Iselin changed her clothes and finished the food Liu A'dou had made before she finally had the energy to speak. "Liu, thank you."
"No need for thanks. I actually came over to ask when you plan to come back to work." Liu A'dou said, "Maybe you don't know yet, but our Channel 3 has been bought out by Channel 1. From now on, we're part of Channel 1's team. They're rich—they even raised all our salaries."
Iselin didn't respond. She just kept her head down.
"Iselin, we're friends. If there's something bothering you, talk to me. I'm a good listener," Liu A'dou said. He had a feeling it had to do with her father.
There was a long silence. Liu A'dou didn't push her, just waited quietly.
Finally, Iselin let out a deep sigh. She really did need someone to talk to. Because of her family, she'd never had many friends. When she was little, her mother had taken her away from the house to avoid the gangsters and shady people always coming and going around her father.
To stay away from her father's world, Iselin and her mother moved constantly. It wasn't until high school, after her mother passed away, that Iselin moved back in with her father. By then, Anthony was already a gang boss, and Iselin and he fought often.
After starting college, Iselin moved out again and hardly ever returned to her father's home.
Anthony had never approved of Iselin becoming a reporter. In his eyes, with her looks and charm, she should be mingling with high society, using her connections to support his business. But Iselin, raised by her mother, despised the underworld. She had tried many times to convince Anthony to give it all up—that was the root of their fights.
Anthony wouldn't give up the empire he built, and Iselin refused to get sucked into that world.
Then a few days ago, Anthony suddenly told her he supported her career as a journalist, and that soon he would retire from the gang life. That same night, they drank together—that was the night Kaitou Kid first appeared.
Believing her father had changed, Iselin threw herself into her work, determined to make him proud. But soon after, she discovered that his gang was involved in drug trafficking. At first, she thought Anthony didn't know—that his men were hiding it from him. So she decided to investigate, to expose the truth and show him that his own people were betraying him.
But the truth hit her like a brick. Anthony not only knew, but was personally working with Scarecrow to develop a new drug. The image of the loving father ready to turn over a new leaf shattered in an instant. The poison in her body and the betrayal in her heart crushed her.
"Now he's locked up, and no matter how good a lawyer he gets, there's no way he'll get bail. Scarecrow's been caught too. And with the new district attorney, Harvey Dent, you can bet he'll convince the judge to give him the harshest sentence. He'll be in prison for a hundred years, maybe more." Tears streamed down Iselin's face. "Liu, what should I do? He's still my father."
Iselin collapsed into Liu A'dou's arms, trusting the one person who'd always been by her side at work. A'dou thought to himself, this woman had probably been lonely all her life. That's why she treated him, a work partner, as a real friend.
"He lied to me." She meant the promise her father had made—to retire, to go straight—but behind her back, he'd partnered with a monster like Scarecrow, doing things that hurt innocent people. Iselin couldn't accept it.
Liu A'dou gently patted Iselin on the back. In his mind, if this were a movie, the next scene would be a kiss, then a cut to the two of them under the same blanket, skipping a whole bunch of steps in between. A wild beast was stirring inside Liu A'dou—should he go for it or not? That was the question.
He thought about the superheroes in this world, their great deeds... and then remembered Batman, Iron Man, even Superman—yeah, they'd all had their share of romantic escapades. This was a Western comic world, not some anime where even a guy with a harem stays a virgin forever (excluding certain genres, of course).
Do it, do it, do it!
The devil on his shoulder was gnawing away at his noble resolve, but his conscience screamed back—this would be taking advantage of her. To act would be beastly, but to hold back would be less than a man. Too hard to choose.
No, no, he couldn't give in to desire. He didn't even like Iselin that way. Sure, she was beautiful, but there was no love between them. But then the devil whispered—love can grow. Maybe after they crossed the line, it would.
Liu A'dou's brain short-circuited. "I'll say this now, I'm not ready for marriage."
"What? What did you say?" Iselin didn't catch his slip.
Iselin was stunning—her golden hair cascading down, her big brown eyes looking up at him, making Liu A'dou's heart tremble.
"I said, maybe we could start by dating first." Liu A'dou gave in, but only a little. He still held his ground.
Seeing how flustered he looked, Iselin burst into laughter. "Liu, you really are something else." Then her lips pressed against his like a fiery brand.
But that was it—just a kiss. Liu A'dou didn't let things turn into one of those scenes where they'd end up naked in bed.
At the end of the day, Liu A'dou was just an ordinary man. Sure, he didn't take it further, but with a beauty in his arms, of course he had some not-so-pure thoughts. He couldn't pretend to be some saintly Liu Xia Hui who could sit next to a woman and keep things perfectly innocent. Liu A'dou wasn't that guy.
"Let's start with dating," Iselin said, pulling away slightly. At the same time, she felt more certain that Liu A'dou really was as honest and upright as he seemed—he wouldn't be swayed just by her looks.
Liu A'dou savored the kiss for a while before getting back to the topic of her father. "Anthony broke the law, and he has to face the consequences. If you want to see him, you can visit him in prison. I know it's hard for you, but this is the path your father chose, and he has to deal with the result. But Iselin, whatever you decide, I've got your back."
Of course Iselin knew that. Her father had brought this on himself. "I'm okay. Talking with you made me feel a lot better. Thanks."
"Do you think you can come back to Channel 1?" Liu A'dou hadn't forgotten the reason he came.
"Of course, I'll be there." Iselin hooked her arms around his neck and said sweetly. It was clear her feelings for Liu A'dou had been building for a while, and seeing him help clean her place, take care of her, and not take advantage—she'd made up her mind. She wanted to be his girlfriend.
Truthfully, Iselin had never had a real friend growing up. Having someone like Liu A'dou who truly cared, it was only natural for her to lean on him.
But if she ever found out Liu A'dou was secretly a thief, would she still accept him?