He’s clearly still just a child.

Bai Haonan truly arranged everything. This Southwest Medical University was most renowned for its Department of Dentistry. He introduced a nurse and asked Qiao Yingna to go to the dental department for a complete cleaning, scaling, and whitening, all to be charged to his account. After four years at medical school, Qiao Yingna realized that Bai Haonan’s month-old network of connections was more useful than all her accumulated relationships. It seemed that even if he stopped coaching this amateur staff team, Bai Haonan could still make plenty of money as a fixer at the affiliated hospital.

The nurse who received Qiao Yingna was especially warm, treating her as the girlfriend of “Brother Hao.” Yet, while tending to her and cleaning her teeth, she couldn’t help but share gossip about the neurology nurses, including many stories about Bai Haonan’s interactions with the other nurses.

Once again, Qiao Yingna disappointed expectations by not reacting at all—no anger, not even a hint of irritation. Mouth open throughout the procedure, she could only express her surprise with her eyes, as if genuinely hearing these things for the first time.

When it was done, and she saw her teeth, now gleaming white in just thirty minutes, Qiao Yingna wondered how she had never noticed something so simple could make her look so much better. Perhaps no one had mentioned it before, or maybe she’d only cared about singing at bars at night, never paying attention to such things.

Yet it was only when Bai Haonan brought it up that she immediately got it done.

Was it that a woman dresses up to please herself, or did having a man in her life make her more decisive? Qiao Yingna thanked her senior, and under the watchful eyes of several nurses and female doctors, finally fled the dental department. Wandering naturally back to campus, it was almost dinner time, and her steps unconsciously took her toward the sports field.

It was just a matter of crossing the street. While waiting at the light, Qiao Yingna noticed a tall girl coming out of the hospital as well. Her medium-length hair was tied in a ponytail, her clothes plain, but her height made anyone look twice. Unlike most tall girls, she stood with proud, straight posture, so much so that Qiao Yingna couldn’t help but think she was beautiful. Her features were unusual, her bearing unique. Qiao Yingna wondered if that scoundrel would be taken with this girl should he see her.

She immediately realized there was something wrong with her train of thought—why did her mind always go there these days?

She shook her head vigorously as she crossed the street and noticed the tall girl also entered the rear gate of the medical university, almost taking the same route as herself. More importantly, neither seemed to be hurrying to a particular destination, both dawdling and hesitant, prompting Qiao Yingna to glance over again.

Eventually, Qiao Yingna found herself standing by the campus road, where a dense line of oleander trees, trimmed like a wall and three or four meters high, separated her from the soccer field. She had decided to return to her dorm, but now, intending to just steal a glance and leave, she saw Bai Haonan standing at the center of the field, hands behind his back, shouting and directing. Since no one could see her, she reasoned there was no harm in watching a little longer.

Qiao Yingna truly didn’t understand soccer, nor was she moved by the sight of athletic sweat. She simply stared dazedly at his figure. Perhaps in this unnoticed corner, she didn’t have to worry about being ridiculed or gossiped about, so she just watched. Even though she was behind the goal and separated by the track, he was still clearly visible.

For a long while, she waited until Bai Haonan called everyone together and patted each person on the shoulder. The most promising young academic leaders from the hospital’s first affiliate team bantered with him, delighted at the attention. It was as if, on the field, he was no longer the reckless, shameless Tai Ritian. Qiao Yingna found herself smiling, and realizing her newly brightened teeth, she smiled even more.

With this self-amused gesture, she turned her head and discovered, a dozen meters away, that same tall girl also stood behind the shrubbery, staring fixedly at the field.

Any woman’s intuition would suggest the other girl was also watching Bai Haonan.

Qiao Yingna couldn’t help but sigh once more: she truly hadn’t been wronged by falling for that scoundrel. Just look at this girl’s figure—tut tut!

Women can appreciate beauty in other women, after all. The tall girl was a bit thin, dressed in a beige chiffon shirt with an old-style tie at the collar, and black pencil pants. She wasn’t fashionable, nor particularly curvy, but her towering height lent her an unforgettable presence. Qiao Yingna, being a bit short herself, always admired tall girls. She’d liked Chen Sufen at first sight, but Chen’s height was still within the usual range—this girl’s was extraordinary. The straight shoulders, long neck, and one-to-two body ratio made her look almost like a model. Her small head only highlighted the effect; by comparison, Qiao Yingna felt like she had a doll’s oversized head and envied such proportions.

But if not for her height, it was the dazed expression that set her apart. After years in nightclubs, Qiao Yingna had seen many beautiful women, but most were caked in makeup. This girl wore almost none, not even the commonly seen bangs; her medium-length hair was simply parted and tied back.

She exuded a certain nostalgia, as if from the late twentieth century, an impression reinforced by her clothes. On an ordinary girl, this look might seem tacky, but on her, it was clearly intentional, a deliberate retro style. Only now did Qiao Yingna realize: this was the air of heroism, the kind seen in old photos of resolute young women from the era of labor and struggle.

This, of course, was Officer Xiao Guo. Unaware she was being watched, she kept her gaze fixed on the field until something nearby seemed to move, and she slowly turned her head, locking eyes with Qiao Yingna, who was just about to leave.

Qiao Yingna could have just walked away without saying anything, but for some reason, seeing the emptiness in the other’s eyes, she couldn’t help but speak: “Do you know… Liu Hao?”

The tall girl didn’t reply, but her eyes flickered with panic, clearly caught out. Qiao Yingna, now certain of her guess, couldn’t help but think Bai Haonan was truly shameless. It was one thing to flirt with bold, playful girls, but this was clearly an old-fashioned, reserved, honest girl—wasn’t that just taking advantage of her? Feeling indignant, she said, “Don’t bother with him. He’s a scoundrel, a liar who preys on girls. He really ought to be arrested—don’t fall for his tricks!”

The tall girl, hearing this, quickly turned to glance at the field, then back again, her face now calm, the panic gone. “Is that so? Well, I’m a police officer. Why don’t you tell me what terrible crimes he’s committed, worthy of arrest?” As she spoke, she deftly produced a small badge emblazoned with the police insignia from her pocket.

Qiao Yingna nearly collapsed on the spot. She hadn’t expected Bai Haonan to have entangled even a policewoman, and immediately regretted her words. Stammering, she tried to backtrack: “No, ah, no, nothing really, I was just joking—just kidding…”

Officer Guo’s expression lost all trace of dazedness, her eyes sharp as she stepped closer, her gaze powerful even when lowered: “I’m not joking. You just said he’s a scoundrel who tricks girls. That’s either a criminal offense or fraud—both prosecutable. If you’re joking about things like that, you’re infringing on his reputation. Now, who’s the real criminal here?”

Qiao Yingna was a medical student—she’d never tangled with the police before, nor did she know the legal boundaries. Instinctively flustered, she bitterly regretted having spoken at all. With the other’s stern face giving nothing away, she could only protest, “No, no, he didn’t… cough, he just likes to flirt, never with marriage in mind, just to sleep with girls. But he never lies for money, barely even for love. I only said that because I was worried you—such an upright, honest-looking girl—might fall for him. He’s not a criminal, just immoral, really lacking in decency, but he hasn’t broken any laws and is actually a pretty good person. It’s just that being nice is how he tricks girls…”

Officer Guo was nothing like the absent-minded figure she’d seemed when alone. Squinting, she moved in closer, pressing her advantage: “You seem to know him well. I’ll give you a chance to confess—tell me, from the beginning, how you know him and what your relationship is.”

Qiao Yingna was on the verge of tears.

She was only a student, after all.