So embarrassing

Wang Keyan steeled her heart and slowly walked around the table, sitting down on the sofa beside Li Ming, shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Brother Li... I... I know you like... you... help me warm them up!" Wang Keyan shut her eyes, casting all hesitation aside as she no longer cared about embarrassment. Under Li Ming's stunned gaze, she tremblingly lifted her feet and placed them on his lap.

Li Ming stared at her—her face buried in her hands, too shy to even look at him—and was utterly bewildered.

I like...?

Suddenly, Li Ming's face flushed crimson. She must have noticed me sneaking glances at her feet and assumed I had a thing for them... That's why she put them on my lap...

At that moment, Li Ming finally understood what it meant to die of embarrassment on the spot. This girl!

He swallowed hard, suppressing the stirring in his body, afraid some other absurd task might pop up.

Quickly standing up, he glanced at Wang Keyan, who was still lying on the sofa with her face covered, and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Ahem, well, Keyan... I've had a long day, so I’ll head back to rest now. You should get some sleep too. I’ll come find you tomorrow. Anyway... I... I’m going now!" Without waiting for her response, Li Ming bolted out of the room.

Click!

The sound of the door closing echoed.

Only then did Wang Keyan lower her hands from her face. Her cheeks were visibly reddening, turning as scarlet as a boiled crab.

"So embarrassing! So embarrassing, so embarrassing, so embarrassing!" She flipped over, burying her face in the sofa, her trembling voice muffled.

...

Meanwhile, Li Ming, having fled in panic, was on his way back to his office.

His warden’s office was right next to Lin Xi’s. As he passed by, he noticed the light was still on in her office.

Still awake at this hour?

After a brief hesitation, he walked up and knocked.

Knock knock!

"Come in. The door’s unlocked," Lin Xi’s voice called out immediately.

Li Ming pushed the door open and stepped inside. Lin Xi was scribbling something on her desk, absorbed in her work. Curious, he moved closer to take a look, only to be met with an eye-roll from her.

"What’s so interesting? You’re so nosy!"

"Haha, just trying to learn from you. I’ve only been warden for a few days—still clueless about a lot of things. Naturally, I need to seek guidance from Senior Lin," Li Ming said with a cheeky grin, sidling up to her.

"Hmph! Don’t call me ‘senior.’ Warden Li is so mighty and impressive. How could a mere deputy warden like me dare to be your senior?" Lin Xi retorted sarcastically.

"Come on, don’t be mad. I was just putting on a show in front of outsiders. You and I—we’re practically family! Grew up together since we were in diapers. We’re on the same team!" Li Ming waggled his eyebrows, laying on the flattery.

"Stop it! Who grew up with you in diapers? Don’t make things up. I’m not on your team," Lin Xi huffed, though her anger had already softened. She shot him another glare.

"So? Did you and that pretty inmate have a nice chat? Was her figure so alluring and her face so captivating that your heart went wild? You even gave her a private cell! What, planning to keep a little mistress in prison?" Lin Xi snapped.

Seeing how worked up she was, Li Ming could only smile apologetically before explaining in a low voice.

"It’s not like that. You’ve got the wrong idea. When I went to Qingcheng Prison, Warden Huang Feihu told me some things—about the previous wardens who resigned or had ‘accidents.’ He even hinted at me. Then, right after I got back, I ran into Tan Qingqing. She insisted she had something to tell me in private, so I figured listening wouldn’t hurt."

"And guess what? Tan Qingqing said she wouldn’t even be in our prison for more than a few days before someone from the outside would get her out. She sounded dead serious, so I played along. I want to see how she plans to walk out of here—and who’s got the power to pull strings like that!"

Lin Xi’s brows furrowed as she absorbed this information, falling silent for a long moment.

"No wonder... So that’s how it is," she murmured to herself.

"What? What do you mean ‘no wonder’?" Li Ming pressed, intrigued.

Lin Xi set down her pen and spoke gravely. "Li Ming, be careful. Don’t get in over your head. Whoever’s behind this must have serious backing. The wardens who died in ‘accidents’ or ‘suicides’—they were probably targeted for the same reason."

"And what I meant by ‘no wonder’... Well, it’s about something else."

Li Ming leaned in eagerly. "What is it? Spill!"

Rubbing her temples, Lin Xi organized her thoughts before recounting the story.

"This happened early last year. I wasn’t deputy warden yet—had just started here. A group of new female inmates went through the standard intake process. A few days after they were assigned to their cells, an order came from above saying their cases needed reevaluation. On the warden’s instructions, I escorted them out. As they left, I overheard someone say they’d never return to prison. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. But weeks passed, and there was no trace of them. Later, I checked their files out of curiosity—but it was like they’d vanished from the face of the earth. Even their records were wiped clean."

"Looking back now, they must’ve been ‘rescued’ the same way."

Her voice grew somber.

These criminals had slipped through the cracks, evading punishment. Once out, they’d surely commit crimes again.

And yet, prison officers like Lin Xi—who were supposed to keep them locked up—had unwittingly helped them walk free under orders. It was infuriating.

Li Ming nodded slowly.

"Right. So people have been pulled out before by these so-called ‘big shots.’ But now that I’m here, if they dare reach into this prison again, I won’t let them off. They’ll pay for what they’ve done!"

...