu breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly used her connection with Chen Quan to build rapport, her tone becoming much warmer.
“That's wonderful that you still remember him. Honestly, Captain Chen has always cared about your situation.”
Even though several years had passed, his evaluation of her was still that of a trustworthy, righteous, and kind person.
“Well, let's skip the pleasantries and get to business. Miss Bai, what brings you to the Bureau of Investigation today?”
Bai Ci had no intention of hiding anything about the so-called curse passed down in the Bai family. After all, she had come here specifically to seek help, even though there wasn't much she actually knew about it herself.
Besides, since the other party was from the Bureau of Investigation and was Chen Quan's subordinate, it saved her the trouble of looking for a point of contact.
She spoke in a calm tone. “I've encountered an anomalous event and wanted to come here for help.”
“An anomalous event?” An Shu's eyes lit up. “That's great!”
“Ah—no... I didn't mean it's great that you encountered something like this.”
“I meant you've come to the right place. Our Special Investigation Unit is dedicated to handling these kinds of anomalous events.”
“Miss Bai, please tell me about the anomalous situation you've encountered in detail. I'll register it, and we will help you handle it as soon as possible.”
Bai Ci spoke slowly, focusing her topic solely on the Bai family curse. “My family has a generational curse that dictates the women of our family must marry before the age of thirty, or else they will die.”
“I am twenty-nine now, with less than a year left, which is why I've come to seek your help.”
“You are the professionals. Perhaps you have a way to break this curse.”
“Huh?” An Shu's hand holding the pen froze, leaving her completely stunned for a moment.
Countless questions flooded her mind. What kind of strange curse was this? Did it have anything to do with the deaths of those blind date partners?
She opened her mouth, wanting to press further.
She wanted to ask if Bai Ci knew about the deaths of those blind date partners, and whether there was any connection between the curse and the homicides.
But as the words reached the tip of her tongue, she didn't know how to voice them.
After all, Bai Ci was currently here to seek help for a curse. If she suddenly brought up the homicides, wouldn't it be too abrupt? Would it make Bai Ci wary?
Moreover, she couldn't be sure whether Bai Ci was truly in the dark or not.
Rate on N.U.
