Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Hearing the name, Bai Xingshu didn’t react much, but Shen Geng beat Bai Xingshu in looking at the newcomer, his mouth tightening slightly before he could stop it.

The reason was simple.

Luo Yu was also a high-status Alpha.

On instinct, Shen Geng didn’t want Bai Xingshu to have too much contact with this guy. So, though he wasn't usually the friendly type, Shen Geng jumped in to ask Luo Yu the question that Bai Xingshu would’ve been curious about first.

"Welcome," Shen Geng said, looking at Luo Yu and jumping in to ask, "It’s been a month since the College Entrance Exams ended. Why did you suddenly come here to work as temporary staff?"

Bai Xingshu was genuinely surprised that Shen Geng had spoken first.

Shen Geng was usually cold or distant with strangers, so this seemed rather out of character.

Luo Yu, observing their reactions, gave a small huff. "Because I came specifically to find you two."

"My uncle's the police chief in Yonghe - well, technically all directors are officers."

"I was originally planning to go to Lianhe, but my uncle thought the capital would be better for development, so he insisted my grandfather arrange for me to come here."

"I want to see what kind of magic you two worked on him!!"

Luo Yu’s expression was all defiance, but his bright demeanor still carried a youthful energy.

Bai Xingshu and Shen Geng both reached out and patted Luo Yu’s shoulder.

They said solemnly, "Then you should get some sleep."

Luo Yu: "?"

Was he being provoked?

Were they telling him not to overthink things and just wash up and sleep?

Luo Yu ran through the possibilities in his mind.

Though his words might have sounded resentful or hostile, he actually had a family agenda.

According to his family’s speculation, one of these two seniors likely held an important position in the royal family—possibly even the sole heir of the current emperor.

The Luo family was currently aiming to align themselves with the royalist faction, which was why his aunt had received family support when she took up with Director Yan.

Luo Yu’s real goal was to get in good with Bai Xingshu and Shen Geng.

Students in different grades rarely mixed; courses and training areas were arranged separately. The fastest way to get close was to spend this long vacation working together as temporary staff at the same police station.

That Luo Yu could join midstream was itself a sign of his family’s support for his actions.

His words cleverly framed his college switch as being due to Bai Xingshu and Shen Geng.

This wasn’t meant to gain anything but rather to forge a natural bond between the three of them.

A simple trick to break the ice.

The effect didn’t seem very noticeable at first glance.

Luo Yu gaped at the two who had briefly greeted him before crashing without another word, leaving all his carefully laid plans stuck in his craw.

Still, he dutifully complied with the seniors’ advice, washed up quickly, and found an empty bunk to crash—but sleep eluded him.

His mind kept replaying the reactions of Bai Xingshu and Shen Geng when he first entered.

The moment he stepped into the dorm, Luo Yu’s attention had naturally been drawn to Bai Xingshu first.

Strikingly gorgeous, like a painting come to life, Bai Xingshu’s eyes had lit up when he saw Luo Yu enter, his entire demeanor radiating genuine welcome.

It matched the rumors perfectly—the descriptions people had of the Crown Prince.

Warm and benevolent, with reportedly outstanding grades, the teachers all sang his praises, yet he was never arrogant. He was impeccably raised, polite and attentive to others—a far cry from... the child of the reigning iron-willed emperor.

As for the other one...

Though equally dashing, Luo Yu could sense an undercurrent of hostility from him.

Which was strange, since this was their first meeting.

Luo Yu thought back.

Then it clicked—Shen Geng had initially only seemed aloof.

That faint hostility... only appeared after Luo Yu introduced himself.

The realization struck him.

This guy recognized his name and knew who he was.

The Luo family’s courtship of the royals was blatant among the nobility. After all, even the mightiest need backup, and the royal family was more than happy to accept support from influential families.

After over a decade of effort, the Luo family’s relationship with the royals wasn’t bad at all.

If this guy had royal connections, he wouldn’t have reacted like that upon learning Luo Yu’s identity.

So the only explanation was...

This guy was also trying to curry favor with the royals!

He saw Luo Yu as a competitor, hence the hostility.

Once he pieced it together, Luo Yu found Shen Geng both exasperating and amusing.

The royal family didn’t need just one or two allies—if this guy wanted to build ties, why bother pulling this “eliminate the competition” nonsense? How petty.

