Chapter 32: The Stun Baton
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The private dinner hosted by Jiayong Auction House started at six-thirty. A motorcycle felt too showy for this kind of event, so Shi Wenze borrowed a friend’s car to pick him up. Lin Su had also changed into formal attire. Standing in the doorway of the walk-in closet, Lin Lu sized him up and said, “Meh. Too casual. Doesn’t look like a date at all.”
“It’s not supposed to be a date,” Lin Su replied, tightening his tie. “The less attention I draw tonight, the better. Besides, Mom will be there. If I showed up all glammed up, it’d just make me look like I hit my head on something.”
She couldn’t argue with that logic… except that he was bringing Shi-ge along. How was that low-profile in any sense of the word? If it weren’t a private event with no reporters allowed, a photo of the two of them would’ve gone viral—dressed like they were walking the red carpet while everyone else schmoozed for business connections.
“What time will you be back?” she asked.
“Probably late. Don’t wait up.” Lin Su checked his phone. “I’m heading out.”
At first, Lin Lu didn’t get it—what was so special about these dull private dinners that you’d stay out “late”? But then it clicked. Dark night, fine suits… it’d be a total waste just going home. They were probably planning something not-so-family-friendly.
Outside the villa, Shi Wenze opened the car door for Lin Su. “Ever been to an event like this before?” he asked.
“I’ve been to a few back when I was overseas,” Lin Su replied, buckling his seatbelt. “Want the rundown? The first hour is dinner, the second hour is socializing. If it’s boring, you can let the host know you’re leaving early. Unless you’re ditching some big shot, nobody really cares.”
“Is your mom close with the people running this auction house?” Shi Wenze asked as he got in.
“They’ve done a few deals, so they know each other. But not exactly close,” Lin Su said, reaching over to adjust Shi Wenze’s half-loosened tie. That lazy, undone look didn’t belong in a car—it belonged in a bedroom. Lin Su suddenly didn’t feel like attending the dinner anymore. He felt like initiating a little forced romance.
“What?” Shi Wenze asked.
“Nothing.” Lin Su withdrew his hand and behaved like a well-mannered passenger, safety first.
Jiayong Auction House was a standalone building with an old-school façade. Manager Song Tao came down to the parking lot to greet them personally. Though he was no longer in his monster form with the fish head, his slicked-back hair and tailored suit still gave him the look of a try-hard businessman. He grinned broadly from ten meters away and stretched out his hand.
Shi Wenze stepped in front of Lin Su and greeted him with a casual one-armed hug.
“Which floor’s the event on?” he asked.
“Second floor. This way, please,” Song Tao said. “You’re early—feel free to rest in the lounge. President Si just arrived too.” That would be Si Longqiu.
When Lin Su and Shi Wenze entered the lounge, she was chatting with a middle-aged man—one of those faces that could vanish in a crowd, except for the blinding shine on his bald head.
Shi Wenze leaned over slightly and murmured, “Doesn’t exactly scream ‘artist.’”
“He’s not. He’s a businessman,” Lin Su replied. “Doesn’t need artistic vibes—just money.”
The bald man was surrounded by others, so he only gave Lin Su and Shi Wenze a polite nod before heading off with his wine glass. Si Longqiu strolled over and gave Shi Wenze a once-over with a smile.
“You’re looking sharp today,” she said. “President Wang was just asking which one of you is my son.”
Shi Wenze glanced at the bald man. “That’s President Wang of Jiayong?”
Si Longqiu nodded. “Wang Yong. Why? Heard of him?”
“Just his name,” Shi Wenze said. “Back in the Mist Realm, Song Tao tried to invite Xiao Su to dinner. Said their President Wang would be thrilled to have him. So that’s the guy.”
“Business talk is mostly just pleasantries. Don’t take any of it seriously.” Si Longqiu raised her glass of juice. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to a few people.”
Shi Wenze wasn’t from this world—not even close. But good looks were universal currency. He didn’t need to know art; he was art.
Even without Lin Su making introductions, people naturally assumed he was a partner from Xie Gallery. Technically, they weren’t wrong. A gallery partner, the gallery owner’s partner… only a few letters apart. Close enough.
Si Longqiu introduced her son to a few respected elders, but when she turned back around, Shi Wenze had disappeared. After some searching, she finally spotted him on the balcony.
The view from the second-floor balcony wasn’t great. Most of it was swallowed by dusk. Shi Wenze stood quietly, adjusting his tie and staring at the distant skyline of glass towers.
