America: The Gear-Up Detective

Liu Qingxi wore a white dress, revealing a small section of her smooth, white calves, which were even more eye-catching against the backdrop of black short leather boots.

Perhaps it was because the night in Los Angeles was a bit chilly, she was wearing a light blue denim jacket over her upper body, a seemingly incongruous combination that actually accentuated her charm.

Upon seeing that it was indeed Rod, Liu Qingxi, who was not far away, ran towards him with a shopping bag in her hand.

"It's you."

Rhodes was quite impressed with her; after all, it's rare to find someone who would willingly act as "bait."

And she's also very beautiful.

Running to Luo De's side, Liu Qingxi seemed a little flustered, holding the shopping bags in front of her with both hands, she smiled slightly and said:

"Officer Rhodes, why are you back here? I was planning to thank you at the police station tomorrow."

"Just call me Rod. What are you doing at the police station?"

"Didn't one of your female police officers tell me to come in for questioning tomorrow?"

Rod suddenly realized, "Oh, it must be Anna. She's in charge of the aftermath of that case."

Rod looked at Liu Qingxi's outfit, then glanced at her hair, which he hadn't noticed before, and asked in surprise, "What happened to your hair?"

Although their last meeting lasted only a dozen minutes, her long, black hair that reached her waist left a deep impression on Rod. But now, her hair was only "shoulder-length," much shorter.

Liu Qingxi chuckled, "After I told my parents about what happened last time, they said it was too dangerous for a girl like me who can't even kill a chicken to be in that kind of situation."

So I decided to learn some Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) or something to improve my health, and that's why I cut my hair short.

At this point, Liu Qingxi's eyes lit up, "Officer Luo De, why don't you teach me!"

Don't you detectives all know some kind of grappling and fighting techniques? That's how it's always portrayed on TV.

And I can pay the tuition!

Rhodes was about to refuse; after all, given his physical condition, he'd be lucky not to hurt his back, let alone teach someone. But then he thought, "I remember, you're a student at UCLA, right?"

"Yes, I am a graduate student at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture."

"That's perfect. I need your help with something, and in return, I can teach you some self-defense techniques for free."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingxi looked puzzled. In her mind, what could a policeman possibly do that she could help with?

Could it be that I'm going to go undercover?

That's how it's always portrayed in movies: the male lead encounters some difficulties in his investigation, so he sends the female lead to infiltrate a dangerous gang to gather intelligence. Then, the female lead is discovered and gets into trouble, and the male lead suddenly appears and saves her life.

I heard that the climax at the end of Iron Man 1 was filmed based on this scene.

As Liu Qingxi was imagining things, she heard Luo De say, "I'd like to go into your school's library, and maybe... borrow a book while I'm there, is that alright?"

"Ah...that's it?" Liu Qingxi's tone was full of disappointment.

Rhodes looked puzzled. "Otherwise?"

Which library would you like to go to?

Rod chuckled, "They all have to go!"

Liu Qingxi said there were no problems.

The two exchanged contact information, using WeChat, which Rod was familiar with.

Fortunately, Rhodes' father's relatives all use WeChat to chat, and Rhodes himself had registered before. The two scanned the QR code, added each other as friends, and agreed to take action the next morning.

Luo De then dropped Liu Qingxi off at her dormitory building and drove away.

......

The next morning.

Sunlight streamed through the slightly open window and shone on Rod's face.

Since it's Saturday, Rod turned off his alarm clock last night.

Last night before bed, Rod did some simple training, hoping to improve his physical attributes as soon as possible. After the fatigue subsided, he was able to get a good night's sleep, something he hadn't done in a long time.

After washing up, Rod glanced at the time; it was almost ten o'clock, and the agreed time was fast approaching.

Without having breakfast, Rod drove directly to UCLA.

My grandfather's ranch is near the outskirts of Los Angeles, and it took more than an hour to reach the agreed meeting point on campus.

At this moment, Liu Qingxi had been sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree for a long time.

Seeing Rhodes approach, she also stood up, her face showing no impatience from waiting for so long.

Instead, he looked at Rod with a grin and said, "Let's go, let's go check out the nearest Powell Library first."

Liu Qingxi walked to Luo De's side and whispered to him, "The Powell Library is a library specifically for undergraduate students, providing 24-hour study space."

Although it's called a library, it also has a game room that's open 24 hours a day.

It's quite interesting. In China, who would dare to imagine that a university library would actually have a dedicated game room?

Furthermore, there's a very interesting legend: it's said that touching the bronze lion at the library entrance during exam week will bring good luck!

"Have you touched it too?" Rod replied with a smile.

"No, I study violin and don't believe in these things."

Besides, I'm a graduate student; touching the bronze lion statue in my undergraduate college probably won't bring any good luck.

Rod turned to look at Liu Qingxi, who was engrossed in conversation, and suddenly asked, "It's past eleven now, are you hungry? How about we go get something to eat?"

"A little."

"Then you decide. What are some good places to eat around here?"

In the commercial street next to the campus.

Liu Qingxi led Luo De to the entrance of a coffee shop.

This is a coffee shop with an exquisite exterior and interior design, featuring soft lighting and a comfortable atmosphere.

It was a hot midday in Los Angeles, and many people were ordering an iced coffee to cool off.

Although it was called a coffee shop, Rod noticed that many tables also had Western dishes such as steak and pasta.

Liu Qingxi led Rod to a small two-person table against the wall in the coffee shop, handed him the menu, and explained with a smile, "The coffee here is very good, but I like their lemon cupcakes and steak the most. You can try them."

On Liu Qingxi's recommendation, Luo De ordered some food and drank the iced Americano that the waiter had just brought over.

Actually, it wasn't that good.

As Rod pondered this, he glanced at Liu Qingxi, who was leisurely eating her cake. Just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by a sound coming from not far to his left.

"Tessa! What's wrong?!"

Not far away, on a semi-circular sofa, a woman in a black suit lay unconscious.

Beside her were two female companions who appeared to be her best friends, one of whom was anxiously shaking her body.

The entire restaurant's attention was drawn to it.

On the outside of the sofa, a woman wearing a red T-shirt, jeans, and brown hair looked anxiously at her best friend on the sofa.

A restaurant staff member quickly came over. "What happened?"

The woman standing on the outside of the sofa pointed at the waiter, her shrill voice even piercing Rod's ears nearby, "What did you put in the coffee?!"

The waiter, seeing the woman in the suit lying on the sofa with an unusually flushed face, also became panicked.

The scene became chaotic.