Entrapment

The ice cubes clinked against the glass at the bar, a crisp, clear sound.

The woman sat in the corner, already on her fifth whiskey sour, which was nearly finished.

She didn’t look up, nor did she acknowledge the gazes cast her way from around the room. She simply tapped her fingertip lightly on the counter, signaling the bartender for another.

A man in a fitted shirt slid over, striking a carefully practiced pose—clearly, he hadn’t skipped leg day at the gym.

The woman didn’t even raise an eyelid. She toyed with her glass, her gaze fixed on the ice cubes inside.

The man stood there for five seconds. Receiving no response, he finally retreated into the shadows, rubbing his nose.

He was the fourth one.

The bartender kept mixing drinks, his movements fluid. He could tell this woman could hold her liquor. Those guys trying to pick her up were probably out of luck.

The men trying to chat her up only showed off their own worth, completely missing what the woman really wanted.

They were looking to conquer, while she just wanted to drink.

But she remained aloof, utterly indifferent to these buzzing suitors.

One by one, the men left in defeat, until the seat next to hers was finally empty.

His eyes shifted to Lin Zhiming.

Lin Zhiming sat at the other end of the bar, feeding himself potato chips one by one, chewing loudly and rhythmically—not too fast, not too slow.

He stuffed the last chip into his mouth, brushed the crumbs off his hands, and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp. Grinning, he stood up.

The bartender knew the play was on.

The first time he’d seen Lin Zhiming, the man had smoothly walked off with a stunning woman.

Then a second, a third...

The things nobody else noticed, Lin Zhiming always picked up on.

And today, he was about to take someone else home.

At first, no one paid Lin Zhiming any attention. Not until he sat down in that empty seat.

It was the same spot where a string of failures had just made their rounds, leaving behind the awkward warmth of their embarrassment.

Lin Zhiming didn’t put on any social butterfly airs. He simply rested his elbow on the bar, angling his body slightly toward the woman.

When people saw another guy sit down, most just sneered. Those who recognized Lin Zhiming shook their heads in resignation.

Opening his mouth, Lin Zhiming spoke in a low voice. The bartender could only catch a few words.

“The ice in that whiskey hasn’t even melted yet. You’re drinking too fast.”

The woman turned her head, scanning Lin Zhiming’s unremarkable features. Her eyes finally settled on one of his shirt buttons.

And in her gaze, there was a flicker of something feverish.

“Oh? And what do you suggest?”

Lin Zhiming didn’t waste words. He pulled out his wallet, counted a few bills, and pressed them under his glass.

“I’ve got better liquor at my place. And you won’t have to put up with these try-hards.”

He stood up without grabbing at her, simply offering his hand.

The woman stared at that hand for a moment. A genuine smile curled at the corner of her mouth. Then she rose and linked her arm through his.

Everyone let out a sigh.

Lin Zhiming wasn’t good-looking. In fact, he was a bit overweight.

Yet those women still chose to go with him, time after time.

Out of the bar, the night wind hit them, stirring up the alcohol.

The woman’s supple body pressed snugly against Lin Zhiming’s chest like a boneless chicken strip.

Lin Zhiming’s thoughts began to wander. His fingers unconsciously traced the bone ring on his middle finger. The smooth, warm feel of it gave him boundless confidence.

Lowering his voice, he tried to sound magnetic.

“Baby, you have no idea how sweet you are.”

The woman giggled in his arms, tilting up a face flushed with allure. “Is that so? Then do you want to find out right now?”

Without waiting for his answer, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him straight into a dark, narrow alley.

Her sheer aggressiveness sent Lin Zhiming’s blood pumping straight from his brain to... well, down below.

The alley was dimly lit, the walls covered in graffiti, carrying a damp, musty smell.

The woman spun around suddenly. Using both hands, she shoved Lin Zhiming hard, slamming his back against the cold wall.

Turning the tables, eh?

This woman had some fire!

Far from angry, Lin Zhiming only grew more excited. He closed his eyes, puckered his lips slightly, striking a pose that read, “Take me, I’m yours.”

He braced himself for a wild kiss.

But what came wasn’t soft lips.

Slap!

The sharp crack cut through the silence of the alley like a whip.

Lin Zhiming felt a searing pain on his left cheek. His head buzzed, and his mind went blank.

He opened his eyes, still reeling, before he could even read the woman’s expression, she let out a shriek with all her might.

“Help! Assault! Help!”

That voice could have lifted the roof off the alley!

Lin Zhiming’s brain completely shut down.

This wasn’t the script!

His bone ring was supposed to...

The next second, dark figures burst in from both the alley entrance and the far end. Heavy, purposeful footsteps followed, the reflective stripes on their police uniforms flashing in the dark.

“Freeze! Police!”

“Hands on your head!”

Several burly officers didn’t give him a chance to react. One on each arm, they hooked his limbs, and a knee drove into the back of his leg.

Lin Zhiming dropped to his knees with a thud. He was then pinned face-down, his cheek grinding against the rough concrete.

The whole arrest went as smooth as butter, professional enough to make him question his entire existence.

“Mistake... It’s all a mistake...”

Before he could finish, a gloved hand grabbed his middle finger and yanked the bone ring right off.

Lin Zhiming’s heart sank. His last shred of hope evaporated.

One of the officers spoke.

“This should be it. This is how he’s been charming women, right?”

The woman who had been so seductive moments ago was now leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching him coldly with a mocking smirk on her lips.

“No doubt about it. The moment he got close, my psychic interference device kicked in.”

“Take him back to the station. We’ll get everything out of him there.”

Plainly, these weren’t ordinary cops. They were Yanhuang Awakened.

And the woman? She was the bait.

Lin Zhiming was roughly dragged to his feet and shoved into a police car.

The door slammed shut, snapping him out of his daze. He began thrashing and yelling hysterically.

“On what charge are you arresting me! I’ll file a complaint! You’re going rogue, using excessive force! Is there no law anymore?”

An agent in the passenger seat didn’t even turn to look at him. He just spoke slowly.

“And what about what you were doing? Thanks to this.”

He held up the evidence bag containing the bone ring.

Lin Zhiming’s shouting died in his throat, like a duck that suddenly got its neck wrung. He fell silent instantly.

The other agents in the car let out cold laughs.

Back at the station, they’d have plenty of ways to find out where the bone ring came from.

A few hours later.

Liu Zheng stared at the report in his hands, frowning hard.

“What’s the matter? Something off?”

“Not exactly off... It’s just... too simple.”

The report said Lin Zhiming had picked up the bone ring at a small street vendor’s stall. But which vendor? Where could they find it?

Was it really just a lucky find?

Had they really guessed wrong?