His earpiece buzzed with chatter from his team. Something had gone slightly wrong. The original target had been a single xuangui—a mystical tortoise—but now it seemed there were at least two more suspects. Possibly more. No upper limit confirmed.
“How’s it look on your end?”
“Everything seems normal,” Shi Wenze replied, turning just in time to see Lin Su leaning against the balcony door, casually scrolling his phone. “…Uh.”
“What?” the voice in his ear prompted.
“Nothing.” Shi Wenze turned off the comms and walked over to Lin Su. “You’re done mingling?”
“I didn’t have anything to do in the first place.” Lin Su pressed one finger to his tie knot. “A woman was trying to chat you up. Kept glancing at the balcony. I came over to block the line of sight—didn’t want to mess with your op.”
Under Lin Su’s fingertip was a slim, hard chip hidden in the tie knot. Perfectly concealed. Shi Wenze hesitated. “You noticed in the car?”
“Earlier,” Lin Su replied. “During that dinner, I said if the auction ended early, we could go buy dishes. You heard me but didn’t respond.”
Shi Wenze froze. “So?”
“So either you’re a jerk who doesn’t want to shop for houseware, or you already knew this auction wouldn’t end before the stores closed.”
“You’re saying not wanting to shop means I’m a jerk?”
Lin Su nodded. “Yup.”
“Well, I’m not a jerk.”
“I know,” Lin Su said, patting his chest. “So go do your thing. Don’t worry about me.”
“I have to worry about you.” Shi Wenze slipped an arm around his shoulders. “Things are getting messy. Don’t wander off. Where’s your mom?”
“You definitely don’t need to worry about my mom,” Lin Su said. “She’s a badass.”
And he meant it—whether in human form or as the white dragon, Madam Si was a pro-level fighter. Lin Su didn’t ask for details. He didn’t want to snoop into Shi Wenze’s job. Instead, he leaned against the railing, sipping juice and watching the crowd inside, trying to guess how many monsters—and how many criminals—were hidden among them.
Shi Wenze, meanwhile, was stunned by how calm he looked. Most people would be at least a little nervous at a sting operation, but Lin Su looked… sleepy. His heart skipped. The man he liked was just built different.
Except Lin Su wasn’t. He was totally faking it—playing the role of the aloof outsider for dramatic flair. Everyone else here is breaking the law, but I remain unbothered. So poetic. So cool. A whole novel in one scene. Shi Wenze was completely taken in.
But duty called. He reached out and ruffled the back of Lin Su’s head, fingers brushing through stiff hair gel. It stung a little—but love was a thorny rose. Then a voice crackled in his ear again.
“Keep an eye on the second floor. Target is a middle-aged woman in a blue gown. Her clutch looks full—probably carrying something.”
“You know her?” he asked Lin Su.
Lin Su swapped out his drink for juice. “Yeah. She’s a painter. Lives in Rong City.”
The woman exchanged pleasantries with someone, then turned to leave. Shi Wenze was about to follow when the next update hit his earpiece.
“Also a fat guy in a blue-and-white suit just went upstairs. Watch him too.”
Shi Wenze frowned. “They’re headed in opposite directions. I’m only one person.”
His teammate swore under his breath. “They’ve sent at least fifteen people down to the secure basement vault. And more are arriving. We don’t even know who has the ‘goods’ anymore. Wenze, do you have anyone on-site you can trust?”
Shi Wenze stood still, silent. He’d never let Lin Su take any risks—but apparently, his mother-in-law could. Admittedly, that sounded wildly inappropriate and very “break-up thread” worthy on social media. But to his surprise, Si Longqiu had come fully prepared. After hearing the situation, she simply nodded and said, “No problem. I specifically didn’t wear a dress tonight.”
Shi Wenze froze. He had no idea how she’d seen this coming. Lin Su helpfully explained, “Because I told my mom you wouldn’t go shopping for plates with me.”
And Si Longqiu’s reaction had been exactly the same as Lin Su’s—she’d casually replied, Oh, then he probably has an op that night.
Shi Wenze found himself once again deeply impressed. He’d been in this line of work for years and never made any major mistakes—yet here he was, exposed by a damn plate. It was humbling enough to make him seriously consider enrolling in some professional development courses.
A while later, the woman in the blue dress left the lounge, and Si Longqiu followed right after. The other target—the portly man in the blue-and-white suit—was still seated on a couch. Lin Su leaned over and said, “He owns a secondhand luxury shop. Brings in a lot of vintage auction pieces.”