Unity was what the royal family had always preached!

Tossing and turning, Luo Yu stayed awake for a long time, his ears picking up the steady snores of his bunkmates above.

How could they konk out so fast...?

Just as that last question crossed his mind, their door was knocked on almost instantly.

Luo Yu heard rapid movements from the upper bunk, and within seconds, both of them had already jumped down.

Bai Xingshu had been directly above Luo Yu, and upon descending, he immediately saw Luo Yu’s clear yet bewildered eyes. Without hesitation, he hauled Luo Yu upright.

“Gear up. Move out,” Bai Xingshu said succinctly.

Though Luo Yu’s aspiration was military school, his family wasn’t from a military background, so he hadn’t undergone much military training. He was slower on the uptake—he only managed to change his pants before Bai Xingshu dragged him away, still clutching his untucked shirt.

From waking up to boarding the police hovercar, the entire process took less than two minutes. Luo Yu was still groggy, unsure of what exactly was happening.

Shen Geng frowned slightly at the sight of Luo Yu like this.

This guy…

Wearing just a tank top, exposing his neck, shoulders, and well-defined arm muscles, sitting so close to Bai Xingshu—what was he trying to do?

“Luo Yu, remember to put on your clothes properly,” Shen Geng said to Luo Yu.

Seeing Shen Geng’s tightly knitted brows and his obvious disapproval of Luo Yu’s appearance, Bai Xingshu burst into laughter and playfully tugged at Shen Geng’s collar. “Don’t be so strict. Not everyone is buttoned up to the chin.”

As soon as Bai Xingshu said this, the other cops in the hovercar piled on, teasing Shen along with him.

“Exactly, Shen, no need to go that far. Don’t you know? The tighter you button up, the more people want to undo it.”

“Yeah, Luo has such a great figure—what’s wrong with letting us get an eyeful?”

The atmosphere in the hovercar was lively, nothing like the seriousness Luo Yu had imagined.

Amid the cheerful mood, Luo Yu quickly finished dressing. After glancing at Shen Geng, his gaze settled on Bai, gratitude flickering in his eyes. “Thanks, Bai, for standing up for me. You’re really the best.”

By now, Bai Xingshu and Shen Geng had been at the Shunwang Police Subdivision for a week, and everyone had gotten to know them fairly well. Luo Yu, however, was still relatively unfamiliar to the team.

Hearing Luo Yu’s words, everyone burst into laughter.

“Who's this polite kid? He looks so easy to tease.”

“So Luo is also from Capital Military University? Impressive!”

“Not bad, not bad. Already seeing past appearances to the truth—definitely detective material.”

No one held back their praise for the young man, and Bai, the recipient of the compliments, was visibly delighted, giving Luo Yu a thumbs-up.

“Yep, I’m the best. So stick close to me later—I’ve got you covered.”

Amid the laughter, only Shen felt a bit odd.

Somehow… it felt like he’d just been low-key dissed.

But given the situation, Shen didn’t have much time to dwell on it. It was the dead of night, and after the lively banter had shaken off the sleepies, it was time to focus on the task at hand.

“What’s the situation? Can you brief us?” Shen asked.

There was no reason not to. The officer in charge of the operation gave a quick briefing of the case: “Surveillance picked up suspicious movement on XX Street. Preliminary assessment suggests it’s linked to the previous smuggling case.”

After a pause, he added some details. “We’ve been tied up with the XX case these past two days. They probably thought we’d let our guard down and are trying to move their stashed goods while the XX case is still ongoing.”

“Tonight’s mission is to set up surveillance—don’t tip them off. Confirm all players and merchandise are accounted for before taking further action.” That was the game plan for the night.

After everyone nodded in acknowledgment, the officer in charge turned to Luo Yu, the newbie, and after a moment’s thought, said, “You're with Shen for now.”

Bai Xingshu: "Huh?"

Bai Xingshu: "What the hell?"

"Pan, come on! I just told Xiaoluo to follow my lead—why did you assign him to Shen Geng?" Bai Xingshu voiced a strong protest.

Officer Pan looked at Bai Xingshu speechlessly. "Maybe try being someone worth following first."

In the Shunwang Precinct, Bai Xingshu was by no means the most impulsive or hot-tempered one. In fact, he was quite level-headed. But when it came to his actions...

He was undoubtedly a magnet for trouble.