His tone rose, with a long drag at the end. His eyebrows raised high. I looked up at him, wondering if he knew me.

Seeing my confusion, he chuckled. "My police academy is across from your music school. Your violin playing is beautiful."

I looked down and saw the name of the WhatsApp, Leo Williams. I had to say, he and his name were quite a contrast.

He sat back down. My phone buzzed several times.

He sent: [Here is the location of our police station. Is it convenient for you to give a statement tomorrow? May I ask how you were scammed?]

I stayed silent for a while before replying.

[In freshman year, he chased me for half a month, then went after my roommate. She is lovestruck and borrowed five thousand dollars from me for him. He never paid me back after graduation...]

The "Leo Williams" at the top of the screen changed to "Typing..." for a few seconds, then back to "Leo Williams."

One minute. Two minutes...

He asked: [Why didn't you report it before?]

I chuckled when I saw it. [I wanted to, but my lovestruck roommate wouldn't let me. She said she would pay me back but never did, and it dragged on until now.]

Not only did she not pay back, but she also played the victim. It made me the villain at school.

Everyone said my family was rich. If I skipped a meal or didn't buy a pair of shoes, I could cover the five thousand dollars. Even the counselor tried to persuade me.

I knew the counselor had a hard time. She kept persuading me because she was afraid my roommate might do something drastic.

This dragged on until I graduated, and today I ran into that scumbag senior...

He ended up in jail.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. "Can I ask why he was arrested?" I asked.

Leo said, "Sorry, I can't disclose that."

His polite refusal made me feel mischievous. I opened my phone and directly tagged my lovestruck roommate in the class group chat.

"Ran into your ex-boyfriend, Daniel. I'm asking him for the five thousand dollars he borrowed from you," I typed.

To avoid further entanglement, I simply left the group chat.

Leo asked again, "Is it convenient for you to give a statement tomorrow?"

I didn't hesitate. "Tonight works."

There was a sigh from behind. He replied, "Okay."

I put down the tray table and put on an eye mask to sleep.

When I woke up, I found a bottle of water on the tray table.

As I wondered, a clear voice came from behind me.

"I bought an extra bottle of water. If you don't mind, take it as a thank you for supporting our work," said Leo.

I turned around and saw him gulping water. For some reason, seeing this made my throat move instinctively.

I blurted out. "Thank you, Officer!"

"Cough..."

He coughed into his hand, patting his chest repeatedly. It looked like he choked.

His white shirt got soaked, revealing the muscles underneath.

I glanced once and quickly looked away. I fumbled to open my bag and find tissues.

His colleague handed him tissues while laughing. "You don't have to call him 'Officer' every time."

Hearing this, he coughed heavily. Everyone in the carriage looked over. I nodded timidly. "I'm sorry."

"I need to use the restroom," Leo said, standing up with an uncomfortable look.

I followed him, looking for a chance to apologize.

He stood at the restroom door and looked back at me with a smirk. "What? Do you need to use it?"

"No, go ahead," I said hurriedly, motioning for him to go in.

Seeing this, he laughed even more. "Are you going to stand guard at the door?"

Seeing the teasing in his eyes, my face instantly turned red.

Dazed and confused, I turned around and "bang," I hit the wall and fell backward.

Leo, being a well-trained cop, quickly caught me. But due to the sudden loss of balance, my hand instinctively grabbed something nearby.

I ended up grabbing a very awkward part. It was Leo's butt. Seeing this, my eyes widened immediately.

He took a sharp breath. After helping me, he closed the restroom door with a red face.

I stood facing the wall in shame, feeling dumbfounded.

I had no face to see anyone. How could I grab his butt...

I could never face Leo again.

Until we left the station, I stood in the parking lot calling a cab.

He messaged me, "It's too late now. If you don't mind, you can ride with us in the police car."

The embarrassing scene from earlier flashed in my mind. I shook my head, forcing myself not to remember it.

"I'll take a cab myself."

