In the prosperous city of Lianhua, at the headquarters of the Lianhua Central Guard.
"That's the most ridiculous proposition I've ever heard," Lan says calmly.
"It's the best we could think of." Jin says warmly.
"Posing as a civilian and trying to get close to a man we don't even know for sure is part of the organization? And to top it off, you think said man will just fall for me?"
"Uh, yes? You're pretty enough, I think?"
Lan scoffs and walks off. Her boss, the leader of the Lianhua Central Guard, has just sent her on a mission. A ridiculous one. For the past year, the Guard has been chasing the tail of an organization that has been causing a series of child abductions in the streets of Lianhua. A name was leaked. They've been trying to get even a whiff of the child abductors for way too long. If they didn't get a lead, it didn't even have to be the right one, they would have to stop the investigation all together. They had no choice but to look into the name a captured subordinate had given them.
The man's name was Kyo. Actually, Kyo was a pretty well-known name in the city of Lianhua. He owned a famous restaurant that had three stories. The Central Guard wasn't even sure if the lackey had just given out a random name to throw them off track, but even if it was, they could only investigate and look elsewhere if Kyo was in the clear.
So, the director of the guard, Jin, could only come up with this extremely cliche and overused approach. Captivate the man and get information out of him. The plan seemed like he had put no thought into it. Lan was one of the few women in the Guard, and she was just an administrative assistant, recording cases and writing reports. It was rumored that she used to do fieldwork, but didn't like fights and blood so ended up doing desk work.
This time, Lan found herself in the position where she was the only single woman available to seduce a young man in his mid-twenties. In fact, they were probably close in age.
Lan walked out the old wooden doors of the Central Guard Headquarters to head to the restaurant Kyo owned. Jin's instructions were straightforward. Sit in the restaurant, eat by herself there, find a way to get the owner, Kyo, out, and eventually get into a more intimate relationship with him until they could get more information on the man, and maybe the case too. Lan let out a sigh. There's no way it would work.
But she remembered Xi, the three year old child of her neighbor that went missing just two weeks ago. She never imagined a kidnapping would happen so close to her, and to someone she knew. Lan knew she had to try her best. If they didn't get anything in two months, they would be forced to stop the investigation. The Guard didn't have the resources to chase a cold case. However, over twenty children had been reported in the last six months alone.
Thinking this far, Lan had arrived at a very grand three-storied pavilion. The restaurant had outdoor and indoor seating. The pavilion was circular in shape, and had a good central location. There was a view of the lush green mountains surrounding the city. Small potted plants spotted the whole restaurant, and it gave off a very serene feeling. Walking inside, she was greeted by an eager young waiter.
"Hello miss, table for one?"
"Yes," Lan replied stiffly.
The waiter guided her to a small round table that seated two. Lan sat down and pointed to the menu immediately.
"Tea, and this, and this, and this, please."
"Yes, right away." The young waiter smiled without missing a beat and walked away speedily.
He came back a few minutes later with a steaming pot of tea, a small tea cup, and a few vegetable dishes. The main dish was bright red, a steamed fish surrounded by red chilies. Lan took a bite of the fish first. Her tongue nearly fell off and she coughed violently.
Smiling to herself, she called the waiter back. Lifting her chin haughtily, she complained, "This dish is too spicy. I have tears in my eyes from just one bite. I want to see the owner."
The waiter hesitated. "But miss, the name of this dish is super spicy steamed fish."
Lan was unfazed. "I don't care. Call the owner over."
The waiter smiled again. "Right away."
Lan blinked. That was a little too easy.
The young waiter, Sho, had a cheery smile on his face as he headed to the owner's room. In fact, the reason why it was so easy for Lan to get this young waiter to call the owner over was just because Sho loved to bother him as much as he could.
Kyo was looking out the circular window at the beautiful mountains. Sho groaned internally. He's looking at the mountains again. How many times in a day does this guy have to look out the window? He secretly wished he would find something else to stare at all day, like documents or books. At least he would look more busy and owner-like then.
"Kyo, a customer on the third floor is complaining that our super spicy steamed fish is too spicy. She wants to see you," Sho said, still smiling.
"But the name of the dish…" Kyo started. Sho didn't let him finish.
"Just go see her. You're not doing anything right now anyways."
Kyo shook his head. "Sometimes I think you should just be the owner with how much you order me around."
He still turned to head out. As he crossed the narrow hallways towards the dining area, he wondered what kind of customer would order spicy steamed fish in the early morning. The sun hadn't even reached the tips of the mountains yet. And then he looked up and saw her.
Lan was sitting with her long legs crossed, staring out at the mountains just as he had moments ago. She was wearing a light lavender dress with a mandarin collar that reached to her calves, her jet black hair tied back in a low bun. Her brown eyes were round and accentuated her small, charming face. Kyo was instantly captivated. From when he first set eyes on her, every step he took felt like slow motion.
He walked towards her languidly, trying to keep his emotions from showing too much on his face. When he finally reached her table, he forced a smile.