Disguise

A third-rate reporter who plays dumb to catch the tiger VS a good-for-nothing playboy who's nothing but a mystery

Li Qiao is an orphan. After graduating from college, she found a job as a reporter, but her meager monthly salary all went to her landlord.

She rents a place in Guanxiang Alley, a notorious slum that's filthy, chaotic, and full of all sorts of people.

Day after day, life goes by without a ripple.

Until one day, she discovers that the supposedly haunted rental downstairs has actually been rented out.

They say a mother and daughter died there years ago. The case was solved, and an exorcist even came to lay their spirits to rest, but when night falls, cold winds still blow and ghostly wails still echo.

Who could be brave enough to live there?

The tenant is an old man with white hair, a scraggly beard, and a sloppy appearance. He reeks from head to toe.

The neighbors all despise him. They say cruel things, spit at him, and even take swings at him.

Only Li Qiao gives him a clean towel to wipe the blood from his face whenever he's been bullied.

Li Qiao's father disappeared without explanation when she was eight. Ever since, she's been searching for him.

As her investigation goes deeper, the web of connections and interests involved becomes increasingly complicated. A powerful figure puts out a hit on her, determined to wipe her out.

One day, a gang of thugs corners her in a dead-end alley.

A white-haired old man hobbles over to protect her, and the thugs burst out laughing.

"Seriously? You brought some old geezer to save you?"

They soon stop laughing. The old man takes on a hundred men by himself, effortlessly beating them until they're sprawled on the ground, begging for mercy.

Li Qiao is stunned. How did the old man, who never fought back or talked back, suddenly become so skilled?

The "old man" removes his disguise in front of her. Behind the age spots is the face of a handsome, stern young man.

Li Qiao is stunned again. But what's even more baffling is that the thugs suddenly crawl over to him and shout in unison, "Boss!"

As for the powerful figure who put out a hit on Li Qiao, he vanishes from the world overnight, and no one can find any trace of him.

Reader's guide:

1. Mystery and road-trip story, with a realistic tone.

2. The male lead has many identities. What you see may not be the whole truth.

3. I usually finish writing the whole story before posting. I'm a bit sensitive.

4. Modern alternate setting. No real-world place names appear in the story.

5. I can't think of anything else yet. I'll add more if I do.

Theme: Selflessly devoting oneself to defending the country and its people, without regard for personal gain or even one's own life.