Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Bombing Attack

“Hey, what are you doing? Aren’t you a bit too anxious?” Yuan Xiaoying smiled wryly. “There’s no rape case in Detective Conan. What, are you trying to play the lead yourself? Don’t forget, I’m a police officer!”

“Cut the crap!” Liu Jingye’s classic line this time came from him. He crawled out from under Yuan Xiaoying’s skirt. In the darkness, his eyes glowed with a terrifying light. He whispered low, “Don’t move if you don’t want to die.”

“Oh, so you dare threaten me? What, the cinema is pitch black, so you feel free to reveal your true colors?” Before Liu Jingye could finish, Yuan Xiaoying exploded.

Liu Jingye snapped sharply, “There’s a bomb under the seat!”

“Ah?” Yuan Xiaoying nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Don’t move! It’s a gravity-sensing bomb. The pressure from when you sat down triggered the switch. If the gravity suddenly disappears, it will explode immediately.”

“What do we do then?” Yuan Xiaoying was on the verge of tears.

“Lift your skirt a bit and spread your legs.”

“That sounds more like some pervert’s line,” she said suspiciously.

“Shut up and do as I say if you don’t want to die!” Liu Jingye snapped. “I’m really not in the mood to deal with you. First, you act like a kid insisting on watching cartoons, shouting in the lobby so everyone hears what you want. Then your sympathy kicks in, and you insist on buying those two tickets. Serves you right for your bad luck!”

“Are you saying that young man from earlier planted the bomb?” Yuan Xiaoying asked in shock.

“Who else could it be?” Liu Jingye said. “He’s definitely been tailing us, waiting for the right moment. He overheard you shouting about watching Detective Conan. While you and I were dithering, he bought two tickets and planted the bomb under the seats.”

“This guy’s tailing skills are impressive—even I didn’t notice!” Liu Jingye added, though the truth was he wasn’t lacking ability; he’d just been distracted by bantering and holding hands with Yuan Xiaoying, so he wasn’t fully alert.

“Why would he do this?” Yuan Xiaoying asked. “Wait, check if there are bombs under both seats or just one?”

Liu Jingye cautiously felt around the adjacent seat behind him and shook his head.

“Then who is the target? Me or you? Don’t just focus on blaming me—maybe he wants to blow you up!” Yuan Xiaoying shot back.

“Are you still arguing with me now? If that bomb goes off, everyone in the theater dies.” Liu Jingye said irritably, “And it’s obviously aimed at you. As for why, you’ll find out soon enough.”

“Why?”

“Because of how the bomb is designed. It could have been set to detonate upon a single touch, but it’s not. It requires both you sitting down and standing up to trigger the blast. Clearly, they want to use this to threaten you.”

Liu Jingye analyzed calmly. Before he finished, Yuan Xiaoying’s phone vibrated.

She sat motionless, breathing fast, legs spread wide as Liu Jingye slipped under her skirt, feeling like he was about to deliver a baby.

Trembling, Yuan Xiaoying answered the call. A deep voice came through: “Officer Yuan—oh no, Director Yuan—I hope the movie is splendid. Just a reminder, don’t leave your seat during the show, or you might miss the most exciting scenes.”

“Who are you? What do you want?” Yuan Xiaoying asked coldly. Though terrified by the bomb under her, having Liu Jingye beneath her gave her some confidence.

The voice replied, “Ah, looks like Director Yuan has discovered the little gift I prepared for you. Not easy at all. Since that’s the case, I’ll be straightforward: we’re strangers, I only want money, not a life. So... you know what I mean.”

“You’re trying to extort me?” Yuan Xiaoying said.

“Don’t put it so harshly, Director Yuan. It’s not extortion, just reclaiming what’s rightfully mine,” the man said.

“What do I have that belongs to you?” Yuan Xiaoying asked, confused.

“I’ve been honest, Director Yuan, don’t play dumb. Your fiancé, Mr. Huang Xing, owes us tens of millions and hasn’t paid up. When we came to collect, we found he’s already in prison, arrested by your own hands. I don’t know the reason for your falling out, but I heard that after he went in, all his assets became yours. So we’re coming to you for the debt. Hundreds of people count on that money for their livelihood. Hope you’re generous, Director Yuan.”

“Nonsense!” Yuan Xiaoying snapped angrily. “Yes, I arrested Huang Xing, but what does his property have to do with me? We broke up long ago. That bastard kept pestering me for the things he gave me after the breakup—even cheap earrings he wouldn’t let go. How could he possibly have transferred his assets to me?”

“That’s your business. I only trust the intel I have.” The voice grew colder, losing patience.

“I don’t care if you believe it or not, I have nothing from Huang Xing, no money either,” Yuan Xiaoying shot back, frustrated she was being dragged into this despite her direct involvement in catching Huang Xing.