The man kept one hand stuffed in his pocket, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. He practically screamed “I’m guilty.” Shi Wenze and Lin Su took a seat nearby. The elevator doors kept opening and closing as more guests arrived. The atmosphere was growing noisier with the dinner about to begin.
Maybe sensing someone was watching him, the shop owner glanced their way—only to see two handsome men sitting close, whispering to each other, their legs touching, fingers idly brushing. Definitely not giving off a “legit business meeting” vibe. He panicked, quickly looked away, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. Then a voice came through the earpiece.
“Wenze, we’ve got the turtle. He’s carrying goods. What about your end?”
“I’ve got—” Shi Wenze looked up and saw the shop owner pulling something from his pocket and shoving it into his mouth. Without thinking, he lunged forward, grabbed the man’s wrist, and growled, “Don’t move!”
“Aah!” The man gave a startled yelp, and the thing he’d tried to swallow fell onto the couch. Shi Wenze picked it up. It was a small packet of white powder.
“I’m not on drugs! I’m not, I swear!” the man babbled in panic. “It’s for my nerves—I’ve got a condition! Are you undercover police?”
Just then, a new voice came over the earpiece.
“False alarm on the fat guy. He’s clean. But those bastards played dirty—a guy in a gray pinstripe suit just slipped out the back. He’s got the goods!”
“Shit!” Shi Wenze shoved the powder back into the man’s hands and ran to the balcony.
Sure enough, he spotted the man in the gray suit walking briskly toward a car.
“Anyone still on the second floor?” he asked.
“Three of us.”
“Tell them: if there’s a conflict—protect my wife.”
Shi Wenze grabbed the railing with one hand and vaulted over the balcony. The other end of the comms fell silent for a second, then someone asked, “…Wait. Which one?”
“The one in the white suit!” he shouted, sprinting after the man.
The suspect must have sensed danger too—he broke into a run, diving for the car door. But Shi Wenze caught up and slammed him against the hood with a solid kick. In the scuffle that followed, he wrestled the man into the Mist Realm. At the same time, everyone still at Jiayong Auction House received a new directive: Protect Shi Wenze’s wife. The public servants buzzed with a mix of amusement and admiration.
“Wait—who’s his wife?”
“The one in the white suit.”
“…For real? A guy?”
“Why would I lie?”
“Damn, that’s amazing.”
Work gossip, of course, never interfered with duty.
The man in the gray suit was, in fact, a lynx in his true form—not even close to being a match for Shi Wenze. It took only a few moves to pin him to the ground. As they struggled, the “goods” fell out from the man’s coat—a paper-thin bone fragment, belonging to an ancient phoenix.
Meanwhile, in the same section of the Mist Realm, Si Longqiu appeared from the other direction. She had effortlessly subdued the woman in blue and confiscated several similar phoenix bones from her as well.
Xu You arrived shortly after with backup, preparing to escort both suspects back to the Supernatural Affairs Committee. He didn’t recognize Si Longqiu and asked quietly, “Who is she? A new supervisor from Investigation?”
Shi Wenze replied, “She’s from Inspection.”
“…And?”
“She’s also my mom.”
Xu You looked stunned. “What?!”
Both missions had gone smoothly, and they were just about to return to the auction house when a frustrated voice came through the comms:
“Wenze, we’ve got a little situation. Your wife just tasered Xiao Wei. Don’t worry, it’s not that kind of betrayal—it was a literal taser. Why didn’t you tell us he had a stun baton?”
Si Longqiu, concerned, asked, “What happened?”
Shi Wenze blinked. “Lin Su had a stun baton?”
“Of course,” Si Longqiu said matter-of-factly. “I told him to bring it. What if something dangerous happened tonight? Who’d he tased?”
“…One of my coworkers.”
Si Longqiu looked surprised. “That boy really doesn’t know how to tell friend from foe, huh?”
To be fair, Lin Su was totally innocent. All he’d seen was Shi Wenze jumping off a balcony. He had no idea there were others secretly guarding him. So when a large stranger suddenly grabbed his arm, his brain immediately jumped to “kidnapped to a warehouse, used as leverage in a high-stakes standoff”—classic soap opera nightmare. He didn’t say a word. Just whipped out the stun baton. Poor Xiao Wei didn’t even get to scream before he collapsed right onto the couch.
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