Married to the Protagonist's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 1

1:00 AM, Huayang City Suburbs.

The road adjacent to the highway was desolate, with a remarkably consistent set of broken streetlights—not a single one remained intact. At a dark, secluded corner sat a derelict public restroom.

The surroundings were pin-drop silent, save for the wind rustling through the nearby leaves. Someone hiding behind a flowerbed swallowed hard and couldn’t help but whisper, “Captain Mo, will we really be able to today…”

“Quiet,” a soft but stern voice replied. The owner of the previous voice fell silent instantly.

The two behind the flowerbed were the Captain of the Huayang City Criminal Investigation Bureau and one of his team members. They were currently staking out a violent suspect linked to a series of serial rapes and murders. Several other team members were standing by in the nearby woods.

Time ticked by, but the suspect’s silhouette failed to appear. Everyone waited with bated breath, their moods inevitably darkening.

At that moment, a hunched figure appeared in everyone’s line of sight.

His teammate’s restless breathing reached his ears. Mo Junyi calmly and swiftly pressed down on the person beside him, then gave a discreet wave behind him: Proceed as planned.

A few minutes passed. A female officer in disguise, acting as if she were there to use the restroom, walked cautiously into the bathroom using her phone’s flashlight. The small, hunched figure hesitated for a moment before following her in. Mo Junyi’s eyes darkened, but just as the figure finally entered the women’s restroom, an unexpected change occurred.

A black sedan sped down from the highway exit and came to a stop at this desolate intersection that was entirely out of place with its luxury. A young man stepped out from the passenger side and respectfully opened the rear door. A man wrapped tightly from head to toe stepped out; even from a distance, his tall and slender build was evident.

Mo Junyi couldn’t help but “tsk” internally. Frowning, he made a hand gesture: Move the plan forward.

Upon the Captain’s command, the entire criminal investigation team surged from their hiding spots, surrounding the restroom according to their rehearsed positions.

The man who had just begun to walk toward the building paused, seemingly startled. However, Mo Junyi had no time to worry about him; with a cold expression, he disengaged the safety on his pistol.

Simultaneously, a sudden commotion erupted inside the women’s restroom, and a figure lunged out from the window.

“Halt!” “Hands up!” “Don’t move!” The well-trained detectives immediately raised their weapons, but a desperate criminal in an extreme situation is unpredictable.

Though the suspect was hunched, his movements were exceptionally agile. A sharp glint flashed in his narrow eyes. Mo Junyi noticed out of the corner of his eye that the criminal was charging toward a specific person and thought: Damn it. He immediately barked, “He Tao!”

The man named He Tao was the team member who had been restless earlier. At this moment, however, he was so terrified by the criminal that he couldn’t even raise his gun, standing frozen and trembling.

A blade flashed in the suspect’s hand. Before it even touched him, He Tao collapsed on his own. The suspect gave a sneer of contempt, swaggering past him toward the roadside, seemingly mocking the police for their poor choice of personnel.

The detectives gave chase immediately, but everything happened too fast. Aside from the sedan’s headlights, there was no other light. As criminal police—not armed police—they were naturally hesitant to act in the dark for fear of collateral damage, not daring to fire even with guns in hand.

They watched as the suspect ran toward the black sedan, clearly intending to hijack the vehicle.

The young assistant-like man immediately stood in front of the man in black. The suspect knew that if he were caught, only the death penalty awaited him. In a flash of desperation, a dark thought struck him: Since that’s the case, I might as well take someone down with me.

His eyes darkened as he raised his hand to stab the assistant. However, the man behind the assistant suddenly pulled him aside, exposing himself to the criminal’s blade.

“Teacher Su—!” the assistant shouted, his pupils shrinking in horror.

In this split second, Mo Junyi used the faint light of the headlamps to raise his hand and pull the trigger with swift precision. A gunshot rang out, and the bullet pierced the suspect’s calf. Blood gushed out as the man stumbled and fell to his knees. The dagger fell from his hand, the tip landing only a centimeter away from the man in black.

The detectives reached the car and swarmed the suspect, pinning the struggling man to the ground. For a moment, the suspect’s painful groans echoed through the night.

Mo Junyi walked forward expressionlessly, pulled out handcuffs, and knelt to secure the suspect’s hands.

“Heh—” The suspect panted heavily, sweat pouring down his face, yet he still managed to look up at Mo Junyi with a vicious glare. “You little brat—Agh!”

Before he could finish, someone stepped heavily on the bullet wound on his leg. Mo Junyi frowned and turned his head, barking sternly at the person, “He Tao!”

He Tao withdrew his leg indignantly. “Captain Mo, for a piece of trash like this…”

“No matter what he is, that isn’t a reason for you to strike now,” Mo Junyi scolded coldly. “Where was this energy when I told you to move earlier?!”

He Tao lowered his head in shame, and the others fell silent. The assistant, who had stepped forward to say something, also instinctively shrank back. Only the tall man looked at Mo Junyi in surprise, a few flickers of a strange light crossing his eyes as if he had recognized someone.

Mo Junyi’s team was experienced in being scolded by him; they stood in trepidation, feeling that after He Tao, it would be their turn.

Sure enough, after berating He Tao, Mo Junyi’s gaze sharpened. He turned to his subordinates, his voice like ice: “And you lot—a bunch of freeloaders. Holding guns you’re too afraid to fire. You might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes!”