"The front seat is waiting for you," he replied instantly.

I couldn't refuse and had to comply.

As soon as I got in the car, I saw him in the driver's seat. Daniel and two other cops were in the back.

It was my first time in a police car in twenty-three years. I couldn't help but feel nervous.

My body was tense. Leo probably noticed my unease and glanced at me.

"We don't bite. No need to be so nervous. Are you a fugitive?"

There were faint laughs in the car. Daniel and the other two looked at me, trying to suppress their smiles.

I got even more nervous. I should have done this report tomorrow. Plus, I didn't really need the five thousand dollars...

"Buzz..."

My phone vibrated intensely in my pocket. I picked it up and saw it was a call from my lovesick roommate, Aria Taylor.

Considering my current situation, I answered the call.

"Zoe, do you need the five thousand dollars to eat? Is it necessary to chase me down?"

Her words confused me, and I got really angry.

"Aria, I lent you money because I had a bit of goodwill left for you. I don't need the five thousand, but that doesn't mean you don't have to pay me back. Can I ask Daniel to repay me if you don't want to pay?

"There's a saying, don't take my kindness for granted!"

She started crying immediately, and I heard a faint male voice, "Baby, what's wrong? Why are you crying..."

I hung up impatiently and leaned back, taking deep breaths.

I looked at Daniel through the rearview mirror. He looked disheveled, far from the guy in a suit who confessed to me outside the dorm.

Because I rejected his confession, many people at school said I was unkind. Adding the five thousand dollars incident with my roommate, I lost most of my friends.

For four years, I was alone at school.

Today, the culprit finally got what he deserved, though I didn't know what crime he committed.

Neon lights outside the car window flashed by like shooting stars. I felt very free at this moment.

It was almost midnight when I came out of the police station.

The police told me to sue Aria directly because there was no evidence that Daniel scammed the five thousand dollars.

I felt overwhelmed.

"Do you need me to take you home?"

Leo suddenly appeared from nowhere, standing quietly next to me.

I shook my head. "I booked a guesthouse nearby. Sorry for all the trouble today."

Out of habit, I stood up to bow to him but he stopped me.

His hand felt warm as he held mine. His deep voice came from above, "It's okay, Zoe. You're a good girl."

I couldn't help but feel a bit surprised and puzzled after hearing that.

He let go of me.

"I'll take you there. It's too late now," Leo said, glancing at his watch.

Seeing his businesslike manner, I gave him the address.

After hearing it, his face darkened slightly. He frowned. "I suggest you find another place to stay."

"Why? Is there something wrong with the place? Is the service bad?" I asked instinctively.

He turned his head awkwardly.

"It's not a service issue. I suggest you don't stay there," he said.

His vague answer puzzled me. I stared at his suddenly reddening ears and asked.

"That guesthouse is up for sale. My parents and I are considering buying it. I came today to check it out.

"Can you tell me why I shouldn't stay there?"

Leo looked at me deeply and then shook his head. "Sorry, it's confidential."

The atmosphere became tense because of this. I looked down and took out my phone to search for nearby hotels.

As I was searching, he interrupted.

"This is the old town. Most hotels nearby have outdated facilities. If you don't mind, you can stay with my sister for the night. It's just across the street. I'm on duty at the station tonight.

"You can find another hotel tomorrow. It's almost 12:30 now."

I was stunned and stammered while waving my hand. "N-no. That's not convenient."

We had only known each other for less than a day. How could I stay at his place?

Leo cleared his throat.

"My sister is a music student, also learning the violin. You've always been her idol. She would be so happy to see you. Please do me this favor, okay?"

His voice was soft and sincere at this moment, as if he had deliberately adjusted his tone.

Normally, I would think such words were emotional blackmail. But coming from him, I didn't feel offended at all. Instead, I was moved.

I hesitated a bit.

Leo took a step closer to me.

"And also, this afternoon on the high-speed train, you owe me, right?"