Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 1

“Mom, I’m only twenty-two. Why do I need to go on a blind date?”

“Zhao Auntie’s son is your age, and his kid can already walk. You don’t think it’s time you hurry up?”

“But today I’m supposed to report to the precinct. How can I go on a blind date?”

“It’s not that early. Just have a cup of coffee, an hour at most. Meet the girl, chat a little, add her on WeChat. Then on the weekend, you can take her to dinner and a movie.”

Lu Cheng hung up the phone with a helpless sigh. His mother had already arranged everything down to the last detail—even checked the almanac.

“Year of Yisi, Month of Gengchen, Day of Bingwu—Auspicious for travel, haircuts, opening a business… and blind dates leading to marriage.”

No way around it. Even after crossing into a new world, Lu Cheng couldn’t escape the fate of being dragged into a blind date.

Disobeying his mother wasn’t an option. If he tried, the rolling pin would be waiting at home.

For the sake of world peace, he had no choice but to show up.

His mom swore the girl was a great beauty with both looks and figure.

But Lu Cheng wasn’t convinced. To middle-aged women born in the seventies, anyone with all the facial features in place was “a beauty.” He had braced himself for disappointment.

Seagull Café.

Ten minutes earlier, a breathtaking woman had walked in.

Her face was delicately oval, skin pale and flawless, her features sharp and refined. Long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and even in a simple white blouse and denim skirt, her tall figure and graceful waist gave her a noble, untouchable aura.

Her eyes were clear and cold, with an allure that made it impossible to look away.

This beauty climbed the stairs to the quieter second floor on long, slender legs. Were it not for her icy, unapproachable air, the entire floor would have been packed with men trying to get close.

Her name was Su Qingwu. She sat in a corner seat upstairs, ordered a latte, and idly scrolled through her phone.

Even a goddess like her wasn’t immune to parental pressure for blind dates. Defy them, and peace at home became impossible.

She placed a delicate blue silk scarf on the table so her blind date could recognize her.

When Lu Cheng entered the café, his tall frame and sunny, handsome looks instantly drew attention.

It was an age that judged by appearances.

Su Qingwu also noticed him. She had seen his photo from her mother—this was definitely her blind date.

In fact, he was even more handsome in person, right in her strike zone… though that was all.

But Lu Cheng only gave the hall a sweeping glance before heading straight to Table A09.

“Hello, I’m Lu Cheng. Auntie Gu introduced us.”

He glanced at the scarf on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Across from him sat a short-haired woman. Not a beauty, not ugly either—looked about six or seven years older than him.

As expected,. His mother’s definition of “great beauty” was… generous.

Lu Cheng had no real interest in blind dates anyway, and he still had to report to the precinct later. Showing up late on his very first day as a trainee police officer was not an option.

So—make it quick.

The short-haired woman blinked at him in confusion. She had no idea who he was.

Lu Cheng cut straight to the point:

“Sorry, this blind date was arranged behind my back by my mom. Nowadays, young people being forced into this is normal. I’m guessing you’re the same. Anyway, we’ve met, task complete, we can both go home, and report mission accomplished. That’s it, I’ve got things to do, so—”

He had rehearsed these lines to avoid awkward small talk.

But just as he was about to get up, he froze, then sat back down again.

“Wait… have we met before?”

The woman frowned, baffled.

Lu Cheng really did feel she looked familiar. But from where?

Upstairs.

Su Qingwu sipped her coffee, long legs crossed, watching the scene below with a strange expression.

Her blind date seemed to have mistaken someone else for her.

The coincidence of the silk scarf…

Still, she wasn’t about to correct him. Better to sit back and enjoy the show.

From her vantage point, she could see everything clearly.

…

Lu Cheng stared, mind racing. He was sure this was his first time meeting her—so why did she feel so familiar?

Then a hazy memory snapped into focus.

A sharp glint flickered in his eyes. It was her.

A wanted fugitive from Lushui County—Liu Juan.

Ever since he transmigrated, Lu Cheng hadn’t unlocked his system yet, but his memory had improved drastically. In his free time, he had memorized photos of wanted criminals alongside textbooks like Investigation Strategies and Notes of a Police Chief.

The resemblance was seventy percent.

Why only seventy?

Because in the wanted photo, Liu Juan had long wavy hair and single eyelids. Now, she had short hair and double eyelids. But Lu Cheng could tell the surgery wasn’t natural.

When she closed her eyes, there was a faint scar line—something a natural double eyelid wouldn’t have.

And there was the clincher: a small black mole under her right earlobe.

Lu Cheng’s nerves tightened. His supposed blind date… was a fugitive?

Mom, what the hell!

The short-haired woman snapped, “I don’t even know you! What blind date? You’re insane!”

She shot him a glare, gathered her things, and turned to leave.

“Liu Juan.”

Lu Cheng’s voice rang out behind her.

Her steps faltered, her back stiffening.

That name hadn’t been used in a long time. A primal warning shot through her mind—Run!

Lu Cheng narrowed his eyes. No mistake—it was her.

He shot up from his seat just as she bolted.

Two strides, then he launched himself forward in a flying tackle.

Bang!

The woman crashed to the floor, shoulder slamming into a table leg. Coffee spilled, screams echoed.

Without hesitation, Lu Cheng twisted her arm into a lock, pinning her down with smooth, practiced motions straight out of police academy training.

Only this time, the opponent wasn’t an instructor or classmate—
It was a real criminal.

He grabbed the blue silk scarf from the table and bound her wrists tight in place of handcuffs.

…

Jianghai City, Sanliqiao Precinct.

Director Chen Weimin leaned back in his chair, grumbling into the phone:

“Chief Yang, can’t we play fair? All the good recruits go to Chengdong and Qingshijing precincts, and we just get the leftovers?”

“What? That top student? Please, everyone knows he’s just here for show. No way we’ll keep him long!”

…

After a long back-and-forth, he finally muttered a sullen “I’ll obey the organization’s arrangements” and hung up.

He was fuming.

Instructor Song Chengfeng passed him a cup of tea. “Old Chen, don’t get worked up. Have some chrysanthemum tea.”

Chen Weimin took a sip, spat it out, scowled.

“Four rookies this year, and not one with above-average academy scores, let alone excellent! All the good ones went elsewhere. What are we, the unwanted stepchild of the bureau?”

“Our results get worse every year. Last month, the Chengxi precinct even earned third-class merit. That bastard Hao Jianping rubbed it in my face for days!”

Song Chengfeng, mild-tempered as ever, chuckled. “Jealous, are you?”

Chen slapped his own face. “Jealous of what? I just don’t want us to keep getting crushed by the other precincts!”

He was bitter. He wasn’t incompetent, and he worked hard. But in three years, Sanliqiao hadn’t cracked a big case or nabbed any major criminals. Their record was pathetic.

Meanwhile, the other precincts shone one after another, solving homicides, taking down gang leaders, catching notorious thieves.

Sanliqiao? Nothing but silence.

Song tried to comfort him. “Isn’t peace in our district a good thing?”

Chen just drank his tea gloomily.

Every citywide meeting was the same: the leaders praising other precincts for another success while Sanliqiao became the cautionary tale.

“Other precincts should learn from X precinct, increase their clearance rate, and better protect the lives and property of the people.”

No rankings were published, but everyone knew Sanliqiao sat at the bottom.

Song patted Chen’s shoulder. “Relax. At nine-thirty we’re welcoming the rookies. The sub-bureau leaders are coming to give a speech. We should get ready.”