I slowed my pace, ostensibly for Chen Ke, but I was still fast, picking up the pace to a five-minute kilometer. Soon, Chen Ke and I were back at the park entrance.
As expected, the woman in the white vest had arrived earlier. She was pretending to stretch her legs by the railing, which was located right next to the only exit. If we were to leave the park, we would walk directly into her line of attack.
I activated my Qi sensing technique. Daji was already here, but outside my field of vision. I’d have to leave to see her.
"Let's go, Ge," Chen Ke called out when he saw me stop.
"Just finished running, don't I need to stretch?" I laughed. "Let's do some leg stretches."
"Yeah, good point." Chen Ke, oblivious, walked directly towards the woman in the white vest, thinking the railing was a dedicated stretching bar.
The woman in the white vest remained composed, her gaze fixed on her stretching, not glancing our way.
At this time, many people were still coming and going from the park, mostly elderly folks.
It’s human nature to only appreciate things after they’re gone. Few young people form a habit of exercising; it's only when their bodies start to fail that they remember to work out. It's not about mending fences after the sheep have been stolen, but rather, what took them so long!
The only three young people were Chen Ke, myself, and the woman in the white vest. She looked to be around thirty, which for a regular human would be her actual age.
I wanted to gauge the woman's reaction, so I didn't stop Chen Ke. After all, Daji was waiting outside; if anything went wrong, she could easily fly into the park.
Chen Ke reached the woman in the white vest. She turned her head and looked at him casually. Chen Ke even nodded to her before lifting his right leg onto the railing and turning back to me, "Ge, you should stretch too. This height is perfect."
I squatted, stretching my legs in place. "You stretch. My flexibility isn't great, I can't lift my leg that high."
Chen Ke and I were conversing, and we were the only three people stretching. The woman in the white vest naturally turned her head towards me. I smiled at her and initiated conversation, "Good morning, beautiful. Are you a university student?"
The woman in the white vest paused, then chuckled, "You're too kind. I'm thirty-five, hardly a university student."
Her local accent was well-disguised.
"Oh? I can barely tell," I said with a smile. "You take good care of yourself. Do you live nearby? Come here for a run every morning?"
The woman in the white vest vaguely pointed in a direction. "Yes, I live just over there. I run every day; it's a habit."
"You also have a habit of running half a lap and turning back," I said, my smile not reaching my eyes.
The woman in the white vest feigned ignorance. "What?"
"I've actually been watching you. You don't run a full lap, you turn back halfway!" I said with a smile.
"Oh, I was a bit tired today and didn't finish the five kilometers." The woman in the white vest explained calmly, but I noticed her Qi was becoming highly erratic. She likely hadn't expected me to see through her surveillance.
"You have to be persistent," I added.
The woman in the white vest gave a wry smile, revealing two dimples, but said nothing more. She switched legs and continued stretching.
Chen Ke made a face at me, a playful grimace, annoyed that I flirted with everyone I met.
As the woman in the white vest turned her head away, I gestured for Chen Ke to come closer.
"What is it?" Chen Ke asked. The woman in the white vest immediately turned back and stared at me.
An idea struck me, and I crouched on the ground. "Ouch, I've got a cramp! Come help me up!"
Chen Ke immediately ran over and helped me up from the ground. The woman in the white vest hesitated for a moment before putting her leg down and casually walking over. "Are you okay, handsome?"
"My right arm and leg suddenly went numb!" I said, standing on my left leg with my right arm hanging limply, feigning an inability to move it.
"Really? Let me give it a rub. Are you cold?" Chen Ke said, starting to massage my right arm.
"Ow!" I cried out again. "Don't move it! It's dislocated!"
"Ah! What do we do?" Chen Ke, genuinely concerned, asked, biting his finger.
I didn't answer, giving the woman in the white vest an opening. As expected, she fell for it and said, "Dislocated? Let me help you, I know how to treat it."
With that, she grabbed my right forearm and began to shake it. Suddenly, her eyes sharpened. She was clearly preparing to yank my arm upwards!