“I don’t care what you say. Just know that before dawn, I want a simple 30 million in cash. Not a cent less,” the man said coldly. “Or you can just stay seated. Hope your lumbar spine is strong enough. By the way, that little gift under your seat isn’t just weight-bearing; it has a timer set to the exact moment today’s date. Good luck!”

With that, the call ended, his intentions and background made crystal clear, leaving Yuan Xiaoying no room to bargain.

At that moment, the movie finally started. The theater was pitch black, everyone silent, except for Yuan Xiaoying’s rapid breathing. A faint glow shimmered beneath her through the thin fabric of her skirt, like a sacred light blooming from the most intimate place, leaving her utterly embarrassed.

“Hey, are you done?” Yuan Xiaoying whispered, as if talking to her own belly. Fortunately, the darkness and the many couples nearby made their situation less conspicuous, although theirs was the most intense.

“Spread your legs a little more...” Liu Jingye instructed. “Lift the back of your skirt.”

“Are you defusing the bomb or trying to take advantage of me?” Yuan Xiaoying blushed fiercely, feeling like she was standing naked in front of him, though this wasn’t the first time she’d been this vulnerable.

Liu Jingye’s frustrated voice came from beneath the skirt: “What advantage? It’s so hot—why wear so many layers of underwear?”

“Too many?” Yuan Xiaoying grinned proudly. “Just a thin layer of lingerie, a base layer, and a pair of tights.”

“You’re not worried about getting heat rash in such a dark, damp place?” Liu Jingye said.

“I wear them to keep perverts like you away,” Yuan Xiaoying replied, although she admittedly wore quite a bit.

“You’re trapping so much heat, there’s a sour smell here,” Liu Jingye took a deep breath.

That sounded so suggestive, even long-married couples rarely spoke like that, and besides, it wasn’t really a sour smell.

Yuan Xiaoying’s face flushed crimson, mortified, and she quickly squeezed her legs shut like a crab, trapping Liu Jingye.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” Liu Jingye almost fell over.

“Can you shut up, or I’ll crush you!” Yuan Xiaoying growled. The position was extremely awkward for her.

“Easier said than done,” Liu Jingye grumbled. “It’s pitch dark here, I have to use the phone light, and I don’t have proper tools. If I can disarm this thing, it’s already a win.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t say anything more. I was wrong. Focus on your work,” Yuan Xiaoying said, cheeks burning. “Next time I’ll wear more perfume.”

“No need for perfume, just keep it ventilated,” Liu Jingye advised.

He pushed apart Yuan Xiaoying’s tense legs, and suddenly his hand reached up under her skirt, accidentally brushing the spot she guarded most fiercely. Yuan Xiaoying nearly jumped out of her skin.

Liu Jingye startled too and quickly said, “Do you have a key or nail clippers? I need them.”

Trembling, Yuan Xiaoying took a key from her bag and handed it over, her heart pounding wildly, body burning like fire.

Liu Jingye took a deep breath to steady himself and began focusing intently on defusing the bomb.

This was child’s play to him. The bomb was simple: an electric detonator, a timer disguised as a phone, and two wires connecting to the firing line.

The phone was off, probably set to power on at a preset time. Once powered, even the faintest current could trigger the explosion.

The gravity sensor was even simpler, like a mine’s pressure-release fuse. Stepping on it wouldn’t detonate it, only stepping down and then lifting up would trigger the blast.

At this moment, the spring in the circuit was compressed and touched on one side. If lifted, the spring would snap back, striking a metal contact and completing the circuit to ignite the detonator.

Yuan Xiaoying trembled, waiting anxiously. Suddenly, Liu Jingye said, “Hey, there are two wires—red and blue. Which one should I cut?”

“Ah?” Yuan Xiaoying was stunned. “No way, this plot’s too cliché.”

Choosing between two wires in a life-or-death moment—so typical in movies; she couldn’t believe it.

Liu Jingye’s voice was cold. “I don’t have time for jokes.”

Cold sweat poured down Yuan Xiaoying’s face, her whole body shaking as if death itself stood before her, her beloved man by her side.

Death and Liu Jingye had become the red and blue wires, but she had no choice.

“I... I don’t know,” Yuan Xiaoying whispered.

“Then we gamble,” Liu Jingye said.

“How do we gamble?”

“Whatever color your underwear is today, I’ll cut that color.”

“Red!”

“Okay!”

Liu Jingye was about to act when Yuan Xiaoying said, “Wait… my underwear is red, but I washed it a few days ago with other clothes, and it’s a bit blueish now… Big brother, let’s not gamble. I’m scared; I don’t want to die.”

“What are you afraid of? Even if you die, I’ll be with you,” Liu Jingye’s voice came through.

Though she couldn’t see his face, it felt like he was right there. Yuan Xiaoying’s heart warmed instantly, tears streaming down as she choked out, “You really want to die with me?”

“Of course,” Liu Jingye replied gruffly.

“But we haven’t even spent our wedding night yet. Don’t you feel it’s a pity?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then, how about we start our wedding night now…”