At that moment, the only person on the scene who didn’t have to worry about being scolded came running from the restroom holding her high heels: “How is it? Did we get him?!”

Vice Captain Liu Minghua walked over, carrying her awkward heels. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the situation. “Man, the atmosphere is so heavy I thought we failed. Since we caught him, why the long faces? Honestly… holy sh*t!”

Mid-sentence, she caught sight of the man standing nearby and let out an instinctive curse. Mo Junyi’s brow winced at her outburst, and he subconsciously looked at the individual.

During the urgency of the arrest, Mo Junyi hadn’t paid much attention, but now that he looked closely, he realized the man’s appearance was extraordinarily striking. With phoenix eyes and thin lips, he was a classic Oriental beauty. Under the dim headlights, the man’s beauty was bold—almost to the point of unreality. He didn’t seem to like smiling, and the inherent allure of his face clashed sharply with his cold aura. He was cold yet glamorous, not looking like a “good person” in the traditional sense.

The surrounding team members also snapped out of it. He Tao asked curiously, “Sister Liu, is he an acquaintance of yours?”

Under the man’s meaningful gaze, Liu Minghua’s face suddenly flushed red, and she waved her hands frantically. “No, no, how could he be my acquaintance? This is a huge superstar! You guys really are a bunch of ‘straight men.’ Um, sir… you’re Su Xingtong, aren’t you?”

The man withdrew his gaze and nodded with a polite, noble grace. “Yes. Hello, Officer.” As soon as he spoke, that subtle sense of allure became even stronger.

Mo Junyi’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing the name. Su Xingtong keenly captured the change and looked over without blinking.

The two looked at each other from across the space. He Tao, oblivious, muttered from the side, “Tch, who cares. No one visits a general’s grave, but an actor…”

“He Tao,” Mo Junyi interrupted coldly while looking at Su Xingtong. “Go back and write a self-reflection.”

Su Xingtong seemed surprised that Mo Junyi would speak up for him. A flash of amazement crossed his eyes, but he quickly composed himself. “I am truly sorry for the trouble we caused tonight. Do you require any assistance?”

Mo Junyi waved his hand for the others to take away the suspect, who was nearly bleeding out, and shook his head. “No need. It is best if you leave as quickly as possible.”

To his surprise, Su Xingtong didn’t leave. Instead, he looked at Mo Junyi with those exceptionally bright eyes for a moment before suddenly asking, “Officer, do you know me?”

The question sounded narcissistic and strange, yet coming from such a beauty, it didn’t feel out of place.

Mo Junyi paused. Beside him, Liu Minghua, who was putting on her shoes, wore a look of horror. In all her years on the force, this was the first time she’d heard anyone dare speak to their boss like that—and more absurdly, it was the famous Su Xingtong.

Mo Junyi did indeed know him. However, unlike most people, his knowledge of Su Xingtong didn’t come from the media or the internet, but through a far more inconceivable way—a novel.

But now was not the time for memories. Mo Junyi withdrew his thoughts. Under Liu Minghua’s shocked gaze, he dropped a lukewarm response: “You’re overthinking it.” With that, he turned and left.

Left behind, Su Xingtong looked at the bloodstains on the ground. Amidst his assistant’s cautious urging, he pursed his lips and brushed his sleeve. After a long moment, he gave a light huff: “Mo Junyi… never mind.”

The major serial rape-murder case in Huayang City was finally solved, and various media outlets nearly broke down the police department’s doors.

As the Captain of the investigation team, Mo Junyi was naturally the primary target. He was hounded by reporters to the point where he couldn’t even finish his paperwork. He was so annoyed he wanted to weld his office door shut.

After his paperwork was interrupted by a knock for the seventh time that day, Mo Junyi finally lost his patience. Without looking up, he said coldly, “If you need something, find Captain Liu.”

“Captain Mo is truly busy with a thousand affairs,” a deep, teasing voice sounded.

Mo Junyi froze and immediately looked up. “Director Li?”

Director Li pushed the door open with a smile. “I heard you scolded the new kid, Little He, until he left?”

He Tao was actually the nephew of Director Li’s wife. Mo Junyi coughed awkwardly and stood up. “Yes, but there was a reason.”

“Eh,” Director Li walked over and patted him. “I’m not scolding you. You did well. That boy has been spoiled rotten by his aunt; it’s good for him to suffer a little. Sigh, even though you’re both nephews, why are you so much more of a credit to your aunt and uncle?”

Though he didn’t know how the topic had turned back to his aunt, Mo Junyi felt relieved. But before he could speak, Director Li continued: “But Little He is getting married at the end of the year. You’re a credit to your aunt in every other way, except for this major life event… you can’t compare to him there.”

Mo Junyi’s brow twitched. He hadn’t expected the topic to shift so fast. Left with no choice, he brought out his tried-and-true excuse: “Thank you for your concern, Director, but I like…”

“Hi, so you like men. What’s the big deal?” Director Li waved him off. “Look at you, running around outside all year with no one at home. You refuse to be officially adopted under your aunt’s name. To put it bluntly, if something happens to you one day, there won’t even be anyone to collect your pension. Don’t mind me being blunt, but I have an old high school classmate who says one of his students just returned to the country a few days ago. The boy’s personal conditions are excellent. Although there seem to be some issues with his family, he’s more than a match for you. How about it—give me some face?”